It’s almost the end of the school year and students at Perez are excited for their approaching summer vacation. This week we read The Quiet Machine by Ada Limon and talked about what the best and worst kinds of silences are. We also discussed how the way it’s structured like a prose poem affects the way we read the poem. Then students got to work on their own poems about an emotion, or state of being and described all the different ways that it can look like. Some even tried the prose poem structure. Enjoy this week’s poets!
7th Grade
Safety
Carmen P.
Safety is when I’m at home sitting on the couch with the windows open and the sunlight beaming in, and the fan turned on. Safety is when I am at home eating my favorite food, and eating big bowls of ice cream. Safety is also Harrison Park, when I’m screaming at the top of my lungs for the person to shoot the ball in the net, or to just get that rebound.
Feliz
Maria
Feliz porque mi hermano y yo
pudimos empezar a estudiar y
pudimos llegar a estados
unidos con mi mama. Venir
al colegio y verlo jugar con sus
compañeros a la hora de recreo. Ay
Momentos tristes, porque me acuerdo
de mi papa que se fue al cielo. Me
acuerdo cuando jugaba conmigo y
compartimos. Cuando estoy
pensando sola, cuando estoy en
el cuarto sola.
Annoying
Jonah R.
Annoying
I feel annoying at school
students get in trouble
unsure I don’t know
classmates bothered
feels uncomfortable
not good for me
Mi Silencio Feliz!
Estefania Z.
Mi silencio feliz esta en el
lugar al que mas fui.
Me gustaba vivir
con
mi silencio feliz.
La naturaleza me dava el
silencio feliz,
con el que creci.
El agua se movia, los arboles
tambien el aire se movia
y se sentia bien, estaba
a salvo con el yoga y mi mascota
tambien ella dormia
y
dormia con su silencio feliz
era perfecto y haci creci muy
feliz.
8th Grade- Group 1
Tristeza, Soledad
Owen L.
Es un estado en el que me siento atrapado, caminando sin destino fijo, solo pensando o quedándome callado ante todo, preguntándome que pasara al final cuando ya deje de existir. Solo existira oscuridad o luz, quedaré en blanco para siempre o despertaré de nuevo, o solo estaré apagado me pregunto, o si es para saber que quiero hacer con mi vida antes de que todo termine, es lo que me pregunto cada dia, mañana, o tarde o noche sin respuesta alguna.
Silence
Laila F.
I can take a hint. The hint when somebody wants you to shut up. When you’re trying to start a conversation, can’t think of nothing to say, and they just look at you. It turns into awkward silence. The kind of silence where you and that person have nothing in common, where every time they or you try to start a conversation, only gibberish comes out. The feeling in the movie, The Little Mermaid, when Ursula took Ariel’s voice and replaced it with legs. The atmosphere, the people. The people who always tell you to shut up when you try to talk. And make you think why even bother to talk if somebody is going to tell you that. All of that.
Loud Moments
Sofia G.
So many loud moments. When you walk in Pilsen, or when you sleep sometimes you hear people weep, partying at night till dawn. So loud you’re numb, now it doesn’t affect you anymore. I get so used to it, it becomes part of me. Sometimes I sit and listen to their chisme. In my hometown of Mexico shots are fired, music is played loud till the speakers are on the verge of exploding. People who beep their horns and don’t care, then fly by speeding past the red lights. That’s how loud moments are made.
8th Grade- Group 2
Are You Ok? I’m Tired
Jahzara P.
Yes, I am tired all the time,
people don’t really realize it though.
When I’m quiet that ask “ What’s wrong?”
I answer “I’m just a little tired.”
They don’t realize that the only reason that are able to ask
is because I stopped pretending to not be tired
to not feel like I want to curl up into a ball and cry or sleep.
I’m tired from many things
I’m tired from sleeping
I’m tired from thinking
I’m tired from being angry
I’m tired from being sad
But mostly
I’m tired from all the drama and hurt that I had
ti endure just to lose a friend.
I’ve been tired for most of my life I think
tiredness comes with being a teen
either way
I’m still tired
Tired is my pain
tired is my calm
tired is my peace
My tired is invisible
And yet still,
I am tired.
I’ll Be Proud When I Get There
Roman R.
The day is coming
two more weeks and
I will be in all blue along
with my classmates, proud.
My parents looking at me
with the biggest smile.
I feel like my mind is
gonna flood with pure memories
Kindergarten graduation is gonna
pop up. Me and my team winning
the volleyball game, and getting the
best grades of my life. And after
all that. I’m proud.
