We hope you have been staying warm in this cold Chicago weather. Last week we didn’t have Poetry Club, but the week before that we read Natasha Trethewey’s “History Lesson” to learn about imagery. Listening closely to the words used, we each drew pictures of our interpretations in markers and pencils to reflect on what details stood out to us. Then, we switched perspectives by picking out photographs from an assortment of artists to write unique poetry about them. We hope you enjoy our visual and verbal poetry!
South Loop Poetry Club
Running Lady
By Annabel
She runs as fast as the
wind across the fence,
Wind blowing as fast as she is
running.
smells like nothing, as bland as
air.
tastes Cold like rain,
feels like wind blowing through my
fingers.
Gramm Wein
The Growing Garden
By Navi R.
The sight of a garden in the process of growing
The sound of the soil falling
The smell of a newly-grown plants
The taste of a book
The feel of gardening tools
Otobong Nkanga
The Balance
By Oliver G.
I see death I see light / I see
people running with a knife / I see
hope and love / sounds ringing in
my ear I hear / the sounds winter,
spring, summer and fall / I smell fear
I smell love I smell hairspray /
look those curls / I touch life I
touch death my memories never
take a rest/ don’t interrupt the
balance.
Tor Warren
Weird Lady
By Audrey
I see she is strict and serious
I hear quiet 90s music
it smells like a purple jolly rancher
it tastes sweet
Like candy
She feels wind in her.
Kwame Braithwaite and Audrey’s artistic interpretation
Robot
By Whitman G.
I see TVs / I see books / I see people in the TV running
with hooks / I see a 80s robot / I hear a raspy voice / I hear
clinking wrenches / I hear people talking on benches in the
TV / I smell rust I smell electricity / I smell metal / I
feel cold metal, stories and people / I taste oil, metal, and
screens.
Nam June Paik
The Line in One Room
By Cole C.
We are 3 standing in line
in a room holding numbers
Counting to 2 to 4
In this painting
there are 3 girls
With different colored dresses
One is a princess dress
2nd in a long big shirt
reaching at her legs that widened
A passionate 3rd
Her legs together
Was having two shirts
that are showing
3 girls represent themselves
as their braids
One girl holding the number 2
Was one braid
2nd girl holding the number 3
Had double the braids than the first one
3rd girl holding the number 4
had a long braid and a short braid.
Jacob Lawrence
The Judge
By Mia P.
A woman looks
at a man in Shame
and disappointment
The feel of a judging
aura surrounding them…
Making the air feel thick,
and humid.
The taste of guilt, shame,
and anxiety on the tip
of the man’s tongue.
The air and feeling so
tense… you can taste it.
The tense high-pitched
Sound of a violin and
the sound of the butterflies
in your stomach
Elizabeth Catlett
We’re at a party
By Esther N.
We’re at a party with black individuals
the DJ at the booth playin
Old black music
the people are hollering to
Ice Cube, Nas, Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, and
Public enemy.
We’re at a party
It reeks of heavy cologne
Musty people
and alcohol
We’re at a party
Tastes of
an alcoholic
beverage
and what they
ate before
We’re at a party
The nice touch
of the other
Person they’re dancing
with.
Faith Ringgold
Drawings of Natasha Trethewey and her Grandmother in “History Lesson”:
By Ruzzi M.
By Oliver G.
By Navi R.
By Annabel
By Cole C.
