Sestinas

These three sestinas were written collaboratively, with each student contributing one or more lines (in Mrs. Van Zytveld's class, the students requested that each adult add a line as well, including Cassie who was on a site visit, and a student teacher...)

Mrs. Van Zytveld's Class

The Story of My Life
by Room 303

Today my mom had a bad voice
and when she turned
she said “I’m one of the biggest planets!”
Today at school my class acted like animals.
I don’t know what to do about sense.
I see a tiger that is curved

I see car that is curved.
I was screaming and I think I lost my voice.
Some people don’t have any common sense
and one day my mom was driving and was talking and made a bad turn.
My mom was yelling like a big animal.
I live on a planet.

Jupiter is my favorite planet.
I see a pig’s tail curve
and on a farm I see lots of animals.
I hear high voices.
Right now Mr. Eric skipped my turn.
I see someone’s sense

and my hearing is my strongest sense.
I see the planet
in the sky and I am uncertain which way it turns.
As strange as it may seem the world still curves
and speaks with an oceanic voice.
I see a crazy animal

that ate the T-Rex animal.
I have one for planet but not for sense.
There are too many voices.
Mercury is the first planet.
I can see Mercury around the sun curving.
I see the car twisting and turning.

I was playing on the sidewalk and I saw a car turn
and it hit an animal.
My grandma came over to my house to use the bathroom and she had to make a curve.
I don’t make sense.
Pluto is a dwarf planet
and so is my voice.

When I was in the car the car slipped and turned and now I sense
an animal and it left my big planet.
As I curve I hear a voice.


Ms. Otero's Class

The Awkward Poem
a sestina by Room 304

I heard voices
skip a turn
and sing on the planet.
I saw an animal
making sense.
I turned around a curve

and around the city it looks like a curve.
I heard brother’s sleeping voice
and his sense
when I made a turn.
There was a sleeping animal
on a planet.

It was a dark planet
that was shaped like a curve.
I saw a black animal.
Everyone has a voice.
There was a Martian that made a turn
and it made no sense

but I wish it made sense.
Crazy planets
they just turn
with a loud “curve”
and there was a loud voice.
There are lots of animals

and I hear talking animals.
Animals can use their senses.
I hear a gibbering voice.
There was a crazy, giant Martian seal bouncing the planet.
Everyone on the planet fell off the curve.
He made a wild turn,

a massive turn.
Everyone fell off the planet except for the animals.
The cats fell off the curve
and there was no sense.
Jupiter is a HUGE planet.
The mouse had a squeaky voice.

The car turned in the wrong direction and it made no sense.
The car hit an animal on another planet.
The man had a curvy voice.


Mrs. Garay's Class

Voice Turn Planet Animal Sense Curve
by Room 305

A low voice
takes a turn
around the planet.
The voice was from an animal
and it made no sense.
The animal curved

and when the animal curved
it had a swervy voice.
Then it made sense.
Then around the corner the animal turned.
But then a loud voice comes from the animal!
The big red planet

is a destroyed planet.
The red planet Mars will be one of the last to make a curve.
It’s a big and nasty animal!
It has a nasty voice
and makes a turn.
It has a weird sense,

it made nonsense.
Jupiter is a ringed planet.
Planets turn
and curve.
But it was the loud voice
of the animal

that was heard by the other animals
and it made a loud noise with sense.
A sucker-free voice
shook the planet
and made it make an immense curve
but then it decided to make a turn.

And then the immense turn
was chased by a swimming animal.
The animal liked to curve
then it used its five different senses.
Then it smelled the planet
and it got a sore voice.

It’s my turn? It makes no sense.
That animal lived on a weird planet.
I curve my voice.