Alliteration and Consonance

Students were asked to write a poem on any subject in which they use, at least once, an example of alliteration and an example of consonance. Some kept it simple; some went Dada sound poetry on the situation; some wrote a new blues. Here are some examples:


Treats and Sweets Might Not Be Sweet
Alex O.

It was dark at night my height was not high.
It was dark at night my height was not high.
I saw a white light though my height is small
& I can not see out the window.

I cried “Mom”
I cried “Mom”
She said “It’s an alien invasion.”
I said, “Sweet.” She said
“This is not sweet.”

I wish I had a treat to make this sweet.
I wish I had a treat to make this sweet.
Mom said, “Treats may not make this sweet.”

I might see an alien invasion if I’m sweet.
I might see an alien invasion if I’m sweet.
The height is not high I can still not see.

Sweets and treats don’t go together.
Sweets and treats don’t go together.
If I have a treat I still may not be sweet.


Tools Town
Trenati B.

Trenati took Tommy’s mommy’s
tools to the train.

Tommy’s mommy took
the train to the tool house
to find the tools.

Trenati took the tools
on a tan train.



untitled
Sophia P.

The big blue sky turned
dark as night.

An eagle grabbed a beagle
and flew away.


Fancy Pancy Pants
JaVonna C.

Walking around touching the ground.
Candy in my pocket, I’m Polly Locket.

My fancy pants do it again! do it again!
Running like me, looking pretty like Ricky
My fancy pants, oh my pants.

Looking at you, you are a fool
Give me a tool, I know I’m cool!


The Birthday Blues
Xochitl Z.

I woke up this morning and I said “It’s my mom’s birthday.”
I woke up this morning and I said “It’s my mom’s birthday.”
I ran to my calendar and I saw it was Earth Day.

I went to school with the blues.
I went to school with the blues.
My teacher got me so confused.

When I went home
When I went home
I wrote a poem.


Jokey Jordan
Jordan A.

Jokey Jordan lives in the jungle.
She juggles her jokes to the jaguars.
She also juggles her jokes to the gymnasium.
She joked so much she was jalting,
jalting, jalting she can’t breathe!
One jaguar jumps on her and her
joking box came out.
She can never joke again.


Gustavo the Goose
Gustavo C.

Gustavo the Goose
goes to the Gamestop
and gets games
and goes to his greenhouse
and plays games until the gray moon
comes up.

Gustavo tattles about worms
in a bottle.


Leo the Lion
Leonardo M.

Leonardo the Lion
goes to the lake

He licks the people
he likes the people

The lion was hungry
so he looks for food

Then he licks the
dirty water

He goes to a lake
and looks for home

Galileo's Got the Blues

Students listened to Bessie Smith's "Back-Water Blues" and wrote their own blues poems. Read some below, as well as watch video of students reading!

My Hair
Angeliqic D.

My hair is brown and I look like a clown
My hair is brown and I look like a clown
My brother’s is blue but it smells like shampoo

My sister’s hair is wheat but it smells like feet
My sister’s hair is wheat but it smells like feet
My fish is made of wheat but she doesn’t smell like feet

My hair is fluffy but it s not lovely
My hair is fluffy but it s not lovely
And now my hair is blue and fluffy, too


I’ve Got the Swimming Meet Blues
Carlos R

I’ve got the swimming meet blues
I’ve got the swimming meet blues
I forgot to take off my shoes

Got my hands on the board and I’m ready to go
Got my hands on the board and I’m ready to go
I landed on my belly and I went too low

I had a dream I was a swimming villain
I had a dream I was a swimming villain
I woke up and won a ribbon


The Bushy Hair Blues
Madeline G.

When I wake up my hair is bushy
When I wake up my hair is bushy
But when I brush it is like glass so smooth

When I go to school it stays that way
When I go to school it stays that way
I go home and I go crazy and it gets tangled every day

When it’s nighttime I take a shower and brush it
When it’s nighttime I take a shower and brush it
But when I wake up it’s bushy again, all of it.


The Backache
Cleophus J.

When my mom had a backache that very special day.
When my mom had a backache that very special day.
She went to the hospital I was getting angry.

So I wrote a letter to give to my mom.
So I wrote a letter to give to my mom.
Her husband got it and called me to tell me about it all.

She wrote back to me and said she’ll be O.K.
She wrote back to me and said she’ll be O.K.
So I stopped being mad and went out to play.


No chips. No dip.
Jaques C.

There ain’t no chips.
There ain’t no chips.
All I have is dip.

I can’t go to the store.
I can’t go to the store.
All I do is sit on the floor.

I have to go.
I have to go.
But I have to watch the show.

So I just sit here thinking about chips.
So I just sit here thinking about chips.
But now I don’t got no dip.


The Blues
Gutsavo C.

There’s no pizza on my table
There’s no pizza on my table
It was almost like a fable

There’re no video games in my living room
There’re no video games in my living room
I felt like I was doomed

There’s no food on the plate
There’s no food on the plate
It felt like everybody was fake


Cartoon
Justin O.

I got the cartoon blues
I got the cartoon blues
And Scooby-Doo can’t find any clues

Bugs Bunny is white as a kite
Bugs Bunny is white as a kite
Oh, yes, that’s right

Spider-Man is sticky
Spider-Man is sticky
And his friend’s name is Nicky

Cartoon were on TV
Cartoon were on TV
Then I had to pee pee.


I’m Worried About the First Day of School!!!
Kierra R.

People stare at you
People stare at you
People like me think it’s true

You do a lot of work
You do a lot of work
Lots of boys burp

It’s not cool
It’s not cool
But we still have to go to school

School is boring
School is boring
But it sounds like Jordan is snoring

We get out late
We get out late
It sounds like Jordan’s on a date


The Skeleton Blues
Trenati B.

a skeleton came up to me
a skeleton came up to me
oh, yesiree

he unlocked the door
he unlocked the door
he murmured, “I’m very poor”

it seems he wanted money
it seems he wanted money
he grabbed more and more

he broke his skull
he broke his skull
his bones were dull

I kick him in the shin
I kick him in the shin
suddenly he fell in a bin

I ran
I ran
all the way to heaven


Millionaire’s Blues
Yaritza M.

What if a millionaire were to knock on my door,
What if a millionaire were to knock on my door,
Should I run away if he opens the door?

The last thing I want is to be called poor,
The last thing I want is to be called poor,
He might be mean as a wild boar.

Now I got the millionaire blues,
Now I got the millionaire blues,
What should I do if he comes?

Wait a min.!
Wait a min.!
It was a pizza man!


Men Jumping Off Cliffs
Rayes W.

A man said, “I will jump off this cliff.”
A man said, “I will jump off this cliff.”
So he did a little jig and he took a big shift.

So he jumped off and he did a flip.
So he jumped off and he did a flip.
Then he did a dip.

All of a sudden I heard the ambulance.
All of a sudden I heard the ambulance.
I took a rinse.

I heard a splat.
I heard a splat.
Then I saw a man that looked like a dead rat.


The Kitty-Cat Blues
Caitlin C-B.

My 9 year old cat Smokey.
My 9 year old cat Smokey.
Does lots and lots and lots of naughty things.

She’ll bring birds in the house.
She’ll bring birds in the house.
She’ll hurt them and hurt them until they’re dead.

She won’t take a bath.
She won’t take a bath.
She’ll never ever never ever take a bath.

I want a new pet.
I want a new pet.
I want a golden lab that loves me best.

Rhyming Poems from November

Hairy Dog
Ronnie B.

What a hairy dog so hairy you can see.
What kind of dog can it really be?

I can see that dog is really scary.
I’ll cut off his hair, do you dare me?

His name is Jay, Jay I shall say.
But when I tried to cut his hair
he chased me away.

I ran into the house and went to bed.
When I got up I felt dog hair on my head.

Now I don’t like the dog,
so I played on the log.


The Moon
Ebene A.

Soon the moon will rise above.
Soon you can see it.

Soon you will be amazed.
As the moon rises the time
goes by.

Your mom will say go to
bed and good night.

When you hop in bed say
goodnight to the soon moon.

Soon the moon will watch you
as you sleep.

My Dog
Kierra R.

He is a funny dog
He likes his hog

But he doesn’t like his frog
He likes to “gawg”

He doesn’t like his pet toy called “dog.”
When you take away his frog he “gawgs.”

When you take his hog he takes his dog.
He plays a lot with his frog.

He takes his frog while he “gawgs.”
He doesn’t play a lot with his hog.


Unknown
Virshauna B.

1. The globe is blue
just like you

2. Math is hard
just like cards

3. The flag is red
I wanna go to bed

4. Homework is boring
just like snoring

5. The sun is yellow
Hello my fellow

6. The grass is green
I like beans

7. Chalk is white
fly your kite

8. The door is brown
Don’t look down


The Flag
Kayla A.

The flag has stars
Just like Mars

It’s red, white, and blue
It felt just like you

Blows in the air
When parents had an affair


untitled
Araceli C.

From the sky
came a cry

from a fly
inside of the sky

was a fly
who wanted to try
to fly


untitled
Cleophus J.

One day I went out to play.
Me and my friends went to the park
but someone farted.

I went on the monkey bars
with a red car.

My friends went home,
I was alone.

I went in, but I saw
some fins.

I awoke, it was just a dream,
but I smelled beans.

Scientific Poems

Knowing that the students were working on science projects, I thought they might enjoy using a stereotypical scientific formality and using it as a form of poetry. They used the old saw of "Observation; Hypothesis; Findings; Conclusion" as a poetic form, as a springboard for seeing what's poetic in the world, and therefore is a form of fact.

That said, some students went for the outright realistically silly:

Chipmunks
by Kayla A.

Observation: Chipmunks are made of walnuts.

Hypothesis: Chipmunks are made of walnuts because they crack themselves up.

Findings: Chipmunks hate walnuts.

Conclusion: I learned that chipmunks and walnuts do not go together.


Paper Flowers
by Sophia P.

Observation: Flowers are made out of paper.

Hypothesis: I think goats and rabbits eat the flowers because they are made of paper.

Findings: They use the paper flowers as food when there’s nothing else to do.

Conclusion: Flowers are not made out of paper, they’re made out of candy—that’s why they taste so good.



Others went towards the serious real and surreal:

Cat Ears
by Caitlin C.

Observation: A cat’s ear works better than a human’s ear.

Hypothesis: Cats have more muscles in their ear than the human ear.

Findings: Cats have 32 muscles in their ear and humans have only six muscles in their ear.

Conclusion: Cats and human ears have a different number of muscles and cats’ ears work better.


Dolphins
by Anjalae A.

Observation: Dolphins are made of water.

Hypothesis: Dolphins are made of water so they don’t need fish.

Findings: Dolphins are made of water because they swim underwater.

Conclusion: Dolphins are not fish.



Some saw in the actual gestures and things of the world behaviors that had a biological and/or social meaning. They recognized that behaviors have a context that is as important as the behavior.

Here is one involving animals:

My Freaky Animal
by Madeline G.

Observation: Cats are made of water.

Hypothesis: Cats are made of water so you don’t need to give them water—they just lick themselves when they’re thirsty.

Findings: They even shed their skin and drink it.

Conclusion: Cats are made of water so they can live.


Amazing. We've all seen cats lick themselves--little did we know why they were doing so...


Here's one about the perennial mystery of the uvula.

The Dangly Thing
by Jackie C.

Observation: The little dangly thing at the back of your throat: is it decorative or an important part of you?

Hypothesis: I think it might be important because I touch it and I start coughing.

Findings: I found out that your dangly thing is important.

Conclusion: It is important since it makes you get a brain freeze.


Again--so true that it creates a truth.


Here, though, the poet makes an important social observation, and uncovers what we didn't know but already felt to be true:


The Truth About Green Grass
by Jesus R.


Observation: Green grass is made of thousand dollar bills.

Hypothesis: Green grass is made of thousand dollar bills because grass like rich people.

Findings: People mow the lawn and then rake the grass up and put it in the trash. Then the garbage truck picks it up and takes it to Washington DC and gives it to the President.

Conclusion: Green grass is made out of money because grass is born from trees’ roots.

Ekphrasis

The students looked at Breugel's Landscape with the Fall of Icarus and puzzled over why it is so difficult to see Icarus; they then read William Carlos Williams' poem based upon the painting and discussed description as interpretation.

They then chose from three pictures to write their own ekphrastic poems about: a sculpture by Giacometti, a collage by Max Ernst, and a New Guinean ancestor mask.

Some of the poems don't go much beyond description; some, however, use the pictures as jumping off points to say something important about human psychological and social being.


New Guinea Ancestor
based on an ancestor mask
Julian V.


His teeth
have braces.
I think he
could get
hung up on
the wall?
I think it
could be
a baby’s
coffin?
It could be
a calendar
for something?


Giacometti
based on a sculpture by Giacometti
Xavier R.

Looks like
a house with
out cover
from the out
side.
It looks
like a
cage from
the in side
of the house
in the cage
it looks like
a ruler in
side




Don’t Get Eaten
based on a collage by Max Ernst
Javonna C.


Hey, do you
see what I see.
I see ducks

ducking around
like they’re on
something

worm
worm
run

don’t
let the
ducks
get
you

do you
want
to stay
alive

ok
that’s
on you



Pain of Sadness
based on a collage by Max Ernst
Trenati B.

The medium hand was coming to
town with his tweezers.

The geese ran but
there was nowhere
to hide.

Monsters on every
corner.

I think one was a
leech
ready to suck their blood.

The ship in the back
solo.
It was probably for the sadness.



Ancestor
based on a New Guinean ancestor mask
Destiny S.

It’s like someone’s skeleton
The little squares are his bones

Its teeth are like pumpkin teeth
This is a body mask

Why did they make the nose too big?

Who did it smile at? Was it you?

Who did it laugh at?
Did you make a joke?



Bird Killer
based on a collage by Max Ernst
Rodrigo R.


I see bird heads on human bodies. A hand
with a knife. A leaf on a knife. Two houses.
A blanket drawing. Three shadows. The human
body has bird hands. Three sticks from
a ship. Three boxes. A long metal pole. The house
walls are cracked. The bird-human bodies
are chasing each other.


Life or Luck
based on a sculpture by Giacometti
Alex O.

It is a
palace or
is it a
dungeon with
skinny twigs
maybe a
playground
for the
rare golden
bird did
the tail
come from
the golden
bird for
luck or
did you
need the
blue and
red rare
birds for
your life
to be more
slow so
you live
longer



The Palace at 4PM
based on a sculpture by Giacometti
Leo S.

There is a bird dead
The bird has hung in
a box since winter in the door

A person was looking out the window
for a long time waiting for something
She stayed there till she died

A piece of an octopus tentacle that moves—
it kills at night
The house was quiet

A mirror watches every step
each person’s move
It breaks every minute somebody comes


The Long Lost Building Down Town
based on a sculpture by Giacometti
Leilani D.

I visit a
building it was
made of stick

It was made
of a bat,
mirror that slides

a vase sitting on
the ground a
pepper hanging

a box all
around the pepper
slides of wood
slide up and down

a symbol
of a town
at 4pm
the sun is down


Strange Meaning of Life
based on a sculpture by Giacometti
Jordan A.

It is 4pm
this strange palace
comes out at night

The bird comes out
The backbone shakes
The sculptures come alive

They just want to
stretch out their mission
to show me the

meaning of the truth
in my opinion
this means

that there may be
many doors to life
but some doors

have different feelings
but still why this
why doors to life?

Monster Poems

Using simile and metaphor to create "oogly" monsters...


It Is
By Classroom 304


The monster’s hair is like needles.
The monster’s head is like a pillow.
Its eyebrow is a green caterpillar.
Its eyes are as big as the warts on its face
and the nose is as black as the night sky.
Its mouth is as big as a bear’s foot.
The twenty ears are sharp knives.
Its teeth are as sharp as a saber-toothed tiger’s teeth.
Its chin is as pointy as a hook. Its neck
is as long as a giraffe’s.
The shoulders are as hairy as a dog.
The body is as shiny as glass. The four
arms are as blue as the ocean.
The 44 fingers are red as blood.
The fingernails are sharks teeth.
Its 15,000 legs are as hairy as my dad’s feet.
Its feet are slimy like snails.
Its toes are green leaves.
The toenails are as big as 90 ostriches.
It is a mad scientist and is as fierce as fire.



Furball
By Classroom 303

Its hair is like a pillow of cold.
Its four heads are as big as a giant pumpkin.
Its unibrow is as dark as a shadow.
Its four eyes are clocks.
The nose is as long as Pinocchio’s.
Its two mouths are pink as bubble gum.
The chins are as pointy as pencils.
The five ears are red balls.
It has four bolts in its neck like Frankenstein’s monster.
Its two shoulders are elephants.
The two arms are as long as a 50-inch table.
Its hands are biog as lions.
Its fingers look like chicken sticks.
The fingernails are shark’s teeth.
Its body is as big as a room.
Its 50,000,000 legs are as short as ants.
The knees are people.
Its feet are as flat as a piece of paper.
Its toes are as big as a Sumo wrestler.
The toenails are as big as the Titanic.
The tongue looks like a person.


The Oogly Oo-Oo-Ah-Ah Toe Monster
By Classroom 305

Her hair is as fuzzy as a squirrel’s tail.
Her foreheads are two pumpkins.
Her unibrow is a tower.
Her five eyes are as blue as the recycling can.
The seven noses are as hairy as cats.
She has twenty ears as big as elephants.
She can open her mouth as tall as the Sears Tower.
Her teeth are as sharp as shark’s teeth.
Her chin is shaped like an acute angle.
Her neck is as fat as a hippo.
Her four shoulders are houses.
The six arms are as long as a giraffe’s neck.
Her six hands are like hot stoves.
Her fingers are thin as sticks.
The fingernails are crunchy chips.
Her body is a square.
Her legs are as long as stilts.
Her feet are as small as mice.
Her toes are crayons.
Her toenails are as yellow as the sun.

Odes to Hybrid Animals

I had the students create creatures by collaging various parts of different animals together; they then wrote an ode to their new creature. Here are a few examples.

Cool Snakturtle
Rayes W.

Oh, Snakturtle I love the way there is
one of you yet you rule the world. You are stronger
than 50 lions all together. I love the way
you slither in your shell when you are
ready to fight. You can blow up and come back
whenever you want. You can force things to
kill themselves whenever you want. Snakturtle
you can go inside people and make them rob
a bank. Snakturtle you are cool, especially
because you are a smart ghost. Snakturtle, I love
you.



Ode to the Bat-bird-legged-fish
Alex O.

Oh Bat-bird-legged-fish you can not see
in the light.
How I love to see you live on land
and water.
You are king of water and land.
Eating fish and insects day and night!
You can fly and stand on branches
with your legs of a bird.
Bat-bird-legged-fish you are so wonderful
and useful.


By Day By Night
Yaritza M.

(By Night)

Rhino-tiger, you fearsome beast,
Why, on living flesh you feast.

With a glance I turn to stone,
Now I’m yours to own.

(By Day)

You’re a gentle thing,
Now you eat plants.

Head of a rhino,
Body of tiger.


(By Night)

No longer gentle,
A fear come true.

My nightmare starts at night,
And ends by day.


Frofird
Keven T.

Oh frofird your tail of a fish
you feet are like bird feet
but you’re a frog. One weird
frog. You swim and walk on
land. You eat leaves. You make me
laugh with your sound. Just like
a bird trying to say “hello.”



Sam’s Ode
Sam S.

Tieraberfly you are vicious and
evil but I see deep down in your heart
there is some good. I know you like
flesh, but you should like plants. You are
endangered, you want your revenge, but revenge
doesn’t do anything. I like you because you
can fly. You have stripes and big ears, but
why do you hate other animals? You almost
look like a rabbit’s head and a striped
body like a tiger and wings like a butterfly.
Butterflies and rabbits are nice, but the
tiger part must be the bad part. Please
control yourself and be good. 2/3 of your body
is good, but only 1/3 of your body is bad.
Control yourself!


The Weird Story
Gina C.

O great Bearflyasaurus
you will be flying
in the trees and
getting stuck in
the trees. Some day
another
Bearflyasaurus
will help you
down from the tree
and then you
will keep getting
stuck in the tree
and then you will go
to the forest
and you will have
more fun where
you are now
and I will
miss you
very much.