In Celebration of National Poetry Month
One week before schools closed due to the coronavirus, we wrapped up a poetry unit in my 10th grade English class. Studying poetry in depth is probably my favorite exploration of the school year. Students are so open and honest with their feelings. The work they create is meaningful and complex and, as a teacher, I feel re-energized as I witness students speaking their truth through poetry. With that long haul to spring break (little did I know), we were all in need of some energy. Of course, there was a significant amount of grumbling and eye-rolling when I introduced the poetry exploration. However, during the course of this study, students-even the eye-rollers and grumblers--read and discussed beautiful poems and wrote deeply personal work that I hope they are very proud of.
At the end of our exploration, students compiled their poetry into a digital portfolio. A few of them are shared with you here. Enjoy!
~Jenni Williams, Teacher, City Neighbors High School~
What It’s Like to be The Unseen Girl (For Those Who Don’t Know), by Jaylen Hall
For starters, it’s not as easy as you think it might be to be unseen or overlooked.
It’s as if you’re in a glass bubble and the only time it’s shattered
is when others need help or want to copy your work.
It’s being in a void called the unknown,
never being enough
even though screaming your loudest for help or attention
It’s hearing everything around you,
But not being able to join in the conversation.
It’s not having a loud enough bass in your voice,
but having a quiet angelic voice.
It’s being drowned out in a sea full of screams,
even though you’re the loudest.
It’s knowing we aren’t the worst type of people,
but actually we’re the best.
It’s being zoned out in society,
trapped in a book watching life go by you.
It’s listening, focusing, drifting on the pages,
between sentences,
hiding around every single word on your story
It’s being an unseen girl, in cause you didn’t know
It’s hiding afraid of what’s ahead of you even though
you’re the most adventurous
It’s taking precautions,
Watching out for the ones who hide you
It’s caring for the ones,
the ones who treat you as if you’re the shadows they cast upon you.
It’s wanting to be seen, but no matter how hard you try,
you’ll never be seen the way you’d like.
It’s being classified in the unknown species, The Unseen
See Jaylen’s complete poetry portfolio: https://sites.google.com/cityneighborshighschool.org/poems-by-the-greastest-of-2022/whats-it-like-to-be-the-unseen-girl
Kingdom of Sticks, by Caitlyn McGuire
This is our Kingdom
Down the small hill
Where the three pines grow.
Here we are rulers
Of stick and twig
Our weapons are broken branches
Our noble steeds are our feet.
And on them
We run.
Our jeans are stained
With grass and mud.
Here we seek
Wishes that never end.
We worship and dance in the
Downpour of rain
Hide to the rumble grumble
Sounds of sky drums.
This place here
Is our Neverland
You’re the Lost Boys
I’m Peter Pan.
See Caitlyn’s complete poetry portfolio: https://sites.google.com/cityneighborshighschool.org/caitlyn-mcguire-digital-poetry/home
Childhood Love, By Noel Flournoy
Childhood Love was a dream from reality
Love like coming home to a brand new toy
Playing with it, home was the place to be
The toy never got old just like the boy
Elementary school honed kiddie love
It taught us that love was a simple word
That love that would never fall off the glove
The feeling of being light, just like a bird
Time was a watch that never stopped ticking
The watch on your wrist made time yours to keep
As time went on you noticed you’re growing
As you look back on it you laugh and not weep
Because love was as young as your little heart
You both grew old but we’re never apart
See Noel’s complete poetry portfolio here: Noel's Poem Portfolio