Who Am I This Time?: More Portrait Poems

School is winding down! How do I know? Over the last few weeks, the energy level at Northfield Elementary, where I have been in residence, has gone into high gear. The students are excited about field day, the end of school, and our Poets Open House on Tuesday.

The Mad Hatter recites a poem.

When I read the children's portrait poems (find out more about the lesson here), I always think of Kurt Vonnegut's short story, "Who Am I This Time?" To simplify the story, a shy man finds strength by "trying on" bold characters through his small town community theater. I read the story years ago. It stuck with me because of the paradoxical notion that we can learn something about ourselves by acting like someone else.

This is, in fact, one of my favorite aspects of the portrait poem lesson. By writing in the voice of a stranger (observed in a work of fine art or a photograph), these young poets stretched beyond their third-grade selves.

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Although it is heavy, I love the tone of Delaney's poem. She captures the complicated emotions of her character.

Delaney R.

The Old Lady

The old lady sitting in the chair thinking of her dark, dark secret. Her life like a whisper when her husband walked out the door. Maybe, maybe he will come back. All she sees is a tan colored wall, but in her head she sees flashbacks of life. Good thoughts and bad thoughts. All she does is think. She is in the dark, all alone, waiting, waiting for something to happen… that something will never happen. She stays in her house her whole life. She is sad, lonely and tired. The elderly woman has had a hard life.

In contrast, Abbi's poem is about a woman totally in charge of her life. Look for the surreal moment -- it communicates the woman's power and beauty.

Abigail D.

The Adventure

The woman standing,

holding the buffalo.

The woman controls

the clouds. They open

above her to give

her the spotlight.

She is thinking

of writing in her

journal about her

adventure.

Christopher wrote in response to an illustration in a picture book. This Place I Know: Poems of Comfort, edited by Stephanie J. Block, was put together after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Our poet didn't know that, but I find this poem to be both comforting and lyrical.

Christopher G.

Guardians of the Sky

I see me flying.

I see the clouds.

I can see birds chirping at me.

I am wearing my hat.

I am flying with the geese.

I imagine that I am a goose.

I imagine that I am a pilot.

I am helping them migrate.

I am a cloud.

We are migrating to the moon.

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Thanks again to Northfield ES for allowing me to post the students' work. I'll share more portrait poems, some food poems, and finish up with a report on our Poets Open House.

Dishes for a Poets' Tea

High Tea at www.whatscookingamerica.net

Today is our Poets' Tea at Northfield Elementary. The third graders get to share their residency poems with visiting family, friends, and with each other. It's always cool to watch a student read a classmate's poem and say, "Wow. She's a good poet." The residency can change how kids view themselves and their peers.

I've got some tasty poems on the menu! One of our workshops was on food memories. You can read the full lesson here. It features Sandra Cisneros' "Good Hotdogs" -- a poem just meaty enough for elementary schoolers to dig into.

For this workshop, we spend a lot of time talking about the students' traditions with food. Some go out for ice cream with their soccer teams after every game. Other children like to talk about special holiday foods their families make. I have had students tell about everything from stewed goat's head to candy-corn coated cinnamon buns. The point made through this discussion is that food is more than food. Just as in the poem "Good Hotdogs," food can reminds us of people, experiences, and memories.

Thanks to Northfield's wonderful third grade team for another year of poetry, our sixth! And thanks to the students' families for allowing me to share their fine work.

We are serving breakfast, a traditional Jewish treat, and dinner out at the Poetry Cafe.

Pancakes

by Lily S.

I woke up to a buttery smell.

I get up and put on my robe

When I walk down, I see a sign that says,

"Happy birthday, Lily" in big letters.

Right when I go in the kitchen

my dad is making my favorite,

Pancakes! for me and also my family

was there to hug me. Then they

put it on a special plate that says

all of my friends on, even my brother

and sister. Then in the middle it says

Lily's 8th birthday and the 8th is in

a birthday cake. Then my dad

puts the pancakes on with melted butter.

Then syrup goes on and looks

like snow falling down a mountain.

Then mom puts the candles on

and lights it.

Apples, Crunchy and Honey, Sweet

by Ariela P.

For Rosh Hashanah celebration

Thick and syrupy in your  mouth

In a house with lots of kids

And parents all over the place

Honey made by bees in jar

To sell in the stores

Apples crunch in your teeth

Gloopy and sticky

Shiny, coming in all colors

Slippery, holding it in your hand

Sweet, tender smells with tints

Of sourness and bitter

You can read more about apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah here.

Chicken Lo Mein

by Max K.

Mom asks me where we

can go for dinner. I say

Pei Wei. Everybody agrees.

When we get there, I

eagerly go inside. I wait

patiently to get my chicken

lo mein. When we sit down

edamame is served. I have

some with sauce, some with

nothing. Then, the main

course arrives. It tastes

better than chocolate. Maybe

a little hot at first. It smells

a little like steam. It looks

like a salad. It feels pretty

hot. It sounds a little like

bacon. I eat it as fast

as a train. Then we get

fortune cookies.

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Sunday Treats

by Anya R.

I leap up from my chair,

my homework done and packed

away. Sunday is today

and that's always a treat.

We get to go out to dinner

and tonight is my choice. We're

at the Japanese restaurant

in not time. We order.

Our drinks hit the table

with a clink.

My hot, steaming rice

comes second. It tastes

so hot and nice

in my mouth with  my favorite

sauce on top. Then I see our

waitress coming our from

the kitchen as my dad's

soup comes to rest right in

front of him, I breathe in

the sweet smell of my noodles.

I'll post more food poems after this afternoon's tea. See you there!

Poetry Celebration

Get your tea and biscuits ready. Today, my intern Alissa and I get to visit with our Northfield poets for the last time. It's the third grade Poets Tea.

The children will read their poems for an audience of parents and other visitors. But they also have a chance to travel to other homerooms. There, they will read poems by classmates with whom they don't typically share writing time.

It's often an eye-opening experience for kids. Through poetry, they see a different side of their peers. This is one of my favorite aspects of being a poet-in-residence -- helping the children expand their view of one another as whole people.

Last week, I posted several of the children's persona poems. I saved two more for our celebration. Both of these poems are portraits, but they also have that elusive element... tone.

Hanna's poem reminded me of a poem from A Child's Garden of Verses, by Robert Louis Stevenson.

The Swing of Trips 
By Hanna, Grade 3

Up through the air,

she flies in the sky.

She comes over the

grass and comes

back down. She pretends

it’s an airplane

flying and landing

and again fly and

land. Now it’s Florida,

then Wyoming to see

the buffalo. Now

it’s bed till tomorrow.

Where is

she going to

tomorrow?

Hanna captures the flight of the swing, but also how a swing's meditative motion can be a jumping off point for imagination.

Chloe's poem captures a moment. I like how this little poem expresses the happiness we can find in slowing down and appreciating simple things.

Good Thoughts

by Chloe Y., Grade 3

The Happy lady looks out the window.

She thinks what a beautiful day.

Sitting on the bench outside,

Looking up and listening to the birds.

She stands up and picks some flowers,

Then goes inside and gets a vase.

She sniffs the flowers

and thinks good thoughts.

Congratulations, Northfielders. You outdid yourselves with these poems! Thank you for inviting me back again this year. I hope your summers are filled with fun, poet and good thoughts.

Thanks to Kerry at Picture Books and Pirouettes for my Irresistibly Sweet Blog award!

Poets' Tea

Today was my last Poets' Tea of the school year.

I received lots of nice comments from parents, hugs from the Northfield Third Graders, and this tanka:

Mrs. Poems

She has short brown  hair
She dresses pretty and kool
She helps people understand poetry
I like her as my poetry teacher
I wish there were more people like Mrs. Poems

It came with a cute manga-type drawing, in which I am wearing a stylish black mini-dress and sporting side-swept bangs that coyly cover one eye.

Thanks, Northfield! Can't wait until next year.