T ABLE O F C ONTENTS 1. What is Poetry? 2. First Day of School
3. On Turning Thirteen 4. Epitaph 5. Snow Charge of the Seventh
Grade 6. Nonsense Poem 7. The Crush 8. Spring 9. Tanka, Senryu,
Cinquain, Haiku 10. Flower Petals 11. Failed Test Sestina 12.
Limerick 13. Poetic License
Slide 4
What Is Poetry? 10/10
Slide 5
That First Day Of School The street is silent. The rest of the
chatting has gone. As I walk towards home, The trees rustle their
secrets. The frog beside me disappears. When is the last time Ill
see him? Winter is coming fast Now that Ive had my first day of
school And that autumn chill is here. Poet Laureate Poem 10/10
Slide 6
On Turning Thirteen The whole idea of it makes me feel Like the
weight of childhood is gone. All of those days of imagining myself
As something Ill never be Are gone with those other twelve years.
Now I am almost thirteen, The gateway to teen years. If it is too
early to be looking back, Why do I do it? All of those birthdays I
still see, All of those long years, They can still be replayed in
my head. They were nothing compared to this. I have a strange
disease of thirteen years, Only curable by turning fourteen. For
now, Im still twelve, Trying to get the most out of it. I know if I
even blink, Ill miss some of this day, And it will be year
thirteen. I cant stop it, But I can delay it. And suddenly, I am
ready. Thirteen wont be so horrible. Maybe I wont lose myself. It
may just be like a one-day flu. So now I say, come! Thirteen, I
will face you! I can do it, I can turn thirteen. 10/10
Slide 7
My sister and I played By the old stone well. She pushed me in
And down I fell. I fell for so long, And then I was here. Its not
so bad (but Madilyns buried near). No one remembers me, But I dont
care. It doesnt matter, Because Im not there. Natalie Alexander
1998-2012 10/10
Slide 8
Snow Charge of the Seventh Grade Seventh grade, seventh grade,
Three hundred of them. All in their classes at school Watching the
snow fall. Forward, the seventh grade! To the courtyard! they
called. Into the ERH halls Ran the three hundred. The students all
ran With their eyes on the prize. Not one of them saw them, Those
teachers who watched. The snow was too tempting, Too nice to look
away. They just kept on running, The poor seventh grade. They
filled all the halls up, Waving their snow jackets At the ones who
opposed. Running and shouting With teachers behind them. All the
stragglers were caught, In trouble they were. The rest didnt stop,
The fast seventh grade. The doors were in plain sight, The charge
would turn out right! There was no catching them, The future was
not grim. The teachers were gone! The doors were thrown open wide,
No bothering with lines. Students were pushing, And then they were
in it! The snow and the ice! Then they just played, happy, In the
courtyard snow. Then the teachers converged, Coming from the left
door, Coming from the right! Detention for lunch! And after school
for you! The students all fell, Not even one survived. Detentions
were given, More homework on the side. The poor seventh grade.
Slide 9
Snow Charge of the Seventh Grade That one day will not fade,
Remembered forever. The seventh grade charge, That one snowy day.
Honor the seventh grade, Noble seventh grade. 8/10
Slide 10
That Octoseahorseopus Beware of that munster Near the Wangalang
Sea. She lives in the poris caves Near which she roams free. She is
fierce, She is monstrous, I know she can eat us, That
Octoseahorseopus. Well swim to her cave, Its just past the jelpo
weeds, Then follow the sand path, (I think thats where it leads). I
can see her caves, And I think she sees me. So lets drive her away,
And then well be free. Lead her past Mt. Unjear, To the kingdom of
Kearo. When you come back, Youll be a hero. 10/10
Slide 11
Ernie and Dolores
Slide 12
Swirls of seeds from a dandelion Fly up as I run right through
them. This is spring, so sweet smelling. So warm, with no hint of
snow. The sun is shining, throwing its rays, Heating the earth with
its warmth. The bugs are buzzing on the breeze, And spring flowers
spread colors. Soon summer will come and spread sunlight, And
spring will be no longer here. Next year it will come back, though,
And its beauty comes back as well. 10/10
Slide 13
Haiku The sun throws down heat Making the soft summer breeze
Like an ovens blast. Senryu The days are longer, The air is so much
warmer, But Dad only sleeps. Tanka The mornings are warm, The
afternoons are scorching. This must be summer, With its days like
hot ovens And its cool, relieving rains. Cinquain Summer Must be
coming With its roasting weather And its booming bright
thunderstorms And bugs.
Slide 14
10/10
Slide 15
Failed Test The problems are there in my head, But they are
hard to understand. X and Y? What? When I am solving the problem,
Something malfunctions and I forget. Geometry, equations, and
algebra. My teacher says, Do your algebra! I say, Yes but Im not
connected to my head. What did he say about this!? I forget. I try
and try again to understand. I stare hard at the problem, Willing
it to solve. Eight times Y is what? No, no, no. My teacher says
something. What? Time is up, he says. You did not do your algebra.
No! Nothing done! Not a single problem. Half finished equations fly
around my head. Why do I not understand? This is a failed test. I
will try to forget.
Slide 16
But I wont forget. I will be doing who knows what, And I still
wont understand. I will still think about algebra. This test will
float into my head. I didnt finish a problem. Not one single
problem. It is impossible to forget Or erase from my head Anything
of what Happened today in algebra. I wont ever understand. Since I
dont understand I wont graduate. Thats a problem. Since I dont know
algebra, I wont work. I would forget Everything. I wont know what
To do. There will be nothing in my head. I cant do the problems.
Dumb head. Dumb math. Eight times three is what? Why do I always
forget? 10/10