Remembering

A Collaborative poem from the group


I remember that I lived in New Jersey
I remember when my nail came off
I remember when I first met you
you reminded me of my unicorn
I remember when I first saw you
you reminded me of my buttered popcorn
I remember the day I broke my tiny little leg
I remember when I wiped out
on my skateboard and tore it up;
I remember when I thought my
favorite skater had died, but it was
a coma he was in. I remember when
I almost hit my head on a pole
when I was riding my bike
I remember when me and my friend was
on the dirt bike and he fell off
and knocked his neck loose
I remember happiness and joy
I remember when I got in the tub with a diaper on




By Marlon, Bryanna Joshua, Jameka, Johntae, Shakira, Amy




What You and I Did


Remember when you hit me upside the head?
I felt like hitting you back,
But I did not. I calmed down.

Remember when I did my first back flip?
I felt like doing it again.

Remember when I ran my first touchdown?
I felt like getting one more time.

--Johntae

Bryanna reads

Writing with Ms Liz

Janesha, Liz Robbins and Bryanna

Ranesha reads her poem, "Scorpion."

Hope, As the World is a Scorpion Fish

Thursday, we're looking forward to a visit from Liz Robbins, assistant professor of English and creative writing at Flagler College. Liz's poems have appeared in Calyx, The Chattahoochee Review, Feminist Studies, Natural Bridge, Pebble Lake Review, RATTLE, RHINO, and The William and Mary Review. Her debut collection, Hope, As the World Is a Scorpion Fish, is forthcoming from The Backwaters Press in Fall, 2007.



In anticipation of her afternoon with us, we discussed the intriguing title of her new collection and I asked the students to write a poem about what the title made them think about, or what they believe the collection of poems might be about. Our approach to this assignment was similiar to the way we wrote poems while listening to Coltrane and Duke Ellington, Madredeus and the Tom Tom Club. I wrote "Hope, As the World is a Scorpion Fish" on the board. The students wrote it in their journals and we repeated it over and over, letting the words and its impression soak in. Here are the poems:



By Trevis:



A scorpion is
something that you
Don't want to be around
especially when it jumps out of
water and slams you on the ground
it feels like a scorpion


It means like it feels easy like
a fish swimming in the sea when you're
doing good in life but when you get in
trouble and go to jail it stings like a
scorpion





By Janesha:



Scorpion Fish

A fish that
sting in the
bling. Bring
ching ching
fly and sting
is the water
where is your
mother?

Have some fun Don't you
dare get a gun
Stay away
You want to get
Shot?
So stay
hot.



By Shakira:



She thinks that everything
in the word is a scorpion
fish. It's like she's hoping that
the world is a scorpion fish,
A scorpion fish may look
like a horse fish. Maybe
the titles are different titles
like sad, happy scorpion fish.

Who is Simon anyway?

Last week, Kevis and I were waiting on the other kids to join us, and he suggested we play a round of Simon Says. That got us to thinking. Who is Simon? A kid? A man? Maybe a teacher? One thing we did decide on was that Simon sure was one heck of a bossy soul. So, here are poems the kids wrote yesterday.


By Shakira:


Simon Says
Simon says clap your hands
touch your ears Simon says touch
your armpits. Simon says eat
your cats. Simon says learn your
ABC's. Eat your wax. Simon says
go to sheep. Now go to sleep
Simon says save up money
Now spend your honey.
And Simon says Merry Christmas to all and
to all a goodnight.





By Charish:


Simon says disappear
Simon says do magic
Simon says be a prep
Simon says be a punk
Simon says be a girl
Simon says be a goth
Simon says be a seed
Simon says be a sprout
Simon says be a flower
Simon says be a bloomed rose
Simon says touch your head
Simon says touch your brain
Simon says touch your bones
Simon says touch your organs
Simon says touch your feet
Simon says touch your toes
Simon says goodbye

I used to be......But now

By Kelsie:

I used to be a door open
Now I'm a door closed.
I used to be a necklace
Now I'm a broken necklace
I used to be broke
Now I'm rich.
I used to be a bus stop
Now I'm a bus
I used to be new
Now I'm old
I used to be small
Now I'm tall
I used to be on
Now I'm off
I used to be an ear
Now I'm an ear with ear rings
I used to be a TV
Now, I'm a television
I used to be a quarter,
Now I'm a dime.



By Charish:

I used to be wood
now I'm a mansion
I used to be metal
Now I'm a pole
I used to be a plain brush
Now I'm a red one
I used to be a hand
Now I'm a bone
I used to be a scalp
Now I am hair
I used to be trash
Now I'm waste
I used to be a human
Now I'm a skeleton
I used to be cloth
Now I am a dress
I used to be a seed
Now I am a beautiful rose
I used to be spots
Now I am camo
I used to be glass
Now I am a window
I used to be cushion
Now I am a couch
I used to be a nerd
Now I am not


By Shakira:

I used to be a squash, now I'm a corn dog
I used to be a crate, now I'm Sponge Bob
I used to pick on children, now I pick my nose
I used to be a book, now I'm a newspaper
I used to be tall, now I'm a midget
I used to be a shirt, now I'm a burp
I used to look like Ranesha, now I look like me