SAMPLES OF POEMS WRITTEN BY CHILDREN IN A DANCING WORDS RESIDENCY

I am from a fish, from water
from the wind, from March.
I am from the story
of when I was born,
from soccer, from cake
and from the piano,
from near and far, lake to hill.
I am from marigolds, from sky.
I am from the soccer balls
to the summer breeze.
I am from skiing, from the grass
that lay beneath the snow.
I am from Harry Potter,
from dirt bikes and more.
I am from the dark.
I am from love, from shakira.
I am from a dog named KC.

Keara
2nd grade
Montague Center School

Poetry is a burden and a relief.
The tears of time shed
Life’s ruthless pace, getting up
and going on.
The slave has a secret dream.

Poetry is the voice unspoken
the peace within pandemonium
a theory skimmed and debunked
A worker’s endless toil.

The hate in love
The love in hate
A dirtied spring of once-clear water
The music of eternal freedom.

Sophie Jaffe
6th grader, Conway Elementary School

Poetry Is…

Ocean water that’s peppery
ice that’s warm
solid water
a poor billionaire
the end of an endless pit
a cold heart
a dumb genius
a blue and purple Christmas
sugary vegetables
wind that never blows
an honest liar

Abigail Dewitt
6th grader
Conway Elementary School

Let the people kiss lips
and so, romance shall exsist in our hears
Let the warm sunlight taste my coldness,
so warmness shall once enter my body.
Let the Limpopo River push me in it
so I shall get clean once again.
Let the spirit feel me
So I shall always be spirited
Let the soil touch my toes
so I shall get dirty once again
Let the sweater hug around my body,
so I shall be warm
Le the snow lick the grass
so it could taste the sweetness of spring.

En Dong
5th grader
Deerfield Elementary School

I come from
mashed raspberries
warm fuzzy kittens
my red bunkbed
I come from
juice pops
chapter bookd
my cow desk chair.
I come from cucumbers
and mom’s yummy dip
cloud watching
my purple pink quilt.
I come from
ham and cheese sandwiches
bellbottom jeans
my red shaggy rug.
I come from
the things I like to eat
what I like
and places I like.
I come from…

Meredith Drake
5th grader
Deerfield Elementary School