Book Spine Poems

Did you know that writing a poem can be as simple as the artful arrangement of book spines from your home library?  Even better, these poems are "Instagrammable!"  Look at how these eighth grade students arranged their collection to craft a poem.




by Liam C. Grade 8




by Noah D. Grade 8















by Austin M. Grade 8



by Linnea S. Grade 8

I Am

Pattern and repetition often result in a poem that gathers momentum as you read it.  We know that is just one of the many facets you will love about the poem below about the struggles of a writer to achieve perfection -- or at least power!

I Am

I am literate and imaginative
I wonder what will inspire me next
I hear my pen gliding across paper
I see a constant flow of letters
I desire to step outside the box

I am literate and imaginative
I pretend to relive the moment
I feel the weight shift under my pen
I touch the fibers of the paper
I dislike being uninspired
I am upset by bland adjectives

I am literate and imaginative
I know there are a million ways to word it
I believe I will inspire the emotions of others
I dream of the image I distill with my words
I try to string all my thoughts in to order
I hope my words capture the attention of others.

I am literate and imaginative

Maddy G.
Grade 9

artwork by Davia D.

Rhyming (At Last!)

You may  have noticed that we shy away from rhyming poems on sevenatenine, but here is one that will impress you with its simplicity of rhythm and positive tone.

 

Below the poem is the painting upon which it is based.

 

Journey

Go and sail the ocean blue

A whole adventure for me and you
Go on a journey to set you free
Come escape from reality
Come to the land of dreams
Here we are all kings or queens
Out on the ocean blue
We can go to a land like you never knew
The journey is rough and filled with fear
But when it ends, it’s better than here!

By Dylan W.
Grade 8

The Journey by Selma Bortner

Ekphrastic Poetry from Art on the Move

Did you know that poetry or songs based on art are called "ekphrastic poems?"  Think of Don McLean's song "Vincent" or Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." Both of these songs are inspired by famous painting, and therefore they are "ekphrastic." The poem below is based on Early Light by Vincent Ceglia from the Art on the Move program.

In the following poem, note how the ambiguous imagery in the poem inspires clear revelations in the poet.  Also observe his excellent use of personification.

The Colors of War

Early Light,

Blues, yellows, and orange,
Fight.
The weak cyan and turquoise,
Retreat in defeat,
As the deep blue rushes onwards in protest,
Smothering the feeble armies of green and yellow.
The smoke clears,
And the fighting resumes.
The air is filled with the sounds of battle,
The ground beneath the soldier’s feet,
Begins to rattle.
Fallen warriors,
Are buried under fresh new paint.
New colors emerge,
In the shadows of others.
Inert,
The soldiers stand still, steady, strong, and ready.
Red blood of the fallen warriors,
Oozes down to the bottom of the battlefield.
The yellow army,
Is engulfed in blue,
And the colors blend to create a new hue.
Green, orange, red, blue, and yellow,
Finally settle as the fight comes to a close,
And the wet paint dries.
The masterpiece is finally completed,
And the artist stands proud and tall, admiring his work of art.
Blues, yellows, and orange fight.
Early Light.

by Dylan J.

Early Light by Vincent Ceglia

 

Hurricane Haiku

Everyone came across staggering images during the course of Hurricane Sandy; some of us even captured pictures of them in our own backyards!  The photograph below was taken by Charles Sykes of the Associated Press (AP), and it inspired two Holicong eighth graders to write some haiku. (And yes, in case you are wondering, the plural of "haiku" is "haiku.")

 

 

Bumblebees drowning

Head first, then stingy black tails

Wings too damp to fly.

 

Arden H., eighth grade

 

 

 

 

Zombie taxi cabs

Rising from the storm water

Pushing through the lake.

 

Matthew C., eighth grade

 

 

 

Love those metaphors, Arden and Matthew! Keep up the good work!

 

In other random word knowledge, who knew that the word "stingy"-- as in "He's so stingy he took her to Wendy's for a first date" -- is spelled the same way as "stingy" in Arden's poem, which refers to the "stingy" black tails of bumblebees. 

 

Additionally, if you saw some images circulating the Internet during the hurricane that you thought were too bizarre to be true, check out this blog article from The Atlantic to verify the accuracy of the pictures you were sharing:  http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/10/sorting-the-real-sandy-photos-from-the-fakes/264243/



Sadly, our losses sometimes make the best inspirations for poetry.  Stephanie's poem is a perfect example of how our darkest hours can inspire our brightest stanzas.

Forget

Forget his name, forget his face,
Forget his laugh, forget his smile,
Remember he has gone awhile.

Forget the way he used to walk,
Forget the way he used to talk,
Forget the way he held you tight,
Remember he’s with her tonight.

Forget his shoes, forget his hand,
Forget when he had played in the band,
Forget the way he used to sing,
Remember she has everything.

Forget the way he made you glad,
Remember he has left you mad.
Forget his phone, forget his number,
Remember it was such a bummer.

Forget the way he turned out the light,
And forget the way he said goodnight .

By: Stephanie S., seventh grader

 

Artwork by Katy W. seventh grader