“Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful.” —Rita Dove.
Throughout the ages, poetry has been used as a medium for self-expression. Grades 6 and 8 began the new year reading and analyzing the poetry of others to help guide and support them to write their own poems. During the units, students were encouraged to be risk-takers and experiment with language, structure and form.
Grade 6 grouped their own poems by themes such as dance, nature, sports and animals. While Grade 8 students were encouraged to express aspects of their own identity through verse. Here are some examples of student work, I hope you enjoy them!
An example of one poem from a group based on mythical creatures:
King of the Storm, Amatsumagatsuchi
By Kendrick G6
A beautiful day, the birds chirped
The children played in the sun
Farmers harvested and fished
Villagers lived in peace and harmony
Until an aggressive gust blew
Things were thrown in the air
Rivers became a herd of bulls
Peace quickly became destruction
A raging hurricane appeared
All hid inside of their shelter
What sounded like calm
But the storm revealed it’s master
Pale and white as a sheet
Heavenly and holy it looked
It released a destroying beam
Everything gone in one blast
Hear me oh heavenly one
The lord of storm
Amatsumagatsuchi
An example of a modern poem based on the traditional Shakespearean love sonnet, written in iambic pentameter with an ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GG rhyme scheme.
The Bond between a Mother & Daughter
By Alexandra G8
Our love, this love is unexplainable,
Inseperable, that's what they tell us,
Our bond is like no other, unbreakable,
We fight, we argue, we make such a fuss,
But, no matter how bad, how mad we are,
We make up, never daring to break up
Because we know, this bond, our bond, is rare,
We care too much, for the love to burnup
Many don't ever find this type of love
and those who do, grab it, grasp at it
and hold on for eternity above
although it might be hard, I do admit
A love like this cannot be explained.
this love burns so bright it cannot be tamed
An example of a poem to express identity:
As wind blows time flys
By Anthony G8
Our heads are down. We sulk. We sigh.
Stuck! In an infinite loop of devastation
We run. We breathe. We try.
But we concede, fighting. Losing all corporation.
The rain. Thunder ! Gray sky and sorrow,
rain hailing as strong as lighting charging the floor.
We want to shelter you
But with the storm outside there's nowhere we can hide.
Consuming too much air inside my lungs
Snatching all the skin from my bones.
Shaking as nervous as your first day of school
Watching on, panicking and terrified !
Criticism flies in, slapping us on the face.
You're not good enough, you're awful !
Like Jack, we were tumbling down
Stumbling, stuttering, slipping and sliding.
But as wind blows time flys,
Pain goes and you raise.
Keep fighting, keep believing
our time is here, we will strive.
This team is our spirit, we fight for each other.
Pain and sorrow are in the past, we look to the future.
Happiness is to come I swear I promise.
With this fight in our heart we triumph for greatness!
Whenever, wherever I know we're meant together.
A visual representation of poetry to express identity:
Roxanne Veck
rveck@isps.edu.tt
Class: English Language and Literature
Unit: Short Story - Literary Analysis
Grade: Grade 8