Ode to the Unlikely

This week at Belding, we read Pablo Neruda's Ode to a Large Tuna in the Market, discussing the history of the ode, and the kinds of subjects an ode might typically be addressed to. The students were then asked to write odes to an animal of their choice. But there was a catch: no cute, cuddly, majestic, powerful, or graceful animals here! I asked the students to choose an animal they thought was completely unlikely, maybe even disgusting--an animal they thought no one would want to write an ode to, and see if they could change our minds by extolling its virtues. Some surprising responses are below.

From Mr. Merrill's Class:

***

A Worm

by Jesus

A worm is slimy and gooey but they pop out of
nowhere. They dig good and wiggle
and they eat dirt to help your
plants and make holes so your plants
make roots.

***

Ode to a Squid

by Cesar

No one likes a squid
because they squirt ink
to protect them selves from
people who can hurt them.
They're also nice as a hamster.
Because if you do not
do anything they will not
do anything to you, they
swim like a ship being
relaxed. They are also real
nice if you see one you will be amazed.

***

Ant

by Fardosa M.

An ant with 3 body parts
I think I wouldn't eat it
but I know who will
a spider because spiders
have those sticky things
on their web.
Ants have no backbone but they
sure do have an exoskeleton.
That's why I like them.

***

A Monkey

by David

A monkey is playful. They swing
all day and never stop.
Monkeys are curious
like a little child and act
like one too. Monkeys are
funny too. Some live in zoos too
or in jungle. Monkeys are
good animals in the
world. They are like people.

***

From Mr. Aivazian's class:

***

Centipedes

by Daniela

Centipedes I do not like because he's scary and has
100 feet. Yesterday I saw the centipede and my cousin
said "is it a rat or a centipede", and my
uncle killed him and the centipede is dead.

***

Ode

by Charmaine

I am scared of spiders and the spiders
are scared of us too. All animals
are scared of us.

A spider is black sometimes
a spider is red and black sometimes.
A spider's eyes are silver when you
shine a light in their face.

***

by Warren B.

If I were a spider, I will crawl up the web.
A spider has eight legs. They use their webs to
catch flies, just like red-eyed tree frogs use
their tongues to catch them. Spiders are great insects.

***

from Ms. Navrocki's class

***

Secrets of the Under-Water Octopus

by Rhita K.

Looks like a UFO when it twirls with arms up
With rock-killing black oxygen
And the tentacles sing with the poison:
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
It has a big head because they are smart when they camouflage
You are swimming and you get caught
They choke your head off with their 8 legs
And the poison of the tentacles get in you as they:
la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
They go up and down
Eating fish and crab meat
And leaving the leftover shells and scales
For their husbands or wives.
They are THE OCTOPUS!
***

A Cute Ode

by Sade

This animal
is cool in
many ways
this animal
is a turtle
they are cool
because of
their shell
it's their protection
and their home
and also
because
they are
green like
the grass and
because
it is green
which is my
5th favorite
color. This ode
is cool!

***

Ode

by Cameron

This is nice
of the pink

It runs through
the mud

It likes to
eat meat

And this animal
has a good sense of smell.

It is a pig.

***

Black March

This week at Belding, students learned about the difference between simile and metaphor. We talked about the reasons someone might want to make a comparison, and noticed the way we use comparisons every day:
hungry as a bear
light as a feather
happy as a clam

We read from Stevie Smith's poem Black March and talked about the comparisons in this poem--Smith compares a friend's name to a breath of fresh air, with eyes like March raindrops on black twigs. Students then wrote their own poems, using similes or metaphors to describe a friend or a relative--someone they might want to be with at the end of the world.

Some of the responses are below.

from Mr. Merrill's class:

***

by Grace K.

His hair is brown as the wet dirt
His name has a soft sound
He is a tiger ready to strike prey
His coat is leather. It shines like sunlight on water
It blows in the wind
His smile is a half moon
His eyes are like a black lake in winter
His voice is like a strong tiger
When he walks his coat flows like water
He runs like a cheetah

***

My special friends Abby, Michael, Karim, Marta, Anthony, and Grace

by Jalil A.

Abby is beautiful as daisies.
Michael is wild as a monkey.
Karim is as fast as a cheetah.
Caleb is as nice as a cat.
Marta is as cute as roses.
Anthony is cool like chicken little.
Grace is as smart as anansi.

***

The special pet

by Marta M.

He is puffy as a big marshmallow.
He is brown as the cover of a coconut.
He is cute as a flower.
He is as cuddly as a bear.

He is a cheetah when he runs in his wheel.

***

From Mr. Aivazian's class:

by Jocelyn R.

I love my mom. She is pretty like her hair,
pretty like the moon.
I like orange. It is bright as green.
Flowers smell like water.
I like to watch TV actors. They play games.

***

by Warren B.

My best friend is Helen.
She is beautiful as a flower.
She wears glasses.
Her long hair is yellow.

***

by Christopher

My favorite person is Grandma.
My grandma is nice as the rose and
she is mean as the witch. And I like
my Grandma so much that I will help
her out.

***

from Mrs. Navrocki's class:

by Zack C.

1860 first jet was as
slow as a snail. The
first automobile was as
fast as a new-born horse.
The first bike was as
stale as an old building
and slow as a turtle.
A new-born turtle.

***

by Amine

He is friendly as a giraffe
He is a human
He is as fast as a ball that got kicked
He never forgets, just like an elephant.
He is my cousin.

***

My cat forever!

by Michelle

My cat
is little as
a squirrel
she is cute
as a hamster
she looks
like a chinese
cat she is
black as the
night.

Let's Go!

This week at Belding, students read from Bei Dao's poem, Let's Go! We discussed the ways that a poem is like a conversation between the poet and the reader, and talked about the ways a poet communicates effectively with the reader through careful and vivid descriptions. Students read Bei Dao's poem, coming in together on a chorus of Let's Go! and then thought of their own places where they'd like to invite a reader to come along. Some of our work is below.

from Mr. Merrill's class:

***

Let's Go

by Karim

The winds blow
near the valley across
the midnight road
with the scarlet
poppies blowing while
the black raven
chirp per per.

***

Let's Go

by Imane

The leaves are red flowers everywhere
Let's go--
Snow is melting, rain is raining
Let's go.
Everything is green like the trees
Let's go--
To the place that you can
have fun, people and kids running around
having fun.
Let's go--
to the place that you can have fun.

***

Let's Go to Italy

by Jordan B.

Let's go to Italy
The sun, the sun is making the river scarlet.
All the spaghetti you can eat with the red sauce
on top.
Let's go to Italy
The tall buildings, the buildings are taller than
the tallest man in the world.
The romantic boat rides down the Venice river.
Let's go to Italy
All the people happy and laughing saying hello
People smiling out the window of their villa
Let's go to Italy.

***

Let's Go

by Anthony A.

Let's go to the desert in Nevada
where it's very dry
but some water is in a museum
with fish in it.
Let's go--
where there is lots of dirt
sandstorms may happen there.
Let's go--
sandy rocky dunes collapse
the temperature is really hot.

***

From Mr. Aivazian's Class:

Let's Go

by Warren

Let's go. I want to go to the movies.
Let's go. It has a big screen.
Let's go. People eat popcorn.
Let's go. The movie is really silly.

***

Let's Go

by Christopher

Let's go--
The cloud was full of cotton
candy
but the song was making me so very
sad.

***

Let's Go

by Charmaine

Let's go--
to the movies with
our family.

Let's go--
to my house
right now.

Let's go--
to school to
get more learning.

Let's go--
to the mall to
get some more shoes.

Let's go--
to my family's
house right
now.

Let's go--
dashing through
the poppies
outside.

Let's go--
eat that whole
pizza pie
cake.

Let's go--
to the park
to play
with my
friends.

***

From Mrs. Navrocki's class

The Deliciously Unknown Places

by Rhita K.

With chocolate and vanilla
Clouds as a stage
Filled with strawberry filling
Spotlight as cool
As a caramel sundae
Where gingerbread men sit to watch
Outside filled with green whipped cream
And eiffel tower made out of onion-flavored chips
Flowers made from steak
You can eat 'til you're fat!

***

Let's Go to Bolivia

by Katie G.

Let's go
to Bolivia to learn
all about the great
food like Ahi de Fideo.
It is hot like the sun.
It is spaghetti with
hot sauce. Eat this
and burn up like
fire.

***

Let's Go

by Gloria V.

Let's go,
a zoo full of
apples with bananas
on top.

Let's go,
a wall full
of cranberries
with cars all over.

Let's go,
to a pumpkin patch
with silly faces
on them.

Let's go,
where meatballs
dance and
bounce.

Let's go,
where pink
and purple
chairs that
you could eat.

Let's go,
let's go where
24 cars go
through a valley.

Let's go
where cookies
love to go.

Let's go,
where milk
drinks orange
juice.

Let's go
where water
flows in your
hair and your
body.

Let's go,
where trees eat
frogs and drink
coca cola.

Let's go,
where the
world talks.

Let's go,
where apples
talk and
sing silly songs.

Let's go,
we walk and
talk.

Purple Cabbage!

This week, the Belding classes read from Wallace Stevens' poem, Someone Puts a Pineapple Together, and looked at a pineapple as they read. We tried to see the images Stevens describes--everything from a volcano to an owl--and then came up with a few images of our own.

Afterwards, we wrote our own imagining poems, using a purple cabbage as inspiration. Read some of the wonderful examples below!

from Mr. Merrill's class:

***
Bird and Beetle Volcano

by Arnel K.

I see a bird trying to find a beetle for food.

I saw a beetle in a house,
a volcano making lava,
a fish's tail moving left and right.

I see finre come at a flamethrower,
a purple dog walking alone.

***
Cabbage

by Justine F.

It looks like
water and a
plant and it's like
our backbone and
that gill and
the white fin moving,
and how it peels
it looks like a sink
and a heart that
stays.

***

The Cabbage

by Sadie C.

I saw an ancient art of the past.
I see a turtle with six legs praying.
I see scars of the dragon.
The back is a bug with hard skin.
The back is a person sticking out its tongue.
The sun is setting beyond the sea.
I see veins rushing blood.
Someone is climbing to live.
A fish is suffocating on dry land.
A light is shining on a turtle.
A fire is burning a house.
Hands are grabbing a baby.

***
From Mrs. Navrocki's class

Things I see in the Cabbage

by Anthony G.

I see in the cabbage a
head. A brain too.
It looks like a ball. It looks like
a globe. A hand-held fan. A leaf,
trees, a pineapple, sand, birds flying
everywhere.

***
The Things I see in a Purple Cabbage

by Lio N.

I see a purple cabbage
I see an angel flying
it is coming out
I also see a turtle
he is swimming in the ocean.
The last thing I see is a
little kid sleeping under
a little blanket.
I imagine me tinier than a bug
I am taking a trip inside it.
I am sinking in a purple whirlpool
I am playing bowling with it
I only get strikes and spares
My final score was 300.

***

What can I see in a Cabbage?

Rianne P.

In this cabbage I see an angel flying.
I see a purple turtle moving across the sea.
I see a plant sprouting in the sea.
I see an octopus with eight long eyes.
I see a seagull flying across the world.
I could run around in the cabbage.
I can swim in the purple whirlpool.
I see a spiral like in a notebook.
I see a clam when I put it together and open it.
When I eat it it will spin in my body.
When it is closed it looks like an avocado seed.

***

from Mr. Aivazian's class

Rabbit Eating Cabbage

I see a rabbit running at a piece of
cabbage. I see cabbage
floating on a huge wave out
a surfer caught the veggie. All
at once a shark ate the
food. I grab the food.

This year at Belding, I am working with Mr. Merrill and Mrs. Navrocki's fourth-grades, and Mr. Aivazian's class. We began the year by reading Mark Strand's poem Eating Poetry, and talked about the strange and wonderful images it contains--ink running down the poet's chin, the dogs' eyes rolling, the librarian screaming as her books are eaten!

Students in Mr. Merrill's class wrote their own edible poems--check out a few of them below:


Abigail R.

Cake

The sweetness and softness of that cream
cake makes me faint. The taste is great you
can just smell it a mile away. The cream
is like jell-o but the taste is even better, oh,
how I love cake it just makes me faint.
The cream and the cake make a great taste
you could have plenty, it won't be
enough. This is what makes me faint.
Oh, how I love cream cake.

***
Caleb S.

My Crazy Delicious Dream

I am imagining that I can see a huge
table of food. The table has chicken,
ham, and all the food you can think of. I try
to grab a piece of cake. But all the food
suddenly flies away. People, animals, and
creatures out of the sky fall and eat the
food. All of a sudden, I hear the school
bell and I'm at lunch. Then someone
wakes me up. I didn't hear the bell. I
had a dream at home. Wait...what?

***

Students in Mrs. Navrocki's class imagined what it would be like to actually eat a poem. Some of their ideas are below:


Nathaniel T.
Eating All Poems

I was starving, there is nothing in the
fridge. The only thing was a poem book.

One of the poems made me starving like
Crazy.

The next thing I noticed, I ate the entire book.

I tried to stop, but every time I think about
food, I wanted more.

I went to the library, I check out a poem book,
I also went to the store, I bought more poems.

I ate all of the poems and there were no more.

***
Sasha P.

A Wordy Lunch

I eat a lot
like a big robot.
For there you see
how I can be.
But one sunny day
I ate my prey
and found a very odd item.
I asked what it does
I asked what it was
and one day there it was.
It was a poem.
I was sad
I was mad
I was also hungry.
So I decided to have a meal
right here and now
and all it took was
one gulp and it was done.
And now I am angry.
It was bad, I was sad
And it was all I had.

***
Amaris M.

I have found a book
it has Halloween poems.
I see I said and I
went off to bed. I had
the book with me. It's
Halloween. I eat each
poem. I have orange
ink on my face along
with black and red. My
Mom comes in and
wipes my chin and that
was my Halloween candy.
I was in my house
I was nice and clean.

***

In Mr. Aivazian's class, Tyler also wrote about what it might be like to eat a poem. Here's his work:

Tyler S.

Eating Blue Poems

I crumple up the poem and put it in my mouth.
I have blue ink running down my mouth.
The words are falling off the page.
The words run away and jump away through
the library.
They try to hide between the books, but I grab them
and put the words in the poem again.