Final words

This week at Belding, students read Mahmoud Darwish's poem Psalm Three, and used it as a springboard to discuss their own impressions of words and self-expression--impressions that have dramatically changed over the course of their twenty weeks. Some of their thoughts are shared below:

from Mr. Merrill's class:

by Michael D.

On the day when my words were smashed
I was a friend to a shadow

On the day when my words were crushed
I was a friend to a needle

On the day when my words were blazing
I was a friend to a firestorm

On the day when my words were dark
I was a friend to a dark impact.
***

by Devanta


On the day when my words were darkness
I was a friend to tears

On the day when my words were stones
I was the friend of sadness

On the day when my words were black sky
I was the friend of soul

On the day when my words were chains
I was the friend of death.

***

On the day when my words were
by Jordan B.

On the day when my words were anger, my only friends were trees.

On the day when my words were kind, my friends were animals.

On the day when my words were green, I was friends with the trees.

On the day when my words were sugar, I was friends with chocolate.

***

from Mr. Aivazian's class

by Jocelyn R.

On the day when my words were happy
I was a friend to me and my mom.

The day when my words were chicken nuggets
I was a friend to my mom.

The day when my words were tired
I was a friend to my father.

***

Psalm Three
by Christopher W.

On the day when my words were sadness
I was a friend to crying of tears.

On the day when my words
were coming dream come
true like a fairy tale castle

I was a friend to a tree
because it has leaves from
the stem.

***

by Nick S.

On the day when my words were some
brand new fresh clothes I was a friend
to some brand new fresh Timz.

On the day when my words were cows
I was a friend to cheeseburgers.

On the day when my words were razors
I was a friend to a fresh new lineup.

***

from Ms. Navrocki's class:

Feelings!
By Amaris

On the day when my words were mean and cold,
My friend was regret.

On the day when my words were joy,
my friend was Mr. Summertime

On the day when my words were cryful,
my friend was not to forget Ahlam.

***

by Gloria V.

When my words were colorful I was a friend to a rainbow,
when my words were flowers, I was friends with a bee,
when my words were scared, I became
friends with a scarecrow, when my words were lonely,
I became friends with a word, when my words were pink
I became friends with a pig, when my words were happy,
I became friends with a book, when my words were depressed,
I became friends with a clock, when my words were sorry,
I became friends with a camera, when my words were amazing,
I became friends with a cat.

***

Hotdog
by Sasha P.

When my words were hungry,
I was friends with a butcher.
When my words were happy,
I was friends to an optimist.
When my friends were sad,
I was friends to a pessimist.
When my words were sweet,
I was friends to romance.

Taken Lines

This week at Belding, students discussed the practice, honorable or otherwise, of appropriating lines. After learning about poets for whom such appropriation is practice, they gave their own opinions about whether stealing lines or inspiration from others was appropriate. Students then read from an introduction by Ezra Pound--a poet who often used the lines of other works in his own--and were prompted to write a poem stealing a single line from Pound's Notes for Canto CXX as inspiration. Read some of the responses below:

from Mr. Merrill's class:

by Fardosa

Let the wind speak in harmony
beneath the mountains among the
forest. The mountains will forgive
the one who understand their mistakes.

***

by Victor

Listening to the wind
blowing in your ear. Smelling
roses in the summer
breeze. But especially
stealing a line from Ezra
Pound to use it in
my poem. Now that
is paradise.

***

by Justine

Let the gods
forgive what I
have done.
All the things I did
was not good it
was bad I wish
I have not
done this I
feel bad and I feel
sad.

***

from Ms. Navrocki's class

***

by Lio

I am in paradise
I feel shaky
I try to forget
But I can't
That is my sorry
That is paradise
I will come back
That is my will.

***

Peace is Gone

by Rhita

Everyone is fighting.
There is no peace in the world.
I do not trust anyone.
I have tried to write Paradise.
Now, I fight you.
I am sorry,
But I don't care.
Do not care about anthing.
Care only goes in Love...
Love only goes to peace...
Peace is gone.
Love is gone.
I don't care,
But I'm sorry.

***

By Gloria

Oh, please oh please let the wind speak
It's haunting me just because I
won't let the wind speak my heart
will speak but the wind won't speak
like your wind will speak but I don't
know why my wind won't speak. All
I want you to do wind is
speak speak just speak speak
to me of something.

Only questions

This week at Belding, students read excerpts from Pablo Neruda's Book of Questions, and discussed how a poem that is composed only of questions changes the dialogue between writer and reader. Students then wrote their own 'only questions' poems--read some of their work below.

From Mr. Merrill's class:

***

by Jesus

What if lightning could follow you?
What if a car wants to eat you?
What if hair could blind you?

***

World of Questions

by Anthony

What if clocks were stomachs?
What if turtles were baskets?
What if sawdust was a T.V.?
What if a desk was a human?

***

by Caleb

Is my head shaped like a chili bowl?
Do I talk like a robot?
Do I have chicken legs?
What if people had chicken legs?
Is my neck long like a goose?
Is it!?! Can it
happen!?! Tell me
Tell me!!!

***
from Mr. Aivazian's class:

***

By Warren B.

Where do children work at? What do tree frogs
eat? Where does rain come from? How many
computers are at schools and libraries?
Where is a hotel at?

***

by Daniella G.

Is now is winter in Peru?

How come this squirrel?

Do you eat food of U.S.?

Where live animal?

How the teachers learn to children?

***

The World Go Blue

by Zachary

What would they
do if the world
go blue blue?

What if they
run out of
black what
would the night
do?

What would you do
if all the people
go fool fool?

What would you do
if the whole world
go do do from the
flu flu?

What would you do
if your mom fell
in to the blues?

***

from Ms. Navrocki's class

***

Why did the person take
the petals off?

If I'm buried underground, but
why am I still talking?

What bird takes lemons from
a lemon tree?

In spring in France where are
the leaves?

Are the roots in the ground?

Do we use mustard to make
bread?

Is a tomato a fruit?

Why o we have a
radio when we can read
the newspaper?

Does a catfish look like
a cat?

***

by Rianne

1. If you insert numbers into a calculator,
then what are the telephones for?

2. Why are birds just sitting in a nest,
when they can just sit in a kangaroo's pouch?

3. Scientists know which mammal lives in a nest,
but instead of reading it in a newspaper, just put it in
the headlines?

4. Since Earth is a circle,
then what are the other planets' shapes?

5. If cows moo, then why when we go to a farm
they're silent?

6. If jellyfish sting others, then when they are on the
shore they still sting us?

***

Wierd Questions

by Nathaniel T.

Food:
What would happen
if the bees would make
lemons rather than honey?

Does a brown cow
make chocolate milk?

Flying:
Will a flying
squirrel fly like
a bird?

Is a flying
fish real?

Weather:
Will a duck ride a bike
in the rain?

Will a camel live in snow
and a penguin live in the
desert?

Alike:
Is a platypus
half beaver and
half duck?

Is a lobster and
a crayfish the
same thing?