Defying Gravity Poetry Anthology

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1 Defying Gravity is the 2011 Nathan Hale Elementary Grade 5 Poetry Anthology. This year’s poets want the world to know that they cannot be defined in their abilities or destiny. We can be anything we want to be. We are limitless in our potential. We cannot be held down or stopped! We will be successful. We hope you enjoy this year’s anthology. It contains a lot of heart, soul, and love. We are fly! ~~The Architects of Change~~

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Mr. Martin's Grade 5 Class Poetry Anthology

Transcript of Defying Gravity Poetry Anthology

Page 1: Defying Gravity Poetry Anthology

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Defying Gravity is the 2011 Nathan Hale

Elementary Grade 5 Poetry Anthology. This

year’s poets want the world to

know that they cannot be

defined in their abilities or

destiny. We can be anything we

want to be. We are limitless in

our potential. We cannot be held

down or stopped! We will be

successful. We hope you

enjoy this year’s anthology. It contains a

lot of heart, soul, and love. We are fly!

~~The Architects of Change~~

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2011 @r]hit_]ts of Ch[ng_

—po_ts who ^_fy gravity

@ish[h @\^urR[shi^ Mr. m[rtin

Br[n^on @n^_rson kh[y[ mont_iro

Br[n^on \[g[lu_ sumiko n_lson

Ti[uni ][stro ]onst[tin ng[nk[m

H[k__m Cunningh[m j_[nn[_ p_n[ Nikhi[ ^[vis @ntonio Ro^rigu_z-spotts

Ko\_y ^owni_ _l_xxus ry[n

@ri[h h[rris-m[ys @li]i[ S[l[m[n][

@nthony J[]kson fr[n]h_s][ S[l[m[n][

Courtn_y joy]_ j[y^_n S[nfor^

Nyz[un king Z[ir_ s_[l_y @m[ni lop_z n[t_yj[h summ_rs

@nthony Louis M[uri]_ T[t_

Isi[h lu] Willi[ms M[xw_ll Willi[ms

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Poetry

by Nyzaun King

Poetry is special

It’s stronger than

Superman on steroids

and deeper than a bottomless pit

It’s a way of expressing yourself--

it’s your feelings and emotions

Poetry is all about creativity

You can make a poem

anyway you want to…

BIGBIGBIGBIG or small

It doesn’t matter

It can change

the lives of

other people

and YOU!

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Black & Beautiful

by Franchesca Salamanca

Black and beautiful

Native color

Brilliant and courageous

We are all shades of black

Caramel, vanilla, chocolate

And more

We’re here to stay

We know our ancestors

Built our world

Imagine…we…all colors of black,

Were the first kings and queens

We are “Black Miracles” with a dream

And our dreams will come true!

We need to tell our ancestor’s stories

We are black and beautiful

Don’t forget that color does matter

Black Is Beautiful!

Earth

by Brandon Anderson

the Earth is alive

we destroy it everyday

we will implode home

Tough

by Anthony Louis

Cool, awesome, and never backs

down

Always staying cool and positive

Always staying dominate and never

easy to break

Always staying strong and durable

Burning Inside

Poem on Sickle Cell Anemia

by Maxwell Williams

I see lights shining

Waiting on me to say something

But I just can’t do it

I’m sorry

But it’s just…

burning inside!

Please help me

Cool it

DOWN!

It’s burning me into

… pieces

It hurts so bad

It feels like a volcano---

---erupting

It burns so badly….

--it’s so hot!

I still try to keep my head up

even though…

It’s BURNING INSIDE!

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NATEYJAH

by Tiauni Castro

Never gives up

Awesome everywhere she goes

Terrible at soccer

Extraordinary

Young but older than me

Joy of everyone she meets

Active at recess

Hard-headed

Snakes

by Zaire Sealey

A

Master

of surprises

sneaksssssssss

up on things

without a trace

or trackssssss

its very smart—

a moving piece

of art

Boston

by Alicia & Franchesca Salamanca

Golden dome on Beacon Hill

glistening in the sun

looking over the Common

and keeping an eye

on the swan boats

paddling around the pond.

home to the Sox, Pats, and Bruins

noisy and infamous

historical

lights everywhere

ducklings and goslings waddle

through the garden

stopping traffic on Storrow

HONK! HONK!

Fort Hill, Cedar Street, RCC, Nathan Hale

goats and chickens

barnyards and neighborhood gardens

basketballs and hula hoops

rise and shine

school time

yellow buses and kids

waiting for summertime.

Adventures in the MOS and BPL

Jumping from place to place

Staring a T. Rex in the face

Lickin our lips

full of hood and j.p. licks

Don’t forget Chinatown

Dudley Square

Copley Place

lots of shops and cafes

Don’t you see

we love our city

and its magic trace!

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I Am…

by Constatin Ngankam

I am fast, strong,

and bold like

Superman

with the strength

of 20 men

And a cape that

flows smoothly

like a sea

breeeeeeeeeeze

My muscles are

big and strong

Like the world’s strongest man,

I’m fast like Tom Brady throwing

touchdown passes to Wes Welker

My smooth caramel eyes are like chocolates

fresh from the factory

They put the spotlight on me.

I’m cool like Lebron James doing a

360-behind-the-back-in-between-the-legs

dunk on Ray Allen

I’m like a bobblehead funny bear in your

head.

This is who I am.

Me

By Elexxus Ryan

She has that sassy, classy,

“don’t care attitude”

She never cares about

what anyone else thinks

She’s optimistic and can never keep a

smile from her face no matter what

the situation is

She always has her head held up and

never lets anyone bring her down

She thinks she is the greatest person

in the world, regardless of what

anyone may tell her

She’s as independent as the 4th

of July

and has a heart made of pure 24 carat

gold

~~UNBREAKABLE~~

Texas Long Horn Boy

By Hakeem Cunningham

He’s explosive like an angry bull

but funny and cool

He laughs loudest over the craziest

things

He makes everything fun even when

its boring

He loves macaroni & cheese

and lasagna—just like Garfield, the cat

but he’s not a cat—

he’s more like a mountain goat

and he’s my friend, MAXWELL

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Constatin

by Anthony Jackson

His mouth is louder than a family of

monkeys

His feet move like cheetahs on an

African safari

His bright brown eyes shine like the

sun.

Courtney

By Courtney Joyce

She has beautiful caramel skin

She’s the chubby looking one

The shy and sensitive one…

Yeah…she’s the short one…

No…I’m the cool and fly one

The smart one…

The one who doesn’t cause fights

Or get into trouble

I’m Courtney Darnell Armstrong-Joyce

Dramatic in a Good Way

By Ariah Harris-Mays

He’s as energetic as a monkey

He’s jumpy as a kangaroo but

He’s everything you need to have fun

He’s like a jack-in-a-box

He’s a one man marching band but

He’s always got your back…

And he’s a good friend

Tiauni

By Tiauni Castro

Tiauni

Fast, friendly, kind

Daughter of Tauri & Jose Ortiz

Lover of music, family, and friends

Who feels excitement, fear, and

sadness

Who needs care, joy, and peace

Who gives love, happiness, and

friendship

Who fears death, loss, and floods

Who wants to see Paris & New York

Castro-Ortiz

Mr. Martin

By Kobey Downie

Mr. Martin is as smart as

12 MIT & Harvard students combined

He’s cooler than ice

Fresher than a Lamborghini

He could teach a horse to jump

He makes a brain expand to its fullest

potential

He’s as unique as a snowflake

He helps me defy gravity

When hard obstacles get in my way

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Big Mouth

by Khaya Monteiro

Yap…yap…yap…

Why won’t she stop….

TAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLKING?

She’s like a radio that won’t shut off!

I mean…she won’t even pause for

commercial breaks…

She has the greatest imagination

and is a great best friend.

If you are with her and start up a

conversation…

BRING DUCK TAPE!

Yep…you’ll see when you start talking

to her

But other than that

She’s smart and sweet

But still something has to be done

with that BIG MOUTH of hers!

Anthony

by Anthony Jackson

his swagger, his style is better than

anyone elses

his beautiful eyes just draw the girls in

when he speaks…its sounds like angels

from heaven

he’s the most intelligent kid you’ve

ever seen…

and he can save the world from

people who don’t like it.

Beautiful Me

By Nateyjah Summers

I’m not any beauty queen

I’m just a beautiful me.

I’m more beautiful than the sunset

rising over the sea.

I’m not just the average girl.

I’m the princess wearing her mother’s

pearls.

I don’t care what you see me wear

Just look…please don’t stare

I make myself into what I want to be

I’m no beauty queen…just a beautiful

beautiful me.

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Nikhia

by Nikhia Davis

Nikhia

funny, kind, crazy, math-minded

sister of Nyjia, Nyari, C.J., and Shaveif

lover of the summer, laughter, beach,

and Courtney

who feels mad when traveling, lonely

in the dark, and angry over extra class

work

who needs alone time, respect, and

love

who gives help, laughter, and kindness

who fears hunger, weirdness, and

after school

who would like to see animals not get

hurt, nice hot weather, and the beach

Davis

Chulo

By Jayden Sanford

Who is Chulo?

Who is 12 inches tall?

Who is playful all the tiem?

Who loves my face with his wet nose?

He is Chulo.

Who is smelly?

Who is clumsy?

Who likes to play in the grass?

Who stares at you when you are eating?

Who gently bites my fingers?

Who violently tears the head off his

mermaid toy?

Who likes to be picked up like a baby?

He is Chulo.

Who likes to race me across the hallway

and bark every time he wins?

Who jumps up to my hip with excitement

every time he first sees me?

Who walks around my house with toilet

paper and sockets in his mouth and makes

me laugh?

Who is my friend?

He is Chulo.

Anthony

By Anthony Louis

Always mad but most of the time

laughs in class

He gets in trouble for the same thing

every time—YELLING!

He’s hyper to the point people think

he ate too much candy

He’s obsessed with Dragon Ball Z

One day he will stop talking

But not now

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Constatin

by Isiah Luc Williams

He shoots….He Scores!

He dunks…WoooHoo!

We call him Lebron James!

When he lays it up…

We call him Dwayne Wade!

When he shoots a three…

We call him Mario Chalmers!

On Defense…

He acts like a fool

He gets put on the spot…

SWISH! CUFF! SWISH! CUFF!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Here Lebron comes down the court

And gets dunked on…

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

She

By Jeannae Peña

She talks like there’s not going to be a

tomorrow

She makes people laugh because of

her funny jokes

She always wants to beat someone in

a race

But when she loses

She’s as mad as a monkey that got his

banana stolen

She claim she’s as independent as the

Fourth of July

And I think that’s the truth

22 Good Things About Kobey

by Kobey Downie

Kind

Outstanding

Brilliant

Excellent

Young

Informative

Studious

Strong

Muscular

Achiever

Respectful

Transformer

Awesome

New

Determined

Tall

Honor Roll

Effective

Brave

Exciting

Scholar

Terrific

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Uncle

By Antonio Rodriguez-Spotts

Why die on me now?

It’s like my heart has broken up into a

million pieces

Day after day

I feel like

I’m nothing or nobody

I need you here with me

Why did you go?

It wasn’t your time

I wasn’t ready for you to go

I remember the time you took me

To the sprinkler

I had the time of my life!

Mom

by Nyzaun King

My mom is

the most sweet, beautiful and serene

woman I’ve ever met

I love her and she loves me

Our bond is unbreakable like a steel chain

We stay connected forever

We stand together

Mother and Son

Love ya,

forever and Ever

Father

by Maurice Tate

Father, don’t die!

Please… just don’t die

You must be there

You are one of a kind

Father, I will die

To keep you alive

Father I love you!

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United States of the Ghetto

By Brandon Anderson

How are we United?

People just want money.

Some of us don’t even have a penny.

Nobody thinks twice about shooting

you.

Nobody cares.

But…You’re worth it!

Do they see it?

Life is important

They don’t know it

You…could change that

Show us you could be…the hero

Help us stop brothers from killing

other brothers…

--who are just murdering for

money

Help us help our community

One step can help…all of us

It’s better than getting a million bucks

in candy!

Nateyjah

by Nateyjah Summers

Nateyjah

funny, creative, pretty, loveable

sister to James, Cynnarra, Ashlea,

Olivia, Jina, Jurell, Jasmine, and Corey

lover of all the good food in the world,

God’s home, and all good people

who feels grateful for all my siblings,

friends, and health

who needs more food in her system,

to be noticed, and to be more kind

who gives all she can, all her strength,

all the time

who fears spiders, hunger, and NO

MONEY

who would like to see more

excitement, more stunts, and less

violence

Summers

Poetry

by Brandon Anderson

Poetry is emotion

That gets put on a page

Sometimes it also

Unravels all the rage

It’s natural

It comes from the inside

Don’t let it hide

Let it out

Just shoouuuuuuuuuuuuuuut!

Show em you got

What it takes

Your poetry makes no mistakes!

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Football

by Brandon Bagalue

& Hakeem Cunningham

Ready!

Set!

Hut!

raging bulls

now we form

the other team’s tough

football is a great game

we won every game

Ha Ha Ha!

Ha Ha Ha!

We swept them!

Ready!

Set!

Hut!

across the field

a human shield

but we are rough

but it involves lots of pain

the other team’s lame

We are rough!

We are rough!

We brought the pain!

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Father

by Aishah Abdurrashid

& Amani Lopez

He’s always here and there trying to

make sure we have what we need.

Making sure we’re not late for school

He’s great at teaching and always

makes sure none of his students are in

trouble

He could be rough at times because its

always one of his kids in trouble or

about to be

But at the end of the day he’s still my

father

What we need is to be fed everyday.

We always like to get paid.

And to make sure we have our tools.

He wants us not to tumble.

And for us to have sweet dreams

At the end of the day I love him

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Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

by Nyzaun King

Silence!

Slowly slipping through the shadows

Silence!

Silence!

I call the brotherhood—of assassins!

Silence!

Silence!

Yes, Brother…It is done!

Silence!

Silence!

Looking for a quick kill!

Silence!

Silence!

Our target…eliminated!

Silence!

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Hungry

by Ariah Harris-Mays

& Sumiko Nelson

Hungry!

That’s the sound we hear inside our

stomachs

More Pizza!

Hungry!

That’s the sound we hear from sweaty

pedestrians!

More grits!

Hungry!

That’s the sound we hear from crying

mice!

More tacos!

It’s a strike!!!

More tuna!

Hungry!

That’s the sound we hear from people

marching!

More Ice Cream!

Hungry!

That’s the sound we hear from people

who didn’t eat breakfast!

More cheese!

Hungry!

That’s the sound we hear from hungry

Mexicans!

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Stop & Stare

by Alicia Salamanca

Stop Now!

Let me speak

stop this madness in the world

stop whatcha doing

this world needs some

Love and peace

We don’t need more war or violence

No…what we need is each other

Stop and pause

Stop and breathe

Stop and stare

Spoken Words

by Zaire Sealey

Violence happens too often in our

neighborhoods

You see someone one day and the

next day—they’re gone

We lose the people we love

It comes so unexpectedly

I wish it would just stop

And we could live in peace.

We have the right to live our lives the

way we should

Without someone interrupting it

Life is precious

And it shouldn’t be wasted

On senseless acts of violence

Thinking

by Brandon Bagalue

Son… Think about what you are doing

--right here and right now

This will affect you

and you only

Pulling that trigger…

…the one in your hand

What is killing me going to do for you?

Is it going to make you tough or better

than me?

Is it going to make you a bigger thug

than the one you see in the mirror

every day?

No!

You better not!

Son…think about what you are doing

--right here and right now

Put down the gun and move on with

your life!

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Wave My White Flag

by Sumiko Nelson

My white flag is high,

I surrender!

I want a true…not false hopes

The war has to stop

All the fighting,

Kicking,

Punching

HAS TO STOP!

STOP THE SHOOTING,

STABBING,

KILLING

MURDERING

Please, hear my cry!

Please!

My white flag is waving high

I surrender!

Life Aint No Video Game

by Franchesca Salamanca

My life ain’t like a video game

If you die…you don’t get another life!

You only have one life to live…right now!

What do you do?

Where do you go?

My life isn’t moved by a controller…

You can roll the dice

And I hope you have good luck

you face 1000 of opponents in a video

game…

there’s short cuts and cheating codes

But in life…you’re going to face the

consequences…

And you can’t skip passed them or cheat.

There is no reset button

1-2-3…and then it’s all silent and you are all

by yourself.

Everything depends on the choices you

make: either you live or die!

This is my video game…

And I call it Life!

I Won’t Give Up

by Constatin Ngankam

I wish I could give up…

But I won’t!

Nothing will break my heart

--not even the dull pathetic wimps I see

everyday.

I will fight until I succeed and won’t show a

smile before I do.

I signify what’ important to me.

Money and fame don’t mean snot to me.

I’m special in my own way.

I’m not upset or happy.

It seems as if I’m the light in the background

But no I just rise as the day ends.

As I accelerate…

You just slow me down

You can’t take me down

I’m untouchable!

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D_fying Gr[vity

\y Mr. M[rtin I can’t wait to run into her again— Coffee shop in France, working on her third novel, Hair still pinned back, in a bun Carrying the throes of secret adventures around Europe…

He’s an ambassador now—leading a community group in Zambia—he’s showing the people how to build a medical lab to take care of their families… About 20 years from now, corkshell beads accenting her dreads, she’s chill, smelling flowers on the savannas of Ghana—SNAP! There’s another award winning shot for National Geographic—if only she would let the world see the secrets of beautiful Mother Earth! Business suit and still tough as nails—community activist, father, family man—he’s

the mighty protector of the community and loves it. Lawyer, entrepreneur, “the boss” –the road is looking up for this determined warrior who never stopped believing…with Morehouse, Columbia, and Harvard Law behind him…maybe he will run the world? Feminist, Attorney General—smile—drop dead gorgeous—but don’t be fooled—she’s a beast—No longer will women just stand by…Now they Run the World! HEROINE!

NO one can define the path you will journey… Not even I can color in a world where you are the centerpiece… Its now up to you… You are everything beautiful, unique, and breathtaking

Never allow anyone to tell you differently You are interesting, innovative, and invaluable Never allow someone to put you into a box You are especially designed with a purpose that will make this world a more magical place than you can imagine You lead

and we will follow You create And we will enjoy You live and we will breathe Your imagination, your realities, your destiny are above and beyond comprehension Soar…. Keeping Moving… Keep Flying… Even after you hit the ground…. Encounter an obstacle… Keep Moving…Keep Flying…. It will get better…. It will become more exciting…

You will get better… You will become more exciting… And…. And before you know it… You will have defied the odds

You will have defied the expectations of others… You will have defied the labels people want to place on you… You will have defied all air we breathe… You will have defied gravity!

LIVE!!!!!!!