COLLECTED WORKS FROM IRWIN PARK ELEMENTARY, MAY 5th 2008
These pieces were composed during the May 5th session of the Science Creative Literacy Symposia. During this day, students performed a few biology experiments that examined change (DNA isolation from Kiwi, and a pineapple enzymatic degradation of jello). Afterwards, students were then asked to create poetry, again examining a subject in light of different perspectives.
THE LIFE OF A RAT
Growing up as a rat isn’t easy.
Food is scarce so we eat garbage.
We are hated by everyone,
thought we only do what we must.
All our siblings nearing starvation.
As an adult, things change. We
split up and find a family.
Although it’s disgusting, and it really is
we still eat garbage.
You’re considered lucky if you don’t
get killed by “pest” control,
or upset people.
So, when you’re feeling down
just think,
At least I’m not a rat!
~Kevin
LIGHT AND DARK
I hate it when it’s gone
I love it in the day
It’s something that has to go away
It changes in the evening
To something we can’t see
It’s beautiful at rise and fall
And it doesn’t trip
To just think about changing
Is to be glad you’re not it.
~Callum
JELLO! MY JELLO!
Shiny soft yellow bouncy
Yet my jello is rather solid
Well, my jello used to be liquid
Until…
I guess we all know how we make jello
Ring-ring
It’s time to get up from bed
Time to say goodbye to my jello dream
Time to turn
~Tina
JELLO
Multicoloured jello
But I am yellow
I was made to be sweet
Not a thick sheet
Always squishy
Can’t be cuddled like a plushie
Dessert as I always am
I could be blown away into pieces by a fan
I am very delicate
But not as elegant
~Joanne
THE PINEAPPLE
There was a pineapple in my dish.
after one minute, a hand took away my
pineapple
Now there’s an empty dish in front of me
Then I took away the dish
Now, there’s nothing in front of me.
UNTITLED
Once upon a time
I was small
and now I am big
the end
Once upon a time
I was poor
and now I am rich
the end
Once upon a time
I had no?
and now I have?
the end
THE WINNER?
I felt sad
as I walked into the store
as I bought my last ticket
the last chance that I had
to win the lottery
because I was broke
and I needed money
for other things
I held my breath
as the cashier handed me my ticket
as I scratched out the little silver boxes
and *gasp” could it be?
Oh-em-geeee!
I had just won 5 million dollars
Next stop New York, Paris, Rome
Watch out here I come.
~Holly
POEM
I am a peach
I am light pink
My house is up a tree
Actually, I’m hung at a tree
If I grow up, people will eat me
First they will wash me with water,
Then they will cut me into lots of pieces
And they will eat me!!
But that is my destiny
Because I am a peach
~Eric
THE JOB OF A FLOWER
The job of a flower is to bloom beautifully
over the spring.
Its petals big and wide, spread across fields
and fields.
All different colours, shapes, and types can be found
anywhere.
The job of a flower is to be pressed flat and
to be made into a bookmark.
To be sent to others to encourage, give thanks,
or just because.
~Phebe
THE MANY VARIETIES OF COLOUR
The many varieties of colour
Texture, shapes, choice
A life of a pencil, a blink of an eye –
The enormous creativity and imagining
That blends within your mind
To conclude to an end –
You did it, you did it, perfection it was
The colour mixture helped you
Throughout the time
~Jonathan
BANANA
I’m a yellow crescent
I curve like the moon
I’m packed with potassium
I am sure to eaten soon
Monkeys, they love me
They eat me all day
The monkeys they eat me
Whenever they play
I hang from the trees
I await that certain day
I wait and wait
Until I’m picked during my stay
~Unknown
POEM
I am a banana
I am bright yello
But if you leave me alone too long
I turn pitch black like charcoal in a fire
You’ll probably find me sitting on a stand
Or alone in a garbage can
My life is very short
My insides get eaten eventually
If I’m lucky I’ll have my insides my whole life
I am … banana.
~Jackson
KIWIES
Me and my kiwi friends might be identical to you.
Thin furry brown skin and soft green insides,
We seem quite similar.
I’m telling you, we aren’t the same.
You might think you know me.
But I’m telling you that
you don’t.
I’m unexpected,
I’m unique,
I’m unlike all the other kiwies.
Do you really think that I’m only a juicy fruit?
I am everything you think I’m not
Yet
I am a juicy fruit
~Tina
KIWI
kiwi
squishy and furry
emerald green
not as smart as ME!
has tasty seed
kiwi
king of furry plants
intelligent grower
windows of DNA
intellectual
sustainable
alive!
meteorite
perplexing
lovely
engine of success
~Callum
THE SKY
The sky can show many different moods
happy, sad, angry or hatred
It is diverse in many different
ways you would not imagine.
It could form images from their clouds
and even direct a lost person to their home.
At night it boasts their arrays of stars
which could even be a shooting star.
~Tom
KIWI LIST
1. Life as a kiwi is tough because they all want to eat me.
2. Animals attach while I’m young.
3. If I fully grow I get torn away.
4. I see my home for one last time.
5. I am gone from my family.
6. Packed in crates.
7. All the other fruits are there.
8. People come to see me.
9. Finally someone buys me.
10. I wonder what will happen.
11. If I see a final light.
12. A flash of light.
13. Then all goes dark.
~Martin
LIFE AS A KIWI IS GOOD
Life as a kiwi is good,
NO work, NO school, NO chores
You just sit around and sleep
All day, you rest and be admired.
People stare at you and you stare back.
Wondering if today is your day
The day you will be eaten.
Cut open or maybe packed in a lunch
The day you will end your short life
Life as a kiwi, isn’t that great.
~Cole
THE JOB OF A BUTTON
The job of a button is to be square, is to be round, or even if you wanted, shaped like a clown.
To hold your sweater together
To be bright, to be dull.
To be smooth, to be tough, to be hard, to be rough.
To replace a zipper or a velcro strap.
To make undoing your coat a difficult task.
To have 100 holes or three or even one at the least.
To make friends with the string and the other clothing you bring.
To leave your fingers raw from trying to undo them.
To feel hated when it sees a zipper on a coat.
The job of a button is to be still and to hold.
~Cheke
THE JOB OF A GRAPE
The job of a grape is to be crisp, purple, and green.
The job of a grape is to be left in a cellar for
years and for years. The job of a grape is to
be for breakfast, snack, lunch and dinner. The job
of a grape is to be bitten, bruised, cut, and pitted.
The job of a grape is to get bought at
a grocery store, picked from a vine, dried out in
the scorching sun. The job of a grape is to be
small, big, oval, round, and juicy. The job of a grape is to
be wrinkly and smooth. The job of a grape
is to be red white wine.
~Emma
KIWI
I am a kiwi who’s insides are emerald
My skin is rough and furry
The kiwi’s DNA is as white as can be
But looks murky like rotten tea
Unexpected as I am
Look closely and you’ll see
Eat my little black seeds
They’re as small as beads
I enjoy being a kiwi…
NEVERMIND.
~Joanne
KIWI
The job of a kiwi is fun, but tough
sitting in the hot sun, freezing in the cold rain
getting picked and squished
by all the other kiwis
your furry brown skin
your emerald insides
sitting outside of a store
getting picked up and placed back down
finally you get put in a plastic bag
six days after you were pulled from the vine
you’re getting open
the knife’s gone through
~Kelly
KIWI
Life as a kiwi is awesome because you are a kiwi
nothing less nothing more
some people like you,
others do not
Your only job is to be a kiwi
with emerald green insides,
and a skinny brown skin
all the same yet different
round, soft, and squishy
a ball of delicious joy
waiting your whole life for the one
journey that will be your end and a new beginning
all in one
~Holly
CACTUS
I am misunderstood
I am a cactus
prickly on the outside but soft on the inside
I am a cactus
a home for some while a predator for others
I am a cactus
I’m just an ornament but a landmark all the same
I am a cactus
Alone but together with everything I need
I am a cactus
I am a cactus
~Holly
I AM KIWI
My stick furry like skin scrapes against your hand.
I’m almost round like a ball.
Splat! I roll off your kitchen counter
as I try and make my great escape.
My murky green slimy insides stick
to the knife as you cut me open and
my dreams of living my life as a kiwi
on a vine is over.
Oh well, at least I taste great.
~Carly
THE KIWI
The emerald green kiwi
is alive and surprising.
It’s murky and furry
and doesn’t make much sense.
It’s intertwined with vines
and swirling with flavor.
With its seedy insides
bursting with flavour.
~Sara
LIFE AS A KIWI IS TOUGH
Life as a kiwi is tough because your job
is to get eaten. Life as a kiwi is tough because
you live a short life. Life as a kiwi is tough
because you will never experience the joy of
snow or water. Life as a kiwi is tough because
all you do is hang on a tree. Life as a kiwi
is tough because you will never have friends. Life
as a kiwi is tough because you don’t have
arms or legs. Life as a kiwi is tough because
you can’t walk or run all you can do is roll.
Life as a kiwi is tough.
~Sam
THE JOB OF A KIWI
The job of a kiwi is to be fuzzy
to be soft, to be sweet, to be sour.
The job of a kiwi is to be a snack,
to be made into juice, to be rotten,
The job of a kiwi is to be green,
be brown yellow and white, to be peeled
cores and cut.
The job of a kiwi is to be in fridges,
to be on trees, to be hidden.
The job of a kiwi is to be emerald, yum.
The job of a kiwi is to be round,
to be small, to be juicy.
The job of a kiwi…
~Josh
POEM
I am an egg, small and brown
from hour to hour, I sit in my nest
trapped inside a thin shell.
it’s a living hell. My name is
shelly.
~Joe
POEM
I am an orange
I am bright orange
I am in grocery stores around the world
You have to eat me soon or else
I’ll turn white and fluffy.
~William
A DIFFERENT CHAIR
As I sit in my favourite chair, it feels good.
But not as good as the day before or
even the day before that.
As the feathers buzz I think about
another chair, a different chair. But I
don’t think I want a different chair
Or do I?
Not a crisp new chair, but maybe just
a different chair.
A RED CHAIR
As I walk in the door, the walls
are white, the floor is gray and the
lights are yellow, I am mad.
As I walk in the door, the walls
are white, the floor is gray and
the lights are yellow, I am sad.
As I walk in the door, the
walls are an off-white, the
floor is a dove gray and the
lights are a shimmering yellow and
there is a red chair in the
corner, I am happy.
~Cheke
A RIDDLE
As I sit in an empty bowl, a sudden whoosh of hot liquid comes all over me and covers me whole. A part of me starts to disappear… where am I going? I can only feel my head and body swirling round and round in a warm subtle substance. I start transforming into a sweet yellow liquid. Suddenly, out of the blue, a large square figure picks me up and settles me in a cold and smelly dungeon. Where am I? Oh-Oh! I can”t move anymore? What happened? A yellow rainbow shape suddenly plops right against my wobbly squishy body. What am I?*
(*Answer=Yellow jello with pineapple on top)
~Emma
I WAS BURIED UNDER A PILE OF SOIL
I was buried under a pile of soil,
the rain from above splashed onto me,
my friends all around were being washed away by the
rain
and so was I
I felt sharp hairpin turns, twists, bumps
the colour, shapes, and sound around me
started to change
my journey stopped all of a sudden
I realized I was washed away
to another world by the rain.
~Phebe
I AM NOT LIKE A KIWI
I am not like a kiwi
I am not like a kiwi because I am not a kiwi
I am not like a kiwi because I am not green
I am not like a kiwi because I am a human
I am not like a kiwi because I have legs
I am not like a kiwi because I eat kiwis
I am not like a kiwi because I have eyes
I am not like a kiwi because I won’t be
cut into two halves
I am not like a kiwi because I am not juicy
as the kiwi
~Jennifer
JELLO
I’m jello
I’m sweet pretty and yellow
I jiggle on your spoon as I head for a
dark black hole
Big white things come down all around
me and I am trapped
A current pulls me into another black hole
Now I am in a tube getting tossed and turned and flipped about
I float in a dark area in a million pieces
~Carly
ONCE UPON A TIME…
Once upon a time
I was his and he was mine
He liked me and I fancied him
back in the good old days
but what did I do wrong?
How did everything change from good to bad so fast?
I thought that…
nevermind
it’s over now
she is his, and he is hers
he likes her, and she likes him even more
I watch
as he leans in and places the bright orange tulip in her
hand
that could have been me
Once upon a time.
~Holly
JELLO
look! my jello is soft and runny,
colourful and wet.
It’s just water with flavour.
I put it away, and time goes by
I take it out and look!
My jello is now squishy, tasty, jiggly,
yummy, yummy in my tummy.
~Sara
I AM A TREE
I am a tree
people stare at me, they are stunned by my beauty
kids climb on me. I am their friend
dogs run around me, chase cats up me
I am very popular
Night comes, darkness falls
Every one leaves me, without a goodbye
I get lonely, cold and alone
Everything changes, I have no friends
I am a tree.
~Cole
CHANGE IS IN THE AIR
change is catalyst
catalyst is change
I walked outside and thought
something needed to change
the yeard was messy
the house looked old
I called my friend and said
I needed some help
Three weeks later, I walked outside
the grass was freshly cut
the house was painted brightly
everything was perfect
nothing needed to change
~Kelly
WINTER
Is it a snow day?
Nope but almost I say
Kids screaming, prancing and jumping for joy
Santa is coming soon says a little boy.
People singing carols.
Families crying farewells.
It’s a beautiful day
To run in the cold air and play
Those children are singers
I can’t wait for winter.
~Joanne
UNTITLED
The new people, new place, new friends,
and new faith.
So many changes, so many changes
Only a couple of months until it happens.
Happy, joy, frustration – are some feelings you
might feel.
Everything you once had, might be all gone
losing friends, gaining friends
growing, growing and growing.
Soon, we’ll be gone.
~Josh
SPRING IS COMING
clouds are shifting
sun is glowing
rain is drying
heat is rising
birds are singing
ocean is sparkling
beach is crowded
kids are happy
flowers are blooming
spring is coming
HIGHSCHOOL IS COMING
Highschool is coming
I smell the cafeteria
I hear the clicking of my lock
I feel the excitement in the air
I touch my textbooks
Suddenly, the youngest
Schools come together
Waking in the morning
Homework in the evening
Friends from other schools
Many different teachers
Nothing stays the same
Elementary is over
Highschool is beginning
~Martin
MICKY-D
Cardboard food
fat filled fries
scrumptious obesity
should be free
a law should
be pushed
change should be
here
and I’d be like thanks
for the free Micky-D
The sound of falling health standards
the smell of clogged arteries
the taste of early death
the feel of something wrong yet right
Should all be free
and I’d be like thanks
for the free Micky-D
~Jordan
The soft fluffy snow is melting
The ski slopes are closing
The rain is falling
Everyone is inside
The sun shines down on us
The click of a pop can is among us
Sweat is dribbling down my face
I dust off my sweater
I put away my shorts
I crunch through the multi-coloured leaves
I feel the chilly wind
And the first snowflake is falling
It is repeating. Over and over and over and over
I AM TREE
I am tree
Hear me cry
When I die
And the Lumberman
Cuts me down
~Sam