About Hands on Stanzas

Hands on Stanzas, the educational outreach program of the Poetry Center of Chicago places professional, teaching Poets in residence at Chicago Public Schools across the city. Poets teach the reading, discussion, and writing of poetry to 3 classes over the course of 20 classroom visits, typically from October through April. Students improve their reading, writing, and public speaking skills, and participating teachers report improved motivation and academic confidence. You can contact Cassie Sparkman, Director of the Hands on Stanzas program, by phone: 312.629.1665 or by email: csparkman(at)poetrycenter.org for more information.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Room 210--Fear Poem

Here's the fear poem from Ms. Harris' 7th grade class in room 210. This one came a little later in my process, and for this one I made the decision to cut "I fear" from each line, and just leave the rest of the line to stand alone. The students liked the result, and so did I, if only just for the sake of variety. I found that compiling these poems from the students' contributions was pretty time-consuming, much more than I anticipated, but well worth the effort.

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I fear—
Rachel Javellana & Room 210, Ms. Harris’ 7th grade class, Lee School


Not passing 7th grade because I haven’t been doing good.
Getting lost in the woods, losing my life.
Losing a friend. I love all my friends.
That a blind guy might beat me to death with his little stick thing.
Knowing that one day I’m going to grow up and let the good times roll.
The zodiac may come and kill my family.
That what Al Gore is talking about might be true.
Dark water because I think I will drown in it and no one will find me.
The thought of never coming back to see my mom again.
My life when it’s in danger.
The darkness, to know there’s no light but only fear.
Myself in a small box.
Dark places where there is no light coming in.
Small things touching me from head to toes.
Hearing loud noises at night thinking someone will break in.
Dying.
That one day my family won’t wake up and will be dead.
My attic in the dark.
My family leaving me behind once more like they did some time ago.
Monsters in haunted houses that hold weapons.
The dolls in my room watching me.
Clowns—they are scary.
People who don’t know me and hate me for who they think I am.
Getting shot when I’m at my cousin’s crib.
People with dark masks because I don’t know where they have been.
Getting jumped.
That my heart’s gonna get stolen and the thief is never gonna wanna give it back.
Some girl who walks up to me and swears for no reason.
Falling off a plane when it turns.
Losing the one person who knows me best.
Child molesters.
Saying the alphabet.
Big dogs because they can kill me.
People that I love may go away.
Falling off the tall ramp that mocks me for not having the ability to drop in.
The world will end in less than 15 years.
Getting hit by my brother when I’m not looking.
The dark gloomy room in the basement where no one bothers to go.
The fact that death can be right around the corner everywhere you go.
The big dog because I got chased by a big dog before.
Animals as they get wild and crazy.
My shadows.
Paper.
Airplanes when they are starting to move.
Losing my leg.
The hobos that roam the streets yelling, “Tell Christina Garcia to leave me alone!”
and pee when they’re walking.
That thing on that house.
That Satan comes and burns us.
My life for being so tough.
The fact of being the same as the others.
Puppets; I don’t like how they look at you with their big ol’ eyes.
That George Bush might die of retardedness.
Death.
My dad dying ’cause I love him.
Having to lose the thing that I love and care for.
The world’s end.
My mind when I don’t know the answer.
Flunking.
Falling alone when no one’s around.
People who lie and lie and can’t be trusted.
Looking into a mirror late at night thinking someone will appear.
Dumb people. They are so scary for what they do. WE SHOULD BE CAREFUL
OF THEM.
Losing my dog, losing my mom.
The sound of somebody screaming.
Markers that are dried out.
Losing my parents, my grandma or grandpa dying.
Being alone because I think there is someone watching me.
Dying—I don’t know how I am going to die.
Not getting an Ipod for my birthday.
But mostly my death, or my family members’ deaths!
The exorcist. She is ugly and scary.
Spiders. Just to look at them makes me silent.
The thought of death and how close it might be to me.
The end of the world.
My washer and dryer when they come alive.
My house because one person died in the living room.
My death because I hate the feeling of someone crying and I hate the sound of crying.
My own spirit.

2 comments:

larryodean said...

Wow! Terrific stuff, Room 210 (and Ms. Javellana).

Unknown said...

i like this poem expesally that bush might die of retardedness!!!! lol totaly funny!!!!