True Confessions!

Happy New Year!

To start off the 2008 and get us back into poetry, this week we looked at This is Just to Say by William Carlos Williams. This poem uses short lines and specific language to beautiful effect to create a bouncy rhythm when the poem is read out loud. We talked about what poems are built of (lines and stanzas), and what a short line will do to the rhythm of a poem. Modeled after Mr. Williams's poem, the students were asked to write their own true confession, and include an apology. I asked them to decide if they really meant their apologies, or if sometimes, do something bad actually feels pretty good. Enjoy their great poems!

Ms. Chadhuri’s Class

The Snicking Fingers
by Benjamin C.

I have snicked
many things
from my
neighbor’s house

there were
many things
tiny toy
trucks
lego figurines
and more

once
my parents
found out
they had to
check my pockets

I’m sorry
and guilty
but the
things looked
cool and my
fingers can’t help it.

Forgive me
I was only
3 1/2

A Dollar and 25 Cents
by Alan O.

I stole
a dollar
and 25 cents
from my
sister

I’m sorry
but you
didn’t notice

The money
was already
spent
so HA!

Book Worm Alert
by Jessica N.

I have read
in the dim light
of the Christmas tree
in my room

The book
was
mysterious and
suspenseful

I know
that I shouldn’t
have done that
for tomorrow
I will be as
tired
as a drunk man


Ms. Furgason’s Class

I Lied…
by Diego R.

I have lied
that I did my
book report.

I said
I would
get a good
grade.

I’m sorry
I wanted to
play Runescape.

The Crayons
by Margaret F.

I have taken
the crayons
oh so long
ago

You had
so many more
for the other
boys and girls

I
am not ashamed
for I broke
the darn crayons
with my little
hands
of steel


Ms. Manuel’s Class

Prank Call
by Jacob J.

I have called
an old lady
on a
prank call

and she said
“I can hear
you breathing
in there”

Forgive me but
it was so
much fun

Who did This??
by Kyle G.

It was me
Mom
who watched TV
until 4:00 am
during the week.

It was not Liana.
You probably
blamed her.

It was fun because
you didn’t tell me
to stop.

Forgive Me Please
by Peter B.

I shouldn’t have
unpaused the football
game which they
were waiting to play
while my friend
was in the bathroom.
Forgive me
it was so fun.

Dreaming without Buying

This week, in my last visit with the Bell students before the new year, we read In Praise of Dreams by Wislawa Szymborska, a famous Polish poet. In the poem, she writes about all of the things that she can do and see in her dreams that she can't in her waking life. The poem is written in couplets , so we also learned what that word means, and how to create them in their own poems. The students wrote their own Dreams poems, with the rule included that they could not BUY anything in their written dreams. Enjoy the results!

Mrs. Chadhuri’s Class
In My Dreams
by Sean P.

In my dreams
I am a wizard with powers.

I am a ruler
of the world.

I am the son
of Superman.

I can
control time.

I can make Pokemon
come to life.

I am
indestructible.

My Crazy Dreams
by Katie S.

In my dreams,
chickens try to take over the world.

For Christmas,
I get the perfect puppy.

My brother is whining
in a field of backpacks.

I am exploring
a giant dark cave.

I can fly
over millions of buildings.

I am annually in a tree house,
greeting long lost friends.

Animals understand me
and I can understand them.

One second, I am about to die,
the next second, I’m alive and awake.

Seeing with My Eyes Closed
by Bella N.

In my dreams,
I am chased by living coats.

I swim in sweet water,
thin, transparent honey.

I fall through the air, several heart-thumping miles,
then suddenly, my body jerks awake.

I sit watching the African savannah
moved over by my lion’s mane.

I see gray clouds gather, then swiftly sweep away
all by the thoughts in my head.

I am on silver wings, chasing a shooting star,
and finding a box of wishes come true.

Dreams
by Alex C.

In my dreams,
I can live with a cobra bite.

I can run as fast as a car,
to Florida.

I control a zoo
with unusual animals.

I have a city
that does what I command.

I have a secret fort
containing sweets.

I have sensitive plants
that close at a touch.

I have a time machine
that takes me anywhere.

And the day after tomorrow,
a tsunami that is not destructive.


Ms. Furgason’s Class
Dreams
by Isabelle H.

I am Candice Dupree
ruling the court.
I can disappear
like a magician.
I can breathe under water
and be the fastest swimmer.
I develop five arms
like Stitch.
I am a bird,
soaring through the air.
I am a runner,
running faster than light.

Dreams
by Ryan W.

I am in the WWE
wrestling against the Undertaker.
I am a fish
in the water.
I am the King
of the earth.

I Dreamt…
by Lillian L.

I can skate on an outside pond
all year round like a pro.

I can paint on silk just like my
Grandma used to.

I can beat my mom
at tennis any time.

I can dance on the
roofs of houses.

I can stop war by
pressing a button.

I can fly in the sky like a bird.

I am a great scientist
knowing everything, even the past and future.

I can disappear and appear miles away
with a snap of my fingers.

I can feel like a flower
and actually be one.


Mrs. Fukawa’s Class
Dreams
by Laura G.

In my dreams,
I talk to dolphins in their language.

I fly in the air
only as fast as the speed of light.

I speak a different language
than I have ever heard before.

I am gifted with powers
to help and to give.

I can jump
higher and higher into space.

I am on a cloud
surfing in the air.

I Dream Wild Things
by Lucas O.

I dream I will be
a football legend.

Yesterday, I flew
around the world.

Yesterday, I saw a
giant me destroying China.

Today I saw my future,
and yesterday, I read my mom’s mind!

My Marvelous Dreams
by Michael G.

I can fall off the
Empire State building and still live with no bruises.

I go underwater
and find Spongebob and Patrick.

I see my mom
floating in thin air.

In one century, I am
still living at the age of 109!

In my dream,
I become a 2 ton elephant.

I become
the smartest kid on earth.


Ms. Manuel’s Class
Holiday Dreams
by Liam R.

In my dreams
I am a platinum snowman.

I soar in the sky
with my magic turkey.

I’m playing with
my own heart.

I’ve lit the candles
all around the world.

I’m a leprechaun
on the 4th of July.

I’ve won
the Nobel Peace Prize.

In My Dreams
by Ashley N.

In my dreams
snow is the soft, fluffy feathers.

There is no
war.

We the world are not walking,
we are flying.

I am sending in a plan
with my dad to the rescue.

I am the burning
rays of the sun.

I am the glue
in friendships!

I am the freedom
in the country.

In my dreams, nobody wants
to harm each other.

The water we drink
is ice cream.

In my dreams, my feelings
are keeping time to my heart.

My Dream of a Dream
by Loki A.

In my dream,
I can breathe in space.

I’m in the underworld,
walking on lava.

I speak a language
that only Spirits can recall.

I’m a doughnut,
skipping a field.

I see people,
but they come from their graves.

I jump so high,
I’m airborne!

I have a dream,
and it’s the dream of that dream.

Animal Origins

This week in Poetry, the young writers at Bell Elementary read The Tyger by William Blake. We discussed how Blake is asking the Tyger where he comes from, who made him, and where he took the different parts of himself from. I asked the students to choose their own animals, and describe them using this questioning method. Below, a sample of their amazing poems (including one of my favorites so far HUMAN).

Mrs. Fukawa’s Class
The Lamb
by Amelia G.

Lamb, lamb, shining white
why does your fleece shine
so brght? Did you borrow
your fleece from sister Ivory?
Did you ask your cousin
Mountain to fetch you
the snow from on top of a mountain?
Did you steal all the gentleness
from the Tasmanian Devil,
making him mean?
Lamb, lamb, shining white.

Wolves, What are You?
by Liam C.-K.

Wolf, where did you get your spiky ears?
Did you borrow them from a spiky thorn bush?

And wolf, those yellow eyes must be fake.
Did you cut out a piece of the evening moon
and give it to your eyes?

Wolf, where did you get your fluffy, shaggy fur?
It looks like you jumped on a cloud
and smothered yourself in it.

Wolf, your sharp set of teeth
look like a set of steak knives.

Wolf
by Brittany C.

Wolf, where do you get your
meat from, a meat store or
a farm? And where did you
get your creepy eyes from?
Where did you get your
soft smooth tail from? Why
did you kill a bunch of animals?

Oh! Wolf, why do you hunt
in packs? And why do you fight
over food? Do you move around
a lot? And can you hear well?


Ms. Chadhuri’s Class
The Funky Monkey
by Caleb P.

Monkey, why are you
so funky, moving fastly
from vine to tree? Do you
even stop to see?
What is your main
desire, maybe to
keep climbing higher?
Do you even like a liar,
or do you like to play with fire?
Are you listening, or are you
just too tired? Monkey, you
are the animal I most admire.
If only I knew your main desire…
The main desire of the
very, very funky monkey.

Chick in an Egg
by Ryan R.

Chick, did you get a beak because a worm bit you?
Did you get your chirp from a squeaker?
Are your yellow feathers from the sun?
Do your orange legs come from orange paint?
Do your eyes come from berries?

Human
by Emilio A.

Human, your intelligence amazes me.
Did you rob a library to get it?

Human, your weapons are deadly.
Did you steal them from the Tyger?

Human, did you ever get insulted
because you haven’t learned how
to speak telepathically?

Human, did you ever feel bad that you
have doomed the world with CO2?


Ms. Furgason’s Class
The Whale
by Max D.

Whale, why are you so big?
Do you wish you were as small as a katydid?

Whale, are you shy?
Do you dive deeper as a boat goes by?

Whale, why do you have so much blubber?
Do you like it that you’re not made of rubber?

Whale, are you nice?
Or do you make whaling humans pay the price?

Whale, good bye, I’ll see you soon,
but long after it turns noon.

The Ladybug
by Kayla M.

Ladybug, did you steal your spots
from a person who has freckles?

Ladybug, did you get your soft
skin by stealing lotion like a thief?

Ladybug, did you get your
wings from a bird?

Ladybug, did you get
so tiny by a shrinking machine?
Ladybug, are you shy
like my baby brother
because you are shy
of how you look?

Squid
by Brian S.

Squid, did you steal your
tentacles from an octopus?

Squid are you shy because
a crab poked you in the eye?

Squid did you steal your ink
from a pen?

Squid did you used to be
an arrow head in the wars of Atlantis?

Squid did you fall from
the sky and land in the ocean from Mars?


Ms. Manuel
The Octopus
by Magdelene T.

Can you write with the ink
that you shoot out?

With the eight arms, can you
do all your chores at the same time?

Have you ever walked
or tap danced?

Is it easy for you to play
hide and seek?

The Panda
by Caleb A.

Panda, did you steal
your black from the dark
and the white from the light?

Did you steal your tail from
a bunny in need?

Did you steal your
hands and feet
from a black bear?

Did you steal your
ears from an ugly
leprachaun?

Did you steal your
head from a
Koala Bear?

The Camel
by Samantha F.

Camel how did you get your hump?
Did you steal it from a little girl
when she brought two big beach
balls to the beach? How is your
fur so warm and fuzzy? Did
you steal it form a horse?
Why are your eyes so small?
Do you have keen eyesight?
How did you get your tail?
Did you get it from a donkey?
Why are your hoofs so
hard? Did you steal a hockey
puck from a hockey player?

Questioning the Secret Nature of the World

This week, the students dove off the deep end of making sense! We looked at a small portion of Pablo Neruda's Book of Questions, and talked about what secrets of the world he was trying to reveal. I encouraged the student writers to ask a question that was both descriptive AND revealed something about their subject that only they knew (thus, essentially, making stuff up!). This was a tough poem to write, and the Bell poets rose to the challenge admirably!

Mrs. Chadhuri’s Class
Hmmm…
by Caleb P.

Tell me, why does the monkey
cover its gorgeous body with
flea infested hair?
What egg is eggplant
made of and why does
it taste so bad?
Who made the Venus fly
trap so angry at the flies?
Why does the hail pelt the ground
so angrily? Has the sky upset it?

Questions
by Alex C.

Why does the lion wear a fuzzy scarf around
its neck and not just go buy a coat?
What does the lemur use its tail for,
and paint it with stripes?
Why did the dove fly in
a gallon of white paint?
Why does the plecestomus (oleaner fish)
fall in love with junk?

Untitled
by Ryan R.

Does a pigeon move its head forward
and back because it dances?
Does snow fall white because
the Gods spilled baking powder?
Does a cactus have spikes
because Indians shot arrows into it?
Is a lemon oval-ish because someone
stretched its sides?


Ms. Furgason’s Class
The Questions that Cannot be Solved
by Angelica C.

Why do butterflies always wear
the same pearls on their wings?
Is snow little diamonds that melt
once they touch your flesh?
Are Venus flytraps made
out of Venus’s core?
Is corn little pieces of gold melted
to edible perfection?

Questions Are???
by Julius SdV

Are turtles spaceships
because they have shells?
Are thunderstorms alive
because they move?
Did sunflowers come from the sun
because they’re yellow?
Are kiwis a plant
because they are green?

Questions
by Zachary L.

Is the alligator’s snout flat because
a bear belly-flopped on it?
Does the blizzard get its snow
from a pitcher of ice cubes?
Is there anything in the world that can burn
the redwood iron type of bark?
Does the cantaloupe get its
sweetness from a beehive?


Mrs. Fukawa’s Class
The Four Wonders
by Hyunwoo W.

Do oranges really want us to eat them
or will they group together to do magic in the end?
Is thunder really big and scary
or is it a small beaver in the sky clapping its hands?
Are rabbits really scared of us
or are they planning and deceiving us?
Do all piranha plants stay in tubes
because of the plants that don’t come back?

Is The…
by Leo P.

Is the Zebra’s coat lined because he mixed
his darks and his whites in the washing machine?
Is the tsunami in water because
it tastes better than dirt?
Is a Venus flytrap eating flies
because other insects are too sour?
Is the potato brown because
being yellow is too bright?


Untitled
by Bilal A.

Does orangutans orange red hair
come from eating a lot of oranges?
Does a tornado spin because it is mad?
Does a Venus flytrap eat flies
to seem tough?
When a tomato seed goes into
the ground does it turn red?


Ms. Manuel’s Class
Why does the Rain Cry?
by Eli G.

Tell me, do goats have
horns or stumps?
Tell me, why do sandstorms
get angry, or are they always that way?
Why do apple trees drop apples,
or are they chopped down?
Why do squares have eight corners?
Why does Chinese food taste
different from any other food and still taste good?
Why are food stores so crowded when
there are so many around the world?

If and But
by Nathan W.

Does a liger live in Bell school
or in a cave?
Is a hurricane alive to destroy
or to bring peace?
If a tree could walk, would
it go to Starbucks?

Nature
by Ashley N.

Why does a dolphin have a
bottle on his nose?
In the rain, how does
the sky turn into iron?
Why does the marigold
get its color from the sunset?
How does the grass grow up?
Why are the apples red?
From the worms?
Why do pumpkins grow
along the ground?

What They Love

This week, before Thanksgiving, the student poets at Bell looked at a beautiful but strange poem by Lisa Jarnot called They Loved Paperclips. The poem is a list of all the things that "they" loved. We talked about third person, lists, what kinds of things in the world we love, and also rhyme and play with words in poetry, which Ms. Jarnot does in her poem. The students were asked to write their own poems using "they loved", picturing themselves and their families as the "they" in question. The student poets rose to the challenge, and created beautiful poems. Enjoy!

Ms. Chadhuri’s Class
They Love…
by Genevieve P.

The love Pokemon and pickles,
Club Penguin and popcorn.
They love Hannah Montana and
funky paperclips, butterscotch on ice cream.
They love cats and rubber bands,
and birds and bees and chocolate
fudge. They love music and Christmas
and hot cocoa.

They Love Love
by Alexandra S.

They love reference books, fake wood, homework, books,
current events, and politics. They love France, airplanes,
the number five-hundred-quadrillion, digital clocks.
sign language, and growing trees. They love the
sound of fallen leaves rustling under their feet,
the soft clinking of metal chains, and wooden
building blocks. They love the sensation
of drinking soda, the vibration of a motor of
an airplane taking off, and warm sleeping
bags. They love anagrams and itchy hats and
the smell of salty oceans. And they love belonging.

They Loved Glass
by Fhebielyn B.

The loved slingshots, string,
pictures of clouds and a blade
of grass. They loved melodies,
winter, ice cream, and piano
pieces. They do not love waiting,
yelling, waking up at 6:00, and
wigs. They also do not love
the color jade. They never loved clocks,
bugs, keys, boxes, but they
always loved people, like
friends and family.


Ms. Furgason’s Class
They!
by Jack S.

They hated homework
they hated school
they hated disgustingly green broccoli.
They loved the cold, dripping ice cream.
They loved the plump stuffed turkey.
They loved leaping into the
dusty leaves they just raked.
They loved the wilting
old willow tree in their back yard.
They hated weekdays.
They loved the fire-breathing
dragon hidden in their yard.
They loved the furry cat
that loved them back.
They used to love their old dog.
They loved me, and I loved them.

They Love…
by Julius S.P.A.

They love cookies, brownies, and pie.
They love pizza, pot stickers, and sushi.
They hated indoor recess, homework, report cards.
They hated porcupines, needles, and slivers.
They especially loved recess, lunch, and Saturdays.
They especially loved monkeys, turtles, and dogs.

They Loved Nintendo
by Benjamin N.

They loved Nintendo DS, PSP, fish, baseball, and
traits of writing. They did not love taxis, girls,
homework, school, dirty diapers, or paying.
But they definitely loved money,
books, rewards for school, getting
money, and their pets, and lastly BB guns, Wii,
and October 20, 1997.


Mrs. Fukawa’s Class
The Holidays
by Adrian M.

They like the iPhone, they like the xbox 360, they like
their family. They like iPods, they like the PS3, they LOVE
the Wii. The love the holidays.

They Loved…
by Stephanie A.

They loved ladybugs to give good luck.
They loved trees on the sky.
They loved water from the waterfall.
They loved singers of rhymes.
They loved dogs chasing cats.
They loved houses with insets.
They loved light that shines like sun.
They loved wizards for wishes.

They Loved…
by Maddy P.

They loved music, dancing, animals,
cooking, giving, recycling, holidays,
and family, sports, any game system,
cell phones, friends, board games, books.
They loved hotdogs, water, cats, poetry,
MONEY! movies, conditioner. They don’t love
work, school, pollution, dolls, dresses, or homework!


Ms. Manuel’s Class
They Loved…
by Sonja G.

They loved dogs and snow.
They didn’t like rain on spring days.
They loved playing games and drawing.
They loved to celebrate Hanukah and
birthdays and Thanksgiving. They loved
the beach and the waves in the
ocean. They loved horses and going
to the zoo, and also they loved to rake
leaves in fall. They loved colors
and rainbows. They love to travel
to different places and they loved
to play with puppies.

They Loved Everything
by Jacob J.

They loved ice cream and candy, they loved
the Phoenix Suns, they loved chocolate
and cake too. They loved Pepsi and they
loved Bettys too, and they loved basketball.
Also, they loved pools, but most of all
they cared about their family too.

What They Love
by Austin S.

They love baseball and staying up
late on Fridays and getting groovy and
watching movies and Christmas
and celebrating birthdays.

I am a Clinking Drizzle of Rain

This week in Poetry, the young writers at Bell read The Delight Song of Tsoai-Talee by N. Scott Momaday. We talked about how metaphors allow writers to SHOW instead of directly TELL what they want to say, and that though the best comparisons are specific and descriptive, they can also leave room for interpretation in the mind of the reader. The students were asked to write their own "I Am" poems that used metaphors to describe all the parts of themselves, their personalities AND their physical selves. We also talked about what it means to "stand in good relation" to something or someone. Through discussion, we decided it meant a respectful, reciprocal relationship. The young poets added lines to their poems telling who or what they stand in good relation to. These lines turned out to be some of my favorites as I read all their pieces this week. Below, a sampling from each class. Enjoy!

Ms. Manuel’s Class
Earth
by Sonja G.

I am a horse galloping on a trail.
I am a flower popping out of the ground in springtime.
I am the snow falling on a winter day.
I am a bird chirping on a branch.
I am the sun coming up in the morning.
I am a book being read by a little girl.
I am a rainbow curving over a cloud in the sky.
I am a tree losing my leaves.

I stand in good relation to my dog, who likes to bark.
I stand in good relation to colors which make everything beautiful.

The Weirdo Songs
by Peter B.

I am a cheetah speeding through the park.
I am a shooting star, flying through space.
I am a bottle of sleeping powder putting someone to sleep.
I am a tree losing my leaves.
I am a horn waking everyone.
I am a fox, fast and crafty.
I am the coffee in your cup.
I am a magnet sticking to the board.

The Stranger
by Max D.

He is the jumping flame making light.
He is the smile in a beautiful face.
He is the coffee in our cups.
He is never the mean person.
He is the energetic person on stage.
He is the heart. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
He is the play monkey, green and red.
He is the color in your eyes.

He stands in good relation with friends.
He stands in good relation with animals.

HE IS ME!


Ms. Fukawa’s Class
The Young Tiger
by Bilal A.

I am a young tiger, bold and adventuress.
I am Einstein, smart, wise, an experiment trying person.
I am a chef in France making soup.
I am a wrestler, aggressive and tough.
I am a professional spy, not afraid of a challenge.
As you see, I am alive, I am alive.
With relations to friends and family.
With relations to Lords.
With relations to dignity and respect.
As you see, I am alive, I am alive.

Like Dolphins
by Jasmine M.

I am like computers.
I am like dolphins in water. Many people see me.
I am like a small baby elephant.
I am like a horse.
I am like the roar of a lion.
I am like the blue sky of birds.

I Am
by Josh B.

I am a fire breathing dragon.
I am a smiling snowman.
I am a loud firecracker.
I am a still ocean.
I am the still sky.
I am the mysterious moon.
I am the key to a door.
I am the cover to a book.

I stand in good relation to crafty people.
I stand in good relation to scoundrels.

I Am…
by Julia R.

I am a coyote attacking the dusk,
I am a butterfly hiding in a flower alone,
I am a clinking drizzle of rain,
I am a spirit, floating wispily,
I am an apple blossom, blooming in beauty,
I am a cloud, running across the sky,
I am a hill, quiet and going on forever,
I am silence, a Mozart piece playing beautifully,
I stand in good relation to God, to the earth,
I stand in good relation to nature.
I am a closet, dusty and quiet,
I am wind, hugging the world,
I am dreams, swirling in our minds.
I am me.


Ms. Furgason’s Class
Delight of Nature
by Susan S.

I am an orca swimming with the dolphins.
I am an eagle playing with the high winds.
I am a unicorn protecting a magical forest.
I am a young wolf practicing my hunting skills for big animals.
I am a horse running free with the wind.
I am a young puppy playing with my brothers and sisters.
I am a mountain standing far above the sky.
I am a wave, big and slow.
I stand in good relation with nature.
I stand in good relation with animals.

What I Am
by Angelica C.

I am a cat playing with a ball of yarn.
I am a girl afraid to speak.
I am a fish that swims all day.
I am a kid who loves to draw.
I am a clown who loves to throw pie.
I am a book who hates to be put down.
I am radio that never turns off.
I am a girl who never gives up.

I am, I am.
I stand in good relation to the universe.
I stand in good relation to all species.
I am, I am.


Ms. Chadhuri’s Class
I Am A…
by Hopey N. G.

I am a leaf falling, blowing in the wind.
I am a frog jumping from rock to rock in a river.
I am a tiger roaring like an echo.
I am a baby tree reaching up to the sky.
I am a chipmunk scurrying away from danger.
I am a dog walking alone on a street.
I am a deer getting a cool drink of water.
I am a circle of these things standing in a ring of color.

I stand in good relation to nature.
I stand in good relation to the rain.
I stand in good relation to everything mixed
up together in a cloud of dust.

Birds
by James F.

I am a hawk, piercing down below.
I am a falcon, ripping through the sky.
I am an eagle, puffing up my feathers.
I stand in good relation with the sparkling, windy sky.

I Am
by Katie S.

I am an elegant giraffe, eating leaves off a tall tree.
I am a stray cat, never refusing love.
I am a tree at the beginning of spring.
I am the first snow of winter.
I am a frog jumping around.
I am a robin flying up and down.
I am the water, sparkling in the sun.
I am the wind, blowing every which way.
I stand in good relation to my Aunt Cathy.
I stand in good relation to Earth.

Me
by Nathaniel G.

I am a car speeding across earth.
I am a ninja sneaking in the woods.
I am a jet flying around the world, looking down at earth.
I am a school getting ready to ring the bell for school to start.
I am a spring flower getting ready to bloom.
I am an ocean, waving and holding animals in me.
I am a campfire roasting marshmallows.
I am a clock ticking on the wall.

I stand in good relation to speed.
I stand in good relation to my family.
I stand in good relation to nature.
I stand in good relation to power.

Creatures from the Deep

This week, the students studied photos from Claire Nouvain's book The Deep, and wrote poems describing the amazing creatures they saw. I also had some photos of more conventional sea creatures, like seahorses, sea urchins, whales, octopi, and sharks. Click on the link above, and then "Image Gallery" to see images, then read below and be amazed!

Ms. Manuel
The Flying Saucer
by Beverly D.

The flying saucer, flying in the deep,
hair sticking out of his private orange,
in his orange the aliens live,
the apple cut in pieces,
its little private island,
legs sticking out of core,
the earth turning round and
round,
spitted pieces to share for everyone,
the pitch dark paper behind it.

Evil in the Sea
by Rebecca B.

An evil fish in the sea
Horn of a unicorn
Sharp teeth to chew meat

Big and plumpy
Black eyes and black soul
Hair of a human

A massive mouth to trap meat inside
Whiskers of a cat
The devil of the sea swimming to find its prey

The Green Bumpy Ball
by Magdelene T.

The green ball
the holes of our
skin, the bumpy
part of a hole a
green moon that
belongs to the aliens.
The Christmas tree
decoration, the hole
that sucks up the
air, a rotten fruit, the
burning green lava making
bubbles, a roundish sponge,
a relative of Sponge Bob
in the deep blue sea.

My Beautiful Blue
by Jessika H.

A blue and red feather rising into the sky.
A firecracker popping out of its place.
The black deep sky surrounding it.
My beta fish swimming around in its bowl.

The Little Creature
by Kyle G.

A little firecracker cracking with joy.
A boobie trap trapping a little fish.
An odd light to guide a scientist.


Mrs. Fukawa
The Crazy Creature
by Chris V.

It’s colorful, small but it
has a huge heart inside.
It sounds as soft as a cloud.
It has 1 fin swimming so soft, not loud.
It is a friendly fish. It says goodbye.

Sea Horse
by Farenica O.

The sea horse is coral.
The color is orange.
The jelly fish is part of its body.
The color is orange and brown.
The fish are white and orange.

Nemo
by Dante B.

An orange fish with white stripes. 5 fins.
Small mouth. Two fins on the bottom.
Two fins on the top. One fin on the
back. All fins are orange. More of
them are coming. Maybe a
school of them. So much
seaweed in the background.
They are clown fishes. They
are everywhere.
It is paradise.

Jewelry Creature
by Bernie J.

A big red bubble with four arms.
The arms have jewelry on them.
It sounds like a horn.
It stings like a jellyfish, but more powerful.
Its mouth is wide open.


Ms. Chadhuri
Bird of the Deep
by Alexandra S.

A blue butterfly, suspended on a flaming
white string. The ghostlike animal is surrounded
by the infinite darkness. A red glow is
coming from the inside of the almost
translucent body. On the tips of the
wings and the body is a strange pulsating
green glow. It’s not a fish or a plant
or a jellyfish. It’s the bird of the
deep, the butterfly of the Trench.

The Sponge
by Bella N.

A clump of balls,
Electrifying cobalt blue,
Floating through the infinite depths of the sea.

I am watching a jack tumble on the hardwood floor.
Now, I’m watching a creature skate across the ocean floor.
And above the water, I see a boy looking for his balloons.

Octopus
by Camila G.

An awkward octopus,
twisted, curled
its orange hand veering away from light.

It moves like an orange bird,
its 8 legs everywhere,
suction cups so hard,
that can suck water.

It’s a famous person,
putting a hand over his
face,
avoiding flashes.
A protective mother
never letting go of her young.

The Giant
by Jess N.

The whale
a bumpy nozzle
rayed fins
tail carrying a blue flame.

An overgrown, graceful dolphin
voyaging into the deep.
A blue horizon in the distance.
A neon green fin, nozzle and back
as if wearing a tie-die t-shirt.

A small tiger shark looks as if its
growing up from the whale’s back.
A nose dive with a slight
curve, its final moments before
venturing into the deep.


Ms. Furgason
Blue Things
by Madison E.

16 lollipops stuck together.
16 balls that were connected on sticks.
16 gumballs connected by a piece
of gum that has already been chewed.
Blue marbles that got connected when
they came out of the package.
16 disco balls that are ready to
leave each other but they can’t.
Glue that bubbled up when the
kids left it in the sun too long.
Tears dropping out of a child’s eyes when
their dog has died.

Sea Creatures
by Brian S.

a U.F.O. from the deep
parts of space.
a tomato in a glass case.
An alien from the other
side of the moon.
A bubble that is about
to burst.
A strange octopus from
the unstudied part of mars.
a red watermelon
that is not ripe.

A Sea Creature
by Max D.

Luminescent ping-pong balls sprout from this creature.
They grow on stems of a white center.

It looks as if it came from above, but really, it came from below.
It is a bulb, sprouting flowers in all directions.

Otherworldly looking? Yes.
Otherworldly coming? No.