Wishes and Dreams:
Poems about another life
I wish I was a car
I wish I was a big
race car
so people can drive
me crazy
- Pierre Cobb
I wish I was
I wish I was a garden
I wish I was a beautiful garden
I wish I was a beautiful garden
with flowers
A beautiful garden with flowers
and a man watering it
I wish I had a beautiful garden
with flowers and a kind and
trustful man watering it
- Muskaan Vazir
I wish I was a book
I wish I was a small book
I wish I was a fat book
A fat book being bought
I wish I was a fat book being bought by the same child
being bought by the same child every single day
- Ema Reis da Cunha
I wish I was a dragon
I wish I was a green- blue dragon
I wish I was a beautiful green- blue
dragon
A beautiful green –blue dragon
protecting my rider
I wish I was a beautiful green-blue
dragon protecting my rider from evil
My rider and I would fight off all evil
Together
-Christiana Gorenflo
I wish I was an airplane
I could fly from place to place
I wish it was Christmas
I could get as many gifts as possible
I wish I was on my own without a group
I could get all the good slips for myself
I wish I was a dragon rider
I would have magic and my dragon
would save me from danger
I wish I could read minds
I could hear what everyone thinks
I wish I had normal legs
Like everybody else.
-Ivan Tchamou
I wish I was a shelf
I wish I was a straight shelf
I wish I was a straight clean shelf
A straight clean shelf with books on it
I wish I was a straight clean shelf with sad books on it
-Muskaan Vazir
I wish I was an eraser
I wish I was a blue eraser
I wish I was a thick blue eraser
I wish I was a thick blue eraser
erasing mistakes of people
I wish I was an eraser that erases
pictures of cats
Cats meowing all night long
I wish I was a pencil
I wish I was a yellow pencil
I wish I was a skinny yellow pencil
I wish I was a skinny yellow pencil
drawing fish
Fish that don’t disturb anybody
Fish that are colorful
Fish that are quiet
Quiet all night long
-Zeenia Ajani
Definition Poems- Who we used to
be, who we are now and who we’ll
never be
I used to be in my mom’s tummy
But now I am in my crib
I used to be in preschool
But now I am in elementary
I used to be a baby
I used to be in Belgium
Now I am a super hero
But now I am in the DRC
That saved the world
I used to be a child
But now I am a teenager
From bad guys
I used to watch family movies
-Dipoko Degrando, Jr.
But now I watch PG-13
I used to be in college
But now I am writing poems
I used to have children
But now I have grandchildren
I used to have a pumpkin
I used to be alive
But now I have a coach
But now I am dead
I used to have ragged
-Jules Deboutte
clothes
But now I have a
beautiful dress
I used to have two glass
slippers
But now I have one
I used to live in a cottage
But now I live in a
palace
-Autumn Trapp
About Me
I am not a dog
I am not a cat
I am not a donkey
I am not a book
I am not a box
I am not a basketball
I am human
I’m mean
Sometimes nice
Say both
I am cute
Say normal
I love fruit
I hate vegetables
I’m short, you can see
But not the way you think
I’m short
-Nour Ali Ahmad
-Dipoko Degrando, Jr.
I am not a famous artist
I’m not a celebrity
I’m not someone famous,
popular or
A star
I am Jules
Just Jules!
I am not Brij
I am not Jules
I am not Kyle
I am not Paolo
I am not Liam
I am not who you think
I am
-Billy Boyle
-Jules Deboutte
Make-up is the most
Amazing, beautiful, colorful,
Dazzling, exciting, fabulous, gorgeous,
Heavenly, instinctive, juggling, kindly, lily-scented,
Meaningful, nicest, ocean blue, pretty, quoteful,
Restful, sweetest, tastiest, unquestionable, vicious,
Wavy, x-rayed, Yasminizer,
Zoomy
Thing in The Whole Wide
World!
-Yasmin Sadrudin
I am not a bird who
soars in the sky
You are not a cat
who waits for me to
come by
I am not a rabbit who
bounces in the air
You are not a snake
who plans to strike
lovely hare
I am not a buffalo
wading in the water
You are not a croc
waiting to sneak
And slaughter
-Autumn Trapp
Family
Annoying, Merry
Bright, Nosey
Creative, Optimistic
Dopey, Perfect
Entertaining, Quick
Fun, Radical
Goofy, Sweet
Helpful, Troublesome
In charge, Uncanny
Jokers, Versatile
Keen, Wary
Lovely, Xylophone
Young
Zany!
-Alicia Shamji
Haiku, Senryu, Lune: Poems about
nature, people and other silly stuff
Storm, windy, cold wet
Flood, dirty, stinky, muddy
Dark trees broken down
-Pierre Cobb
Snow is falling
Smooth like silk and slippery
Animals are gone
-Alicia Shamji
The calm big waves
Seagulls flying in thin air
Sun hotter than ever
-Brij Mcclure
The water rises
Far above the earth below
Then crashes back down
-Jules Deboutte
The peaceful grassland
Horses grazing by trees
Fast flowing river
-Liam Venter
Loud noisy monkey
Eating in its dirty abode
Mean ugly monkey
-Muskaan Vazir
On the ice cold ice
I had a sled and I crashed
Then I got cut
-Paolo Buccianti
Nour’s candies
are cool even the
Rainbow Pop
-Zeenia Ajani
I bake food
I’m an expert in
baking stuff
-Zeenia Ajani
Eat all eggs
Then eat all chickens
Then eat bread
-Daniel Churchill
Sprite is falling
Like hail, snow and rain
Everyone drinks a lot
-Alicia Shamji
I love food
I really love food
McDonald’s
-Jules Deboutte
He’s very good
The best man on earth
He is Michael
- Michael Sunguza
The Diamante: Poems exploring
opposites or shades within a theme
Park
Nice green
Fast winds, dazing grass
Grass, Fountain, T.V, Couch
Slow, lazy, unhealthy
Grey, awful
Apartment
-Michael Sunguza
Day
Shiny, Sunny
Foggy, Dark, Many Moons
Brushing, Sleepy, Drowsy
Stretching, Eating,
Drinking
Warm milk
At night
Life
Excited, Tranquil
Laughing, Running, Whispering
Friends, Jovial, Culprit, Sorrow
Shot, Stealing, Kidnapping
Villainous, Wounded
Death
-Hamba Mwangu
-Kaayam Savani
Pierre
Very fast, very funny
Hard worker, striver, hard thinker
He is my best friend forever
He is very nice
Sharing, friendly
Pierre
-Ivan Tchamou
Sports
Fun, hard
Tiring, running jumping
Active joyful, lazy, loud
Tapping, gazing, entertaining
Fun, addictive
Video games
Make-up
Squishy, gummy
Sticking, smearing, smudging
Making a girl feel pretty
Patting, Swaying, Rubbing
Colorful, Attractive
Lipstick
-Autumn Trapp
-Billy Boyle
Quiet
Calm, soundless
Whisper, slip, slide
Silent, restful, noisy, clamorous
Bellow, shout, scream
Deafening, very audible
Noise
-Alicia Shamji
Lebanon
Green, Peaceful
Playing, gathering, moving
Playing cards, talking together
Eating, buying, swimming,
Peaceful, Unique
Tranquil
Horses
Colorful, Active
Running, jumping, racing
Have fun when riding
Playing, chasing, frisky
Large, Strong
Mustang
-Christiana Gorenflo
-Nour Ali Ahmad
Whale Songs: Poems created in
response to their mournful cries
A moan? A whine? A baby’s cry?
No? Then what is it?
A siren? A cow?
No!
It’s an aquatic giant, graceful and gentle
It swims from ocean to ocean
And it’s endangered
Guess what it is
Whining
High shrill calls
PS: Help it
A car trying to start
-Jules Deboutte
Long, short, long, short calls
Erie calls, high and shrill
- Christiana Gorenflo
We are afraid
He is all the time happy to see us
A superb and beautiful voice
Learning is your best domain
Every day you make me happy
-Samuel Leprohon
There is danger
Its trying to call the others for help
Sad
Someone is trying to kill them
Awful
Mother tries to make the baby happy
Wonderful
Because of danger, people killing fish
Bad
Leaving them to be hungry
Sad
Scared
Mad
Help
Come
Eating
Yelling
Talking
Looking for his momma
Hungry
Crying
Playing
Singing
Alone
Pink
Blue
Happy
Stuck on a beach
Purple
Noisy
-Brij McClure
-Euphemia Ngoya
Croak
Door
opening
Dolphin
Siren
Cry
Dinosaur
Gunfire
-Billy Boyle
Animal Acrostics: Poems for our
endangered friends
Tough Shell
Under the water
Rough shell
They walk slowly
Lays as many as 1800 eggs
Eggs of a turtle provide food for a raccoon
-Euphemia Ngoya
Major relative of humans
On trees a lot
Noisy
Kind to their family
Excellent at climbing trees
Yelling but intelligent creatures
-Hamba Mwangu
Lives in the jungle
Idol to its baby cubs
On the run to catch its prey
Never leaves its kill alone until there’s nothing but bone
-Kyle Flamigni
Turtles have hard shells to protect them
Understand why hiding is important
Really good at hiding
They swim very fast to get away from predators
Live underwater and also above
Enter their hard shells to protect themselves
-Michael Sunguza
Chomps on its preys neck
Hates coyotes
Eats with pleasure
Every time it races it wins
Touch its tail and your hand is gone
Attacks its prey with force
Handles its cubs with care
-Kyle Flamigni
Leaps onto its prey
Ears to hear
Only likes to eat alone
Pulls its prey up into a tree so other cats can’t get it
Attacks with a razor sharp bite
Roar that can be heard up to five miles away
Dots to be camouflaged in the grass
-Liam Venter
L is for leaping
E is for ears that hear well
O is for opponents he faces like lions and cheetahs
P is for protective of her babies
A is for alert
R is for running so fast
D is for dangerous
-Brij McClure
Occasional Poetry: Poems to
celebrate special occasions and
ordinary events
The first day I heard
I cried. I rushed out
of my house and ran
out to the funeral.
People sang songs
Then we went home
People were sad because
He was important
The blue sky
It turned into black.
-Brij McClure
Ahhh, I am going
On an areoplane
What should I bring?
My toothbrush or my
Big, blue peine?
I threw up
All night
Plus I never closed an eye
I had to take
16 different medicines
I wish I never did
-Nour Ali Ahmad
Wedding
We met on the street
We fell in love on sight
Do you take me as your husband?
-Michael Sunguza
My audition
I have auditions
this week
But I know
and
I can
I’m scared
make it.
I went to the candy shop
and
I chewed
I bought some gum
and
chewed
till it was my turn.
When the teacher called
Me
I went in and
When I was going
did my best
out of
the cafeteria
She said I sang
After that I knew
Real good.
It could be true
I won
I love
The part
My audition
It was the
Best day
of my life.
- Ema Reis da Cunha
First Time on T.V. with a Ugandan Soccer Player
My heart is racing
Like shooting lightning
I held a hand
That was dark brown
I stood on the field
People watched me on T.V.
I could not move
My feet were stuck to the
Ground
I gave a big smile
With my hand waving
High, it was the
Best day I ever had.
-Aïcha Kounikorgo
The Cup
It’s been 35 years since we’ve won the cup
But now God has blessed the Congolese players
And given them courage
If you try to mess with us
We’ll whip your butt!
-Hamba Mwangu
My Hair
My hair is such a disgrace
It doesn’t please me one bit
I put it up in a bun
And it comes back down in a race
I have fits when I brush it
Because if I brush it too light
It says Not too light
Nor rough
So you don’t make me huff and puff
Write, write
If I brush it too rough
Finish, finish
It says Hey watch it back there!
Yes, I am done
I will fall out and
With my poem
You will have no hair!
-Billy Boyle
I’ve learned to put up with it
Even though its tough
Maybe one day
It won’t be so rough.
-Autumn Trapp
Math poem
Math, math, math!
What’s so g reat about math?
It’s boring, hard and do we like it?
Nah! It’s annoying, terrible
It’s the worst, most cursed subject ever
I’d rather die than do it again !
-Alicia Shamji
Skeltonic & Lie Poems: Things so
strange they can’t possibly be true
I can fly, I can dance
I know I can shoot heat vision
Through my eyes
-Paolo Buccianti
Eyes
Their eyes were bright
Because of the flight
They began to glow
When I had to blow
My nose
They were scary
Like fairy
Eyes.
Green like an orange
Red like a kiwi
Orange like a pear
Pink like a banana
Yellow like a carrot
-Daniel Churchill
-Nour Ali Ahmad
Portrait Poetry: Poems about
who we are today
Brij Robert Mclure
I’m a boy, small and fast
I have dark hair and eyes and people love me
I’m light and very athletic
I love to do gymnastics, swim, play soccer, rugby,
tennis and karate
At school I’m smart, a good friend, and nice to other
people
I am Indian, Brij means a special place
I am also American, the name Robert is for my papa
At home I like to climb trees, play games with my
friends, and jump on the trampoline
I’m handsome sometimes like when I comb my hair
after I take a shower
I’m happy
A Girl Is Born
On a winter day a girl is born
As white as snow
and she has a bit
Of red hair too
Happiness spreads all over her family
It’s a big gift
They name her Nour
It means light
Euphemia
To birth me
My mom and my dad had to
walk to the hospital
I was born in the morning
at 9:00.
I was supposed to be
called Anyago, my
second name, but my
mother called me
Akinyi, which means
morning. I was
light brown then
but now I am
different.
December 1998
Kayaam
I was
born sort of
white,
screaming and crying.
My mom
was happy about
having a
boy.
I got my name
from my mom’s friend.
I was a quiet baby
and ate all my food.
I love
my
life.
I hope you love
yours.
I am a short, thin girl
I like swimming, but I don’t know how to
My favorite chips are Nick Nack Ketchup
And my name is Muskaan Vazir
On June 12, 1998 at 11:45
a baby came into the world.
He was calm, quiet, cute and adorable.
His name was William David Boyle,
call him Billy for short
He grew up lazy and chubby, but
He always pleased his parents
He was quiet but efficient.
My story ends, but his life
On October 27, 1997
still goes on.
a beautiful girl was
Watch out, he might be
born.
Right there!
I was a gift
from God and
a baby with hair.
My dad
called me Hamba
because it means
Thank you God.
But now I’m
in 5th grade
with harder stuff
to think about,
with tougher, more
annoying people. Oh,
you don’t know
how much I
want to be
a baby
again.
When I came out
of my mom’s stomach
my dad called me Yasmin.
I was
a really tiny girl with no hair.
My mom tells me
You were pretty white.
That was me
10 years and 8 months ago.
Today
I have long hair.
I am
pretty tan.
My attitude
is O.K.
I am smart
You
can ask anyone
they will tell you that I
love to sing and dance.
My best friends will tell you
that I
am into fashion.
That
is me
today.
Published Poems: Some of our
favorite poetry