Here are some more acrostic poems for your viewing pleasure...

This young lady has grown and matured so much the past two years.

Diamilatou, the girl who grew up
In many different places,
Africa being the birth place.
My life so
Interestingly unpredictable, never knowing where I'm going.
Living the life of
A soldier (Wooah!), going
To so many different schools and places
Overwhelmed with different
Unknown personalities.

Success will always be
On my mind the
World so big and so much more to discover.

This is one of the funnier ones. It is his personality on paper!!

You're saying it wrong, just stop.
Unless you named me don't try to tell me what my name is.
Stop trying to pronounce it, you sound dumb.
Ethiopian? Nope, and far from it.
Forget it, man--you'll never understand it.

Trib-u--it's that simple
Remember there's no n or t after the u.
It's not an African or Muslim name.
But it's not English.
Uhhhhhhhhhhhh, it's French, stupid.
Everyone should just shut up.

I told them that if they didn't want to put their personal lives out there, they could write their elegy acrostic about a loose tooth. Of course, Tyrone took me seriously...

Tooth is hurting
On his B-day and
On his bed he lays.
The room is spinning and
He is going to sleep.

Kelita went a little bit deeper with her elegy poem.

My heart, my love, the joy
Of my life. Loving you hurts
The tip of my
Heart. The way your voice
Echoes in my ear.
Rough skin, smooth eyes.

Dearly beloved, you are
Equal to the love of my
Art that I draw.
Rough skin, smooth eyes.

The next project they undertook was Acrostic Poems. We've all done this in grade school, but mean Ms. Hayden required a little more. The students were to write an acrostic about themselves (the acrostic was their name,) and they also wrote elegy acrostics, mourning the loss of someone or something. (If you don't know what an acrostic is, read down along the first letter of each line.) Once again, their voice is outstanding.

Charming young lady came a long way in life.
Heart so strong with a brain to match.
Also the young lady that has never been out of Kansas City.
Never stays away from her mother, stays by her side night
And day. Talks about stuff to get closer to you.
Inside or outside I will be there with my stong heart with a brain to match.

Right to left there will always be somebody there for me if I need it. With
Out someone there, there will be trouble.
Become strong, you will need that
In life. Give happiness,
Never pain. With two sisters and one brother I will never be without love.
Some people don't have love in their life, but they never give up in life.
Outside of pain, give in for love.
Never be scared to love or for somebody to love them.

I really need to figure out how this thing works. Oh well. The reason that I am publishing this blog is that I feel I need a place to brag on my students. They have really been working hard on this poetry unit, and I think they (and others) should be able to see their work online!

The first type of poem that we attempted is the "traditional" Haiku format. For those who aren't familiar, this is a three line poem with a syllable pattern of five-seven-five. Their assignment was three haikus--nature, urban, and personal.

"The Unknown"
under the dark stairs
unlit and forevermore
haunting me to sleep

"A Bad Neighborhood"
children used to play
now they run and hide inside
and the days go by
--Cameron

"Drama"
the streets are quiet
but the homes are loud and hard
then everyone hears
--Natasha

"My Life"
born out of the womb
through all of the suffering
my life had begun
--Cortez

"Nature"
I put the seeds in
the ground, the rain spreads love with
the help of the sun

"Love"
love is like a tree
just there, nowhere to go but
as beautiful as...
--Jemia

"Death of your loved one"
death will make you sad,
really, when your loved one is
under the green grass
--Chanai

"Love"
love is very strong
it can hurt you or break you
be patient hold on
--Diamilatou

"I'm Thankful for Life"
born as a baby
I wasn't able to talk
I'm thankful for life
--Kevin

"Nature"
trees singing to me
sound like a song never played
knowing that it stops
--Kelita

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