Untitled

Carpet stapled onto a ladder, stapled
onto a roof, like elongated shingles,

A rainbow of windows casting a shadow,
like a painting,
like a painting,like stained glass in weathering
windowpanes, on top of the invisible house,
held up by a shipmast, a cement block,
a bedpost and a slithery wooden foot,
held up by a painted fist

on top of a wooden sign: “Those who do not
remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Leyla, twelfth grade, Badgerdog Creative Writing Summer Camp

To see a photo of Paradise Now! (The Salvage) by Matthew Day Jackson from the Blanton Museum of Art, which inspired this poem, click here.

Haiku

Round and very sweet.
It is red and fruity. Yum!
It is ripe today.

Angela, fifth grade

A Spider’s Point of View

I am a spider, and right now I am so angry at those human monsters. I spent two days finishing my web, and then those monsters came with a broom and bang, my web broke. My friends and I have tried to avoid those human monsters. We tried to tell the humans our webs are delicate, but they won’t listen. Right now, my family is sitting dead at the bottom of a dumpster.

It is really boring weaving a web. It is like weaving a basket. My mom taught me to weave a web. My first web was really small. But the web the monsters broke was as a big as this whole page. Most of my friends died because of the monsters. It is the worst life for a spider.

Francisca, fourth grade

A Day in the Life of a Tree

Sitting, watching, waiting. I have a sad, lonely life as an evergreen tree. My spikes are mean, and they will never go away or fall of because I am an evergreen tree. Other trees lose their mean leaves, and the mean ones turn different colors. But the innocent leaves are picked off the branches, for they lived on a regular tree.

I sit. I watch. I wait.

Sage, fifth grade

Green

The leaves
are as green as
a grasshopper. I feel
as fresh as the time
I opened my door
when the weather
was great!

The flowers
are like a garden
in a secret place
I have never seen.

Aditi, fourth grade

Field Trip

Hot
Sweaty
Summer
Day

Sweaty
Itchy
Fun
Day

Eric, third grade

A Two-Winged Dragonfly

Perching on a branch
Looking for a place to land
Fluttering away

Joshua, third grade

Beautiful Fields

I feel the smooth grass
I taste the sweet tomatoes
I see the tomatoes growing before me
I hear the crunch, crack, click of a bug

I taste the sweet tomatoes
I see the flutter of excitement
I hear the crunch, crack, click of a bug.
I see the flies flying away.

Joshua, third grade

The Flying Bug

Black and clear
Flying swiftly
Buzzing in your ear
Bumpy

Flying swiftly
Rough
Bumpy
And skinny.

Lauren, fourth grade

Weed Tree

A weed
as big as a tree.
A colossal, huge
weed. It’s
agony. It’s
impossible
to pull. Sweat
pouring down
my head.
I never got
it out.
Will it
ever
come out?

Alex, fifth grade

A Tree

In the middle
of nowhere
stands a lifeless,
twisted, deformed
tree. All the leaves
have fallen and
gone. What is
left is only
the hollow trunk
and the shady
branches, giving
the tree
a spooky image.

Alexander, sixth grade

Drying Onions

Drying out the onions
under the hay,
as dry as a hot desert.
The sun shines
as bright as a flashlight.

In the greenhouse,
it is hot, sweaty, and bright.
The sun bleeds through
like a marker on a paper.

Shreyas, fifth grade

Dark to Light

lost in the suffocating darkness
lost in thought

you see black
you see white
you see beautiful designs
unfold

black as dark as coal
silver and gold
white as bright as the sun

black

large black
large black sky
large black painting

at night

the sky is dark
children get scared
because all they
see is black

at night when we
look up we
see nothing
then
we see stars

white sparkling
wonders light
the soulless sky

we see the stars
we see hope

hope fills the sky
when we look
close
when we look
deep
we see pictures
unfold

they line up to
form
pictures
in the night sky
created by twinkling
wonders

under the bright
night sky we
see the choking
darkness.

Shivani, ninth grade, Badgerdog Creative Writing Summer Camp

Congratulations to Sahar! In this poem, she’s brought to life both the bustle of the city and the dynamism of Weber’s 1915 canvas. What a beautiful marriage of art and poetry!

New York at Night

A never-ending maze.
Streetlights.
Skyline.
Upside, downside, diagonal, horizontal—
You can see the same image.
You can see the streets, and the buildings,
But hidden in the chaos is calm.
Each skyscraper, each simple park
It is three-dimensional yet it appears two-dimensional.
Alleys, stairwells, passageways, paint crackling,
Then the light bright of NYC.
Beige.
____Green.
________Blue.
____________Gray.
________________Red.
____________________Yellow.
The sounds echo off every corner,
Every detail neatly integrated into modern chaos.
Every angle tells a different story.
Shining stars glisten.
All the little shops and stalls—
The randomness of it all.
The true spirit of New York at night
Is focused yet frenzy.

Sahar, eighth grade, Badgerdog Creative Writing Summer Camp

Ol’ Slick Ear

Cowboys rope the cow
and have a hard time with them.
The longhorn cattle go a long way.

After a long, tough ride,
the cowboys get to market.

Their faces half covered in dust,
the cowboys ride home.

Benjamin, fifth grade, Badgerdog Creative Writing Summer Camp

Photo by Mary R. Vogt.

Writing Haiku

Pencil lead scratching,
On stiff creamy white paper,
Beautiful writing.

Angela, fourth grade, Badgerdog Creative Writing Summer Camp

Rainbow Colors

Lively pink is gentle, precious fur, as if from a soft, baby bunny.
Sunny yellow is a calm, fresh summer breeze as bright
as a sunflower’s silky petals. Blinding white is a lonely
depressing feeling, as if the gray were wiping a smile off your face.
Sensitive purple is a shy, blushing cheek like a glowing,
sparkly moon on your face. Proud blue is a dazzling, royal
blue sky floating above like a bucket of cotton balls
with twilight baby blue colors.

Annabel, third grade, Badgerdog Creative Writing Summer Camp

If Cats Could Fly

If cats could fly, they’d be in the sky.
If cats could fly, pilots wouldn’t have to.
If cats could fly, we’d all cry.
If cats could fly, they’d have to watch out for ceiling fans.
If cats could fly, they’d be so high.

Ian, third grade, Smith Elementary School

North Carolina

An airplane is bright.
It is red. It is gray on the bottom.
It has drawings on its wings.
It stops to get gas and goes back to the airport.
It picks up some people,
and leaves them in North Carolina.

Ariana G.

Candy Land

Me and my spider went to Candy Land for a party. We had to get stuff, but he was shouting all over. I was so mad. Then Cookie Monster took my cookie, and he put it in a glass of milk.

When there was a piece left, I shot a web to get it, but Cookie Monster got it. Then he got his web and used it to clean his teeth.

We decided to go to his house. We knocked. When he opened the door, he said, “I’m Cookie Monster.” We screamed and we ran. Then we went flying like Spider-Man and saved Elmo.

Tony B.

Snake School

A snake goes to snake school. It slithers, and it’s sneaky. His name is Roy, and nobody wants to be his friend, but he is smart and special. But when he gets home, he stinks because of the sandwiches he eats, so his mom gets mad. He says he’s sorry. The next morning, he’s sticky, so he screams. He says he is going to take a shower. He goes to school, and he meets a girl. She says he is sassy, so he likes her.

Ronald M.

Barnyard

—an exerpt

There is a house named Alicia. She is new to the barn. This pig named Piglet welcomed Alicia. Piglet told Alicia to come in and meet her friends. They were all pigs. One was named Piggy, one was named Dritpig, and one was named Scary Pig. They were pink, and three more were black and white.

Delilah R.

Harry

His name is Harry.
He has skills.
He is a snake.
Inside, he is cold.
He has nowhere to go.
We need to save him.
He screams at night.
He stays up all night.
He is sleeping.

Stephen T.

Good Day

—an excerpt

I was fighting with my shark, and I bit him. He was crying, and I went to another sea. A shark was sleeping, and when he woke up he said hello to me. He was ten thousand years old. His name was Adventuro.

Ruth M.

Elephant and Snake

Snake was playing around with his friends, but then his friend Elephant became very big. He was almost going to squish his friend Snake. Elephant didn’t like Snake, so Snake turned into an anaconda. He was bigger than Elephant, so Elephant became his friend. They played soccer together again, but Snake was angry.

Alexandro C.

The Giant Q-tip

There was a giant man, and he got a Q-tip to clean his ears. The Q-tip was orange, and it was stuck in his ear. He went to the doctor, and I came and helped the giant get the Q-tip out. He made me rich, and the newspaper took a picture. I was famous on Jupiter and Earth.

Ivan B.

Hawaii

One day, I was home, and my dad said, “Do you want to go to Hawaii?” I said yes, and we went out on a boat. We were going to have fun.

The boat took us to a beach. We were swimming in the water, and when we saw it was night, we went to sleep in a hotel. The next day, we woke up, and we had breakfast. We went to the beach to have fun. We did something else—we went looking for shells. But we did not see any shells, so we decided to recycle the beach.

When we were half finished, we saw a mirror, and we saw a dead turtle, and we were almost done. We saw a lost puppy, and when I asked my dad if we could keep him, he said yes. “As long as he doesn’t have an owner.”

We went back to the boat. We were going to leave. We saw a shell, and I told my dad, “Dad, Dad, I found a shell.” Then we went back home.

Cesar S.

Night Snake

Night snake, night snake
What can you see?
A dog looking at me?

Night snake, night snake
What else can you see?
I see something
trying to push me.

So the night snake
jumped out of the water
and bit the tiger
on the neck.

Ashton H.

Snake Bite

One day, I went to the forest to see animals. First, I saw a snake. I was a little scared because I thought the snake was going to bite me. The snake was small and sliding. My mom was so scared. I told her to not be scared because when you are scared you are attracting the snake to bite you. My mom wasn’t scared anymore because she didn’t know that. You shouldn’t be scared because a snake will bite you.

Mane R.

Cartoon’s Teeth

—an exerpt

One day, an old man went to Target to buy some teeth because he had been fighting, and all of his teeth had fallen out. He bought some teeth, and they were so nasty that if you looked at them, you would almost throw up. When he would go to sleep, he would take the teeth out and put them in a cup with water.

Christian P.

What’s Adventure?

Have you ever wondered, what’s adventure? Well, adventure is when you go places that are dazzling, dangerous, or sad, but you have the time of your life and you meet new people. Sometimes there’s someone or something that tries to hold you back, but there’s always a tricky part, so don’t get fooled.

April P.

Vampire Butterflies

One day, I went outside. I saw a bunch of butterflies stuck together. They were chasing a dog, and I got a net and got all the butterflies and took them in my house.

I cleaned them, and there was one thing I did not know—they like to suck blood—so I ran into my room, and there was a butterfly. It bit me, and I turned into a zombie. A cop took me to the station and arrested me. I was still not all zombie, so I went to a friend for help. Then I went home and went to sleep.

Sixty months later, I woke up, and I was human. My mom told me I was dreaming, but it was all true. Eighteen years later, more butterflies came, but they didn’t do anything.

Jesus M.

Snake Shake

Snake, snake, snake
Bite, bite, bite
Go around and shake, shake, shake

Snake, snake, snake
Bite, bite, bite
Don’t fight, fight, fight

Snake, snake, snake
Shake, shake, shake,
Front step, back step
Skate, skate, skate

Snake, snake, snake
Skate, skate, skate
Go around the pool
And shake, shake, shake.

Michelle H.

Baseball Eraser

One day, there was a baseball game. I was so excited because it was my first baseball game. We got to Yankee Stadium, and the stadium was filled with people. The game was about to begin, but instead of playing with hard baseballs, they played with fake balls. Their balls were erasers. It was funny to see them not catch or hit the ball, but after seeing my team doing none of those things, it wasn’t fun anymore. At the end of the game, it was tied zero to zero. It was boring and funny at the same time.

Christian S.

The Orange Said

There was an orange. It said:
Come bomb
..Come
….Come, bomb
……Come, come
……..Bomb
……….Come, come
…………Bomb
…………..Come
…………….Come, bomb
………………Come, come
………………..Bomb come
………………….Come bomb
……………………Come, come bomb
……………………..Come, come, come
……………………….Bomb.

Kenia D.

The Good Cowboy

Once upon a time, there was an orange horse. The horse had a cowboy on top of him. The cowboy was riding the horse, but when the horse was tired, the cowboy put the horse back in his house.

The cowboy was talking with someone mean. They said they wanted to kill the horse. The horse was so scared of what he heard that he wanted to run away, so he hid under a rock.

All the cowboys went to get their horses. The horse was so hungry. He smelled food from a good cowboy’s pocket. That cowboy was a good person. The good cowboy trained the horse really well so he ride the horse.

Giovanni A.

Snake in the Street

There was a snake in the street, and it was big. The snake was sick. The snake was still alive because he was strong. He was smart enough not to go into the street anymore.

The snake was three feet long, and it was tough. But one time, he wasn’t smart, and food was in the street. The snake went to get the food, and he got run over by a car, but he was OK because he was tough and long.

Jhony J.

Elmo Slide

Elmo, Elmo, slide, slide
Elmo, Elmo, slide, slide
Elmo, Elmo, slide your pals around Sesame Street.

People, people, wake up early so you
can see Elmo sliding.
Elmo, Elmo, slide, slide
so you can even entertain adults.

Elmo, Elmo, slide, slide.
Elmo, Elmo, slide, slide
so your fan Christian S. can see you
all the way in Miami.

Elmo, Elmo, slide, slide
Elmo, Elmo, slide, slide

Anthony A.

Letter S

Slugger sliding shivering soccer
small submarine summer
slide straight snoring
snake sneezing singing
student soft squid slimy
stand sticky
stuffed strong sun
school squish shoes skipping
smart spiky sick
save shampoo service serious
slim shape sleep slide skate
sour sling
same Sanchez
sixes sevens

Brany M.

McKinney Falls State Park

First, we talked about the rules. There was one very, very important rule, and it was to have fun.

We were the first class to go with the guide. He showed us a kind of bird called a cardinal. This bird doesn’t flap its wings. It uses hot air to fly, and its color is red.

I’m going to tell you the names of the birds—grackles, humming birds, turkey vultures, doves, hawks, and crows.

The guide told me that a clock could be in a tree with a bird. If a bird is in the top of the tree, it’s at twelve-o’clock, and if it is at the bottom of the tree it’s at six-o’clock. Right is three-o’clock, and left is nine-o’clock.

Then the guide showed us a waterfall. He showed us all around. We did some activities and walked around again and left. It was the best time of my life.

Julissa M.

Mariposa

Yo me moví de casa. Cuando fui afuera, encontré un juguete que era una mariposa. Siempre la llevo conmigo en la escuela y yo juego con la mariposa mucho. Cuando se me abre las alas, estoy feliz. Nunca voy a separarme de ella.

Butterfly

I moved from my house. When I went outside, I found a toy. It was a butterfly. I always carry it with me to school, and I play with the butterfly a lot. When it opens its wings for me, I am happy. I’m never going to be apart from it.

Yaneli G.

Juan Corona y Su Barco

Juan Corona iba en su barco. Luego de repente el barco se estaba moviéndose bien rápido. Luego se aventó Juan al agua y vio la isla desaparecer. Pero el barco no se hundió sino que unos monstruos lo estaban comiendo. Juan tenia mucho miedo y mando un mensaje a rescate.

Juan Corona and His Boat

Juan Corona was leaving in his boat. Suddenly, the boat was moving very rapidly. Then, Juan threw himself into the water, and he saw the island. But the boat did not sink. Rather, some monsters were eating it. Juan was very scared and so he sent a message to be rescued.

Jose R.

Culebras Salvan al Mundo

Las culebras les tienen miedo a los monstruos.
Los monstruos están feos.
Las culebras suben a los árboles.
Se vuelven superhéroes,
Y salvan al mundo.
Se van a la luna con la gente,
Y la gente esta a salvo.

Snakes Save the World

The snakes are afraid of the monsters.
The monsters are ugly.
The snakes climb the trees.
They become superheroes,
And save the world.
They go to the moon with the people,
And the people are safe.

Brayan G.

El Serpiente y el Alíen

Una serpiente esta peleando con un alíen
en una isla de tiburones.
Luego van al espacio a pelear en Marte.
Donde hay tormentas y tornados y huracanes.
Hay toda clase de tormenta en Marte.

The Snake and the Alien

A snake is fighting with an alien
in an island of sharks.
Then, they go to space to fight on Mars.
Where there are storms and tornadoes and hurricanes.
There is every kind of storm on Mars.

Vanessa G.

The Snake

The snake went to the store to buy some snow. It was on sale. It ate some snow and stopped because he was full. He was strong because he ate some snow. He was six years old.

Sinthia B.

The Snake

The snake likes the sun.
The snake is six years old.
The snake likes the star.
The snake likes stinky shoes.
The snake likes spiders.
The snake is strong.
The snake likes spring.
The snake likes the store.

Esmeralda J.

Like

I like to sing.
My snake is strong.
I like to train my snake.
My snake likes spiders.
My snake likes snow.
My snake likes to snap.
My snake likes to slap people.
I like my snake because he’s skinny.

Juan G.

Great Space Battle

One night, I was outside. I looked at a plane coming my way. It was an alien. It was taking me to space. It was my friend. I was on a mission to destroy the chip of the bad alien. Two days later, the battle was over. One hundred people died, but we won, and the alien took me home. To be continued . . .

Javier A.

How It Is

The star is pretty.
The store is big.
I am a super girl.
The restrooms are stinky.
My shoes are blue.
Her last name is Santiago.
Spanish is easy.
The spider is bad.
The sun is hot.
The stop sign is red.
A girl named Sinthia is little.
Science is fun.
The seasons are winter, spring, fall, and summer.

Daniela A.

The Orange

The orange is delicious, and it has a lot of juice inside when you open it. The color of the orange is orange, and it’s so good when you taste it. You can put salt and salsa on the orange. It will taste good with salt and salsa. Oranges are like my friends.

Jose S.

A Diamante

Cat
Cute, Lovely
Lazy, Crazy, Meowing
Kitty, Lion, Hot-dog, Puppy
Crazy, Goofy, Silly
Mean, Bark
Dog

Karyme A.

I Am

I am awesome, beautiful,
……..cute, adorable, friendly,
…………….a girl, happy, incredible,
……………………a princess, a queen, a rose,
…………………………..sweet . . . I am Katherine!

Katherine L.

A Diamante

Bird
Green, Red
Pecking, Chirping, Flying
Owl, Parakeet, Shark, Minnow
Swimming, Eating, Watching
Lazy, Fast
Fish

Samantha M.

Diamante

Bird
Blue, Feathery
Flying, Jumping, Eating
Robin, Cardinal, Lion, Tiger
Running, Climbing, Growling
Silly, Cute
Cat

Jennifer P.

Doctors

Doctors help keep people from dying. Doctors tell people what to do when they get sick. Being a doctor is an important job. Doctors do surgery to help people so they won’t die. I want to be a doctor when I grow up.

Jesse L.

Scary Movies

The thing I know about scary movies is that they are terrifying. Do not let little kids watch them. Some kids even have scary dreams. The movies sometimes have blood in them. Scary movies are for adults, but kids like me still want to watch them. When some kids watch scary movies at night, they want the light on so they won’t get scared.

Vanessa A.

What I Know About Chocolate

I know chocolate is brown.
I know it tastes good.
I know it is not healthy.
But I still like it.
It doesn’t matter if it is healthy or not.

Clara M.

Diamante

Dog
Fast, Cute
Digging, Barking, Howling
Badgerdog, Poodle, Lion, Tiger
Scratching, Meowing, Scaring
Fast, Funny
Cat

Erik O.

Best Teacher

The
Best
Teacher
Gonzales
She reads us poems
And we read to her
She is nice
She is
The
Best

Luis T.

My Cool Brother

My
cool
brother
makes fur balls.
He likes to
give me piggyback rides
and eat snakes.
Oscar
is
cool!

Manuel L.

My Dog

I was so bored one day. Then my mom brought a dog home, and nothing was boring again. When we were asleep, he was in the middle of our bed. When he smells his dog food, he runs to eat it all up. During the weekend, we play with him a lot. He gets the ball every day. I love my dog a lot.

Anita G.

My Grandpa’s Snores

My grandpa snores like a lion. I cannot go to bed because, when I lie down, I hear a big snore. So I go in his room and tell him to stop snoring. Every day my grandpa takes me to school, and every night I ask him to stop snoring.

Alexis S.

I Am

Awesome, big a crayfish cat, dear, excellent,
……..a fun fox, happy, incredible, jazzy, lazy, mean, nothing,
…………….outstanding, Pokémon, quick, ridiculous, smelly, terrible,
……………………an undertaker, and extra special am I!

Ernesto C.

I Should Have Stayed Home

I should have stayed home today because on the way to school a turtle fell on my head. I felt like I was dead.

Eric A.

My Sister’s Gerbil

My sister’s gerbil died.
My sister’s gerbil was sometimes mad.
My sister’s gerbil was sometime sad.
My sister’s gerbil exploded.
My sister’s gerbil eroded.

Steve C.

A Diamante

Dragon
Fire, Water
Flaming, Growing, Steaming
Dragonoid, Scales, White, Bad
Swimming, Playing, Eating
Dangerous, Scary
Shark

Julian M.

A Diamante

Cats
Kitten, Lion
Scratching, Playing, Biting
Puma, Cheetah, Puppy, Dog
Furry, Playing, Biting
Pets, Hairy
Dog

Alicia R.

A Diamante

Sun
Hot, Burn
Playing, Talking, Eating
Star, Bright, Light, Stars
Snoring, Dreaming, Sleeping
White, Dark
Moon

Kimberley E.

A Diamante

Sun
Light, Morning
Playing, Running, Jumping
Light, Day, Night, Dark
Sleeping, Snoring, Dreaming
Round, Big
Moon

Abigail

Flowers

Flowers have different kinds of colors. They can be yellow, orange, blue, or even white. I know that flowers need the sun, water, soil, and air. I know that they have petals and nectar and honey and that they have one leaf on each side. I know that flowers have a stem that holds them so they won’t fall and die.

Alondra S.

Diamante

Flower
Purple, Blue
Flowering, Gardening, Planting
Bluebonnet, Violets, Oak, Elm
Growing, Rustling, Shading
Green, Red
Tree

Chantel M.

My House

My
House
Special
Magical
My house is a rock.
I like my house because she talks.
I like my house because she’s loud.
I like my house roars.
She is smart.
She’s nice.
Mom.
Rare.

David A.

Life

Never let life take hold.
Make everything into a piece of art without lines.
Don’t see what people want you to see, but what you want to.
Be grateful for what you have.
Don’t live life in poverty without something to fall back on.
Listen to your heart and live a peaceful life within yourself.
Make a happy place with trees and things that keep peace.
Don’t be overpowered with hatred.
Don’t cry over things that bring no use, that bring no pain but sorrow.
Let life make a wonderful change in nature and things that surround you.
Don’t live in fear.
Try to find things you’ve never imagined.
Be at peace with the world, even if it hurts.
Don’t play games with Destiny.
Don’t think about the things you do when you fall in love,
Just the things you say when you care.

Daisy, seventh grade, Ojeda Middle School

Life

Life should be enjoyed. You should live it to its fullest and take risks. When life knocks you down, just keep trying.

In life, you and everyone around you will encounter obstacles. If you keep trying, you will overcome them.

Your life should be fluid and graceful. It should flow like a river. It has currents and even whirlpools. Drama ends up as a waterfall. Excitement is a whirlpool of happiness.

You should enjoy life. It does not last as long as you think. You can overcome an obstacle. There is always a way. Don’t give up on life, ever.

Dominic, seventh grade, Ojeda Middle School