These poems were written by students at the Bronx Charter School for Better Learning, where I work as Professional Development Specialist. Almost all were written in the classroom in journals and during poetry lessons, and many are first drafts that didn’t need revision.
so much depends
upon
a poison mouse
pellet
sitting covered in
dirt
beside the grey
cat
– Brandon, 5th Grade
Life and Death
Life and Death that’s what happened to
my father.
He had dark brown eyes just like me
black hair, and never stopped
loving me.
One sunny morning someone shot him 2
years from June 2.
He died when he was 37 and my anger
still rises till this
day forward.
– Sade, 3rd Grade
History
History is history get over it, never make it come back.
I said never make it come back ever again.
You think about it and you cry but history is history.
I said you think about it and cry but history is history don’t cry.
You’ll make me feel sad when people pass away but history is history that is what we live in.
Leave it alone.
– Andre, 5th Grade
Nigeria
It has 36 states and one capital if you
live in a village you can go outside
without asking the rivers flood
in rainy seasons causing
crops to grow destroying
homes and killing
people
the
Niger River
is good for fishing
too
– Emeka, 3rd Grade
Death is a Cruel Thing
Death is a cruel thing,
Like men killing today.
Also when my cousin’s grandmother died,
It was a tragedy on that day,
Like flowers dyin’ with no water,
Or crises in the Bronx.
I never liked death and I never will,
And I hate sad songs,
They remind me of bad memories,
I don’t like them one bit.
And if death had human features,
I would spit on him, I’d spit,
I miss my grandma so much,
I wonder if death itself can die
And if it did, my friend,
I would be the one who caused it, I
– Darren, 4th Grade
Homeless
one cold dark day
one cigarette or cigar
causes one big disaster
lights a lot of lights
it all came like a shock of lightning to me
fire fighters rushed up the hill
people crying a lot of crying
but not me oh not me I was brave
I lost so many things
but I had to stay strong
and that is the day I became
homeless
– Kevisha, 3rd Grade
What Happened to My Mom
She made you laugh
She always kissed and hugged
I knew I was safe
Life was good
Then her heart stopped
She died
I cried so hard that I couldn’t breathe
At first I didn’t know what happened
Scared
Where were we going to live
Did my Auntie know what to do
AND it was my birthday
The adoption agency showed up
She told us my mom died
She told us we were going to live with strangers
For 5 days
Finally my Auntie came to get us
Saved
That night we got dressed
Went to the funeral
Said goodbye
My family sang
Told her we loved her
They took her away
A sea of tears
We buried her
Still no stone
But I know where she is
– Kalisha, 5th Grade
Bears
Bears hibernate in the winter
Eat in the spring
And die in a couple of years
– Jhamir, 3rd Grade
Death
Death, graveyards, skin and bones, silence, no movement. Funerals, people, cries and sadness.
Death. Go to Heaven, go to Hell. It doesn’t matter. It’s still death.
Death. You meet your fate, and you see where you go. Death.
– Tyler, 3rd Grade
How Time Goes Fast
On a weekend day, kids play around everywhere.
But parents never stop working, even when they are tired.
When the parents pass away, the children’s playtime is over.
– Dubem, 3rd Grade
Hope and Pray
The world is full of lies
All bottled up inside
I’m traumatized
And everything is blank
Violence and fear
And it’s getting me to cry
With a million tears
I am drowning with sins
Then everything is quiet
Silent
Dead
But the sins are still in my head
Like clear water running down the river
And a red velvet blanket covers it
With no life
Or death
It feels like no one can be forgiven
Or cleansed
And there is nothing much to say
All we have to do is
Hope and pray
– Monaire, 5th Grade
For more examples of poetry from the Bronx Charter School for Better Learning, click here, here, and here!
