Poetry Challenge

A-1
5th Grade

April is Poetry Month! We will be reading,

writing, and learning about Poetry the rest
of the year!

This document will be your Portfolio, where

you keep all your poems!

We will be sharing this to our Writers Blog

on Weebly at the end of the year.

Important Information
White Pages = Poems we are reading and
studying
Yellow Pages = where you write your poems
Do not delete any slides! Remember Edit >
Undo
 Poetry Challenge
A1
What is Poetry? Reflections

BEGINNING of Quarter 4: What is poetry? What are your feelings on

poetry?

Poetry is a writing that can express peoples life and feelings. I know
that poetry doesnt always have rhymes but can lead to peoples
hearts.

Before poetry I thought it made no sense because most people dont

write words that kids can understand. I also thought that poems
were just words that rhyme and have something to write about such
as an animal.

END of Quarter 4: What is poetry? What are your feelings on poetry?

After poetry I still dont get it because some of them are just secretly
about someone's life. Theyre different types of poems and some are
really long. The worst thing about long poems are that if you have a
computer then you have to make the words smaller.
 Schedule
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 Poetry Challenge
Table of Contents
1 Homework, Oh
Homework

2 Technological Error

3 A Childs Thought

4 The Homework Machine

5 A Fairys Song

6 What are Heavy?

7 The Cat and the Moon

8 Jabberwocky

9 Hope

10 Be Glad Your Nose is on

Your Face

11 October

12 All Day Long

13 Whatif

14 The Sugar-Plum Tree

15 Gus-The Theater Cat

16 Color

17 Haiku
Poem 1 Date:

Homework, Oh Homework
By: Jack Prelutsky
Homework! Oh, Homework!
I hate you! You stink!
I wish I could wash you away in the sink,
if only a bomb
would explode you to bits.
Homework! Oh, homework!
You're giving me fts.

I'd rather take baths

with a man-eating shark,
or wrestle a lion
alone in the dark,
eat spinach and liver,
pet ten porcupines,
than tackle the homework,
my teacher assigns.

Homework! Oh, homework!

you're last on my list,
I simple can't see
why you even exist,
if you just disappeared
it would tickle me pink.
Homework! Oh, homework!
I hate you! You stink!
Homework, Oh Homework

Homework! Oh, Homework!

Youre weird and a freak

Id rather hide underneath my sheets

I wish you could blow away

Like the wind on a cloudy day

Id rather go to war

Cause I dont want homework anymore

Id fght with the dead

As long as youre out of my head

Homework! Oh, Homework!

Goodbye forevermore

Im done with you

Cause Im not dealing with it no more

Poem 2 Date:

Technological Error
By: Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

My computer got a virus.

(I didnt know it could.)

I gave it orange juice.

(It just seemed like I should.)

I put it in a chilly bath

(the way my mother would.)

And now it wont wake up at all.

This isnt looking good.
 The Phone

My phone wont even charge

(Its on 21 percent)

I tried to text my Aunt

(But it was never sent)

I left it on the table

(Crying I went)

Then I realized

(The charger was bent)

Poem 3 Date:

A Childs Thought
By: Robert Louis Stevenson

At seven, when I go to bed,

I fnd such pictures in my head:
Castles with dragons prowling round,
Gardens where magic fruits are found;
Fair ladies prisoned in a tower,
Or lost in an enchanted bower;
While gallant horsemen ride by streams
That border all this land of dreams
I fnd, so clearly in my head
At seven, when I go to bed.

At seven, when I wake again,

The magic land I seek in vain;
A chair stands where the castle frowned,
The carpet hides the garden ground,
No fairies trip across the floor,
Boots, and not horsemen, flank the door,
And where the blue streams rippling ran
Is now a bath and water-can;
I seek the magic land in vain
At seven, when I wake again.
 A students thought
At seven thirty, eating food

I knew that today was going to be good

Thinking of the lunch makes me glad

Because it wont even make me gag

Put on my bag and headed towards the door

Till I said wait I believe there is more

I went to the table and got the house keys

Going outside feeling the breeze

At seven thirty, I fall down the stairs

My hair tangled everywhere

No time to waste no breakfast today

I have to go to school I say

Sitting on the seat trying not to sleep

Cause Im lazy to count sheep

Thinking of lunch makes me gag

Cause for me it taste like and old rag

At two fourteen, I climb the stair railing

Wishing that it would be hailing

Poem 4 Date:

The Homework Machine

By: Shel Silverstein

The Homework Machine,

Oh, the Homework Machine,
Most perfect
contraption that's ever been seen.
Just put in your homework, then drop in a dime,
Snap on the switch, and in ten seconds' time,
Your homework comes out, quick and clean as can be.
Here it is 'nine plus four?' and the answer is 'three.'
Three?
Oh me . . .
I guess it's not as perfect
As I thought it would be
 The Animal Machine
Oh, the Animal Machine

Great as can be

You can choose any animal you please

You can choose a pig or cat

But make sure you dont have a rat

All the way from ferret to duck

Just make sure you have some luck

Just a tap the Machine and there you go

But remember turtles are pretty slow

Animal Machine you have failed me

Im losing buisness as you can see?

All I wanted was a ferret

But you want the fur to wear it

You left me no choice but to send you away

Id rather be grounded than see you any day

Poem 5 Date:

A Fairys Song
By: William Shakespeare

Over hill, over dale,

Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fre!
I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon's sphere;
And I serve the Fairy Queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green;
The cowslips tall her pensioners be;
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours;
In those freckles live their savours;
I must go seek some dewdrops here,
And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.
 A Christmas Song

Over tile, over snow

Through wind, through hail

Over stairs, over wood

Through the ages, through pages

I wonder when Ill leave

I want to see my family

Since tomorrow's Christmas eve

I may as well wait happily

The silent night skies make me smile

Since I havent seen it in a while

Poem 6 Date:

What are Heavy?

By: Christina Georgina Rossetti

What are heavy?

Sea-sand and sorrow:

What are brief?

To-day and to-morrow:

What are frail?

Spring blossoms and youth:

What are deep?

The ocean and truth.
 What are feelings

What are feelings?

Confusion and emotions

What are we?

Man-kind that cant know all

What are honest?

Family and love

What are calm?

Music and reading

Poem 7 Date:

The Cat and the Moon

By: W.B. Yeats

The cat went here and there

And the moon spun round like a top,
And the nearest kin of the moon,
The creeping cat, looked up.
Black Minnaloushe stared at the moon,
For, wander and wail as he would,
The pure cold light in the sky
Troubled his animal blood.
Minnaloushe runs in the grass
Lifting his delicate feet.
Do you dance, Minnaloushe, do you dance?
When two close kindred meet,
What better than call a dance?
Maybe the moon may learn,
Tired of that courtly fashion,
A new dance turn.
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
From moonlit place to place,
The sacred moon overhead
Has taken a new phase.
Does Minnaloushe know that his pupils
Will pass from change to change,
And that from round to crescent,
From crescent to round they range?
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
Alone, important and wise,
And lifts to the changing moon
His changing eyes.
 The Girl and the shadow
The Shadow went here and there

And the girl waltz like a top

And the shadow just walked along

And the little girl just followed on

The poor lonely shadow looks up at the stars

The little girl said its not so far

They looked at eachother with a great big smile

I guess Ill see you in a while

Years past the girl was grown up

Just walking around with her brand new pup

The shadow came back and said hello there

But the girl said dont you there

The shadow walked along sad as can be

But then she said thats the older me

The girl was confused of what had happened

The girl now knew and she was stunned

She ran and ran to fnd her shadow

Then she saw the shadow blow slow

The girl ran home tears running down her cheeks

She opened the door

She couldnt take it no more

She opened the window with a big shriek

Poem 8 Date:

Jabberwocky
By: Lewis Carroll

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

Beware the Jabberwocky, my son!

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!

He took his vorpal sword in hand;

Long time the manxome foe he sought
So rested he by the Tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,

The Jabberwocky, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

And hast thou slain the Jabberwocky?

Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!
He chortled in his joy.

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
The Lapodopzidorf

Twas zipadoo, and the yekro

Did all frrigao

The Lapodopzidorf friend or foe

No one could ever know

Friend of the teletubbies

Foe of Mickey Mouse

Eats cobferosnr all day everyday

Theres no stop in it no way

Walk in the forest till the day is night

Dont worry cloroxin shall give you a fright

No need to be mad you should be glad

He only eats stufs

But theyre extinct so you should be scad

So wingardium leviosa
Poem 9 Date:

Hope
By: Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;

And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

Ive heard it in the chillest land,

And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
 Love

Love is a spot in your heart

That makes you confused of how you feel

And things that make you happy inside

And never ever wants to hide

And kindest of the body so they work together

And never fght so theyre friends forever

That could make you heart pound all day

Until you know it all the way

Ive felt it more than once

And when it shows

You should know

That it found a another waiting for you

Poem 10 Date:

Be Glad Your Nose is on Your Face

By: Jack Prelutsky
Be glad your nose is on your face,
not pasted on some other place,
for if it were where it is not,
you might dislike your nose a lot.

Imagine if your precious nose

were sandwiched in between your toes,
that clearly would not be a treat,
for youd be forced to smell your feet.

Your nose would be a source of dread

were it attached atop your head,
it soon would drive you to despair,
forever tickled by your hair.

Within your ear, your nose would be

an absolute catastrophe,
for when you were obliged to sneeze,
your brain would rattle from the breeze.

Your nose, instead, through thick and thin,

remains between your eyes and chin,
not pasted on some other place
be glad your nose is on your face!
 Be glad your fngers are on your
hand

Be glad your fngers are on your hand

Not pasted in the sand

For where it is you should be blessed

For then your hands would be a mess

Imagine if your thumb was in a plumb

Cause then that wouldve been dumb

It clearly would give you a beat

If your fngers were on your feet

Imagine walking on them all night and day

Possibly crying all the way

Youd may have them broken

Plus it would be hard to pay for a token

Be Glad you fngers are on your hand

Poem 11 Date:

October
By: Robert Frost

O hushed October morning mild,

Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrows wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away.
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost
For the grapes sake along the wall.
 July

FIreworks exploding

Children flying kites

Grass getting mowed

Bonfres at night

Starry night skies

While catching freflies

At the beach catching a tan

While kids catch seagulls in the sand

Having a picnic in the park

Way before it gets dark

At the end of the day when we fnished playing

We tell our stories than go to bed

Poem 12 Date:

All Day Long

By: Carl Sandburg

All day long in fog and wind,

The waves have flung their beating crests

Against the palisades of adamant.

My boy, he went to sea, long and long ago,

Curls of brown were slipping underneath his cap,

He looked at me from blue and steely eyes;

Natty, straight and true, he stepped away,

My boy, he went to sea.

All day long in fog and wind,

The waves have flung their beating crests

Against the palisades of adamant.

 All Money Long
All money long trying to earn

The fresh sound of it being spent

When you were six you probably thought too

That maybe you should steal it

Thats what you should do

105 dollars kept it for a week

First one to steal it in my family

Hiding it underneath the sheets

Never knew that day would come

But I had to turn it in

My frst time being grounded

My parents never stole but I sure have

105 dollars do not forget

All money long trying to earn

The fresh sound of it being spent

When you were six you probably thought too

Poem 13 Date:

Whatif
By: Shel Silverstein
Last night, while I lay thinking here,
some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
and pranced and partied all night long
and sang their same old Whatif song:
Whatif I'm dumb in school?
Whatif they've closed the swimming pool?
Whatif I get beat up?
Whatif there's poison in my cup?
Whatif I start to cry?
Whatif I get sick and die?
Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?
Whatif I don't grow talle?
Whatif my head starts getting smaller?
Whatif the fsh won't bite?
Whatif the wind tears up my kite?
Whatif they start a war?
Whatif my parents get divorced?
Whatif the bus is late?
Whatif my teeth don't grow in straight?
Whatif I tear my pants?
Whatif I never learn to dance?
Everything seems well, and then
the nighttime Whatifs strike again.
 Whatif
Early morning, while I sit up straight

Some negative whatifs came in my brain

And were unbreakable like a gate

It made me sick like a I was insane

What if Im late

What if I turn into fsh bait

What if I turn into a clown

What if I move out of town

What if I learn how to swim

What if I renamed my dog Tim

What if I get in trouble

What if blow a bubble

What if Ive made no friends

What if my life ends

What if Ill be an outcast

What if I ran really fast

Early morning, while I sit up straight

Some negative whatifs came in my brain

And were unbreakable like a gate

It made me sick like I was insane

Poem 14 Date:

The Sugar-Plum Tree

By: Eugene Field
Have you ever heard of the Sugar-Plum Tree?
Tis a marvel of great renown!
It blooms on the shore of the Lollypop sea
In the garden of Shut-Eye Town;
The fruit that it bears is so wondrously sweet
(As those who have tasted it say)
That good little children have only to eat
Of that fruit to be happy next day.

When youve got to the tree, you would have a hard time
To capture the fruit which I sing;
The tree is so tall that no person could climb
To the boughs where the sugar-plums swing!
But up in that tree sits a chocolate cat,
And a gingerbread dog prowls below -
And this is the way you contrive to get at
Those sugar-plums tempting you so:

You say but the word to that gingerbread dog

And he barks with such terrible zest
That the chocolate cat is at once all agog,
As her swelling proportions attest.
And the chocolate cat goes cavorting around
From this leafy limb unto that,
And the sugar-plums tumble, of course, to the ground -
Hurrah for that chocolate cat!

There are marshmallows, gumdrops, and peppermint canes,

With stripings of scarlet or gold,
And you carry away of the treasure that rains,
As much as your apron can hold!
So come, little child, cuddle closer to me
In your dainty white nightcap and gown,
And Ill rock you away to that Sugar-Plum Tree
In the garden of Shut-Eye Town.
 The Fish in the Sea

HAVE you ever heard of the FIsh in the Sea

They can cause trouble you know

Plus they can be any color you see

But its hard to know if theyre friend or foe

When you go to the ocean look at the sand

FInd all the seashells and let it flow

Then get the fsh and put it in your hand

Then let it go

The fsh have a taste and can your food

And yet sometimes it can change your mood

When its done you decide to put it on the table

And dont forget to take off the label

Go with the flow I shall say

Help them survive same with the creatures too

And when youre tired go look at the bay

And look at the sky flled with blue

 Poem 15 Date:

Gus:The Theater Cat

By: T.S. Eliot
Gus is the Cat at the Theatre Door.
His name, as I ought to have told you before,
Is really Asparagus. That's such a fuss
To pronounce, that we usually call him just Gus.
His coat's very shabby, he's thin as a rake,
And he suffers from palsy that makes his paw shake.
Yet he was, in his youth, quite the smartest of Cats--
But no longer a terror to mice and to rats.
For he isn't the Cat that he was in his prime;
Though his name was quite famous, he says, in its time.
And whenever he joins his friends at their club
(Which takes place at the back of the neighbouring pub)
He loves to regale them, if someone else pays,
With anecdotes drawn from his palmiest days.
For he once was a Star of the highest degree--
He has acted with Irving, he's acted with Tree.
And he likes to relate his success on the Halls,
Where the Gallery once gave him seven cat-calls.
But his grandest creation, as he loves to tell,
Was Firefrorefddle, the Fiend of the Fell.
Then, if someone will give him a toothful of gin,
He will tell how he once played a part in East Lynne.
At a Shakespeare performance he once walked on pat,
When some actor suggested the need for a cat.
He once played a Tiger--could do it again--
Which an Indian Colonel pursued down a drain.
And he thinks that he still can, much better than most,
Produce blood-curdling noises to bring on the Ghost.
And he once crossed the stage on a telegraph wire,
To rescue a child when a house was on fre.
And he says: "Now then kittens, they do not get trained
As we did in the days when Victoria reigned.
They never get drilled in a regular troupe,
And they think they are smart, just to jump through a hoo
And he'll say, as he scratches himself with his claws,
"Well, the Theatre's certainly not what it was.
These modern productions are all very well,
But there's nothing to equal, from what I hear tell,
That moment of mystery
When I made history
As Firefrorefddle, the Fiend of the Fell."

"I have played," so he says, "every possible part,

And I used to know seventy speeches by heart.
I'd extemporize back-chat, I knew how to gag,
And I knew how to let the cat out of the bag.
I knew how to act with my back and my tail;
With an hour of rehearsal, I never could fail.
I'd a voice that would soften the hardest of hearts,
Whether I took the lead, or in character parts.
I have sat by the bedside of poor Little Nell;
When the Curfew was rung, then I swung on the bell.
In the Pantomime season I never fell flat,
And I once understudied Dick Whittington's Cat.
But my grandest creation, as history will tell,
Was Firefrorefddle, the Fiend of the Fell."
Cheese: The squeaky mouse
Cheese is the mouse who lives in the
hole in the wall
And always went outside to see them all
At night hed play cards
But sometimes he had to check his yard
At some points he got very mad
Because of the type of parents he had
They were always so strict and made
him look like a clown
And at some point he thought he should
leave town
Everyone teased him and he never had
luck
And started driving around with his
green truck
The past was annoying he never
wanted to come back
But just think about it cut him some
slack
YOU try having strict parents all day
And dont even start with the brothers
as I may
He had no sisters and was grounded for
life
All because he spilt some rice
Ive been bruised :I said
When someone bullied him
Sometimes on my head
They just yell at me for no But when it goes too far he
entire reason
He does everything himse
I just wonder If they will get
treason
Well maybe its time that t
Dont even try to cheer me up
cause if wont work I just have The familys fault that they
a tough childhood yeah thats
it
But in the future Cheese b
Just thinking about it even
makes me sick He turned famous and did
Every Single day its the same
Every one appreciated him
thing
They dont even care that Im
He started out from bottom
a mouse being
He never talked or saw his
They always let their anger on BUt he said who cares its
me when its for somebody
else
They say I have attitude like a
certain classmate says to me
But really I dont they even let
me be
Last week my father said
Cheese me son the quieter
and On sunday he said You
are the most laziest mouse
Ive ever known
My question is has he seen
himself all he does is sit and
lays around
Poem 16 Date:

Color Poem
By: Kennedy Webb

Red is love

Red is like the feeling of getting a big box of

chocolates.

Red is like eating warm red velvet cake made

by your mom.

Red is like opening presents on Christmas

morning.
 Green

Green is like lime in

a new fancy
restaurant
Green is like a scent
of apple candles
Green is like grass
blowing in the wind
Green is like
excitement
Green is like
emeralds shining in
the dark
Green makes me
special
Green is LUCK
 Poem 17 Date:

Haiku Poem
By: Mrs. Roller

Walking through the feld

The bright sun beats down on me

Hand in hand with you.

 House

Walking in the house

Shouting baby
creaking bed

Stomping loud
upstairs
 Poem 18 Date:

Cinquain Poem
By: Faith McCarty

Flowers

sweet, beautiful

swaying, growing, dying

some poke with thorns

Roses
 Airport

Crowded,Noisy

Running,Pulling,
Sitting

Always busy

Honolulu
International
Airport
 Poem 19 Date:

Limerick Poem
By: Mrs. Roller

There once was a old man named Paul,

Who was way over seven feet tall!

He had no more clothes,

That ft down to his toes,

So he decided to go shop at the mall!

 A Boy Named Asher

There was a boy

named Asher
He always was a
dasher
He was scrawny
and short
And never been
to an airport
But he never
knew he could
be faster
 Poem 20 Date:

Selfe Poem
By: Nyla Skinner

I am unique and smart

I wonder how 6th grade will be
I hear kids cheering loud
I see friends graduating, what about me
I want to graduate, go to 6th grade
I am unique and smart
I pretend to be a statue
I feel happy every day
I touch my pencil to take notes
I worry that I wont go to 6th grade
I cry because I miss my family :(
I am unique and smart
I understand that I am different
I say keep your head up and try your best
I dream of being successful
I try to do well in school
I hope to get a good education
I am unique and smart!
I am shy but tough I worry that I wont be me

I cry because my life feels empty

I wonder how my life would
be I am shy but tough

I hear children laughing I know that Im different and thats

fne with me
together
I say everyone isnt as complete
I see friends together,
I dream of being myself
Without me
I try to be well in all
I wish to move forward, off
I hope to have a happy life
to middle school
I am shy but tough
I am shy but tough

I pretend not to be me

I feel depressed everyday

I touch the flowers

To know what life feels like

 Poem 21 Date:

Reverse Poem
By: Unknown

Heart
To hear
Is
A small
shift
With a flick
of the bow,
Like two
sine waves
crossing,
At once
Coming
together
A duet
and
Flying apart,
Flying
Coming together and,
apart,
Atduet.
A once,
Like two sine waves crossing
With a flick of the bow,
A small shift
Is
To hear
Heart.
 Reverse Poem

And you didnt have dinner Past is knowledge

You realize its late Present is a gift

So youre writing what Future is adventure

youre doing
Family is worthy
Youre trying to write a
poem for your homework While the dog chews your
shoe
And youre watching TV
And youre watching TV
While the dog chews your
shoe Youre trying to write a
poem for your homework
Family is worthy
So youre writing what
Future is adventure youre doing

Present is a gift You realize its late

Past is knowledge And you had carrots for

dinner
 Poem 23 Date:

Free Choice Poem

By: Dylan Rockey

I bought a present because of how great you are!

You're my biggest star

You make me very glad

This will be the best present you ever had

I wrapped the gift in sparkly bows

That will make you shimmer from your head to toes

So thanks for everything you do

This is my gift to you!

 Food

Food is life everyones love

Like cupids shooting arrows from

above

There sweet, sour, spicy, or bitter

And you can take a photo of it on

twitter

My favorite food is Hot Wings

because it spicy and meat

Plus it also gives me a beat

Food is delicious all day everyday

But before you eat make sure you

pray

Theres unhealthy and healthy

fertilized,fried, or organic

And for some people it makes them

Panic

Food is life everyones love

Like cupids shooting arrows from

above
 Polygon Poem

This is Tuxedo Pants

A Tuxedo Pants lives in Tangy Tacos
A Tuxedo Pants eats Tuna Tacos
A Tuxedo Pants likes teal teacup tattoos
A Tuxedo Pants is tiny like a tot
My Tuxedo Pants had a terrible teenage toilet
paper tapdance tantrum