Here are some O’ Miami poems from elementary students
When I Was Younger
By: Markayla Clark, Holmes Elementary, Grade 4
When I was younger
I had to have surgery
on my chest.
My chest was so open
that you could see
my bone. My chest was
open because I was born
like that. My chest was
so open that I couldn’t
breath. It felt like the earth
was running out of oxygen.
Until I had my surgery,
I couldn’t play with nothing
or say nothing.
I wish I could tell you
that I am beautiful
on the inside. I am
incredibly smart.
How I Love the Ocean
By: Antwain Easterling, Poinciana Park Elementary, Grade 3
I love the way the waves move
back and forth like a swing.
I love the way the ocean
suits my shoes.
I love the way the ocean can take care
of my favorite animals, like whales and fish.
I love the way the ocean is salted,
just don’t drink it.
I love the way my arms
move so fast in the water.
My Hair
By: Jaymee Cabrera, Poinciana Park Elementary, Grade 3
My hair is like the shadows
in the dark.
My hair feels soft like a bunny.
My hair flows in the wind
like flags.
My hair is short like a bear’s.
I wish you could feel my hair,
it feels so soft. I wish
you could have it.
Dog Almost Ate Me
By: Danyelle Daniels, Poinciana Park Elementary, Grade 3
I remember when my dad moved out
of my house. I was sad.
I remember when I thought
I could speak to animals.
I remember when my brother was born,
I sang to make him sleep.
I remember when my dad was playing
and he put me on top of a gate.
Then I fell. When I fell
I saw a dog. I ran for my life.
Then my dad got me. He picked me up.
Then we went home.
Because
A Collaborative Poem by 4th Graders at Poinciana Park Elementary
Because there was a gun my dad lost his life.
Because there was a gun people died and its trouble in your heart.
It’s so hard to get through.
Because there was a gun people want to shoot each other.
Because there was a gun we cannot have a good life.
Because there was a gun my cousin died.
Her name was Aniya. She was three years old.
Because there was a gun people cry and cry.
So put the gun down.
Please.
Put the gun down.
Gunshots
By: Anonymous, Poinciana Park Elementary, Grade 4
I hear guns every time
in my neighborhood. Sometimes
I hear it. Sometimes I don’t.
But I do not like it.
I felt scared hearing those gunshots.
I wish you knew what it feels like
hearing those gunshots.
This is what it feels like
there at my front door, knocking,
waiting for me to answer it.
Halloween
By: Angela Colonne, Poinciana Park Elementary, Grade 4
I remember when it was Halloween.
I heard a gunshot while people were trick-
or-treating. And I heard that there was a clown
with a gun. I felt sad and scared.
I wish you knew what to do.
I felt like my heart
was going to pump out of my chest.
Slavery Days
By: Turan Young, Orchard Villa Elementary School, Grade 4
My aunty has cotton, it feels like soft
clouds. It feels like I’m on a cloud
and feels like marshmallows. It is white,
fluffy, chewy. And when I smell it, it smells
like the grass where they pick the
cotton.
Dear scrambled eggs,
By: Thomas Brashears, Orchard Villa Elementary School, Grade 4
One day I will take you on a trip
To my stomach with my acid.
Sometimes you are yellow, white
and brown, and you taste very good.
When you first talked to me, I asked,
“Why are you talking to me?”
and you said, “God blessed me with
a mouth like you.” And then he said,
“Just eat me, I know you want to.”
Where I Live
By: Francklin Fontaine, Orchard Villa Elementary School, Grade 5
My heart is an empty house.
Yesterday, it was
dark.
Yesterday it was black.
Tomorrow it
will be a full
house. It will be
red.
My heart.
O, Miami’s Sunroom Poetry in Schools program offers writing classes to third and fourth graders at Poinciana Park Elementary, Orchard Villa Elementary, and Holmes Elementary in Liberty City. Through writing poems, students develop a love for writing and reading while also developing their own creative expression.
This story was originally published April 8, 2017 at 3:37 AM with the headline "Here are some O’ Miami poems from elementary students."