Composing a Sestina

Students spent two class sessions reading sestinas by Donald Justice (“Here in Katmandu”) and Elizabeth Bishop (“A Miracle for Breakfast”) and wrote their own sestinas by using a simple template:

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Lissette L.

There’s a hot sun.
I went to the river.
I drink some coffee.
Today is so hot.
The girl ate the man.
My brother is crazy.

Some people are crazy.
Today is a shiny sun.
My dad is a man.
We do a party in the river.
Yesterday, it was so hot.
My mom and I drink coffee.

My dad likes coffee.
My cousin is crazy.
The coffee is so hot.
I like the sun.
My mom went to the river.
My uncle is a man.

Nice Sentences
Rose X.

My dad and mom drank those coffees.
What is a miracle?
I like the sun.
I walk down the river.
The sun is warm.
My cat licked the butter.

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Ayla G.

I like the dark coffee.
There are a lot of kinds.
The sun is really hot.
There was a crazy
man at the top of the white balcony.
The baby cried when he saw a man.

There was a crazy man.
I like the taste of coffee.

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Walter K.

You are all kings
and are very very crazy.
All you do is stay warm
inside your chambers.
All you kings are very dark
and you all drink coffee

even though coffee
is bad for you kings.
You are still dark
and very crazy
inside your chambers
so very very warm.

You are warm
cause of the coffee.
Your chambers,
you kings
Very! very! very! very! crazy.
You are so dark.

But still very dark
and warm.
You’re crazy.
You drink so much coffee.
You kings
inside all of your chambers.

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Timolin

An old man drank coffee and went crazy.
He was so crazy and so, so old.
He ran out and pushed a man.
He went to the store and bought 9,995 jars of coffee.
He started to eat crumbs.
Then he went so crazy, he jumped off the balcony.

Then he ate 3,050 dogs.
Then he thought his huge taco died.
Then he buried his huge taco.
Then he spent all of his money
on all the coffee in the store.
Then he got just dumber.

Then he ate the dragons.
Then he jumped on a trampoline.
Then his legs got skinny and someone called him chicken legs.
Then he jumped into a pool with a big splash.
Then he went to bed.
Then he went to the bathroom.

Then he saw his son.
Then his big fat brother.
Then he ate all the people.
Then he called his friend Manny.
Then he threw a pillow at the baloney.
Then he ate the baloney and smelled like baloney.

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GianCarlo

Lots of teachers drink coffee.
They have lots of gold on kings.
In the winter, it is so cold.
I have a red, green, blue cup.
The old man drank too much coffee and got crazy.
Flowers are so nice and beautiful.

The moon is so cute and beautiful.
The cup is full of brown coffee.
I ran all around and got so crazy.
The man has blue shirts for the king.
The woman has a Christmas cup.
The dog and cat are so cold.

Ice is blue and so cold.
Our flag is so nice and beautiful.
I have an elf cup.
I had a cup of coffee.
The woman brought gold shoes for the kings.
I jumped around and got so crazy.

I read a book and got so crazy.
The rabbit is so cold.
The bear turned into a king.
The roses are so nice and beautiful.
My dad drank a cup of coffee.
I have hot chocolate in my cup.

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Samuel T.

I spilled my coffee.
I see a crumb on the floor.
This thing is a miracle.
I can speak.
My sister is crazy.
My mom is beautiful.

My dad is beautiful.
My dad likes coffee.
My mom is sometimes crazy.

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Rocio L.

I woke up and drank coffee.
I saw a river.
It was a miracle.
I followed my sister along.
I’m always getting crazy.
I like to see a pretty bird.

Last time, I saw a bird.
My mom drinks coffee.
My sister gets crazy.
My sister follows me along.
I went to a river.
My family is a miracle.

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Karen

My mom hates coffee.
It’s a miracle.
She throws away her cup
and puts the coffee in the sun
even though it’s hot.
I think coffee tastes beautiful.

The sun is beautiful.
My dad likes coffee.
He likes it nice and hot.
It is a miracle.
It is a miracle that the sun
is in a cup.

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Vincent T.

I have been waiting and waiting
for minutes and minutes.
Then a king handed
me a ball that rolls.
I was happy to receive
the ball that is beautiful.

It was a beautiful
day, but the people are waiting.
Waiting and waiting to receive.
for minutes and minutes.
They’re waiting for my ball to roll.
They are handing me money, lots of them handed.

Talking to an Animal

3^rd grade students at Peirce were invited to read Emily Dickinson’s poem “Bee, I’m expecting you!” and write their own poems from the point of view of an animal or thing speaking to another animal or thing:

Hair and Pillow
by Alexsandra A.

The pillow said to the hair,
You are tickling me with your hair.

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by Jonathan

Sentence, I’m expecting you

The commas are in place
And marks at work

Details, mostly back

You’ll get my letter by
The sixteenth; Reply
Or better be with me
Sincerely, Picture

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by Ruben R.

The bear and the honey. I’m the bear. I
want the honey. I like honey because
I’m a bear the frog came to eat the
flies. Then the snake came to eat.
The lion came to eat everybody, then
the gorilla came to eat the lion.

Dear Chameleon
by Timolin T.

How come you never called me?
I was waiting for months and you just
sat around thinking about your birthday and it
already passed. It was my birthday and you
never came to it. You should be ashamed of yourself, but
I will forgive you if you call this number.
Yours, Lion. Call 724-6889

Turtle Wake Up
by Alejaudro

turtle turtle why do you sleep all day and night
come play no, no I’m sleepy let me sleep
some more hungry animals will come looking
for you come in the water with me fish
thank you fish yours truly, turtle

Dear Sun
by Francisco

Why are you so bright? It’s because
you are from fire or you are from light.

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by Lily

Tiger! I’m waiting for you.
I’ll see you soon.
Meet me by the old cave
where we played when we
were cubs.

The deer are back, the
buffaloes are back, let’s
go get some meat and
hurry! Winter is close by.

Your friend, Lion

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by Justin

Flamingo! I’m going to train you
how to stand on a log and fly with
the other eagles.

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by Jarvell

Lion, I thought you were chasing
me for dinner don’t run into
anything silver and night, don’t
run into a bat things can happen
like that.