About Hands on Stanzas

Hands on Stanzas, the educational outreach program of the Poetry Center of Chicago places professional, teaching Poets in residence at Chicago Public Schools across the city. Poets teach the reading, discussion, and writing of poetry to 3 classes over the course of 20 classroom visits, typically from October through April. Students improve their reading, writing, and public speaking skills, and participating teachers report improved motivation and academic confidence. You can contact Cassie Sparkman, Director of the Hands on Stanzas program, by phone: 312.629.1665 or by email: csparkman(at)poetrycenter.org for more information.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

A poem of Questions

This past week we looked at a poem by Pablo Neruda (which is really a pen name), and discovered that you can write a poem using questions!

The key to this sort of poem is to make sure you are making your questions into images
not just boring questions! Remember: Images include details that the reader can actually see!

Look at some of the questions we came up with!

The Never Answered Questions
Lejla A.

How is a bridge a golden path, guiding
us through the night?

Why if hot water mixes with cold
it becomes a hurricane?

Where does the long dark frightening
path with owls end?

Confusing Questions
Kuba S.

Where on Earth
could Venus hide?

Why does gravity
give you a downhill ride?

Why, if a dog is alarm machine
can you be warned by its bark?

Why
Gabriel G.

Why can’t dogs fly
Why can’t cats die
Why can’t I turn into a navy jet?
O why O why do water fountains fly?

Changed Animals
Brittany W.

Why is the puppy a black and
white kitten?

Why did the coyote turn into a
green snake and start hissing?

Why is the orange fish in a
tree, in a birds nest?

Untitled
Odysseus M.

Why doesn’t lightening give more
power rather than taking it away?

Can you call people who
blow fire, dragons?

When the Earth spins why doesn’t
it feel like a coin going down a hole?

Untitled
Rebecca B.

Why can’t they just hang a fan on a
plane to make it take off?

What if a green turtle was just a little
rock with moss on it?

Why can’t a lion be a floating
yellow broom?

Why
Patrick L.

How do turtles grow
shells white in the egg?

Which was the first word
to be spoken by the first person?

Unspecified
Claire D

Why, if the moon fell on the
ground and took away little
kids fears?

Can the pirates find there
own gold and the gold
find the pirates?

Who made the grass green
and the sky blue?

The Animals
Dea P.

Where did the black cat
go on a Halloween night?

Why can’t a cheetah turn
into a race car?

Who painted all the pretty
colored birds?

Silly Questions
Amy A.

Why, is the yellow sunflower the sun?

How did the small airplanes hide
behind a dark cloud?

Who put the blue berry into the soft,
white snow?

Untitled
Adrian F.

What sand does
not get wet?

Where are fluffy bears
in January?

Why?
Maria S.

Why did the aliens red
cat gone to the moon?

Why is my book of sadness
being so happy?

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