by Tim M

Fresh roasted beans

soaked in scalding water.

Passing off their character

to a dark mixture

Bitter,

yet pure.

Through the gate,

fragile and thin-

and into the mug.

Add sweets to taste,

the feeling is as warm as a hug.

Easy to make,

yet easy to fail.

It carries an intriguing history

and akin to music,

universally understood:

Americano,

Black,

Iced,

Frappe,

Cappuccino,

Each related.

But unique,

like humans.

1.) I chose to publish an ode.

2.) I wrote an ode to coffee because it is very helpful in keeping me awake during the day.

3.) The tone of my poem is appreciative.

4.) The theme of my poem is that coffee is as unique as ourselves.

5.) a. An example of figurative language in my poem is “passing off their character to a dark mixture.” The type of figurative language in this sentence is metaphor because the taste of coffee beans is being compared to the character of a person. This contributes to the theme because it relates to the idea that each person is mystery. b. Another example of figurative language are the lines “akin to music, universally understood.” This is also a metaphor because coffee is being compared to music, the latter being regarded as a universal language. This adds to the theme because it implies that coffee is prevalent across the globe.

6.) One revision I made to my poem is adding the line “fragile and thin” to visualize the coffee filter, which is referenced as a gate of sorts. Yet another revision to my poem is removing a line that read “only to be discarded.” This references the coffee beans that would be thrown out with the filter, but I chose to delete this line because it contradicts the tone of my poem.

7.) My poem was relatively easy to write because I frequently had ideas pop into my head, however I struggled to translate said ideas into text.

8.) I am satisfied with my final draft because it meets the requirements in the rubric for the assignment and because the message it conveys can be interpreted in multiple ways.

By: Sophia Thota

A sensation.

Overwhelming joy.

Leaving a spark on your tastebuds.

A bright color.

A message of bliss.

A youthful pleasure.

It’s the extroverted friend.

Plainly humerous.

Spontaneous.

Like a zealous child.

Bursting and fizzing.

A pop.

In the rays of sunlight.

Bathing under it’s power.

A statement so profound.

Found in a pepper

An orange.

Likely in a lemon

A unique feeling.

Unlike any other.

1. I published an Ode.
2. I chose “zestiness” as the subject of my Ode because I feel it’s a unique, but an underrated flavor that people don’t acknowledge as much.
3. The tone of my poem is “euphoric.”
4. The theme of my poem is describing the uncommon, yet unique flavor, which is “zestiness.”
5. Two examples of figurative language are, “It’s the extroverted friend,” and “Like a zealous child.” These two examples of figurative language contribute to my poem by enhancing a lot of enlightenment into it.
6. The first way I revised my poem is rephrasing “Youthful joy” to “A youthful pleasure.” Another way I revised my poem was rephrasing “It’s the spicy friend” to “It’s the extroverted friend.”
7. It was a little hard to write this poem because so many interpretations could be made to one flavor depending on how people approached it.
8. I am satisfied with my final draft because I used a lot of elevated vocabulary.

By: Rana Ghafoor

I was finally there.

My face lit up.

Skies as blue as the ocean.

The sun was smiling.

Whoosh.

The subtle wind blew against my skin,

giving me goosebumps.

I saw family and old friends.

Smiles and laughs filled the air.

Memories made and more to come,

when’s your home.

Reflection

1. I published an emotion poem.

2. I chose a joyful emotion because the background of my poem was a big change in my life that I was as still am happy about.

3. The tone of my poem is cheerful.

4. The theme of my poem is happy about feeling at home.

5. Figurative language I included in my poem:

a. An example of a simile is: “Skies as blue as the ocean”. This contributes top the theme of the poem because it is about being joyful and a good mood ususally comes from good weather (the sky being clear).

b. An exapmle of a personification is : “The sun was smiling”. This is also like the example of the simile – it relates to a good mood because of the good weather.

6.

1) After revising my poem on change I made was that I personified the scenery.

2) Another change I made was to the vocabulary. I replaced some words with more detailed ones.

7. This particular poem was not that difficult for me to write because it is based on something important to me.

8. The poem I wrote is not as great as I was hoping it would be, but compared to other poems I have written, it is not bad.

By: Hannah Khan

Women Equality

One day, Women will not walk out in fear

Not with their heads hung low, but their heads held up high.

One day, Women will be looked up to, and not shown as a prize to win and be tinkered with.

One day, Women will no longer walk in the shadows, but in the light.

They we be successful in everything,

Not just polishing pots and pans.

Women will finally be equal.

We will finally be able to do the same things as men.

We will not have to deal with the uncivil comments of catcallers as we walk down the street.

One day, girls around the globe will get the same wages as the opposite gender.

We will be taken seriously.

We will not have to change ourselves.

One day, men will realize how important we are,

as we change the course of history.

One day, We will feel stronger than ever before.

1. The poem type that I published was the Inspired by poem.
2. c. The source of my inspiration was the women’s march on Washington D.C.
3. The tone of my poem is hopeful and inspiring.
4. The theme of my poem is Women equality.
5. One example of figurative language is “One day, Women will be looked up to, and not shown as a prize to win and be tinkered with.” This  is a simile. This contributes to the tone and theme because we are saying that we should not be shown like that, we should be shown as human beings.
6. Another example of figurative language is “Not with their heads hung low, but their heads held up high.” This is an example of alliteration. This contributes to the tone and theme because it flows better as you read the poem.
7. One way I revised my poem was when I changed the word ” played” to “tinkered” because  I felt that it had a deeper meaning when I put the new word in. Another way I revised my poem was when I changed “cleaning” to ” polishing” because that way, it adds alliteration to the poem.
8. This poem was difficult for me at first because I was not sure what to write about, but once I had an idea, it was fairly easy.
9. I am extremely satisfied with the final draft because I did not no how capable I was at writing a decent poem.

By Sloane Helmick

My abyss and my home
More comfortable in it now then before
I knocked on the door and I was greeted by a strong embrace
I slipped as it constricted me and pulled me deeper

It’s intentions were clear as it threw me around and took the me out of me
It had a sweet inviting scent
That turned metallic and sour when it kissed me
Like a fairy tale with an unhappy ending

I was willing to give in to it
For it had stolen my heart
It would soon steal my legs, my eyes, my senses
And eventually my mind
A slave to the familiar despondence

Cold and slow as the day moved on
My mind was floating off
“Come with me!” It said, but I was held by lead shoes
Reaching out for something that I could not grasp
I was lost in a sea of my own demeaning thoughts

I walked with chains around my wrists and ankles
I couldn’t escape from it because I got shut down when I made too much noise
“Let me free, let me free,” I cried and plead
It took me and cut me
And set me free

1. I chose to write and emotion poem.
2. I chose to write an emotion poem because it is fun to put deeper meanings in poems for me.
3. The tone of my poem is hopeless.
4. The theme of my poem is that depression is a very real and sad thing.
5. Two examples of figurative language in my poem are, “I slipped as it constricted me and pulled me deeper,” which is personification, and the second example is, “I was lost in a sea of my own demeaning thoughts,” which is a simile.
6. Two ways that I revised my poem were that I changed, “getting away,” to, “floating off,” and another way I revised my poem was that I changed, “depression,” to, “despondence,” and I changed these things because I felt that they made the poem better and added to the deeper meanings that I was trying to convey.
7. This poem was fairly easy for me to write because writing about sad emotions is very easy and enjoyable for me.
8. I am very satisfied with my poem because I think that it carries a lot of emotion and depth.

By: Aison Tran

A knight standing over his fallen enemy,

Like a world without limits.

Cheering and clapping,

Gleaming gold and wide grins.

Everything you have worked for comes together,

This is where hard work pays off.

Rising above the rest,

Dominating opponents.

Triumph paves the way for positivity.

1.  I published an emotion poem.
2. I chose triumph because as a volleyball player and a swimmer, I know how good it feels to win.
3. The tone of my poem is victorious.
4. The theme of my poem is triumph creates postive feelings and confidence.
5. “Like a world without limits” – This simile shows that you feel boundless when you win. “Dominating opponents” – This personification conveys the feeling of power when you succeed.
6. I changed “shining” to “gleaming” because it created alliteration and used elevated word choice. I also changed “applause” to “clapping” because I felt that it didn’t flow well.
7. This poem was easy for me to write. As a volleyball player and a swimmer, I know how it feels to win.
8. I feel that this final draft is to the best of my ability. The revisions and peer review allowed me to fix weak spots.

by Shreya Krishna

From the tender age of five

I had always admired you

Your rich sound

Like voices singing

Resonating so magnificently

Your gentle melody

Which can illuminate any darkness

Just like glowing fireflies

Your texture is so familiar

Of smooth and polished wood

Smooth like obsidian

Yet bright of cherry wood

And when my bow glides over you

Like a majestic eagle soaring

Everyone’s breath stops

Awed by your beauty

You are precious like a feather

From a rare peacock

Always bringing joy

To all in your presence

You have always been with me

Through my wins and losses

Reassuring me to try harder

Just like a friend who only wants

The best for me

You help me fulfill my dreams

Achieve my goals

And dare me to reach for the stars

Like a rocket shooting into space

You are my safe haven

My outlet to relax

You will always be there for me

And me for you back

1. The type of poem I published was an ode.
2. I chose my violin as the subject of my ode because it means a lot to me. I have been playing it for a long time and it has become an important part of my life so I feel it should be appreciated.
3. The tone of my poem is heartfelt, admiring, and appreciative. This is because throughout my poem, I express my gratitude for my violin. For example, in the phrase “Resonating so magnificently,” the word “magnificently” shows my admiration for it. The phrase, “You have always been with me,” is very heartfelt because it shows that I have a deep connection with my violin.
4. The theme of my poem is that when someone does something for a long time, they form a special connection and bond with it. For example, the phrase “Just like a friend who only wants the best for me,” shows that I have a special bond with my violin. The phrase “You will always be there for me and me for you back,” also expresses a similar message.
5. One example of figurative language is, “And dare me to reach for the stars like a rocket shooting into space.” This simile contributes to the tone and theme development because it brings the sense that with my violin, I have endless possibilities and have no limits. It also compares my violin to a rocket. Another example of figurative language is, “Reassuring me to try harder just like a friend who only wants the best for me.” This simile contributes to the tone and theme development by relaying the message that my violin makes me want to improve and do the best I can. It also compares my violin to a friend. One more example of figurative language is, “And when my bow glides over you like a majestic eagle soaring.” This contributes to the tone and theme development by giving the reader an image of a bird flying as well as comparing my bow to an eagle. The word choice “majestic” also gives an admiring feel to it.
6. One revision I made to my poem is by removing the line, “Which can put me to sleep,” that was originally after the line, “Your gentle melody,” and replacing it with, “Can illuminate the darkness just like fireflies.” This is because I thought the use of figurative language would improve that stanza rather than what was previously there. Another revision I made to my poem was adding, “like voices singing,” after, “Your rich sound.” I made this revision because I thought that appealing to the sense of hearing would be a nice addition to that line. One more revision I made was to add the line “And dare me to reach for the stars,” before the line “Like a rocket shooting into space.” I made this revision because I felt it sounded better with it there than before. I also thought the use of figurative language seemed more complete with that line added.
7. It was both easy and difficult to write this poem. At first, I could easily brainstorm ideas and get a general sense of what to include in my poem. It then got more difficult as I tried to incorporate effective figurative language into my poem because I wanted the figurative language to smoothly fit in.
8. I am pretty satisfied with my final draft, because writing odes are new to me and I think I have done a pretty good job conveying my overall message.