Poems from P.S. 61

What’s inside the moon?
   There’s hot water inside.
What’s the sky made of?
   It was made out of white snow.
If you cut the sun open what would you see?
   Terrible looking enemies.
When you write you look at your words. Have you
   thought of cutting open a letter to see what’s inside?
   No. But if a person was crazy the answer would be yes.
What’s inside colors?
   There’s pink stars.
Where is the end of the universe?
   In back of the swimming pools.
How old is adventure?
   It is 60,000 years old.
Which color is older, black or white?
   Black because you can outline me.
—Questions by Vivian Tuft

Answers by Fontessa Moore, Fourth Grade

WHAT SHALL I CHARTREUSE?

Oh green, yellow, orange, pink, red, black, brown,
What shall I chartreuse today?
I could chartreuse with brown and gold,
Or I could red John in the nose. What could I chartreuse?
I put a green croak in Pinky’s bed, what shall I chartreuse?
I could put a silver yeow on teachers’ chair
What shall I chartreuse?
I could ooze the blue toothpaste in Dad’s face. What shall I chartreuse?
What could I chartreuse if I got a paint brush?
Oh, oh I just wasted the day on thinking on what I shall chartreuse
But I could always think of something to crown yellow tomorrow.
—Charles Conroy, Fifth Grade

THE LÉON IN INVIERNO

One invierno a léon came to the nieve bosque.
And walked in the bosque and his garra was in the deep
   la paloma white nieve.
The trees had like white nieve platos on the branch.
And it was Navidad la noche and the violeto cielo was full
   of baile estrellas.

Translation: THE LION IN WINTER

One winter a lion came to the snowy woods.
And walked in the woods, and his paw was in the deep dovey white snow.
The trees had like white snowy dishes on the branch.
And it was Christmas Night and the violet sky was full of dancing stars.
—Ilona Baburka, Fifth Grade

When I’m alone
I think of the one I met at the age of four.
I also think of the one that passes by as I shy away.
I think of the one that makes fun of me but I don’t care. I like them
all.But when I’m with friends
I melt my thoughts of the three I love
I turn away from them
But then I’m alone again
I brush my hair and look in the mirror and there he stands, he never
goes.I smell the flowers set on the table and I smell the love between us.
I turn the lights off and go into bed and dream of the lovely things I
wish.—Natalie DeStefano, sixth grade
I saw a fancy dancy dress
hanging on a fancy dancy window
of red roses you could call it a red
rose window I put it on and I
danced to a swan of bees I put
it on a chair of rock and I looked
at the sky of hand I put on
my fancy dancy dress I fell
asleep and I had a dream
of a blue sky of roses and a
house of daisies

and I awoke and it was true
I saw everything I saw
sky of roses house of daisies a tree
of orange a book of apple and
I loved it all and I lived with it for
the rest of my life.
—Marion Mackles, Third Grade

MY DREAM

I had a dream with everything brown.
The trees were brown as dark as brown.
I heard a sound going moo, moo, boo, boo.
It was a cow who wanted a wife.
The cow was dark brown as a crayon brown.
I went to the barn I saw him booing (and mooing).
I looked up in the sky and saw something.
I saw the moon it was brown too.
My mother came down she was brown too.
When my father came down he was brown too.
It was a brown day.
Everyone was singing brown, brown, and brown.
And the cow mooing and mooing again.

What’s inside the moon?
   There’s hot water inside.
What’s the sky made of?
   It was made out of white snow.
If you cut the sun open what would you see?
   Terrible looking enemies.
When you write you look at your words. Have you
   thought of cutting open a letter to see what’s inside?
   No. But if a person was crazy the answer would be yes.
What’s inside colors?
   There’s pink stars.
Where is the end of the universe?
   In back of the swimming pools.
How old is adventure?
   It is 60,000 years old.
Which color is older, black or white?
   Black because you can outline me.
—Questions by Vivian Tuft

Answers by Fontessa Moore, Fourth Grade

WHAT SHALL I CHARTREUSE?

Oh green, yellow, orange, pink, red, black, brown,
What shall I chartreuse today?
I could chartreuse with brown and gold,
Or I could red John in the nose. What could I chartreuse?
I put a green croak in Pinky’s bed, what shall I chartreuse?
I could put a silver yeow on teachers’ chair
What shall I chartreuse?
I could ooze the blue toothpaste in Dad’s face. What shall I chartreuse?
What could I chartreuse if I got a paint brush?
Oh, oh I just wasted the day on thinking on what I shall chartreuse
But I could always think of something to crown yellow tomorrow.
—Charles Conroy, Fifth Grade

THE LÉON IN INVIERNO

One invierno a léon came to the nieve bosque.
And walked in the bosque and his garra was in the deep
   la paloma white nieve.
The trees had like white nieve platos on the branch.
And it was Navidad la noche and the violeto cielo was full
   of baile estrellas.

Translation: THE LION IN WINTER

One winter a lion came to the snowy woods.
And walked in the woods, and his paw was in the deep dovey white snow.
The trees had like white snowy dishes on the branch.
And it was Christmas Night and the violet sky was full of dancing stars.
—Ilona Baburka, Fifth Grade

When I’m alone
I think of the one I met at the age of four.
I also think of the one that passes by as I shy away.
I think of the one that makes fun of me but I don’t care. I like them
all.But when I’m with friends
I melt my thoughts of the three I love
I turn away from them
But then I’m alone again
I brush my hair and look in the mirror and there he stands, he never
goes.I smell the flowers set on the table and I smell the love between us.
I turn the lights off and go into bed and dream of the lovely things I wish.
—Natalie DeStefano, Sixth Grade

I saw a fancy dancy dress
hanging on a fancy dancy window
of red roses you could call it a red
rose window I put it on and I
danced to a swan of bees I put
it on a chair of rock and I looked
at the sky of hand I put on
my fancy dancy dress I fell
asleep and I had a dream
of a blue sky of roses and a
house of daisies

and I awoke and it was true
I saw everything I saw
sky of roses house of daisies a tree
of orange a book of apple and
I loved it all and I lived with it for
the rest of my life.
—Marion Mackles, Third Grade

MY DREAM

I had a dream with everything brown.
The trees were brown as dark as brown.
I heard a sound going moo, moo, boo, boo.
It was a cow who wanted a wife.
The cow was dark brown as a crayon brown.
I went to the barn I saw him booing (and mooing).
I looked up in the sky and saw something.
I saw the moon it was brown too.
My mother came down she was brown too.
When my father came down he was brown too.
It was a brown day.
Everyone was singing brown, brown, and brown.
And the cow mooing and mooing again.

—Tomas Torres, Fourth Grade

GARDENTAIL

Gardenia’s walking over Nellie

And Gardenia is a mouse
Her tail’s still over Nellie
Who would rather step on tail
Gardenia’s walking through the grass
But her tail is still on Nellie
Gardenia’s going uphill
Gardenia’s going downhill
She’s wading through a stream
And her tail is off of Nellie
Nellie’s running after
But she’s slow as a snail
Gardenia’s tail’s all in the grass now
But Nellie’s stepped on top of it
Poor Gardenia can’t go now
Nellie calls her Gardentail
And says tail grows on her
Gardentail is free now
And happy happy happy
Her tail follows her up
And also down
But a long time after she was there
Her tail goes over molehills
And around pebbles
And up down up
And all up or down
And Nellie can’t catch up.
—Erin Harold, Fifth Grade

Oh dog, how do you feel with so much hair around you?
Dear master, oh my dear master, I feel nice and warm.
Oh dog, how do you feel with those fluffy ears?
Dear master, oh dear master, I feel as if I had super hearing.
Oh dog, how do you feel standing on four legs?
Dear master, oh my dear master I feel light and strong.
Oh dog, I’ll leave now. Good-bye.
Dear master, oh dear master I feel it, my heart breaking.
—José Lopez, Fourth Grade