Enjoying the Road & Cities!

The wonderful poem, "Knoxville, Tennessee" by Nikki Giovanni served as a lens on the road trip or enjoying great times with family and friends. The poem chronicles Giovanni's summer trip with her family and her love of southern cuisine, barbecues and running bare foot with Giovanni on a mountain in plush, green earth of the south. Yes, it's the road and cities, rich with imagery, foods, wind, and different seasons. I asked students on February 27th to focus on using imagery, food, and good times to reflect on travel poems.

Students wrote a plethora of things and remembered some excellent road trips, visiting different cities, and response poems reflected all of their positive interactions with the earth via planes, trains, and cars!

Story
Juwan C.

I see bugs.
I see the good sun and it smelled good.
I eat a meat burger sandwich.
It tasted good.
The air passed my Dog and Cat.
I went to the ocean.
To Texas.
I went to Washington, DC
And to New York, Mexico, New Mexico
And I went to South America,
Zimbabwe, and it was fun.
I was happy in Russia, Gulf of Mexico,
And Atlantic Appalachian.

New Orleans
Kendell B.

I went to New Orleans on my road trip.
I was eating a gyro.
I saw a dog.
He was with a man.
It was a bull dog.
We climbed on a mountain on my shoes.
I was playing my Game boy in a PSP.

Mississippi
Keora H.

I always like Mississippi best.
My cousin’s Mom cut up cucumbers and put
Them in a bowl and put some salad sauce
On it.
Then we ate it and it was good.
Last time I ate macaroni and spaghetti,
Corn on the cob, and corn bread and greens.
I went to see the cows, pigs, roosters.
I went outside and felt flies on my arms and mosquitoes
Flying around.
Me and my sister was playing and running.
I had fun in Mississippi.

Poem
Ryan G.

I’m in Belize and it’s a hot sunny day.
And the sun is beaming and the sand is between my toes.
So you should come with me.
Come and spend a day on the sunny bay.
So we can have a good ocean spray.
It’s fun in Belize and it’s fun to play.
It’s fun to hang out by the bay.

Travelling
Telethe P.

I always like traveling.
I once went to Washington DC.
It was so beautiful and different, but interesting.
The great big pool I went swimming in.
I almost drowned in 7 feet.
The White House was much bigger in person that on T.V. shows.
I really enjoyed the soul food.
Fried chicken, hot wings with ranch, okra and fries.
I really, really loved the room service.
They were sooo nice.
The beds are so comfortable.
I slept all night.
Not one peep through my sleep.

Mississippi
David B.

I always like warm weather better.
You can eat country food
Such as…
Barbeque
And potato salad
And hot wings
I saw cows,
Horses,
Pigs, sheeps, and corn fields.
And a lot of land.
I went to a lot of parks.
And my family houses
And a forest reserves
And went to a farm.

Where to Go
Malik W.

When I went to Atlanta
The blazing hot air hit my skin
Like a flaming ball of fire
Hitting me.
Also eating greens, cornbread,
Mash potato.
It was so good.
Make you want to slap your mama!

Untitled
Lavontae C.

I’ve always liked New York on a Summer Day.
It might be hot but I have water.
I see big skyscraper.
Big buildings walking down the street
Going to the store.
I have on swimming trunks at the park.

I am eating chips, candy and chicken.
I am eating ice cream.
Jumping up and down I even spinned around.
The sun is beaming on my face.
I loved to play on that hot summer day.

Miami
Terrell B.

I always like summer
Best
Because you can have a water fight.
And eat barbeque.
You can play basketball, football
And baseball.
And you can eat ice cream.
And walk on the beach barefoot.

Week in Mississippi
Dillon P.

Me and my family went to Mississippi.
It took 16 hours.
We went to the Colorado Mountains.
It was the best trip.
It was hot as 32 of my relatives when I
Went.
It was amazing.
On Monday, we went to Red Lobster.