Students Write Seasonal Poetry

Every week, our Week in Rap Shout Out Contest gives students an opportunity to win a shout out for their school in the next Week in Rap. Last week, we asked you to write about a season of your choice in the form of a tanka poem. In a tanka poem, the focus is not on rhyming, but on the number of syllables in each line. The changing seasons have long been a popular subject of this traditional Japanese poetry form.

The win this week goes to the Hamlin School in San Francisco, CA, who submitted poems full of rich imagery and detail. Here are three of our favorites:

• Autumn has landed
  Orange falls upon the ground
  Echoes of crisp steps
  Mittens strewn across the floor
  Mysteries are unveiled.
  — Audrey, “Autumn”
• An icy blanket
  Crystals falling from the sky
  Covering the ground
  Tucking the earth in to sleep
  A cold, restless night of white
  — Laura, “Winter”
• Softly rising sun,
  Sweet, crystal dewdrops on grass,
  Birds sing songs of joy,
  Peaceful days and cool breezes,
  The small faun takes his first steps
  — Eve, “Spring”

We received such an incredible number of wonderful poems this week. Though we can’t share every single one, we wanted to showcase a few more of your submissions here.

• Warm ocean breeze against you
  The leaves bursting on trees
  Shining on west coast
  Scents of golden-crisp fires burn
  Summer time has come at last
  — Tillamook High School, Tillamook, OR
• Warm and burning hot
  Apple cider warms my mug
  Snugly wrapped in quilts
  As we watch the trees undress
  And jack-o-lanterns burn bright
  — Gabby, Grain Valley South Middle School, Grain Valley, MO
• Colors of fall are
  Falling away, leaf, by leaf
  Take time away from
  Enjoying them before they
  Are all raked, and winter comes.
  — Ashanti, Springfield Middle School
• Winter is coming
  It is very cold and brisk
  Get your coats ready
  Our hats keep our heads warm
  Flocab will keep us toasty
  — “Rap Yourself to Keep Warm,” Gersh Academy, West Hempstead, NY

Thank you to everyone who submitted their tanka poems! Don’t forget to enter this Friday’s Week In Rap Shout-Out Contest for a chance to win a shout out next Friday.