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edited by

Richard Alan Spiegel & Barbara Fisher published by The Waterways Project library program coordinated by

Sandra Payne. Supervising Young Adult Librarian; Staten Island Branch Libraries

Poetry Reading (

at the St. George Branch

of the New Yor-k Public Library Saturday, Apri113, 1991 PARTICIPATING STATRN ISLAND SCI-TOOLS -----

PS 1. PS 36. IS 27. IS 61, IS 72, IS 75 Assumption School, Concord High School, Richard Hungerford School, Moore High School, St. Sylvester School, Vocational Training Center, Susan Wagner High School PARTICIPATING TRACHRRS -----

Ms. Diane Altman. Mr. Ashkar,

Ms. Angela Belcher. Mrs. Blumenrich, Mr. Michael Blyth, Ms. Michele Cheser, Mrs. Julia Fontano, Mrs. Donna Gullickson, Mr. Stewart Grossman, Mrs. F. Jorin,

Mrs. Evelyn M. Lacagnino, Ms. Loretta Mclvlillen, Ms. Helen S. Settles. Mrs. Sunden, Mrs. Tedesco.

Ms. Anita Verdiglione, Ms. Rhonda Whitfield

This program is made possible with support from NYC Public Schools, Office of Alternative High Schools and Programs, The New York Public Library. NYS Council on the Arts and Harper-Collins, Inc .

• 1991. Ten· Penny Players Inc.

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CONTENTS VOLUME I

Slephanie Ptiesr and Kristen Pappas 3 Jaime Giovinazzo 19
Sleven Hagiaras and 'limolhy Gilsenan 4 Felice Ie 20
Chris Garay 6 Brandy &:elw 21
Krislen Giamooi and Marisa Sorrenlino 6 Miguel Herncmlez 1lI 22
Marisa Sorrentino and Karl Sipolo 7 Jessica Dilbert 23
Laurie Ferraiuele 8 Jeanine Long 24
Elizabeth Prinzo 9 Sara Rivera 25
Michael Valsera 10 Kenneth Roch6 26
Shaun Helfman 11 Melissa DeMattia 27
Cassandra ~'acciponli 12 Vincenza Sipari 28
Kevin Joyce 13 Jason Wolpo[ 29
Nicole HosWba 14 Thnisha Johnson 30
Monique GQre 15 Luis Mojica 31
Jose R. Morales 16 Arlene Chua 32
E'loI)' R. While 17 Joseph Delahanty 33
Fareelah Mack 18 Darnell Phyfcr 34
Knrccm Bacon 35 POETRY

Stephanie Pticar and Kristen Pappas

Poetry is like the sky and moon,

I can write poetry until noon, Poetry is also like the sun and stars,

I can write poetry on a rocket to Mars, This is the best poem I ever wrote,

Did I mention I can write poetry on a boat?

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3

POETRY

Steven Hangiaras and Timothy Gilsenan

Poetry is really fun,

It is really number one, I do a lot of poetry,

I think it is good forme, Poetry is really neat,

It is a very nice treat,

I read it on the bus,

Kids ask, "Can you read it to us?" Everyone says I like it,

I will never quit,

Poetry is very nice,

It can give you good advice, Everyone makes poetry,

But you can't write poetry with your knee.

4

BOOKS Chris Garay

Books are cool!

You can read them in school, Books are nice,

They give advice,

Some books are funny!

Some cost a lot of money .

. i,,- "-"-'-'

-

. . . .. . .~-

5

BOOKS HAVE LOOKS Kristen Giamboi and Marisa Sorrentino

Books have looks,

So don't look at them wrong,

Or they will start singing a song, Books have looks,

So don't throw a shoe, Or they will say:

I love you .

....

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BOOKS

Marisa Sorrentino and Kari Sipolo

Books take you places,

Lots of kids have to change their faces, When you read a book,

You take a look,

Sometimes books can teach you how to cook. Books are very nice,

They give you good advice.

7

POETRY Laurie Ferraiuolo

Poetry is rhyming words, Some poetry is about birds, Poetry is nice,

Some poetry gives advice, About dice or mice,

I like poetry,

I wrote a poem about me.

III

8

WHAT I FEEL ABOUT BOOKS Elizabeth Prinzo

When I read a book

I feel like I am in the story,

It takes me to a magical land far away.

When I read a mystery in the dark

I imagine there are ghosts in the room.

When I read a funny story I act out the funny parts.

When I read a biography Like George Washington,

I think about how it was back then.

I read books everywhere And every day.

I usually like books, That is true,

Tell me, do you like books, too?

9

BOOKWORM Michael Valsera

Look out, it's the book worm, he's going to Eat your words right out of the book, Hide your book so you can enjoy it.

He's green and mean,

He's going to get the words.

Help! He has me! Get him offl Get him offl He's going to eat my book! Get him offl

Darn, you know, I was enjoying that book, too. Beware of the "Book Worm."

10

GOOD BOOKS Shann Helfman

Books make you happy. Books make you blue. There isn't a thing

A good book can't do.

A book can teach you, A book can reach you, It can make you laugh, It can make you cry,

Often when reading you may even sigh.

So when you are bored, And have nothing to do, Read a good book,

It will surely help you!

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WHAT POETRY MEANS TO ME Cassandra Facciponti

·1 When I read poetry it feels great, I feel like I don't hate.

I read poetry each night So I never fight.

When I read poetry I feel alive, I feel so alive I would like to go for a drive.

When I read poetry I feel so fine, Then I go out to dine

When I read poetry I feel like I am sitting on a cloud,

And I will not yell real, real loud

I am stating a fact,

I like poetry, and that is thatl

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I LOVE POETRY Kevin Joyce

Poetry, poetry it's really very neat,

It gets me so excited I jump right off my seat.

It almost flies me to the moon, I love to read it morn and noon.

I'll love it til the day I die, And go to heaven in the sky.

Poems can be funny and poems can be sad, Some make us want to cry,

And some make us glad.

Maybe when I'm old I'll be A poet who writes poetry.

13

SCIENCE IS LIKE A MYSTERY Nicole Hostaba

Science is like a mystery,

It makes you wonder more and more, And when you try to think about it, You get dizzy and fall to the floor! Sometimes it makes you wonder,

Is there really life in outerspace? Cause if there is,

It wouldn't be so bad to see an alien facel I guess science isn't so bad,

When you think about it,

And if you read your science books, You'll know you couldn't live without it! When learning science from a book.

It makes you stop and look

At things in a most scientific way,

You might want to perform experiments On what you learned today.

So when thinking about science, Remember one important thing, It isn't such a mystery,

To know why the birds sing.

14

POEMS Monique Gore

Some poems are funny,

Some poems make you think of money. Some poems make me wonder

why we have a world, Some make me wonder why I'm a girl.

Poems can give people grief.

Some can give you a relief,

Good poems are hard to find,

If you see one keep it in mind.

Some poems are tacky.

Some make me feel happy.

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16

FEELINGS Jose R. Morales

A poem makes me read more, When I read I don't snore, Poems are nice,

Let's kick it to Vanilla Ice, Poems are funny,

When I read the day is sunny, A rapper that is a good dancer, I am not talking about Prancer, I don't play with mice,

I listen to Vanilla Ice.

WHAT ARE WE FIGHTING FOR E'tory R. White

War is something I don't understand,

The world should stick together hand in hand, We should not fight over trees, water, or soil, And never should we stoop so low

and fight over oil, People should think in a serious way,

That the people of tomorrow,

Come from the people of today,

Men, women, boys and girls,

We all make up the people of the world,

So when ever we think of having a fight, We should all get together and try to unite, So those of you who like to argue,

scream and shout, Just think about what we should really scream about, Knives, guns, bombs and war,

Just think about what we are fighting for.

17

A VISIT

FROM MY BROTHER'S GHOST

-

Fareedah Mack

A few years ago my brother passed away. I was sad and I was thinking about him. I was scared. That very same night I saw what looked like my little llrother's ghost. He was walking in my mom's hallway like he used to do when he was alive.

I Jelt him come into my room. He was talking to

me.

He said he missed me and he loved me. He told

me how it was in heaven.

He said, "There are good people in heaven."

My brother told me that there are steps to get into heaven. I thought maybe I was dreaming. My brother said that one day I would be there, too.

I said that I hoped so and that it would be a long time before I would go.

My brother just smiled at me. He told me God took him away because of the things that were going to happen in our lives. He didn't want him to go 'through what we were going to go through.

I asked him how he lmew so much of the future. My brother said, "God knows everything."

I know heaven is a good place and I know God is good, so my brother must be happy, and I don't feel scared any more.

18

BOOKS Jaime Giovinazzo

There are many kinds of books,

There are ones that teach you how to cook, Some are fairy tales with happy endings, Or killings that leave people dreading,

To me though the best books are mysteries, Or books about famous people's histories, If you want to read more books,

Go to the library and give it a look, There are so many books to choose from, That it is hard to pick just one,

Just remember never stop reading books, Although it is okay to get hooked.

19

AN OLD WITCH Felice Le

An old witch cackles shrilly, On herlface a wicked grin,

r:Phe crowd applauds two young knights, As they joust amidst the din,

4- swarthy pirate wears a patch, T:JJpon his damaged eye,

IDorothy and Toto are scared, When their house begins to fly,

In the forest skips Riding Hood, While the wolf awaits his prey, In a tower Rapunzel sits, Icocked in there night and day,

Heroes help maidens in distress, Sherlock Homes solves the case, Alice joins a mad tea party,

A hare and turtle race,

Then all is quiet, no one moves, N at even one dastardly crook, For, you see, what happened is, Someone has closed the book.

20

POETRY Brandy Scelzo

Poems are a way of expressing yourself,

There is no need to explain them to anyone else.

There are no rules in writing one, So try it yourself, it could be fun.

It doesn't matter if it rhymes, or not, Writing down a thought could help you a lot.

Poems can be short and poems can be long, Either way you can't go wrong.

So now that you know, grab a paper and pen, Take a moment to think take 5 or 10.

You needn't rush, take your time,

Just write what you feel, and you'll do fine,

21

HOW I FEEL Miguel Hernendez III

I feel very sorry,

I feel very unhappy, That's just the way I feel, ] feel very depressed,

I fe<el very mad,

Just because I'm hungry.

I also have a dream To be who I really am To be one who is Breath taking

Just to be myself.

22

F

FEELINGS Jessica Dilbert

Feelings are like a black heart, I weep for joy,

It's like having hope,

My feelings for the troops In the war,

Are of hope and joy, I'm not smiling, Because I am down.

23

THE NIGHT WAS SO LONG Jeanine Long

The night was so long, The morning so bright,

The performance was great, The gold medal a delight.

My favorite book is "How

To be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days." I try and try

In many ways.

I hope to be able to skate In the winter olympics,

I will work very hard to do great, And win a gold medal again.

I like to go to school and meet new friends, I like to learn new things,

I try to get good marks,

Because that makes me happy.

24

POEM Sara Rivera

As the darkest sky comes upon the quiet night, The sounds of wind blowing

Frightens everyone out of sight,

But as the sun comes up shining bright, People wonder what is going to happen

in the night.

As I sleep though the silent Bounds Of the quiet night

While the wind is blowing,

And the moon is shining bright,

I suddenly wake up from my sleep Because of a sound,

The creeping up the stairs of soft light, I crawled under the blanket

and shivered from fright But when the door to my room opened,

I saw that it was just my mother

Saying goodnight.

25

POEMS Kenneth Roche

People--

Some people talk. and talk, And never say a thing, Some people look. at you, And birds begin to sing,

Some people laugh and laugh, And yet you want to cry,

Some people touch your hands, And all life fills your heart.

26

WHAT IS POETRY?

Melissa DeMattia

What is poetry?

It can be exciting, inviting, Or maybe just beautiful,

It can be boring, soaring or sad, It can be glad, or a fad,

or silly.

Poetry can be many things,

You can make poetry what you want it to be, Don't you see.

That is what poetry can be.

27

POETRY Vincenza Sipari

To some it's a bore,

They just sit there and snore, But to me you see,

I t holds the key,

After a hard day,

I sit and write away, Poetry can be fun,

Sit, let your hand take a run.

, '

28

BOOKS Jason Wolpoff

Books open a world of imagination.

All of them give you a moving vibration, There are many different kinds,

All of them bring pictures to your mind. I like reading mysteries,

But I don't like history.

29

WRITING Tanisha Johnson

Writing to me is so much fun.

I always write letters to everyone,

My feelings are best expressed in this, My pen and paper will never miss, The feelings that I feel inside,

Are much too strong for me to hide,

So leave it to my paper and pen, Because those are my two best friends.

30

BOOKS Luis Mojica

Books

Are like a TV in your mind Are a fantasy land

Are the power of knowledge

Are a way of ...

Life

31

I WANT YOU TO TAKE A LOOK Arlene Chua

I want you to take a look ...

at this really great book:

It tells about Ponyboy Curtis

and his gang of greasers; They're known as the Outsiders ...

Jo's, hoods, and thieves->

that's what they're called; Then there's Dally; to his death

was where he crawled.

They're as hard and tough as nails,

But they stick together when all else fails.

So if you're looking for a story ... Read this book by S. E. Hinton -And I'm sure you won't be sorry!

32

MY FAVORITE BOOK Joseph Delahanty

Let's take a look-at my favorite book:

It's J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings

A story about Hobbits, Elves, Orks and Kings.

The Hobbit Frodo and his friends

Make up a great story that never; ends ... Their quest is to destroy the ring of doom

That for many years was in Frodo's uncle's room.

Then they must kill the evil Darklord,

But to get to him--they must battle his evil horde; I won't tell you the ending; .

you must find out for yourself What happened to the Darklord, King, Hobbit and Elfl

33

RUFF AND TUFF - WHY Darnell Phyfer

One day in a fuss,

Always ruff and tuff Sitting down with a frown Eating oreos

Big stuff!

Putting on my shoes, Listening to the blues.

34

WHAT IT STANDS FOR Kareem Bacon

Poetry stands for love of life and Not hate and war,

And though stories and tales go back Very far, poetry was here before.

Poetry is the loveliest form of writing I've ever known,

It's precious because it's rare, So if you have it,

Let it be shown.

Poems are hard to come by,

So grasp one if it comes near, Words so beautiful and harmonious

That strange things flow through your ears.

Poems are, oh so precious, for they are The highest form of Art,

Words that flow from not your brain, But freely from your heart.

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'isbn 0-934&)30-4$-7 $3

Ten Penny Players, 393 St. Pauls An. Staten Island, New York 10304