Student Samples: Early Elementary
 The Perfect Present
by Fernando, third grade poet
What if birthdays started with a perfect
Present and you got that favorite present
From your son or daughter?
What if your perfect present was a rocket ship
That will take you to Mars and take
You to a whole new galaxy?
What if your perfect present was a super fast
Speedboat that took you to islands in
Under five minutes no matter how far it is
Where you can swim all day?
What if the perfect present was your own
Hovercraft that gave you anything you
Wanted to eat, and then gave you massage?
And what if the perfect present
Was from your children
Made with love from your whole family?
 What if Bikes Could Fly…?
by Kellyn, third grade poet
What if bikes could fly to Hawaii,
Then landed on a landing zone at the airport
And as they pedaled into the airport,
A nice Hawaiian lady put a lei on their handlebars?
What if bikes could get a suntan and
While they got a suntan their nice blue paint
Turned into a beating red?
And what if bikes could splash in the rapid waves?
What if bikes could go to a fancy rainforest dinner in Hawaii?
Then they would put their beautiful tassels on.
What if I got a bike and could ride it to Hawaii?
That would be very special.
(Click here to open/print these two samples to share with your own third grade students.)
Student Samples: Upper Elementary
 Skateboards
by Taylor, fourth grade poet
What if skateboards cha-cha’d
During a rock and roll song
While you’re inside watching television?
What if skateboards grew arms, and between each
Minute, they jumped off ramps, then flew away?
What if skateboards built skate parks around the house,
Making up cool tricks off into deep holes,
Flying back into the air until they land,
Breaking in half?
What if skateboards could swim deep into the ocean--
As long as they touch the bottom--
Then ride the sea floor, going back up to land
As they rot on the way home?
Skateboards help me experience something new
Like a trick or a better way to exercise.
 Writers...
by Hunter, fourth grade poet
What if rabbits quickly danced while having a wine party,
And jumped from the sound of my pen,
As soon as they chugged wine?
What if horses ate mayonnaise soufflé,
Quickly meeting the rabbits,
Until the horses chugged wine?
What if pigs, scared by the mayonnaise and wine,
Happily ate ice cream
While the rabbits loudly menaced.
What if geese, amazed by the strangeness,
Asked the writer to change it,
Even if the geese were wrong about the decision,
And the writer said, “NO!”
And what if the writer never put imagination,
Creativity, or freedom into this poem...
And if the geese won the fortune of others...
What if, oh, what if?
(Click here to open/print these two samples to share with your own fourth grade students.)
 Monster Family
by Madison, fifth grade poet
What if my mom turned into a zombie and
Whenever she cooked, her fingers fell off
And onto our spaghetti?
What if my dad turned into a vampire
And turned his car into a coffin on wheels
And chugged down tomato juice as if it were blood?
What if my brother was a werewolf and tried to eat the girls in
His class and howled at everything circular and whenever
He got a
hair cut it took him five hours?
What if my cat turned into a baby dragon that burned my fingers when I
Tried to pick her up, and every night she would go outside and burn up
Mice with her beastly breath while I clean her litter box that always smells of ash?
But most importantly what if my monstrous family and I
Came back to reality and loved each other forever!
 Dogs
by Jayson, fifth grade poet
What if dogs ran the world and they held the
Leashes that held us
And dogs were the first to drive to Mars
And dogs put us in crates at night?
What if my Chihuahua, Harley, drove our orange
Car to New York City,
Where he munched on Hannah Montana,
And what if he drove a Harley motorcycle back home
And acted all innocent?
What if my Dachshund, Poppit, tried to run away
When he saw his best friend, Harley, dressed like a girl.
And Poppit was too fat so his short little legs couldn’t
Carry him to the other part of the world?
But most importantly, what if my dogs were never born?
Suppose their friendship was never known.
All the days we ran and played
Never existed until today?
(Click here to open/print these two samples to share with your own fifth grade students.)
 What if…
by Charlotte, sixth grade poet
What if characters came to life
And danced across my kitchen floor
While telling spells and eating
Bert’s Every Flavor Beans?
What if Hermoine Granger appeared by me
And did all my homework without a struggle?
After a while, she’ll be done
And she’ll have time to clean my room.
What if Professor Trelawny came to me
And told me of a dreadful future,
And ran from my house, screaming in fright?
I’d look away and giggle a bit, but
My dad would surely holler.
What if Draco Malfoy said to me, “I thought you were a witch?”
I would frown a lot and throw a fit, and he would slowly back away.
I’d yell and scream, but nobody would see the building steam
As I threw my fit.
But most importantly, what if I never read the Harry Potter books?
I’d never know the characters or the funny quotes they say.
Why would
I be here tonight if I never heard the Sorting Hat’s song
That’s full of rhymes and reminds me of a poem?
 The World’s Song
by Elise, sixth grade poet
What if the world was music and everything could sing,
And flowers were microphones,
And bees were notes, and the flowing river was the song.
The world would be so wonderful.
What if trickling rain was the rhythm,
And the rumbling thunder was the drum?
The lyrics were made from the dreams of sleeping
Children who let their imaginations run?
The world would be so free.
What if all the songs were happy songs and everyone sang together?
The dolphins sang in the water, the birds sang in the sky,
The dogs on the land, and they all helped harmonize.
The world would be so exciting.
What if music brought us together and the world was one big song?
The lyrics would mention love, crying, dying, fighting,
And most of all peace.
The world would be so peaceful.
(Click here to open/print these two samples to share with your own sixth grade students.)
Student Sample: Middle School
 Our Secret Place…
by Diana, eighth grade poet
What if my hair could tap you on the shoulder
Each time you walked by?
My eye would wink a hi
And my nose twitch a good bye.
What if clouds
Became the playground
Where students could chill and think
While they wrote a poem for you and me?
What if summer was every day
And winter once a month?
I could go outside and hope you will too,
Then maybe hang around and smile shyly at you.
And what if vacations were nine months
And school was three?
We could peek around secret corners
Hoping no one will see.
But most importantly,
What if fairies came to life
Every time I was down and upset?
They were watching over me just because you left,
Waiting on the playground, they whispered it will be ok.
(Click here to open/print this sample to share with your own eighth grade students.)
Student Samples: High School
 Innocence
by
Keon, tenth grade poet
What if our noses really did grow when we lied
and the rain was God’s tears when he cried
and our thoughts and dreams became clouds in the sky?
What if Jesus and Santa were best friends
and any boy that believed could grow up to be Superman
and the Beatles were just bugs in a band?
What if invisible kisses tasted sour
and school only lasted for half an hour
and a whole new world existed in a flower?
What if I answer all these questions today
before my innocence gets further away?
 Sixth Sense
by Kellie, tenth grade poet
What if pets talked to you during scary storms and after having nightmares until you fell back to sleep?
What if stuffed animals had personalities, thoughts and advice when you are sitting in your room, wanting to talk to someone but knowing that your parents aren’t an option?
What if pencils knew what you wanted to write during an essay or test after searching your mind for knowledge and got you an A+ in every class?
What if eyes could capture every special moment you had so you wouldn’t have to carry a camera 24/7 which would provide more time to enjoy the moment?
What if temptation was never created by Adam and Eve during the beginning of the world which left the world sinless and without stress after death?
 Palm Trees, Friends
by Katie, tenth grade poet
What if palm trees grew everywhere and we could all share their beauty even if the land was dry and we could all have that tropical feeling?
What if everyone recycled and the earth would be healthy and pollution wouldn’t put us in danger, and our resources would last and last?
What if you could turn back time and everything you did could be un-done even if it was a mistake that changed your life?
What if food didn’t make you fat and we could eat whatever we wanted all the time and stay skinny, and cakes and treats and French fries would no longer be our enemy.
What if friendship meant more to people than it does now, people probably wouldn’t get hurt by someone they thought they knew and no one would be sent away from their friends and your friends could be forever by just looking past their lies.
(Click here to open/print these three samples to share with your own tenth grade students.)
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