13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird

We read Wallace Stevens's very challenging "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" - after a long discussion about the poem, these are some of the student responces

7th Period

Walter W.

Twelve Ways of Looking at the Patriots

I
Among 55 sweating players
lies the heart of the team
the eye of Bill Belichick,

II
He is like 3 minds
Like a gun, he explodes
In which there are three linebackers
Tedy Bruschi is one

III
The speedy guy swirled between the linemen.
He is a small part of the offense
Laurence Maroney

IV
A coach and a quarterback
are one.
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick
are one.

V
I do no know which to prefer
The powerful kick of Steve Gostkowski
or the swift boot of Chris Hentrich
The return man just waiting
to gain a loss of yards.

VI
Snow filled the field
with barbaric ice.
The shadow of the line
like the 'fro of Randy Moss
swept a mood across Gillette Stadium
Chanting … 16 and 0

VII
O thin men of Indianapolis, Indiana
Like Peyton Manning
Don't you see you are going to get sacked?
He walks on his feet,
but not for long.

VIII
I know noble accents
and Wes Walker too
The Patriots are involved
In winning the Super Bowl

IX
When the cornerback disappeared,
Ellis Hobbs marked the edge
of one of many interceptions.

X
At the sight of Mike Vrabel
Flying in between the line
Even the bawds of euphony
would cry out sharply.

XI
They rode over Massachusetts
In a gold bus.
Never a fear in their mind
the shadow cast over them but
They were confident.

XII
The Patriots are going
The Superbowl is near!



8th period

Elena Orr
Six ways of looking at water

I.
Ripples among long fields
the only thing
moving is the water

II.
Drying out.
Needing that one thing
that makes it come
back to life again

III.
The touch
Hot of Cold
wither way it is the same

IV.
Either in a cup
or in the ocean
it still has the
same essence

V.
We are water
Water is us.

VI
Running down faces
or running down throats
it still has the same name,
Water.

Eva S.

Five ways of looking at a cat.

I.
IN a deep dark forest
A cat moves
But all I can see
Is a shaking bush

II
Jewels in the black
when you sit up and stare
they disappear

III
Warmth around your feet
when looking at the covers
you see it moving steady
up and down

IV
through bars
you see only segments
of a trapped being

V
No movement
the, a rush
It appears
where was it before?

Gregory U.

Ten ways of looking at a pencil
I.
Among the quiet classrooms
the only thing moving is
the pencil

II.
I was of three minds
in which I only needed
One pencil

III
The pencil twists around
wildly just like the body
that holds it

IV
Lead and a pencil
are one
Lead, pencil and human
are on

V
It's hard to choose
Life, wisdom, or print
Everything essential.

VI
Pencils fill the shelf
wit no dust
The print of documents
and life of people

VII
O lord,
why is the world
greatly for pencils
They are lost con-
stantly, yet always
needed

VII
Pencils
taken for granted
If only the people
would understand


IX
When the pencil became,
we evolved

X
When poems are written
hearts are excited with hope.