Teachers & Writers Collaborative
by Elementary School-Aged Youth at the Homecrest Library Workshop in Brooklyn
The poem turned into the sun, and it was looking for me.
The poem went for a jog on the boardwalk in Coney Island,
And it started to smell like sweat.
The poem heard the phone ring, and it sounded like someone running.
The poem heard my mom and dad talking, and they sounded like children.
The poem wriggles like a caterpillar through the grass in Central Park,
And it sniffs dogs during their morning walk.
The poem watched people showing their love
Through the window of the subway, and it felt jealous.
The poem writes itself with rockets on the sky
And spells itself with splats of popping bubble gum,
And the poem says to me, “I love you. Chew me up like Cookie Monster.”
by Pury S., Age 14, Groundswell Workshop in Washington Heights
It’s coming down,
Oh my God, hold on tight.
Cyclone, cyclone
What’s coming next?
Oh cyclone, cyclone
At a turn I might find anything:
A homeless person, a coffee shop, a mall, a gun shop.
Cyclone, cyclone
And then I’m done,
Or I might just go up
And reach for the stars.
Cyclone, cyclone
Maybe become a star,
Maybe even move to Hollywood,
Or maybe I might hear new gossip,
Or what if a kid gets jumped?
Cyclone, cyclone
I make a turn.
I see kids doing graffiti.
Cyclone, cyclone
Others are just there.
Hold on: that’s my phone.
My mom’s on the line.
Cyclone, cyclone
Talking about being careful,
Talking about she loves me,
Talking about she misses me,
Cyclone, cyclone
And it’s only been a couple hours,
Mom, don’t worry: I’m old enough.
Cyclone, cyclone
by Jarie M., Age 17, Groundswell Workshop in Washington Heights
The sneeze of the truck,
the cough of the car,
the scream of the train.
The yellow eyes are a joke, they gotta keep moving.
Try and keep up or you’ll get left behind.
Hum along to the song we all know,
“Stand clear of the closing doors, please.”
by Ida, 12th Grade, 96th Street Library Workshop in Manhattan
The Poem is as big as the twin towers
Even as it falls the heart and feelings
Of the people stand tall like the poem.
The poem is as big as the blackberry network.
The poem is as big as the 10,000 MTA workers.
The poem is as big as the million feet that walk the NYC streets.
The poem is as big as the 1,000,000 skyscrapers touching the sky.
A Poem as Big as the City is made possible in part through the support of the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and Barnes & Noble.
To make a donation in support of A Poem as Big as the City or to discuss sponsorship opportunities, please contact us at info@twc.org or 212-691-6590.
To bring A Poem as Big as the City to your organization or school, please contact T&W’s program director at workshops@twc.org or 212-691-6590.