Poetry Page

Send poems (your own or someone else's) that you would like to share here to michael.tzipori@venturaedu.org

Inaugural Poet Amanda Gorman RecitesThe Hill We Climb

Poems for Black History Month

Courtesy of the Academy of American Poets at poets.org

“Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou

“Forever” by Paul Laurence Dunbar

“Frederick Douglass” by Robert Hayden

“Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes

“Making History” by Marilyn Nelson

“little prayer” by Danez Smith

“This Body II” by Renée Watson

“Declaration” by Tracy K. Smith

“This Is Not a Small Voice” by Sonia Sanchez

Cabrillo Writes Poetry

"Where I'm From" Poems from Mrs. York's AVID Students

Where I'm From

By Isabella Romero

I am from the burner,

From the Michelline stove and Roper fridge,

I am from the warmth of the kitchen,

(pleasant, familiar,

filled with love from dishes created there)

I am from the bay leaves,

The lemon trees,

Whose aroma gave me memories of home.

I’m from competitive karaoke and cooks,

From Lola and Abuelo,

I’m from movie lovers and good eaters,

From Sit straight! and Don’t fight!

I’m from the longest Christmas season,

with new years with red cards and money,

I’m from Thousand Oaks, with roots from the Philippine Islands,

sour spinach stews and chocolate rice porridge,

From the marriage proposal, my grandpa had promised my grandma,

The scar my dad gained from a shark attack on his right leg.

In the black tattered picture book sitting peacefully

somewhere in my grandma’s house, holds the

times of late-night scary movies and TV remotes

that my grandma could never understand.

So aged yet from these pictures, bring remembrance

of what to be thankful for.

Where I’m From

Candela Basaco

I am from a bathtub

From Nike shoes and Tidepods

I am from the beach house, small, white, and close enough to the beach it smells like fish

I am from coffee grounds, aromatic and dark brown

I am from going to church on Christmas and being loud

I am from Kety and German (pronounced hEr-mAn)

I am from process of immigrating to the US and travelling

From , "eres una malcriada" and, "puedes acer lo que quires si estudias"

I'm from the San Buenaventura Mission, a Catholic church

I'm from Santa Barbara and Peru

I'm from pollo a la brasa and arroz chaufa

I'm from the jungles of the Amazon and my grandma who met my grandfather at sixteen and had six kids

I'm from a single mother of two who does her best to provide for them, my moms photos of my dad and her in Machu Pichu, the church my parents married in Peru, and my grandmas house.

My parents we're just meeting so those photos were special, the church my parents were married in was so beautiful I still remember it, and my family would always host parties at my grandmother's.

Where I’m From

By Leah Lai

I am from the wind chimes.

From tapestries and brooms.

I am from the North of where the area has a bad reputation.

Dirt-filled, hectic, you could hear the sounds of sirens at night.

I am from the roses, the Triplaris, where the ants came to work together but pushed each other

down.

I'm from Red Envelopes and hard workers.

From Kenny and Danny.

I'm from the stingy and incomprehensible.

From being a dentist and not disappointing,

I'm from my people who spend their nights, praying for their loved ones and many others in the

world.

I'm from Little Saigon, a community where a minority comes together to secure their stay in the

place they worked so hard to get to,

egg rolls and fried rice.

From the imprisoned, wrongly judged uncles, to

The single aunt who won't give up on her kids.

Under the alter at my grandparents' house lies photo albums of where they used to live.

The journey that they took to give the generations to come to a good life.

Where I’m From Poem

By Emily Sehati

I am from the smell freshly made crepes,

from black tea and basmati rice.

I am from the leaves dangling from the wall

(so vivid, bright

A combination of yellows and greens . )

I am from the Loquat Tree,

that towered over every bush and flower.

I am from hour long seders and frizzy hair.

from Mommy Shai to Gala

I’m from loud gatherings and walks by the glittering ocean.

From “You’re older, you should know better “ and “read a book.”

I am from Channukahs with latkes and bustling Shabbat dinners.

I’m from the Russian palaces in St. Petersburg,

olivye and ghondi.

from the shattered windows in my dad’s home in Iran,

the intricate architecture in the Russian university.

In my grandmother’s closet lies a backpack full of yellowed and faded pages carefully glued and organized.

I am from these memories,

the only ones to tell my story of the daring stories of my ancestors.

Where I Am from Poem!

By Syed Hashim

I am from Engineering

From Books and Documentaries

I am from the countries Pakistan, Canada, and the U.S.

From countries rich in Cultural Diversity, with unique people and races, with different lifestyles.

I am from huge majestic mountains K-2, From the Citrus fruit growing on a tree, and from the Red roses.

I'm from Respecting humanity. Humble and intelligence.

From Mother Samina, Father Syed, and younger sibling Mustafa.

I'm from working hard and fitness.

From respecting the elderly, parents and teachers

I'm from Islam, and as Muslim, I have a belief in one God and all the prophets sent by Him and on prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as his last messenger.

I'm from Canada and Pakistan, Biryani and Nihari, a sweet dish Gulab Jamun.

From the stories of family reunions from my mom's childhood during the summer season

in Pakistan.

From stories of my great, great grandparents migrating from Saudi Arabia to Iran, then India to Pakistan.

They are in the album, some pictures on the wall, pictures of my Great grandparents and family members, who I never saw in person.

These photos are very dear to our hearts as they contain old but essential memories from my family history.

A "Where I'm From" Poem, not from Mrs. York's AVID class

I Am

By Riley Roseman

I'm from the busy downtown streets,

I'm from "Hang out with them? Why bother?"

I'm from a flag of purple, white and green,

I'm from the pure joy of being in a bookstore, a library,

I'm a person desperately begging to be seen, I'm from broken promises and lack of trust,

I'm from the type of dad who gives up everything for his offspring,

I'm from the woman who fell in love with the child who belonged to him,

I'm from the pain of having a mother who faced addiction,

I'm from a large extended family,

Each one of us a black sheep, I'm from just one more episode before bed,

I'm from a person desperately begging to be seen,

I'm from broken promises and lack of trust,

I'm from "your not enough" looping in my head,

I'm from coping with your problems through music and books,

I'm from "Be a hero even if you're a reluctant one"

I'm from the fear of being "nothing" to people around me,

I'm from the scents of motor oil and cigarette smoke,

I'm from live concerts and shows,

I'm the dandelion,

I am the kid in the baggy hoodie with hands covered in pen and pencil smudges,

Who you just wish would speak up and be more social,

Who has their nose in a book,

or is constantly drawing page after page in their sketchbook,

Earbuds in,

listening to CD after CD,

Who's mind is in a different place,

I am the musician,

The dreamer,

The drawer,

I am the person who strangely enough feels at home in this place.

Cabrillo Performs Poetry

Send videos of your poetry recitals to michael.tzipori@venturaedu.org

Create Your Own Poetry

Try this, Book Spine Poetry:

Try Slam Poetry

Slam poetry, a form of performance poetry that combines the elements of performance, writing, competition, and audience participation. It is performed at events called poetry slams, or simply slams. The name slam came from how the audience has the power to praise or, sometimes, destroy a poem and from the high-energy performance style of the poets.

Banales, Meliza. “Found Poem.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 4 Dec. 2016, www.britannica.com/art /found-poem.

HOW TO WRITE SLAM POETRY

Make your poetry slam original. The written piece must be original. The story being performed for competition needs to be your own work.
Pay attention to time. Each poet has 3 minutes to perform. While practicing your poem, time yourself to make sure you do not go over the time limit (poets lose points for going over 10 or more seconds!).
Keep it simple and relatable. Your poem should be able to reach your audience the first time it’s heard. Read and perform it for family & friends before competing. Ask them what is clear and what is not. Choose themes and subjects that many people can relate to, like relationships, politics, religion, insecurity, family-social issues, etc. Your poem should be clear and convey a message.
Perform with rhythm and passion. Your poem should have a rhythm that shows through your passionate performance. A slam poem moves the audience through different moods. How the poem is performed is at least as important as the content if not more (no pressure!). If performance isn't your strong suit, try out some of our tips for reading your poems out loud and get advice on stage fright from other slam poets.
Practice with Power Poetry. Submit your Slam Poem in a multimedia form to Power Poetry. Watch other slam poems for inspiration, to give/get feedback as you prepare for the stage! You can also compete in any of the open online poetry slams on Power Poetry's site.