Monday, February 22, 2010

I Hear Arapahoe Singing

Think about what you and your partner analyzed today while reading Walt Whitman's poem "I Hear America Singing."

As a class, we're going to compose our own version of "I Hear America Singing"; our version is called, "I Hear Arapahoe Singing." Please add your own verse in your own voice to this poem. You can add a single line, or you can add an entire stanza. The tone is up to you.

Enjoy!

27 comments:

  1. I hear Arapahoe singing
    people talking, unaware of their surroundings
    people listening, aware of their surroundings

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  2. I hear Arapahoe singing
    Marching through the halls
    Loud and proud
    Walking tall

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  3. I hear Arapahoe singing
    everyday
    students listen
    lessons taught

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  4. I hear Arapahoe singing
    from the halls to chipotle
    students talk
    students listen

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  5. I hear Arapahoe singing
    from class to class blabbering about their gossip
    The bell rings and the whistle sounds
    Practice time

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  6. I hear Arapahoe singing
    Murmurs through the halls
    Guys talking sports
    Girls talking nails
    And that my friends is all

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  8. I hear Arapahoe singing,the elegant melodies I hear
    Those of the scholars, with their thoughts racing
    The teachers composing class
    Signing their melodies with open ears and minds.

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  9. I hear Arapahoe singing,
    I hear and feel each moment,
    Life is no longer passing me by.

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  10. I hear Arapahoe Singing
    From class to class
    A new song is sung

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  11. I hear Arapahoe singing
    The crowded noisy halls
    Lockers slaming
    And gossip floating about

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  12. I hear Arapahoe singing,
    The loud drone of teen strife and success
    Bellowing off dull yellow walls and checkered floors,
    That proclaim the monotony of existence in these halls,
    The cycle of bells dinging, boy-men and women-girls screaming for attention,
    Teachers teaching lessons above the maturity of their classes, Stress building up,
    Like the drum roll before an execution.

    The ‘happy’ pretenders who go about their lies
    Smiling. For all the world to see they are happy
    Aside from the Hell flame scorching through their eyes.

    The outcasts by choice
    Defying, rebelling, expelling, repelling, each for their own reason
    Who scream with each pound of heart beating “Leave Me Be.”

    The rejects rejected at first sight
    Those passing under the radar without a second glance
    Those trampled on and over, passed back and forth to the chant of
    “Red rover, red rover send Anyone Else over”

    The careless and unmotivated that drift, eyes glazed,
    Mind surrounded by a thick haze of “why should I”.
    Those who care excessively, straining under magnified weight
    And failing to separate what matters from
    What does not.
    And those who lie in between the lines of ‘excel’ and ‘get by’.

    I hear Arapahoe singing their mangled, discordant song
    Of two thousand voices screaming out questions
    With eyes taped shut and ears plugged tight,
    Wondering why no one cares to answer them.

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  13. I hear Arapahoe singing,
    The melody's a constant flow.
    The sound of gossip,
    The stress of the students,
    Drown the halls.

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  14. I hear Arapahoe singing,
    mixed molodys of all whom go,
    the gelatinous tone floating from every wich way I know.
    I hear Arapahoe talking,
    held tight and vast away.
    I hear Arapahoe wispering,
    true and hard to hold.
    I her yelling,
    yearning for something more...
    I hear Arapahoe singing,
    but I can hear her sing no more.

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  15. I hear Arapahoe singing,
    the same songs from years before
    the low murmur of secrets to one another
    the loud shouting of hellos
    and the silence of hidden misery deep within.

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  16. I hear Arapahoe Sing
    Singing of hardship
    Singing of challenges
    Singing of struggles
    But most of all singing of friends
    and Singing of happiness

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  17. I hear Arapahoe singing
    Gossip in the halls
    People talking, shouting about nothing at all.
    People going through their busy days,
    Stressed,flustered and sometimes confused
    Making up stories just to amuse
    I hear Arapahoe singing,
    of whatever we dream.
    Sometimes about ups and sometimes of downs
    But no matter what Arapahoe sings of...
    We cotinue progressing and following our dreams

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  18. I hear Arapahoe singing
    the tune is one that we all know
    we take pride in one another
    and lift each other up
    But this tune is never ending
    and will continue throughout the years to come

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  19. I hear Arapahoe singing
    absent melodies,
    muddled melodies,
    they sing artificially,
    they are blind.
    Reality strikes a monotonous chord
    as living becomes difficult,
    this song will change.
    Transcend.
    I hear Arapahoe singing...
    singing of redundancy and ignorance.

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  20. I hear Arapahoe singing,
    The stress on everyones faces,
    the hurt in everyones hearts,
    the hugs to heal,
    the love of friends,
    and the hearts to mend,
    we Warriors take care of eachother.

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  21. I hear Arapahoe singing,
    Singing of fear,
    Fear of what we can become
    both good and bad.

    Fear of what we can accomplish together
    and what we can accomplish alone.

    Fear of the power we have to change lives
    to build up our community and each other.

    Fear of the past.

    Fear of the present.

    Fear of the future.

    Fear of ability we have to change the world.

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  22. I hear Arapahoe singing,
    the clicks clashing
    the students stressing
    the lunch bell relieving

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  23. I hear Arapahoe singing
    The lockers slamming
    The bells ringing
    The teacher's heels clicking
    The student's laughing
    The pencil's writting
    The clock's ticking

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  24. I hear Arapahoe singing
    the students yelling to each other in the hustle
    the bell notifying the beginning and end of class
    the teachers babbling as
    the students whisper
    the choir singing
    the band playing
    Mr. Booth talking in his authoritative voice

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  25. I hear Arapahoe singing
    An orchestra of sound.
    A cry of hope and despair
    As we trudge through our struggles.

    Yet the music always changes
    For a new and joyful sound
    Plays its notes of happiness
    Overpowering the pain.

    We join together as one
    Holding each other up.
    We can choose to be successful
    Or we can choose to fade away.

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  26. I hear Araphahoe singing
    From men to boy and girl to woman
    Guidance and care coming from the heart
    The song of maturity

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  27. I hear Arapahoe singing
    In the morning they are mumbled and quiet
    But through the day they grow louder.
    Everyone singing their own melody,
    From beautiful sweet songs of success
    To cry's of struggle and confusion.
    But at the end of the day
    Everyone joins together into one
    And sing the song of Freedom from Arapahoe.

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