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!
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I hear Arapahoe singing
ReplyDeletepeople talking, unaware of their surroundings
people listening, aware of their surroundings
I hear Arapahoe singing
ReplyDeleteMarching through the halls
Loud and proud
Walking tall
I hear Arapahoe singing
ReplyDeleteeveryday
students listen
lessons taught
I hear Arapahoe singing
ReplyDeletefrom the halls to chipotle
students talk
students listen
I hear Arapahoe singing
ReplyDeletefrom class to class blabbering about their gossip
The bell rings and the whistle sounds
Practice time
I hear Arapahoe singing
ReplyDeleteMurmurs through the halls
Guys talking sports
Girls talking nails
And that my friends is all
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ReplyDeleteI hear Arapahoe singing,the elegant melodies I hear
ReplyDeleteThose of the scholars, with their thoughts racing
The teachers composing class
Signing their melodies with open ears and minds.
I hear Arapahoe singing,
ReplyDeleteI hear and feel each moment,
Life is no longer passing me by.
I hear Arapahoe Singing
ReplyDeleteFrom class to class
A new song is sung
I hear Arapahoe singing
ReplyDeleteThe crowded noisy halls
Lockers slaming
And gossip floating about
I hear Arapahoe singing,
ReplyDeleteThe 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.
I hear Arapahoe singing,
ReplyDeleteThe melody's a constant flow.
The sound of gossip,
The stress of the students,
Drown the halls.
I hear Arapahoe singing,
ReplyDeletemixed 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.
I hear Arapahoe singing,
ReplyDeletethe 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.
I hear Arapahoe Sing
ReplyDeleteSinging of hardship
Singing of challenges
Singing of struggles
But most of all singing of friends
and Singing of happiness
I hear Arapahoe singing
ReplyDeleteGossip 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
I hear Arapahoe singing
ReplyDeletethe 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
I hear Arapahoe singing
ReplyDeleteabsent 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.
I hear Arapahoe singing,
ReplyDeleteThe 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.
I hear Arapahoe singing,
ReplyDeleteSinging 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.
I hear Arapahoe singing,
ReplyDeletethe clicks clashing
the students stressing
the lunch bell relieving
I hear Arapahoe singing
ReplyDeleteThe lockers slamming
The bells ringing
The teacher's heels clicking
The student's laughing
The pencil's writting
The clock's ticking
I hear Arapahoe singing
ReplyDeletethe 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
I hear Arapahoe singing
ReplyDeleteAn 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.
I hear Araphahoe singing
ReplyDeleteFrom men to boy and girl to woman
Guidance and care coming from the heart
The song of maturity
I hear Arapahoe singing
ReplyDeleteIn 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.