Artists may be inspired by any of the following poems!
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“I believe in a childhood”
I believe in a childhood promised with life;
Capable of fighting for a better world;
Where we all have the same opportunities;
Where borders do not exist and race, color and religion don’t matter.
I believe in a childhood that doesn’t lose its aspirations;
That fights for its dreams, learns from its mistakes;
Celebrates its small accomplishments;
And never loses hope.
I believe in a childhood that laughs about yesterday;
Loves its today;
And is always working toward making a better tomorrow;
Live happily and never lose your childlike soul.
Together we will break down the walls,
And succeed in having the world we all long for;
A world for which we will never stop fighting.
By Karla Z., Age 10
“Flower, Flower”
Flower, flower!
Great and big!
Happy colors!
Indigo, red, violet too!
Everything I wrote I love it too!
By Isabel B., Age 10
“Writing a Poem”
Sitting in a room
With a letter in her hand
Hoping her friend will come back
Then they can write poems
Together
As their friendship grows
By Samantha L., Age 9
“My Power”
My power is my
SUPER STRENGTH.
I can help people
When they get stuck.
I push,
I pull,
I lift,
I drag,
I kick,
I throw.
If I had SUPER STRENGTH,
I would help the world.
By Eric H-P., Age 10
“The Oohs and Aahs”
As the crowd ooohs and aaahs,
My
Heart feels like it mirrors the explosion
Happening above me.
A reflection.
Of the bursts of color, the loud booms,
And then the darkness that divides time.
Spectacular man-made. Exploding rockets defy
Gravity.
The pieces seem to float in the sky.
Little colorful stars that refuse to go out.
They jump and play in my imagination.
It’s a thrilling show and everyone is held in a trace as we gasp
And wait and wait for the next one.
By Michael M., Age 10
“The Last Leaf on the Tree”
The last leaf on the tree
Struggled through all the storms
Covered by snow
Struck by lightning
The last leaf on the tree
Waited for Spring.The last leaf
On the treeFreezing, andWigglyLike a baby toothHanging by the tip.Hoping it willNot fallAnd be forgottenByIt’s lovingMotherTree.By Elizabeth D., Age 10
“Antarctica”
Antarctica
Is as cold as a freezer
Antarctica
Was a big block of ice
Antarctica
Is white like a cloudy polar bear
Antarctica
Feels like a cool, cool breeze in the air
Antarctica
Tastes like coldness that sticks to your tongue
Antarctica
Is a place you never want to live
Antarctica
Is for penguins to flap their feet
Antarctica.
By Guillermo R., Age 9
“My Heart”
My heart is like lava from the deep, deep volcano
It burns and it’s so hot
It reminds me of the time when I got burned by the oven
It makes me feel like hot fudge on ice cream.
I want to put more lava in my heart.
By David R., Age 9
“My Voice”
My voice is a clock ticking
It tells people it’s time to get off the streets
My voice is an encouraging person
It reminds people to take care of the Earth
My voice is a journey
It inspired my writing to be something discovered
By Mercedes B-D., Age 9
“A Sliced Cucumber”
A sliced cucumber is a lily pad.
It is like a little plate
for a leprechaun to sit on.All of a sudden,
A frog ate the plate.
Now, no more lily pad
For a leprechaun to sit on.By Arlene D., Age 10
“My Feelings”
My anger is like a vicious stampede of rhinos
My happiness is like a newborn baby
My joy is seeing an old friend
My sadness is like a predator hunting their prey
My hope is like God, hoping we will all be good
My fear is like a cheetah far away from us
My love is like a dark hole
My disappointment is like my coach yelling at me
My feelings are like me writing poetry
By Adam O., Age 12
“My Mom”
My emotions are stirring because my mom is in Iraq.
She is fighting with guns firing at her.
She is fighting for her life and for people’s freedom.
And when she comes home I will welcome her with open arms.
My mom is the best mom someone could ever have.
By Taylor H., Age 13
“Without the Sun”
Without the sun a race just isn’t won
I am just done
The sky isn’t blue
One plus one just isn’t two
Without the sun I’m powerless
New York city is tower less
Without the sun, life lacks to be grown
Broadway refuses to be shown
It’s so cold like a stone
Hurts like a broken bone
Each and every day I would wonder why
Above seems like under
I wader and ponder looking for the sun
Because I know without it
I am just done
By Andres G., Age 13
“Snow Flake”
Round and soft, light and wet
Cold, white, sensitive and small
Snowflake on my cheek
By Vivian R., Age 11
“Waterfalls”
Waterfalls are crystal clear.
They calm you down, soothing you so fast.
It’s a never ending thing.
It makes you feel fresh!
It’s always blue.
By Nicole R., Age 11
“You don’t need…”
You don’t need to smile to be friendly.
You don’t need to see the beauty in a rainbow to see that life has beautiful colors.
You don’t need to fall in order to know you can lift yourself up.
You don’t need to have doubts to listen to good advice.
You do not need to receive in order to give.
You do not need candy and toys to have a happy childhood.
You don’t need to see the leaves fall to know that autumn exists.
You do not need to feel lonely to seek out company.
You don’t need praise in order to believe in yourself.
You don’t need be an author to write about your life;
Nor a great sculptor to make your life a work of art.
You do not need the night to know that dreams exist
And that they can become a reality!
By Karla Z., Age 10
“Planet Zgorn”
On the Planet Zgorn,
The ground is sharper than a rose’s thorn.
I saw some aliens swarm.
They were eating all of my corn.
They were full of scorn.
So be careful in the morn,
If you go to the Planet Zgorn.
You have been warned.
By Abdiel A., Age 9
“The Doofies”
On Planet Doof
There are Doofies
That are mini and goofy.
Their heads are big and loopy.
They make a sound that is woofy.
Although they are mini and goofy,
They are evil and snoopy.
So think about how you are going to act
When you see the Planet Doof
With its Doofies.
By Carlos E., Age 10
“Click Clock”
Click Clock
People walk
Around the block
Going to the park
Dog bark
People snore
And the roar
Choo choo
Bear boo
Vroom knock
Then they stop.
By Alfredo A., Age 10
“Today my name is”
Today my name is: Survivor
I feel all my responsibilities must be accomplished.
I pretend all my failures are a myth.
Yesterday my name was: Rainbow
I heard open sounds for the future.
I found a path to an imaginative life.
Tomorrow my name will be: Viper
I will forget all my laziness in the past.
I will remember the value of life.
By Lauren L., Age 10
“The Red Monster”
Red is for monsters,
Ugly monsters,
In red shirts.
Red destroys other colors,
Except black.
Red and black are friends.
A little red devil,
A big black hole.
Never mess with an ugly red monster.
By Ricardo F, age 11
“The Tree”
The tree is twisty and old
It blows in the wind changing colors
As the days pass
It drops leaves as they change
Red, yellow, orange
Soon it will be crushed
By the weight of your shoe
The tree is changing
And the season is too
By Jessica R., age 11
“Girls” (Haiku poem)
I like to draw things.
Girls are very smart and brave.
We can play soccer.
By Cassandra A., age 11
"A Falling Star"
I saw a star that slides down the sky,
Blinding down south as I passed by
Too quick and too burning to hold,
Too lovely to become old or to be sold.
Good for only to make nice and beautiful wishes on…
And then forever to be gone.
By Rebecca G., age 10
"Color Me Poem"
Red sounds like a fire engine.
Red tastes like an apple.
Red smells like a strawberry.
Red looks like a flower.
Red feels like love and a heart.
Red moves like a soccer ball.
By Noemy S., age 9
"When An Angel Sings"
Tears dropping, lives stopping,
A bee sting,
All of this would not make an angel sing.
Roses dying, babies crying,
Rain dropping, love stopping
Would not make an angel sing.
Babies born, field of new corn,
A wedding ring
Would probably make an angel sing
Life carried on, love wandering around
People caring, love God pondering down
Would make an angel sing.
By Kayla S., age 10
"Blue"
My favorite color is blue.
It sounds like big ocean waves.
It tastes like delicious blueberry pie with ice cream on top.
It smells like a carnation, fresh from the farm.
It looks like a bird tweeting in the tree.
It feels like very soft towel when I take a bath.
By Lauren K., age 9
“I Am”
I am a pizza with pepperoni.
I am a window.
I am a worker.
I am crazy like a fire.
I wish I could drive a car.
I am a pocket full of money.
I am black.
I am a poet.
By Dominick B., age 10
“My Sadness”
My sadness is like an old dog
Who lays down and sleeps all day.
And
It reminds me of the time
My aunt came to visit us.
And
She had to return to Puerto Rico
It made me feel lonely.
And
I want to cry, cry, cry.
By Millianiz A., Age 10
“My Anger”
My anger is like a popped balloon
It bursts and screeches
It reminds me of the times when
My siste hits me
It makes me feel like I want to
EXPLODE!
By Alena W., Age 9
“My Heart”
My Heart
My heart is marching
It makes everything faster.
My heart is an art masterpiece
It grows more valuable every year.
My heart is a gift.
I give it to my friends and family.
By Janessa R., Age 9
“Shoes”
Shoes, everybody wears them.
Nobody shares them.
Some throw them away.
Others keep them for another day.
Some buy a new pair,
Hoping that they don’t tear.
Some take good care of them.
Others act like a bear with them.
Some try to collect them.
Others try to protect them.
Some think they make them run fast.
But in a race they come last.
I see a nurse
She’s wearing Converse.
In the old times Montezuma
He probably wore Puma
Everybody wears shoes.
By Ben C., Age 11
“Without the Sun”
It will be night, no light
It will be black and white
Day and night
Without the sun
There will only be starlight
Not sunlight
Without the sun
There will be no light
To write the end of
This poem
By Sergio V., Age 11
“Waiting for the Bus in the Pouring Rain”
It’s Pouring outside.
I am not having fun.
Still waiting for the bus,
Makes me glum.
All alone,
Waiting for fun
And maybe some sun.
By Kiara M., Age 9
“Purse”
Look, look
At that beautiful purse
Twinkling, sparkling with a rainbow of colors
My eyes want it
It does! It does!
But Oh My!
Look at the price
It’s way too much
But still is nice!
By Kelia C., Age 10
“Princess”
Oh princess locked in the tower
I wish I could give you some kind of power
Maybe even a wish flower
To free you from the tower
It was tragic but now she’s free
Princess can live with me
I gave her the power of her dreams
Now the princess has lots of steam
She has it all, it seems
We even walk to the stream
And saw the flower
That set her free
By Jasmine G., Age 8
"Streets"
The books tell me what’s right
The streets tell me what’s wrong.
I am a young pretty girl, so
I’ve got to be strong.
Every time I try to tell you what’s right,
It ends up wrong.
I have to stay strong.
The books help me stay strong.
The streets make me do wrong.
The streets are not for me.
Some people love the streets,
and some people love school
You will tell me what’s right,
and I will tell you what’s wrong.
No streets for me.
Just school for me.
By Brishauna C., age 11
“Bobby Bliss”
I think that I shall never kiss
A boy as terrible as Bobby Bliss.
He smells so bad just like a skunk.
I wish I could lock him in my trunk.
I will take him to a fancy dance.
Put him in a box and mail him to France.
And once I get rid of him,
I’ll make a date with Jungle Jim
We’ll go to Pulaski and take a swim.
By Citlali V., age 10
"Rainbow"
Blue makes me lazy
Pink makes me bored
Black makes me sleepy
And yellow makes me hot.
Red makes me mad
White makes me forget
Orange makes me crazy
And gray makes me ugly.
But a rainbow… A rainbow makes me joyful
By Eric P., age 10
"Mighty Pine Tree"
A mighty pine tree, that’s me.
Every branch holds special memories that I hold year round.
My roots are firmly in the ground.
Which contains my parents love and
The special events that have shaped my life.
Children will fall from my branches
And live their new lives.
By Citlali V., age 10
"Black"
Black as a bear
Black as the sky at night
Black as a beast – scary in the night
Black as stripes on a zebra
Black as a chalkboard
Black as the street we drive on
Black as my hat I wear every day
Black as an owl sitting in a tree
Black as a bumblebee’s body
Black as me!
By Elijah C., age 10
“My Favorite Seasons”
Fall is brown.
Fall is a frown.
Fall is when I get found.
Fall is when people lose one pound.
Spring is yellow.
Spring is mellow.
Spring is when I make jello.
Spring is when people say “hello”.
Winter is white.
Winter is bright.
Winter makes people stay up all night.
Winter has not enough light.
Summer is green.
Summer is not mean.
Summer tells people not to wear jeans.
Summer makes a beautiful queen.
Seasons are wonderful.
Seasons are beautiful.
Seasons do make people love them.
I like seasons because they are colorful.
By Carlos R., age 11
“My Soul”
My soul is like the deep depths of the ocean, so dark and heavenly mysterious.
My soul has a god-like contour; its transparent figure is as light as a gentle feather.
My soul is my own beliefs; it spreads its own perfectly independent way of living.
My soul is my own eternal rage; it never stops, it never will.
My soul
By Jeffrey B., age 12
“Black”
Black is my favorite color.
Black is as black as a cat.
Black may be death but to me it’s love.
Black may be goth but it’s really a color.
Black is on my fingers, black is on my toes.
Black is a bat, but it’s really a hat.
Black is beautiful, black is romantic.
Black is black and it is my favorite color.
By Jordan D., age 11
“I AM”
I am a bunny because I am funny.
I am a pear because I am fair.
I am sweet, silly, and smart.
I am not ugly, stupid or mean.
I am water because I am smarter.
I am a star because I do all my work.
I am me!
By Ashlee C., age 8
“PINECONE”
P retty
I nteresting
N eat
E exciting
C ool
O bject
N ice
E vergreen
By Mason O., age 10
"Community"
C are
O bey
M ake friends
M eet new faces
U se your manners
N eat neighborhood
I nconsiderate neighbors, Yuk!
T reat community with care
Y you are responsible for your community too!
By Sophia O., age 10
"What I have Inside Me"
I have a butterfly in me
That loves to fly around me
That cannot stop giving joy to me
That is bright like the morning sunshine
That always makes me happy.
By Diana A., age 10
"Little Big Man"
I'm Cordell Nichols and I don't like pickles
I hear a lot of good things about me
One day I want to hear some of those things on TV
I see my family when I go home
I have been waiting to see them all along
I'm smart, brave and strong
And that is how I act all day long
I dream of being in the NBA
Everybody wants to be something someday
I try to make a difference in my life
And my community
I'm A Little Big Man.
By Cordell N., age 10
"Color Poem"
Red is my favorite color.
It sounds like a heart beating fast.
Tasted like apples, smells like roses.
I love roses!
The color red looks like a red stop sign.
It feels like fire and red nail polish.
It moves like red cars zooming past my face.
By Taylor B., age 9
"Spring"
Crystal clear water falling from the gray dark sky.
Sparkling tears from children.
After the rain is gone, a beautiful, colorful rainbow comes out.
Everyone comes out and enjoys this moment.
By Justin C., age 11
“What if there was a frog that was a DJ?”
What if there was a frog that was a DJ?
It would be slippery.
It would be noisy.
It would be weird.
He would play swamp music.
What if there was a frog that was a DJ?
By Josue B., age 10
“Pink”
Love is pink like a rose.
It tickles through my heart.
It reminds me of a first snowfall.
It makes me feel like a princess.
It makes me want to sing like Hilary Duff.
By Cinthia T. age 9
“I AM”
I am proud that I have a family, friends, and a place to sleep at night,
I am a cheetah, fast and fierce.
I am excited for Saturdays because of the fun weekends I have.
I am also cozy slippers because they are nice and soft.
I am pink because it is bright and beautiful.
I wish I had puppies so my dog won’t be lonely.
By Deja C., age 10
“I Will Be Many Things”
I am a turtle with a tough shell to protect myself.
I am a bag of chips with many different feelings inside of me.
I am a sandal that is free and can breathe.
I am green because I sway like the grass.
I am fall…covered by leaves.
I am a decagon because I have many choices.
I am a scream that travels many places.
I am the sun that shines in the morning.
I will be many things 20 years from now.
I am Ben.
By Ben C., age 10
America SCORES Milwaukee | 7101 W Good Hope Road | Milwaukee, WI 53223 | 414.358.2510
© 2010 America SCORES Milwaukee
Art, Inspired by Kids
The SCORES Inspired Art Project takes poems produced by SCORES youth and asks artists to create one of a kind pieces inspired by their words. As a part of a new annual tradition, each piece will be photographed and compiled in a graphic collection of SCORES art and imagery. The project offers a new way to bring the words of SCORES youth to life. Submitted and accepted pieces will be featured in the SCORES auction on October 22nd, 2010. Even if you are not an artist, you can be involved by reading the poems and sharing in the beauty of the art. By participating in this cycle of inspiration, you are giving a child a chance to be heard and recognized. You are helping to create something beautiful.
inspiration, noun (ĭn’spə-rā’shən)
1. Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity. 2. An agency, such as a person or work of art, that moves the intellect or emotions or prompts action or invention. 3. Something, such as a sudden creative act or idea, that is inspired. 4. The quality of inspiring or exalting: a painting full of inspiration. 5. Divine guidance or influence exerted directly on the mind and soul of humankind. 6. The act of drawing in, especially the inhalation of air into the lungs.
Inspired Art Planning Committee
Rania Dempsey
Joel Hamann
Jeanne Jaskolski
Jill Kudick
Debbie Schaefer
Tricia Shinners
2010 Featured Artists
David Lenz
John Colt
Jerome Latawiec
Sally Wozniak
Anonymous Artists
