Our students at Ascend Elementary School in Oakland wrote and performed this group poem as part of December's Expo. Thanks to Oakland Leaf for running this great after-school program and for giving us the opportunity to work with these young writers! (Note: The bold text at the beginning and end of the poem was said together as a group.)
Soy de aquí y soy de allá.
I am from here and I am from there.
1. (Briceyda)
I am from a place where there is a lot of music
My mom is from Mexico and my dad is from Mexico too
Where there is lightning that turns the sky bright
2. (Sarah)
I am from Oakland.
My family is from Guatemala.
I am from the taste of lemons.
3. (Shantal)
I am from the game of tag and basketball
And from arts and crafts,
From calm music
Y pepinos con sal, limon, y chile
4. (Marlyn)
Soy de Oakland.
Soy de arte.
Mis padres son de Guatemala.
Me gusta el color verde.
5. (Lucas)
I am from a green house with bright colors:
Red, blue, white, brown, and pink.
We all live together:
Mom, dad, brother, sister, and grandma.
6. (Xochitl)
I am from Oakland.
I am from my sister’s bedroom.
We came from a turquoise house.
7. (D’angelo)
I am from a blue house with lots of toys
My dad is from Honduras
My mom is from California
And we all love each other
8. (Amy)
Soy de Oakland California
My mom and dad are from Mexico
Se movieron en una brown house
Y después en una rosita casita
9. (Keyla)
I am from the sun.
My house is as bright as a rainbow.
10. (Nagely)
I am from Oakland.
My family is from El Salvador.
My niece is from El Salvador and Mexico.
The colors of El Salvador are Blue and White.
The colors of Mexico are red, white, and green.
11. (Karen)
Soy de Guatemala
Where the flag is blue and white.
Soy de Oakland
Where there are lots of buildings.
Soy de Ascend
Where there are many classes and kids.
We are from here and we are from there.
Somos de aquí y somos de allá.
¡Somos Ascend!