1st Grade Poem Written in Ms. Regina DeNatale's First Grade Class at Greenville School, Autumn 2000. My Mom Moms are nice. My mom loves me. She can make a magazine about me — Greg! My mom is the greatest. Isn't she? The things moms can do: hug, help, love, give, work, kiss. 2nd Grade Poems Written in Ms. Julie Taylor's Second Grade class at Greenville School, Spring 2002. I am what? I am quiet to an elephant stomping through the forest         like a building falling down. I am old to a wall vine with a stem like a worm squidging around. I am young to a wooly mammoth with tusks curvy         like snakes slithering around. I am small to a tree tall like a building. I am slow to a cheetah who runs like the speed of lightning. I am fast to a sloth slow like a car pulling out of the driveway. Pizza Stinks I love my piece of pizza with its triangle shape. Wait a second — Oh my! I am a triangle! I'm going into my father's mouth. Oh no, I'm in his mouth. Ahhhhh, my head is the crust. The cheese is covering my body. Oh goodness, I no longer have arms or legs. Think of this: I've already been digested. I now hate pizza. Things Teach Me A bull teaches me to be determined and angry when necessary. A rock teaches me to be bulky. A squirrel teaches me to be afraid when it climbs up a tree. An elephant teaches me to be excited when it stomps through the forest. A walk in the forest at Pound Ridge teaches me to be happy. Collecting rocks at the playground teaches me to be able to have fun. Thinking about how trees can die teaches me to be sad. Silver I am silver. When I am sad, I am being polluted by a soda can. When I am tired, I am ice, and people are skating on me. When I am happy, I am on the back of a CD. When I am proud, I am a beautiful flash of lightning. I am silver. The color of sparkles. O soul = blue When I am calm, I am a lake. When I'm sad, I am the rain. When I am happy, I am the sky. The King of Snakes He slithers as quiet as the calm sea. He swallows his prey whole and alive. He comes up quietly behind you and the next thing you know — you're dead. For he is the anaconda. The king of snakes. If you see one, hide, for he will see you. The Wind I am the wind. The cool breezes I blow make children happy. When I'm mad I make it cold enough to make it snow. I used to be mean. Then I came to earth and became kind. Before I was the wind, I was the earth's atmosphere and was still. I moved by watching things on earth. I am the wind. The wind happy and strong. Edited only for spelling and punctuation by Greg's Dad.