With Hallowe'en almost here, I though you might enjoy these two 'creepy' poems... The first poem, Siren Song, is by one of my favourite writers (poets), Margaret Atwood. She is Canadian and lives right here in Toronto. If you click on the link, you can hear her introduce her poem and then read it to you herself! You have to read/listen carefully; it does not rhyme and I think it is both mysterious and unpredictable (maybe that is why I like it so much! :) The Witch is a rhyming poem...and, by the way, "cowslips" are a kind of wildflower, in case you were wondering. What do you think about these poems? Next time, I think we will be writing some poems of our own...Hope you enjoy them!
If you listen to the link, Margaret Atwood explains who the "Sirens" were.
Siren Song
by Margaret Atwood
This is the one song everyone
would like to learn: the song
that is irresistible:
the song that forces men
to leap overboard in squadrons
even though they see beached skulls
the song nobody knows
because anyone who had heard it
is dead, and the others can’t remember.
Shall I tell you the secret
and if I do, will you get me
out of this bird suit?
I don’t enjoy it here
squatting on this island
looking picturesque and mythical
with these two feathery maniacs,
I don’t enjoy singing
this trio, fatal and valuable.
I will tell the secret to you,
to you, only to you.
Come closer. This song
is a cry for help: Help me!
Only you, only you can,
you are unique
at last. Alas
it is a boring song
but it works every time.
Now, here is the second poem:
The Witch
by Percy H. Ilott
I saw her plucking cowslips,
And marked her where she stood:
She never knew I watched her
While hiding in the wood.
Her skirt was brightest crimson,
And black her steeple hat,
Her broomstick lay beside her --
I'm positive of that.
Her chin was sharp and pointed,
Her eyes were -- I don't know --
For, when she turned towards me --
I thought it best to go!
look at the followers
ReplyDeleteWelcome to our new followers, Mr. Martella and Ashvin :)
ReplyDeleteI really liked those 2 poems! They were great, only I couldn't really get the Song, but any ways it was a fun poem. Now I really liked The Witch. It made me feel like at a graveyard at night, at a windy and a dark time. Then, then a WITCH! The design was really good. These 2 poems were really good!
ReplyDeleteI like the first poem better than the second because witchs CREEP ME OUT!!!!!!! I think the 1st poem is about this person who got turned into a bird and he is asking your help to recue him/her. I've got another spooky poem for you. It's called When The Owl Howls:
ReplyDeleteIn the dark, in the lonely forest
lives an evil owl
he only comes out at Hallowe'en nights
so you'd better watch out
he eats brains and liver
so if you ever
see him it's probably best
if you RUN!!
Please comment yes if you like it or no if you don't.
Yes! Great, very creepy job, Arafat! :)
ReplyDeleteI like how "liver" and "ever" work. I actually love owls, but this one is best to avoid...Thanks for posting!!!
Dear Mrs. Kutertan, this poem is funny (The Witch). It is funny because he/she has a long pointy chin. We don't like the Siren Song poem, because it doesn't tell you that much.
ReplyDeleteYou two are a little difficult to please - finally 2 poems about women! :) I hope you will listen to Siren Song at home (too bad the recording is not working at school...) You both love to draw, why not draw a picture of The Witch as she is described in the poem? I'll try to post it...
ReplyDeleteI liked the poems, they were creepy, but it was hard to understand them. The Witch was fun to read, it was interesting and a little creepy. I like them. Another poem I know, from Erfan:
ReplyDeleteWhere is pinky, where is pinky
here I am, here I am,
How are you today sir?
very well today sir,
run away, run away!
This week my favorite poem was The Witch. The only reason that was my favourite poem was because it was a rhyming poem and I like poems that rhyme. The Siren song reminded me of Narnia because the person in the poem feels like he or she is mythical. I wanted to watch the video for the poem Siren Song but it didnt work .
ReplyDeleteThanks Erfan, yes we learn poems from the time we are very young! Here, Pinky is running away, too (just like the person in The Witch). I never understood why Pinky runs away in this poem...
ReplyDeleteMrs. Kutertan, both of the poems are really great. I like The Witch so much.
ReplyDeleteWe like the poem The Witch, but it was soooooo long and the beginning of it was so dual, but after all, it's a pretty good poem.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your ideas! What do you mean about it being "dual", I like this expression a lot :)
ReplyDeleteThe thing that I like about this poem is that like most poems it rhymes. That's the thing I look for most in a poem, does it rhyme or not. I've noticed that when I read poems like this one, it sounds mysterious and intense. So another thing I like about this poem is how it explains the witch like she had a pointed chin and how her hat was and how she was cloaked.
ReplyDeleteI think this poem is about a witch who is watering her food and plants.
ReplyDeleteI like both of the poems because the first one I think is about a man who needs help and is on a random island and people are rude and he doesn't know them. And the second poem is the guy who is spying on the witch. He's a spy and the witch maybe did something to him or she tries to do.
ReplyDeleteNice job inferencing, Nedim. You are really trying to make sense of these poems and the first one is tricky. Thanks for putting some good thought into it this week! :)
ReplyDeleteI think that the poems are scary and very good for Hallowe'en. I think that they are interesting for our class and even for Mr. Martella.
ReplyDeleteI think that a little girl is picking flowers and an old woman is watching her in the woods. So she sees her and the little girl sees the witch and so she runs.
ReplyDeleteThey are both creepy, but I like The Witch, because I like witches and it's good. I've got a poem, too. It's called Money Ghost. (** please post this again, Rami) And I have another called Tree.
ReplyDeleteA tree stands on the street
and steals anything that walks
We like this poem, because it is about Hallowe'en and about witches. We think that person hiding in the woods is scared of the witch, but doesn't make a sound because if the witch heard her/him, the witch will put a spell, potion or some kind of magic on them that will be bad. Now we are going to post on the Siren Song: We like that this poem is about a mysterious creature. We really like mysterious poems, because you never know what will happen next. Well, that's all we're gonna write.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good poem because it's about Hallowe'en and Hallowe'en is almost HERE! I hope this is on tv in every country and city. It reminds me of something about a war somehow, but I think it's a good poem. That's all.
ReplyDeleteYou are all getting better and better at commenting! You are inferencing and making great connections, too. Well done, everybody! :)
ReplyDeleteThese poems certainly have some CREEPY WOMEN! I personally love the second poem because it's hysterical, but I'd have to say that the first poem is my favourite. It seems very cryptic, but I do know the legend of the Sirens, so I'm sure that helped my understanding a bit. :) Love the commented poems, too! (VERY HALLOWE'EN!) I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! Look forward to more creepy poems! (YIKES!!!!) *Runs To Hide Under Blanket...*
ReplyDelete