2016 Love #5 Student Poetry

Poem written by students J.M. and B.W.:

2016 Love

Love is a rose that is so beautiful but has thorns that can be devastating

These roses are beautiful but after awhile they end up dying

The meaning of love is not true anymore

Love is like a firing squad you never know when they are going to shoot

Love is like a minefield some make it through and some don't

When you think it is going well

That's when it all goes wrong

It not real anymore

Love has become a game that people play

It has become the most lethal force on earth

If you ever want to die fall in love and you’ll get killed

Love is like sour patch kids sour sweet gone  

It like an explosion it's unpredictable

And can go wrong at anytime

Yet people still fall for its trick

Poem written by students S.G. and N.S.:

2016 Love

I love you more than Taylor Swift likes breaking hearts
And even though our relationship gets a bit weak like spotify’s single
I’ll never stop chasing you like Marlin chases Nemo
No matter what happens I’ll always erm…. usually choose you over good cell reception
Because girl you’ll always be the C-3PO to my R2-D2
We have the type of relationship that becomes insta-famous
We’re the straightish version of Ellen and Portia
And I know i’m no Abel Tesfaye because i definitely call BEFORE half past five and talk way longer
I hope you never leave me like Zayn left 1D
My love for you is like a unhealthy gaming addiction, I can never seem to get enough levels
But even though we don’t always work out like 1D harmonizing I’ll love you
I love you so much I send you a “I angle bracket 3 u” text every night
But even though your dad dislikes me i’d still text you till way past bedtime
And someday I want to be able to kneel and ask you to be my forever bae
So just so you know my love’s not going anywhere like a nokia phone

Romeo and Juliet, Asia Samson, Plus 2016 Love 1 #IgniteLearningBCPS

My English I students have been reading Romeo and Juliet, and we have been discussing their thoughts about the following statements:

My parents know more about love and relationships than I do.
You should never disobey your parents.

The students have both agreed and disagreed with these statements and devised some interesting arguments for and against.

We also looked to the text and discussed these lines:

Juliet about the Nurse, in Act II, Scene v: 

"Had she affections and warm youthful blood,

She would be as swift in motion as a ball;

My words would bandy her to my sweet love,

And his to me:

But old folks, many feign as they were dead;

Unwieldy, slow, heavy and pale as lead."

Romeo to Friar Laurence, in Act III, Scene iii:

"Thou canst not speak of that thou dost not feel:

Wert thou as young as I, Juliet thy love,

An hour but married, Tybalt murdered,

Doting like me and like me banished,

Then mightst thou speak, then mightst thou tear thy hair,

And fall upon the ground, as I do now,

Taking the measure of an unmade grave."

Many of the students stated that it is difficult for people their parents' ages to understand what today's teens experience because, according to them, the world is much different compared to the world during their parents teens.

Since most of their parents are in their forties, I decided we should look at teenage love from the perspective of the 1990s.  We viewed the following poem, "90s Love" by Asia Samson:

Students were then asked to write about love in 2016.  They were encouraged to use allusion, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, etc..

The following is the poem submitted by A.L. and G.B.:

2016 Love

Just remember I'll always love you like 2016.

I want to love you like Joel and Moriah.  

Snapping while sitting right beside each other.

Thinking maybe I should text you I love you.

Instagram becomes our love life.

Pinterest becomes my heart felt ideas.

I want you to be the Jay Z to my Beyonce.

I want you to be the John to my Chrissy.

I want to love you like 2016.

You need to be the William to my Kate.

Watch Netflix till 2 a.m.

Wondering when you’ll call.

Thinking you need to be more sensitive to my feelings.

Buy me pretzels and ice cream.

You are the peanut butter to my jelly.

The ketchup to my mustard.

I wanna love you like 2016.

You can be the Luke to my Courtney.

I want you to be the Alex to my Sierra.

We’ll listen to songs that we both like.