Ms. Collier’s English II students wrote these odes as part of a unit on poetry.
ODE TO BALTIMORE
by Darius Brown
(1) Oh yes, Baltimore, thou city of the tide,
(2) Where Inner Harbor’s waters softly glide,
(3) The streets with history richly laced,
(4) A mosaic of time, of dreams embraced.
(5) The scent of crabs and briny air,
(6) Mixes with the hum of markets fair,
(7) And rowhouses stand in quiet grace,
(8) With brick and mortar, each has its place.
(9) From Fell’s Point’s cobblestone embrace,
(10) To Hampden’s charm, a quirky trace,
(11) Your heart beats loud in every street,
(12) Where past and present, worlds do meet.
(13) Beneath your skyline, tall and proud,
(14) The Baltimore breeze is never loud,
(15) It whispers tales of ships long gone,
(16) Of pioneers who journeyed on.
(17) Your ballpark calls to every fan,
(18) With cheers that echo through the land,
(19) The Orioles, in orange and black,
(20) Play under skies where clouds turn back.
(21) But oh, it’s not just sport or shore,
(22) Your spirit pulses, rich and pure—
(23) The music, art, and poet’s song,
(24) Are woven deep where you belong.
(25) The museums hold your stories true,
(26) The Walters’ art, the BMA’s view,
(27) While Edgar Allan Poe once found his rest,
(28) Among your stones, forever blessed.
(29) In winter’s chill or summer’s heat,
(30) Your people’s hearts continue to beat—
(31) From Canton to the westward skies,
(32) Your resilience never dies.
(33) So here’s to you, Baltimore, bright star,
(34) Where dreams are born, both near and far,
(34) On every street, in every face,
(35) A legacy, Is here to embrace.
(36) With pride, we stand, a city grand,
(37) Where history meets the present’s hand,
(38) Baltimore, thou treasure rare,
(40) A love we’ll always proudly share.
The Place Where Everything Started
by Aime Martin Bakondjo
I wake up, birds sing sweet and bright
Morning sunshine feels just right,
Second largest continent, Beautiful culture
Beautiful people,
Chickens running around in every place
Brings a smiling face,
They underestimate us
And that’s not a compliment,
Africa is our motherland
Everybody’s continent,
Proud of where I’m from
Proud of my home,
Oooo Africa I love you
They tried to take our future bright,
But leaders guided us through the darkest night,
Thank you brave leaders, for finding a way,
Mandela, Lumumba, Rwagasore, and others, heroes each day,
Beat by beat, step by step,
Dances, drums, music we love to keep,
Pantsula in South Africa
Kizomba in Angola
Mophato in Botswana,
Nyechewe, in Malawi
Zimbabwe we dance Mbende
Cameroon, Bikutsi
Kenya, Isukuti,
Congo, we dance Mboka
Mosika and Ndombolo
Nigeria, Atilogwu
Uganda, Nyege Nyege
Rwanda, Mudiho,
Burundi Ingoma,
Umutsi, Amayaya,
54 countries, vibrant and bright,
3000 languages spoken, day and night,
3000 tribes, rich cultural sight,
Lake Tanganyika’s waters, pure and deep,
Host Mukeke, Ndagala, fish to keep,
Africa’s richness, minerals abound
Land full of Gold, Silver, Diamonds
In Africa, they are found
Oooo Africa I love you
Proud of where I’m from,
Proud of my home,
Proud of where I’m from
Proud to call it my own.
To My Speedy Panther
by Melvin Flores
Oh my fast panther, my loyal friend,
whose engine grumble,whose wheels burn,
Thoughts my morning you carry me forward,
Mile after mile,trough city streets and country lanes,
Your seats, a cradle sift and kind,
Where memories leave long and stay alive,
Your headlights shine like guiding stars,
No traffic jam your the one
Your tires kiss the road with grace, as if were
gliding through time and space, a predator of the highway sea
A lovers curve, a trusted friend, A panther
Soul, in steel encased
No other beast could take your place,
Your power matched by quiet grace.
A watchful gaze, a glowing beam.
You race through time, yet never haste
So here’s to you, my midnight queen,
My panther, in the world unseen.
Together,we shall roam untamed
Our journey is endless, never blamed.
A Hand To Hold Forever
by Jaslin Lopez
She is the dawn that breaks the night,
A golden beam, a softest light,
Her voice, a song upon the breeze,
That dances through the autumn trees.
Her hands, like feathers, gentle, warm,
Have kept me safe from every storm,
Like earth that cradles roots below,
She lifts me up, She helps me grow,
In her embrace, my spirit flows.
How many nights has she watched over me,
Whispering dreams of who I could be?
She shaped my spirit, taught me to stand,
Guiding my path with a steady hand,
Her strength and grace, forever my land.
How many times has she put me first?
When the world seems so harsh,
And the hunger for thirst,
But her love is constant, steady, and sure,
A well that never ran dry, but endured.
Oh my mother, in her arms,
The world stands still,
A thousand dreams, yet anchored by her will,
She is the pulse, the breath, the steady beat,
The rhythm that makes life both soft and sweet.
I thank her. For the quiet, tender care,
For every sacrifice that’s hidden there,
For every sleepless night she held me close,
For every tear she wiped, each gentle dose,
Her love, a light that forever glows.
With each breath, I feel the debt,
For all the love she gives, and won’t forget,
In every moment, gratitude flows free,
For all she has done and all she is to me,
A bond unbroken, for all eternity.
I thank her for the nights she stayed awake,
For all the dreams she sacrificed to make
My world a place where hope could freely grow,
And planted seeds of peace I’ve come to know,
With every bloom, her love continues to show.
Her laughter, like a melody so bright,
Brought color to my world, chased off the night.
She taught me how to find the joy in pain,
To dance in the sunshine and to walk in rain,
Through every challenge, she helps me sustain.
Her eyes, like mirrors, show the past,
A glimpse of all that’s meant to last,
They hold my secrets, keep them safe,
Locked away in a sacred place,
A bond, no time can erase.
Her heart, like a void,
held the pain,
Reflected back a world in vain,
Yet in that gaze, there was no shame,
Only love that burned the same.
Like iron forged in fire’s rage.
She stood, though bent, upon the stage,
Her body worn, Her spirit scarred,
But still, she loved me, still she starred.
A guiding light, though times were hard.
No rhyme can capture all she did,
The hours lost, the dreams she hid,
Her silent strength, where love is bid,
Yet in my heart, I know she stands,
The quiet strength, with the same steady hand.
The quiet tears, the heart that breaks,
But never once did she complain,
She held her silence through the pain,
But with her love, she remained,
Like branches bowed with heavy snow.
She bent and broke, but never let go,
And still, she gave, she loved, she prayed,
While every part of her decayed.
With every sacrifice she made,
Her love, a mark that time can’t fade.
She carried burdens none could see,
Her love, like rivers running dry,
Still gave and gave, though she would cry,
A silent strength, a quiet plea,
She bled for me so endlessly.
She wore her suffering like a veil,
A quiet grief that could not pale,
Like fire that burns and leaves no trace,
She gave her all without a face,
And still, she loved, and still she gave.
A mother’s heart, so bold, so brave,
A well of love, her soul to save,
With every tear, she’d still be brave,
Like roses blooming through the frost,
She bloomed for me, though she was lost.
The quiet wars she’s fought for me.
Her tears, like rivers, fall in vain,
And yet she smiles through all the pain.
Each sacrifice she made, each night,
She wore her wounds, but hid the fight.
And though I couldn’t understand,
She held me close with trembling hands,
In silence, she spoke words of comfort,
Her love, a language that needed no voice.
A love that never fades away,
A constant light through night and day,
Unseen, yet felt in every way.
And though she’s suffered, still she rises,
She is my strength, my heart, my skies.
So thank you, mother, for the gift of life,
For nurturing me through joy and strife,
Forever, I will carry you within,
My mother, my love, my eternal friend.
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