I block
the feelings that beat
against my shell.
I have beauty inside me
longing to be shown
to the world.
I am stiff with
the emotions that swirl
in my body.
I watch the butterflies
dance around me
with flaps of pride.
When it rains, I show
my shiny shell to the
lady called the flower.
She drops a warm petal on me
to show that we are no
different in soul.
For what would life be
without soul?
It doesn’t matter
what you have within,
only the soul matters.
As the sun’s rays hammer
into me, my beauty
faintly shows.
I am a rock.
by Ioana, 3rd grade
Click the link (above) to listen to the poem read on KPFT radio by Thomas Girardet, a 4th grade student at Parker Elementary in Houston.
This poem is featured as part of the 2012 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by Writers in the Schools (WITS) that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click here to learn more.