We Live in Backpacking

After returning from their fall backpacking adventures in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, each 7th grader wrote lines for a group poem based on the form of "We Live in Music" by Ntozake Shange. They performed (read) their poems for the entire school. Bold lines were read in unison. This is 7A's poem, with photos from a variety of fall trips.

WE LIVE IN BACKPACKING

IS THIS WHERE YOU LIVE?

Delaney:

We live on gear list street

Our friends live on stuff sack avenue

Isak:

We live on Waterproofing Boulevard

Our friends live on Hassel Packing Hiway

Francesca:

The bus heaters warm our faces,

Faces cold as the snow on Mt. Rainier

Danny:

Some of us are chilled, the rest of us are steaming

The sound, the words, not good or bad, just bus babble

DO YOU LIVE HERE IN BACKPACKING?

Jared:

We live here on Hiking Street, our friends live on Trail Avenue

With boots for both sides of our hearts

Anna:

Rain falls around us like electric lighting on other folks,

Then hot sun on switchbacks and mountain blueberries for dimples

Tug:

We’ve got bruises where other people got toes and hips

Chipmunks chatter loud as downtown Seattle, run as fast as a shooting star

Alexa:

We limp up a mountain like toddlers be running from their mothers,

Friendly cheers swarm round us like flies on pigs.

DO YOU LIVE HERE IN BACKPACKING?

Alec:

We walk round in our campsite like somebody else be walkin round their livingroom

We live on Soggy Tent Street, but our lucky friend lives on Dry Tent Avenue

Casey:

We walk round in a bagel like somebody else be walking on the earth.

We wear iodine on our fingers

Bug bites wet our face

Pearl:

We’ve got hard wet sleeping pads where others got warm cushy beds

Two full water bottles for both sides of our hearts

Sophie:

We’ve got shimmering Lake Melakwa where others got mirrors

Rocks where others got tables

Matias:

Nature falls so fulla beauty

We got three big mountains where others have ‘lil hills

Avery:

We live on beauty street

From a single tree to a whole forest

We have branches where other people have arms

Oona:

We’ve got deep blue lakes where others got pale puddles

We live under the nature’s trees, wash in its lakes.

Johnston:

We got 15 laughs for each day of camping

And Smartwool socks on each side of our hearts.

DO YOU LIVE HERE IN BACKPACKING?

WE LIVE IN IT, WASH IN IT,

WE CAN EVEN SMELL IT, TASTE IT, WEAR IT LIKE A WELL

WORN T-SHIRT

HOLD YOURSELF, HOLD YOURSELF IN BACKPACKING