Poetry inspired by The Pillow Book

We got the idea for these poems from The Pillow Book by Japanese poet Sei Shonagon. Historians believe Shonagon wrote the book between the years 1001 and 1010. It includes her observations, diary entries and poems, including many that are simply lists like the poems below by Room 2 kids.

Future Wars 2: The Aliens' Revenge by Nathan & Edmund, both age 9

On Captain Nathan and Sergeant Edmund's last adventure their worst enemies were the aliens, but their missile car saved them. Now it is time for revenge.


At a temple far away, the alien king talked to his kingdom. The alien king was named Lulu. “Noooeerr,” yelled king Lulu. “Half our troops have been defeated. We must make our secret weapon.”

The aliens climbed into their mothership. “Next stop, Earth,” said Dr. Brains.

Back at the base, the town had a celebration because they won the war. “The aliens are back”! yelled Captain Nathan.

“Ha Ha Ha” yelled Dr. Brains, leader of the aliens. He was named Brains because his forehead was shaped like a spiky brain. “Behold, the mighty giant robot Dr. Brains. Now I will rule the world. Ha ha ha.”

“I don’t think so,” yelled Sergeant Edmund.

“That’s what you think,” said Dr. Brains. The robot shot its lasers.

“Aaaah!” yelled Captain Nathan. “O.K. now throw some pie at the robot.” The pie covered the robot’s windows.

“I can’t see,” said Dr. Brains.

“What do we do now?” said sergeant Edmund.

“Scream?” answered a soldier.

“Good idea,” said another soldier. “Aaaaaah.”

The others didn’t join him.

“You got to be joking,” said Captain Nathan. “Get me the Ultra Water Canon.” Captain Nathan pressed FIRE. KA-BOOM went the cannon. Water splashed everywhere. “I forgot that thing was three thousand years old.”

Electricity sparked all over the robot. “Uh oh,” said Dr. Brains. The robot exploded. “Noooooooooo!”

“Well that’s the end of that,” said a soldier.

“No, no it’s not the end,” yelled Dr. Brains. “There will be a Future Wars Three.” Then he looked up.

(Note : There will be a Future Wars 3 if you want one)

About the Authors

Hi, my name is Nathan. I live in San Francisco. I’m also the author of Random & Sparrow, My Dad, and Future Wars. I feel like I have one thousand brothers. I never get any fun. I don’t know how the dinosaurs got here. I still have bad dreams but I don’t get up and scream. I stay fast asleep.

Hi, my name is Edmund. This is my second published book. I’m also the author of Future Wars. I like to watch TV and play with my Wii. My biggest fear is bugs.

You Die by the Kids in Room 2

Here's another Exquisite Corpse story.


You die. Your body fills with air and you grow wings and fly into a purple sky like a pigeon. Your hair fidgets like shredded snakeskin. You look like a piece of chicken. You look like a twenty dollar bill because your feathers are green now. You become a monster with ugly cooks holding knives and spoons growing out of your ribs. You become a cheese-eating chimpanzee. You fly ten feet away. You turn around. You rush to center of the Earth and you hurry up talking. You mess up a pile of books. You better clean it up or you will have black teeth. You bust into dust. But you should stop because you can play at lunchtime.

Numbers by Sarah, age 8

I have five fingers on my hand
Three of them are touching a dog
Two of them are holding a small piece of paper that says everybody’s name.

I have twenty people in my family.
None of them wear glasses.
Two of them are old, so old they have wrinkles.
Nineteen speak Chinese.
Six speak English.
Altogether we have one hundred million hairs on our heads.

I know two secrets about someone in my class.
One of them is about his nickname.
The other is about how he likes the Power Rangers

There are fifty states in the United States.
I have been to two of them, California and Nevada.
California has a lot of people.
Nevada has a lot of casinos.

There are ten ghost-fearing monsters in my house.
Two of them are sick.
Five of them are in my closet.
Three of them are under my bed.

In space there one hundred yellow stars,
One thousand yellow stars,
One hundred thousand yellow stars,
Millions, billions, trillions, zillions
I do not know for sure.

About the Author

Hi! My name is Sarah. I am 8 years old. I live in Richmond, CA. I like to play with my rabbits. I am good at playing the piano. Some day I will be a good musician. When I grow up I want to be a doctor. If I were an animal, I would be a dog because they can do tricks. I feel special when my friends play with me. My biggest fear is getting bitten by wild animals. I wonder why people eat animals. Why don’t they just eat fruit instead?

Q&A Part One by the Kids in Room 2

Here's another exquisite corpse poem we wrote together as a class. It was like playing Madlibs, except every line was blank.




How old is Mother Nature?
As old as scary houses that jump on foolish computers.
Why invent things?
Because restless cardboard oozes poisonous snacks.
Why is there anger?
Because tense opinions blackmail ominous books.
Why don’t animals laugh?
Because fluffy adoption thinks adorable chicks peck lickety-split.
Who were the first people on Earth?
Uncontrollable detectives who scaled frantic rocks.
Why do mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears?
Because freaky wagons play on ultimate coins.
Is there a God?
Obvious remedies scurry over changeable locks.

The Swimming Contest by Mimi, Age 9

Snowball felt nervous. The lake looked fresh and clean. It smelled like ice-cream. It tasted like cotton candy. The water was hot.

“Go!” screamed the judge. Snowball dove in as fast as she could.

She didn’t want Abby to catch up to her because Snowball remembered that Abby was bragging that she got more trophies than her and now Abby wanted the swimming one. Abby had teased her, “Ha ha, you didn’t get any trophies!” and she walked away.

Bubbles dove in next. They both tried to make Abby dove slower. Snowball made bubbles on Abby’s face.

Bubbles got stuck because Abby kicked her feet really fast in front of Bubbles so Bubbles couldn’t go. Abby stuck her tongue out when she looked back. Abby kept doing it until she bumped her head on a rock. That made her dizzy and Snowball passed her along with Bubbles. They had only 10 more minutes to get to the finish line.

Abby caught up to Snowball and Bubbles tried to slow her down by making bubbles on Abby’s face. Snowball and Bubbles almost got to the finish line. But Abby caught up and now all three girls were swimming side by side. The finish line was of front of them. Abby pushed Snowball aside and Snowball pushed her back.

“The winner is Snowball!” screamed the judge.

“Yay!” said Snowball. Snowball received a trophy that had a number “1” on it.

“Good game!” said Bubbles. They shook hands. Abby made a grouchy face at Snowball.

“No fair!” said Abby. Snowball and Bubbles walked away.

“Let’s go!” said Snowball.

“Ok” said Bubbles. They both went back to their tents and continued to play Legos.

About the Author

Hi! My name is Mimi. My birthday is August 5, 1999. I live in an apartment with my mom, dad, and sister. I like to play computer games and watch TV. I am good at art. I want to be good at grammar and math. I want to work at a Build-A-Bear workshop when I grow up. I would be a rabbit if I were an animal because rabbits are cute and cuddly. My biggest fear is poisonous insects. I wonder if there are other planets that don’t have good oxygen but are still here in our solar system.

Family & Friends by Tiana, Lisa & Ivy

We took almost a month to make all of these creatures out of felt. We used patterns from a book called The Cute Book.

It Was Her Destiny by Chelzea, age 9

My mom's name is Kyra Esquivel and she was born in Jalisco, Mexico on March 10, 1972. My mom had to clean the house when she was a kid. She lived on the countryside. My mom’s transportation was walking and it still is. She played tons of games like racing, monkey bars, ball and jumprope. My mom has five siblings she has three sisters and two brothers. She ate whatever her mom gave her to eat. My mom went to a public school like me.

My mom came to San Fransico in 1998 because her destiny was to come here. Her first day here was at Fisherman's Wharf. One of the things she misses the most about Mexico is her family.

My mom's hobbies are listening to music and exercising. She loves to sing like me. My mom's job is cleaning hotel rooms. She doesn't like anything about her job. If my mom could have any super power it would be super speed because she could finish anything in one second.

About the Author

Hi, my name is Chelzea. I am 9 years old. I live with my mom and dad. I am good at singing and baking cakes and cookies. One day I want to get better at reading. When I grow up I want to be a rock star. If I were an animal, I would want to be a puppy because they are soft and cute. My biggest fear is getting eaten by a lion. I wonder about ghosts. Why are they so mean? The hardest part of this project was asking my mom questions in Spanish. The most interesting thing I learned about my mom was that when she was a kid her family was poor and she couldn’t go to school. I think it is unfair that I can go to school and she couldn’t because she had to pay for her school and I go to school for free.

It Will Always Begin with Someone and a Pie by the kids in room 2

This story is a Surrealist style Exquisite Corpse story. Every student wrote a sentence on a piece of paper (the only rule was don't use the verb "to be") then we put the papers up on the board. We discussed the best way to arrange them and how to revise. The art here was done the same way. One student drew the head, then folded the paper over. The next student drew the middle of the creature's body without seeing its head then folded the paper over again. The last student drew the bottom of the body without seeing the head or the middle. When the creature was drawn, another student colored it in and cut it out.



It will always begin with someone and a pie. The someone will be an astronaut and the astronaut will turn into a pie and the pie will turn into an astronaut. On Saturn, the astronaut will jump thirteen feet high. Her shadow will creep all night, knowing it will not be caught. Since the astronaut is a pie, her smooth hair will not need shampoo. It will flow through the air. It will brush across my face. It will float in a green sky with the clouds. Her rocket will brake so she won't come home. Her body will fill with water soon. She will grow lady legs and she will put on a brown shirt with pictures of tiny pies on it.

When I Grow Up by Lisa, age 8

Now I am a girl and I want to be free. I am the youngest and my sisters boss me around. When I grow up I will be a woman. When I am a woman I will be free because I will do whatever I want. I will have my own bed with golden pillows. After that I will be a grandma. When I am a grandma, I will walk slowly and I will have to work in a factory making clothes and I will be tired. I will have one vase of flowers for decoration and two cups, one for me, and one in case I have a guest.

Why? by Lisa, age 8

Go flush the toilet. Don’t pick your nose or it will get worse. Don’t touch that or something will happen to you. Don’t jump down the cliff. Why? Because you’ll die. Don’t touch that. Why? Because you might get hurt. Don’t play around while you’re in the streets. Why? Because there might be an accident. No there won’t. Don’t play with bees. Why? Because they will sting you. I don’t trust you. Don’t touch that needle or you’ll get AIDS. This is how you have good manners at a restaurant. 1. Don’t pick your nose. 2. Don’t eat with your hands. 3. Don’t play with food. 4. Don’t run.

My Mom By Don, Age 10

My mom’s name is Thuy Le. She was born in Vietnam on January 3, 1970. She lived in Saigon, Danang, Hue and Hanoi. During the war, she went underground with her family. Her father dug a hole for them to hide in. He dug it with his bare hands. It was dark and there were slimy worms and bugs there, and poisonous spiders that don't make webs. Her family was scared and nervous.

When my mom was a kid, she used a bicycle for transportation when. She played a lot of different games like jump rope and dominoes. She has five siblings. Her favorite food was noodle soup, rice and veggies. She went to school.

She came to San Francisco on June 9, 1996. She got married and her husband really wanted to move here. San Francisco felt like a second home to her and she wanted to go back to Vietnam. She missed all her friends and family and restaurants with pho. Her favorite part of her first day here was watching cars go over the Golden gate bridge. The bridge was the thing that surprised her most about San Francisco too because it is so big and the word golden was interesting to her.

My mom likes to cook food for me. Cooking is her hobby because it tastes so good and it makes her family happy!

My mom is a manicurist. She likes getting paid from her boss, but the bad thing about her job is when clients cancel appointments. She was nervous on her first day of work. The day felt so long and she couldn't wait to get home.

If she could have any superpower, she would choose super flexibility. Why? Because she would be able to help people fast.

About the Author

My name is Don. I’m ten years old. This is my fourth published story. I am also the author of The Iceman, The Boy Who Brought Back Winter, Bus Stop Fight and many poems. The hardest thing about this project was asking my mom questions and writing her answers down in my journal. All the translating was hard. The most interesting thing I learned is how my mom’s dad dug a hole with his bare hands for his family to hide in. I also learned my mom wanted to have fun in her new country but she also misses her family in her old country. My mom taught me that crying will not make me brave or make me get any friends.

The Future by Angela, age 9

Now I am a girl but when I grow up I will be single and I will be a woman. I will have eight balloons because I will have a party and I will invite eight people. I will have eight slices of pizza, eight Wiis and eight videogames because people will be to impatient to wait their turn, eight small rocks for slingshooting, eight plates, eight bowls, eight spoons, eight forks, eight pairs of chopsticks, eight cups and eight laptops so everyone can go to Barbie.com and look at Barbie jumping up and down and watch her say, “Hey, my friend Teresa and I are making a new movie!” When I grow older I will be a grandma even though I will never have kids. I will have glasses and I will have white hair and I will be lazy.

Teeth by Stanley, age 9

Now I am a girl, but when I grow up I will get new teeth. The teeth will be black and they will have flower stickers on them. The teeth will give me magic powers. I will fly to the sky. I will be like Superman. When I’m in the sky I will do the Teletubby dance then I will do the Barney dance. Everyone will say, “You are super cool!” When I fall out of the sky I will be a big, red, digital clock.

A List of Things You Should Do, A List of Things You Should Not Do, by Edmund, age 8

Flush your enemies or else you have to (write your consequence here). Pick your nose. Write your self-consequence if you want a consequence. Put your socks in your mouth because that’s your punishment. Break your own glasses. If you don’t have any, then you have to (write your consequence here). Throw a little bomb in the toilet. Eat your boogers. Break a violin. Carry a brick for trouble. Let a lion bite your super-smelly feet. I’m sorry, if you get in trouble for doing what I say. If this happens then tell the teacher. P.S. I don’t care. P.P.S. I’m not sorry.

Follow My Rules By Jennifer, age 10

Shut up, or I’ll shut you up. Stop texting, or you’ll pay the phonebill. Wash your hands in the chalkdust because I love it. Smell my feet. I washed them with soap. I love the color green. the color green makes me pretty. Give me four dollars please. I want to save up. The clock won’t be squeaky if don’t put barbeque sauce on it. Truly. Wash the floor. It’s sticky with tacky glue. Get off, it’s my turn. Let me play. Yurky is a weird word. Don’t be racist because that is horrible. Give me the remote. Please. I’m the boss here. Run faster! Slower! Just run faster please. I love that channel! Don’t change it or else I will pour hot brownie fudge with sprinkles on you. Don’t take something that is not yours. Don’t pick somebody else’s nose. Don’t steal from a bank or else you will go to jail. Always stand up straight or you will look weird when you are an adult. Don’t hold a knife or you will hurt yourself.

Snakes Are Warm by Stanley, age 9

Don’t punch the wall. Put tape on the floor, don’t punch the toad. Fly. Don’t fly. Don’t show your underwear. Don’t eat bugs or pull down your friend beccause you will cry. Go to jail or run an inch. Punch a piano and make music. Punch people’s teeth or slam your head on the toilet seat. Put a live snake in your shoe and see if it’s warm.

A+ in Math by Tiana, age 10

Don’t play with the knife or you’ll get hurt, Don’t kick the ball over the fence or you can’t play any more, don’t hit people or you’ll feel guilty, Do your homework or get 50 lines of “I will do my homework everyday,” Flush the toilet or you’ll stink the room, Don’t cry or I will not play with you, Don’t call me a name because my real name is Tiana, Don’t day dream in the middle of the streets or you’ll get run over, Do what you’re supposed to do and you’ll be ok, Don’t pick on people or you’ll have no friends, be nice to others and you’ll have lots of friends, don’t drink beer while driving a car or you’ll get in to an accident, don’t land on the sun or you’ll become dust, Study hard and you’ll get an A, But I’m not good at math, Yes you are, Try hard, I’ll never get an A, You will.

The Future Machine by Angela, age 9

The future machine always works, but today it works really badly. When Gummy presses the transport button the machine puts her in the past. The past is ugly. It smells like garbage, sounds like ghosts howling, and the foods tastes like tissues. The future feels rough, and it looks like a thousand grocery stores. There are only grocery stores, not a tree or plants to make oxygen, so Gummy brings her oxygen mask. She builds a Future Gun out of things she finds on the ground in the past. She presses the red button on the Future Gun, guess what? She transports back to where she was.

She keeps on trying to go to the future, but the machine keeps on going to the past. “I think this machine needs a rest,” she says. “I’ll just write some haikus while I wait.” Monsters eat dummy, the dummy is so ugly, I play ball outside. “I don’t think it is a real haiku,” she says. “I am not specific because I don’t know how to be specific.”

Instead of writing another haiku, Gummy tries the future machine again. She hopes this is the last time this machine will go to the past. “Ah!” she yells. She knows all this noise disturbs her parents while they are watching TV. But the future machine continues not to work!

Gummy uses the screwdriver to hit the future machine as hard as she can. “Take that future maniac!” she yells. She drinks some orange juice because she is tired. She is so sweaty that she almost cries. She does not give up so she goes back to the machine. She kicks the machine to try to make it work. She presses the transport button again. This time it works but the Future Machine is wrecked because she kicked it and hit it with a screwdriver.

The future machine has five grocery stores, smells like fresh air from the sky, tastes like mango, sounds like birds chirping, and it feels like the soft fur of a kitten.

Gummy wishes to go inside the machine again but her parents say no because of dinner. At night she wants to sneak to the Future Machine. She can’t because her parents always watch her. But if she ever does, her mission will be accomplished.
Every other day Gummy’s parents are not tired so they watch her. But not today. Today they are tired, so Gummy sneaks to the Future Machine and she goes to the future and her mission is accomplished.

This is what she sees in the future: Her parents are yawning, her mom is sitting on the toilet, snoring, and saying, “I like boo boo” after each snore. Then she wakes up and drops newspaper into the toilet. Her dad is crazy. He goes to his friend’s house with a hammer and breaks their window and yells, “Yay!”

His friend says, “What are you doing?”

“Breaking your window,” Gummy’s dad says.

“Why?”

“Because you are my friend.”

Gummy sees them argue. Then she writes a letter. It says:

Dear Mom and Dad,
I do not know what is wrong with you today. Dad, you used a hammer to hit your friend’s window, and Mom, you put newspaper in the toilet. I don’t want to see any of that again.
Bye,
Gummy

PS: I hate you.

Gummy just waits for the candy that she ordered to come. It is the future so it should be here by now. But her deliveries don’t come because the delivery man is mad. His face is red. Gummy goes back into the Future Machine to eat pie. The pie tastes like tomato. “Bye bye, Future Machine,” she says.

Gummy goes back to her house to eat an apple. Then she goes to a candy shop inside the Future Machine. The shop smells like cotton candy, the walls taste like chocolate. She also goes to a grocery store to buy a banana and another apple. She jumps out of the Future Machine and eats her food. “How come the fruits taste bad and the candies taste good?” she says. “Maybe I should ask the person who sells the fruit why it tastes bad.”

At night Gummy doesn’t sleep because she sneaks up to the Future Machine again. She says, “I’m going to live in the machine forever!”

About the author

Hi! My name is Angela. I am nine years old. I live in an apartment with my mom, dad, brother and my uncle who sleeps next to Barbie. I like science, playing games on the computer, and animals. When I grow up I want to be an artist. If I were an animal, I would be a bunny so I could escape from people with my stinkiness. I am scared of cockroaches. I wonder about puppies. Why do they keep on yapping around?

To Anthony by Giang, age 8

To Anthony

Sorry I kicked the ball at your face
I was mad because the ball hit me
When it hit me, it felt like a block of ice
coming out of nowhere
I heard you laugh at me
so I kicked the ball
I wasn’t kicking it at you,
but somehow it hit you

From Giang