Glazier Berman
Housework
By Cydney
Housework in Lithuania,
Housework in America,
Same old thing, same old thing,
A whole new world
Yet same old housework,
Not very new
Sweeping, cleaning,
Washing clothing,
Washing dishes,
moping.
Same old thing,
Washing clothes and dishes,
Wish for some new thing.
Hard work, alone some days
And same old thing.
15 years old,
A new country
Here for a better life.
Will housework change?
Same, old housework.
HE FIRST
Dante Tejerina
He first moved to Switzerland,
It felt like living in black and white
Compared to Peru this was quite a fright
Then he moved to the land of the free
His eyes dizzy from the tall buildings
The landmarks
The museums that are filled with glee
And since then this is how it came to be
Francisco
By Emilia
He built a company
Created a pharmacy
Not in his old country
Francisco
He traveled far away
For war to go away
To make his life his way
Francisco
He had two vineyards at sea
With grapes and olive trees
And he was happy in his old country
Francisco
Jacob Van Blerkom
By Ivy
Goodbye Rotterdam
Rotterdam was Rotten
Long journey
Off at last
New home?
Far away
Tired legs, Tired arms
Hello, Shalom
Hallo
Buildings
Busy Streets, Crowded
Loud, Dirty
New friends
New, new, new
Free, free, free
Hello New York
Hello new life
One Small House, One Big Family,
One Big boat
By Julian
One big family,
One big ship,
One small room,
Twenty days on one big boat,
With One big family,
And One small room
Swaying from
Side to side
Right to left,
Left to right
From Italy to
America,
Where the streets are paved with gold
All kinds of different people,
Different languages,
Different clothes,
Different food
And different everything
Giacchino Costa,
And his family
Have one small house,
one big family,
And one big life
Steerage
By June Binnard, inspired from Goldie Gutman’s immigration story
A long trip
On the ship
In the dark and grey
Still a long way
To America!
Goldie Gutman
The waves choppy
Feeling so floppy
Never in the light
It is quite a fright
To America!
Goldie Gutman
Try to go to bed
But I fill with dread
Meals bad
So I feel sad
To America!
Goldie Gutman
Finally i feel a chug
Oh I think I have a bug!
Oh, we are here
I am filled with fear
In America!
A NICE LONG TRIP
By Lila Klinenberg
One Baby one ship 5 siblings 5 places to sit, 1 parent watching all along to find the ending where they belong
The Father went first all the children with him,
The mother came after the family left, too lonely to stay where she knew the best.
Laughter cries through the air as the family sees each other from long across the seas.
I can hear my great grandmother’s laughter still crawling in my head but I hear joy and happiness instead.
Helen Lishnoff
By Lily
In the house and on the water down the stairs and then up again on to Ellis island,
Of the boat and through inspections
Two more people and….
In the house and on the water down the stairs and then up again on to Ellis island,
Of the boat and through inspections,
And to the tenement home at last, America !!
THE MAGIC FLYING MACHINE
By Nico Rudder, inspired by Akilah Petronella Charles Immigration story
The year was 2001
Beaches
Sand
Palm trees
Oh boy
To
Tall buildings
Taxis and paved cement streets
A magic flying machine
Took us to an unknown
Land
Unknown to us
But not forgotten
Has taken us from a land of beaches
To
A land of crowd
Mixed culture
And new smells
So many people cover the streets
Sounds of gibberish to me are the sounds of music to the others
Me and my brother standing there
With my mom crying laughing and having fun
Here to stay for a month or two
But no, a life time was what to expect.
My name is Akilah Petrinela Charles
I flew in a machine that levitated in the sky
With my younger brother
To visit my mom.
But she said that we were staying with her
I was just 16.
The Store
By Paloma
Outside then inside and then l own the store
I walk to and from the same place-even in the cold
Outside then inside and then l own the store
Swish
Swish and swash
Swish and swash and swish again
Swish
Click
And click -clackity-clack
“Hello, good bye!’
Click
Click click
Click again
Clickity-clack
Click!
The Way To A New Life
By Penelope Schab
I got on the boat,
To come to America,
Was crammed into steerage,
The place was as smelly as rotten fish,
Was very scary,
Our mother got sick,
Me and my siblings were scared,
I was so mad we had to come:(
Got of the boat,
Passed inspection,
I Saw my dad,
And started a new life!
Huguette
By Sawyer
A women,
left France,
an immigrant,
Huguette as beautiful as my mom
loves Edward Vincent Moffitt
left in WW2,
a model,
a lover,
a reader,
=
All equals Huguette!
Angelica
By Selah
Coming to the USA,
22 years old,
Came in a plane,
Before,
Spoke Spanish,
Difficult life,
Poor,
Little money,
What Angie left behind,
Her stuff,
Her home,
Her friends,
Her pets,
Her feeling,
Her family.
What she’s excited for,
A new life,
A new home,
Going to work.
Vencheca Guido’s Immigration Story Poem
By Shaffer Helfer
She came to America
She got across with a special pass
And she knew where to go finally at last
Her husband served in the war
To get his family through the American door
It took a lot of courage to do what he did
He did it for his wife, he did it for his kid
He served ice and coal
to fill his dark soul
If they did not travel over the sea
I would not be born, I would not be me.
She traveled miles and miles
and she tried to smile
It took her very long in fact it took a while
She was going to break but she tried to overtake
She had a fear and she thought it was clear to go back to Italy
But that would be silly to go back to Italy
Freedom: My great granddad Joseph Brown
By Skylar
He walked walked
He talked talked
With his mind
On freedom
Small town in
South Carolina
He had to leave it
because he was treated badly
He left
With his mind on freedom
He had 5 brothers and
3 sisters
They all left the South their mind on freedom
He was in World War II
He saved lives
Always with his mind on freedom
He raised his family so they can have freedom
Skylar Bonsu always has freedom on her side
Travel
By Vincent Fernandes-Vogel
Traveling is a trip,
Immigration is a travel.
Work where else,
Elsewhere work,
U.S. work for work where else.
Karla Fernandes-Vogel,
Left, went, came back,
Stayed.
The travel was smooth,
Smooth as a stone,
But then comes a bump!
Bump not a lump,
But a lumpy bump.
The bump of staying,
The bump of starting.
Starts again,
But stayed already.
Ongoing forever,
Forever ongoing.
When adventure awaits,
Wait not for adventure,
Wait for the chance.
She took her chance,
Threw it towards her hope,
Her everlasting desire,
She climbed the hill,
Back from Brazil,
Not newest to America.
27 years,
2001,
Broke through the wall,
Climbed up the hill,
Right to the top,
But did not stop.
A Long Journey
By Will
When my grandmother, (Ida) got on the boat she went to steerage
She brought very little money, so she had to go to steerage
I don’t know what she did next, but I’m sure it was bad
The next thing that she did, I bet she was not glad
Then when she got off the boat after a long, hard, and boring trip
They are finally at the United States of America!
When Ida got off the dcek she went to the Great Hall
She did mentel, legal inspections she did them all
Awesome Immigration
By Zara Seegars, inspired by Jiovana Seegars
Haiti to America Jiovana
What should she think
Cars, trains, planes and taxis
Would be out of sight
Jiovana; child of loving
Her vacation
is very mild
She flew with
her mom’s friend
Tons, tons and tons
of people
She misses Haiti
Mom’s friend
is a lady
Celia Schved
By Ziva
Coming on the ship.
Storms coming people yelling “Quick!”
Crowded, feeling overwhelmed.
Pushing, shoving, feel the waves are coming.
Hungary to Chicago,
Very hard, feel like crying.
Living with cousins in America,
People!
Dozens!
In the bottom of the boat, no air,
Bad food with not a lot of care.
Missing parents,
Living on my own for the first time…
Got to get a job for the first time!
Now I clean for a person,
And it’s hard work!
But that’s my job!
Climbing up a hill that never ends.
Working, chores, so much more.
Only 16, living with cousins,
Here I am…
AMERICA