"I am a farm worker"

here are the Cesar Chavez day poems that my 2nd grade class at TAS wrote a few weeks ago. The all got sheets with "I" prompts, like "I am" "I feel" "I touch" and so on. Their assignment was to fill the rest in with their own words.
The results were pretty powerful. I typed them out, and here they all are, 20 of them. Read and interpret for yourselves.

I am a Farm Worker
By Franklin Nwochie
March 31, 2005


I am a farm worker that’s sad.
I wonder what places I can go to.
I hear people working really hard.
I see oranges, apples and grapes.
I want to be free and to be paid better.
I am Franklin Hoody Sherif.

I pretend to be rich and joyful.
I feel sad, mad and really angry.
I touch fruit, vegetables and plants.
I cry a lot when I can’t bend.
I am a UFW person.
I understand how I feel now.
I say words that make me happy.
I dream that I was in a free land.






I am a Farm Worker
By Arlene Flores
March 31, 2005


I am sad and mad.
I wonder if I would die.
I hear sounds outside.
I see my house and my food.
I want food and milk to eat and drink.
I am poor, sad and mad.

I pretend I am rich and I have food.
I feel very very sad and poor.
I touch my fruit that is sweet.
I cry for money and a house.
I am broke for food.
I understand that I could be rich.
I say that my dream will come true.
I dream I would have a pretty house.






I am a Farm Worker
By Eric Leon-Sanchez
March 31, 2005


I am a poor boy.
I wonder if the work is hard.
I hear a car and a truck.
I see a lot of vegetables.
I want to get rich.
I am rich inside.

I pretend I went to play with my family.
I feel sad.
I touch sand.
I cry when I see a scary book.
I am mad.
I understand when I fall down.
I say I’m rich.
I dream of my mom.






I am a Farm Worker
By Tra’myah Fields
March 31, 2005


I am angry because I have to bend down.
I wonder what would I do if I die.
I hear people getting frustrated.
I see farmers working hard.
I want people to be healthy so they won’t die.
I am really mad because they put poisoning on the grapes.

I pretend to be rich.
I feel really! really! mad because they made people die.
I touch dirty stuff.
I cry because they made people die.
I am sad that if I ate those grapes and I was pregnant I could die.
I understand people eat the grapes with poisoning on them.
I say that they shouldn’t put poisoning.
I dream of people not eating grapes with chemicals on them.

I am a Farm Worker
By Michael Castro
March 31, 2005


I am poor.
I wonder if I was rich.
I hear screaming.
I see fruit.
I want to be rich.
I am poor.

I pretend I was rich.
I feel sad.
I touch dirt.
I cry because they didn’t pay me back.
I am not rich.
I undertand I could be rich.
I say I need money.
I dream I was rich.






I am a Farm Worker
By Jorge Bravo
March 31, 2005


I am a poor person.
I wonder why the farm doesn’t give us money.
I hear cars and bicycles.
I see vegetables.
I want more money.
I am mad.

I pretend I have a family.
I feel sad.
I touch vegetables.
I cry when I pick onions.
I am angry.
I understand when I am alone.
I say a little ant is little.
I dream I have a family.






I am a Farm Worker
By Ilver Cornelio
March 31, 2005


I am tired to work on the farms.
I wonder about my family.
I hear mom yelling to my sister.
I see my mom and dad are buying food.
I want a little puppy.
I am 9 years old.

I pretend I was rich.
I feel sad.
I touch the dirt.
I cry because I fall.
I am happy now.
I understand my mom works.
I say I want to have money.
I dream about my family.






I am a Farm Worker
By Luis Zamudio
March 31, 2005


I am a farm worker.
I wonder where people go.
I hear people working hard.
I see airplanes dropping poison.
I want to live.
I am sad.

I pretend I am dead.
I feel angry.
I touch dirt and grapes.
I cry because they don’t give me more money.
I am sad because I can’t go home.
I understand that I am poor.
I say that’s not fair.
I dream I was rich.






I am a Farm Worker
By Micara Mosley-Washington
March 31, 2005


I am a farm worker working hard.
I wonder, am I a tool in disguise?
I hear people moaning cries for help.
I see dirt all around me.
I want to live in a better home and a better life.
I am a living being, not a tool.

I pretend I am not a worker.
I feel hurt inside.
I touch the filthy dirt on the ground.
I cry about my life.
I am a good person.
I understand that I am a farm worker.
I say to myself this is not right.
I dream that one day everything will be alright.






I am a Farm Worker
By Karina Ventura
3-31-05

I am sad because I am poor.
I wonder what will happen to my family.
I hear people scream very loud.
I see grapes with pesticides on them.
I want to go home really badly.
I am very tired of working.

I pretend that I liked this job so much.
I feel so devastated because I don’t want to die with the pesticide on the plants.
I touch the fruits, vegetables, and plants.
I cry when I touch the onion.
I am very tired of working.
I understand that I have to work very hard to get a lot of money.
I say I am tired of getting paid a little bit.
I dream of having a home for my family.





I am a Farm Worker
By George Falcon
3-31-05

I am a farm worker.
I wonder about the fruit.
I hear a plane flying.
I see vegetables on the field.
I want to go home.
I am always a farm worker.

I pretend I was rich.
I feel sad when I hurt.
I touch a fruit.
I cry when I fall.
I am working so hard.
I understand when the plane is flying.
I say that I want money.
I dream that I have a home.







I am a Farm Worker
By Maria Trinidad
3-31-05

I am a farm worker.
I wonder if people are looking at me.
I hear a wind blowing.
I see fruits and vegetables.
I want to go home.
I am alone.

I pretend I am a farm worker.
I feel tired working.
I touch tools.
I cry when I get hurt bad.
I am a child.
I understand the man talking to me.
I say “Please, let me go!”
I dream I’m a farm worker.







I am a Farm Worker
By Joshua Guzman-Wolfe
3-31-05

I am a farm worker.
I wonder if a miracle will happen.
I hear people complaining and getting fired.
I see people working hard.
I want to be treated fairly.
I am not feeling well.

I pretend that we were treated fairly.
I feel poison and heat.
I touch fruits and vegetables.
I cry when they treat me like a slave.
I am a lowly and unhappy person.
I understand the words that Cesar Chavez says.
I say the words that Cesar Chavez says.
I dream good things will happen.







I am a Farm Worker
By Neftaly Angel
3-31-05

I am Neftaly.
I wonder if I will be treated good.
I hear people screaming.
I see fruit.
I want to be treated good.
I am a good boy.

I pretend I will be rich.
I feel bad.
I touch the grapes.
I cry when they hit me.
I am a boy.
I understand that I am good.
I say I’m good.
I dream that I could live for a lot of time.







I am a Farm Worker
By Daniel Gutierrez
3-31-05

I am treated like I’m not supposed to be treated.
I wonder what it would be like if I was rich.
I hear people being fired.
I see workers working real hard to earn money.
I want to be free and have money.
I am not treated right.

I pretend that I like this job.
I feel worried about my family.
I touch fruits and vegetables.
I cry when I am hurt.
I am really sad and weary.
I understand that I have to do this.
I say what I want.
I dream that one day I would have money and be free.






I am a Farm Worker
By Moises Dominguez
3-31-05

I am a farm worker.
I wonder about my family.
I hear a plane.
I want more money.
I am real sad.

I pretend to quit.
I feel sad.
I touch the dirt.
I cry hard.
I am Moises.
I understand to work hard.
I say I work hard.
I dream I am OK.

I am a Farm Worker
By Guillermo Garcia
3-31-05

I am a farm worker.
I wonder what it would be like if I was rich.
I hear cars and trucks.
I see fruit and vegetables.
I want to be free and have money.
I am rich like a god.

I pretend like I am at school.
I feel angry and sad.
I touch dirt.
I cry when I am sad.
I am poor.
I understand I have to do work.
I say “Stop.”
I dream that I was rich inside.


I am a Farm Worker
By Diego Polanco
3-31-05

I am a poor boy because I am a farm worker.
I wonder if this will end.
I hear people screaming.
I see torture.
I want to be rich instead of living in this old dump.
I am depressed because I am a farm worker.

I pretend I don’t go on living in this old shack.
I feel sad that I am going to die.
I touch the hot ground—tssss! I burned my hand!
I cry when I am done working.
I am dying of torture.
I understand that this will stop.
I say we should be treated fairly.
I dream that kids wont be treated working in the farms. I wish this will stop.


I am a Farm Worker
By Katherine Luna
3-31-05

I am worried of my kids.
I wonder if the chemicals won’t come down.
I hear cars and trucks driving.
I see fruit and vegetables.
I want to be rich.
I am very poor because I don’t get a lot of money.

I pretend that I am rich.
I feel tired of bending.
I touch the strawberries.
I cry when someone dies.
I am sad when I have no money.
I understand that I need to work hard.
I say and fight with my words.
I dream Cesar did not die.


I am a Farm Worker
By Adriana Corzo
3-31-05

I am sad because I always bend myself.
I wonder I could be happy.
I hear digging myself.
I see people sad because they don’t have enough of money.
I want to make my world better.
I am worried because I don’t go to school.

I pretend I am in school.
I feel so hard worker because I always work.
I touch where I am hurt.
I cry myself because they don’t pay us really good.
I am angry because I want to go to school.
I understand Cesar Chavez to make our world better.
I say myself “I wish we all could have freedom.”
I dream that we get paid good and don’t fight and lots of things that we don’t want.