Arlo and the Orca – Happiness Poem

The last collaborative poem inspired by Arlo and the Orca. This time it’s a positive poem looking through the eyes of Arlo once he’s once happy again.

Happiness

Happiness sounds like laughing

Feels like fun

Like a pure and happy life

Refreshing, clear, sweet

Cheerful laughter on a sunny day

Doing things you like

Happiness smells like a strong sweet flower

Like, YAY, WOOHOO!

Joy in your heart

A large grin

Birthday cakes

Laughter

Like Summer

Happiness is about being who you are and having fun with friends and family

Arlo and the Orca – Sadness Poem

Another collaborative poem made once again by Room 8. This time we are looking at sadness through the eyes of Arlo from the book Arlo and the Orca.

Sadness

Crying

Cold tears dripping on your face

Water and cold air

Crying

Tears running down your face

Like a cold gust of wind

You are no one

Tears dropping out of your eyes

Into the ocean

Salty tears

Hu-hu-hu-hu

You’ve had enough

Crying salty tears and sweat

Bitter feeling of guilt, depression and regret

Sadness is blue, a rainy day

Arlo and the Orca – Anger Poem

A collaborative poem written by all of Room 8. This poem expresses our feelings about anger looking through the eyes of Arlo from Arlo and the Orca by Monique Walker.

Anger

Anger feels like letting your rage out

A clenched fist

Blood, salty sweat

Growling and yelling

Rough and hot

Like a red face

Anger smells like danger

Like air

Shouting and screaming

Painful and hurtful

Madness and crazy actions of destruction

Like smoke

Burning coal

A fire raging and growing limitlessly 

Anger is an emotion we want to show or not

It starts when we get upset about something.

This week Monique and Stacey came to class and presented Monique’s book. We learnt that it’s ok to cry and that life can be moody and stormy with waves of emotion BUT to remember that the sun will always come back and shine.

Thank you to Monique for writing Arlo and the Orca and to Stacey who presented to us the book. You both have helped Room 8 a lot with understanding others and helping us to understand ourselves. Also a big thank you to Jesse and Catherine for your dance you presented to us, we appreciate you all and hope to see you again.

Room 8 2022

They have talents and skills,

Some are funny and some are not,

They’re too loud, especially me.

Interesting chaos,

Missing my other friends in Room 8,

They are really amazing and smart,

Loving, annoying, funny, mean,

Everyone and Everything.

Diary Entry, 2 – From Afghanistan to Aotearoa

Finally on our boat, our only way to a better life. People had already started becoming seasick as soon as the boat left shore. Women and children clearly wanted to leave, we couldn’t do anything about it though. The smell of the salty ocean never leaves me alone to this day. Thunder, waves clashing with rage, everyone on the Palapa starts roughly swinging left to right. Children start screaming, crying, the women start praying asking for forgiveness of their sins, the men supporting their families telling them everything will be ok. We all knew it wasn’t though, the Palapa started breaking apart… too many people on board! Although there was so much ruckus I decided to fall asleep, just to avoid disaster happening in front of my eyes. Though asleep I could still hear the cries of children. I opened my eyes, it’s the next day, we lived, thank goodness. I got up looking outside to see the men putting objects on the floor, it spelt SOS my dad told me. I didn’t know what it meant nor did I bother to ask. Time passed by and finally our saviours came to rescue us. The Tampa with its crew. We boarded onto the Tampa leaving everything behind. We spent 10 days on the Tampa with hopes we would make it to Australia. The news hit us that no country, even Australia, wanted to take us in, we were bad people in their eyes. 

New Zealand on the other hand was willing to take 150 refugees into their country. We were saved.

Diary Entry, 1 – From Afghanistan to Aotearoa

I couldn’t fully go to sleep even though I was super tired, I could only think about food at that moment, why was it so hot? “Wake up” I heard as I slowly drifted off to sleep, “we have to go, the bus is here.” I immediately got out of bed. I looked around to see darkness with only a hint of moonlight shining through the door cracks. I saw shadows moving around swiftly. I grabbed my bag, snatching the stuff I needed. Clothes, books, maps, toys, food, anything that would help me get through the trip. I zipped up my bag as soon as I finished, dashing out the door and sprinting to my family who had already gone ahead of me. They didn’t seem too distant so I made it easily. Once I had reached them I slowed my pace to speed walk with them. Knowing that I ran to my family, absolutely draining the power out of my legs especially with speed walking, we still couldn’t stop or we’d miss the bus. I was starving, it was somehow very cold, the taste of my morning breath was something I couldn’t bear any longer, I could just smell the danger from a mile away. After walking for what felt like centuries I spotted my only way to freedom “THE BUS” I loudly whispered, suddenly all my senses disappeared, my only focus was the beautiful bus that was going to get my family and I out of this horrendous place. I wanted to run to the bus, I just didn’t want to leave my family behind.