Mr. Estrada’s Class
Everett High School – 2/23/04
Lansing, Michigan

This presentation of poems as produced at Red Cedar School . The assignment began life as a geography project involving the study of earthquakes, but when he discovered that one of the students in the class is from Iran , Trino suggested that the students write poems on the eathquake in Bam. In addition to writing these poems, students read an informational article on the geographical causes of earthquakes. Their art teacher, teaching the students about making models, had them make before and after models of Bam. The students then went on to make a book, and read their poems to children in the other classes with
Trinidad 's coaching of their performance.
 

BAM BEFORE

Big City, Sunny and shady
Walls around and
Around,
Old city
Made of clay
and sand
feels like hard
dry sand.

BAM AFTER

Broken city
Broken families
Broken Bam
Bam , Iran
December 24, 2003

EARTHQUAKE IN BAM

As I stood there
In Bam,
on December 24 th
The ground
starts shaking
and a fissure starts.
The buildings start to collapse,
people start to scream and shout.
People fall in the fissure.
And a people start losing their lives,
when the shaking went away,
41,000 people went away

Untitled

Bam is ancient, peaceful, free almost …
Like a beacon of hope in an evil world.
Ancient, Majestic, Peaceful
Magical
Now it is gone.
The stately massive beyond time
Monument
Gone .
And almost nobody cares
Almost nobody knows
And people are dying and
Crying out there
People say, “Why should we care?”

DEVASTING LOSS

People cry, lost and lonely,
Families are gone.
Collapsing buildings with people,
In them.
Some surviving, some lost forever.
People in the cold climate.
Starving, crying, scared,
In a harsh world.
Nobody knew this devastating event,
Would come.
So many people feeling sorry
for themselves - when they shouldn't.
What a devastating loss!

EARTHQUAKE IN BAM

As I stood there in
Bam, the ground started
to shake.
Buildings started to fall.
The ground made a fissure,
The buildings started to collapse.
People are falling into the fissure
Only some people are
still breathing – healthy, alive
Apparently no worse for the ware.
But the rest of the people died (over 41,000)
And Bam became
Misery… misery… misery…

LIVING IN BAM WITH MY DAD.

Around Bam and Iran .
I love Iran .
I used to run around
houses, masques, and walls with
My dad.
I cannot run through
Bam with my dad any more.
The earthquake destroyed everything.
41,000 people died.
It was really, really sad.
 

EARTHQUAKE IN BAM

GOLDEN BAM

Tall mud house made
Beyond time
Massive hiding places filled with
Magical house behind golden walls.
Ancient castles, with beautiful
High harmless ceilings and
Massive walls . . .
Make you feel
Free
Creative buildings and
A living pla.

BAM! BAM! BAM!!

Crackle, crackle, crackle …
Boom, boom, boom…
Down go the buildings
Down goes the wild life
Boom, boom, boom
Crackle, crackle, crackle
They are doomed . . .
Earthquake!!!

GOLDEN BAM

Tall mud houses made beyond time.
Massive hiding places filled with magical houses behind
Golden walls.
Ancient castles with beautiful high harmless ceilings
And massive walls . . .
Makes you feel free
Creative buildings and a lively place.

BAM FALLING DOWN

Crashing down on people in Iran .
I ran with all my friends and ran fast too.
I ran in a field not from Bam , Iran .
I looked back and saw . . .
Tall buildings falling into the ground
Buildings, mushing into the ground
Buildings and ground being connected as one.

FALLING BAM

Falling, falling, falling Bam
Buildings crashing, smashing
Down, down on people
In the town. Sadness, sadness
On the ground, People lonely,
People sad, people lost and
People angry. Crying, Crying, all
Around all around, Bam Iran .

I FEEL SAD

I feel sad because
Of Bam I feel down
I feel a lump
I feel sad really sad
Because of the
Story I have heard. I feel
Like I was pricked like
a bur.

LOST LONLEY IN THE DARKNESS

It was shaking,
It was moving,
Everything collapsing.
Everybody falling,
It was really noisy.
Everybody sorry,
People were crying.
Everybody lost,
Everyone lonely,
Sadness was growing,
Smoke was growing,
Everybody lost and lonely in the
Cold weather.
They were lost in the darkness
For their rest of their lives,
People screaming, crying,
Nobody knew where they were,
Anger and sadness was growing
Harder,
There was no shelter for anyone
Everyone was lost lonely
In the darkness forever.

BAMS FROM BAM

DISGRACING DISASTER

Surprisingly break down of Bam
Big fault lines cracking like a ram
Hurry, hurry to shelter the -
Cracking is getting bigger.
Count the cracks how many
Miles away is the earthquake?
1, 2, 3, 4 four miles away? Hurry !!!
Hurry get shelter right away,
Bend down on your knees,
Put your hands on your head,
Get away from a place with
windows they'll shatter and
break, break and cut hurry,
hurry, don't be late.
The Bam earthquake is
On the way. Crackle Bam
Bam crackle ahhhhh screams from all around
What do you do if you're
the only one around?
Do you ….Help?
No, no, or call for help
Bam bam Ohhhh the earthquake
Is here - too quiet and it
Won't get you.
Shhhhhh my baby
Don't be scared the
Earthquake has begun and
There is nothing we can do.

PEOPLES ACTION OF FEELINGS

People screaming people crying,
People in danger, people that are lost
In the first, people that are horrified,
People that are sorry for others,
People that are scared, people
that are helped from others, people
that are angry, people that
Think the earthquake is eternity,
Where there are smoke disasters,
People that are bleeding, people
Feeling lonely and worst of
All people dying.

EARTHQUAKE DANGER

People screaming, people crying, people
In danger. Lots of horrifying people. Crack
In the ground, strange animal behavior.
Lots of smoke, people in danger, people
Crying and getting help. The earthquake
Is full of feelings, lonely and sadness.
When an earthquake comes people are
Horrified and scared. It feels like an
Eternity. Lots of smoke, lots of fires, and
Lots building falling. In earthquake there
are cracks in the ground and people
can feel vibration. People are caring
and sorry for people. People screaming,
people are sad, people are in danger and
people dying.

TERRIBLE LOSS IN BAM

There I stood with buildings
Collapsing around me, the
Ground was shaking, I was
Terrified. I heard many cries
Lost in the rumbling earthquake.
Bam was devastated.

No Place to Hide

Bam is a large community and it has numerous hiding places.

Bam was a large community and it has:

Because Bam was destroyed by an earthquake.

SHOCKING CRY

Earthquakes come Earthquakes go
How do they do it?
Nobody knows.
 
When shocking cries start

Nobody is there to save their hearts
 
It hurts to see people die and
and babies cry.
If you were the one with a shocking cry -
How would you feel when someone walks by.

If you were the one
What would you have done.
Earthquakes come and Earthquake go.
How do they do it, nobody knows.

EARTHQUAKE IN BAM

 
In Bam, I ran there was
A devastating earthquake.
Building and structures
Fell collapsing
And it was strange.
Glass was seen
Falling and crashing
To the ground.

I FEEL SAD WHEN PEOPLE DIE

I feel sad when people die.
People cry when their friends or
Somebody related to you dies when you
Go somewhere there might be danger
And sometimes you get hurt.

SAD PEOPLE

Sad people
They are horrified crying with
Dangerous earthquake.
 
People are dying,

People are stuck that don't know
What do to

Shaking of the ground is a lots of disaster
It seems like an eternity.

So noisy with the crying, crashing
And screaming
Some lose their parents and family
And friends
Some are lonely they are separated
From their family, they are lost
Because of the horrifying, dangerous
Earthquake.

THE EARTHQUAKE OF BAM

There was an earthquake, a very big earthquake-
That was a real disaster. It caused
A lot of shaking, smashing and collapsing.
Plus danger and loss. It was horrifying
And there was a lot of falling. It seemed
to go on forever, eternity, no end. People
sad, angry and crying, all because of that
one earthquake

CRASHING TOWERS

Deaths getting closer and closer and closer
People dying all over the city
Shaking towers, shaking people, shaking everywhere
Cry from people and lost people
Terrible shaking and terrible hours - fires all over
Smoke everywhere
The country
Trying to survive everywhere
Food or what were people can't
Move anywhere. People crying and everything
For it to end and for it to stop
And everyone's death and blinding everywhere and
Some animals act silly. Then everything was in silence

Untitled

In Bam there was a horrifying
Earthquake and many devastating
Deaths and people felt so sad because
Of the deaths and loss of their
city.

Untitled

I didn't know there was an earthquake in Bam
I was sorry for them. It makes me cry.
Then I was sad, then I want to help them
To make a bake sale to help them.

Bam Bam Bam

Untitled

Bam is a beautiful city, sitting next to a clear blue sky.
The buildings of Bam are made of hard sand.
The walls of Bam shine from the sun.
 
Now, Bam is all destroyed.
They're pieces of buildings all over the place.
The walls are crumbled and dull.
 
Now people are going to rebuild Bam to make it beautiful again.

Untitled

Survivors weeping over losses,
Trying hard to avoid deviasting disasters.
Fire and metal everywhere
Feeling lost,
Dying people and dying hearts.
People fall underneath the smoke.
Crackling earth beneath your feet.
Screaming for eternity.
Danger lurking underground.
Plates are moving all around.
Collapsing walls and buildings too.
Horrified faces in every direction.
Animals are acting weird.
People running around,
Crying in anger and sadness too.

Terror in Bam

People screaming in terror.
They see people dying losing their homes and families.
Wild animals running fast to find a safe place.
Buildings are falling …People are being trapped under the bricks.
41,000 are dead!

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Buildings smashing.
Trees are bashing.
Cars crashing,
People dashing.

Quick! Find some shelter, everything is helter-skelter.
Everything is crashing, falling, Everyone is shouting, calling.

People crying,
Others dying.
This is true,
I'm not lying.

Rumble, tumble to the ground,
People running all around.
The earthquake strikes in Bam , Iran .
People say from the world around.
Such a disaster!

BAM! BAM! BAM!

BAM!

Not a long time ago,
There was an earthquake in Bam.
 
It was so sad,
All the buildings were destroyed.
 
If I was there,
And survived,
I would have been relieved.
 
If my friends had been hurt,
I would have been hurt.
Not my body but
My feelings would be hurt.
 
I wonder,
How did those people survive?

Earthquake

A place made out of sand, sand, sand.
With a giant crack in the ground, ground, ground.

An earthquake made a sound, sound, sound.
The castle was very big, big, big.
Then it went down, down, down.

When the earthquake happened,
I heard people screaming.
Lots of fires.

Buildings crashing and bashing.
When houses fell, They crumbled to bits.

People said they looked like chips.
The earthquake made a big mess and didn't come out the very best!

Boom! Bang!

Boom! Bang! Crash!
The buildings falling.

The earthquake didn't stop
Until 8:00 in the morning.

Bam Is In Trouble

Danger lurking all around.
Buildings falling to the ground.
The earthquake coming from deep down, down, down.

Rumble. Tumble. To the ground.
People running round and round.

Cars are crashing.
Streets are cracking.

Buildings smashing all over town,
People flying and falling down.

People trying. People crying.
People dying. I am not lying.

Sad Day!

Boom! Bang! Crash!
I feel very sad that things went very bad.
We need a lot of money to help Bam.
Bam is a city that needs to know that we appreciate them.
A lot of people died and they need help.
We are like heroes to them.
 
They need food and water to drink.
They need to care for their family,
But we are there for them.
 
They do not need to worry,
We are their family.
We do not have to know them,
To help them. We are their friends.
 
Bam is our family.

Bam Bang! Bam

Run, run you can't hide.
Fire, explosions.
People dying and everyone screaming.
No stopping it.
No slowing it.
Buildings falling.
Cars flipping.
Almost no one living.
They are covered in sadness and anger.
They wish it hadn't happened.

Poor Bam Bam Bam

Bam's Earthquake

 
There is sadness and fear in an earthquake.
The earthquake caused humungous destruction.

The painful tragedy made people feel bad.
People got scared in the city of Bam .
 
People were running, screaming and crying.
Many people suffered
In the earthquake.

Earthquake in the Night

When the shade of the night covered Bam to the top of the
city a gigantic plate that was under the city decided to move.
 
And, because of that plate the big city of Bam fell.
And with a big cry the walls that had stood for these 2,000 years and the city of Bam couldn't stand anymore.

BAM BAM BAM

The earth shook
sending us to the streets
sending us into new fears
and uncertainties
taking from us
homes, families, friends.
 
The awful sounds of the shaking
of the earth shattering
like crystal glass and
and the broken toys of our past
the smells of the shaking
eats away at us like cancer
burning in the bottomless pit
of our fear.

Thousands of miles away,
the students standing by
a Red Cedar heard the sound
and were changed and the
changing said they
will never be the same.
 
Their nostrils tasted the smells
of the earth shaking and became
determined to help their
family in need and poems are
written, cookies and cakes sold
in the wake of the earth shaking
changing this small world,
while challenging us
to make it a better world for
those in the midst of the shaking.