If I Were Ruler of the World
5th Grade Poetry Recitation
Class recitation- October 19
School recitation- October 24
Annabel Leeby Edgar Allan Poe
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;--
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
She was a child and I was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love--
I and my Annabel Lee--
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.
And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud by night
Chilling my Annabel Lee;
So that her high-born kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.
The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and me:--
Yes! that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of a cloud, chilling
And killing my Annabel Lee.
But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we--
Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in Heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:--
For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I see the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,
In her sepulcher there by the sea--
In her tomb by the side of the sea.
Difficulty of piece: 4
Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright
By: Rosemary and Stephen Vincent Benét
Said Orville Wright to Wilbur Wright,
"These birds are very trying.
I'm sick of hearing them cheep-cheep
About the fun of flying.
A bird has feathers, it is true.
That much I freely grant.
But, must that stop us, W?"
Said Wilbur Wright,"It shan't."
And so they built a glider, first,
And then they built another.
―There never were two brothers more
Devoted to each other.
They ran a dusty little shop
For bicycle-repairing,
And bought each other soda-pop
And praised each other's daring.
They glided here, they glided there,
They sometimes skinned their noses.
―For learning how to rule the air
Was not a bed of roses―
But each would murmur
afterward,
While patching up his bro,
"Are we discouraged, W?"
"Of course we are not, O!"
And finally, at Kitty Hawk
In Nineteen-Three (let's
cheer it!)
The first real airplane really flew
With Orville there to steer it!
―And kingdoms may forget their kings
and dogs forget their bites.
But, not till Man forgets his wings,
Will men forget the Wrights.
Difficulty of piece: 3
Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
By Robert Frost
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep
Difficulty of piece: 2
The Aliens Have Landed!
byKenn Nesbitt
The aliens have landed!
It's distressing, but they're here.
They piloted their flying saucer
through our atmosphere.
They landed like a meteor
engulfed in smoke and flame.
Then out they climbed immersed
in slime
and burbled as they came.
Their hands are greasy tentacles.
Their heads are weird machines.
Their bodies look like cauliflower
and smell like dead sardines.
Their blood is liquid helium.
Their eyes are made of granite.
Their breath exudes the stench of foods
from some unearthly planet.
And if you want to see these
sickly, unattractive creatures,
you'll find them working in your school;
they all got jobs as teachers.
Difficulty of piece: 3
A Sliver of Liver
Just a sliver of liver they want me to eat,
It’s good for my blood, they all say;
They want me to eat just the tiniest sliver
Of yucky old slimy old slithery liver;
I’m saying not thanks, not today.
No, I’ll pass for tonight but tomorrow I might
Simply beg for a sliver of liver;
“Give me liver!” I’ll cry. “I’ll have liver or die!
Ohm, please cook me a sliver of liver!
One piece might not do, I’ll need two or a few,
I’ll want tons of the wobbly stuff,
Of that quivery shivery livery pile
There may not be nearly enough.
Just a sliver, you say? No thanks, not today.
Tomorrow, I really can’t say;
But today I would sooner eat slivers of glass. Eat the tail of a skunk washed down with gas,
Eat slivers of sidewalks and slivers of swings,
Slivers and slivers of any old thing.
Than a sliver of slimy old quivery shivery livery liver today.
-Lois Simmie
Difficulty of piece: 2
“The Great Chili Cook-off”
By: Eric Ode
At the Great Chili Cook-Off of Tenderfoot Valley,
the whole town was gathered—each Tom, Dick, and Sally—
to see who would win and be given the crown
of Chili Bean Princess of Tenderfoot Town.
Now, Millicent Milkweed was graceful and stunning,
and she’d been the winner for seven years running.
She stood near her kettle with beauty and style
and waved to the crowd with a confident smile.
The other contestants expected the worst:
that Millicent’s chili would surely be first.
The best they could hope for, as far as they reckoned,
was coming in third or perhaps even second.
A sweet, spicy smell filled the fall afternoon
as bravely they waited with kettle and spoon.
Then in walked a lady quite new to the town,
with sun-speckled freckles of cinnamon brown.
She carried a kettle that gurgled and bubbled
and sheepishly grinned, looking timid and troubled.
Her hair, like a bison’s, was woolly and shaggy.
Her apron was rumpled. Her bonnet was baggy.
She set down her kettle on top of the table
and brushed from her fingers the dirt from her stable.
She smoothed out her dress for a moment or two
and pulled out a spoon she had tucked in her
shoe.
Then Millicent glared at this strange-looking lady,
who said to her, “Howdy. I’m Isabelle Grady.
I came here as soon as I finished my chores.
I hope I ain’t late for this contest of yours.”
The judge entered in with a top hat and suit.
He turned to the crowd, and he gave a salute.
He said not a word, but was off like a shot
to see what he’d find in the first chili pot.
This chili belonged to one Bernadette Bly,
who watched as the judge gave her chili a try.
He grunted, and soon without further ado,
he moved down the table to pot number two.
Now, pot number two the judge met with a yawn.
He sniffed and he nibbled, but soon he was gone.
And three, four, and five were each greeted the same.
That judge hurried on just as quick as he came.
But pot number six—that was Millicent’s chili.
She smiled at the judge, and he winked back at Millie.
He said as he tasted, “Well, Millicent dear,
that’s pretty good chili you’ve cooked up this year.”
(continuation of “The Great Chili Cook-off”)
“But still,” said the judge, “there’s no need to be hasty.
There’s one kettle left, and it smells rather tasty.”
He lowered a spoon into Isabelle’s pot
and said to her, “Now then, let’s see what you’ve got.”
The judge took a bite, and he blinked and he shivered.
His mouth, it dropped open. His mustache, it quivered.
And long wisps of steam drifted up from his nose
while billows of smoke left his fingers and toes.
And then before anyone there was the wiser,
he flew through the air as if shot from a geyser.
But Isabelle heard as he vanished from sight,
“Now, that pot of chili is just about right!”
Difficulty of the piece: 4
THE GAME
By: Sheridan Nicole Myers
Here you go,
Everything I have.
I give you my heart,
My sweat, blood, and tears.
I run, jump, dive,
Sacrifice my body, health, and time
Rain or shine,
I’m out there.
I don’t want to be.
But this game,
It’s part of me.
Day after day,
The game beats me down.
Kicking mud in my face
Destroying my confidence
But I refuse to stay down,
To give up, to fail.
No instead I push harder
Run that extra sprint,
Stay that extra twenty minutes.
Knowing that come game time,
I will rise to the top.
I will be the winner.
I will defeat the game.
Difficulty of the piece: 3