Before the words are spoken, a bright light shines from the eyes of second grade teacher Mr. Aguilar. "I do not teach poetry," he says, "poetic language is everywhere. It is a kind of movement, a wind." While poetry is typically characterized by its flexible form and accessibility, for Mr. Aguilar, now in his tenth year of teaching, poetry is much more than that which lands on the page. In its etherealness, poetry wanders. It bends words and sounds. It is spontaneous and surprising. There is an inner yearning for play, and for these reasons, says Mr. Aguilar, poetry is never a challenge for children, rather it is a solution. This article describes the various ways in which Mr. Aguilar creates for his students a particular experience with poetry. It highlights, not only the cultivation of a classroom in which students see poetry as a creative act, everywhere and every day, but also details how this is reinforced through the making of "poetry tools"; a 20-minute read-aloud of "Everybody Needs a Rock," a picture book featuring a present-day Native American girl as its main character; and a journal writing and mapping activity on New York City and Lenape history. Here poetry becomes both the catalyst for deep observation and the method used to imagine past indigenous life. It serves to fulfill Social Studies and Curriculum Standards and C3 Framework learning goals in the elementary grades.