Poetry Circle|
Poetry Circle |
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Because students can feel isolated in their experiences, our poetry circle wrote a collaborative poem about troubles in their lives. The collaborative poem is a way to identify with others experiences through creative expression. They were able to notice similar pathos and humor in each of their stories.
Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.
Nobody knows the sorrow…
These Are the Troubles I’ve Seen
These are the troubles I’ve seen.
In second grade, my mom ran over my foot.
When I was three, some kid made fun of my dad.
I got beat up by a gang when I was fifteen.
These are the troubles I’ve seen.
When I was in sixth grade,
The old man at the pizza shop followed me with a knife.
A couple of years ago,
I got pissed drunk and got alcohol poisoning.
These are the troubles I’ve seen.
When I was in third grade,
I was molested by a whole bunch of kids.
I can remember them laughing at me.
At fifteen, I broke into someone’s house,
And stole all this shit.
Once, when I was trying to get his autograph,
Toy Cook ran over my foot.
These are the troubles I’ve seen.
I don’t remember what age it was
When I got hit in the head with the flat part of an axe.
When I was fifteen, some guy offered me
A pack of cigarettes for a naked picture of myself.
There’s a polaroid of me floating around somewhere.
These are the troubles I’ve seen.
Once, I ran away from home
and my dad slapped me until my lip bled.
Once, I was riding my bike,
My shoe lace got caught in the chain,
My cleats got stuck in the pedal
And I flew straight into the air.
-- poetry circle
Students can use poetry to express the many names they collect through the years, the welcome ones, the ones they make up themselves, the ones others give them, the different ways they express their preferences.
I'm Nobody! Who are you?
Are you - Nobody - Too?
Then there's a pair of us!
Don't tell! they'd advertise - you know
How dreary - to be - Somebody!
How public - like a Frog —
To tell one's name - the livelong June —
To an admiring bog!
--Emily Dickinson
My name is nothing.
But I have other names: lost, scared, alone.
In me is a little snail
Because I like to hide.
In my heart there is mostly blood,
But the objective here is hide.
There is sarcasm written on my forehead
Because I am not very good at honest speech.
I love to hate.
I hate to love.
That is why my name is nothing.
--s.
My name is Stargirl.
In me is a tiger
Because it’s wild
Exotic
Beautiful
Strong
And everything else I wish to be.
In my heart there is a star.
Though it is small, it sparkles brightly
And faithfully returns each night to shine for me.
I love my world in the stars.
I hate my sorrow in the day.
That is why my name is Stargirl.
My name is Ozzy.
In me is a monkey,
Because monkeys kick ass.
In my heart there is hate.
On my forehead you will find the words
KILL ME
Because I hate life.
I love hate —
I hate love.
That is why my name is mud.
My name is Chrysanthemum.
But I have other names: Catwoman, Linz.
In me is a cat
Because I act sly and don’t follow a master.
In my heart there is silver
Because my heart is not made of gold.
Sometimes I have self-hate written on my forehead
Because that is how I feel at times.
I love Chad, chocolate Gummi Bears,
French onion soup, traveling and art.
I hate people who play mind games, frozen food and idiots.
That is why my name is Chrysanthemum.
My name is Seven.
But I have other names: Jimm, Toad, Sven, Susan, Ryan, Rick.
In me is a mechanical tiger
Fueled by a flaming ball of testosterone
Because it likes it there.
In my heart there is a pink daisy,
And if you have a problem with that,
We can take it outside.
There are EMETH written on my forehead
Because it doesn’t make sense.
I love the world.
I hate one through six and eight through infinity.
That is why my name is Seven.
--r.
My name is Mango.
In me is a unicorn
Because they are pure joy.
In my heart there is a smiley face J .
I love joy, love, peace and happiness.
I hate pain.
That is why my name is Bryan.
--b.
The students used the poem by O’Keefe to reflect on what they would like to take time with in their lives.
Nobody sees a flower,
Really — it is so small —
We haven’t time,
And to see takes time,
Like to have a friend takes time.
--Georgia O’Keefe
If I Had Time
If I had time,
I would walk forever
And then I’d see everything.
If I had time,
I would do nothing.
And then I’d see
everything doesn’t have to be rushed.
If I had time,
I would not get anxiety.
And then I’d see something besides the paper bag I’m breathing into.
-R.
If I had time,
I would write a book of poems.
And then I’d see how much stress I can take.
If I had time,
I would sing with my mother.
And then I’d see what life was really like.
If I had time,
I would have sex more often.
And then I’d see what pregnancy is like.
If I had time,
I would work on myself.
And then I’d see no more low self esteem.
If I had time,
I would find a job.
And then I’d see some money in my pockets,
And some fun.
If I had time,
I would work on my friendship with Jen.
I would have a closer friend.
And then I’d see some happiness.
Simplicity
If only we lived more simply,
People would not be so selfish.
But some of us realize
We don’t need air fresheners
And kleenex with lotion.
The people who depend on useless products
To make them happy are forgetting
You can find happiness in simpler things-
Like planting a garden
And watching it bloom.
-L.
Students reflected on qualities and imagined them as a person.
Horny
Horny’s eyes are always open wide,
So he’ll never miss a pair of breasts
Or a skirt blowing up in the wind.
Horny bums money and feeds it
Into twenty-five cent booths in porno shops
To watch the "quality cinema".
Horny is his own best friend.
Jealousy
Jealousy hates to dream.
He’s tucked in a blanket to keep himself warm.
Jealousy lives alone.
A mysterious soul,
He runs around the room naked
Screaming his dreams out loud.
He smells like dial soap and tears.
He never talks to me-
Jealousy hates to dream.
Suspicion
Suspicion lurks behind a corner,
Listening to your secret words,
Words not necessarily bad.
He spoils his own surprise party.
He camouflages himself to mix with the environment
And his ears are always listening.
He is in all hearts of humans.
He can destroy trust and burn love,
Because of one clue.
He tries to figure out the truth,
When the truth has already been told.
Hatred
Can I recover from the shame
Of all the pain you caused me?
Inter-tangling with hatred,
They look like they are going
Down a tunnel of madness.
If they have the same problems,
They went through the same torture.
They are fighting about that:
You haven’t felt pain until you lived my life.
No!
You haven’t felt pain until you lived my life.
-G.
Anger
Anger is deep.
It builds up and can blow-off
Like a loud horn.
Anger is a person with bright red cheeks.
She dresses in red and black.
Anger is a lonely person,
And she always will be.
-- J.
Silence
Standing there in silence,
They steal my voice from me.
Standing there in silence,
They make me not want to breathe.
Standing there in silence,
It makes me want to fly.
Standing there in silence,
It makes me want to die.
-- C.
Students wrote about nature or objects to express emotions.
Like burning candles
The sunflowers wave gently
In the cool soft wind.
Dark, Dark Clouds
Dark, dark clouds cover my sky.
I have to kiss the sun goodbye,
For I told a lie,
And now I think I am going to cry,
Or maybe I might die.
Either way, I did tell that lie
Cold Rocks
Eating cold, cold rocks
My teeth crumble and fall out
Every time I bite down.
Sandy Beach
Sandy beach, cold breeze
Powerful tides calming me
Under the hot sun.
Love
Soft breath on my neck
Adrenaline rushes
His body against mine
Full contentment and peace
Silence
Except the beating of my heart
Floating on a cloud
Watching so we won’t fall off
Soft cool breeze rustling our hair
Feel passion!
--J.
Eyes
Do eyes shine enough?
Of course, days are sometimes boring,
Sometimes full.
If I were to put the whole thing together
And look at it,
Would I see you happy or sad?
Does life drag on or move on?
With you it’s hard to tell.
--L.
Trees
The trees are silent,
But their thoughts are loud.
Hear them
Can you hear them yet?
Can you?
--L. & S.
Picture the Scene
I saw a man and a woman dressed in black.
They faced each other
About ten feet apart
And behind them
Things started to appear.
First a mountain
Then a field with a stream,
And birds flying with the breeze.
They seem to be at peace.
Then the scene is gone,
And the people are staring at me, reaching for me.
And then they are gone
And then
There is nothing.
-- S.
One of These Days
One of these days
He’s gonna drop me like a hot potato.
I was auctioned off to him,
The highest bidder.
Then he discovered the pure wasn’t so great.
As I put out my cigarette, it reminds me
How sometimes he puts out our love.
No slender songs-
It’s a man evening.
I’m the lacy sister girl.
People smell bruised skin.
Bruised skin smells like people.
--L.
What have we learned from our family that we take into our world? Students consider the question in their poems.
Your children are not your children,
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
And I Went Forth Into This World
From the family of humans,
Remembering the pain and joy-
Feeling deeply about life and it’s meaning.
Described by others as God’s great gift
Learning that maybe god’s not real
And that we were all the earth and the moon.
Choosing to love each other and ourselves,
I am naming my own family
As blindly as possible,
I call them my life.
--S.
And I Went Forth Into This World
From my family
Remembering the stupidity
Described by others as weird-
Learning that I am.
Choosing to love everyone.
Naming my own family as cool,
Fashioning each day into a lifetime of fun.
And I Went Forth Into This World
From the family of loud, swearing
-yet-
Polite people.
Remembering family gatherings at Bucks.
Feeling deeply about all the need no one can express.
Described by others as a family like no others
Learning that I should listen to myself
Connected to my closest friends
Choosing to love the people in my life.
Fashioning each day into a lifetime.
Screwed-up
I am all alone now
I don’t know how,
I am spiraling down a never-ending tunnel.
I don’t know how to funnel my pain
There is nothing left to gain
Emptiness is all that is left
Why does everyone have to kill themselves?
-- J.
Rita Dove wrote by making us stop for a moment, poetry gives us opportunity to think about ourselves as human beings on this planet and what we mean to each other. A few students chose to write about a moment when they thought about themselves.
Who Am I?
Who Am I?
I will tell you this.
I am a girl who hates to be trendy.
Who am I?
You can see me in the things I do.
I never wear what people consider cool.
I have my own style.
But I am more than what I do.
I am also an artist and an intellectual.
How do I know who I am?
Many have told me I am a very open person.
I have also learned to say what I feel
And I don’t care what others think.
Who am I?
I am not afraid.
--S.
Who AM I?
Who am I?
I will tell you this:
I am a strong, sweet, courageous woman.
Who am I?
You can see me in the things I do.
I smile at people and help others.
But I am more than what I do.
I am also passionate, fiery, and full of life.
How do I know who I am?
Many have told me
I have a great sense of humor
And I play well in sports
I have also learned how to hold back my words.
Who am I?
I am special
I am unique
I am Julia.
Students, teachers & therapists have been moved by the work on the poetry page, and have sent their poems to be shared. All are welcome to send any poems to: jackieu@usa.net I maintain the right to edit for any inappropriate material. If it seems arbitrary, we can discuss it!
peace
Second Chance
Within a meadow
covered with wild flowers
under the serene night sky
full of stars and moon light
There stands before you
a shimmering lady
with wings of the fairies
from the shimmering image
comes a voice
so sweet and melodious
your head fills with pride
for you have been chosen,
you're one of the few,
who get to transition
into a new you,
for you have been unhappy
all your life.
The fragrances of the wild flowers
mix and mingle
creating a sedative effect
incapacitating you,
you blackout,
when you awaken
it is morning
you are able to see everything in a new perspective
without the clouds and haze
The sun is sparkling
everything is shimmering
the flowers with the morning dew
the trees, seen as though anew
this morning you have become the new you.
Seeing everything anew
to live a life fully renewed.
You have been given this chance
this second chance is yours alone
take care, this may be you last chance
Rodney
There isn't that much time
to choose between being a
citizen or leading a life of crime.
Some of you have made your choice;
you're already done -
The rest of life in jail or forever on the run.
The rest of your life caged like the hamsters or Rodney,
chewing on wood chips and dreaming of being free.
- Richard (teacher)
There’s More than Enough Time
I leave these words here because I think differently about time —
Time to breathe deeply
Time to dream your life
Time to discover there is grace in your world.
Never let the naysayer have the last word —
Remember you are loved always.
-- Jackie (therapist)
Visitor from the Sky
Black crow, black crow
where have you been?
The stellar jays;
the red humming birds;
the yellow finches;
the mallard ducks
all have been patiently awaiting
your arrival.
Black crow, black crow
What news do you bring?
We eagerly await the words from your wings
Black crow, black crow
What do you say?
That Spring has arrived early this very day.
- Trudy (therapist)
The Season -
Listen to the wind whisper;
hear the birds sing.
Do you hear it?
Watch the children play;
look the sun is shining.
Do you see it?
The scent of flowers is everywhere;
the mouthwatering smell of your neighbor's Bar-B-Q.
Do you smell it? I can.
At last springtime is truly here!
--N.
I’m
I'm like a mouse trapped in meadow full of crows,
like a human stranded where no one goes.
I'm like a bear trapped within pain.
More like a caged bird going insane.
How can I allow this pain to continue to hurt me horrendously?
Still, here I am-
a bird who will fly with a broken wing.
More like a bug that will be thrashed by a larger human being.