STUDENT POEMS FOR FALL 2023 w206 and a190
Paige Phillips
Dreaming of Destinations
Sarah paced past the old A-Frame it’s roof was basically mold and moss now
fallen to ruin or maybe it was some palace to obscure ancient fae. That wasn’t
The great treasure was found from trekking through overgrown meadows caressed by overgrown
untouched nature she found it, almost consumed by the tall grasses, a well. A vertical tunnel
or perhaps a chute. To a world inside of the world and all she had to do was tumble. If Alice found a wonderland inside the roots of a tree, then surely in a place like this Sarah could find a
world in the well maybe for better or maybe for worse that would only be know once she took a
leap of faith. She wasn’t even a religious person but maybe down there she could find some old
God or Titania’s palace. Step, step, scooch, a hesitation and a last deep breath. Down she goes.
The walls had changed from slimy gray blocks to black smooth stones to dirt, but then, into a
Colorful display like paints dancing in water or maybe this is what it was like to take a trip
With acid or with some sacred traditional herbs psilocybin and peyote. Maybe this was just
Death, as a consequence of dumb choices. No death was cold and peaceful. There was no
Peace here. Thrill, joy, no those aren’t the right words… words why is it so hard to describe
The bottom came up fast purple waters, glassy and calm waiting for her big splash. A harsh jerking thud.
was a better ride than that shitty old Cadillac. And she preferred the world inside her dreams.
A Torrential Hope
1997. Mt. Fuji. Haruka, a thousand strangers, and Rosie.
Rosie howled and pushed. She downpoured and she gusted. She was turbulent. She was the storm.
Haruka felt Rosie in her bones and her teeth she swirled and danced with the music blaring consuming the top of this small mountain top. Rosie wanted to be the main performance though and her raindrops like tears glinted against colorful stage lights.
But Haruka wasn’t going to budge from this mud and sweaty ick in fact this was the best way to be outside of the mundane and the stress. If the Foo Fighters and the Chili Peppers can still manage to play through a typhoon she can carry on with her joy and angst.Tomorrow she will put on a dress suit and pinchy heels condemned to the real world, but today she is ethereal, she is the wind and she is the storm. She is the riff and the lyrics.
It should have been horrific, they should have been walking to their cars full of regret and loss at being unbound from their expectations but maybe the unanimous awareness of what is to come when this festival ends was enough to muster their courage and their daring to face down the storm.
Rosie was determined now to wipe them and their audacity off the face of the mountain. 10 men holding up a stage. A Spice Girls ‘Wannabe’ cover, not that anyone could even hear it through the amps. But they could hear it, in their screaming and their defiance. Give It Away Now… Run away now.
Paige Blower
The Autumn Spider
Daniel took his only daughter Deborah to the county fair. Kids were running all around, but Deborah
stood by Daniel’s side with the promise of a deep-fried pickle on her mind.
Deborah only strayed from Daniel’s side when she saw her best friend Harry standing by the exit tunnel.
She watched as he held hands with his mom walking far, far away. Daniel was distracted with his head
in a trashcan. Deborah ran to the tunnel, so fast her eight little legs felt as hot as the sun. As if there was a magnifying glass being shown onto her skin. She called out his name, but his ears weren’t on. She
made it to the tunnel, but something on the other side made her nervous. She climbed up the walls of the exit on her eight little legs, straining her head to see Harry. It was too bright, the sun was setting
directly in her eyes. She could only see black floating polka dots, the sun's signature. She took the leap but was too scared to leave Daniel forever. She tethered herself to the tunnel and jumped, sprawling,
her limbs out in the hope Harry might be on the other side to catch her. He wasn’t there though, no one was there. In fact there was nothing there at all. She stood on two feet on an empty road. The sun
crossed the horizon and the moon was in the sky. As she looked around the more she remembered. Harry’s blue house, and her own on the corner of the road littered with spider webs. She walked home
hoping Daniel wouldn’t be waiting on the porch with an empty beer bottle in hand. That his black ashtray wouldn’t be filled with cigarettes too small to smoke anymore. She hoped he wouldn’t ask her to
run to the nearest convenience store, where Al sat waiting for her. She heard a laugh and turned to find it; she was yanked back to the autumn breeze, her dad is waiting for her with his head in the trash.
Poem 2:
Sammy Rae’s journey to Seattle
Sammy Rae was on a train to Seattle, thankful that she was leaving the heat advisory in Indiana behind. It reminded her of the day her boyfriend shattered her heart into pieces. He took her to a coffee shop on a hot summer’s day, the heat was so bad she remembered thinking she could crack an egg on the
road and fry it up for breakfast. Her boyfriend wasn’t a fan of that idea, so he took her to The Red Cat Coffeeshop where they played scrabble all day, she remembered his pencil never left his left hand. He would always keep score; he was bad at losing. So bad in fact that whenever Sammy was right, he
would leave her on the side of the road. He would drive off so fast that the hot wind from his car would hit Sammy Rae in the face she felt like a cat clawed her. Splitting her face down the middle and ripping it apart. It would be so hot out that as she walked back home, she imagined herself walking alone through
a desert in search of water. She would struggle as her body would sink into the sand praying for someone to come rescue her, bring her a canteen with ice cold water. Until she would see a bird, and then another, and then another. Flying as a flock to what she would hope was a blue oasis. Where she
could dip her head in and feel the refreshing ice water rejuvenate her. As she got closer and closer the water seemed to get farther and farther away until it disappeared entirely. In dismay she lay on the sand sinking deeper and deeper her only thought being her boyfriend’s favorite song, Country roads
take me home. She woke up on the soft tan seat on the train, staring out at the roads filled with horses and fields. She wondered where he was now, but she knew in the back of her mind that she was going somewhere better. Somewhere where he couldn't ever leave her in the desert again.
Arianna's poems
Poem 1
Old Man
Old man Hank owned the best grocery
store in town
As he was doing his daily rounds when
the clock struck 12
leaving his usual routine he left his store
a little early
walked out for good left it all
behind
Hank said “most people quit without
even trying"
This generation is so quick to give
up
Takes advantage of what we have
Hank held on and surpassed
He exceeded expectations and used the
tools he had
Soon it was time to move on to start a
new chapter
As he walked back home, he realized
he was lost
He shouted for help but no one was
to be seen
He was scared and alone in this
unfamiliar place
All that was in front of him was a sight to see
A jungle with trees that touch the
clouds
Grass so tall he could barely find a
way out
he found a tunnel that led to a familiar
place
It was his home and his bed which he'd found
at last
Poem 2
The dog weeps and
whines as the night grows darker
And wind becomes more viscous
All while the owner is sound asleep
Soaking in all the peaceful noises created by nature
Colton
Poem
1) Mysterious peppers
Janet
found herself at her local corner store in her small town,
She
stumbled upon green peppers, and it took her way back.
She
thought of her childhood, scary but fascinating. It was like a dark
tunnel,
Thoughts
of her mother that passed were sprinting through her mind.
As
she kept having memories of her mom, the floor began to move
Beneath her. Just like her mom's death, speeding along and then falling.
Then
the world came back, and she was standing in the store lost
in words and thoughts, just still, controlled breathing, lost.
Then she went home and in her yard was a green pepper, she again
Went
back into her intrusive thoughts. She heard her mother's voice
But
no sight. Couldn’t seem to make out what was said so she was curious,
But
I didn’t understand. She went inside and threw herself on the bed.
Staring
off into her room she went into tunnel vision and couldn’t get out,
All
she could feel was someone with her and a voice she recognized....
Her
mother.... again. This time it felt as if she was present and breathing.
Suddenly
a loud BANG and she woke from a deep deep sleep, and figured
It
was a dream... She went to discover the ear-aching bang and it was a box
At
her doorstep it was full of green peppers and she was lost in what they meant.
Poem
2) Old Town Road
Wind
and clouds come raging over the Colorado
Mountains
at hectic speeds, knocking things over
With
a brute force. Pencil-long raindrops soar from up above
Making
sites is very difficult. There was a glinted flash off in the
Distance
that Nate had seen, and shivers went down his spine,
His
body began to ache like never before, the small Colorado
Town
became very dark and scary. His friends gave a call, Nate was
As
silent as a mouse when answering the phone, he expected the worst
The
news was that the treacherous storm heading over called for them to evacuate...
The whole town started to scatter down the “Old town road."
JeniSue
The Last Straw
Toni felt the knife plunge
so deep it pierced her heart
She started looking for a
band-aid as she tried to pull it from her back
But the bottle was empty
not even a shot left to ease her pain
How could it be such a
beautiful day
how dare the sun shine so
brightly
like the fire that was
raging inside her now
a gentle wind seemed to
blow on the fire and make it fierce to the point it was almost out of control
She was only calmed by the
song playing on the radio
her favorite song No where
to run to by martha and the vandellas
she got up to dance
knowing that if she didn’t
tend to her wounds
the wound would fester and become
much worse
but she decided to let her attacker him it off
and enjoy just dancing alone
there would be time later
to do what had to be done
ending things is never
easy
but ending him
had become
necessary
Zofia Estes
David Dodd Lee
ENG-W206
08/23/23
Since Yesterday
Yesterday Sandra started a new life.
She moved out of her hometown,
Onto new and bigger things
On Sandra's adventure she traveled through a tunnel.
For some reason during her travel
The tunnel was the most exciting part.
Moving away and starting a new life had no impact on her.
But traveling through the tunnel gave her hope
That everything was going to work out in her favor.
While also sending her into a crisis.
A pickle one might say.
Why was the tunnel the thing that eased her mind about
starting a new life
Going on a new adventure
And finding more friends
And places to hang out should be exciting enough
But all Sandra was focused on was how traveling through the
tunnel gave her hope.
Was she too immature to move away?
Was she too childish that a tunnel was the thing that made
her day better?
Yesterday Sandra not only started a new life, but a
new outlook on life.
From this moment on, since yesterday, Sandra told herself that no matter how she needed to cope
with substantial changes in her
life it was okay.
Whether that be traveling through a tunnel and letting that ease your mind, and getting into a pickle, or
some may say a life crisis.
She was going to accept the way she decided to handle
things and continue going on in life.
And grow however she needed it too.
Make Them Smile
Jack was a father.
He did anything for his kids, even take them to places he
knew he could not afford.
Through wind and storms, he did whatever he could to make
them happy.
Whether this was going out to eat,
Gong on an adventure,
And occasionally simply doing things that were free.
All Jack wanted to do was make his kids smile.
All he wanted to do was bring them joy.
All he wanted to do was bring himself joy.
His children knew they could get whatever they wanted.
Not spoiled in an entitled way
But in the way they knew they were loved.
The one thing that brought Jack's family together was
music.
Especially the kind his children liked.
So, whenever he was asked about a concert, he could never
say no.
Jack knew taking his kids to popular bands like Twenty-One Pilots or The Who would hurt
his wallet overall but once he saw his children's eyes glinting with joy and excitement
He knew he could suffer another workday to watch his kids
smile.
Alejandro
Cuautle-Quintana
David
Dodd Lee
Poetic
Assignment Wednesday 8.23.23
POEM 1
Henry’s
Hurry
I
woke up, the sun was covered by the blinds
Put
on my Pickle Rick t-shirt, it’s the hour we get started
In
the bathroom awaits my Dramamine
I
then brush my teeth, washing out yesterday's spoken mistakes
HENRY
HURRY UP, are the words my grandfather huffs at me
He
heavily hates time being wasted
I
pack my bag, only green peppers for lunch
I
don’t eat anything besides that and my words
I
walk into school. There's no impact on my presence
There's
impact from my absence if I miss out on homework
I
am walking to class; the teacher shuts the door on me
I
don’t even flinch. I walk through the door
I
am utterly phased at the fact that I phased through the door
Am
I a ghost, I ask. Nobody answers
I
stand up during lecture. Nobody bats an eyelid
I
walk around the class. This isn't normal
I
phase through the cafeteria. I eat everything in sight
Tonight
I stay here and enjoy. I'm repeating yesterday's cycle
POEM 2
She
Doesn’t Regret Hope
Sarah
hops onto the airplane. Nothing like the paper ones she made as a child
For
a while, she’ll have a new home. Her university across sees
She
misses her mommy, but she’ll make her proud somehow
She’s
unsure about getting on the mechanical bird. A weird intuition fills her
The
same way a thirsty child in the desert fills an empty glass
With
water. She must make somebody proud. She is somebody's daughter
It
starts raining as she flies. Her body dances due to turbulence
Frankly,
the moving Oceans makes her scratch her Blond hair
Nausea
runs through her body at the same speed a squirrel runs from a canine
The
wind makes the raindrops travel through the wind in a twirling manner
But
finally, she arrives at the country overseas
She
doesn’t oversee her opportunities, it's time to start the grind
Study,
work, study, work. The cycle for now
No
time to study. No time to work. How will she get through
the
monthly rent? She lives in worry but also in hope for the future
2
years pass by. She now has a daughter here
Hope
is her name. Hope is what keeps her going
Hope
is a newborn, but she's always had Hope.
Isabelle Becker
Professor Lee
ENG W-206
23 August 2023
Poem 1: Armageddon
Tunnel and A-frame
Amanda laid on a hilltop,
A pillowy expanse of brush and crushed dandelions.
She looked up at the bright afternoon sky
Through her clunky a-frame glasses.
And as her mind created shapes
out of the clouds she imagined
That there was a round sheep, a
Pair of binoculars, and
Most interestingly, a spaceship.
As she latched on to this sight
It took on phosphorescent hue and seemed to be coming
towards her,
As if in a windy tunnel
The strange craft came closer.
She pondered about what the beings inside would look like.
As it touched down, the sky above burst into a million colors
And she saw choirs of angels belting their tunes above the
fray.
The cryptids emerged and extended their hands as if
To send their premature condolences.
Poem 2:
Expectations
Weather and band
Teddy, lost in thought, stared across
the vast stretch of murky ocean
A slight breeze brushed past his curls
As he listened to Avenge Sevenfold, the wind seemed to pick
up.
Matching his depressive mood, “Why didn’t I
get in the water more this summer”.
He thought of the summer coming to a close
And what that meant for his life.
He had worked tirelessly at the old Hummer factory in town
All so that he would be able to pay for his ticket to
A decent livelihood,
As his parents would call it.
College was the most important,
But he could not help
But dwell on the summer that
Could have been.
But if he can get through this,
Everything will come together, it will.
Nova's poems
THE FOREST
Lleu was walking through the forest,
Enjoying the calm, fresh atmosphere.
He can hear birds sing, the wind whistle, and
Critters scratching. A tunnel appears,
But there is no direct destination or ending. A sense
Of dread and weariness fills Lleu. Approaching,
A spell of dizziness hits. A shadowy figure appears
In the darkness of the tunnel. A deafening quiet
fills
His ears. Frozen, he shivers in anxiety with
What is to come. The figure grins and walks towards
him.
The footsteps leaving no noise in the now still
forest.
A cold hand brushes his cheek, and a whisper is heard
In the wind but nothing is comprehensible.
A chill, dizziness, and ache encompass Lleu
As his vision darkens and brightens in the span of a
breath.
The tunnel, now gone, no where to be seen.
Lleu shakes his head, the sounds starting once again.
Perhaps some
Dramamine is to be had about his continuous dizzy spells he
is experiencing.
Poem 2
THE SUN
Evan frantically edits her letter, the wind picking up
speed
With an approaching storm. Her cat lays at the foot of her
bed, among the strewn
Failures she'd ripped from her heart.
She didn’t mean to let things go or ruin everything, but
she still
Lost her one love to stupidity. Her mood matches the
darkening sky out her window,
pencil tapping on her notebook.
Phoebe Bridgers plays on her phone, making her emotions
worse, but
She can’t bear to turn it off. The music was one of her
favorites. As she
Groans and lays back her cat gets up.
Lightning strikes and wind flies into her room, paper
flings everywhere
Just like her swirling thoughts and emotions. She chases,
not wanting to lose her future.
Those words will bring her back, she knows it.
Evan’s cat grabs a page and sits on it, meowing
loudly.
She looks over and shoves him off, the words she was
looking for
Staring right at her.
She kisses her cat, thanking him but he walks away. A knock
is heard on the door
And she opens it, the Sun stands at her door like she used
to. Her tears glinted
As they streamed down her face, the paper crumbled in her
hands.
Alex Carl
A STAR AT THE FARMER’S MARKET
Absent mindedly, Sasha wandered
Through the halls of the farmer’s market
She clung to the sides of the tunnel of booths
and people, staring at a blinding light.
A star, standing there without
care, analyzing about a green pepper
Sasha followed far behind, making sure
Not to expose her selfish actions
In everlasting sunny days, Sasha would
Take any chance to experience night.
The sun was too hot, causing heat exhaustion—
Sasha’s own person hell of discomfort.
She’d let the cold breeze take her insecurities,
And the stars walk her out of the darkness.
She couldn’t experience happiness without her,
Which was the problem that killed her star.
Sasha snapped from her thought as she saw
The star walking away, and the sun rose again.
REBIRTH
Robin sat on the porch listening to music as the hot
summer wind caressed his skin. A Cavetown
song came on—something about being worm food.
The heat was perfect for worm food, hot weather
progressing decomposition—letting the meal attract
all kinds of creatures to feast and live another day.
He pictures a deer head covered in gooey maggots,
but still being able to see the clear bullet hole
in its forehead. That deer was lucky, he thought.
The only time he ever hunted with his father, being
forced
to live some outdated standard. Robin had to pose beside
the carcass, a terrified smile as he held back vomit.
His father patted him on the back, but Robin
wished he had a bullet in his brain. Even his
father got lucky a few months ago.
He heard something about reincarnation once—
being born again after death. He hopes
his father stayed dead instead of rebirth.
Robin will be worm food. He’ll let those slimy bugs
wrap
him in a warm, comforting. Once his heart stopped,
the
worms would only leave bones—hoping for rebirth.
Poem 1:
Bird Without A Song
The morning breeze coaxed Betty awake.
As she opened her eyes she glanced at the tunnel like
a hallway beckoning her.
The birds with their morning song
Sang the praises of the day to come
The window to her left held
The world that awaited her arrival
Her father gathered the hay bales
And roughly placed them along the horse pen
Her brother tended to the insignificant green pepper sapling
He was convinced that one day the plant would give promise
Her mother collected the eggs one by one
Placing them in the coarse hand-woven basket,
Unable to stop them quivering against one another.
Betty admired the things around her
How everything contained in the farm had a purpose,
a drive, a meaning.
Which could only mean one thing,
She had no purpose there.
Poem 2
Group Therapy: First Meeting
Mark stared at the man sitting in front of him
He observed the man’s old and distressed
Metallica t-shirt clinging to his body for dear life.
Mark could hear sounds of torment slip out of the man’s headphones
He noticed how the man bounced his leg with ferocity.
You could almost feel the ground shake.
This newly found uneasy irritation filled Mark
Until he felt he was drowning in his own shoes
Struggling to take a breath.
The pouring rain bombarded the roof of the building
In a way that was reminiscent of the war he'd left behind
Mark could feel his temper metamorphize into
Something he could no longer control.
As he closed his eyes, images of destruction overwhelmed him,
He looked up and saw the gentle expression displayed
On the man he came to quickly despised
somehow conveying that he was okay.
Comments
Post a Comment