Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Happy National Poetry Month!

We are celebrating Poetry at Southern this year by holding its first "Poem in Your Pocket Day" celebration.

This tradition began about eight years ago in New York City (go to http://www.poets.org/ for more info), and it has made its way to the great state of North Carolina. I can't wait to see how it goes. 

Please comment with your favorite poems, and be sure to always keep a poem in your pocket and a dream in your heart.

Here's one to ponder:

An excerpt from "The Waste Land"
by T.S. Eliot

APRIL is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.

47 comments:

  1. A wise girl kisses, but doesn't love,
    listens but doesn't believe and
    leaves before she is left. -Marilyn Monroe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing! Is this a poem or a quote?

      Delete
  2. "Dreams"
    Hold fast to dreams
    For if dreams die
    LIfe is a broken-winged bird
    That cannot fly.
    Hold fast to dreams
    For when dreams go
    Life is a barren field
    Frozen with snow.

    BY: Langston Hughes

    ReplyDelete
  3. Balances by:Nikki Giovanni


    in life

    one is always

    balancing

    like we juggle our mothers

    against our fathers

    or one teacher

    against another

    (only to balance our grade average)

    3 grains of salt

    to one ounce truth

    our sweet black essence

    or the funky honkies down the street

    and lately I've begun wondering

    if you re trying to tell me something

    we used to talk all night

    and do things alone together

    and i've begun

    (as a reaction to a feeling)

    balance

    the pleasure of loneliness

    against the pain

    of loving you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Love this, and her, and you. Great job. You are doing so well with poetry.

      Delete
  4. You Have brains in your head
    You have feet in your shoes,
    You steer yourself, any direction you choose.
    You're on your own, and you know what you know
    And YOU are the guy who'll
    Decide where to go..
    -Dr. Suess

    ReplyDelete
  5. jabberwocky

    `Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
    Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
    All mimsy were the borogoves,
    And the mome raths outgrabe.


    "Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
    The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
    Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
    The frumious Bandersnatch!"

    He took his vorpal sword in hand:
    Long time the manxome foe he sought --
    So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
    And stood awhile in thought.

    And, as in uffish thought he stood,
    The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
    Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
    And burbled as it came!

    One, two! One, two! And through and through
    The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
    He left it dead, and with its head
    He went galumphing back.

    "And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
    Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
    O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
    He chortled in his joy.


    `Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
    Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
    All mimsy were the borogoves,
    And the mome raths outgrabe.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That Four Letter Word.

    When life seems so down and blue,
    I hope you know someone on this earth thinks about you.

    The skies could be grey and you can be on your knees to pray, just know they love you ither way.

    You could be full of hate and sorrow but they love like there is no tomorrow.

    They care no matter where you are, Whether it be a Bus, Plane or Car.

    You could be hurting deep down inside, but for those few people you can say to everyone else "They never lied."

    Love is a four letter word that can change your life in a good way, but me, I stick with friends and family because they are there every other day!

    -Samantha Turner

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love My Job by: Dr. Suess

    I love my job, I love the pay!
    I love it more and more each day.
    I love my boss, she is the best!
    I love her boss and all the rest.


    I love my office and its location,
    I hate to have to go on vacation.
    I love my furniture, drab and gray,
    And piles of paper that grow each day!

    I think my job is really swell,
    There's nothing else I love so well.
    I love to work among my peers,
    I love their leers, and jeers, and sneers.


    I love my computer and its software;
    I hug it often though it won't care.
    I love each program and every file.
    I'd love them more if they worked a while.

    I'm happy to be here. I am. I am.
    I'm the happiest slave of the Firm, I am.
    I love this work, I love these chores.
    I love the meetings with deadly bores.


    I love my job - I'll say it again -
    I even love those friendly men.
    Those friendly men who've come today,
    In clean white coats to take me away!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Only You

    Every time you look at me
    Chills go down my spine
    you send butterflies to
    my stomach you put love
    in my heart.

    You say your sorry but you
    hurt me again I can't take
    that pain it's best for you
    to go you make me rather be
    alone.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hate of Highschool]

    Highschool's cool,
    but it can sometimes be cruel.
    Some people start drama,
    most of the time it comes back like karma.
    Now most of you know me, I'm not like any other girl,
    but alot of people say stuff that puts me in a whirl.
    I may be crazy, but never insane,
    because I do have a brain, and I know what your sayin'.
    And in highschool you go on one "Date"
    After that all you will get is "HATE"!
    Highschool can sometimes be great,
    it doesnt always have to be about who you hate,
    And who you date.
    Its your Golden years,
    So don't live in fear,
    think Win-Win
    don't ever give in.

    Jasmine Druckemiller

    ReplyDelete
  10. "I'm Not Turning Back"
    Every time i would ask, you said i was tripping.
    I trusted you boy, but now i am quitting.
    You broke my heart, took it and tore it apart.
    You promised to me never again.
    But maybe i'd be better if we were just friends.
    I never really had proof.
    But now its your time to moan and weep.
    I stayed true and faithful to you.
    Something you couldn't.
    I wanted to let go, but i just wouldn't .
    You said you were mine,evidently your not.
    She already told me what happened.
    Yea that's what i thought.
    I knew you was playing, but i still loved you.
    I had a lot of feelings so what could i do.
    But now they are gone..Whose fault is that?
    You took a knife and put it in my back.
    You didn't know what you had.
    Isn't that sad.
    I loved you with all my heart, and still do.
    But how could you play me for a fool.
    Baby i trusted you, why did you do that?
    BUt now i'm leaving, and i'm not truning back.

    ReplyDelete
  11. When you really want something,
    sometimes you have to swim a little
    deeper... you can't give up just
    because things don't come easy...
    you have to overcome the obstacles
    and face your fears...
    but in the end, it's all worth
    while! Life is full of ups and downs,
    but if you believe in yourself
    you will always come through with
    flying colors...Value friendship,
    love and faith...never
    underestimate yourself
    believe in yourself!
    Have a good life!

    By:Someone I don't know. Comment by Cintia Rivera

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wild Strawberries
    By Shel Silverstein

    Are Wild Strawberries really wild?
    Will they scratch an adult, will they snap at a child?
    Should you pet them, or let them run free where they roam?
    Could they ever relax in a steam-heated home?
    Can they be trained to not growl at the guests?
    Will a litterbox work or would they leave a mess?
    Can we make them a Cowberry, herding the cows,
    Or maybe a Muleberry pulling the plows,
    Or maybe a Huntberry chasing the grouse,
    Or maybe a Watchberry guarding the house,
    And though they may curl up at your feet oh so sweetly,
    Can you ever feel that you trust them completely?
    Or should we make a pet out of something less scary,
    Like the Domestic Prune or the Imported Cherry,
    Anyhow, you’ve been warned and I will not be blamed
    If your Wild Strawberry cannot be tamed.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Natures first green is gold
    her hardest hue to hold.
    Her early leaf's a flower;
    but only so an hour.
    Then leaf subsides to leaf,
    so Eden sank to grief,
    so dawn goes down to day
    nothing gold can stay.
    -Robert Frost

    ReplyDelete
  14. Music
    by : Jackrabbit

    Music is what makes you move
    Music is what makes you groove
    Music can be good or bad depending on how it's used
    Music can make you choose different clothes to wear
    Music can make you change your hair
    Music can make you choose new friends
    Music can make you want to dance
    Music can make you fight
    Music can make everything alright
    Music can take care of you when your alone
    Music can make everything feel like home
    Music can harm and take away
    Music can make you want to stay
    Music is the closest thing I have
    Music is my mom and dad
    Music is what keeps me alive
    When i feel like I can't survive

    ReplyDelete
  15. from my mind 2 the depths of my soul I yearn 2 acheive all of my goals and ALL of my free time will be spent on the ones i miss I will lament

    I am not a perfectionist but still I seek perfection I am not a romantic but yet I yearn 4 affection

    Eternally my mind will produce ways 2 put my talents 2 use and when im done no matter where i've been I 'll yearn 2 do it all again

    - Tupac Shakur

    ReplyDelete
  16. You
    By Ashley McLean

    The first thing I think of
    when I think of you,
    Is your wonderful smile.
    The second would be your adorable laugh.
    I could go on and on,
    but the list would never end.

    When I think of the short time
    that we've been together
    and of all of the happy memories we've already shared
    it amazes me to no end
    and I know that we were meant to be together.
    I look at you and see overflowing love, hope, and joy
    As well as charm, strength, happiness and dignity.
    With all of these wonderful qualities
    it's no wonder I love you so.

    ReplyDelete
  17. You may shoot me with your words,
    You may cut me with your eyes,
    You may kill me with your hatefulness,
    But still, like air, I'll rise.
    -Maya Angelou

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This poem is very deep and interesting, nice job.

      Delete
  18. "Childless Woman"

    The womb Rattles its pod, the moon Discharges itself from the tree with nowhere to go. My landscape is a hand with no lines, The roads bunched to a knot, The knot myself, Myself the rose you acheive--- This body, This ivory Ungodly as a child's shriek. Spiderlike, I spin mirrors, Loyal to my image, Uttering nothing but blood--- Taste it, dark red! And my forest My funeral, And this hill and this Gleaming with the mouths of corpses.
    -Sylvia Plath-

    ReplyDelete
  19. Give me your eyes for just one second
    Give me your eyes so I can see
    Everything that I keep missing
    Give me your love for humanity

    Give me your arms for the broken hearted
    The ones that are far beyond my reach
    Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
    Give me your eyes so I can see.

    By: Brandon Heath.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very good! I like how you tied in something we used in class during the unit on Night. :)

      Delete
  20. I’m On The Pursuit Of Happiness And I Know Everything That Shines Ain’t Always Gonna Be Gold
    I’ll Be Fine Once I Get It; I’ll Be Good

    - Kid Cudi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
  21. Las Cosas Pequeñas

    Tu sonrisa
    Tu carita
    Tu forma de ser
    Precio no tiene
    Y es amor
    Yo lo se
    Nada vale más que un beso fiel

    Y son las cosas pequeñas
    Un te quiero
    Un te amo (un te amo)
    Y son las cosas pequeñas
    Un abrazo
    Un te extraño (un te extraño)
    Y la forma de tu mirar
    Es lo que me enseña a como amar
    Y la forma de tu expresar
    Es lo que supera lo material
    Por tu amor puedo respirar
    Aquí quiero estar

    Un recuerdo, para siempre
    Un beso en la frente
    Es lo más importante
    Y es amor
    Yo lo se
    Nada podrá igualar tu sencillez

    English Version Below(:

    The Little Things

    Your smile
    your little face
    the way you are is unpriceless
    and it's love
    I know
    nothing is more valuable than a faithful kiss

    and the little things are one "I love you"
    one " I'm in love with you " (I fall in love with you)
    and the little things are
    a hug
    an " I miss you "( I miss you)
    and the way you look
    that's what teach me how to love
    and the way you express
    This is what surpasses the material
    ( things )
    cause of your love I can breathe
    I want to be here

    a memory forever
    a kiss on the forehead
    is the most important
    and it's love
    I know
    Nothing can match your simplicity

    By ; Geoffrey Royce Rojas <3 (:

    ReplyDelete
  22. And now I tell you openly,
    you have my heart so don't hurt me.
    You're what I couldn't find.
    A totally amazing mind,
    so understanding and so kind;
    You're everything to me.
    "dreams" by The Cranberries

    ReplyDelete
  23. I bounce,i dribble
    on parquet,
    headed for net
    far away.

    Getting closer
    then stopped short,
    i'm surrounded
    at midcourt.

    Looking around
    i look hard,
    i find opening
    to the point gaurd.

    I fake left
    then spin right,
    i release ball
    it's in flight.

    Point gaurd catches
    perfect pass,
    now much closer
    to backboard glass.

    With brows of sweat
    an body hot,
    point gaurd sets
    and takes shot.

    Ball hits backboard
    then drops in,
    cheering crowd
    three point win.

    Some celebrate
    some in shock,
    watching shot
    beat the clock.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I hold my head up just enough to see the sky
    And when we go we won't go slow we'll put up such a fight
    And you will be one day exactly what you are
    Just keep your head held high
    Kiss your fist and touch the sky
    - Kirko bangz

    ReplyDelete
  25. Somethin Bout a Truck
    By:Kip Moore

    Somethin bout a truck in a farmers field
    A no trespass sign, and time to kill
    Nobody's gonna get hurt, so what's the big deal
    Somethin bout a truck in a farmer's field

    ReplyDelete
  26. *Multiplacation Is Multiplying*

    Late last year,
    During winter vacation,
    Dad got us our dog,
    his name is Multiplication.
    Multiplication's a good dog,
    But he's not without trouble,
    Because one day I woke up,
    And saw that he'd doubled.

    Two dogs were there,
    They looked just like him;
    2 X 1 and,
    I had a big grin.
    Two dogs were cool,
    But what about more?
    The next day I woke up,
    And i saw four.

    four dogs were a lot,
    But the fun was still great,
    Until the next morning,
    When I saw there were eight.

    Eight dogs for walking,
    Was one of my fears.

    That's 32 legs,
    16 ears.
    But eight dogs were only,
    A small complication,
    Compared to,
    sixteen.
    My dog's, Multiplication.


    That's 64 paws,
    16 long tails,
    32 eyes,
    256 toe nails.

    Having so many dogs,
    Has been a wild and fun ride,
    But it's time Multiplication,
    Learns to divide.

    ReplyDelete
  27. No matter what they say i do
    no they can't that away from you
    rather you here or rather you far away from here
    you kept it real,you kept it real
    and even though life must go on
    im sending you this thug song
    memories keep playing over and over
    you are a tru soldier

    by:Lil Boosie

    ReplyDelete
  28. If I were the color blue,
    I'd sing sad songs for you.

    If I were the color yellow,
    I'd be a happy fellow.

    If I were the color red
    I'd look like me when I bled.

    If I were the color green,
    I'd grow like a big string bean.

    If I were the color brown,
    I'd be a chocolate town.

    If I were the color pink,
    I'd be a lemony drink.

    ReplyDelete
  29. There's this girl in the mirror,
    I wonder who she is,
    Sometimes I think I know her,
    Sometimes I wish I did.
    There is a story in her eyes,
    Lullabies and goodbyes.
    When she's looking back at me I can tell...
    She's hurting inside.





    If she could show you how much you hurt her,
    you'd never be able to look her in the eyes again.




    I'm a daughter hiding my depression,
    I'm your friend acting like I'm fine.
    I'm a teenager pushing her tears aside,
    I'm the girl siting next to you,
    I'm the one asking for you to care.
    I'm your friend hoping you'll still be there.




    Everything you do and all the words you say,
    you know that it all takes my breath away.






    You got to appreciate her,
    before you respect her,
    got to respect her,
    before you like her,
    got to like her,
    before you love her,
    and that's the greatest love of all.





    I'm not sure about much,
    and I always struggle to explain the way I feel.
    I don't open to anyone,
    and I keep my heart locked away,
    but somehow you got me to tell you my deepest,
    darkest secrets,
    and somehow I might have fallen in love with you.



    What we had seems like it's been forgotten and replaced,
    It seems like it was a one time deal,
    like I only had one chance with you,
    and that one chance has been screwed up.
    I didn't mean too.
    I'll admit that,
    but I thought you'd care enough to come back.
    You always made me smile,
    but a smile isn't forever.




    She's a disaster.
    She looses faith in herself everyday.
    Her life is a mess and she don't care.
    No one understands her and people say stuff to put her down,
    and no one even notices that she might be breaking inside.
    Or they never notice that maybe she needs a hug from someone,
    or someone to sit there with her and listen to her.






    Look. Your beautiful. Never let someone tell you your not. Everyone can see it. I don't know why you can't see yourself as beautiful as I do.





    We all have dreams.
    We all just want to chase after the good ones,
    we want to make the best one's come true,
    and throw away the worst ones.




    We all cry.
    We all laugh.
    We all hurt.
    We all have feelings.
    The thing is we all use them differently.
    - ALL by Sylvanna Nicole(:

    ReplyDelete
  30. "Juicy" by Biggie Smalls

    It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up magazine. Salt'n'Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine. Hangin' pictures on my wall. Every Saturday Rap Attack, Mr. Magic, Marley Marl, I let my tape rock 'til my tape popped
    As I leave my competition repirator style, climbed the ladder to success escalator style, hold ya'll breath, I told ya'll, death controls ya'll, BIG don't fold ya'll. I spit phrases that'll thrill you, your nobody till somebody kills you.

    James Moore

    ReplyDelete
  31. "I'm living in the moment til God push the button"
    - Kid Cudi

    ReplyDelete
  32. “No Worries”
    By Haley Atkins

    Being a little boy
    Always playing and running
    Pretending playhouses are like pirate ships
    And sticks are like swords

    No worries in the world
    Rain boots were a must
    Of course puddles would not stomp themselves
    And playing in the dirt was a daily routine

    Little boy played with his daddy
    Sitting on his lap, listening to scary stories
    Being tickled and running away
    Wishing, someday, he would be as big as his dad

    He wants to be grown up
    But he doesn’t know that he will be sad when he does
    He will miss baths with rubber duckies
    And being tucked by his mom at night

    The worries he’d never even thought of
    Are now an obstacle for him but
    No matter the age he will always know
    That with family there comes no worries

    ReplyDelete
  33. Gentleness : Yulissa Guzman

    Such a pretty rose,
    With such gentle petals
    Too bad it doesn’t last forever.
    The petals fall after the wind has blown,
    They travel back and forth,
    Through the lonely road.
    What a unique beauty
    What a unique journey.
    No beauty deserves loneliness,
    No beauty deserves such death.
    But when the rose dies,
    It will be born again.

    Let it bloom,
    Do not kill it,
    For when it has had enough,
    It will surely die.

    Its trials during the journey,
    Will not be more than just a moment.

    Be its protection,
    Against the wind and the storms.
    Be its protection,
    Let it go its own direction.
    For its journey has to be far more than a lonely one.

    ReplyDelete

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