Memory and Future Poems
The first poems we wrote were on the theme of memory. The second was on the theme of the future. We had a very special visitor today, Sarita Krugman, and she's agreed to let us post her entries here (thanks Sarita!).
Memory Poem by, Sarita Krugman
Memories are things I
hide in a dark box filled with imaginations
good, bad thoughts that process
through my brain telling me whether it's
ready to be thrown into a puddle of mud
the pain of leaving my home, friends and families were
all my memories had been created as a 5-year old
remembering that clear, sunny day
tears had fallen down my cheeks
calling my mother's name
felt like no one could ever feel what
I had been feeling
the broken heart of feeling like I would
never see them again
some memories still make me think
of what could have happened if I hadn't left
my country
Memory Poem by, Brandy Lawrence
it is wide,
though the top is narrow
what to do, oh what to do
it will not open,
I need professional help.
A hammer does nothing,
adds a deep dent to the top.
A screw driver will help!
but alas, it cannot be.
The tool falls away,
scratches now adorning
the top.
My fingers lose purchase
the bottle skids away,
I give up,
Scream, Holler, Yell
for help.
Daddy's big fingers get it off in a stitch
I fumble again,
dropping the insides all over
with colorful splashes
and chilly drips.
More help is what I need,
so again I Holler, I Yell, I Yelp, I Scream
Mummy's gentle hands replace the mess
I have made with fresh and clean sheen
the bottle in my hands once more,
I cannot reach the top
Help! Help!
I Holler, I Yell, I Scream
waiting for my cousin's long legs to reach me
And then, my hands are empty and
I am alone
Help! Help!
I Holler, I Yell, I Scream.
Memory Poem by, Kailey Rinder
clogging my head
leaking out of my voice
as a bad truth or
a good tale
Little bits of sugars and salt
I cover my life food in.
Making stereotypes
creating hopes and dreams
Memories,
chose the life for me to lead.
Memory.
Not a private thing.
It changes you in many ways.
Some secrets stay within
but still leak poison
through your skin.
No, pasts are
not secret
things just
stories that change your
heart and make new
beginnings
Memory Poem by, Beth White
sometimes I find myself
caught
netted underwater, facing
large green sea kelp of memory fanning the water
undulating with the surface waves 20 feet up
And I snap back to now, sitting overlooking
fields being put to bed for winter.
Where do these memories lie
deep within the space in the center of my brain
accessed in an instant
Underwater again, blue warmth
green velvet sea sponges-the most majestic color I've ever seen
Tall and proud, doing what sponges do best
And yet, in a moment I am called back
to the white mesh netting of the ghost
hovering in front of me, 20 feet up
"Be present," he says
"If you have one foot in the past, who is left in today?"
Time straddling, I slip back
dark blue surrounding and cradling my body
as I watch them play
teenagers, I calculate, race one another up, 20 feet
snatching at tails, flipping and chattering
onlookers watch, perhaps amused, at their fun!
a baby, nursing, darts over to me for a moment, curious, and then rushes back
under his mama's protective belly
Remembering this time, these joys
breathes life into my now
Treasured stories,
treasured memories
caught, netted in the blue-green of my mind
feeding the fire of my soul.
Future Poem by, Sarita Krugman
The future represents what I will become
through all the challenges I have withheld
the journeys I take with passion or not
will guide me
Future is what I look forward to
finishing high school and college
having a loving family
becoming a poetry writer, cooking and owning
my own business
Because of all this dreaming it
excites me to know that I have so much
to look forward to
Every step I take it spins itself a new
beginning of hope.
The Future by, Brandy Lawrence
In the future
where are you?
Are you looking at me?
Or are you looking at you
in your camera's view?
A flash of white teeth,
shiny red of a tongue,
Hey! Don't do that at me!
But again,
I must ask
where are you?
What do you see?
Are there pine trees
and green grass?
Or is there heat
and millions of miles
your feet have yet to meet?
What are you?
A married man,
a widow,
a daddy to be?
Where are we,
in this future
that has yet to be?
Are we one,
are we two,
are we three?
In the future,
are you still you?
amusingly goofy,
adorably smart,
crazily sarcastic.
Did you retain your accent?
Have you turned
into that hick
you said you'd never be?
Are you savage
wild and free?
Or are you still you,
listening to those techno beats,
arms flailing as
you dance in a different
reality.
Are you still
the one I'll forever
greet with a grin
and a kiss to my hand?
In the future,
so far, yet so near,
So close I can feel
its breath,
so far its outline is hazy
where are you?
what do you mean?
Future Slide Show by, Kailey Rinder
Future slideshow
future me.
Will I soon be drinking coffee?
Old and fresh.
Young and dry.
Will I be singing lullabies?
Future Hugs
Future Wishes
Willowing towards something better
Strong but timid
useless strength.
Will I be still me?
Now. Now is the future of the past.
So maybe I need to relax.
Need to let life flow by.
Minutes pass when time needs to fly.
Hush. Hush. Whisper.
Think. Think. Prop.
Oh me, oh my.
Maybe I'd rather not
wonder or know.
Maybe that would
distract me from my
present slideshow.
The Future by, Beth White
Once given a bundle, I've carried with me
this vision of that which would come...
A long dress
A skiff oared by father
taking me to the landing of my future
A group waiting to celebrate
family, friends, and he
welcoming the beginning of life
And yet, the vision, now blurred
never to manifest
and I, locked in this nebulous place
between living and not, am
waiting
waiting
waiting for the boat
waiting for the landing
waiting for the man.
Out dashed vision!
Out stifled hope!
In Life!
In Love!
Future Poem II by, Beth White
Why is it
that
we want for our
children
that
which we
never could
reach?
We give them
bundles
and teach them how
to carry our
lost hopes.