Of "I Saw the Dead"

In the corner of a waterlogged, rusty room, I saw the dead.
I don't mean to say I saw a corpse
but in his eyes was the deadest, most barren cry of futility
that ever I saw.
It was strange
to find the dead in the midst of a dead place
all covered in gashes and brownfield waste
with lice so thick they were a wig.
It was strange
because the setting was too perfect
too overflowing with barrels and chicken feathers and mice that cried of abandon.
But the most dead thing about him
was his absence of life, in one so young
who without the lice and tatters and brownfield waste could easily
pass as a living thing
there was a discomfort in seeing dead brown eyes
brown like all the rest of him, certainly
but brown where there should have been light.
Yes, there is no doubt he was dead
because he'd lost the will to live.

Of Weariness

Wow, three posts in two days! This must be a record. This poem was inspired by one thing we all know and love: exam week. I might have dramatized it a little, but in my defense, studying for 6 tests is hard work! Can't wait 'til next year, when it'll just be harder. Empathize and enjoy.


I am weary, my dear
Not the fleeting sleepiness that drifts onto us
Before we close our eyes
No, love, it's the other kind
It's the weariness of being locked in a room with no doors
But the ghosts are still seeping through the cracks
Oozing their way through the creaking, rotting wood
To grasp at my heart
My weariness is such, my dear, that all the snow
That has been falling ever so lightly these months
Has pressed against the roof, caving it in
Pouring through the shafts
Releasing the frigid breath of the night
Hanging on the edge of my tongue
Running through my fibers
Letting all the ghosts in
And all I can do is sit there

<3

Of altered books II

Here's another altered book. These are fun sometimes when you're feeling dry. The words are already there; it's just your job to repurpose them. It's a good exercise. This is one I did and really liked.

Of The Cliffs

Alright this one's rather mediocre. Rougher than some of the others I've posted. Obviously needs work. But I think it has some nice lines. Tell me what you think!

I want to be there on the cliffs
Looking at the moon across the sea
Watching the never ending waves
As they drift slowly, slowly away from me
In their parabolas of shadow
And the moon hitting them just right
Dotting the sea with glints of silver
Pockets of depthless shining light
And to sit there by the seaside
Only the surf on the rocks to speak
Calling softly in the abyss of nighttime
Just the moon, the sea and me

This one also seems to be a follow-up, in a way, to my poem "The Waveless Sea." Perhaps that's just me. The rhyming, cadence, theme of the sea...I just really like those elements, I suppose! :)

Of Fleetingness

I grasped it for an instant
Felt like the sea spray against my face
Pounding the rocks with a boom like dynamite
Fresh like nothing before
But then Master Sand came
And blew it all away
Like thin strands
Seeds that had not yet grasped roots
And I drifted away into mindless sleep

Of Fear

Oh how dark the world is
Before the sun comes up
And oh how deep the sea is
Too deep for any cup
But a dark world presents itself
In mysterious ways
There's something new to explore
On every single page
And a deep sea hides mysteries
In its silken waters
So maybe just the fear itself
Is really the only problem?

Of A Writer's Written Word on Writing

To write, oh, to write is to get up from bed
Let your spirit soar above your head
Dream the undreamable!
Think the unthinkable!
I know it's cliche, but it borders unwritable
To write the unwritten, what can't be wrote
Is the sweetest song in a songbird's note
To write is to free, restrict, simply to breathe
Unbreathe the air, breathe in the world
Breathe the breath that breaches the barrier
Let yourself go, connected by sever
The cord, the chord that ties you to song
Song of the living, the unliving, the dead
The word isn't spoken for it to be heard
Sometimes it flies or swims like a bird
Go out to the Earth, go into yourself
Find the word, the word that's a song
Think, just think, let your spirit soar
Go into the song-land, the unwritable, the heart's true folklore


Inspiration: Walt Whitman, Song of Myself (http://www.daypoems.net/poems/1900.html)

Of VMFA Poetry Reading

Last Thursday, I participated in a talent show-type thing at the VMFA in which I read my poem "Formed Poetry" (text form of poem also on blog). I know people wanted to go, but weren't able for various reasons, but still wished to see the performance. So, here you all are! Bad quality, I'm sorry - it was the only format I could use to upload it. :P Nevertheless, enjoy.



BTW this is my first video! :) A milestone.

Of altered books

Ok, this is a new type of poem. I discovered it on StumbleUpon. It's called "altered books." What you do is you (carefully) take out a page from an old book and choose words from it to form a poem. You decorate it, too, to fit the mood of your poem. It's fun! Don't worry, this was one of the worse-for-wear books I owned - it was destined for the recycling bin anyway. So sad, but I figured this is a better future for it. ;) Check out two I did:




Try making your own! I have plenty of pages left over - ask me for one. :)

For more altered books: www.logolalia.com/alteredbooks

Of Tiptoe

This one I wrote back in February and meant to post, but got too lazy. So, here we go.

For some reason when you tiptoe
Your steps come out louder than ever
You notice every crack of the floor
And the thump your foot makes
No matter how lightly you step
Your footsteps always seem to boom
Every step a shout out
For some reason when the world is silent
No footstep can escape notice

Of Universe

Double post! Turns out people actually read this blog, which made me feel extra guilty about not posting in....4 months. So, here you go. It's called "Universe."


I can reach the stars
Like silk, like water, river
Universe rippling through, around
Twist around
Fingers scrape around
Brushing Neptune, Sun, farther galaxies
Twist around through me
Like a breath of fresh air
Locked in that fantastical chest for so long
Air sprinkled with stars
Breath it in
Feel rush by rush
Little bits of shivering hope
Dust dust flying
Each bit a tiny fleck, speck
Feel
Universe
I can reach it
Reach the stars
And so much more

Of Formed Poetry

Alright, I showed this one to a few people at school, but regardless, here it is! Anyone in the area should come see me read this aloud at the VMFA Teen Talent event on May 26th at 7 pm. See, now you know about it, you HAVE to come! :) Enjoy this poem.


Why does poetry always have to be so formatic?
Opening with a question, to probe the mind
Before delving further, deeper into it?
A second question, to cover more
Is asked at this time.
Do we make the format, or are we following others?
Then elaborating more
A metaphor, or maybe two
I am the unquestionable teacher
This is the format
You follow or fail
No questions asked
And if you go back far enough you’ll see
Everything was written in iambic
Like Shakespeare did, it sounds so wonderful
To imitate such a creative style
And don't forget a rhyme or two
Make it sing-songy, something old or new
Even go triple lines, wahoo!
...and I can’t think of a rhyme. Oh, boo.
And then short lines
To emphasize a single
Point
Like a triangle
Rigid in its formation
And now we wrap it up
Begin the line with "and"
Restate the opening phrase
And
Answer the question with one of your own
Here we go
For who says poetry must be formatic?
I certainly don't.

Of Winter

Winter is like our sorrows
Its cold biting air forces us inside
Deeper and deeper
Til we can't run no more
We must make a protection for ourselves
Bundle up in layers and layers
Before we can trek out in the snow
Sometimes after a heavy snowfall
We must pick up a shovel
And endure the toil that it takes to shovel our path free
Sometimes it falls thinly and quickly
Then freezes overnight, turning what used to be roads
Into strips of glass, impossible for travel
And sometimes it falls ever so lightly
That we can run outside in gossamer clothes
Shoes half thrown on
Throw our heads back and laugh
And taste the tiny specks of snow
That give us so much joy to catch
I love winter
And for all its troubles
I wouldn't miss it for the world

Hawk

Haughty and proud
A steely eye sweeping the sky that
Winks occasionally to assure that he is still
King

Of Inspiration

I lost my inspiration
To reach it I have to plunge my hand
Deep into the darkness that
Threatens to consume me
And eat up my soul
But I reach
Stretching farther than I thought
I grab it, and there's
Light in me
And the words flow here
Inspiration isn't gone
It's simply out of reach, that's all

Of Spontaneousness

I feel like writing a spontaneous poem right now, so I will. Something I said earlier to my friend Kevin in FIRC about windows will serve as a basis. Who knows where it will end up? No editing. Rough me, splattered out into a poem. Here we go!

I love windows.
I hate windows.
I don't feel trapped when that light shines through
Little squares of sunshine
Brightening up the dreariness of the mind
Seeing all the buildings, people cars
I feel I can melt
Melt through the window
Become part of the world
I look through the window
I feel trapped
When I see the world
So much life
So much potential
And I'm like a bird in a cage
Where are they going?
I want to find out
These bars of glass
Can't keep me here
Can keep me here
I want to jump
To go
Reach out
Words stronger than steel hold me back
In the back of my mind
Like a flickering candle
I know the rules
So I turn away from the window
And grasp onto that sunlight
That is my only connection
To the outside world

....ok. Cool. That didn't turn out so horrible....but then again I haven't read it yet! Comment, por favor. I'd like to know how cool/amazing/moving/suckish my poem was. Appreciated!

Of Train

I took a trip to DC the other day as an end-of-summer activity and went via train. Sitting in the snack car, peacefully, just me and some hipster doing a crossword (who has his own story), I was inspired. It was a great experience. Thus I present my poem about the train, aptly titled, "Train."

Colors blur blur
Rush
I can feel it even though I can't
In a capsule
Tiny metal box
Hurdling through space
Clinging to metal lines
Or else be lost
Lost in space
Shudders
As it flies through towns, hills, countrysides
Not wanting to linger
Just wanting to go
Push on forward
Not content in one place
It reaches, then it
Moves on
Shudder, shudder
Bang from side to side
Rush by the world
Bringing us with it

Of Lessons

So yes, it is almost 1 am eastern time, and yes, i am awake. Seeing as I am awake, I'd just like to share a few lessons I learned today and this evening.
1) Chocolate chip cookies + coffee ice cream + tea does not indeed make for a good combination around 9:00 pm
2) Don't buy an E-z Bake Oven at Target with the intention of making cookies at midnight, because apparently, it requires a 150 watt lightbulb and Phillips head screwdriver, which you may or may not have within your immediate vicinity
3) Have various lightbulb wattages around your house, not just 60-watts
4) Single-ply toilet paper does not work well for mopping up tea spills
5) Mothers, contrary to popular belief, do not like it when you play guitar in a full-out jam session in the early hours of the morning

I've learned quite a lot in the past few hours.

Of Tortoise

Tis a great thing to see a tortoise
On the occasion you do, watch, for they're
Ready
To leap into action in a moment
Of course, they never do
Instead, they bide their time
Sitting and taking in
Every beautiful detail of the world

Of End of Spring

Well, it's almost summer, and those of us in school know that means freedom. We've reached the point where we no longer try our hardest (if we ever did). We're honestly just trying to make it for another few weeks. Even the teachers don't care. It's a hard time for us all. We want to be gone, but we must stay.

For we lucky 8th graders, this week almost means freedom, because at our school, this is the last "real" week we have. Next week is set aside for exam reviewing, and the week after is actual exams. Piece of cake. Yes, that means 2-hour long tests every day and a bucketload of homework, but that's just one side. Exams also mean spending 2 weeks relearning and being tested on stuff we already know, and then get to go home afterwards. REAL piece of cake. Especially if you get to go to Ukrops - I mean "Martin's" - after exams to get one of their specialty baked goods. Yum.

So all I'm saying is that exams aren't a reason to groan. And for those of you who aren't fortunate enough to have exams - I'm sorry. You'll make it. Remember, we're all suffering together.

....But not 8th graders. Haha.