The two sections of the Creative Writing Workshop jointly performed the following poems at Morning Meeting on January 30, 2016. Enjoy these unconventional valentines!
The Little Things by Sam Kany
You’ve always thought it strange that I feel at home on airplanes
But cant keep it together in a crowded room.
You’ve never understood why I don’t have the courage to ask for sauce on the side
But have no qualms blaring my horn when a road-enraged driver cuts me off.
You called me last night and asked to write a poem about me,
You needed it for class. You asked if I wanted to read it. It goes:
You are terrified by the little things,
And entranced by the big ones,
So when I see a billboard sign with fluorescent letters reading “DANGER”
You just see the pretty lights.
Too Close by Mark Dempsey
You are fissile, and might explode at any moment.
You are poorly contained, and everything you feel melts in your hands.
I’m afraid I’ve gotten too close and been burnt,
but I’ll forgive you quietly
and you’ll forget it subtly
and I welcome your warmth and light.
Ode to Driving by Betsy Zaubler
Yes, I do know left from right
and no, contrary to popular belief,
I’m not trying to kill us both
Oops!
I only stopped 30 feet from the car in front
I know you think 35 is better.
Don’t worry though,
next time I’ll bring my measuring tape.
San Francisco by Alena Zhang
The golden gates, the golden rays,
shine yellow in my eyes – and
I stare over the bustling piers
to the left, number twenty five; and to the right, twenty nine.
The moon mingles with revolving flashes
of a soaring tower, striped red and white
“stay away from this city,” the lights cry –
all because, all because
I cannot bear to say goodbye.
you and me and we by Young Se Choi
we watched the sunset
from the sky
you and me and we
we were among the stars
and fell as supernovas
of you and me,
but no longer we
Pseudo-Summer by Maggie DeNoon
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Because you’re acting like one. At a time like this,
you used to mean evergreen trees, knit sweaters,
the scent of peppermint (all things I hold dear).
But now I just need to pull my shorts back out from the attic.
I miss the old you.
And I know it’s partially my fault (I leave the light on by accident, drive a car)
But, please, just chill out,
play it cool, there’s no need
to be so hot-headed.
No, seriously.
It’s December and it is 65 degrees outside.
Dear Teddy by Maddie Christmann
your fur, matted and twisted-
I thought kneading lotion into your coat would make you softer.
your one beady black eye-
the other popped off while you tumbled endlessly in the dryer.
your arm, stuffing spilling from a hole at its frayed seam-
from years of you dangling from my hand, accompanying me as I shuffled downstairs and climbed into my mother’s lap after a nightmare.
you’re weathered, past repair and past hope-
but you’re still mine.
Thank You by Ben Kany
You did it again.
You made that face that makes me laugh.
You knew I would.
I always do.
Thank you for teaching me,
Helping me,
Tolerating me,
Thank you for being you.
Alluring Bouquet by Megan McCullough
You left me the most alluring bouquet of roses on the front step,
But you got the ones with thorns, and my hand bled crimson on the petals.
I found a box of Hershey kisses you bought for me, they smelled divine,
too bad I’m allergic to chocolate.
The crinkled note you carefully slid into my locker on the way to class caught my eye,
it was decent I guess, except you forgot how to spell my name.
Continuous Strides by Jennifer Huo
Continuous strides,
Crunching leaves,
Howling wind,
Throbbing shins.
A smile washes over my face
and I continue to race the weed stricken path.
If the Sky is No More than a Boundary by Sarah Chang
if the sky is no more than a boundary
and the earth no more than silhouette
then christen me your raindrop and let me
tremble down with
indivisible grace-
falling past the
mustard-seed moon,
skinning our knees on eternity.
To My Dear Penny by Ben Leit
To my dear Penny –
I know we only first met yesterday, on my walk home from school,
But I love you more than anything else in my entire life –
Even more than cookies.
You lay motionless, on the ground, bearded, perpetually staring forward.
Yes, you’re a little rusty, but I can look past that! Everybody looks past that!
I see now why everybody likes you.
And I’m going to keep you.
Into Your Hands by Abbey Zhu
I placed myself into your hands and told you,
“My favorite color is blue, and
the artwork that ghosts across my arms
has faded into a muted memory.”
I’d place myself into your hands again
if I had the courage to forget–
I think I’ll pose happily in that picture
crumpled in the trash can by your bedside
instead.
Gusts by Nick Wecal
My wind-blistered face cries out through the gusts,
Salty spray kisses me, slit by the keel as I fly through the tide.
The cracking of canvas and the moan of the rigging emboldens me:
I ground my feet against the gunwhale and lean over
the water.
I reach out my hand and slash a line in the surf.
A feeling between vertigo and intoxication–
Weightless.
Everything In Between by Sanya Bery
people who live on the street
are called homeless
(not houseless)
but homeless
because not only are they stripped of
shelter
but also love, safety
and everything in between.
i may have the biggest castle
but without you
i sure am homeless.
Ode to Chillary Clinton by Maddy Mudrick
To Hillary Clinton,
I am awaiting the day that you will slide into my DMs–
Using your private email account.
No one can express their political viewpoint
On the Twiddler as well as you
I especially love your campaign slogan:
“Why pass billaries
When you can Netflix and Chillary.”
You’ve brought color to my life
As vibrant as the chrome filter
On your latest Instagram picture with #KIMYE
Even if you end up feeling the Bern or getting Trumped;
Always know,
You are running through the six with my vote.
To Trump’s Comb Over by Francesca Badalamenti
To Trump’s Comb Over
I am enamored with
Your vibrant strands
And how they dance in the wind.
Sometimes I am scared
that you’ll fly away and leave me.
I am just a girl,
Just a face in the crowd.
One day we will meet,
But until that day,
Stay golden my darling.
Valentine to My Helmet by James Marcucci
Snowflakes cut into my face as I start down the mountain.
I stick out my tongue and lick a few off of my cheeks.
They taste like nothing.
I shift my weight and curve around a pair of skiers.
Wait- is that the edge?
*Woosh*
“Nooooooooooooo-”
*Slam*
I lie for a few long moments.
I stand up and start down again.
To the Details by Katy Kim
To the Details:
Wrought from my grandmother’s sweet haranguing
Is the copper good luck charm a-dangling from the mirror inside my mother’s car –
And I am swaddled in different clothes, maybe some prose
As I view through your rose-colored lenses with no addled remembrances
That little girl, and wanting her to get home safe.
Body Positive by Valery Tarco
They always mock you
Shout “…SO BIG!” but claim to be
Body positive
Worry not my love
Your largeness provides me with
More of your beauty
I’ll never ask you
“Don’t you want to take care of
yourself a bit more?”
Or pose a passive
“Wow, you know what sounds reaaaaallyy
fun? Hitting the gym”
Size doesn’t matter
You’ve captured my loyalty
My dearest Costco
Cityscape by Eva Lebovitz
You grit-sung story without the words,
you manzanita, flourishing only after a fire,
you syncopated melody creeping up through the cracks in cement,
you rust-weary dreams trickling gentle down brick walls,
you poem scrawled on ashen windowpanes,
tell your tollbooths to unravel themselves:
I’m coming home again.
When the skies turn grey, I remember
that my nerves run parallel to your phone lines
and that every street sign leads to you.