Intergenerational Poetry - Parish Episcopal School

Intergenerational
Poetry
2009­2010
8th Grade Writing
Mrs. Campbell
Our Guests
From CC YOUNG
Mr. Dave Arant
Mr. Bill Hunter
Mrs. Genevieve Olson
Mrs. Bernice Press
Mrs. Campbell’s
B6 Class
What did we talk about?
• What life was like Sixty Years
ago?…
• What Life is like today…
• What do we think our life is
going to be like Sixty Years
from now?…
The Afternoon in
Pictures…
What life was like…
Life today!
Life in Sixty Years???
Listening to Stories
of days gone by…
Lots to think about…
Lots to be grateful for!
Veggie Tales and Lollipops
to end the day…
A good time was had by
all!
What’s Life Like
Today??
My Life
I love to dance,
I love to play softball,
My life seems great,
At a glance.
The Jersey Shore,
Is the show I watch,
It taught me the fist pump,
I start by feeling the rhythm in
the floor.
Lil Wayne is a true artist,
He wears his pants down low,
I love to listen to him rap,
His lyrics are the smartest.
I have so many friends,
I truly love them all,
We laugh, we cry,
We are the perfect blend.
I eat way too much,
Mcdonald’s is my favorite,
I also like Taco Bell,
Unhealthy food is what a
munch.
I go to Parish,
I love it here,
Everyday is fun,
My time here I truly cherish.
Life now may seem like it is too
much,
But I would not trade it for
anything,
I am happy and content,
Just the way I am.
•
Gabby Struckell
Fourteen and Young
Life is pretty good,
Swimming, lacrosse, Math Counts, and drum line,
Musically talented, academically talented, and athletic,
My life includes: Junior Assembly, Xbox 360,
Play Station 2,Wii, Dance parties, and zipper hoodies
Friends are plenty, family is great,
Cats (especially Doc,) are funny and awesome,
Although rap is in, Classic Rock is my music,
Video games, the Orange Box, Half Life 2, its sequels,
Portal (the cake is a lie!), Team Fortress 2 (the cake is
a spy!)
And Modern Warfare 2,
The Recession is on, none of us like it,
But we’ll get through, we always get through.
- Matt Morris
Teenager
I close my eyes and I see clutter,
Clutter of gossip, boys, clothes, parties, hair, and make-up.
I fight the urge to sleep,
I’m tired from school, volleyball, theatre,
softball, and cheerleading.
I long for a strong relationship with my family,
but it just isn’t there.
I enjoy myself.
I hangout with my friends, I go to parties, and to the mall.
I’m not who I want to be.
I want to be the prettiest girl, the nicest girl,
the happiest girl, the best dressed girl.
But they have been taken by a better girl.
I am alone.
I am lost.
I am a fourteen year old girl.
Marlee Tarwater
Thirteen
Old man, I said, your life is tired and gone,
you have nothing left you are waiting for.
Why do you even try? It's better now
to take it slow, and see the end approach.
Your real concern right now should simply be
to make peace with your e'er impending death.
To know that you'll be happy when it comes
and grateful when you take your final breath.
"The old man scratched his head and rubbed his eyes.
I was repulsed by his infernal age.
His hair had thinned and patched, and his old eyes
were circled with his grey, pachyderm skin.
Yet somehow, through his age I could still see
myself, and this repelled and frightened me.
Forrest Taylor
Trouble Maker, Heart Breaker
I arrive to school, athletic bags on my back.
I’m late again, the teachers go wack.
They tell me, “Do this, Do that.”
Don’t tell me what to do, I ain’t cool with dat.
Sitting through class, waiting for an end;
While the chicks dig my looks, they can’t pretend.
Ladies all over me, which girl should be mine.
I can’t pick right now, no need to whine.
Though girls are my life I’ve got other stuff to do.
I want to be rich when my life is through.
So I gotta get a job where I can make serious dough.
Can’t just worry ‘bout the future, gotta live in the now though.
I’m the coolest there is I’m not a faker.
I’m a trouble maker, heart breaker.
- Brandt Wood
What Will Life be Like?
Becoming a Memory
It was a tough road,
Challenging every obstacle that crossed
my path.
Slowing me down, breaking me apart,
or me conquering both.
Sometimes made me happy;
Remembering that it felt good to smile.
Hardships evolved,
And I remember that it felt good to cry.
Wishing for that one person to come
along,
And kiss away the tears.
Never found, I knew that it wasn’t going
to just happen.
Experiment, explore;
All I had to do, was hope.
But everything happened,
Everything terrible,
Right in the midst of the days I thought
I’d look back on
As ‘the good times.’
The mother of all hardships,
Burst so suddenly,
Flashing before my eyes.
You wouldn’t think it could be a family
Two doors down;
But those couple months of bad luck
had us up against the wall.
Now I know that every barrier in my
journey of being,
Made me a better woman.
I feel rejuvenated now,
Everyday a new beginning.
Nothing getting in my way,
And always hoping for what comes next.
Knowing that one day,
I will be a memory.
Ashlyn Mansfield
„
Through Heaven’s Doors
A little old lady, at the end of life
Grey hair, blue eyes, pretty in sight
Many many years, all with strife
A worn-out power house, still full of might
Her stories of growing up weren’t amazing
She says it’s fine because she can’t change it
Broken family, remarriage, and always dazing
Even during those hard times she kept her flame lit
A daughter, a son, a marriage, only one
She dances, she twirls, she never misses a beat
She says she used to tumble a ton
She’d die if she was stuck in a seat
A happy puppy that likes to have fun
Sometimes sad, confused, frustrated and more
She knows that eventually her days will be done
And she’ll walk through heaven’s doors
- Kylie Leeper
Young at Heart
I’m seventy-three.
Who cares, but me?
I’m easy-going,
But those darn kids won’t
stop growing.
I feed them,
I need them.
I live for their happiness.
They are my joy and my
kindness.
I know how they feel.
In my mind, the wheel will
reel
To the time I was that age,
Proud to be on stage.
Now, I’m old
Getting cold.
I’ve got family to look after.
In turn, they fill me with laughter.
I live with my kids.
In Chicago, the night bids…
Welcome to sleep,
Not to tip-toe or creep.
My grandkids, I will catch in the end,
Even if they are around the bend.
We cry and hug.
I tuck them in nice and snug.
I am truly young at heart.
I have loved them from the start.
On the couch, I sit happily.
Wondering, reflecting… just little,
old me.
-Meghan Marks
Aging
Today’s another day,
Bright, fresh, new morning stares me in the face.
I try to make the most of it,
After all, no time to loll around when I could be working.
The garden needs watering, the floors sweeping, the house cleaning,
And my grandchildren visit tomorrow.
They’re the light of my life, the sun I revolve around,
Since my husband died last year.
I knew we were getting old,
But I didn’t think we were close to death.
The doctors said he was lucky,
A sudden heart attack, no pain.
Better than a prolonged painful suffering, they said.
I said, he’s dead, what difference does it make?
Now I understand.
When I die I want it to be quick,
Less pain for me and my family.
We’ve been together all these years,
But soon we’ll drift apart.
That would hurt more than a thousand deaths.
My grandchildren will grow up,
And I won’t be good enough for them.
My children will get tired of taking care of me,
And I won’t be good enough for them.
For now, I’m myself.
My family still loves me, not embarrassed by my age.
I try to make the most of it.
Abigail Dorward
75 Years Young
I’m seventy-five and I hear the announcers
They say I’m worthless or depressed but I say hush
Well, I have news for you and all you youngsters
I’m more active than girls at a sale rush
I go to my ranch in Decatur so fine
On the lake looking, watching the birds cry
And I might even have a little wine
Take my grandkids on the boat ah the wind from the sky
I travel around the world with my family
Egypt, Mexico, Greece you name it
No gift for my grandkids to extraordinary
Ah, me and them laughing at them Brits
We might break our arms when we trip
But us old people are still, what you say hip
Yale Oseroff
Seventy-five and Still Alive
Old and strong at seventy-five
married to the love of my life
I have traveled the country
and accomplished all my dreams.
I have two strong kids with families of their own
little grandchildren running around.
still hanging out with my two best friends
taught the hard years of middle school
and have read over a thousand books
close with my brother after all these years
and with two little mutts
I am happy and content
Finally at peace.
- Kate Berry
Seventy Three and On:
Healthy and happy
With three of my own
Sometimes quite snappy
All calling me on their phone
The days feeling shorter
Not getting to do what I used to love
But my life still getting longer
With my husband now up above.
Missing the days of hanging with friends
Watching my children grow and grow
Don’t know when will be the end
Seeing them so long ago
See my new grandson
On the fourth of December
Remember taking the pictures out in the sun
Seeing everyone filled with laughter
Healthy and happy
With three of my own
Sometimes quite snappy
Still calling my on their phone
Now I’m at eighty three
And I know life won’t be longer
Seeing my grandchildren growing up free
Remembering yet now everything is a blur.
-Sadie Rinker
What a Death Indeed
In sixty years, I’d be close to seventy five,
One problem though, I wont be alive.
I will make a guess, at how I die,
And I assure you this, I will not lie.
I will not be rich, for nor I poor,
But I will be married, to gal named Eleanor.
I will have kids, not two but three,
And when we go to New Aspen, there will be glee.
When we had arrived, we went to get skis,
To my surprise, the store was called “Tees”.
I told my son, to get a nick-nack,
And my daughter to stay by the ski rack.
But to my surprise, she leaned on the skis,
And a noise accrued, that was like dropping keys.
Something was wrong, my lungs are crushed,
I open my eyes, and my blood gushed.
Jack Noble
Grandparents and Poetry
My Valerie
Two twinkly blue eyes
Catch the stars in the night
My warm hand snakes around her waist
My eyes reflect her light
The rough wool of my jacket
Scratched her perfect face
Hiding her eyes from the screen
Her hair a veil of lace
As zombies ate their victims
I laughed while she cried
It’s only a movie, I said
If you want, we’ll drive right by
She wiped her tears
And kissed my cheek
And for some reason,
My eye leaked
I turned onto a grassy knoll
And I cut the ignition
She stepped lightly from the car
Tears blurred my vision
I stumbled from my Ford
With half as grace as she
I tripped over my feet
And I landed on one knee
I reached into my Letterman
My trembling fingers grabbed a box
She tilted her head in confusion
As she tossed her flowing locks
I began to speak, my voice cracking
You are everything, my Valerie
I love you with all my heart
So will you please marry me?
‹
Cara Santucci
Ponca City
Only 28,000 people in town
With five Indian Reservations around
School was different with grades and classes
Taking electricity and wearing safety glasses
Moved down there in 1942
Back when there wasn’t much to do
Drive-in movies and playing baseball
With a D-class team which was quite small
Hanging out with George Littlevoice
Finding dinosaur bones and beginning to rejoice
Clyde Warrior was quite the prancer
He then grew up to be a world class dancer
Still keeping in touch with old high school friends
Going to reunions until the end
It’s been forty years since graduation
Living today with a great vocation
Celeste Laster
Extraordinary
When you look back through the years
You see the smiles and you see tears
What made you smile? What made you cry?
Looking back you will see why
Playing piano and saxophone
Through music your talent was shown
Riding horses and driving to school
Going to the swimming pool
Dad’s drugstore was down the street
His root beer floats could not be beat
Going to the movies, holding hands
Dreaming of far-off lands
Beautiful inside and out
Most popular girl without a doubt
Crowned Football Queen by all the boys
Your smile showed your proudest joys
Visiting grandparents every year
To them, you were very dear
Taking orders, making pies
Milking cows, sunny skies
Your small town life was a happy one
But here your walk had just begun
And to you, it may sound on the contrary
But to me, it’s extraordinary
Claire Fagin
The Little German Girl
I didn’t go to high school
For we were just too poor
The War had swindled our money
And Father was a prisoner of war.
Berlin was a different place back then
Girls could not wear pants
There was no TV, only radio shows
And no one had heard of a middle
school dance.
Vacationing out of town was a luxury
We seldom got to go anywhere at all
Though sometimes we went to visit
family
On the Eastern side of the Berlin Wall.
I was the only child in a family of three
But that only meant doing more chores
Yet I often liked helping out
Washing the dishes or sweeping the
floors.
I did not play with the neighbors
But I had friends through my school
One girl moved to another town
We still contact each other,
which I think is cool.
I was one of the best students in my grade
Though my little Lutheran school was
meager
My teachers praised me and made me
embarrassed
And when learning I always was eager.
This was before times of TV
All we had were radios
You may wonder how we lived without it
But trust me, there were some thrilling
shows.
We played the game Snakes and Ladders
(To make up for the lack of TV)
Sometimes we got to play ballgames at
school
And whenever we could we helped
neighbors in need.
Though times were tough
And we had some regrets
I had a wonderful youth
One I’ll never forget.
Jasmine Amerasekera
Alabama Seasons
Alabama summer
Under the hot sun
Play jacks in the dirt
In a clean dress and laced shoes
Alabama fall
Four miles to school
Halloween’s a comin’
Soap the car if no candy
Alabama winter
Listen to “Inner Sanctum”
Get dressed in the kitchen
Where the furnace is
Alabama spring
Friday fried chicken
And strawberry shortcakes
Watermelon Saturday nights
Amanda Kadesky
Joe Albright
We had no radio to keep us informed
If there was bad weather,
Father would judge
Should we visit the cellar tonight?
TC, Bessie, my seven siblings and me
Lived on our farm
A self-supporting family
We grow our fruit, we canned our
peas
We could have fun with almost
anything
All that we bought from the market in
town,
Was sugar and salt, to spice our swine
School was good, that’s when we get
new clothes
New shirts, new overalls, new shoes
Gotta’ make your shoes last
For if you don’t, you’re on your own
At Christmastime,
the church saw us often
The Christmas tree
sparkled and shined
On Christmas Eve,
we’d take one bag of candy
From the tree
Our stockings were filled
with fruits and candies
Or a big time treat, cap guns
One year we got a red wagon to share,
We sure had lots of fun in there
My favorite games were Annie Over,
Jacks, Kick the Can, Marbles, Tops,
and Dominoes
Marbles were a big sport for boys
But when we were home,
Dominoes overruled
Where ever I go
I still drink that good Sulfur water
All the minerals
Will keep me strong
Keep on goin’
All the daylong.
Nicole Holzer
Grandmother at her Fullest
Headstrong and spoiled
Had to be the head of the house
Father died…
Oldest out of five children
Willing to put forth her role…
Playground was her safe place
And school was where she could show her talent
No busses to take her to school…
She walked
Moved a lot
Never complained about it
She loved the excitement of meeting new people
Never scared…
Never nervous…
Loved tea at a young age
Made it constantly for guests…
Made it for her mother…
Made it for her siblings…
Cooking was her passion
Loved to make spicy food
Cooked exotic food…
Food was what made her happy
I look at her now knowing she never changed
The same looking girl who just looks older
She looks at me
And somehow I know I am like her in so many ways…
- Maria Iqbal
Gee Gee
My grandparent is the best ever
Although most kids will say
I wish I could be with her forever
But soon it will be her day
The days she spent at the carnival
To try and win the child award
To think that she once beat them all
That, she could not record
She went to ride horses
in the summer
With all her cousins and family
She didn’t like it, that’s a bummer
But this was very strange to me
At age fifteen she drove the jeep
With her friends to the movies
Ten cents per movie is very cheap
But those times went with the breeze
She had a rough first day of school
When she entered the first grade
She spoke out loud like a fool
Her hand was struck
and she was afraid
That one Christmas when Santa came
And she got that brand new bike
The one that was red with the flame
Going down the side she liked
My grandparent is the best ever
Although most kids will say
I wish I could be with her forever
But soon it will be her day
- Nic Alders
Found Poetry…
Bernice Sonnet
She was a child during the depression
But never realized she was poor
Wrote stories with comedic expression
Hobos came to eat through the back door
She was a Navy nurse
Who cured all the hurt
So they wouldn’t get worse
Though the men tried to flirt
She moved to LA
Opened the first Laundromat
Working hard every day
And with customers she’d chat
She is now ninety-one
And still having fun
- Jessie, Paige, Caroline, Erika
The Bill
It’s beginning to look a lot like Bill
He was a farmer boy
He picked cotton from plants
And usually wears long pants
Make-shift Tennis Courts!
It’s beginning to look a lot like Bill
Conservative farming town
They couldn’t have any proms
A Petition gets shot down
He hated doing chores
It’s beginning to look a lot like Bill
He’s an okay guy
Cars are what he sold
Until he was old
And he worked for Ford
- Alec Kirazian, William Long, Kendall Worden, & Katie Rostamo
Dave’s Poem
Born and raised in Greenville
Worked at a cotton mill
Was a great Boy Scout
Always running about
Flew from Cali to Hawaii
Kissed his wife goodbye
Was off to the Second World War
Attacked the Japanese like a wild boar
Attackin’ the Japs
Really needed a nap
Got wounded a dozen
But he still truckin’
He really loves wife
Just as much as his life
He’s super amazing
Lives life guns a‘blazing
- Drew Carey, Davis Devereaux, Braydon Lilley, Andrew Haubenstricter
Genevieve
We are the same, but different
From black out nights
To parties with strobe lights
From hard times in the Depression
To living in the time of Obama
she once put on makeup in the mirror; now that’s all we do
she once flirted with boys after their game;
now its constant communication
she used to laugh with friends but only on vacation;
now we’re with them every minute
she always stayed up reading; now we’re up texting ‘til midnight
From life-changing eclipses
To bipolar Texas weather
From poodle skirts and parachute pants
To mini skirts and skimpy shirts
She tells her life stories
We listen and learn
She inspires us…
“You are a seed, tend to yourself so you can be a flower,
and be beautiful.
Otherwise you will shrivel up and die.
Jocelyn Lee, Hope Sarles, Meagan Freeman, Ashlie Dickey