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Word Play

A few weeks ago, I read Sanford Lyne's book, Writing Poetry from the Inside Out. He encourages word play--taking groups of four words and playing with them until you have a poem. I gave the Dream Keepers lists of words, they chose their word groups, and we went to work. Here is what they came up with:


Darkness/Sunlight
by Maya Montgomery

In my life, I see darkness
and sunlight. When I see
sunlight I see beauty,
bees, and birds. When I
see darkness I see drunkenness,
Death, and loneliness.


Listen Up
by Elisha Branch

Even though we are all God's child
Young boys and girls are going wild.
No one is a star of fame
And we are all filled with shame.
Wise Buddha try to fill heads with knowledge
and make them imagine going to college.
Teaching the boys to be together, to grieve,
all they want to say is that their favorite player is thirty-three.
Trying to teach girls how to get up quick,
all they can say is that they'll survive on WIC.
Learn to stand up when you fall
and stop when your back is against the wall.
Listen up and you'll know the best.
Learn this now, then take a rest.


Before and After
by Natalie Branch

Before I met Christ
I was in such a fright
I didn't know what to do
besides sing the blues.
I dreamed I was a happy mermaid
splashing through the wave
but I realized I could never be happy
not in all my days.
I don't know why I'm so sad
or why I'm so mad.
I guess it's because every night I'm alone
I don't have anyone to love or
those that love me.
I am an adult child crying beside the trees.
When I found Christ
I was in such delight
I never knew I could love
or that someone could love me back.

Comments

ram4 said…
Hi, Elisha, I liked your poem called "Listen Up." What I liked best is how you used "knowledge" and "college" and they rhyme with each other!

You helped me think about these words in a new way...what is college for, if not to get more knowledge...cool.

Thanks for your poem
January 2, 2008 at 3:16 PM
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