Today we read 2 famous poems by Langston Hughes and Walt Whitman, both of whom profess to hear America singing. They each go on to describe what they hear their cultures singing, saying, when they close your eyes.
Close your eyes and imagine you hear Arapahoe singing--the building, its people, its culture. What do you hear? Add a stanza to our collaborative poem. Please be sure to avoid naming names. :)
I'll start (kind of).
I hear Arapahoe singing, the varied carols I hear...
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ReplyDeleteechoing down the hall
ReplyDeletecarols of mixed sounds and tunes
each unique to the creator
and each creator unique
every tune only so great while standing alone
but once combined with all the others
melodious music fills every ear.
I hear the balls bouncing,
ReplyDeletethe whistles blowing,
The squeak of new shoes that fill the gym,
all creating a chorus that keeps
going and going and going.
Everyone struggles to be heard
ReplyDeleteFriends are trying to socialize
The walls are vibrating from the endless noise
Voices are heard from all directions
Guys talking to the girls they like
Girls talking to the guys they like
Everyone is struggling to be heard
Teachers lecturing
ReplyDeleteStudents listening
Friends chatting
Athletes practicing
Every person competing for attention
Volunteers helping
Student assistants assisting
Chefs cooking
Bells ringing
These are the sounds of Arapahoe
"Hey! Look at me, listen to me,
ReplyDeleteI can sing too.
I can sing wonderfully, in fact.
My message is important,
my thoughts have meaning.
I know, I know,
I'm a high school student, what do I know?
But listen.
We can sing."
Hundreds of lockers slam simultaneously,
ReplyDeleteAs an echo of goodbyes are said
Scurried steps click on the linoleum floor
Bells ring, tardy students groan
Teachers chime a warm welcome
While a rush of people try to find a seat.
Class begins
Repeat
Chaos and insanity combined with competition
ReplyDeletefor people objects and ideas
the sounds of competitions both private and public
rising and rising, expanding and externalizing
until reaching a fever pitch and exploding
into a hysteria that once was a meek whisper
then as suddenly as the noise came it is silenced
without a second notice everyone is gone
burrowed back into their lives.
Until the anarchy arises again, as it does everyday
Students cramming for a test they have next hour
ReplyDeleteTeachers upset and sour
For many of their students are absent
Students angry because their car has a dent
Counting the number of minutes left in the day
Daydreaming about swimming in a warm water bay
Excited, tomorrow is the weekend
Going for a drive around the bend
Frustrated minds band together
ReplyDeleteFor they all have their struggles
And for some it reaches a boiling point
Long days and endless weeks
Grades are poor, yet improving
And opinions are shunned by all who don't agree
Or won't accept them due to their beliefs
All these factors leave the students yearning for a break
Whether a holiday or a weekend
Or a mental cleansing
Anything will suffice the ever so
Exhausted, frustrated, and estranged students.
I hear pencils furiously scratching out
ReplyDeletethe last few answers on a pop quiz.
Students packing their bags in anticipation of the bell,
Counting down to the weekend under their breath.
The sighs of relief release,
ReplyDeletethe breathes all combine to make one.
One student body all together.
That student body has the strength to overcome any challenge,
no matter what others say
The charisma and wisdom is over powering...
But I hear what many do not-
ReplyDeletean independent tune familiar to several,
that desperately cries to renounce disparity.
These belting cries of unsheathed minds
intimidate hummings of conformity
too wrapped up in whispers to hear the shouts
of anonymers anonymous.
Neither belting brovadoes nor meek murmurs prove superfluous,
but in conjunction, the tune resonates the same.
For,
I hear Arapahoe singing,
I pray to hear each voice.
Open your eyes.
ReplyDeleteSee the world.
See the masks.
They are everywhere.
Ghosts of them selfs.
Pretending.
Marching down the halls in a single line
ReplyDeleteEveryone singing in perfect harmony
Staff and students echoing through the rooms
Zippers keeping the beat of the song
Breathes taken by everyone
After each line of the song
I hear Arapahoe singing
As the end of the day draws near,
ReplyDeleteStudents eagerly await to cheer
The final tune of the day
While nervous pencils tap away.
And upon the final bell's ring
Students dash, dance, and sing
A comforting release of pain and stress
Through the hallways they aggress
Then after the immense race
There is left an empty place
But a faint rhythm still remains
The janitor's sweeping thus explains
The power of the Arapahoe way
Where music will never stray
And from the moment the bell's ringing
I hear Arapahoe singing
The music from the choir room fills the air,
ReplyDeletecompeting with the laughter from the cafateria.
The sound of the squeaky Nike's across the gym,
over and over during baseball practice.
The music from the weight room,
the clang of the rusted dumbells slamming to the floor.