Sea Glass

by Eliana Wagner

I strive to be like sea glass
Smoothed by tides that beat down
Upon me day after day after day
Instead of cracking under pressure

I will be moved by the waves
Learn to rise with the tides
Shine brighter as time passes
Rest quietly on the shore

The salt and time will smooth my edges
Jagged ends will meet and curve
The pressing pressure of the ocean
Will only polish my surface

But some days I'm just a bottle
Laying lonely by the waves
My cap is lost, my neck is cracked
Cast away from calling tides

But every piece of sea glass
Began when it could break
Before suffering wild oceans
Or learning what it could take

The Lonely Monologue of Charles Collins

by Chana Coughlan

I wonder
As I sit here in my new unfamiliar life
Will I ever settle
When will I be in their lives forever
Nurturing them to bloom like Gentians
Victorious in the heat of melting faith

I wonder
The marigolds that once sang in our backyard
Do they murmur through the decaying roots
Like children trusting their garden

I wonder
As my glass grows beads of water
Wells of dreams
And oceans of potential
Condensating on the side of my glass

I wonder
As I wipe them away
As quickly as I did to them
What does she look like?
What sports does he play?

I wonder
If she has my eyes
If he plays golf
Like my father did with me

Can't find my way through this dimension
So I go on to create new ones
Whiskey
Gin and Tonic
Vodka on the rocks

I wonder
If he still drinks “blue smurfs”
And her, shirley temples, with extra cherries
If she is even old enough to order a drink at the bar?

I wonder
Does the change in time zone
Change my need for commitment
Mountain time is leisurely
And it seems that the sun never sets on the west coast

I wonder
If I'll end up alone
Don't know where I'm going
Will the drink in my glass satisfy me
As deeply as this incessant doubt
Or as widely as their distrust in men

A Trip Down Memory Lane

 

by Yael Spodek

What I would give to be in the sun
With sand clawing my back, sticking to my skin
Almost how you used to be when we had just begun

Salt water tangles my hair, so I put it in a bun
The same as when we played the games you'd always let me win
What I would give to be in the sun

Seagulls caw and peck my food until I'm left with none
But maybe you'd have stayed if I was thin
Almost how you used to be when we had just begun

Sweat drips down my body, "it's so hot, I'm done"
I hear you whisper a reply with a fox's grin
What I would give to be in the sun

Swimming from reality, I know I'm not the one
You ask who hurt me, I don't know where to begin
Almost how you used to be when we had just begun

Seashell fragments cut my feet and I can't run
Whatever I do I'm reminded of you, where have you been?
What I would give to be in the sun
Almost how you used to be when we had just begun

Oh wow, check out this poem...

 I think you will appreciate the sharp imagery of this poem by Rae Armantrout. She's one of my favorite living poets. She's amazing:

https://believermag.com/rae-armantrout-one-thing/

The BenDayans in Morocco

by Erica Sultan

my great-grandmother was named after a girl who was
maimed and martyred.
betrayed by a friend, she was stolen from her home,
left to the whims of a
prideful pasha.
their names are Sol,
and they are the warmth that beams from Tangier's sun.
.
my grandmother was named after hers who was
blamed and battered.
hated by a neighbor, she was evicted from her home,
and remained with her
buried brethren.
their names are Rajmona,
and they are the wind that sweeps Melilla's shore.
.
my father was named after his great-grandfather who was
bruised and butchered.
found not-guilty by an official, his murderer moved into his home.
his death certificate left
spurned, spotless.
their names are Messoud,
and they are the rocks that form Oujda's mountains.

Reminder about Comments

 This is just a friendly reminder from Professor Miller that I need for you to do two things in your comments on others' poetry. Even if you like the poem, we all know none of us are perfect. I know I certainly am not! So knowing that--and knowing that we are trying to help each other improve--I have asked everyone to leave at least one suggestion for improvement with your comment, however minor it might be. For example, you can simply point out a place that confused you a bit. That counts. You do not need to be harsh or spend a ton of time on every single poem. But I'm serious about this point, and I have mentioned it a few times, but it doesn't seem to be working. 

I know it is easier to praise, and you all seem like such wonderfully nice people. It might seem wrong to some of you to be even a little critical, but it's not. It is actually more kind and more generous to offer helpful suggestions. Praise is more valuable when it is balanced, and I know we all want to get better. So please begin offering at least one suggestion for improvement to most of your comments. I can only remind you so many times about this before I am forced to take it into account in terms of your grades. I don't want to have to do that. Plus every single poem we all write cannot be a complete work of genius. We all know that, I think.

The other thing I have asked is to use the vocabulary for poetry that we are learning in class--even if only a word or two in each comment. I know it might seem weird using words you have just learned, as opposed to ones you are comfortable and familiar with, but these words came into existence for a reason! They help us to communicate ideas about poetry more precisely and accurately. Once you use the vocabulary of poetry a little, it will start to feel more natural to you, and learning these terms will allow you to be more helpful to others. Thank you!

i mean

by Marcela Homsany

I mean like what are you
Like you know what I mean
where are you like from
No like where are you really from
I mean like what is your race
I mean you look Arab, like
I mean like how do you know Spanish
I mean like the world is big so who really knows who's what
I mean you must've like converted, right
I mean like you don't look Jewish
I mean like who are you to tell me I'm wrong
I mean I've never heard of anything like you before
I mean like are you mixed
I mean you aren't real like
I mean like you can't be real
Because like it's hard to hate a person as much I do now
I mean I'm not like antisemitic
But like how are you Jewish, Arab, and Hispanic
I mean I'm like not racist
But like can you teach me Spanish
I mean I'm not saying you look like an Arab but like
Free Palestine
I mean like isn't that contradictory
I mean like you aren't pro-Hamas
I mean like wait that doesn't make sense
Like aren't you Arab
I mean aren't you like disgusted with yourself
I mean like where do you fit than
Wait, so you're like a zionist
but like how
I mean you also like must know how to dance
Like I mean your food must be bomb
oops I didn't mean like bomb bomb
I mean
Wait, so like you're telling me you've never had bacon before?