The Idea of Love - Nikki Giovanni *inspired*

In my internet saavy world, I was reading a blog by a very good friend from St. Louis, she sometimes posts poems of inspiration. The poem she posted on her blog was "RESIGNATION" by Nikki Giovanni. I read the poem and fell in love with the simplicity, yet unique way she approached the subject of love and falling in love, as well as loving her mate and the world around her. The poem was used in all classes on December 6th at S. Shore. I really wanted to present the poem to see what the students critically thought of love, interpersonal relationships, and also if there were any 'anti-love' poems. Basically, it wasn't just about "romantic love" but love in general. Students got lost in the words and the message. 6th period had a lot to say about the poem, 7th period students (some) wanted to write anti-love of things, not people, while 8th period students really delved deep on their interpretations of the poem. Additionally, Mr. Ealy wrote a poem in class and shared throughout the day, which is the very reason I love being in schools as collaboration, not just me showing up to actually 'teach'. I hope you enjoy these three samples.

Hate Love
Erin M.
(7th Period)

I love you
but why do you treat me this way?
Love is stronger than it is for any person
any day.
You say you love me.
Then you beat me?
I don't know what to do.
Do I stay or do I go?
Help me God, I don't know.
I debated all night.
I think I found right.
It's hate love.
He puts no one above but he
stay out late at night.
I fight the thought.
If I leave, would be whose loss?
Mine or his?
It's hate love.
Please lord forbid.
Will he take my life or will he
turn around and treat me right?
He hollers and scream then I cry a river
like a stream.
It's hate love.
But I still put no one above.
Is it hate love?
Please let me know, should I stay or
should I go?

Never Get Lost in Love
Crystal M.
(6th Period)

Never get lost in love.
Keep it on a level or
above the hate, jealousy.
Keep it on your fate.
It's ahead of me.
I won't say no.
It's not even a word in our vocabulary.
Just don't let it be something stupid
or unnecessary because I
don't even want that mess coming towards me.
We were almost in love but something than
the truth set me free.
I felt like I needed to be wrapped in your arms.
I wanted to hold you close to me but now
that we are deciding to see other people
you finally set me free.
But after nothing but pain and hurt may come
my way from there to this year.
We will always be friends to the end.
We were best friends then we
begin to go to the end of something deeper
within our hearts.
We felt that fate made us take these directions.
We made it so you can't say we never really paid
attention to what lost in love means
but we should've just kept it between us.

Untitled
Rayeisha M.
(7th Period)

As rare as red
violets are blue
love is so sweet but is you?
As you lay in the bed thinking of loving me
I laugh..
Ha Ha Ha
You think of me.
I think of someone else
and laugh again, and I say
what do love got to do with this?
I would love to like you like I love
Timberland shoes.
I would love to like you
and make you my crush.

Remember this is love in the eyes and hearts of Freshmen. Just think of what their ideals of love will change with the winds of time as they grow fuller into their adulthoods.

-- Pam Osbey
Artist In Resident
(5 Years and More at S.Shore)

Inspirations of Haki Madhubuti

Haki Madhubuti's poem, "Is Truth Liberating" generated much thoughts in the minds of the sixth and the seventh period classes last week. Students reactions were silly (why girls lie and wear hair pieces) to the profound (why the government lies). Here are a few samples of what they expounded on.

Why Lie?
Denise M.
(6th Period)

Why lie and tell me you love me
and you wanna be in my heart
and all you every do is tear it apart
Why Why Lie?
Why lie and tell your child his/heart
father is dead
when he never loved you or cared?

Truth is Over Rated
Tracy N. (8th Period)

Telling the truth isn't always a good th ing.
If I'm your friend it's my job to relieve you from the lies
of others.
I try not to let you get hurt but by telling you the truth am I hurting you?
People say that the truth is liberating.
If so, why don't people want to hear it?
Others filling your head with lies and they're the backstabbers
but you wanna be their friends.
I'm telling the truth but it seems like all I"m doing is
turning you against me.
To avoid hurting the lives of others I shall be.
Truth is just not what people wanna hear.
Truth is over rated.

The Truth
Gifted M.

They say truth will set you free
The truth will use you.
The truth will also abuse you
The truth will help you hide
The truth will also show your true insides
The truth can be your book of your life
The truth will read you out all night
The truth will break your heart
The truth will tear you apart
The truth is a clever mishave
The truth that takes you back and forth to a flash
When someone say they love you, is it the truth?
When someone say they place no one above u, is that the truth?
The truth can deliberate
The truth helps you help you appreciate
So do the truth really set you free?
Do the truth hurt?
Is the truth worth?
Is the truth worth the pain?
Is the truth worth the game?
Is the truth, the truth?

Please check back weekly to read more interesting poems by the students of Mr. Ealy's Classes - at South Shore School of Entrepreneurship.

Pam Osbey
Artist-In-Resident

I Will Rise

Teaching on the Midterms week or any week relation to any administrative tests can be very challenging. So imagine my surprise when I walked into classes last week (11/1) and learned that all my classes had some sort of testing. My first class was pretty hectic; with attitudes galore. I didn't get the results I wanted with the first class and they did not want "to do class" because they were so stressed out by tests. Some were frustrated. Bottom line is -- we still completed assignments. I had to use two different poems. I think the letter exercises worked better, however, using "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou was a good start. The "Dear Enemy" poem was better, much better in terms of accessibility. I think the Freshmen needed something different. And hearing "Still I Rise" was too common for them, so I"m glad I did bring two poems in my bag. It really worked! Plus collaborating with Mr. Ealy adds to the actual lessons as well so it's been coming along. It's only the 2nd week, and I'm sure we'll keep improving as the weeks go on.

Here are some interesting poems from last weeks class:

I Will Rise
Deniro D. (6th period)

In my life, I have suffered much pain
through it all, I surrendered all my pain
and told myself,
"Stand up!"
"You will always rise up!"

I have had many deaths
from family to even good loving pets
but through it all, I will never forget
"Stand Up"
"Never Give Up."

I've had many problems, bad choices, and bad friends,
but at the end, I will win!
"I will rise, I may fall but I will never give up."

I like this student. He's quiet but very introspective. I think he asked me one question about the activity and then began to write. Even though the class was pretty loud, he focused on what he had to say. I also like his use of quotations in the poem.

Dear Stalker
Diamond T. (8th period)

Why is it me, you stalk at night
like a lion searching for its prey?
What did I do to you
out of everyone else you know
you chose me
Why?
What is it about me that's got you doing this?
Is it my eyes,
lips,
shape or voice
I don't like you
I got a man...
please leave me alone
you're scaring me
I don't event know you
Who are you?
I feel the air you breath on my neck
as I walk around
Even when you're not there
All I'm asking is that you stalk someone
else and let me be as one as I
used to...
Lovingly at most
Twilight Princess

Diamond completed the assignment as me and Mr.Ealy asked. She is still shy and will be a great reader once she feels comfortable. It's apparent she writes and reads a lot.

Dear Demon
Leslie B. (7th Period)

You're so conniving
Why are you around?
Are you stuck?
You make me commit suicide?
You make me wanna throw daggers at your goal
Why do you pretend
I just wonder do I every cross yo mind?
You conniving demon

This was a pretty unique poem. I still am interpreting this in my own way. What do you think?

Well, it's been fun and real, but I have to go. A poetry teacher needs her sleep!

Pam O.

Mean Streets

K Swift created this wonderful poem called, "Mean Streets" which speaks about teen violence and gang violence. The way the poem is constructed, contains a lyrical flavor and a hip hop influenced poetic flair. This poem was used in Period #6 and Period #8, while I used Charles Chatmon's self reflective poem, "A Question of Kings" which uses a lot of imagery to discuss manhood, self love, image of being a man, and internal conflict on self image and worth from a male's perspective. That poem was used in Period #7. Both poems generated interesting first poems from Mr.Ealy's class.

10/25/07

Ealy, 9^th Grade (8^th Period)

Untitled

Diamond T.

Violence is not what’s good in our life.

We need to all come together and move things right.

We need to stop killing people and live our lives freely.

Feed the hungry and help the needy.

We need to put away guns and talk things out

Because killing people ain’t the only out.

We need to speak our minds whether we have to scream or shout.

That’s what it’s all abut.

We need to help these gangs learn that they’re only making things worse

Robbing banks, snatching an old lady’s purse

These things ain’t gonna bring us a bright beautiful future

We should just put away violence

They need to stop spoiling nature

These unborn kids want to see a day or light

Not stuck in their homes where it seems like it’s always night

They want to see what’s life live in the ghetto or in the hood

Is life like this, bad or good?

I’m tired of seeing little kids dying.

At funerals all you see are families crying.

Is the world really coming to the end?

Losing our families and even best friends?

Tell me, why is shooting affecting our early day lives?

We all need to stand up and do what’s right.

If Only I Could

Giffel M.

If only I could get away

Staying in the hood is not good

See my life was supposed to be sweet

But this life beat the hell out at me

16 years full of tears

16 years full of fears

I thought life what at a stance

The truth is I lost 3 of my friends

1 – baby was my biggest fan and my sister, man…

See aim to shoot cause they have nothing

Else to do

Stay on the corner all the time

Cause all street niggas has is one state of mind

Let me take you to the block where cops never stop

See they keep it moving

And they keep on shooting

But really though if only I could or show

I say if I would break away and hopefully be out

Seem like life just keeps finding me

My friends to my family to people I know that

Looking down on me

See I pour liquor on ground to see all my dead homey

That can’t see me now

See if I could only …I could get away

The Streets Are Dying

Devin M.

The streets are dying because us black teens are destroying it.

We’re destroying it by spilling our blood on it.

We killing each other in our streets wetting up our shirts and we think it’s cool

We think it’s cool to run from the police, shoot at each other and sheltering wanted felons

When we tell the cops where the felons at instead of getting praises for helping the street, we get called snitch and can’t show our faces

Young black teen don’t’ want to grow up and be professional

We grow up and try to pop in a girl and flood the streets with fatherless children

We run out on the babies and the parent’s don’t have money to get an abortion

W go into gangs and sell drugs because all their life, they been on drugs

In the gangs that don’t do nothing just flood the hood with drugs and children

Children watch with admiration of gun holding g’s

They want to hustle like their father they never knew

10/25/07

Mr. Ealy – 9^th Graders (7^th Period)

Real

Paul P.

The world ..it’s ending.

People are dying…painfully…slowly.

Is any of this real?

Are any of us really alive?

Maybe we just having a long dream.

A never ending dream

Or a happy dream

We can’t control our dreams or fate

It’s decided from birth

If it is a dream, why can’t we get want we want?

I wish this dream would end.

I want to wake up so badly.

This dream world is hell.

The Question of the Streets

Niffa E.

What goes on in the streets

Stays in the streets

The streets are cold thugs, lies and drugs

The streets are going crazy

Young girls out here having babies

Grown men look at girls that are barely teenagers

Young boys out her gang banging

What such bad behavior

My ?

I want to ask to the streets lies so deep

To bad what happens in the streets, stays in the streets

Question of Thugs

Rayeisha M.

Encased in thugism

You are supposed to be this great warrior

A king strong in spirit

Stick together

Helping each other and not killing

Selling or stealing

Withstanding everything

Protecting your brothers and sisters

From forces outside the neighborhood

Yet unaware from inside it crumbles

Under self hate

Please check back every month for more great poetry from the Freshmen Classes, Rooms 207 and 209.

Thanks much,
Pam Osbey
Artist-In-Resident