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A tribute to four college students who helped me appreciate poetry in a new way.
Attention
Laura calls her teacher “Missâ€
when they meet after class
she’s grown up in a family
that understands the weight of respect
Lawrence laughs flashing gold
his experience etched on the surface of his skin
he navigates with no need of a compass
gives nicknames to the old street-guardians
Samantha hooks her long brown hair
over her right ear, the better to hear you with
she’s already a swimmer
wet from the ocean of words
Jeff is the quiet one, taking it in
but he reaches for the book
leafs through the pages
asks what needs to be asked
Laura’s grandfather calls his daughter
by the wrong name, always hard to understand
but he’s had to learn two languages
breathing this air with his heart in other soil
Samantha writes poems, too
she knows what it means to love
can discern the crucial differences
can hold on to what’s real
Lawrence’s car has a fancy muffler
misnamed, in fact, because muffling
is not its purpose, it is a trumpet
heralding his presence
these four cast wide nets
infuse old words with new meaning
give a precious gift with no expectation of return
these four make the words worth the writing
[…] These four students opened my eyes to a new way to hear my own work, and their intelligent, often surprising observations were a joy to hear. I’m truly grateful for the experience. After the class, I wrote a poem called “Attention” in tribute to them. […]
Lovely. I am sure it was an inspiring experience for the students as well! So glad you could visit!!
Thanks, Julie. It was such a great time.
from Jeff: Thanks for coming to class. It was a great experience, and I’m honored to be in your poem. It was awesome. Keep up the good work!
from Laura: I like the poem you wrote, and I like that you put me first. I love the poem. Thank you for coming to visit. Keep doing what you love.
From Julie Damerell: Thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks. Your visit and poem added unexpected sunlight to the end of our semester.
Hey! Thanks for stopping by. Keep in touch, OK? And good luck with the rest of your college careers!
i enjoyed reading this poem and tha blog-post that prefaced it. Your poetry, Jason, was suggested by Wenday Ramsay…
i have had several similar experiences in schools and community learning centers, and it is always inspiring…you never know what to expect, and it usually turns out to be a greater experience than we could possibly anticipate. It is truly a blessing to be able to intrigue and enhance tha minds of a youthful generation…
great work man…keep it up. i also really enjoyed reading “convenience store sushi”…and your fan Tess’s sonnet was pretty cool, too. I’ll be sure to check out some more from time to time…
Thanks for stopping by and for your comments. Any friend of Wendy’s is obviously deranged … er … I mean, a friend of mine.