Welcome to Cafe Ujima, the best place in town to hear exciting new poets! Today’s featured poets will leave you dazzled, provoked, and reflective. Enjoy the event, and don’t forget that hot beverages are half off. Just ask your server.
- Select your best poem, one that you feel comfortable sharing with your classmates. As you type your poem look for opportunities to continue improving your techniques, word choice, or structure.
2. Post your poem in the “comments” section of this post.
3. Respond (reply) to each other by commenting on language (word choice), techniques, structure, or style. Discuss what you like about your classmates’ poems, and try to explain what those choices made you feel, think, or consider. When possible, “refer to the text” as you comment.
4. Please respond to at least two of your classmates. And reply to those people who comment on your poem!
My Inevitable Journey
When it comes to my childhood,
my mind refuses to render much.
Much of the love laughs hugs and giggles
Perfection began to seem surreal
The struggle was so real
My medical condition was a big deal
It was the cause of my visit to the E.R
I know this a sound a little bizarre
As young as a few weeks old
News is what my mom was told
What else could it be?
The news was about epilepsy
She had worked for the D.O.D
But was somehow always there to comfort me
Regardless of the thoughts in her head,
She always prayed,
no matter what the doctors had said.
I don’t hate the struggle you see
It’s the reason I met Mao and Nancy
These two oddballs ?
Yeah, they make me happy
Whether its screaming in the halls
Or laughing when the other one falls
I’m selfish when it comes to these two
They belong to me … not you
It’s inevitable how we met
Meeting them is one thing i would never regret
In the future,
I don’t want things to change
But we don’t control that
I want to stuff my face with them,
Until we get fat
Until we get all chubby wrinkly and old
I want to watch our journey unfold
Where I’m from
I’m from the smell of
Horses and cows
Where dirt is like fresh air to me
Whereas being young
I would sit in little hills of dirt
While having my hands full of dirt and
eating corn from the fields
I’m from a playhouse like
A little doll receiving central of
Attention as like the joy and happiness
For everyone in the house
Not knowing what life really was
As more siblings came to the family
I slowly started to disappear i was
Fading away from everyone
Like if the wind was pushing
me away from everything and being lost
Family starts to shift away
As economic starts to change
Starting to realize things come and go
And nothing is forever
As like a flower trying to
Follow meh and the wind
Pushes it away having those
Roller Coaster moments are hitting
Not being able to sleep
Having nightmares every night
Hearing gunshot’s and people screaming
Dreaming they’ll come for me too
Not being able to be the same again
Having fans and inspiration
From young beautiful lady’s being
A great leader for young ladies and mens
Leading the society for a better
World justice and fairness and
Having everyone be equal
The True King
King Kong bangs his chest,
Staring down
At the world
King Kong is like a
King, loving and caring
For the humans.
It is a mythical creature of pride,
Watching out for his loved one
As he leads her to safety.
King King stands,
Chest up high-
Leadership
The Man in the Moon
You are the bright moon in the starry skies
But in my eyes you shine ten times brighter
Catching my attention which hurts my eyes
Thinking of you and pulled an all-nighter
Your smile shines as bright as the crescent moon
And when you laugh it brightens up my world
Making me laugh like i’m watching cartoon
And when you look at me it makes me curl
The way you slide your hand through your sleek hair
Makes me know we’re not under the same light
My one-sided love leaves me in despair
But i’ll wait for you under the moonlight
Do you not see my shadow behind you
Waiting for you to notice that i’m blue
Great sonnet! I really like your imagery you have used. I also like how well your title goes with the poem.
The Camera
The camera glances into the distance
Waiting for the perfect picture
To capture
The camera captures the image
As quickly as a child catching
A firefly
The camera is a diary
Keeping your most precious
Memories safely within
The camera awaits to captures
Another beautiful image
To look back on
-Memories
My Dear Brother
From the small seed you were, awaiting growth
Watching you learn as you attended school
But you’re still young and will always be loath
As you claim you’re great and say that you’re cool.
Though you make me feel angry and tired
At times you’re good company without sound
So when you go work, go and get hired
You will do great so don’t fall to the ground.
You’ll do great things, so don’t worry too much
You can be who you want, just make your goals
But for now go play with your games and such
And go to the kitchen and wash your bowls.
I believe in you, you are my brother
Have fun, study, just don’t upset mother.
Insight
Like the robin, a magnificent chirping bird, chirps every morning like a daily routine like you annoyed me, or bees buzzing through the day like how I went through my days tryna avoid you. Leaves blowing continuously through the endless winds like how I tried to forget about you, or fish swimming in the shallow part of the water like how you were shallow to me. The aroma as you first step in to this wonderful garden the smell of these beautiful flowers like you, yet is ruined by the smell of carp just like how you talked down on me. As hard as the bark on the tree is to take down, even using all its strength and power; there will still be no sign of any marks on it. For nothing will break it down, if it believes there is no way down, as I am one I with the tree. Like the branches breaking off a tree does not mean you lost it; it just means you need to change, as I lost you. Or as it goes through summer, fall, then winter, you begin to see leaves fall off uncovering the true identity of the tree, as you saw me when I told you everything and anything. My emotions is like the outdoors anything and everything can happen, just when the time comes something different will always happen. For every thing that I see in the world will always give me a flashback or give me a reason to think of you; no matter how bad or how good it was always there.
Where I’m From Poem
I am from a small
Town in Salamanca,Gto
I am a boy that has
Big dreams that i want
To accomplish.
I am from a poor family
That suffered to have what
They want.
I am a boy that is suffering
To find my own path.
I am on my knees asking
God to guide me.
Village
I am from water
Where fish await
To be captured
I am from the
Dirty river where
People bathe where
People wash clothes
Murky, opaque water
As clear as darkness
I am from rambutan
The fruit whose
long hair I remember
Were mine too
I am from nasi-goreng dan ayam
from fried rice and chicken
I am from street-venders
To truck-drivers
From sounds like Tek-Tek
To Om-Teklolet-Om
I am from the early prayers that
Awaketh thy to Qibla
All I remember frozen
In photographs
I am Indonesian
Golden, But Now Grey
In Florida, a breeze blows so gently,
The clear sky displays the bright and golden sun
And just 21 miles north of Miami locates
Fort Lauderdale Airport
Filled with passengers waiting to aboard
Among them, two strangers
Terry Andres, 62
A Virginia Native
Looking forward to a vacation with his wife
Olga Woltering, 84
Looking forward to celebrating her husband’s birthday
But it wasn’t just them, there was more
All looking forward to a getaway
But no, this golden day, their golden day
Or it was supposed to be anyways,
This golden day will forever be grey
Dark and gloomy
It will now always be
For it was the darkness,
The darkness that consumes this day
The shadow who decides to steal the lives of the innocence
Why? Why them? They ask
His shootings were random
No motives had been discovered
And after taking their lives, he surrenders
Why? No one know why
Perhaps his mind had suddenly become aware,
Aware of the crime he had just committed
Guilt, no, what he felt was repentance
Just like Sophie Swetchine proclaimed,
“Repentance is accepted remorse”
And maybe, after devouring his preys,
Esteban Santiago is full.
Full of repentance for the sins he has committed.
Today, I walk, not with ease, but caution
Knowing that my golden days can forever be grey.
I am from the open
Wounds of the city
Storming down
Klink,Clunk,Klink
Clunk,Clunk
The open fields
Searching for new territories
In which we never found
But in this i saw
My mere self within
Him i would always
Say my younger half
Always with my my mothers
Worry watch out
Im from constant reconfiguration
Im from the burts
Of nature
Lining down every
Driveway and street
The water tower rising
High with insecurity
Im from everywhere
Everyone claims to be
“916’ “The City Of Trees”
Im from the streets
Filled with intimidation
Vagueness
Im from every person who left
Who claims this to be home
I will look back
Once i realize
That my worries
Should hace never
Once bothered me
And realize now
Im free upon the fact
That in a couple of hours
I will perform my first
Solo surgery
The grace,the excitement
Anxiousness filling up
Every ounce in my body
The success ,thrill
While holding my
Magical healing finger
I am now complete.
-Fernando
The love between two sisters is a storm
it’s something that anyone can seem to adore
my sister and I aren’t what you call norm
personalities that cannot be torn
When apart a few months feels like a year
the distance can never rip us apart
The love from my sister gives me no fear
Strong like a lion and sweet like a tart
No other friendship I have can compare
no matter what she will always be there
After all we been through she’ll always care
I can’t wait til we reach the top and share
I love my sister and will always be her keeper
anyone and everyone good luck trying to take her even the grim reaper
I love the way you describe you and your sisters bond
I like how you wrote about you and your sister’s unbreakable bond.
lol I wonder who’s this is about , but I love how you describe you and your sisters bond and how she makes you feel . This is so cute ? I love it
“ My Journey Poem”
I am from city of tree
Full of happiness and sunshine
Living in a house full of cheerfulness
And being carefree with no chores
Seeing the people i love makes me happy
The sound of laughter
And everyone coming together
Makes my world complete
I am from rice
Hearing my grandpa
Playing the hmong flute
Smelling the food
My grandma cook
Makes me blessed
I am from city of tree
My world came crashing
Like a car
Hearing the people i love
Leave one by one
Knowing that it wasn’t time
But he just have to take them
Away too early from my life
Seeing my love one
Being lower 6 ft into the dirt
My tear falling down one by one
Not being able to stop it
Hearing everyone mourning
For them to come back
Makes me feel dreadful
And makes me want to go one last resting
Place with my love one
I am from city of trees
Hoping that one day
I can explore the universe
And see myself happy like when I was a child
Having in mind
To give everything
To my parents
Like they are giving me an education
I believe that one day
I will attend college
And prove to everyone
Wrong for putting me down
I am from city of tree
And this my journey
For now
I really like how you said in your poem that you will go to college and prove them wrong. Shows how strong of a person you are.
You are the love of my life, i love you
Your smile brightens my day everyday
You make me smile even when i’m blue
I hope you will never leave me, bae
You are my blanket on a winter’s night
I will never let you down i swear this
When it is dark you will show me the light
You fill me up with so much love and bliss
I am happy to say that you are mine
I would have never thought love is blind
When i look at you i think you’re divine
You are the one who changed my state of mind
I am in love and i’m feeling it
If you ever leave it will be a hit
i noticed that lines 2,3,4,7,10 and 13 has only 9 syllables.
I like your end rhymes! And how you describe the person you love.
Redwood Tree
The Redwood tree starts from a root
To a branch, to continuous branches,
Along with the green leaves
that change during the season fall.
Redwood Tree is like we humans
Connected to each other
And with the earth, which makes a
emphasis that trees spread like humans.
Redwood tree is a source of its own
And can spread from its own kind,
Root to root, to branches to more branches,
And its following trees.
Redwood Tree stays alive and connected,
Keeping itself with sructure and us in unison
-Togetherness.
I like how you compared the redwood trees to us the humans.
Her Light
He’s like the light that shines after the dark,
And shall he be the one who sets by noon.
His eyes are so lovely that they may spark,
After the rainy day shall he rise soon.
He’s the one who comforts the gloomy day,
With his warmful heart continues to love,
And with his promise he shall always stay,
Like the passion of two beautiful doves.
She finds him so delightful like a prince,
Although sometimes he may get too furious,
With love and desire that stayed ever since.
She will always forever be curious.
So as long as she sings to him at night,
He shall always be her shimmery light.
I love your end rhyme and how he represent the sun to you!
I really like the words you chose for end rhyme.
Deceit
The sun shines brightly on an average day
In Kabul, Afghanistan
The leaves fall blissfully
And the trees sway in the breeze
Patients look out their windows
They admire nature’s beauty
Doctors check on patients
Surgeons operate with precision
Precious seconds can’t be wasted
The beeping accelerates from their decisions
As people are taken in and out
The sense of dread will linger
Until the world will find out
In their midst, they have a killer
Wolves in sheep’s clothes emerge
Disguised as those known as “healers”
They draw cold metal, with which they’ll purge
The building of those they deem sinners
Thunder sounds through the hallways
And brass falls to the floor
The staff and patients try to make ways
To make their escape through the front door
Lead and copper fly through the air
They make sure their count isn’t low
To stay and fight, no one could dare
As the heavy casualties grow
Housecat
The small housecat sits,
perched atop a high balcony
as the sun’s hot rays beam down upon it
Lazily grooming itself
Though seemingly defenseless,
with its ears perked,
is as alert as a woman
that is traveling alone
under the moon’s traitorous gleam
The cat is the slight breeze
On a hot summer evening,
Fickle, yet glorious
The sound of its soft purrs fill your ear,
but as your eyes try to locate the source
It vanishes from sight–
Freedom
What am I?
I am from fresh tortillas
ready to be eaten with a hot bowl
of barbacoa
I am from the little horse barn
I used to live in with my grandfather
I am from the soft leaves that would fall
off the tree and hit the ground
I am from my little horse
who left me when I was too young to know
I am from my Principe that I was forced
to leave behind
I am from the cardboard boxes
that I put in moving trucks seven times
due to bad neighborhoods
I am from the music of banda
at mexican parties my family went to
I am from the tears of friends
I have to leave behind during every move
I am from the pain of moving
and leaving things I loved behind
I am from the dream I never stop dreaming
I am from the soft blossom petals
from the pink fruit trees that scatter the wind
I am from the little swing
that I want to sit in all day
I am from the ink from all the book I have read
I am from the laughter I have with my friends
on the soft green grass with flowers blooming like wild fire
I am from the cool water from the small river that keeps flowing
I am from the dream I never stop dreaming.
I like how you include your personality, and your culture in your poem. The last line “I am from the dream I never stop dreaming” really emphasis your passion towards your dream.
I am from the remote control car
Being run over by a real car.
I am from tons of food
Where the shaman does the ritual.
I am from laziness
Remembering how I hid away
So i won’t be cleaning.
I’m from the same house
Where i lived in for the past years.
I’m from being the bystanders
To a ritual helper.
I’m from my mother
Who taught me not to hit a girl
Even if i was harassed.
I am from wishing
To be a rich man.
I am from wanting to buy
Anything i want with lots of money.
I am from imagining
About my own future that lies before me.
I like how you started with your childhood and now how your talking about your future and what you want to accomplish.
Beauty is Her
She gave birth to me the day I was born.
I call her mother she calls me daughter.
Our love is strong for our bond can’t be torn.
The definition of beauty is her.
Her food is satisfaction to the taste.
Warm soothing porridge given when I’m sick.
Nothing is left on bowl nothing is waste.
Not thick but she’s the most beautiful chick.
I appreciate the lectures she give,
For I learn from them and I grow from them.
She has helped me to become assertive.
I am the flower as she is my stem.
Support is what she gives for I’m her child.
Throughout my life I’ve hoped I’ve made her smiled.
Wow! This poem is absolutely amazing! I really like how you put all of your appreciation into this especially when you said “I appreciate the lectures she give, for I learn from them and I grow from them” keep up the good work!
Mao, I like how you talked about your mother and how she takes care of you in multiple ways.
i like your choice of word, for example assertive other than then that its a sweet poem especially to your mom.
The Journey of My Mind
I am from the putrid stench
Of the disgusting waist-high water,
The hidden holes
That can twist your ankle,
The tall grass that hides these these holes,
The tadpoles swimming in the green
Water,
The frogs hiding in the holes,
I am from the silence,
the thoughts that fill my mind
The stress that leaves me
Just by walking here.
I am from my knowledge, wisdom,
My “supportive” friends
My school that gives me the tools
I need to form my stories.
I am from an old wooden cabin
Surrounded by the wilderness,
I am from my pets,
I am from the lush green
Trees of my new home,
I am from the smooth ground covered
In short grass,
The small puppies that stand guard
Of the cabin,
The elephant that takes care of them,
I am from my mind that still wanders
Like the whooshing whistling wind.
I like how you provided the deep holes and how they can twist your ankles. Very descriptive! I likey!
I like how your dream was in “an old wooden cabin.” Your poem has a gloomy feeling and makes me kind of sad 🙁
I like how you described how putrid the water was, very descriptive and it almost disgusts me. Good job on the imagery.
You have always cared
For my life I am grateful
My helping shoulder
Through ups and downs together
I love you mom, forever.
This is so simple but so sweet!
I like how you dedicated this tanka to your mother! It’s always nice to appreciate the people who have helped you through your life.
this is sweet
Where I’m From
I’m from the traditional
boiled pork and flower greens.
I’m from the spicy
and delicious papaya salad.
I’m from the constant
shifting of homes,
the making of homies
and feeling alone.
I’m from the pretty kites
at the beautiful parks
and the similar and familiar faces
of Hmong New Year.
I’m from a large
Family in a house
that is too small.
I’m from non-stop,
constant street racing
on the main road.
I’m from the petals
of trees poisoning the air
with its raw, fish smell.
Waking up in a biosphere,
I’m on a terra-formed
plant called New Mars.
Expanding human life,
creating a new species
of man.
Surrounded by engineers,
Pathfinders, and scientists,
I am truly home.
Chance I like how you were descriptive about all the types of food you ate while growing up. I also like how you included hmong new year because it’s an awesome event to go to.
I really like the word choice you used, it help to better create the imagery in your poem.
Dolphin
The dolphin rises up
Speeding up the tail
Jumps off the surface.
The dolphin is like a arrow in a bow
Waiting to protect its friends
Attacks with a powerful skull and tail.
It is the guardian of human
Swim near you, charm you
Use the high pitch voice.
The dolphin flies across the surface
Reaching down and up again
The wind follows-freedom.
Crashing and rumbling waves
Against wet rocks
Life is like
The ocean
It goes up and down
The ocean is a
Dancing spirit,
The rhythmic blue waves
Washing onto the white sand
The sun soon fades away as
Night approaches
Strength
I love how you compared life to the ocean with its waves that go up and down. I can see when you say the ocean is a dancing spirit because of how the waves moves with each other. Almost as if the waves were alive. I also liked that you turned it into a personification, i love your poem. Keep up the good work 🙂
I like how you compare your “life” to the “ocean”