(Photo by Mike Hall)
Winter
a dried maple leaf quivers in the cold
as the wind rolls it a c r o s s the
ground … another leaf f o l l o w s.
green grass tips grow, through the
thin layer of snow.
the ground looks like a four-day old beard.
soon the summer sun will shine and
shave the snow away and flower
buds will bloom.
To read this poem in Spanish, click here.
Para ver la versión original en inglés, haga click aquí.
Invierno
una hoja de arce quivers seca en el frío
como el viento es un rollos c r o s s la
tierra … otra hoja f o l l o w s.
consejos crecer la hierba verde, a través de la
fina capa de nieve.
el terreno se parece a un período de cuatro días de edad barba.
antes del verano y el sol brille
afeitarse la nieve lejos y flores
yemas de flor.
(Photo by Mike Hall)
A wild rabbit has its ears tuned in for every sound as it waits for its mate in an open lot of a subdivision in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 13.
See me as if it was the first time,
and rediscover my appeal.
Touch me with your fingers slowly,
and let me know how you feel.
Tell me your words of wisdom,
and my sore soul will heal.
Taste me, my lips meet yours,
and we celebrate the meal.
Smell me, by body is sweet,
and the experience is real.
To read this poem in Spanish, click here.
This Old Man
(Photo by Mike Hall)
This Old Man
On a bright summer day,
I saw an old man
who was sitting cross-legged
and cool in the sand.
He was playing a song
on a well-aged wooden flute.
I asked what song he played,
and he said it was “The Truth.”
The waves crashed on the rocks
as I listened to the background.
The old man just looked at
me without making a sound.
“Listen to the patterns,” he said.
“Listen to every single note.”
He put the flute to his lips
and the music began to float
like the branch in the sea.
He was giving a concert,
and I thought I was for only me.
But then I looked around,
as I listened with my fears.
I watched the audience grow,
as I was blinded by the years
of being a selfish man
that never really cared.
I saw animals live together
in a world we all shared.
The audience included the birds,
snakes, wildflowers, and bees.
As I heard the flute music,
I was seeing a new reality.
It was all there before, and I was
in the wrong state of mind.
I was able to see life better
from a man who was blind.
The song came to and end,
and the guy walked away.
I thought I’d try to follow him,
but,I had nothing to say.
I believed all this was a dream
and I’d wake up safe in bed,
but I could not ever forget
what the man played and said.
I opened my tired eyes,
and I was alone in my room.
I wanted to go to the beach,
since the sun was close to noon.
I stopped” myself because,
I could meet this old man.
His truth was a message I
was not able to understand.
I was tormented by this
time of restless indecision,
and the full reality of
the strange man’s vision.
The afternoon was near,
and something had to be done.
I made myself get up and thought,
I ‘d go to the beach just for fun.
Para ver la versión original en inglés, haga click aquí.
Yo
Yo soy la madre de mis pensamientos,
El padre de mi destino,
y el alma de un niño que juega con la vida todos los días.
C.J. or Brother C.J. Chatham III, had his way with women or they had their way with him in college
. I could never figure it out completely, and if the trends continued into his professionaly and personal life, he has had a chance to meet some interesting people since graduation. I wonder what, or who exactly inspired his poem he sent to me about 10 years ago.
Dream Queen
Dark Lady, empress of the night,
can make everything work out right.
You can get anything that you want,
but beware, you can’t get it free.
All manner of glory can be sought,
but you have to pay her fee, believe me.
They say making love to her is a sin,
but in her eyes, the journey just begins.
She calls me,
wave, after wave, after wave
and she splashes because
she’s happy to see me.
She’s full of life, and a
mother to many.
She meets the beach and deposits
sand on which to walk
shells to collect and
drift wood on which to sit.
She’s always changing, never the
same.
When I leave, I know
she will always be there the
next time.
“>See the video
The Mistress
The mistress has a mystical power over me,
constantly calling me to rush to her shores.
No matter what I do, I can’t resist the water.
Every voyage is a trip to adventure’s door.
The mistress has had a variety of lovers,
but the sea seems never to be satisfied.
Wave after wave, many men taste her salt,
and give all they have, even if it is their life.
The mistress gently rocks the ships in rhythm
that seduces the hearts and souls of the sailors;
but beware of her angry squalls and storms,
for she wins the challenge of who’s the braver.
The mistress has predictable highs and lows, but
the mystery in her moods goes beyond the tides.
She is the womb where millions of animals
complete the natural cycles in the chain of life.
The mistress is constantly calling me to her shores.
She has an invisible, unyielding control over me.
She weaves her tentacles in and out of my life, and
it seems impossible to live without being on the sea.
Para ver la versión original en inglés, haga click aquí.
Palabras salvajes
Lejos de su creación, en la distancia y el tiempo,
mis palabras en mis poemas de viaje en el viento,
y, al igual que las semillas de flores silvestres, que se arraigue
en tu alma, y te llevo al corazón.
Ellos aconsejan que, revisar, y te hacen sonreír.
Para entonces, los poemas a crecer en su propio stand,
separados, pero relacionados, a los padres poeta.
Tal vez las palabras inspiran a sus propias creaciones
Illustration by Mike Hall
As a public school teacher for nearly a decade, I was part of an educational system that in part or whole, depended upon the use of standardized tests. In fact to get my teachers license, I had to take several batteries of standardized tests, on the national and state levels. In the process I have become good at passing them and at times, administering them, but I also have found out they are not the best way to evaluate individual students and a student’s educational progress. Here is my editorial comment on these types of tests.
The test
The boldfaced instructions say,
“Read each question carefully, and
Darken in your response in the circle completely
With an answer from A, or B, or C, or D.”
To too many students, this test is their reality.
“There are 100 questions on this test,
So budget your time appropriately,
And check the time left periodically.”
The pressure to pass increases dramatically.
Use of the test grows exponentially, and
is part of the current educational philosophy.
However this does not test them accurately
For it does not test the students’ creativity
or the ability to think critically when the
answers are not so easily discovered or
the students don’t know what questions to ask.
The truth of these tests have been uncovered,
Yet some say no student is going to be left behind
In the quest for a national educational improvement.
Teachers and school systems end up teaching the test,
And somehow forget all about the rest
Of the stuff they used t teach in public school,
But now the government has issued new rules,
And funds are tied to how the children perform.
Yet by some miracle, more make it to college dorms.
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