Poetry Notebook

Eyes

Selected by: Ximena Vasquez

Description: Eyes are the vent of life, of the soul itself.  They are the bridge that opens worlds and the doors to sealed and unwanted emotions.  For eyes are the most beautiful part of a homosapien sapien´s body and shall remain as hearts windows until the ends of time.

Synopsis: This blog entry is about poetry that captures the essence of eyes. The ones we owe our sight to and the ones that capture our emotions. These are a collection of poems about eyes and the emotions that they have evoked.

Poetry:

Deep Brown Eyes by: Still.so.young.xoxo

Through others' eyes by: Jessica Dawn Hamon

Deep Eyes, Deep Love by: Commi

When Eye Cry by: Zab

In My Mind's Eye by:Cannaballester

When I Look Deep into Your Eyes by: Katie LT

Eyes of Darkness by: Deep Dark Soul

Deep Green Eyes by: Ayten Ali

Also I would like to give a shout out to my friends Prashansa, Eun-Bin, and Alejandra." This is the model I was talking to you about, Jaco Van Den Hoven.

For more poetry notebooks go to MiddleMindz



Historic Letter

Dear Claire,

            I know I’m a sinner for this thought but it’s eating my mind. My guile towards Momma was something I wished to put in action. I couldn’t, but I still hoped. She’s probably wishing the same. We all wish you here, with us. Yet we know God will keep your soul safe. Don’t worry you are in a better place. I bet Momma even wishes I died instead of you that day, in the ship. She loved your sunny disposition, she abores my happiness.

            So how is it up there, in heaven? Down here, it’s horrible. Everything is “for the general good of the colony”, ugh.  Let me tell you how it is, so let’s say you want to play hide & seek, well guess what you can’t! Why? Unless everyone wants to play you can’t. Joseph’s dad needed some meds. For Rosemary, his mom, but they couldn’t. These selfish beings wouldn’t let him go back to England because it would take days and preparation and a bunch of lame excuses. In the end, we were all present when she died.

Days later I tried to take a stroll with Joseph, to my favorite spot, Marie’s Pastry Shop. We never made it; a spontaneous winter came upon us. We’ve had to stay inside for days. So many that we’ve lost count. I did record something else, something of far greater importance.

Deaths.

Millions, Zillions. All dead!

            Oh, Claire we’ve dropped to less than half the colony. Now I have to do the washings, dishes, and hear Momma complain about how slow I am with work and the weather. It would be much better if you were still alive. You could help me end mom’s imperative announcements on how everything, including me, would be better if you were alive. In the end we probably will end up dead, like you.

            There is nothing fun in the house. We can’t even look for fresh flowers for your shrine, the snow is too dense. I’d wish I knew how to send this letter but all I can do is pray for God to lower the snow or to tell you how much I miss you. That and to be honest for him to excuse my soul. In the end everything here is so bad. Ok, it IS terrible, the food stock has been decreasing and Momma is unbearable but BEFORE the snow the new world wasn’t all that bad. Then again if the snow will ever decrease maybe the journey might be worth it.

Your beloved sister,

Rosen Ducayne

Tayvon Martins: Fear of what they don't Understand

A black boy, Trayvon Martin, wearing a hoodie was fatally shot by a volunteer neighborhood watchman in Florida. The volunteer claims that the boy was looking suspicious and attacked him. He also says he shot Mr. Martin in self-defense. The teen, Trayvon, was only 17 when he got murdered by George Zimmerman, the volunteer and has been proved that he only carried some candy. Meanwhile Mr. Zimmerman was patrolling---passing by---when they encountered and deemed Trayvon “suspicious”. As much as everyone believes that Mr. Zimmerman has to be brought to justice, trialed, and apprehended. Yes, George Zimmerman has not even been denied usage from his gun. Up to this day the parents of Trayvon are searching for justice to be done. They’ve manifested peacefully in the streets asking for justice and no more racism.

            Prejudice can lead to injustice by matters like this. Zimmerman had believed Trayvon was going to attack him just because he was wearing a hooded sweater, a hoodie. Adding the fact that he was black Zimmerman had thought that he would win the trials placed in front of him but he is wrong. Times have changed, skin color doesn’t matter. Prejudice can lead to injustice mainly by its own name that signifies judging a book by its cover. Many times a trial or a trivial event is given to the one who doesn’t deserve it because he is of a “superior” race. This is not true as everyone is equal but many think that “everyone is equal but some are more equal than others” –Animal farm, George Orwell. Unfortunately prejudice is part of our daily life. Like Zimmerman he used prejudice to guide him into killing innocent Trayvon. Like many people and Mr. Zimmerman prejudice has become part of the daily life.

            The responsibilities that all individuals have to protect the innocent is to free them from harm---Let them live in a world without fear of being themselves. One has the responsibility to make sure history does not repeat itself. To do this we as a whole need to get rid of many things, mainly prejudice.  What I’m trying to say is that for the world to function, for the world to no longer live in fear that someone might do something to you. For the world not to fear that they might get shot for looking suspicious just because they are wearing a hoodie.

            When people fear what they do not understand they find themselves trapped with feelings of anxiety, dread, and despair. This is what Mr. Zimmerman must have felt when he thought Trayvon was suspicious. When people fear what they don’t understand they take action based on irrational thinking, they don’t think of the cause and effect what they are doing might have.

Gender stereotypes influence people’s behavior into making them do irrational things. As it happened on this occasion the gender stereotype was the one a black boy with a hoodie looking “thug” like. These type of stereotypes are between the worst, as to say that each of them is bad. Just because he is of one skin color, black in this case, doesn’t mean he’s in a gang or caring a gun around. Hell, would Zimmerman have shut it if was an asian, or a Russian, or an Aussie? It is in moments of judgment that stereotypes are mostly followed so do you think that Zimmerman would have shot if Tayvon wasn’t black?

Death, Snow, and Fire

      The day Mrs. Radley died everyone was indifferent, it wasn't a calamity since she rarely went out of her house. Jem and me I had high hopes that Boo Radley had finally got her but to our disappointment she died of a natural cause. At least that's what Atticus said. I tried to question him further and asked him if he'd seen Mr. Arthur, he simply replied no. His intentions were imminent he didn't want to be interrogated. He'd shackled me from further information and Jem stopped me from protesting and asking more questions. The newfound information was useless our hours of conspiring had been in vain.

        As I woke up I started to shudder--- boy was it cold! I saw through my window and started to scream.

"Atticus! Run! The worlds endin´!" Whit tiny pieces of sky were falling into the grounds. I tried to apprehend the happening but deemed it impossible. "The sky is falling! Run for it."

       Just when I was about to jump off my bed Atticus came in with half of his beard shaved and the other covered in white. "No it''s not, It's snowing." I tried to assimilate my new information--- I had never seen snow before and after much thought and looking out the window I realized how beautiful this bizarre event was. Jem had never seen snow either but at least he didn't make a fool of himself in front of Atticus. Later in the day we planned to make a snowman, how exactly? I wasn't even sure.

         We walked to the backyard and it was just---wonderful. The grass was all covered in a thin layer of white and the plants were all holding their little pieces of snow so carefully so that it wouldn't fall. I had to walk on it; feel it carry me away. I wanted to feel it touching me, I opened my mouth to catch one.

          "Jem it's hot." He later explained to me that it was so cold it burned and told me not to eat it because I was wasting it.  I had to be very meticulous now if I wanted to make that snowman. i could only step where Jem stepped or go back my tracks, we needed all the snow we could obtain. Somehow I felt that we were lionizing the snow. Jem and I started heading to Mrs. Maudie's, see if we could catch some of her snow.

           Once we got there we found her in the backyard screaming at us to stay in the middle of her yard, there was some thrift buried in her yard. Her garden was far more beautiful than our backyard; her flowers were covered in snow and tiny frozen droplets. Her trees had a white sheet and her hat was constantly shaking off the white particles. Dissension over how her garden looked was on Mrs. Maudie's side. For her the sooner we got rid of the snow, the better.

            Jem started to fill in baskets with snow and dirt, different ones of course. Who'd ever herd of a Negro Snowman?Time elapsed quickly as he dug and dug for more dirt filling in the end five baskets full of earth and two with snow. Slowly he started to create a skeleton with the dirt and gave patches of snow to the snowman, slowly turning him white. As he started to turn white he started looking more and more like Mr. Avery all he was missing was a stick of stove-wood. He'd only let me work on the back but hell was I proud of it.

           The second Atticus showed up he demanded we covered it. Apparently he didn't like how well we portrayed Mr. Avery, male counterparts and all. Jem had to run to find something to cover it and quickly came back with Mrs. Maudie's hat; behind him Mrs. Maudie was running for it. As she came across our creation she snatched way her hat, took a look at Mr. Avery's Snowman, and reprehended us for "erecting an absolute morphodite in the yard." After that the day just got colder and colder but I was happy. I'd seen my first snow and built a perfect snowman.

               The moment I feel asleep was the moment Atticus woke me up, trouble must have brewed for him wake me so early. I asked who was in trouble and he answered Mrs.Maudie. I sprang from bed and got on my bathrobe as he'd told me. Not a second too soon I was out of the house alongside Jem.From where we were standing we could clearly see the smoke rising up in the sky coming from Mrs. Maudie's house.

              "Go down and stand in the Radley place, Keep out of the way, see wich way the wind is blowing," ,Ordered Atticus.

               With a push from him and some words to Jem we headed our way to the Radley's. From there we could see the whole event taking place and the people in the streets watching the fire devour her house. There was nothing they could do except push a firetruck stuck in the ice; finally they attached the hose and started poruing pressured water into the remains of Mrs.Maudie's house. In the end three firetrucks were needed to extinguish the fire---her house was not saved. Atticus though saved her beloved heavy oak chair while everyone the street was shouting for Mr. Avery to come down the burning structure. In a matter of seconds the beautiful snow had Maycomb in anarchy.

                When the fire was finally put down all but one firetruck remained. Jem and I walked back home taking in all that'd happened.  He'd offered us some hot cocoa at first and kept starring at m like something was amiss.then he took me by surprise when he asked about some mysterious blanket in my shoulders.

                 "I don't know how it got there Atticus!"  I answered. I could see he was ready to punish us and Jem could see it too. So he stated to pour our secrets. One by one he told them to Atticus who didn't even pay attention but just said we better keep the blanket and one day I could thank him. It took me a while to realize he meant Mr. Arthur. He must of placed it on me when no one was looking; if I had just turned around I would of seen him. Why didn't I turn around?

20 years later

Dear Mom, 

        How is heaven? Have you met May. May and her way of getting rid of bugs was what led me to you after all so you really should. Her ways of dealing with calamities has a bizarre soothing effect when I'm sad. When I think of the 14 years of my life that I was shackled to the peach farm  I realized how better it would have been for me to have left years ago.

         You'd be surprised to hear the Civil Rights Act got approved--- everyone on the house is so happy. No more apprehension for the protesters, the anarchy against that was unleashed against them has died. Like the bees--to form a great functioning hive, they need to assimilate the whole population and live together in harmony.

          If people long ago would have stopped dissension about the colored people the'y realize how warm and kind they are. After all I didn't marry Zack for nothing, 'sides it's okay for me too do so. Yet two months have elapsed scince he visited us here in Tiburon--he's so busy now. All those years in law school has turned him into a successful ass-busting lawyer. You should of seen him when he works on his cases---so meticulous. He is lionized by everyone in Tiburon so far all kids say they want to be like him.

        Remember Rosaleen? The one who took care of me when you died? Remember when I told you how she would stay up late at night and practice her signature? Well when she went to register her vote i turns out she was one of the first to have the courage to vote.

          Mom I miss you. I feel you in all my "moms"--- the Calendar Sisters, Rosaleen, and the Daughters of Mary-- It's like you simply never left.

Love,

Lily Taylor

Problem We All Live With

         The Problem We All Live With is a painting by Norman Rockwell  in 1964. The painting holds Ruby Bridges walking to school with her bodyguards of the Deputy of U.S. Marsh after she'd been integrated to a white's only school. In the background one can clearly see the word " Nigger" roughly sketched in a cream deteriorated wall. The cream wall is stain by a tomato that now lies in the floor thrown by an ignorant fool at Ruby for coming to a "white" school.

          The four white bodyguards  stand guard because people were not only throwing tomatoes at Ruby but held signs and cursed  threatening her to come to her home and kill her or poison her food. Some of them even taking it to extreme measures and making black dolls to place in coffins. Even if Ruby was scared she had a determined look upon her face. She is seen wearing white attire; white dress, white shoes, white socks, even a white band around her braided hair symbolizing peace and equality.

         She had to go to the "white's" only school all alone because the ignorant fools parents of white children did not want their kids hanging around with a black person and preferred to have the kid stay home and not learn anything or be home schooled. They wanted this because the had lived in segregation for so long that they didn't know any better and they had recently passed a law that would not allow any more of it making segregation illegal.

         Although Ruby's face can show determination and fear she is mostly overcome by the determination part, determination for equal right,  determination for a better chance of learning for everyone, determination to how that their is nothing wrong with being of a different skin tonality, that people should "not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character" (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, I have a dream speech).

         In a very faint color in the same deteriorated wall full of cracks and the huge font "nigger" is etched the shortened term for the Ku Klux Klan (K.K.K.).

         At first glace any person would think "oh! What a poor little girl, so young and being escorted to school, those were harsh times." Although at first it might seem like this there is more to the picture than what was just said.  The cream wall represents the "whites" and their ways from the time era and how they treated others that deep down were like them. The  K.K.K. is there as well as nigger and the tomato stain with the wall cracking to show how the words and their actions could be used against them "breaking"  the wall of ovlibiousness that clouded their minds fro the cruelty and suffering.

For other analizis of Problem We All Live With go to Middle Minds.

picture from: http://0.tqn.com/d/detroit/1/0/T/8/-/-/The-Problem-We-All-Live-With-8x5.jpg

Travel Journal: Log 2 In wich I explain why my back is sore 22-30

Thursday: My granny (Abuela Maggie) took me to an aunts house for their dogs birthday party, Bonita. Well Bonita's birthday was really an excuse for them to hang out so I went to play with my Tia Carla. She is very sweet an d we played alot, we played Uno  watched Tron (again), Toy Story 2 (again), and played war. It was reallly really fun and incase anyone cares I am still sick. :C

Friday: HUZZAH! It's chrismas right? NO! but I still opened presents. I alwyas open three or four a day before christmas :). WEll around six something I went to my Tia Consuelo's house to a party and I was still kinda sick but my sister got even sicker so she had all of her defenses down leaving me with my too cousins Jan (five years old) and Cesar (2 years old). I played with them the whole night just running around and playing tag. You know, normal running games... It was really fun and they are so adorable *squeak*

Saturday-Monday: Well I opened the rest of my presents so I played video games most of the day. The parade thing was across the street from where I live so my mom invited Cesar, Jan, and many aunts and uncles to see it and all that family quality time. I did the same thing I did before play hide-&-seek, Tag, Sardine, Dominoes, Doodled, etc. And they were so adorable. But at one point I asked both of them for a hug and they fought each other to give me the hug (awww) so they ran up to me to give me the hug and I fell back into the floor and hit my head giving a chain reaction to my back wich is now sore.

Tuesday-Friday: Nothing just playing video games and listening to music although my mom has been blasting ABBA to wake us up in the morning I've been waking up at seven or ten a.m. so I practically have nothing to do in the mornings. Plus my mom is making me go shopping wich I really don't like.