World Poetry Day

Favourite Poems of a group
of Students (Anchorage, the USA)

Explanations of the choice

I carry your heart (E.E Cummings)
carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)
i am never without it
(anywhere i go you go, my dear;
and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)
i wantno world(for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

In this poem E.E is trying to get his point across about his love for someone. He talks as if the person is his whole world and nothing surpasses her. E.E talks about his love like it is a secret as he says " here is the deepest secret nobody knows". In the poem he repeats " I carry your heart" almost as if the heart is a symbol of someone�s life. From reading this poem, in my opinion E.E was in love. But then again, maybe he wasn't and it was only a fantasy.
Ashlee.

Messy Room by Shel Silverstein
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater's been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or--
Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!

Peter. listen to the poem

Alaska, Alaska - Home of the Free
Alaska, Alaska - home of the midnight sun.
I have come to learn and have some fun.
Alaska, Alaska - there's so much land;
Things are so beautiful, life is so grand.
I've climbed on glaciers, I've seen some bears,
I've left my worries, I have no cares,
Except for the cares of life and health;
Alaska, Alaska - has its own special wealth.
The wealth of the eagle, the moon and the sky;
You have to see it with your own gazing eye.
Alaska, Alaska - home of the free;
There's so much here, so much to see.
The Dall sheep, the caribou, the griz, the moose;
Here in Alaska, a man can cut loose.
Cut loose from the impurities of the modern city;
Here in Alaska, things are so pretty.
Alaska, Alaska - I love it already;
Insecurities are gone, I feel so steady.
This is a place everyone should go
To learn the things everyone should know.
Things like wildness, beauty and strength,
Where summer sun is forever - 24 hours in length.
Alaska, Alaska - I think I'll call home
Where I'll have a life to roam and roam.
Roam through the mountains down to the sea,
Alaska, Alaska - home of the free!

Alaska, Alaska - Home of the Free by Jimmy Tohill is a poem that I can understand and relate to. He writes how being in the backcountry of Alaska makes him feel. It gives him a feeling of freedom from the stress that the city life can bring. The natural beauty of Alaska and the wild animals give him the feeling of wealth, purity and strength. It sounds like he loves to roam the wilderness of Alaska as much as I do. That's why I chose this poem, because I can relate to it. A few things came to mind when I was reading it. When he said, "I've climbed on glaciers and seen some bears", it reminded me of last summer I went on a trip back into the Talkeetna Mountains. On that trip I went over 3 glaciers and, on one, did some climbing. During my hikes, backpacking, and hunting I have seen lots of wildlife every place I've gone. I spend a chunk of my summer fishing on the ocean or rivers and like the openness, beauty and wildlife there too. I really don't like going to town too often and would rather spend most of my time in the backcountry. I completely appreciate this poem because I understand what he's talking about.
Nathan

Sometimes when I�m alone I cry,
Cause I am on my own.
The tears I cry are bitter and warm.
They flow with life but take no form
I cry because my heart is torn.
I find it difficult to carry on.
If I had an ear to confiding,
I would cry among my treasured friend,
But who do you know that stops that long,
to help another carry on.
The world moves fast, and it would rather pass by,
then to stop and see what makes one cry,
So painful and sad.
and sometimes�
I cry
And no one cares about why.
By Tupac Shakur

I believe what the Author is saying is he is on his own, he is very sad and lonely. He cries but realizes its pointless though is heart is broken. He is telling us it is hard to keep going. Even if he had a friend to talk to it really wouldn�t matter because everyone has there own problems, so why would they care about someone else�s problems? I feel there are many people in the world that feel helpless and alone with no place to turn. My life is not perfect, but I know I am fortunate at this time in my life. I have good family and friends to turn that would stop and listen and that care about me.
Nicholas

THE NEXT PLACE BY WARREN HANSON
The next place that I go
Will be as peaceful and familiar
As a sleepy summer Sunday
and a sweet, untroubled mind.

And yet�... it won�t be anything
Like any place I�ve ever been�
Or seen�or even dreamed of
in the place I leave behind.

I won�t know where I�m going,
And I won�t know where I�ve been
As I tumble through the always
and look back toward the when.

I�ll glide beyond the rainbows.
I�ll drift above the sky.
I�ll fly into the wonder,
without ever wondering why.

I won�t remember getting there.
Somehow I�ll just arrive.
But I�ll know that I belong there
and will feel much more alive
than I have ever felt before.
I will be absolutely free
of the things that I held onto
that were holding onto me.

The next place that I go
will be so quiet and so still.
That the whispered song
of sweet belonging will rise up to fill
the listening sky with joyful silence,
and with unheard harmonies
of music made by no one playing,
like a hush upon a breeze.

There will be no room for darkness
in that place at Living Light.
Where an ever-dawning morning
pushes back the dying night.
The very air will fill with brilliance
as the brightly shining sun
and the moon and half a million stars
are married into one.

The next place that I go
won�t really be a place at all.
There won�t be any seasons �
winter, summer, spring or fall �

Nor a Monday, Nor a Friday,
Nor December, Nor July
And the seconds will be standing still�
while hours hurry by.
I will not be a boy or girl,
a woman or a man.
I�ll simply be just, simply me.
No worse or better than.

My skin will not be dark or light.
I won�t be fat or tall.
The body I once lived in won�t be part
Of me at all.

I will finally be perfect.
I will be without or flaw.
I will never make one more mistake,
Or break the smallest law.

And the me that was impatient,
Or was angry or unkind
Will simply a memory
The me I left behind.

I will travel empty-handed.
There is not a single thing
I have collected in my life
That I would ever want to bring
Except�. The love of those who loved me,
And the warmth of those who cared.
The happiness and memories and magic that we shared.

Though I will know the joy of solitude
I�ll never be alone.
I�ll be embraced by all the family
and friends I�ve ever know.
Although I might not see their faces,
All our hearts will beat as one.
And the circle of our spirits
Will shine brighter than the sun.

I will cherish all the friendship
I was fortunate to find,
All the Love and all the
Laughter in the place I leave behind.

All these good things will go with me.
They will make my spirit glow.
And that Light will shine forever
In the next place that I go.

I got this book when my Border terrier passed away while chasing a rabbit. That was the first time I had an animal pass away. Buster had been there with me from the day I arrived home from the hospital. This poem is special to me because it symbolizes peace and happiness. I enjoy reading this because it makes me feel happy. I know this not what really happens after you pass on but it is nice to know that there is something out there like this. Zoe

�The Road Not Taken� by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I �
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

I really like this poem because every time I read it I understand it more and more. Another reason I like this poem is because it sort of describes our choices in life and how much a difference one action can make. I think this poem has deep meaning about the term cause and effect. Meaning for example that if you had the choice of skipping church or attending would you choose the latter? If by chance you do skip you might miss a talk in church that could inspire you to do something great. But if you do go you would reap the benefit and get inspired. This poem is also very simply stated but means a great lot if you think about it. To me it means sometimes you will have two choices that look similar and will have no consequences in at quick glance; but in reality if you look close enough they are much different. They might lead to the same goal but sometimes if you don�t take the shortcut that everyone else takes you could gain something more. Connor

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