-Second in a Series–
By Eileen Wingard
LA JOLLA, California – Six of the 12 featured student poets at the opening session Oct. 16 of this year’s Jewish Poets-Jewish Voices program shared their feelings about self-discovery, animals and nature.
HONESTLY by Jenna Kreedman
(SD Jewish Academy Middle School)I am about 5 foot 2
I was born on May 28th
I’m supposed to be a cunning and polar personality, Gemini, but I feel more like a kitten than a thieving fox
And I can’t hold my breath for more than 30 seconds without going blue, but I feel so utterly attached to the ocean
I hate being unprepared
I also despise stress, and all its horrible side effects
I don’t know how to butt-out, or how to shut my mouth before saying something rude
But I find people are one of the most “forgiving in the moment” kinds of species
Yet they are certainly not the best at forgiving in the long run
I don’t like commitment
But I hate change
And I think I’m a, metaphorically speaking, plunger
Yet I only dip my toes in the water
And perhaps I am, truly, a Gemini
Or maybe an indecisive thinker
I can’t quite decide
And I think I’ve figured out my meaning in life
But maybe it’s my loud mind getting the best of me
But I’m pretty sure I’m here to make others happy
Seeing as I do a fine job keeping myself happy
Maybe I’m done with my poem
Or perhaps I’ve just hit the tip of the iceberg
*
MY FEELINGS INSIDE by Bella Silberstein
(SD Jewish Academy Middle School)
Excerpts
I prefer unconditional love.
I don’t prefer hate in the world we live in.
I prefer kindness rushing through our veins.
I prefer piping hot macaroni and cheese.
I don’t prefer salty rather than sour on my tongue.
I prefer a beautiful green healthy salad.
I don’t prefer the shining sun in summer.
I prefer getting warm by the fireplace in a cold winter.
I don’t prefer to fall at all.
I don’t prefer the bombing of innocence during a war.
I don’t prefer violence all around us every day.
I don’t prefer school shootings.
I prefer dishing out love to people rather than serving out hate.
I prefer dimples than pimples on my face.
I prefer family over friends but I am lucky I have both.
I prefer being me and only me.
*
PICTURE THIS by Rebecca Mannor
(SD Jewish Academy Middle School)
Excerpts
Picture this
A sweet young girl
No older than eight years old
Her head slumps on the table
Tears stream down her face
Pure melancholy outlines her trembling lips
Would you help her?
Fall
She wears a warm smile
And skips with the naïve nature of a child
Her eyes brighten
And her smile widens
At the sight of her friends
If only moments like that could be infinite
This is her prologue
Before all the pain
Before all the puffy eyes and salty pools of tears
Winter
The friends start planning
An event is approaching
Wanting to be “perfect’
The girl with curly brown hair
The ever preeminent partner
Together they practice
She holds onto the bars, summersaulting
She feels invincible; on top of the world
But their world, soon, must come crashing down
The next week is when it all changes
The sparkle in her eye is gone
Her smile wavering, trying to fight against the cruelty of children
You see them, whispering
Making plans without her
It is as if they were a forest of trees;
Clustered so close together that she couldn’t penetrate
She now stands on the outside
Spring
Day after day she comes home all cheery
You don’t see her inner struggle and suffering|
She locks her door as she sinks down
Crouching, head in her hands
Creating a river that is supposed to wash all her troubles away
How can you leave her in this Deep despair?
Summer
Everything changes
One day, it hurts less
It doesn’t just suddenly disappear
But, it starts to fade away
Little by little
You see her get stronger
You see her confidence return
The scars are still there, but they are healing
Picture This
She learns from her mistakes
And knows whom to trust
She used to feel bad for herself
Wondering whether there is something
Wrong with her
Now she knows
She is perfect just the way she is
*
NATURE by Alexandra Amiel
(SD Jewish Academy High School 9th grade)
Tall towers surround me
Green warriors sit hidden in plain sight
Melted silver flows fast like lava down a volcano
The melody of the mother sings sweetly in my ears
Black scouts yell “intruder!”
MATILDA by Natalia Alchalel
(SD Jewish Academy Middle School)
In my memory…
Your brown hair glimmers
In the light of the sun.
You saw me take my
First steps, you were there
When I was nine and had
My first surgery.
You helped me
Walk again.
I miss the sound of your collar,
Chiming, as you wag your tail,
Running towards me.
I miss your protective
Bark, keeping me safe.
I’m sorry, Matilda
I wasn’t with you
When your heart decided to
Stop pumping.
I can vividly remember your running
Towards me when I sat on the grassy front lawn.
Without you, I feel like a piece of my heart
Is missing.
*
OUR LAND by Maital Meltzer
(SD Jewish Academy Middle School 7th grade)
Open your eyes
See the world without disguise
Hold love in your arms
Be soothed by its charms
Birds sing in the trees
As you dance in the breeze
No need to understand
For you know this is our land
*
Wingard is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. She may be contacted via eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com