Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Walk


There is a sidewalk in front of our house.
My two boys use it to ride a tricycle and
      a big, colorful plastic car.
On Wednesday mornings, 
      I set my garbage on it.
Some weeds try to grow throughout the summer.
       Ants,
            there always seems to be ants on it.
But that's it.

The nightly walkers use the street, 
with the cars,
and others on bikes.
Maybe it's the way the mailboxes are set in the sidewalks.
     Walking side by side, 
      one has to turn their shoulders, 
      or even stop,
                   to get by.
My youngest will holler,
"Mailbox, watch out!”
          when we walk around the block. (on the sidewalk)

I notice we always get stared at.

Is it because we are on the sidewalk,
 crossing their yard?
Have we become so disconnected,
that it is an invasion of privacy to walk on the sidewalk?

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Disappear


    I wrote this three years ago. During a DL (distance learning) class one of the away schools had a fire drill.  Their classroom looked like they had disappeared.  School supplies were everywhere, and it was deadly silent.  A student commented how eerie it was and that sparked this story.

        His eyelids were heavy.  He blinked fast seven times, but the warmth of lunch combined with another PowerPoint over the checks and balances of our government made his eyes heavy.  It was not as if he hated the class, in fact in most cases it was interesting to learn about America’s government and how power was displayed, bartered, and abused.  However, it followed lunch.  Today was BBQ sandwiches, and Justin had consumed five of them.  Three minutes until the bell.  He could make it because his next class was “on-line” today.
            Sixth period was an early entry college class, American Literature that was broadcasted over the Internet and displayed on a flat screen TV.  He went to class with four other schools. St.Paul a town 20 minutes away.  Loup County which was an hour south and Pleasanton High School which was 40 minutes to the west.  The home site, where the class was broadcasted from, was at University of Nebraska, Kearney. 
            They were “on-line” three days a week, like a real college class.  Justin was excited to see Rose Tatemen from Loup County.  They had started to talk on Facebook after they had to debate what Robert Frost meant in his poem “The Road not Taken.”  There were actually five students, one from each site, but the debate had progressed to Rose and Justin debating the meaning of the last paragraph.  Rose standing firm on the idea of Frost saying that taking the path was a statement of individuality. Justin countering that she had been brainwashed by Hallmark and that Frost was saying you can never know what a choice will do for you in life, hence the line, “I will be saying this with a sigh.”
            Justin was struck by her independence, and her slight lean to the left with her right eyebrow up when she thought she had made a great point.  That night he connected with her on Facebook and their friendship was progressing the last couple of weeks.  He was walking quickly to be there before the tardy bell.  The first five minutes of class were always hectic as the schools came on line.  Dr. Graf was always logged on at 1:00; St. Paul was usually on too.  Then Justin’s class, followed by Loup County, then Pleasanton which didn’t have sixth period until 1:07.
            “Hello Justin, early again.”  Dr. Graf commented from the TV.  There was just a slight delay between his lips and the words, as if you had blinked at the beginning of the conversation and your mind was trying to make the audio match the visual input.
            “Good afternoon, I was trying to walk off the great lunch I had.”
            “Hummm, I see.  Maybe the day will be even better with a debate today over money’s power on people.”  Dr. Graf said with that sly smile of his that meant there was more to the statement.
            “Depends on who I get to debate with,” Justin replied with a smile.
            “Well, let’s get the other class on-line…” they both smiled.
            Justin hoped that college would be this interesting.  He could not wait to be done with high school.  He was ready to be done with what seemed like consistent drama.  Everyone around him seemed to be stuck in junior high.  Other students were entering the room, Justin sat in his normal place, far left middle row of tables.  Just at the edge of the camera’s vision. The seat was next to the only window in the room, and even if it seemed he was not listening, he was as he stared out at the window.
            The TV was in motion; Dr. Graf ‘s window was to the right and large.  To the left the windows were getting smaller as the column filled with video of the four high schools.  Pleasanton flashed on last, and the speakers shared the mix of students laughing, setting books down, and the constant rumblings of teenage life issues.
            Justin looked at Loup County’s window for Rose.  There she was, third desk middle row, pencil tapping her tempo.  Justin raised his pen, tapping his right tempo.  It was their hello.  They both smiled.  They had started the ritual last week.
            “OK, class let’s get caught up on due dates for the next week…” Dr. Graf’s voice continued while Justin watched the sunlight highlight the edge of his table as his mind checked off the assignments in his head.
           
            The clock read 1:13

            “St. Paul?”  Dr. Gaf’s voice inflected with annoyance.  “Hello.  St. Paul…  Are you there?”  The screen revealed tables with books, computers open, and a few water bottles but no students.  The class was involved in group work.  Each site had three groups with their own set of questions covering the book, The Natural.  They would then share and discuss answers toward the end of class.
            “Did anyone hear anything, like a bell or fire alarm?”  Dr. Gaf asked, as most of the students’ attention moved to the TV in their rooms.  It was always a fun moment when one of the high schools would run a practice fire alarm.
            A series of no’s ran through the system.  Making the audio do a slight feedback that made Dr. Graf winch in his comical way.
            “Hummm, continue to work.  I’m going to try to contact Mr. Jackson at St. Paul.”  Dr. Graf turned to his computer, then proceeded to pick up a phone that was just out of sight of the camera.  The students returned to work, but kept an eye on the screen.  Dr. Graf didn’t seem to be able to get anyone on the phone.

            The clock read 1:16

            Shelly saw it first, from Loup County.  Dr. Graf was busy at his computer, it seemed he was typing something, probably an email.
            “Dr. Graf,” a slight hesitation from Shelly.
            “Yes.”  He didn’t look up from his computer, but you could sense he was listening from the slight shift of his head to the right.
            “Pleasanton is gone…” the statement hung in the air.  Every student turned to see two windows that revealed the same picture.  The basic student life laid out on tables, but no students.
            Dr. Graf stood still.  The remaining students held their breath, not sure what to do.  Then a smile broke the tension.  “Nice practical joke, guys,” Dr. Graf said.  His shoulders relaxing.  “I appreciate the work you put into this, but let’s get back to work.  Come back St. Paul and Pleasanton.”  He spoke directly into the microphone and turned to the TV on his left.  For a moment, it seemed as if the students would return, loud and with smiles.  But nothing.
            “OK, I get the joke.  Let’s get back to work.”
            Justin spoke, “I don’t think it is a joke, Dr. Graf.”  He had not been informed of any practical joke.  From the looks of his fellow classmates, they hadn’t either.
            Rose looked at him, the TV broadcasting her and every other students’ panic.  Justin looked into the camera, trying to let Rose know he saw her by his will alone.
            “Hold on, guys.”  Dr. Graf grabbed the phone.
            The clock read 1:19.
            Justin didn’t think he blinked.  But it felt like the world did.  Dr. Graf was gone.  He could have left to speak to someone.  “Hello, Kearney?  Anyone there?” Justin moved to the teacher station in the room.
            No response.  The students at Kearney were never on camera.  The room only had one camera and it was directed at the teacher station.
            “Kearney.  Anyone?  Hello.”  Justin tried to keep the panic from filtering into his speech.
            “What’s going on?”  Katie spoke with a whisper.  A rush of noise came from Loup County.  Mrs. Heinen had burst into the room.  “We can’t contact St. Paul.  Mr. Badura advises us to stay here until further notice.”
            “Justin, what do we do?”  Adam was standing next to him.
            “I don’t know…  Run to the office and see if they know anything.”  Adam was off before he finished his statement.  Justin glanced at the clock, 1:21.  An alarm went off in his mind. He tried to get a clear thought pattern going, but the absurdity of the situation broke every thought apart.
            “Justin.”  A voice.  He looked around but his classmates were all busy in their groups.  He could see the uncertainty in their actions, grabbing a book bag and putting it back down.  Travis literally eating his pen top.
            “Justin.”  It was Rose.  She was peering through the camera, eyes holding back tears.  Justin moved toward the TV to see her.  His mind cleared.  Even at this moment, she was beautiful.  A crazy urge to just hold her overwhelmed him.
            “Yes, Rose.  I’m here…”
            She smiled and started to tap her pen… the clock’s hand moved to 1:22.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

I Wish


I wish every child would be woken up
 By a loving parent saying “Good morning, sunshine!”

I wish every child would have an option for breakfast
 A seat open on the bus
 And a smile from a friend when they walk through the school door

I wish bad wasn’t cool
  That we didn’t spend time defining ourselves with
  Clothes
  Music
  Hair color
  Or how much of a jerk we can be

I wish the bell wouldn’t ring every 50 minutes
  Signaling it is time to get up
   Then to sit down

I wish we understood that
  Sticks and stones break bones
  But words crush our souls

I wish every child carried a book
  With a beat-up bookmark
   That had their dreams written in ink on the back

I wish the test were written by elementary students
  Because you know
  Recess would be the first question

I wish the diploma
  Meant you have become the person you wanted to be
  That the three Rs included
 Reaching for your dreams

I wish every child would go home mentally tired
  Ready to spend time with family and friends
  And when it was time for bed
  The day would end with a story and a kiss

I wish I could do more then just wish…

 

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Online Writing Workshop Poem

During the summer I participated in an online writing workshop designed by Kate Messner.  One activity was to write a poem based on a character.  Here is that poem.


To Steven (From Life)
Sometimes the lowest point
is only a plateau till you fall again
I wish I could tell you why
or to set your watch for when
But for now you will only see
not only the darkness of night
But the corners of the human heart
that will only cause you fright
Because when you have lost it all
there is more I can take from you
So take this moment to relax and watch the stars
feel free, feel hungry, for I will be there soon
To take you on the road of redemption
there is a price to pay though
It takes a broken heart to be able to fix one
for your life is not lived alone

Friday, August 17, 2012

I Wish to Stand


I wish to stand
 Not in a woods with two paths
 Not on the on-ramp of a busy highway
   Nor on the edge of the sea

I wish to stand on the horizon

The vast line of everywhere
Both sky and land
  Meeting forever

The colors mix so well there
  Blues to purple to blood red orange
  White to grey to fields of gold
 
The horizon has no time
 No shape
 No boundary to escape
    it flows with the cornfield
    breaks with the glacier
 Outlines a city and mountain alike

I wish to stand on the horizon

I wish to stand on the edge of everything

To be everywhere
   Every second
   As I stand


Thursday, August 16, 2012

Welcome

Hello,

I am not a gifted writer or poet, but I love to write.  All through school my notebooks were filled with doodles, poetry, and random ideas.  At this moment I am working on my first novel, and with the options technology brings I am planning on self publishing that novel when I am done.  I will use this space to share some of that writing, and also, to share my other creative writing.  Because writers want, no... need readers.

So, with that introduction, welcome.  I hope something I share with you makes you think, or feel, or just ponder this life.  Thanks for reading.