I would like to invite you back to a more innocent time. The year was 1999. It was a time before cell phones and keurig coffee makers. It was a time when the internet was still in it's infancy and none of us had yet heard of facebook. It was a time of writing letters and using stamps and dare I say playing outside! It was a time of poetry! I was in 4th grade and my class at M.K. Rawlings Elementary was participating in a young authors' program. We were tasked with writing poems on various subjects throughout the year, which were eventually published in a small booklet that was even sold for a few years at the local Books-a-Million. Two of my poems were selected to be included under the section "Just Being Kids." One was about the pool we were building in our backyard and the other was about Legos. I actually read these two poems recently at a spoken word event at the Northstar Pizza Bar downtown. I thought it would be fun to do a throwback reading much like how I do Flashback Fridays. The result (which you can view on my sister's instagram) was quite hilarious, and I must say very entertaining. The only thing that was missing were some beatniks in the corner with berets and long cigarette holders snapping their fingers. If you would like to read these poems too, please see below!
The Hole in the Ground
The workers came with a backhoe
and dug a big hole in the ground.
The backhoe made a lot of noise
like a train going round and round.
The hole was so big and deep
that inside you could fit an ocean of seals.
I crawled to the edge and took a peak
they'd begun to build a cage of steel.
Dirt from the hole piled high as the sky.
I tried to climb to the top to eat my pie.
Mud oozed out of the dirt mountain as I hosed it down.
It looked like the mudslide would cover the whole town.
I hope the men come back to finish their work soon.
So I can enjoy the finished project while I listen to my tunes.
In my backyard we are building a swimming pool.
I can't wait 'till it's finished - it will be so cool!
Legos
Staying up late at night
Building and building with all my might
Preparing the fort for an endless fight
When morning comes and it is light.
There are a lot of ships in my fort
The aircraft carrier comes and docks at the port
My timeship has wings for extra support
Small ships are ready in case of abort.
The pilots talk as in their ships they sit
While I look for the right piece to fit
It's getting late and is almost time to quit
But I'll finish the project in a little bit.
Hope you enjoyed that little lyrical time capsule for Flashback Friday. Check the group photo below of my whole 4th grade class including some of the 8th grade class that helped edit our poems for publishing. See if you can spot me! Keep it REAL!
