This
poem is inspired by what a thirteen-year-old boy musician would write to the
girl he likes in the middle grade WIP I’ve almost completed. (So if it’s not
any good, it’s because a thirteen-year-old boy sort of wrote it.)
Music’s hue
Is like a poem from Langston Hughes
Swirls and soars
A life beyond markings on pages
Your eyes bright,
You remind me of Van Gogh’s Starry
Night
Hidden curls
Underneath a cupcake dress, you
twirl
We are more
Than the clothes we wear, texture
of hair
Pedigree
Ethnicities, strokes on a painting
True black’s like
A bear’s coat, the ocean at
midnight
What is white?
Bright, like creampuff clouds
sweeping the sky
With coloring,
I just see, the colors in between
Subtle shades
Expressionist details, contrasts
fade
Truths whispered
Vibrant moments, memories, laughter
Our wishes
Just you, me, music, a dance, a
kiss
Peace First, a local charity is working to reduce violence. Living in the Boston area, people here couldn’t
help but feel it personally. Your support meant a lot to me.
There were people who donated, but
just wanted to help. They didn’t take a book. There were also people who won,
but aren’t blogger. Those who won and are bloggers:
Fight
Club by Chuck Palahniuk (signed)
Dear
Life, You Suck by Scott Blagden (signed)
Jennifer Government by Max Barry (signed)
Congratulations to the winners! I’ll be in touch soon.
As a result, the remaining books
will most likely be donated to Books for Boston , if it works out with the
contributing authors/book donators. Details about Books for Boston HERE.
if I was the thirteen year old girl for whom this was intended, I would say fall in love!!
ReplyDeleteLady in Read, I think she will! Thanks.
DeleteHi Theresa .. what a great poem and I love the images you conjure for them both .. and would agree that it is a beautiful love poem. The colours in between ...
ReplyDeleteThen I'm sorry I haven't been recently and so missed your contest for a cause .. congratulations to all who won, who gave, who entered and who donated their books ...
Cheers Hilary
Hilary, thank you. I wish I visited your blog more often too. There's a lot to do. We can't keep up with everything!
DeleteI think that thirteen year olds often write wonderful stuff. It's unpolluted by the nit-pickiness that is forced upon us in our later years, which tends to ruin the spirit of the thing.
ReplyDeletePetra, I think you're right. Sometimes I think adults don't give kids and teens credit for deep thoughts and creativity. And then they're taught what's the "right" way, which can take away that spirit.
Deleteaw, that's a romantic 13 yr old :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats to the winners!
Lynda, he is pretty romantic.
DeleteLoving the poem in vivid and striking colours!! Yay!!
ReplyDeleteTake care
x
Old Kitty, thank you!
DeleteVery alluring dance of the opposites here , thanks
ReplyDeleteKutamun, thank you.
DeleteCongratulations to the winners.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's really good for a thirteen year old boy. Think you nailed it.
Alex, thanks for the feedback.
DeleteThe last line is lovely. I wish I'd gone to school with boys who were happy to write poetry - they just grunted and scowled, even at 13 :-)
ReplyDeleteAnnalisa, maybe they were deep way inside, underneath all that scowling and grunting.
DeleteEloquent and rather touching...
ReplyDeleteBerowne, thanks!
DeleteI love this poem and the views of the 13 year old boy who wrote it. The girl who receives it is super lucky : )
ReplyDeleteMelissa, I think she's lucky too. Thanks!
DeleteCute!! It reminds me of some of the things my 12 yr old has written for the girl he likes. (Things I've accidentally come across.) *twiddling thumbs*
ReplyDeleteCrystal, accidentally, eh? Glad to know there are real-life poet boys out there.
DeleteWoot! Thanks so much. ( and for some reason, this post didn't load in my blogger feed. sigh).
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope you did raise some money for such a great cause.
And And, I really loved this:
We are more
Than the clothes we wear, texture of hair
Pedigree
Ethnicities, strokes on a painting
L.G. Smith, congratulations! You found my post before I got around to emailing the winners. Sorry! I'll have to get your address.
DeleteThanks for the comment about the poetry.
I'm impressed that any middle grade boy, who'd refer to Starry Nights. He definitely has my vote. :)
ReplyDeleteSA Larsen, the boy has had some good influences.
DeleteI was totally taken in after the first two lines ~~ awesome writing!
ReplyDeleteHelen, thank you!
DeleteWhat a romantic and interesting poem. I really like it.
ReplyDeleteHope the girl appreciates it -it's quite something for an adolescent boy to lay out his feelings quite so openly. We'll have to read the book to find out:-)
ReplyDeleteJabblog, I think she appreciates it. I hope you get to read the book to find out!
DeleteVery sweet and quite daring for that kid! Hope it wins her heart.
ReplyDeleteC Lee, I hope he wins her heart too.
DeleteLove the reference to Langston Hughes...a fave of mine...
ReplyDeleteTess, Langston Hughes is a favorite of mine too.
Deleteit IS good -esp- we are more than the clothes we wear- :)
ReplyDeleteWords A Day, thanks. The piece has a lot of references to parts of the book.
DeleteLove the poem! I'm desperate to see this one when you are done. I know how excited you are about it...
ReplyDeleteI'm also excited I won a book....It sounds like the perfect book for me....
Congratulations, Sharon. I hope you enjoy it. I met Scott at the NE-SCBWI conference and had him sign the same book for me, but I haven't read it yet.
DeleteOh wow, thank you!!! As for the poem, I agree with Lady in Read-I would fall in love :) I love the innocence in it and the analogies. Really well done. Congrats to all the winners and I'm going to check out Books For Boston.
ReplyDeleteThank you again!
The Words Crafter, congratulations. Thanks for the nice words.
Deletesomeone sure is lucky in love...wonderful write.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Himani. It was fun to write a poem from a 13-yr-old boy's POV.
DeleteSo much truth in this:
ReplyDeleteWe are more
Than the clothes we wear, texture of hair
Pedigree
Ethnicities, strokes on a painting
Laurie, thanks. This stanza seems to resonate with people. It's a big part of the theme of the book.
DeleteThis is a wise young boy who 'writes' this ... we ARE so much more than the clothes we wear ... we are the subtle colors in between the black and white of life ...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan. That stanza speaks to what both the boy and girl figure out through the course of the book.
DeleteMy favorite part was where he compared her eyes to Van Gogh's Starry Night. I wish someone would write something like that for me. :)
ReplyDeleteNeurotic Workaholic, I wish someone would write something like that for me too. I'm the writer in my relationship. I've written poetry for my husband.
DeleteWhat a future in writing that 13 year old will have!
ReplyDeleteRobyn ha, I hope so! His creator is working on creating a big future with her writing.
DeleteWonderful voice- loved this piece!
ReplyDeleteShelly, thanks!
DeleteIt sounded like what a 13 year old would say. What talent, Theresa!
ReplyDeleteNas
Nas, thank you.
DeleteLove your poem! Some very lovely phrases and lines in there. The cupcake dress, creampuff clouds, etc. :) Thanks for sharing it with us!
ReplyDeleteCarol, thank you. I hope those lines also properly reflect what happens in the story. We'll see. I just completed the rough draft of the manuscript yesterday.
DeleteGood luck!! and congrats on completing the rough draft. :)
DeleteGreat poem. Love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karla!
DeleteThat's an evocative poem. Well done.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Medeia!
DeleteTurns out a thirteen-year-old boy writes way better poetry than I do!
ReplyDeleteMissed Periods, me too! I'm sure I was sleeping when my character wrote this.
ReplyDelete