Our Quiet Conflict
by Larry J. Knight, Jr.
The opening salvo was a quiet one.
There were no warning signs, no open declarations,
or speeches, just the sound of nothing;
Ours is a civil war of wordlessness,
you play the north, and I play a southern fool
enslaved by my roots, unwilling to abolish my antiquated ways,
waiting, pensively for you to free me;
The boundaries, clearly marked, grow faded;
each passing day a new skirmish,
casualties add up; wounds are made,
then heal, then are made again-
a cycle of hostility in words and glances;
Politics seem pointless, conversation becomes banter;
fortified walls penetrable
collateral damage incalculable;
we never talk, we just sit
staring across a vacuum
that has consumed our will to make peace;
We spent years forging a war,
both knowing that a victor would claim no glory,
just a realized understanding of human hearts,
how they hurt, bleed;
our negotiations less than courteous,
our conferences, brutal;
no parade marched in cadence,
rockets did not explode in celebration,
only silence when you breached my last defense.
Copyright 2005 by Larry J. Knight, Jr.
7 comments:
Hi Mr, Knight. It's me again. I just wanted to comment on your poem. It's really powerful and I think i get certain parts of it. Yet it's really intimidating (to me) to have to explicate your poem. What if I mess up? Or if I miss the meaning completely? Gosh, I'd feel really bad. But I'll try my best.
I agree with my buddy Nai if we mess up on the meaning of your poem we are truely sorry but well will understand by the end of class. Bye-Bye now.
Hey Mr. Knight. I agree with Nai about the poem being powerful. It is also really deep. The meaning is getting through to me a little bit, but the AP poetry terms are hard to fined (for me). But your website was looking very good, that's cool how you met Russel Simons. I was just wondering do you wear any phat farm clothes; well see you tommorow during third period.
P.S. Who are some of your favorite rappers?
Hey Mr. Knight! I agree with Enjonai, Candace, and Daniel. Your poem is very powerful. I don't exactly understand every part about it, but I do understand the theme of it, and I think Its really good that you would write about something so strong a subject as you did. Sorry for all the quiz mishaps. :) See you in class tommorow!
Hey Mr. Knight! I agree with Enjonai, Candace, and Daniel. Your poem is very powerful. I don't exactly understand every part about it, but I do understand the theme of it, and I think Its really good that you would write about something so strong a subject as you did. Sorry for all the quiz mishaps. :) See you in class tommorow!
Hey, Mr. Knight i just wanted to give you my poem.
UNTITLED
by D’Andre Nevarez
When we look back on our memories we almost go insane.
A lot of things we’ve forgotten, yet a lot of things still remain.
There are two sides to our memories happiness and pain.
On the outside we look like thunder , on the inside we’re full of rain.
The rain of our memories, memories of what we’ve tried,
rain of hurt feelings and people who have cried.
The rain is still pouring still filling our insides .
But no matter how you cover up, the rain still resides.
In the depths of our shadows, in the depths of our thoughts,
in the depths of every corridor that we have ever walked
and although it tells us everything, the rain will never talk.
Our memories are useful, because from them we are taught.
How to be peaceful, to be careful at all times
because of our memories, in darkness we shall shine.
Looking back on our memories, you will probably find,
that even bad memories are memories that should be left behind.
THEME: Memories and Reflections
hey mr. knight, one thing...You are the most amazing and influential teacher ive had. It's awesome to have a true poet teach us poetry. You show true passion in everything you do. Every class period, the true meaning and feeling of each work is clearly brought across with ur passionate and in-your-face explanation. Thank you so much for the fantastic emotion and passion brought into the classrom. The way you speak affects me and makes me realy want to impress you and do well in your class. I love that in a teacher...and hey we have sumthing in common...we both hate BUSH! haha ok another thing...i didnt have a disk and didnt have time to get one so I'll leave my poem here...
C’mon Faithful Eyes
By: Sarah Mathews
Yeah they say I’ve got faithful eyes
They just don’t know
What they see
Is not what they get
Ya’ know I play an actress in my own life
Play a lil’ game to cover up the hurt
But behind these eyes is a heart of shattered glass
Broken dreams
Lies told
Tears of pain
Fear of rejection
Man they just don’t know-
Yeah you can call me faithful eyes
Even happy sometimes
But before you do that…
Know it’s just an act
Acting in my life doesn’t pay well
Or at all
But it gets me that name
Faithful eyes
Through the hurt and the pain
My faith shows me through
Makes me rise above
Pulls me towards a better life for myself
But will it get me through this, I don’t know
I guess this is your test faithful eyes
Show me what you’ve got.
My faith will get me through.
Yeah keep telling yourself that faithful eyes
Your faith will pull you through
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