Listening to the Children

Poems belong are snippets written by children at that time who were ages 8-11 who are in their late teens today. I was teaching at a summer art camp for the New Orleans Contemporary Art Center a clss on quilting & poetry and these are some of their prose in honor of National Poetry Month...


Shhhh...Listen! Can you hear it when they saying?
Veronique's poem...

What's wrong...
When will it be done?
Senators and mayors don't pay attention...
They are in another dimension.
When will we see?
It just won't be?
We will never be important...


Because we are forgotten...
We need something new.
Who will it be?
Me?
Or you?

Brandon's poem...
There is a man...
Not the man up above.
He glows...
He glows like a light bulb.
This person is funny.
He gives me money.
And makes me laugh like the Easter bunny.
I hope he doesn't bother...
That I call him Father.

Shhh are you hearing...
Keutrall's poem...
When I think of my picture ...
I think of stars.
Rotating in the direction of moving cars.
I think of the solar system
and how it changes each and every day.
I look up in the stars...
And wonder all the time.
And that's how I got this beautiful rhyme.
So if you came to be free...
One lovely night.
Look up at the stars...
You'll see they are alright.

Brian's poem...
I made a flower...
Because I had nothing better to make...
But everyone thinks its great,
though I think it stinks....
Oh well, I'll live!

Shhhhh... Listen! Can you hear it?
Brian's poem...
Who is to say a face is normal?
Who knows what normal anyway?
Is it, so wrong to have different color eyes?
It doesn't matter if your nose is round.
Or your mouth is multicolor.
The only thing that really matters...
Is what in your heart.
If it's love...
You'll know that,
you were normal from the start...