Here is the entry to post your poems. I read different poems to you and you had to jot down the words that appealed to you, that somehow had an emotional impact on you for whatever reason. Then you were asked to “use” the key words you took notes of and put them in a meaningful “string” of words so that you would come up with your personal poem, though inspired by the poems by Langston Hughes and Natalia Molebatsi. Some of your poems can have some Italian words scattered here and there because I read to you an Italian translation of Natalia’s “powerful” poem “My pen”. The poems that you read in class reveal that I am right when I state that creative writing activities are really empowering to students. You managed to write poems that sounded truly personal, they were not a “mirror” copy of the ones I read out, though they were fed and nourished by them. It is just amazing how fulfilling listening and writing poetry is. Thanks for your “jewels”. Hope other readers will appreciate them. This time I am not going to post my poem because for the activity that we carried out in class it is important that somebody performs and reads the poems to you.
Thanks.
Your teacher of English.
If you want to learn a bit more about Natalia, visit this website:
http://www.nataliamolebatsi.co.za
and watch this video where you will understand what performed poetry is all about:
If you are interested in Langston Hughes' poems or biography, this website may be of interest to you:
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/83
I am also posting this video in which you can hear Hughes read his famous poem "I, too". Enjoy it.
You knocked me down and now I'm here in a lonesome place.
You broke my dreams and I scream.
Nobody can hear me.
And I cry, nobody can hear me.
Why? I don't know.
Am I dead? No. I can survive.
I must survive and start this life again.
Push me back to my life and consider me again.
Unlock my hidden thoughts until I'm free and finally
forgive me, smile at me because I need you.
Nothing more.
Sara Perin
Here the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1RKr4pWOqs
Freedom sings:
I want to stand on my two feet.
no compromise or fear, I want freedom just as you, not later, not tomorrow.
Freedom sings,
sopravvive, spits fire. freedom is my pen and my
words.
it frees locked dreams, escapes
stereotypes.
a storm of words is my being free:
freedom sings!
in caverne scolpisce storie…
silvia m.
A lunch box of dreams. React, then stop, then start again, ripartire.
Lacrime, scelte of glory. None believe in tomorrow.
Nobody dimentica smiles. Forgive me.
A sandwich of heart knocked to the heart-strings.
Fear of the paper, fear of colored fellows.
Alba splits truth in two parts. Freedom.
Proteggere choices. Scivola bugie, ragged pensieri.
Cry pagine infinite.
The storm shines in a lonesome place.
Lightning of thoughts.
Ever bitten.
The song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKMZ2H_a0z8&feature=related
The last one is mine Nicoletta
I smile my freedom
My liberty is the heart-strings
My pride is to survive the fear
I'm not afraid to forgive
because I want to fly towards the truth
to make my thoughts shine
and not to be a rugged colered soldier
My glory "scivola" in the mistery
if someone comprimise my "anima"
But I'm not afraid to forgive
because I want to fly towards the truth
And I will smile my freedom
Here the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62RAK4arstU&feature=fvst
The video is about the revolutions across the Arab world but, as the link mentions, it's "dedicated to all the people struggling for freedom and dignity in the world".
Giada E.
I live in a lonesome place, and my heart wonder for Liberty
Tomorrow is another day, in Liberty, with new surprises and not fear and crying people
There are my colored mama and papa that spit their glory for their rights, with the others fellows
We live in a mistery channel
We have to survive here
We have to react here
Yes Sir!
Freedom is democracy!
Irene P.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7jy3T4aPJQ Irene P.
I feel loose when I write with my pen
because of its capability to express
my inner revolution, my protests.
I feel knocked down when I can’t
write, I can’t speak, I can’t let my pen roars.
I feel kicked when I see people who
can’t express themselves, people who are
seen like “negros”, who must yield
cotton, who must hoe and plough and
hoe again to make cotton yield.
Any grace, any pride for them anymore, only double bows
obsequious double bows, and “yes sir” repeated, and
“give me your shoes to shine” repeated again.
Any wonder, any surprise for them,
only the will to reach liberty, to reach freedom.
But there is only fear, and dreams
unaccomplished.
Fabiola Celaj
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK_JfNlNSTk
I am not a ragged
I do not live in a lonesome place
I am not bited from anything
I do not plough
I have nothing to moan about.
I am pride because I climb up my wall every day
because I fly like an eagle
blowing my horn
flying for miles because I am free.
I fly with thunders
trough storms and rain
without strings closing my wings.
I loose my mind in the wind
and I am proud of my cracking glory.
This is FREEDOM.
This is the song I chose:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBCVEcjScTQ&ob=av2n
Martina.
Martina
You knocked me down
and now I just want to scream.
But I can't let you win.
I want to start again,
spitting fire on your storm of words
that's making my tears flow down.
I want to escape
this lonesome place.
I want to shine,
I want to make myself heard
like a thunder in a silent night.
I want freedom, I want liberty,
I want to make my own choices.
So now I will sow a new seed
to satisfy my biggest need.
Valentina.
I'm not part of a great white race,
I'm part of that lonesome place
where people do not need to bow to
a great white race.
I don't want to climb up a great big mountain of 'yes sir',
that are biting to the sandwich of your heart
lightening your eyes with tears.
I want to make a stride because
I do not need my freedom when I'm dead
but I need it now,
and I want freedom just as you.
So stop being a nobody, a coloured boy,
but spit your truth, spit fire
and give birth to freedom.
Alessia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzC0ccrapFk
Alessia
Freedom screams.
It's not in a lonesome place, it's just close to me
It is my pen and my thoughts
It spits fire, ruggisce e scatena tempeste
Freedom is for me, for you and for them, too.
Neither compromises nor hesitation,
We have just to give an ear to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zY_cM0_6vA
Sorry, the last one is mine… Silvia S.
I believe in dreams, I forget the storms,
a wonderful smile makes me cry.
My heart shines like a fire.
My soul listens provocative rimes, and this is surprising.
But I have fear of tomorrow, why?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1rLZfAfQLM
http://www.google.it/imgres?q=ragazza+che+cammina+per+strada&hl=it&biw=1366&bih=587&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=UJqKK3oyKAqJiM:&imgrefurl=http://blog.alfemminile.com/blog/seeone_167631_6950257/La-forza-della-fragilita/Sally-Vasco-Rossi&docid=ttPt6JqbP2r_yM&imgurl=http://imblog.aufeminin.com/blog/D20080924/167631_715140938_f46697142330af3a634ca74rt2_H153333_L.jpg&w=350&h=282&ei=AIy_TteHFtHd8QO77eWXBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=900&vpy=266&dur=515&hovh=201&hovw=250&tx=109&ty=119&sig=104185035830583446909&page=1&tbnh=123&tbnw=153&start=0&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:0
http://www.google.it/imgres?q=ragazza+in+bilico&hl=it&gbv=2&biw=1366&bih=587&tbm=isch&tbnid=0cyJRL3R3aw59M:&imgrefurl=http://www.quieora.info/home/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D369%26Itemid%3D50&docid=C3SoxUPju_RapM&imgurl=http://www.quieora.info/home/images/stories/khios1/ragazza.jpg&w=400&h=307&ei=JI2_Tq7VAcTq8QPZ7ezTBg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=168&vpy=137&dur=94&hovh=197&hovw=256&tx=159&ty=155&sig=104185035830583446909&page=1&tbnh=116&tbnw=155&start=0&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0
The last one is mine.. Silvia F.
Once in a lonesome stream,
an obsequious refugee I was.
Resting,
owned by folks that ragged my truth.
Grinning at me, kicking me, scrutinising me.
Their claws burst me apart.
But I did have choices.
I escaped.
Like a thunder I loose myself,
becoming a lightening seed,
considering me a flying eagle that will reach the heart-strings of freedom.
I forgive my fellow:
tomorrow I will share my stride with them.
http://www.google.it/imgres?q=firework&um=1&hl=it&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:it:official&channel=np&biw=1280&bih=602&tbm=isch&tbnid=Cx-ShZbV4xTtWM:&imgrefurl=http://gbconnect.wordpress.com/2010/11/11/baby-youre-a-firework/&docid=1XsXgcUZURhX-M&imgurl=http://gbconnect.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/firework-photo-display-2004.jpg&w=866&h=575&ei=mQnATvaDHcbQsgbOtdyKAw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=117&sig=111423453223582735207&page=2&tbnh=96&tbnw=145&start=21&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:21&tx=87&ty=7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJuMBdaqIw&ob=av2e
Erika
Race protesta, another day save glory,
Soul survives sogni
Dimenticare, i muri parlano, listen
Lion riggisce freedom
Loose angry yield sugar seed.
You as eagle start again
Eyes cry liberty dreams.
Soldier va a fondo.
Veronica Sidoti
Here the video. I created it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQHzYvn3trk
Veronica S.
Some of your poems are really powerful. Just a few of you seem not to have understood the task, since your poems do not make any sense, you just put together the words you wrote down in class when I read them out to you, but you did not link them in a "meaningful" way. I got to learn a singer (Maher Zain) I did not know, so thanks. Lovely images and songs. I did not grasp the link between the video, choice of song someone of you did. The sequence of images is nice, but there is just one that is directly linked to the issue of "racism". Then I do not understand the link between the song chosen and the title of the video "say not to racism".
I am satisfied with your poems. Be proud of them. Some flow better than others, but they are all so very special. Well done.
Please listen to this song!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X22s_50CadU&feature=related