my nephew the poet
MY 11-YEAR-OLD NEPHEW IS A POET.
That's Noah lunging after Jack-o, the 6-year-old family comedian. A month or two ago we got to see Noah recite one of his poems at the local Barnes and Noble. The fact that all the other kids in his class recited one of their poems, too, doesn't make Noah any less of a poet in my book. And he's no less a poet in my eyes because all the other kids in the class also put together a laminated 9-poem "book" of poetry.
I gotta believe Noah's Promethean, Commotive, Adroit, Whimsical, Poetry Book is among the best.
Then again, maybe my objectivity was compromised by the words on the 1st page of the book. ("Dedicated to my Uncle Bobby. You were an inspiration to me my whole life and have earned a spot in my heart.") Or maybe I'm biased by the last poem in the book. (It's titled simply: "Bob Makela")
I think the kid is insightful and wise beyond his years, if not a little misguided in his choice of role models. I'll let you be the judge. What do you think of these?
Come With me Into a World
Come with me into a world,
Then you will see
The Darkness of writing
And the brightest of ideas,
Where believing is seeing,
Life is only a game,
An unlucky girl whose family
is her brother and sister.
Where greatness thrusts upon
your mind and all that is
thinking,
Where fantasy becomes
reality,
Where my idol becomes my
family,
In this world you can not be
hurt,
For once you enter there is no
turning back.
See it! Believe it! Do it!
I Hold in My Hand
I hold in my hand
An unknown universe
Sitting delicately in my very eager fingers
The darkness of the unknown is like a never ending nap but none where
you can move
The unknown is as unpredictable as the real is predictable
This universe is as gregarious and whimsical as anything you could ever
dream of
The unknown keeps me thinking, keeps my life fun, and keeps my world
mysterious.
Unknown, hermetic
Unknown, ensconced
Unknown, my dreams
Mr. Turk's Class Is...
Mr. Turk's Class is a robust bond
and mixture of
fourth and fifth graders.
Mr. Turk's Class is like an amiable monkey,
swinging on the vines of knowledge.
Mr. Turk's Class is like an extraordinary bird,
flying higher and higher
in the aquamarine colored sky.
Mr. Turk's class is a rocket ship of learning,
soaring into the space of minds.
Mr. Turk's Class is a magnificent star,
shining with gregarious smiles.
Mr. Turk's Class is an innovative
and amazing group of stupendous children
hoping for a great academic life.
Life
Life is a game,
In which we play.
Finding superb bonuses and also great tragedies.
Eternities to master but a great game indeed.
Believing
Believing is your mind playing your imagination.
Believing is when kids get set free from school and other
organized thinking.
Believing is putting all your thoughts into one.
Believing is knowing you can do something.
Believing is a gift.
Believing is making your imagination true.
Believing is hearing Saint Nick land on your roof.
Believing is seeing.
Behind this face
Behind this face
There is greatness
The greatness that will lead my future
And greatness that will guide me to success and
happiness
My greatness will keep me and everyone who
appreciates me happy
Violet
Innovative, adroit, daring, caring
Benevolent sister of Klaus and Sunny
Lover of family, inventing, and lavender hair
ribbon
Who feels compulsion, worry and leadership
Who needs a mom and dad, a livable home, and a
foolproof escape plan
Who shares inventions, ideas and love
Who fears Count Olaf, horrific house fires, and
the rest of the writing in the Snicket file
Who would like to see her parents, her habitable
mansion, and Count Olaf in jail.
Resident of Series of Unfortunate Events.
Baudelaire
A Beautiful Night of Your Own
I wish you, I wish you
I wish you these wishes:
Swinging from star to star,
Bouncing from cloud to cloud,
Sleeping in the crescent of the moon.
I wish you a beautiful night of your own.
I wish you, I wish you
Great mysteries to discover,
Woods to venture in and a nice nap on a
cloud of dreams.
I wish you a beautiful night of your own.
I wish you, I wish you
Great treasures to savor,
Great big trees to climb in,
Jumping from planet to planet.
I wish you a beautiful night of your own.
Bob Makela
I am Bob Makela
Pushed by my adventurous mind
I have seen more than most people in one lifetime
I hear songs of life and fun
I feel countless success and failures
I smell the savory fresh air in the morning from California to
Boston
I taste all the luscious food of the country
I am an idol waiting to be recognized
Bob Makela, adventurous
Bob Makela, free spirited
Bob Makela, inspirational
.
..
...
So how 'bout that? I'd say that about sums it up. At least in the mind of one 11-year-old in Temecula.