It Only Takes A Minute!

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday was the final official Teen Poetry Happens @ The Bean meeting for the 2010-2011 school year. We will, of course, have our huge Alexander Muse celebration on April 19 at The Spilled Bean! TPH folks will be there, but we won't do any art or poetry activities for the party.

For our final activity, we created minute poetry - a form embraced by North Carolina Poet Laureate, Cathy Smith Bowers. Ms. Bowers has a lovely tome, A Book of Minutes, from which I read to the teens. Then, we got down to business and created some minute poems.

The rule for minute poetry is to have 3 stanzas. In each stanza you have an 8 syllable line, then a 4 syllable line, another 4 syllable line, and a final 4 syllable line. This 8-4-4-4 stanza can have a rhyme scheme as well, but it is not necessary.

Check out these fine minutes!


Charisma
Confidence is a precious gift
Magnetic selves
Having a voice
Moving a crowd

Sometimes it is better this way
Wall flowers bloom
Hanging silence
I cannot choose

I can't help the personal traits
There is no choice
I like it now
I hate it then
by Christina


Me In Your Head
Hiding in your closet smiling
Holding a knife
With rainbow clothes
What am I, huh?

Giggling while you are sleeping
Creeping the door
To watch you sleep
Not knowing me

When you wake up and I'm not there
Wondering why
I wasn't there
It's in your head
By Pa Jai, Xeng and Karla


Who We Are
In the depths of time we perceive
always too far
always too close
always afraid

Looking for our person to change
To perfect it
To complete it
To control it

While oblivious to the truth
We are the now
We are the present
We are future
by Josh




This was a combined art and minute poem by Rebecca. Click to enlarge it.

Great job guys!

Tomorrow is Judgment Day for The Alexander Muse! I am so excited about the panel we have on board. Cathy Smith Bowers will be one of the judges for the poetry category. What an honor to have our NC Poet Laureate be a part of the process.

There were 63 poems entered, 28 prose entries, and 54 art entries. We will announce the winners on April 19 at The Spilled Bean. The public is welcome to join us! More details will be forthcoming.

Have a great day!

Mel