2. Read "Happiness" by Robert Hass
Happiness by Robert Hass
Happiness
Robert Hass
Sun Under Wood: Ecco Press, 1996
Because yesterday morning from the steamy window
we saw a pair of red foxes across the creek
eating the last windfall apples in the rain—
they looked up at us with their green eyes
long enough to symbolize the wakefulness of living things
and then went back to eating—
and because this morning when she went into the gazebo with her black pen and yellow pad
to coax an inquisitive soul
from what she thinks of as the reluctance of matter,
I drove into town to drink tea in the café
and write notes in a journal—mist rose from the bay
like the luminous and indefinite aspect of intention,
and a small flock of tundra swans
for the second winter in a row was feeding on new grass
in the soaked fields; they symbolize mystery, I suppose,
they are also called whistling swans, are very white,
and their eyes black—
and because the tea steamed in front of me,
and the notebook, turned to a new page,
was blank except for a faint blue idea of order,
I wrote: happiness! it is December, very cold,
we woke early this morning,
and lay in bed kissing,
our eyes squinched up like bats.
*************
Bob Hass at the Thursday night reading.
At bat. Hit a double.
3. Using "Happiness" as a model, write a one sentence poem using as many different punctuation marks as you can. Use the periodic sentence structure, delaying the subject and verb of the independent clause until the end of the poem.
Post your poems!
4. finish any other work you have.
19 comments:
MONDAY
Because of the ridiculous, insistent, repulsive,
and hollow beeping of the small
silver phone,
every five minutes;
and the chilling, October-breeze
(obnoxiously bleeding through the blankets)
and because of the aroma of
vanilla oatmeal
and roasting cheap coffee
that slowly wafted through
that very same breeze—
but also because of the suddenly
uncomfortable mattress,
resting on the floor.
she (grumbling) threw off
the baby blue comforter
and pushed away the warmth
on the small circle of sleep
and approached the shower.
snow in july
Because the wind blew our hats off our heads,
we ran away to the old cherry tree,
where the wind seemed impervious to the tree;
but as our hiding place seemed to show,
we ran out from under the tree,
and felt the cold, unwanted sensation of snow,
but it was July, and it was supposed to be warm and sunny,
with a slight chance of clouds in the sky,
but it was July-
and because it was July, the light should shine,
with brightness, no one could imagine;
brightness that was so bright,
it would burn your eyes-
but the light was gone, and night was only three hours away,
we shivered in brightness that should’ve been-
then two minutes passed, and we didn’t shiver,
we fell, and laughed to the belief that
there shouldn’t have been snow-
but we realized that we were wrong;
we were wrong to the degree that it wasn’t snowing,
it was what we wanted in our dreams-
and we etched into the invisible snow:
we had fun, even if we dreamed this,
even if this dream is true,
oh, no, it is true, it’s just our imagination,
of us believing that the snow was fake
but in fact, it isn’t.
Sleepy-time.
Because the iPod bleated,
The world was cursed to bear another day
And to bring to consciousness everyone else--
To grip time in its hands and drive it,
With the force of a slave bearer
Which the bed surely felt as it was the cradle of grogginess,
Holding the savior of the world
In it’s delicate frame while it felt remorse;
It had damned the world to make new mistakes--
However also giving it the opportunity to live another day
Which when weighed, stands to be uneven
Because the only way to live is to make mistakes,
Making mistakes weigh heavier in the long run
And making sleep stand for the world,
Because in a world of algebra, they’re easily interchangeable—
Which cried the child of sleep,
However only enough to be roused,
And when I finally realized what I had done,
I went back to bed.
Because we’ve quickly turned distant,
the months pass by like years-
how imprecise the instant
held hostage by my tears-
though, time may seem insatiable,
I have you in my heart-
I miss you,
not only for your smile,
but for the piece of me that’s gone,
left within your care,
I’m in an empty hallway,
and have been there for a while,
gazing inwardly towards home,
neither here nor there.
because of the wind
we dreamed of the 25 degress weather
drinking hot cocoa and eating marshmallows
they were fluffy and soft
long time has passed by in snaps
and it burnt my fingers
and because of the wind when it came our way i would scream
to prevent me from laughing
from what he sayes that may be funny
i flicked the channels
and watched my oldtimes and soupopras
like it was a sunday morning
and a small cozy reclainer for the hour of coldness my hot cocoa has been cooling
in the mug that say's i love newyork
they are also very cheap and their own unique way
and because the music played
and the dogs barked
was disturbing for a cold~day
Shayla Sanders
Because he came to school,
And did his dirty deeds,
Because he has a smart mouth,
And talk so fast,
Because he doesn’t act like everyone else,
And stands out as a true odd ball,
He got a rep of a worthless nobody,
With no home training,
He receives promises not threats,
He gets drilled and dissed,
He gets played over and over again,
I guess all he needs is a true friend.
Whitney Lora
Because I'm hungry,
and my mom's at work,
I pick up the phone,
and call 234-5555
And because they dont deliver,
and i'm starving,
I have to walk down the street and pick up my food,
But because its so cold outside,
and my food is warm,
but home is so far away,
And because i got home,
and my pizza is still warm,
But forgot my keys,
So i eat the pizza on the porch in peace
Because this morning was freezing cold,
I couldn’t feel the tips of my fingers,
Or the soles of my feet,
So I put on my robe and traveled down the long winding stairs,
Darkness covering every inch,
And toys littering the floor,
Stopping me from hurrying back to the warm comfy-
I turn off the alarm and walk into the dining room,
The shiny wooden table sitting in the moon light,
Radiating and glowing a faint silver,
But I was too tired to admire it,
And I walked over to the heater,
And flipped the small switch on the side,
Turning on the heat,
Which warmed my icy house.
because it is so cold outside,
I can't do anything,
Sitting on the couch so cold,
wanting hot coco,I get up trying to look to
see if there is coco,
there it is the coco i am so happy
And because I got my coco
I can stay in peace,
watching tv
but,then now i have to make some for my brother,
But then i find a peice of cheese,
I drop it in my hot coco,
as it slips in to my mouth,
I drink my hot coco in peace
Because we’ve quickly turned distant,
the months pass by like years-
how imprecise the instant
held hostage by my tears-
though, time may seem insatiable,
I have you in my heart-
I miss you,
not only for your smile,
but for the piece of me that’s gone,
left within your care,
I’m in an empty hallway,
and have been there for a while,
gazing inwardly towards home,
neither here nor there.
Because we’ve quickly turned distant,
the months pass by like years-
how imprecise the instant
held hostage by my tears-
though, time may seem insatiable,
I have you in my heart-
I miss you,
not only for your smile,
but for the piece of me that’s gone,
left within your care,
I’m in an empty hallway,
and have been there for a while,
gazing inwardly towards home,
neither here nor there.
Mysterious “Him”
Drips of cold rain press against my bare flesh-
I hear the silence of the moon night
I am walking,
Cold,
Without a jacket-
I see a familiar tree-
It is the same tree that I saw my first charming boy sitting under,
One hot spring day after school-
He was sitting,
Reading a book-
His mocha brown eyes busy at reading,
His skin was smoother then a rose petal,
I looked at him and he looked at me,
Too shy and nervous to say anything,
So the only thing for me to do was to hurry and walk faster to get out of his sight,
Never again did I see him,
He wasn’t really interested in me-
Nobody would ever like me-
I’m a lost cause,
A menace to society,
A nuisance to everyone around;
I hate being the person that I am-
I wish I was prettier-
The cold from the drops of rain touched the acne on my face,
I was soon arriving the block of my house,
And yet, I felt as though, I was being watched-
Nervous,
A soft gentle touch lay on my shoulder.
Scared,
Slowly I turned around,
And there he stood.
blindingly beautiful
the sun only aided its sparkling,
if it and the moonlight were absent
you'd get the same result
the new car smell was suspicously absent
it would carry the smell of envy and withthe envy came pride and ignorance,
there it was- the smell,
which he lost himself in
a boy and his dog crossed the road
Because, Because, Because
Because I said so,
Because…is complicated as is he and so is she,
Because is an excuse for the living when wrong becomes right
And because ignorance is bliss
Simply because you have no reason; unless I give it to you
Also because there are differences to be made fore the world waits for no man,
Because of insistence of the inhumane in this world,
Because all that needs to be said has been said
Because the good struggle to support the bad and all’s fair in love and war-
What is that wasn’t that is now love was, is, and always will be odium’s accomplice
Because of how “if then” and “there were” destroyed the concept of midnight’s cradle
Because it is why “why come?” is in existence
When the blood boils intangible pains for where we are as a people,
And because…everything that has been, will be, and is, is just a rephrase of what is that is not.
Because she cried her lonely tears she set herself up for failure and disappointment;
her mother never taught her how to hide her pain and put a smile over a frown,
she was set up for failure;So now she has something she can never give back and abortion wasn't an option,
now no one wants her or the small infant she brought into the world and she is being rejected by everyone she ever knew;
her mom abandoned her and she has to face the cold world by herself with no one around;
if only she could turn back the hands of time she wouldn't be crying lonely tears,
unfortunately she can't, every night she cries tears of oblivion-her tears are oblivious because no one can hear her.
Hi Ms. Gamzon. I'm not at school today because I've developed a cold but should be back tomorrow. I didn't see anything posted for today and was wondering what we were doing. I hope I'm not falling back too far...
Why Do We Lie?
Why do people lie to people,
lie to elders, lie to teens, and lie to teachers
and even lie to animals; then lie to themselves
and start believing these lies but why do we do it,
and don’t we just STOP—
Is it because it’s a habit,
And you have been lying since
you were a little child
and your parents never punished you
for it and actually lied to you
or are you doing it because
everybody lies to you
and your tired of these lies;
so since your tired of these stupid lies,
you go lie to everybody else and
even lie to the people that mean a lot to you
even though they never lied to you—
but lying isn’t good,
and we really need to stop it
because one of the ten commandments
is “Thou shall not lie!”
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