Imagist Poetry by 2002 Immersion Students

Original Poetry by Modern America Poetry Students

Millikin University • Decatur, Illinois
Immersion Section, May 2002


Brianna Williams	Erick Olson	Joshua Rader	Nick Walters	Ryan Wamser


Brianna Williams see Brianna's Wallace Stevens web links
	untitled With endless dreams we come by sea To a world we have not known. A land that seems to us to be A greater place than home. America we come to thee Not knowing what's in store. but we anticipate that fateful day When we step upon your shore. So we search for thee oh Lady Liberty. Let us look upon your face And the one request we ask of thee Is that you show us grace.
Grass A blade stands in a sea of green. It gllistens and waves to the trees. Tomorrow it will no longer sway, For it is taller than a blade should be.
	Baby Small and helpless Gentle and meek Your eyes so bright Your cheeks so pink A bundle of joy in mother's arms Oh my, something stinks.
Brother Eyes of blue Hair of blonde He towers over me We laugh and sing Share hopes and dreams My friend forever Please don't change
	Fire I saw a boy angry within From demons that destroy. A fire as bright as the sun above, Rages with fury into the night. His parents have divorced. His half sister is gone, And drugs are his friends. The flames are high. The smoke so thick. He yells out loud At nothing at all. Heat so intense It burns the skin. Will he find the love That is hidden in him, Or will his anger take control. When will this fire die? Or will it spread into the night?
Windows I shine when clean. I spot when wet. I often go unseen. I know your lives More than you think, So I promise I won't tell. For I know how important Your image is, But we know you're headed for hell.
	Friends Forever? What happened to us? We once were close. We talked so long, Shared so much. But time has passed. We've both moved on. I wonder if you ever knew, How much you meant? How much I miss you?

Erick Olson

see Erick's web links on e.e. cummings

EEO

I bare his name
He is from a land that is not the same
I never met him but I know his son
From him I have a bible and a gun
It has our initials on its stock
I think of him from the stories I have heard
He used to love to fish by the dock
Now he flies in the sky like a bird
I hope I meet him when I die
I hope to fly with him in the sky

1385 W. Wood

The house, they say it needs to be painted
They say that we do not keep it clean
They say that it smells awful
I say that it is my home and I like living there

They say that the grass needs to be cut
They say the trash needs to be taken out
They say that the people I live with are jerks
I say that I like my yard and my roommates will take out the trash

They say the rooms are too small
They say the basement floods
They say it is too far away
I say it is in the right place and the right size

They say that it is in a bad part of town
They say the man across the street deals drugs
They say the house is no good
I say it is my home and my neighborhood

On An Evening In May

The sky awakens, water falls
The ground turns to a sheet of glass
Drops ripple the liquid mirror
Now all our troubles washed away

Sport of Thieves

Vegas Big Money night
Sweat rolls down their faces
One forceful blow
Another
Blood drips to the mat
The champ goes down
The crowd roars
One triumphant
The rest bewildered

Her life

Her father says go to school get busy
Find a job, make lots of money
Be happy

Jobs and money make your journey more enjoyable
Not more meaningful

Her priest says go to church every Sunday
Do what the church says
And you will find yourself in heaven at the end

Church makes god more formal
It does not decide your place after death

Her doctor says eat right
Exercise
And you will live more years

Eat what you want
And God will take you when he is ready

Everyone tells her what to do
Do this do that
Do what he wants do what she wants

Do what you want and follow your heart
And all the happiness in the world will come to you

Unnoticed

They need me but I go unnoticed
They take me for granted
They go up me and down me
Sometimes they fall on me
Some do not use me
They use the elevator
In a fire all will notice me
I will save them without credit
And it will be my final step

Hank

I mowed my yard while you were gone
Please do not be upset

The grass was so green and perfect
And badly wanted to be cut

I will see you at the curb
To talk and have a beer

By the way I used your mower
If it’s broke I didn’t do it


Joshua Rader See Josh's site on Paul Laurence Dunbar
	Still Thankful to Dad’s Grandpa The Trip was going to be long But he was so very strong He had to pick the right time For if he was caught it would be a crime He leaped on the ship For he had to make it this trip His life was on the line And for the future so was mine I’m proud that he got to America’s Bay For his life could have been taken that day I applaud him very loud For I’m so very proud I thank him everyday as I pray That I can be as strong as him someday
Small Town The little red brick streets The Old Town Pub on the corner The small comfortable family diner The smell of the gas station down the street Sound of the horn of the train that doesn’t stop The Town Mayor who is the barber The Friday night game to talk about The white fence around the town church The way of living is to hunt What else in life could you want?
	Pulled Over Lights flashing Sound of the siren As turn your head in fear To look in your car's Rear-view mirror
First Period The bell rings Please be seated As the teachers say You think to yourself Here begins another day
	The Devil and The Angel Stay in bed You are so tired. Go to work You might get fired. Can I sleep? Get a beer Have another one. Don’t drink DUI’s are no fun. Should I drive? She’s hot and Look at her tan. You can’t do that You’re a family man. Will anyone Know? Shoot the Gun He slept with your wife. It’s never right To take another’s life. What should I do?
Board Game The players open the box And unfold me to set me up They do what they're told By the luck of a card Drawn from a pile No matter if they win or lose I’m still closed up Locked away and disappear Until another date On a rainy day Then once again I’m pulled out to play
	Car Trouble I must confess I was the one Who took your Mustang I’m sorry For the dent And the scratch I know I was Out of line But Dad, She was so fine

Nick Walters

See Nick's web links on T.S. Eliot

The Mother I Thought I Never Had

The day has come for jubilee,
A dawning stands ahead.
A shaken past, a bright future,
A family thought once dead.
My parents have severed ties,
Which added to my strains.
It was all for the better I realize,
Now the stronger one remains.

Giving un-relentlessly,
The chances he never had.
Quite the man I have become,
All upon my ‘dad.’
Speechless when I approach him,
To convey what he has done.
A battle faced in my life,
With his help, now won.

The deep root of a family
Instilled early in our minds.
My thoughts are ever changing,
Being shaped by the times.
Owe it all to you,
For what you’ve given me.
I’ll look ahead, not looking back,
Taking with the memory.

Decatur

In the shadows they dance rampantly,
Leaving you on your toes.
These menaces lurk toward you,
Taking everything but your clothes.

Purchases of heroin, and even crack-cocaine,
People second-guess themselves, and the life in this domain.
Danger, crime and anarchy, that hoodlum’s your little boy,
Besides all this let’s not forget that god-forsaken soy.

ADM and Staley pump out that wretched smell,
Opening your windows, makes your life a living hell.
Loss of lives, and loss of jobs, living on the wire,
But all the test results show it is due to our faulty tire.

Millikin holds rank as well
In this god-awful town,
Paying off whomever they can,
To make sure our social-lives are shut down.

Looked down on,
And labeled the infamous "townie."
I’ve met some strange characters,
That are all in all friendly.

Decatur has been home for me, for quite some years.
I’ve met some friends,
Shared some laughs
But most of all some tears.

Many that come learn to fear this place
And all that it stands to be.
I have quite the different view,
It’s a place that nurtured me.

Growing proud of the blue-collar man,
And what he’s created for me.
He’s worked real hard, continuing so,
I now have this opportunity.

Decatur has its sense of pride,
And the memories from the past.
Through all the stories, and all the pain,
We’ve all had quite the blast.

untitled

The sun dispels its amber rays
Across the sands of time.

The bleak shades of nightfall
Roll into the distance,
While the evils of yesterday
Lightly fade away.

As Time Drifts On

Peering through the looking glass,
I remember
What is lost.

Growing frail and bitter,
The past
Cannot be retold.

Lighting the darkness,
A burning smile,

A glimmer of hope

To return
Comes anguish and denial.

Is only temporary

The heart, to wander.
A quick glimpse of fate.

Suffering, eternal.

The pain of loneliness,
Absence creates.

Romance

Fire burning deep within
Keeps hope alive.

To be short-lived,

The weak get weaker,
The strong survive.

Creates a lonely existence

Beneath the Leaves…

The cold breeze blows through my hair,
And sheds my clothes away
Now bare for all to see.

The color white is my blanket,
Icicles form on my nose.
Standing on the frozen ground.

Heavy rain brings budding life.
With raised arms of joy
I open up my home.

Blazing heat,
An occasional shower.
Advancing towards the distant sun.

A Plea...

A youth of forgotten tales
Capped by anguish and fear
How did this begin
It will only end with a tear.

Family walks away from me
Some taken by his hand
I question what the reason is
Why not me instead

Walking from my past
I leave those close behind
I question whether they were true to me
Or merely figments in my mind

Never happy with myself
Nor with what I do
I tell you to let me be
But doubtful if it's true

No one understands me
Nor do I myself
I am a deep emptiness
Numb for quite sometime

Happiness
Maybe me in time
I seek for it somehow
The quest begins in my mind

UMMMM.....DAD,

I'm sorry about the shoes.......
........the pants.........
........the shirts.........

(I didn't have the money?
........it's the hip new look!
Good thing I set a limit)

Sorry......
I didn't realize.......
I thought it was MY credit card.

Ryan Wamser

Ryan's web links on W.E.B. DuBois

Grandpa

With humor in his soul
Life has made him wise,
Though he is now shaky,
Upon every rise,
Like a father and a friend,
He always has an extra ear to lend,
I hope our days together are not numbered,
For it will be hard to see him in that forever slumber
Wishing him around; for time was in my control.

Gateway

Meriweather and William started here,
In search of fame and glory.
Before too long many others would rush too,
In search of a better life.

Now with her silver welcome mat.
She welcomes all across the bridge.
Like long ago the landing and union station,
Without ships and trains to dock,
They're still the place to be.

Blues on ice and in the soul
Are always known to be playing.
Though no rocky tops can be seen,
Those there, always head for them.
I love her redbirds and her rams and their yearly rule,
For no father bear or baby cub can take that away from me.

Northerners dismiss this place, but why,
Shoulders too small?
Wind too soft?
Or Pizza too thin?
All seem fine to me.

For I love this city by the muddy river.

Staley

Bindings sit in shelves of silence.
Only sounds are heard
In minds of readers.

Closing time.

Darkness floods the quiet
A world of knowledge all alone

Croweism

A welfare Christmas
A joyful holiday

A fatherless child
A matriarchal bond

An unemployed man
A hardworking soul

A deadly storm
A breathtaking rainbow

An A-bomb drops
Peace resumes

A body dies
The mind's omnipotence

“For the sweet ain't as sweet without the sour”

Heisman

In the darkness he waits
His former love on his mind
The words exchanged earlier fuel his rage

     I am the Juice!
     I am the man!
     No one messes with me!

Out of darkness he leaps
The sight of the new lovers he must destroy
Rage: on the mind, the soul, the knife

     I am the juice...
     I am the man...
     No one messes with me...

Through darkness he makes his escape
His safe haven a few blocks away
Plane to catch, alibi to tell, what about the kids

     Am I the juice?
     Am I the man?
     I really messed things up.

Warrant for his arrest
White chariot to freedom
Slow speed chase captivates the world

     The people know:
     I am the juice.
     I am the man.
     No one messes with me.

Indicted for murder
And put in a cell
In life or death confined

     They don't know!
     I am the juice
     I am the man
     No one messes with...

The dream team is assembled
And cards are being played
While the detectives are to blame

     I pray the jury knows...
     I am the juice
     I am the man
     No one...

The verdict is read
We all know the outcome
Let the celebration begin

     That's right!
     I am the juice!
     I am the man!
     No one will ever mess with me!

Power

To my former roommate

Don’t forget your share
My mom wants the money
Even if the due date is not soon
If you don’t have it by Friday
She’ll call and shut it off, because
I am the King of the Hill
Who’s name is on the bill.

Original Poetry by Modern America Poetry Students

Brianna Williams

Erick Olson

Joshua Rader

Nick Walters

Ryan Wamser