Book Club Poems
Three members wrote poems inspired by their recently read books.
Dearest Ponyboy
by Hana Tuite, 2C
(inspired by “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton)
Dearest Ponyboy,
It's your best friend Johnny Cade,
There's a lot I have to say to you,
About the memories we have made.
Please listen carefully,
Any second could be my last,
My fate has already been written,
The rest is in the past.
Those children we saved in Windrixville,
Within me there's no regret,
To hear their screams from within the church,
How could I have left?
I made a choice,
I weighed our lives,
And concluded theirs was worth more than mine,
My parents don't love me, they never did,
Those kids deserve more time.
Please tell Dally to watch a sunset,
I don't think he's ever seen one before,
You can see them from the east-side too,
Even if you're poor.
I can't escape what happened that night,
I can't stop seeing the mustang, the rings,
Nothing makes sense to me anymore,
Apart from that one thing.
They would have killed you Ponyboy,
Drowned you right there in front of me,
I knew I couldn't stand there and watch,
What else could my reaction be?
All those days you read to me,
Those days cannot be stolen,
I'm hanging on to memories,
That are frayed and once were golden.
If those Socs had killed you,
I would not be here today,
No parents and no Ponyboy,
I'd have no reason at all to stay.
Give Darry another chance,
He didn't mean to hurt you,
Have what I could never have,
Do what I could never do.
I feel myself fading now,
A warm approaching release,
Yes I feel it washing over me,
A black silent peace.
Do me one last favour,
Live your life day by day,
Stay gold for me Ponyboy
Because nothing gold can stay.
Little World Of Numbers
by Nina Hand, 2C
(Inspired by "Monument 14” by Emmy Laybourne)
Numbers, codes and integers
Complex decimals, particulars,
Maths, computers and IT,
They're all that make any sense to me.
Computers are my friends,
On them I can always depend,
They understand me more than anyone,
I always get transfixed,
They are always logical,
A problem can be fixed.
See people are confusing,
All the lines are grey and blurred,
There is no proper right or wrong,
Really it's a little bit absurd.
They will never understand,
Why I love my world of numbers,
That figures are all I can command,
In this world where I'm outnumbered.
When I'm in my world of numbers,
I can pretend it's all okay.
In my little world of numbers,
I can forget what happened yesterday.
My brother, he walks over,
Tries to talk but I can't listen.
I turn away so he can't see,
The tears that are about to glisten.
He'll try to talk about our parents,
He'll make me see my worlds transparent,
He'll talk about all that has happened,
He'll show me the world outside has blackened.
He won't let me get immersed,
In my little world of numbers,
He will take me from my universe,
My little world of numbers.
Romeo and Juliet
by Jenna Hayden, 2C
(inspired by Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”)
In the town of Verona two families lay in feud
From ancient times this grudge began
Unhappiness in the family it ran
A lot of blood was shed through this brood
From the men of this family
To the children and their friends
Even the servants quarrelled in the streets
Such hatred from beginning until end
Until daughter of Capulet and son of Montague met
Love at first sight was now a threat
Juliet had now been promised to Paris
To be wed any day
Romeo was banished from the land
The result of him shedding civil blood
But Juliet and the Friar had a plan
So that they could meet again
So much in love and not wanting to give up
Juliet played dead
Romeo thinking it was true took his own life in lieu
Poisoned from a potion of lead
Juliet woke from her deep sleep
To find the Friar mourning Romeos loss
Now Juliet was in a heap
The friar went to get help
While Juliet cut herself
Tragedy had now hit
Both families deep in sorrow
Would the Montagues and Capulets now submit?
They all agreed to meet tomorrow
Where they could bury their dead
Finally the years of quarrels were also laid to rest.
Dearest Ponyboy
by Hana Tuite, 2C
(inspired by “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton)
Dearest Ponyboy,
It's your best friend Johnny Cade,
There's a lot I have to say to you,
About the memories we have made.
Please listen carefully,
Any second could be my last,
My fate has already been written,
The rest is in the past.
Those children we saved in Windrixville,
Within me there's no regret,
To hear their screams from within the church,
How could I have left?
I made a choice,
I weighed our lives,
And concluded theirs was worth more than mine,
My parents don't love me, they never did,
Those kids deserve more time.
Please tell Dally to watch a sunset,
I don't think he's ever seen one before,
You can see them from the east-side too,
Even if you're poor.
I can't escape what happened that night,
I can't stop seeing the mustang, the rings,
Nothing makes sense to me anymore,
Apart from that one thing.
They would have killed you Ponyboy,
Drowned you right there in front of me,
I knew I couldn't stand there and watch,
What else could my reaction be?
All those days you read to me,
Those days cannot be stolen,
I'm hanging on to memories,
That are frayed and once were golden.
If those Socs had killed you,
I would not be here today,
No parents and no Ponyboy,
I'd have no reason at all to stay.
Give Darry another chance,
He didn't mean to hurt you,
Have what I could never have,
Do what I could never do.
I feel myself fading now,
A warm approaching release,
Yes I feel it washing over me,
A black silent peace.
Do me one last favour,
Live your life day by day,
Stay gold for me Ponyboy
Because nothing gold can stay.
Little World Of Numbers
by Nina Hand, 2C
(Inspired by "Monument 14” by Emmy Laybourne)
Numbers, codes and integers
Complex decimals, particulars,
Maths, computers and IT,
They're all that make any sense to me.
Computers are my friends,
On them I can always depend,
They understand me more than anyone,
I always get transfixed,
They are always logical,
A problem can be fixed.
See people are confusing,
All the lines are grey and blurred,
There is no proper right or wrong,
Really it's a little bit absurd.
They will never understand,
Why I love my world of numbers,
That figures are all I can command,
In this world where I'm outnumbered.
When I'm in my world of numbers,
I can pretend it's all okay.
In my little world of numbers,
I can forget what happened yesterday.
My brother, he walks over,
Tries to talk but I can't listen.
I turn away so he can't see,
The tears that are about to glisten.
He'll try to talk about our parents,
He'll make me see my worlds transparent,
He'll talk about all that has happened,
He'll show me the world outside has blackened.
He won't let me get immersed,
In my little world of numbers,
He will take me from my universe,
My little world of numbers.
Romeo and Juliet
by Jenna Hayden, 2C
(inspired by Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”)
In the town of Verona two families lay in feud
From ancient times this grudge began
Unhappiness in the family it ran
A lot of blood was shed through this brood
From the men of this family
To the children and their friends
Even the servants quarrelled in the streets
Such hatred from beginning until end
Until daughter of Capulet and son of Montague met
Love at first sight was now a threat
Juliet had now been promised to Paris
To be wed any day
Romeo was banished from the land
The result of him shedding civil blood
But Juliet and the Friar had a plan
So that they could meet again
So much in love and not wanting to give up
Juliet played dead
Romeo thinking it was true took his own life in lieu
Poisoned from a potion of lead
Juliet woke from her deep sleep
To find the Friar mourning Romeos loss
Now Juliet was in a heap
The friar went to get help
While Juliet cut herself
Tragedy had now hit
Both families deep in sorrow
Would the Montagues and Capulets now submit?
They all agreed to meet tomorrow
Where they could bury their dead
Finally the years of quarrels were also laid to rest.