{"id":31138,"date":"2014-04-01T16:44:13","date_gmt":"2014-04-01T08:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tribune.ctsi-logistics.com\/?p=31138"},"modified":"2014-04-01T16:44:13","modified_gmt":"2014-04-01T08:44:13","slug":"monthlong-celebration-poetry-april","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/monthlong-celebration-poetry-april\/","title":{"rendered":"A monthlong celebration of poetry in April"},"content":{"rendered":"

April is National Poetry Month, a monthlong, national celebration of poetry established by the Academy of American Poets as a way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States. To mark the occasion, Tinian English teacher Joseph Connolly and Dr. Dean Papadopoulos submitted the following poems for publication:<\/span>
\nA Rolling Stones Koan Quartet<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

By JOSEPH CONNOLLY<\/strong>
\nSpecial to the Saipan Tribune<\/em><\/p>\n

Author\u2019s Note: This is a group of sonnet, the titles of which are four lines from a Rolling Stone song: 1. You can\u2019t always get what you want, 2. But if you try some times, 3. You just might find, 4. You get what you need.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

YOU CAN\u2019T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT<\/strong><\/p>\n

they might just be out of stock
\nit might be pawned or in hock
\nbetween a hard place and a rock
\nwith a sheep dog tending a flock
\nunder some hot chili peppers in a wok
\nor a four hundred pound granite block
\na ferry boat maneuvering in a loading dock
\nin a bunch of keys that fit every lock
\nstuck between jellyroll bakers and wurstknack
\na quick ride home from Woodstock
\nthat insurance salesman who fed you a crock
\nnon skid shoes for that slippery mountain walk
\na mate for that dog masticated mismatched sock
\na remedy for punching that old time clock<\/p>\n

BUT IF YOU TRY SOMETIMES …<\/strong><\/p>\n

you might fall flat on you face
\nget a free ride to outer space
\nfind moth holes in old lace
\nround first and head for second base
\nhave extra money just in case
\nno memories you need to erase
\ncut directly to the chase
\nfall from the sky with grace
\nfinish that walk to some high place
\nwin the hospital charity bed race
\nhave a sufficient amount of lactase
\nsee the pig\u2019s feet are a disgrace
\nget pecans straight from Natchez Trace
\ngo all in on the river and draw a fourth ace<\/p>\n

YOU JUST MIGHT FIND …<\/strong><\/p>\n

a shiny penny lying in the street
\nan ice cold drink and something sweet
\nsome nasty jobs you don\u2019t have to repeat
\nshoes that feel good the first time on your feet
\na hearth fire fed with peat
\nshady spots to beat the heat
\nbird songs to tickle your tweet
\nshoes with a diamond in the cleat
\nlife long passes for pizza to eat
\nenough miles to always fly elite
\na drum that gives you a brand new beat
\nhow to get those boots out of concrete
\nsome cream to pour on your cream of wheat
\nnew ways to tenderize road kill meat<\/p>\n

YOU GET WHAT YOU NEED<\/strong><\/p>\n

knowing ALMOST exactly who you are
\na good rest after coming from afar
\na bigger and better five cent cigar
\nfresh mint tea at a market in Dakar
\nan endless riff on Bo Diddley\u2019s guitar
\na hearty Ralph Cramden \u2019hardee har har\u2019
\nblinding white lightning from a mason jar
\nround trip bus tickets from Harbin to Qiqihar
\na basketball autographed by Kareem Abdul Jabar
\nhardwood curly maple floors difficult to mar
\nevery golf game you play just a tad under par
\nwagons to hitch on to that wandering star
\nnew world record length and weight for Arctic Char
\nan inexpensive, non-polluting, hybrid pickup or car<\/p>\n

Joseph Connolly currently teaches English on Tinian, back after six years of teaching at Hyde Park Magnet Middle School in Las Vegas. He has had some haiku published in Haiku Society of America annual anthologies.<\/em><\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

A Trilogy of Sonnets on Mirth<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

By JOSEPH CONNOLLY<\/strong>
\nSpecial to the Saipan Tribune<\/em><\/p>\n

MIRTH MADNESS<\/strong><\/p>\n

making faces and farces on facets of this
\ntaking up collections for chewing the fat
\nbuying chances for a beauty queen\u2019s kiss
\nlaughing at ourselves for just wanting that
\nover and over we rock and we roll
\nover the rhythm and down through the blue
\nraring and ready to strut and to stroll
\nfrom out with the old to in with the new
\nunder it all driven ballpark insane
\ngoofballs, jerkballs, and more know it alls
\nyucking it up as we slide through the inane
\nhowling at the moon with wild cat calls
\nas madness moves mirth in more than one way
\nso we move across stages in life\u2019s little play<\/p>\n

MIRTH PROVES ITS WORTH<\/strong><\/p>\n

mirth proves its worth
\nwhen haste introduces waste
\nwhen teeth no longer need paste
\nwhen tongues do not have to taste
\nwhen roast turkey needs no baste
\nwhen chalk boards are not erased
\nwhen alarm clocks need no face
\nwhen amazing needs no grace
\nwhen ball players are not chased
\nwhen bottles need not be cased
\nwhen protestors are not maced
\nwhen road runners are not paced
\nwhen flowers do not need a vase
\nwhen stars need no outer space<\/p>\n

MIRTH MASTERS MONKEYSHINES<\/strong><\/p>\n

hats off to idiots, all fools and half
\nwits, more or less, some of them nit
\nwits that cause whiners to laugh
\nand giggle like babies drooling spit
\nall hail big jerkballs, those jolly old elves
\nusing their loudmouths with every breath
\nmaking fantastic fools of themselves
\nas others laugh themselves to death
\nsalutations to the big showoff
\nbragging about this, showing off that
\nmost folks just blow them off
\ncontinue shooting the breeze, chewing the fat
\nhope these jokers will be around for a while
\ngood for at least a wink and a smile<\/p>\n

Joseph Connolly used to teach at Hopwood Junior High School before moving to Tinian. He has had some of his previous poems and haiku published in the Saipan Tribune.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

More Than A Teacher<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

By DR. DEAN PAPADOPOULOS<\/strong>
\nSpecial to the Saipan Tribune<\/em><\/p>\n

Although we are not parents,
\nWe become parental with our students
\nAnd to perform in the role
\nOf the objective stranger
\nIs to be
\nLess than a teacher.<\/p>\n

Although we are not bosses,
\nWe expect work to be done on-time
\nAnd to insist otherwise
\nIs to be
\nLess than a teacher.<\/p>\n

Although we are not accountants
\nWe are expected to be accountable
\nTo our students,
\nTo our employers
\nAnd to our conscience\u2014
\nIf we are so gifted to have one
\nThat is connected to what we do.
\nAnd to be less than accountable
\nIs to be
\nLess than a teacher.<\/p>\n

Although we are not counselors,
\nWe reach-out to students
\nWho are asking for a trusted opinion.
\nAnd to not offer assistance when it is asked
\nIs to be
\nLess than a teacher.<\/p>\n

Although we are not motivational speakers
\nWe must develop the ability
\nTo get what\u2019s in us
\nOutside of us
\nAnd to not develop this skill
\nIs to be
\nLess than a teacher.<\/p>\n

Although we are not researchers
\nWe must seek as much truth
\nAbout what we do
\nIn scientifically-proven best practices
\nAs much as we extrapolate the wisdom
\nFrom our own teaching experiences.
\nAnd to not seek greater truths
\nAbout teaching
\nIs to be
\nLess than a teacher.<\/p>\n

Although we are not cultural anthropologists
\nWe must learn the culture of our students
\nTo teach them from what they know first
\nSo that they can learn what they need to know now.
\nAnd to be indifferent, in denial, resigned or intolerant
\nToward the students that make our life meaningful,
\nIf not possible,
\nIs to be
\nLess than a teacher.<\/p>\n

Teachers\u2026
\nGreat teachers
\nAre always
\nMore Than Teachers.<\/p>\n

Dr. Dean Papadopoulos works with the School of Education at NMC and has been an educator in the CNMI for 22 years.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

April is National Poetry Month, a monthlong, national celebration of poetry established by the Academy…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[310,21,697,57],"class_list":["post-31138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life-and-style","tag-basketball","tag-life","tag-turkey","tag-united-states"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31138\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}