Juvenilia

(Non-fiction/Poetry) For your amusement.

Juvenilia is work created by an artist in childhood. I thought it would be amusing to share some of my earliest poems with you! Enjoy.

If I Were a Wolf (1999) Age 8

The first poem I ever wrote was for a research assignment in the second grade. We were asked to choose an animal, research its habits, and write a poem about it. I chose to write about wolves.

If I Were a Wolf

If I were a wolf, I would hunt for my prey
I would take care of babies every day.

When I got back from hunting with others
I'd share all my food with my sisters and brothers.

If I were a wolf, I'd go for a run.
I'd not go in rain. I would go in sun.

With the wind in my fur and the breeze in face,
I'd run right back to my own home space.

Untitled (2002) Age 11

In the 4th grade two of my schoolmates died within two weeks of one another. Their deaths were completely unrelated, but it was an overwhelming and emotional time. One teacher had the idea to implement poetry into the curriculum in order to help us process our collective grief, and the result was a school-wide poetry chapbook. The untiled poem I submitted is an ekphrastic poem based on a painting. Unfortunately I can’t recall which one, but I’m on the lookout for it.

Untitled

Many men sail to sea today,
one man left behind as the others sail away into the cloudy sky
they sail healthy and alive, but the man who stayed
behind that day was the only to survive.

The day starts out calm and serene, but later that day
many bodies float down to the sand and part of boats
float away.

Now the bay is empty with ducks swimming about.
Houses are quiet today, many wives doubt that their 
husbands won't come back that day 
and he's just staying out.

Parasite (2007) Age 16

I was fortunate to have learned in elementary school how to process my emotions through writing. As a teenager, I began writing poetry of my own volition in order to process issues at home, school, and with the world at large. I kept writing through high school, and for my senior project compiled, illustrated, and bound a chapbook of thirty poems.

Parasite

Where art thou from, little ant
Who creeps across the land?
So stealthily you grasp and gain 
Each grain of salt and sand.

A piece of dirt, both here and there
May ne'er seem fit to please.
How greed has so consumed you
Through your patent destiny!

Tiny bug, for all you've caught
Your teeth are stained with blood.
The sacrifice of life for wealth,
You'll never taste enough

And with the bones, you'll innovate 
The weapons to destroy.
Every piece of future will fall
Victim to your ploy.

Parasite, the fate of life 
Is wounded by your dreams.
Bloodsucking fiend of hell
Believe that all is what it seems!

Parasite! You've sucked the life
Of forests, mines, and streams,
To feed six billion children
Who indulge upon their needs.

Perhaps you could just listen 
And the story will unfold.
It's in your mind and in your eyes
And in your hands alone

To pull your teeth away 
And save the only thing we have:
A plethora of life 
Upon this godforsaken land. 

Illustration for Parasite by Annie Hendrix

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