Poetry Through the Years
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Poetry Through the Years Buffalo Seminary Sophomore Poetry Workshop Classes of 1982-2016 fter more than two decades of sophomore poetry workshops at Buffalo Seminary, in each case followed by the printing of an anthology containing one poem Aselected from each student, it occurred to us that a sufficient number of years had gone by to justify the publication of this work. Each year we are moved and gratified by the quality of poems the girls produce. SEM is unique among secondary schools in that it continues to have a required poetry workshop (in which all sophomores are included) covering a period of approximately eight weeks. The workshop is taught by Buffalo Seminary graduate and Poet-in-Residence Ansie Baird ’55. Further, the assignments are based each year upon a new syllabus selected from the work of a distinguished poet who then comes to Buffalo Seminary and reads his or her poetry to the entire school. The reading occurs as a result of an ongoing benevolent gift. The Elizabeth McNulty Wilkinson ‘25 Poetry Chair was established in 1986 by family and friends of Mrs. Wilkinson. The exceptional poets we have welcomed to Buffalo Seminary include: Ralph Black Sharon Olds Lucille Clifton Grace Paley Robert Creeley Lawrence Raab Carl Dennis Alastair Reid Stephen Dunn J. Allyn Rosser William Fuller Phillip Schultz Diane Glancy Ruth Stone Ann Goldsmith Charlotte Mears Stovall ‘72 Eamon Grennan Nancy Willard Emily Grosholz Kevin Young Mark Halliday And, of course, our very own… Susan Howe Ansie Baird Li-Young Lee These poems were selected by Mrs. Baird and Seminary English teacher Carey Miller, who carefully reviewed all the available anthologies. Cover Art by Paige Usiak ‘15 Table of Contents Class of 1982 The Black Cape of Lament - Jessie Jackson 7 The Dancing Brook - Melissa Ransom 7 Summer Again - Maria Repec 8 Class of 1983 A Tree House - Joan Levine 9 Time of Day and Time of Night - Colleen Critelli 10 Poverty - Karen Zemke 10 Class of 1984 The Weaver - Mary Bassett 11 Without Essentials - Joanneke Brentjens 11 A Closed Corridor - Frankie Rand 12 Class of 1985 It’s Just a Memory - Ut Nguyen 13 Little Jane Bates - Samantha Gabbey 13 Suttee - Gretchen Diefenbach 14 Class of 1986 The Valedictory - Cheryl Lajos 16 Questionable Eyes (LINES WRITTEN WHI L E GAZIN G AT AN ANCIENT SCU L PTURE ) - Kimberly Wehle 17 Yorkshire - Amy Williams 18 Class of 1987 Valley Girl - Meryl Brott 19 Between the Chain - Abby Schoellkopf 20 Age - Liz Costello 21 1 Class of 1988 My Life Before Life - Erin E. McHale 22 Per Contra - Nicole Kapela 23 Class of 1989 Let’s Have a War - Jennifer Rolls 24 A Woman’s Image - Kate Wailand 25 Sing to the Man of War - Charlotte Biltekoff 25 Class of 1990 Pinned Words - Linh Thai 26 Much Too Wise for Sandcastles - Stacey Spangler 26 Bent Spectrum - Chandra Maracle 27 Class of 1991 Colors - Sara Costello 28 You’re a Painter - Heather Rumsey 28 Andy Took the Machete - Susie Gray 29 Class of 1992 Over and Over Again - Anna E. Lambros 30 Father - Hien Vu 31 Faded to Grey - Andrea Longo 32 Class of 1993 Conch - Kimberley Reynhout 34 In Love Too Late - Tiffany Gasbarrini 34 But the Land Endures - Brigid C. Ryan 35 Class of 1994 The Harp Store - Cheryl Caprio 36 Remember Always - Melanie Roy 37 Paper - Theodora Finn 37 2 Class of 1995 Broken Bird - Mara-Cecelia Hoffman 38 Candy - Katherine Locke 39 The Promise - Kana Watanabe 39 Class of 1996 Elvis Never Shined in My Refrigerator - Shannon Herbert 40 Mrs. Baird’s Random Word Assignment - Marisa Goldberg 41 The Private Party - Alycia Ripley 42 Class of 1997 Uncharted Sea - Mandy Brooks 43 To Have Peace - Margaret Woollatt 44 Refusing to Lose My Composure - Danielle LaShawn Bullock 44 Class of 1998 Feel the Vibe! - Elba Sette-Camara 45 (Untitled) - Mollie Bailey 46 Keeping the Warmth - Raquel Rodriguez 48 Class of 1999 My Jaffaling Mind - Rachel Matty Anthone 49 powdered instant breakfast - Kerri A. Chyka 50 Class of 2000 Black Dice and Broken Bottles - Allison Krueger 51 One for Loneliness - Victoria Glass 51 Mudslide - Shannon O’Hara 52 Class of 2001 Joltin’ Joe - Rachael Bouquard 53 How To Make the Sun Shine - Hannah Creeley 54 In A Small Way - Alexa Finn 55 We Dance to Foreign Music - Meaghan Bailey 56 3 Class of 2002 Directions in 16 Languages Are Only Needed For Monopoly - Elizabeth DiCioccio 57 Lifeless Figures - Caitlin DeTine 58 When Colors Won’t Blend - Becky Sarles 59 Class of 2003 Justified - Katherine Johnson 60 In Praise of Horses - Mary Glass 62 A Blessing for The Empty - Mary Szvoren 62 Ode to a Radiator - Erica Hohn 63 Praise to the Moon - Sarah Cercone 64 Class of 2004 I Look For Some Peace - Dominique Montgomery 66 Things Like That - Dianne Michaelsen 67 Dog Star - Victoria Chatfield 68 The Trouble with Praying - Laura Ivins 70 Class of 2005 The Past Times - Christy Armstrong 72 Prince Charming (A Sonnet) - Kate Niswander 72 Waltz of the Wardrobe - Hannah Wadsworth 73 Tap Lessons, Malls, and Vacations - Tara Anne C. Matthews 74 Class of 2006 623 Bird Avenue - Christine Luongo 76 Apollo - Anne Miller 78 A Mind’s Own Country - Kristin Saetveit 79 Go and Come Back - Tess Nowadly 80 Class of 2007 Mexico Isn’t That Far From Here - Anna Small 82 I Know - Jooyeon Oh 84 This Old House - Katie Dryden 85 4 Class of 2008 Fireflies, Darkness, and Short Days - Abi Stark 86 The Cloud - Clare Zweig 88 Limitations - Heather Kimmins 90 At That Hour - Hilary Epes 91 Class of 2009 What Are We Now - Jordan Mitchell 92 Apple Crisp - Rowan Morgan 93 Golden Dream - Kyrie Vermette 94 Class of 2010 Charlie Press Never Gets His Sunset Scene - Sophie Herrman 95 Violet Diamonds and Storks - Robin Epes 96 His Honest Curse - Caroline Horrigan 98 Class of 2011 Gone, Baby, Gone - Elizabeth Bassett 99 Maxwell’s Secrets - Sarah Collins 100 The King - Olivia Knauss 101 Seafoam and Daggers - Melissa Gerace 102 Class of 2012 Like the Pyramids - Mingus Daniels-Taylor 104 On The Edge - Jaime Engl 105 The House on Norberry Street - Lea Karnath 106 Lost Lost Lost - Aislinn Brand 108 Class of 2013 The God Forsakes Us - Ji Eun Choi 109 Ganga - Eliza Hopkins 110 Her Name Was Jocelyn - Maddie Gacioch 112 Tom Hennery - Alida Tabaro 114 5 Class of 2014 After All - Molly Armstrong 115 She Is Always Right - Maribel Leddy 116 The Rule Which Forbids Cantonese - Xiao Zhang 117 Places That Have My Dreams - Xuanqi (Winnie) Lu 118 Class of 2015 A Forest Encounter - Anna Magavern 120 You Have a Pink House? - Marivi Howell-Arza 121 Dancing House - Aurora Derby 122 Behind the Desk that Built His Grave - Hannah Atkinson 124 Class of 2016 Seasons - Yicen (Jessica) Liu 125 Verity - Towa Adegboyega 126 After Rain in Seattle - Yi (Yvonne) Zhong 127 Spring Formal - Justine Gerace 128 6 Class of 1982 The Black Cape of Lament The lady in the black cape Seizing me, putting me on a trip Of guile and lament, I know that you’ve got your reasons, but these things that are pleasing you The Dancing Brook just hurt me somehow. The glistening brook danced through its course, Tiny sprays of water top-danced on the rocks, Why don’t you stop condemning me? and spiraled through the air. The wrong label on the wrong soul. While others square-danced with the leaves, Put the blame on the worthy one, They weaved carelessly through their winding path, Instead of hurting someone else, Jumping from the rough sides of the brook. accept the black cape yourself. Some rocks halted their path, And the drops foamed up in rebellion. I’d just as soon close my eyes They summer-salted and swam with the fish, Until the storm blows over, And skipped with the water spiders, and the tears dry. Until, tired from dancing, I’ve been putting away my feelings for years, They were once again calm. But they’re seeping out of hiding now And the sun seems to shine. Melissa Ransom You’re banging on the door now, You ask me why don’t I let you in Your eyes are scorching-red-hot-coals (They cannot mellow) with a burst of fire the glass shatters. Along with my heart. Jessie Jackson 7 Summer Again Take the shades of color unfolds, and your lashes as you go, quiet in curled down in concentration an autumn of mists, crumbs as you open your gift… of the sepulcher religiously count the pennies, the sacrificed for some sort of bright, shiny pennies detergent love, that dirty like your eyes (when ring; parrot squawks at you’re awake or dreaming), the night when the last fireflies short slip of your body drift off to their leaves, climbs through to space astonished glows of dreams, and you wave your kiss, the mirror of stars, swarm the cotton candy hand, God; the sacred eye the last glimpse of a smile, all night around this beach and you crawl away into summer… cove just as summer Maria Repec 8 Class of 1983 A Tree House Masterpieces, unusual but artistic constructions, Some hanging on tip ends of branches, Woven with such craftsmanship That they sway with the most gentle breeze, Some with fine strips of bark Woven into the grasses with caterpillar’s silk. Some are welded to the forks of trees with mud foundations. Mud carried a bit at a time by the tiny builder. And there they are – just empty nests – And yet, what marvels they reveal. Each builder has its own secret.