Summer 2020: Student Poems from the Pandemic

Then, Now, When and How

I believe in then, now, when and how,

the moo of the cow coming from where the green grass grows.

I believe in when and how, now and then, the regretful, sad moan

of the lone whale now headed for home.

I believe in our ancestors who cultivated civilization, yes.

I believe in that, even the little scurrying rat,

the tap, tap, tap of the winter rain.

I believe in early civilization, yes, yes, I do, but the vision of it

is now, then, when, how... it has grown so sophisticated and for that,

it is lowly rated by me.

I used to believe in bells, buttons, rings, and rockets with sprockets.

Now I don't - it's not my way of life.

I believe in sustainability, subsistence.

I believe in the elk, the deer - the cry of the moon calling out to the sun

to deplete the darkness of dawn.

I believe in myself, the ocean, the motion of the waves.

I believe.

by: Micah Jacobs

Poet-Teacher: Jackie Hallerberg

County: Sonoma

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The Light in My Hand

In the palm of my hand there is a light that

travels with me.

It whispers to me I am the pearl of the ocean

I am the light of the moon

I am the sunny eye and the swaying dragon.

It goes to a place of shininess where a river starts and by

that river it leads me to the moon.

When it is done it leads me to the ticking and tocking

of the pocket watch.

It shows me the way of the spark.

by: Ariel J. Jauregui

County: Sonoma

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Dear Baron Shahé

Quarantine is like being a fish in the ocean,

scared and vulnerable, not knowing what’s out there.

Covid-19 is the shark that’s chasing after all of us.

The school of fish means more food for the shark.

The ones that stay away, have a better chance to survive.

I’m one of those fish, scared of the world, not wanting

to leave my home because the predator is ready to attack

at any moment. I live in fear, not wanting to be hit

by the monster that is out there killing people one by one,

not wanting to be a part of those numbers, not wanting

to be the one who dies. It’s a scary world we live in.

We never know what will come next.

Best regards,

Claudine Azilazian

By Claudine Azilazian

County: Los Angeles