Prairie Light Review Poems
—by Nathan on April 23, 2014—
This semester, I had the opportunity to sign up for a 1-credit class that helped with editing College of DuPage's literary magazine, the Prairie Light Review. This magazine allows for students, faculty, and members of the surrounding community to send in poetry, short stories, photographs, and works of art for their chance to get into the magazine. The spring issue--which focuses on the theme of hunger and sub-titled "The Emptiness Edition"--will be coming out in two weeks. I decided to submit four poems, each somehow dealing with hunger, and I'm very pleased with how they turned out. Reprinted here are the four poems I sent in.
Arguing With a Werewolf
This one is the favorite poem that I wrote. The poem isn't actually about a werewolf, but of an external/internal, good vs. evil struggle. I just chose the image of a werewolf because it represents two sides hungering for control: The human against the monster, which is what this is supposed to represent. The beast lines are italicized to distinguish them from the human.
We're arguing internally
We're arguing eternally!
He wants out, this beast within me
I want out, I want to be free!
Ravenous in his desire
I burn with hate, burn like fire!
The side of me I can't escape
The same side that will watch you break!
He taunts, he presses for control
To shatter your heart, claim your soul!
Leave nothing left but horrid rage
I'm predator and you are prey!
He has to stay, kept deep inside
Why do you fight, why do you hide?
This is my nature nevermore
Go back to what we were before!
I was the monster I now fear
But now you're soft, we disappeared!
There's only me, you're nothing but
A fantasy you conjured up!
It's what I say, to keep you down
To keep me locked beneath the ground!
Inside my heart, clasped within bone
To rot and die as one disowned!
I let you free for far too long
Once there was us, once we were strong!
Every morning I was waking
To what we were undertaking!
Nightly carnage that we beget
With evil thoughts and dark intent!
But now those days are gone and black
I want them here, I want them back!
Not again, for I have command
No! You're weak, you're just a man!
I resolve not to let you loose!
Your will tightens, just like a noose…
You see it yourself, feel it too
Those days are gone, my time is through…
No more control, no more release
You are master, and I am beast…
You're weak, and now I'm unafraid
You're predator, and I am prey…
The roles turned round, the roles reversed
The cursed man free, the free beast cursed…
I won't surrender to this pain
You're predator and I am prey…
You won't take me, won't get away
_You're predator…and I am pre_y.
Seat Hunt
Amusingly, this poem was more of a spur-of-the-moment idea that I just tried to have fun with. It describes the annoyance of various situations where you just can't find somewhere to sit. I guess it was inspired by my taking the bus to school, so thanks to Pace for the inspiration.
Buses, stadiums, concert halls
People move like billiard balls
Looking for a certain seat to take
And don't you hate it when you find one claimed?
"That's for my friend, cousin, brother"
Now we have to go and find another
There's five of us, but only two there
We won't separate, won't even dare.
There's a bunch, in the middle of the row
Past legs and bodies, away we go
"Excuse me, sorry, can I get past?"
Like fighting a river that's flowing fast.
Alone, on the bus, no seats remain
But I keep an eye out just in case
"Stop requested" are magic words
To start the struggle through the herds.
You see their eyes, the predators
Looking, waiting for their turn
To find the seat they think is best
To sit down, smile, finally rest.
Every day, a new hunt dawns for some
To find that seat when legs are numb
To rest the body, let it lie
Enjoy the show, the ride, the drive.
I Hunger For Something More
This poem represents spiritual hunger, looking for something beyond than what the world gives to sustain us. While I never explicitly refer to God (only in passing with the word "Hands"), this poem is inspired by my own faith and what that faith strives for.
You can give me cash
All the fortunes of a thousand kings
You can give me love
But it won't ever be enough for me
You can give me air
But I'll always forget how to breathe
What I hunger for
Is something you can never bring.
I am not sustained
By the food I grew with my own hands
The life I planned out
Slips through my fingers once again
No matter how much
I eat, I find myself hungry and then
The process repeats
On and on, without foreseeable end.
What I hunger for
Are not the riches of a life I made
What I hunger for
Instead are riches of a life I gave
What I hunger for
Is for someone to look into my face
And smile and say
They're proud of me for finding my place.
And where will that be?
Here, at a desk, at a shop, anywhere
Writing of hunger
And eventual fulfillment, love, and care
Using all my gifts
To impart a story with a lesson there
To tell them the truth:
There is no hunger that we can't bear.
We can be sustained
By food we can't grow, but food we can eat
Created by Hands
That fill empty stomachs with joy so sweet
No matter how much
We eat, we'll never grow full or weak
Our hunger over
But with food always there, just in reach.
What I hunger for
Is the day we feed the human race
What I hunger for
Is to see full souls, famine erased
What I hunger for
Is for someone to look into each face
And smile and say
We'll never grow hungry, not in this place.
The Mountain
My final piece, this was a concept poem detailing a mountain climb. Check out the shape of the poem itself. The image of the poem as a whole is what I was really striving for. I thought it would be a fun challenge, which it was. Bear in mind, I know zilch about climbing mountains, but of course you could always substitute some allegory for metaphysical hunger here. Whatever floats your boat.
I
Am
Not
Down
I reach
Shaking, crawling
Extending, poor frozen fingers
Numb from the chill, so vicious here
The wind my foe, every breath difficult
Every step is agony, every heartbeat loud
Pounds inside its cage, impatient, waits for rest
But not without complaint; so it fights against me too?
Inner and outer, this struggle is what's keeping me alive
Though it tries it's hardest to destroy my body, a paradox
This mountain seeks to kill me, and my heart seeks to break me
But wait…now I can see the end; the climb, the struggle is almost done
I have arrived, finally at the top, finally where I've struggled to reach
I lay down on the softest mattress the mountain could ever provide
My enemies battle me no longer; they know they are all beaten
By my drive and my ambition; I am the winner of this match
I am the winner forever, the champion you couldn't beat
You fought well, tired heart; you fought well, mountain
But neither of you beat me; rested, I stand and survey
And prepare to leave here, begin the trek down now
Return to the world below, the world I belong to
Going down is easier, faster, takes less time
No more fighting, no more crying
Heart is silent, bit like snow
Silent, quiet, contented
Soft, gentle, fulfilled
Hunger's calmed
When I reach
Bottom
Tired
Rest
Now
Those are the poems, and I'm proud of all of them. They were fun to write, and I'm glad of the experience I got working with PLR as well. I'll be joining them again next year in the fall, and I plan on sending in more submissions over my second year at COD.