Orange.

I write. It's how I learn, it's how I communicate, it's how I process basically everything occurring in the world around me.

Escribo. Es la manera en que aprendo, es como comunico - es la manera en que puedo procesar lo que ocurre en el mundo.

And I don't want to forget everything I've learned (in regards to Spanish) and I want to take it further - eventually.  So I'm trying to solidify and maintain everything I know in preparation for taking "forward" steps.

Y...no quiero olvidar todo lo que aprendí (en relación a español) y me gustaría avanzar mi comprensión. Entonces, tengo la intención asegurar y mantener todo lo que sé en preparación para avanzar.

So, here I am - with notes in hand - and working out exercises for myself.
Obviously. I'm a teacher. What else would I do?

Aquí estoy, con las notas en mano, y ejercicios para hacer. Obviamente. Soy una maestra. Cual otra cosa haría? 

So, you may not know what you're looking at - but it's all verb tenses and phrases and words to remember...artfully put together in a practical and applicable way. Some of my students do really well with drawing comics and applying their words in that way, some do well in essays, other prefer spoken presentations, etc. Me? Poems. Stories. Every time.

Every. Time.

Quizá no entenderás lo que ves...pero todos son verbos y frases y palabras para recordar - conectados en una manera aplicable y practicable a mí. Algunas de mis alumnas tener éxito con comics - o con essays (ensayos?) - y otras prefieren hablar o dar presentaciones. Pero yo? Poemas. Historias. Cada vez.

Cada.Vez.

----

Camino con cuidado
y miro a donde voy -
para evitar el inesperado;
las grietas, los hoyos, y tú.

Pero con ojos azules y
completamente abiertos
te permití bajo pie
bajo mi piel
resbalé en tus palabras y
me caí dentro de tu alma.

O, quizá tiré la tuya dentro de mí.
Quién sabe?
Quién sabrá?

Huello ligeramente
alrededor el lugar
donde guardas los latidos de tu corazón
y pregunto a mí misma
- en voz alta, como Alicia -
cómo me caí esta caída lenta...
lentamente...
lentamente...?

Y por qué no me importa si nunca regreso al lugar donde estaba antes?

Eres la pastilla que hace que crezca, y
tienes todo el poder de hacerme sentirme pequeña
pero
no puedo imaginar que realmente lo usarías
porque haces que
pueda ver las estrellas con ojos diferentes y
tenga confianza y
me sienta importante a alguien en algún manera.

A tí, en la manera tuya.

Y si me pones el color azul,
te pongo el color naranja -
pero una naranja cálido, como la que puedes ver en los minutos antes la puesta del sol
porque eres mis minutos antes la puesta del sol,
porque eres todos los minutos,
porque eres el temblor anaranjado y cálido de la estrella Betelgeuse
porque cuando rías, está cálida
porque tus manos son cálidos
porque tus ojos cuando ven míos - cálidos, en llamas -
llamas anaranjadas.

Supongo que durante mi camino, nunca estaba mirando por llamas.

Let an Image be an Image.

All you need is love.

But love is the last thing you need.

Do you want to go out?

yes

maybe

no.

All you need is chocolate.

If you're selfless, you'll give me some.

Okay, love.

Alternative Energy

I have always been made of coal.

I just pressed hard enough

to make my edges shine bright enough

to distract his eyes

and her eyes

from what is underneath

the thin, shiny exterior.

It makes them forget that

underneath

all I am is a material that burns

in uncontrollable, underground fires.

Burning for decades.

Oh, You Should Have Heard Them.

El Aire

Stark naked, a soul bearing all

stands, trembling, in the cold sliver of

a winter's moon.

Freed from its breathing shell,

from behind the heavy, weak beat

beat, beating bars -

escaping in final, long exhales

while the winter's moon vainly tries

to clothe the naked,

to feed the hungry soul with its luminescence.

Stark naked, a soul bearing all

stands, starving, in the cold sliver of

a winter's moon.

Fading slowly into night,

a soul discovers that moonlight is food for fireflies -

and while life is short

death is shorter.

The Juggling Comes to an End Now

Where are You From?

I am from grey carpet
white walls
and black furniture.
Airports and changing time zones,
passports and checked bags,
a family of nomads is where I'm from.

I am from BDU's
and MRE's
and TDY's
and OPSEC
and the DoDEA.

I am from "Yes sir"
and "No running in the house"
and "Don't hit your sister"
and "Happiness is a choice"
and "Have you seen my hamster?"

I am from footpaths to
ship rides to
covered wagons
to a new Dodge Nitro.
England, Denmark, Pacheco, Blanding,
Stuttgart, Wurzberg, Zama, San Angelo,
San Pedro, Sagamihara, Syracuse,
Logan,
Minneapolis is where I'm from.

I am from enchiladas, taco salad
Spaghetti, sloppy joes, ice cream
and sandwiches
Hold the gluten, please.

I am from daddy daughter dates
and perpetual nick names:
Ray, Don, Ron, Jon, Nikki.
I am from long walks across great plains
and longer walks across dangerous deserts.
Pioneers
Soldiers
Unwavering Mothers and Wives
A family of Heroes
That's where I'm from.

Protect the Child

I was Little Red Riding Hood.
I was running from your bare teeth,
your maniacal grin,
your raspy voice:
“I'm going to get you, little girl.”

I was Little Red Riding Hood.
I was hiding from your harsh hands,
your insatiable hunger,
your watering mouth:
“I'm going to gobble you up.”

I was Little Red Riding Hood.
I was naïve enough to trust you,
your cold heart,
and even colder words:
“This is all your fault.”

I was Little Red Riding Hood,
running through woods of worry.
There was no axe-man to save me.
You're still out there

and she will be Little Red Riding Hood.

My Ridiculous Fall Poems

Shake It, Leaf
The leaves dance around us
A vigorous waltz, a rapid foxtrot, an emotional tango
the wind as their beat, deciding which direction they will go
down the sidewalk, through the crowds, on the roof, in the gutter
fancy dances that fly through air and leave on snowy clouds.

The Apple
I have been waiting for you.

It was you I was thinking of
on the hot days
on the cold days
when I was thirsty
or when I could not get out of the rain.

I have been waiting for you.

It was you I was thinking of
when I was green
with the pain of growing
and when I was reddened
unsheltered from the suns hot rays.

I have been waiting for you,
so please
pick me.

Joyful Noise

This poem is in response to Paul Fleischman's Joyful Noise (it's a verse novel).
These types of poem are meant to be read out loud by two people at the same time.

Here's what I mean (this is his whole collection being read in the way it was intended):



If you'd like to read my review of the book, please visit my book blog: http://novelphrases.blogspot.com/

Otherwise, feel free to enjoy the poem for what it is.

The Ghost

Why is it that you leave me wordless?
Everything I see speaks poetry to my soul.
But when I go to write of you,
I am left with an empty page.

Are you empty inside?
Why is it that you leave me wordless?

She found herself in wonderland.

a gray cloud moves across a blue sky
a single shadow casted as it drifts by

not even the sun can penetrate this blockade
heat is gone, and colors start to fade.

a sun that sets and never rises
oh world of unhappy surprises...

give me rest.

I let the daisies die but I have yet to throw them out.

Words used to line up neatly
Forming simple prose and poetry
But my talent died - eluded me
I've lost all of my creativity

In a box of black and gloom
Word flowers aren't able to bloom
To feel means inevitable doom
My heart deserted and my mind an empty room

To say goodbye to a soul friend
To pretend the wound will mend.
When it comes to loss there is no end
when it comes to loss there is no end

Poetry by Nikki Hansen

Time:

I have held the hands of time
and crushed them in my own
The ruthless, ever moving, ever ticking hands
that remind us of each passing second
Each passing breath or thought being wasted
I've snapped time's little hands in half
then buried time alive
But all my stress and effort failed
because time has yet to die.

------
The Mirror

Forget their words, Love
Everyone is lying through their teeth to you
Pick up the pieces of yourself
that you've left scattered on the floor
all of those empty promises and broken words
They'll come together to form a song that
you've been singing all your life.

We've all seen bad days
but somehow you've gotten more than most
There are days where the rain beats down
and you've been caught with no umbrella
but the sun always breaks through
when you smile.

Can I protect you? Somehow I don't think
anybody can...though we all want to.
Can I love you?
Will you let me if I try?
Or does this scare you? Is that the reason
Why that fear is in your eyes?

Forget their looks, Love
No matter what you do, they'll judge you anyway
Put that face on, the on you keep masked
behind the rest.
All of those angry stares and hollow eyes
they have no clue of what you've seen

I bet they'd cry to be where you have been.
Ignore the looks, Love.