This Collection contains the works of various students and staff of the English department presented at the annual “Poetry in the Gardens” event, com-posed “just for fun” or in the context of different poetry classes.

Thanks to everybody who contributed to this collection and made it a higly diversified treasure chest of poetry!

Sources:The rights for the poetry contained in this collection remain with the indi-vidual authors. Please contact them if their works are reproduced or used

in any other way.

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Feel free to visit www.englisch.ph-karlsruhe.de for mor information about the English department at the PH Karlsruhe.

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Neal Beavermemory, snow, sky

slow memory comes calling

as a pedal floating like snow in the sky

as the memoirs of my steps, long before

they're made

give me

a touch just to let me know you're still there

like a small burn from a candle flame

slow memory comes falling

in place like jigsaw pieces cut from the sky or

the maps of our bodies framed in the snow

i forget my memories, long before they are

i retrace my steps, long before they're mine

i'am the snow, long before it forms

i'am the sky, long before its born

i'am my memory, long before it's yours

Christian FaziekasContemplating a rock in Catalonia

Strands of black hair lap around your shoulders

bordering a tanned face with panther's eyes

silken scars remind of countless boulders

carried away in lieu of compromise.

When Mars' stolidness imposed them on you

and the children of Venus stood quiet

I wonder wherefrom your power came to

lift and bear them with unfaltering pride.

Yet, by the time of the passage of birds

the winds began to blow hard from the west

while the metal took the reins from the words

you suddenly knew that your time had passed.

And the chronicles written have forgotten your name

but the boulders you carried mutely bespeak your fame.

Jeremy Bearden

If you give me a dime

Then I'll give you a rhythm

And tell you a story

As believable as one from a Tory

So just sit back, relax

This will come by fax

All while doing your Internet shopping on Ebay

Staring at your computer never seeing the light of day

No need to worry about endless sponsors

We've done away with those ugly green monsters

Don't worry, this won't take long

As quick as an average pop song

With no effort to create a meaning

And on a piece of paper, no screaming

We'll open your mind like a bottle of American beer

No taste, just a liquid that's clear

So open up

Surf's up

Just think: You could have wrote this

And I got a dime for this

Jeremy Bearden

Did I hear you

Calling my name

To me

It sounded like an old Dane

You proclaimed proudly

That you message was important

But I know

It’s just a front

To keep us down

You pump us with fear

The truth takes backseat

In the rear

Once in this country

There was pride

Now it’s being sucked out

Like a wide riptide

Before it was ok

To be American

Today those who get harassed

Just say they’re Canadian

Six years of broken policies

Who can defend

The misguided actions

And the consequences that transcend

The apparent price for peace

Has been a bloody war

Then the people started asking

What exactly are we fighting for?

What we thought existed

Wasn't found there

And what about Osama bin Laden

Nobody seems to care

So we continue swinging aimlessly

In the pitch black

With the still unanswered question

What do we do with Iraq?

Neal Beaverflower, sun, rain

equally shared sky, white shine

a statement, a message

flower, sun, rain

a rock dream inspired

a statement, a message

beating warmth, white shine

come closer with an open touch

a statement, a message

although its a blocked road

next dream, white shine

a statement, a message

flower, sun, rain

equally shared sky

a statement, a message

a room painted in an off white shine

flower, sun, rain

flower, sun, rain

Alexandra LaibleSonnet

I want to be the author of a book

and write whatever comes into my mind.

I want to be a famous German cook

for people who are friendly, poor and kind.

I want to fight for freedom in the world

and justice where no justifying rules.

I want to feed black kids whose hair is curled

and sell the Pope's unnecessary jewels.

I want to change the roles of rich and poor

and show the selfish people what love is.

I want to know at least one thing for sure

that love and peace sometimes starts with a kiss.

I know I'm small, I know I'm weak but I

do still believe in fairytales, but why?

Alexandra LaibleSeven weeks

On vacation in South-Africa

Unbelievable That I have done this

Hurray!

Africa is so beautiful

Friendly people everywhere

Rich and poor so close together

I want to go back and see more

Children I can play with

And make happy!

Alexandra LaibleHeaven

How far do I have to go

Till I reach heaven?

Do I have to be a good girl before?

Do I have to regret all my sins?

Do I have to pray every day?

Do I have to enjoy my life before?

Do I have to be a hero on earth?

Do I have to live in poverty?

Who cares if I have ever been on earth?

Who knows if I will ever find the way to heaven?

Only God knows all the answers.

Sun

H ello, is this the place called heaven?

E arth has send me away

A ngels are playing here

V ery interesting melodies

E verybody is telling me:

N o way back!

Alexandra LaibleHappy Again

Some people seem happy all the time.

Some people are happy all the time.

Some people seem worried all the time.

Some people are worried all the time.

It seems we are only what we seem to be

But sometimes we are what we are.

Only God knows what we really feel

Only God knows who we really are.

Alexandra LaibleSun

I miss you

When the rain is falling

I need you

When I am feeling down

I want you

Cause you make the rainbows

I love you

Cause you keep me warm

Alexandra LaibleReflexions

Write a portfolio

And try to reflect

How you felt

And what you did.

Afterwards reflect your reflexions

And write them down

So your teacher can

Reflect your reflexions.

What happens if I go?

What happens if I stay?

If I will never try

Then I will never know.

So I think I go

Far away to another land

I get to know people

And get to know culture.

After a while I enjoy

The thunder in the sky

The goldfish in my pool

Dude, this will be cool.

Imaginations are sparkling every second

What happens if I go?

My life will be exciting

But only if I go.

What happens if I go?Alexandra Laible

DifferencesAlexandra Laible

Flowers all around the world

Arise in spring, arise in summer

I have seen them through the years

And I smelt a lot of them.

Blue and yellow, orange, red,

Sweet and tender, shining bright

There are many different creatures

Flowers are like human kinds.

Exhibitions in the gardens

Old wise ladies care for them

Gardeners of different nations

Know: no flower looks the same.

I am young, without experience

But I know one thing for sure

When I take from flowers pictures

They will blossom without end.

But one difference does exist

Between pictures and the nature

Pictures only show the colours

Nature offers you the scent.

So I plant a little seed now

Water it and wait and wait

And if I take good care of it

One day it will become a flower.

Maybe the flower is big and red

maybe it is small and yellow

But no matter how it looks like

I will love this new born thing.

Simeon WaltherThis Heart of Mine

This heart of mine was opened wide,

And therefore always filled with light.

One came in and went back out,

But I still wanna stay a proud

Person though being left behind,

Too many things are on my mind.

This heart of mine is closed and poor,

I feel like left outside the door.

I want the days to go by fast,

The pain inside nothing more to last.

Will there ever be one like you?

I don't think so I don't know what to

do.

This heart of mine will open again,

Not sure about it where or when.

I feel like caught inside a trap,

Alone in the dark without a map

That will lead me back to my heart opened wide,

I need the one to fill it with light.

Zinedine Zidanewhat have you done?Your team could have wonIf your fuse had not gone.

Christian FaziekasClerihew

Alexandra LaibleNo feelings

There was a young girl named A. L.Who had many things for to saleBut she was not luckyAnd only sold DuckyThe only toy she didn't want sale.

As I look down at the coastFlying on my carpet of French ToastIs this realOr merely surrealSitting next to Casper the Ghost

I don't feel like reading a poemI don't feel like writing oneI don't feel happy, I don't feel sadI don't feel anything at all.

I want to write a balladAfter I had my saladStomach is full, brain is emptyTherefore I stop here gently.

Alexandra LaibleBallad No 1

Jeremy Bearden

Alexandra LaibleLimerick

Ballad No 2Alexandra Laible

A ballad is easy to writeOverwrite with blue letters the whitePage that lies in front of your noseAnd follow the rules that once arose.

First of all: Stanza needs four linesSecond rule: Make sure that it rhymesRhyme scheme should be abcbBut without any necessity.

Furthermore, at least six stanzaNice would be: iambic metraThen there's only one thing missing:A topic, e. g. people kissing.

You start to write how it beganWho met who and maybe whenYou let them dance, you let them singMaybe he is a lonely king.

Of course they fall in love that dayShe wants to go, he wants her to stayHe kisses her, she kisses backAnd at the end he breaks her neck.

For phantasy there are no bordersJust write down what another ordersAs long as you are paid for itTry to avoid a "getting sick".

In case you are writing just for funYou are the best friend of the sunYou make people's eyes shine so brightAnd get everybody on your side.

A ballad is easy to writeOverwrite with blue letters the whitePage that lies in front of your noseAnd follow the rules that once arose.

1

2

3

4

5

Alexandra LaibleBallad No 2a

Inspired by Ballad 1 and 2I have to write more, this fact is trueBut why should I name it Ballad 3When Ballad 2 a sounds okay for me?

Nobody cares for the title at allBe it Winter or Spring, Summer or Fall.So forget the title of this balladAnd keep going on with your poem-salad.

'Why poem-salad?' You are asking meCause no poem is what it seems to beIf I stop here or add only 4 lines

And I no longer care if it really rhymesThis ballad becomes a stupid sonnetSo, how do you call this poem now?

The day goes by I see the sky turn darkBut morning starts when dogs begin to bark

I'll see the face of you when you are goneBecause for a long time you've been my sun.

A tree can't speak, a tree can't talk - but whatWould be? What would he say? What would he talk?

My land of dreams, my land of hopes, don't goAnd you my land of love - I need you so.

I know you know what we both know or not,But now you know that I do know: Forget!

Alexandra LaibleHeroic Couples

Dr. Mark Caplan

For many students here time is almost upThey won't be here when the birds nest againI'll miss their shoulders hunched against the autumn windTheir quick footsteps in a sudden shower of rain

They'll soon have moved onEntrusted with young and malleable mindsGiving children the keys to universesGiving history the voice it needs to pass onIts failures and successesWarnings and dreamsTheir teachers will become fading memoriesShed like leavesAs winds of change sweep through each new day

Building 3 is made of old materialsSandstone which (some say) stores emotions Of which (thanks to the students) we have plentyI feel their aura as I touch the corner stoneIn my mind’s eye I can see their smilesAs they drink their coffeeTheir furrowed brows as they try to pluck inspirationFrom the stale exam room air

So when I seem to leanCigarette-rollingEyes half closedOne hand on the cornerstoneOf building 3As if needing help to stand uprightI'm recharging my batteriesWith thoughts of terms gone by

I'm sorry, I took your timeI was your poem that didn't rhymePlease turn life's new pageI'll fade awayI'll fade awayI'll fade away

Christian FaziekasOde to c

So finally I have come to praise thee

after the long years of indignation

I shall hereby devote my loyalty

with this verbal abarticulation.

I beg your pardon I could not admit

that you were there for me all of the time

my crib, my rattle, the milk surrogate

caused the best childhood that money can buy.

I am then obliged for thy thousands of goods

for example the GPS cellphone

Brazilian soy beans from deep in the woods

and the heartache insurance stem-cell clone.

Sex in a can and annuity bonds

TV with indiscernible colors

thou freest my life from a slough of despond

thy call loans give money for all that I want

Thou bringst pomp in all of our parlours

with a wave of your magical wand.

Thank you.

Ma reggel mikor felébretem mindjârt a születesem utân,

a föld kihalt és lires volt. De nem voltam egyedül.

Some of the other creatures

Out there in the shunned wilderness

Threw monstrous and devouring glances

Out of their prickly shells.

Also begann ich zu rennen,

damit sich Knochen knackende Kiefer

nicht um meinen Hals legten

um das Leben aus mir zu saugen.

C'est moi le fugitif!

Je cours jusqu'à l'horizon et plus loin,

Jusqu'à la mort de la nuit,

Où je ne crains plus l'obscurité

By day I stopped my escape –

I heard a beat from somewhere within me

As if stones were falling in a deep well

The universal well of life

Alors je ne fuyais plus

Mais saisit une pierre

Et fracassa le crâne d'une de ces bêtes,

Qui me suivaient.

En egy vad vagyok. Arcom vérrel bemoc-

skolva

élvezem az âldozatom meleg husat.

Und der Stein begann sich zu wandeln.

Er ging eine mystische Verbindung

Mit Holz ein und wandelte sich

Dann in kühles Metall.

I am death

A bleak decay

Is born through my hand

And steel is the wet-nurse

That gives birth to my child

J'utilisait le don de tuer

Pour semer la mort entre leurs rangées

Et finalement d'arracher à leur supérieur

Le couronnement de la création

Christian FaziekasWer bin ich? - Who am I? - Qui suis-je? - Ki vagyok én?

Aber die Krone die ich nun trug,

hatte Domen und das Blut

das mir deshalb ins Gesicht floss

vernebelte meine Gedanken.

Oh - sötet ideje fiatal életemnek, most még

nem értem ezeket.

A jövö az ismeretlen, félek is tôle.

Black like the night I woke up

Red like the sun I went hunting

White like the clouds I roamed the plains

And yellow like the moon I rested

Beszéltem idegen nyelveken szavak, melyek

fölött mar senkisem beszél.

Fohâszkodtam Istenhez, hogy szabaditsanak

meg engemet a fîatalsâgomtol.

Ich bin der Verzweifelte!

Mich geißelnd

Warte ich auf deine Antwort

Und richte meinen Zorn,

gegen mich selbst.

Et l'héritier de la pierre

qui me donna le pouvoir sur les bêtes

se dirigea contre ma variété

guidé par ma main

Vâltozâs

Félelem

Harag

Jôkedwel csûszik az acél fel és alâ élvezve hûsomat.

Épuisé, après l'acte,

J'étais allongé par terre

Et les batailles que j'avais combattu

J'avais constamment perdu

And like this the beat within me found me again.

And the muffled sound from the well changed into a voice.

Was geißelst du dich?

Hast du Angst vor dem Unbekannten?

Fürchtest du dich vor dem Fremden in dir?

Richte dich auf!

Thus I raised to my throbbing feet

And answered - no I asked

Asked the question that had been torturing me the most:

„Wer bin ich? - Who am I - Qui suis-je? - Ki vagyok én?"

„Mensch - Human - Homme - Ember

Höre auf mit dir zu hadern und erkenne:

Die Veränderung schuf dich

Und deine Vielfalt machte dich groß

Wisse: Du bist das Kind aller Völker

Alexandra LaiblePattern Poetry

Alexandra Laible

If I had only one more poem to writeBefore I die and leave this worldIt would be about loveAnd other important things.

I would tell the rest of the worldThat money is not important at allEven education is not important at allThe only thing that is important isThe way you live your life.

Smile - and you will get back a smileLove - and you will find people who love youBelieve in God, and nothing can go wrongLive - and you will rest in peace.

There are people who need youSince they don't want to be alone.Listen to them and you will learnHow difficult life can be.

Listen to them more carefullyAnd you will find out that there is no problemThat can't be solved.

Try to understand younger peopleAnd your spirit will be young, too.You can understand themAnd they will understand your generation.

Nobody can exist without other peopleWe need each other and we need harmony.War never solved any problemsBut love does.

So remember these wordsWhenever you don't know why you are living.And one day I will really writeMy last poem.

blank pages?!>> you can change that!

+ share your poems at the next Poetry in the Gardens event (June / July 2009)!

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