Students in the Honors Seminar wrote poems in response to an essay by San Francisco poet Andre Le Mont Wilson titled Trajectory. Specifically, they were inspired by a poem he wrote that was based on William Carlos Williams’ poem, “Dedication for a Plot of Ground.”
This plot of ground…
This plot of ground
where she was born
was green, flourishing
it was damp, dewy
This plot of ground
marks the spot
of an emerging brilliance
a fiery presence
that will never
again be contained
This plot of ground
is single handedly responsible
for one of the greatest
creations on Earth
and for that
we thank her
(Maya Powers)
This plot of ground
holds a cabin
that I so graciously call my safe place
over looking the lake
that I laugh in with my siblings
tube with my friends
and swim in by myself at night
that has a wooden swing in front of it
made for two, for my mother and I
who I am able to laugh with
cry with, and just be with
who I also call
my safe place
(Payton Nicksic)
—--------
This plot of ground
where young children learn
to love a game
that is bigger than themselves.
A place
where dreams are made
and tears will fall.
A ground so cold
and marks so crisp.
Who is next to
grab a stick?
(Sabrina Shvartsman)
—---
This plot of ground...
long has it stood.
Through fire and ice
it shows us what could.
(Jeremiah Steinhilber)
—-------
“Will it ever happen again?”
It’s a graveyard of my memories, this simple plot of ground.
It’s the things that I never thought would become memories
Is it just that plot of ground that my heart aches for?
Or is it really what it beholds?
Will I ever drive to school with you and the Quran playing on the radio again?
Or will I ever race back to the house when I hear the call for Azan again?
Will I ever sit on the sofa waiting for you to make me chaye again?
Or will I ever stay up till 4am talking to you about life again?
Will I ever break my fast with you in Ramzan again?
Or will I ever hug you after Eid prayer again?
Is it just that plot of ground that I long for,
Or is it just for that feeling of home again?
Context - it’s about missing Pakistan, but is it really the country that I miss or is it my whole life there that I miss? Countering that question in the poem but not answering it in the poem, trying to leave it open at the end.
(Neha)
—-----
Inside four walls
Lies a story
We grew up there
Laughing, crying, telling stories
Countless girls nights,
Late nights and long nights
Once you were inside,
You fit like a puzzle
But the nights turned to mornings
And the teenagers turned into young adults
Until one day,
They returned from their new schools
And this plot of ground was gone
(Sienna Fell)
—-------
This plot of ground
In this concrete jungle
in the valley
south of the lakes,
where many gather
shape their path
and to forge their future.
(Tyler Spina)
—-----
This plot of ground
was made with unsteadiest of hands,
caving in and collapsing at every convenience.
This plot of ground has seen nothing else,
only what it's grown with,
refusing to adapt to new means.
This plot of ground
was made with uncertainty,
with no solid plan for the future,
has left a plot yearning for more.
This plot of ground
has made its own feathered walls,
walls stemming from unreliability,
has now built its own security.
(Amber Fox)
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