A monthlong celebration of poetry in April

April is National Poetry Month, a monthlong, national celebration of poetry established by the Academy of American Poets as a way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States. To mark the occasion, Tinian English teacher Joseph Connolly and Dr. Dean Papadopoulos submitted the following poems for publication:
A Rolling Stones Koan Quartet

By JOSEPH CONNOLLY
Special to the Saipan Tribune

Author’s Note: This is a group of sonnet, the titles of which are four lines from a Rolling Stone song: 1. You can’t always get what you want, 2. But if you try some times, 3. You just might find, 4. You get what you need. 

YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT

they might just be out of stock
it might be pawned or in hock
between a hard place and a rock
with a sheep dog tending a flock
under some hot chili peppers in a wok
or a four hundred pound granite block
a ferry boat maneuvering in a loading dock
in a bunch of keys that fit every lock
stuck between jellyroll bakers and wurstknack
a quick ride home from Woodstock
that insurance salesman who fed you a crock
non skid shoes for that slippery mountain walk
a mate for that dog masticated mismatched sock
a remedy for punching that old time clock

BUT IF YOU TRY SOMETIMES …

you might fall flat on you face
get a free ride to outer space
find moth holes in old lace
round first and head for second base
have extra money just in case
no memories you need to erase
cut directly to the chase
fall from the sky with grace
finish that walk to some high place
win the hospital charity bed race
have a sufficient amount of lactase
see the pig’s feet are a disgrace
get pecans straight from Natchez Trace
go all in on the river and draw a fourth ace

YOU JUST MIGHT FIND …

a shiny penny lying in the street
an ice cold drink and something sweet
some nasty jobs you don’t have to repeat
shoes that feel good the first time on your feet
a hearth fire fed with peat
shady spots to beat the heat
bird songs to tickle your tweet
shoes with a diamond in the cleat
life long passes for pizza to eat
enough miles to always fly elite
a drum that gives you a brand new beat
how to get those boots out of concrete
some cream to pour on your cream of wheat
new ways to tenderize road kill meat

YOU GET WHAT YOU NEED

knowing ALMOST exactly who you are
a good rest after coming from afar
a bigger and better five cent cigar
fresh mint tea at a market in Dakar
an endless riff on Bo Diddley’s guitar
a hearty Ralph Cramden ’hardee har har’
blinding white lightning from a mason jar
round trip bus tickets from Harbin to Qiqihar
a basketball autographed by Kareem Abdul Jabar
hardwood curly maple floors difficult to mar
every golf game you play just a tad under par
wagons to hitch on to that wandering star
new world record length and weight for Arctic Char
an inexpensive, non-polluting, hybrid pickup or car

Joseph Connolly currently teaches English on Tinian, back after six years of teaching at Hyde Park Magnet Middle School in Las Vegas. He has had some haiku published in Haiku Society of America annual anthologies.

* * *

A Trilogy of Sonnets on Mirth

By JOSEPH CONNOLLY
Special to the Saipan Tribune

MIRTH MADNESS

making faces and farces on facets of this
taking up collections for chewing the fat
buying chances for a beauty queen’s kiss
laughing at ourselves for just wanting that
over and over we rock and we roll
over the rhythm and down through the blue
raring and ready to strut and to stroll
from out with the old to in with the new
under it all driven ballpark insane
goofballs, jerkballs, and more know it alls
yucking it up as we slide through the inane
howling at the moon with wild cat calls
as madness moves mirth in more than one way
so we move across stages in life’s little play

MIRTH PROVES ITS WORTH

mirth proves its worth
when haste introduces waste
when teeth no longer need paste
when tongues do not have to taste
when roast turkey needs no baste
when chalk boards are not erased
when alarm clocks need no face
when amazing needs no grace
when ball players are not chased
when bottles need not be cased
when protestors are not maced
when road runners are not paced
when flowers do not need a vase
when stars need no outer space

MIRTH MASTERS MONKEYSHINES

hats off to idiots, all fools and half
wits, more or less, some of them nit
wits that cause whiners to laugh
and giggle like babies drooling spit
all hail big jerkballs, those jolly old elves
using their loudmouths with every breath
making fantastic fools of themselves
as others laugh themselves to death
salutations to the big showoff
bragging about this, showing off that
most folks just blow them off
continue shooting the breeze, chewing the fat
hope these jokers will be around for a while
good for at least a wink and a smile

Joseph Connolly used to teach at Hopwood Junior High School before moving to Tinian. He has had some of his previous poems and haiku published in the Saipan Tribune. 

* * *

More Than A Teacher

By DR. DEAN PAPADOPOULOS
Special to the Saipan Tribune

Although we are not parents,
We become parental with our students
And to perform in the role
Of the objective stranger
Is to be
Less than a teacher.

Although we are not bosses,
We expect work to be done on-time
And to insist otherwise
Is to be
Less than a teacher.

Although we are not accountants
We are expected to be accountable
To our students,
To our employers
And to our conscience—
If we are so gifted to have one
That is connected to what we do.
And to be less than accountable
Is to be
Less than a teacher.

Although we are not counselors,
We reach-out to students
Who are asking for a trusted opinion.
And to not offer assistance when it is asked
Is to be
Less than a teacher.

Although we are not motivational speakers
We must develop the ability
To get what’s in us
Outside of us
And to not develop this skill
Is to be
Less than a teacher.

Although we are not researchers
We must seek as much truth
About what we do
In scientifically-proven best practices
As much as we extrapolate the wisdom
From our own teaching experiences.
And to not seek greater truths
About teaching
Is to be
Less than a teacher.

Although we are not cultural anthropologists
We must learn the culture of our students
To teach them from what they know first
So that they can learn what they need to know now.
And to be indifferent, in denial, resigned or intolerant
Toward the students that make our life meaningful,
If not possible,
Is to be
Less than a teacher.

Teachers…
Great teachers
Are always
More Than Teachers.

Dr. Dean Papadopoulos works with the School of Education at NMC and has been an educator in the CNMI for 22 years.