Poets at Hope

Poetry can be a wonderful art form for personal expression.  Here at Hope we have a poetry class where clients of different verbal and cognitive abilities are given the opportunity to express themselves in words, many or few.  Students often find hidden feelings and ideas that they may have never verbalized or even thought of.  It assists them in delving deeper into their own lives and can give them interesting insights into others while exploring the world of words.  Here are a few examples of work that came from the poetry class this last year. 

My Mother's Hands

are soft and pink
touched by rain
like the roses in the garden of Kew.
She used her hands for teaching
they held lots of little hands
Kindergarteners hands.
My little hands.

Cathy Acton


Cathy Acton spoke about her feelings when she wrote this poem:
"I was feeling nostalgic with love for my mom and was remembering her as a teacher.  For years she taught Kindergarten even before I was born.  I thought about her impact on her little students as future adults."



Big purple towel

Laying on the beach
    With a friend
We are there
    To watch the ocean
Listen to the water
    See people walking by.


Kris W.


Kris' memories came up for this poem of a special summer when she went to the beach with a new friend. 
"It was such a beautiful day and the sand was so warm."


In India

The rain, cold rain falls on the
Ground, trees, mountains
Tigers like the rain
They move slowly
Move their feet slowly
Slow brown feet
The way they move, slow
Looking for food
In the jungle.

Amy Lacher

 Amy says: "I have never been to India, I was just thinking about it a lot.  Whenever I think of it, it is beautiful."

In the poetry class the students are exposed to many different styles and authors to assist them in working prompts.  They listen to poetry, discuss poetic works and dialogue with the instructor on imagery and sensory visualizations.  Poetry can be transporting and imaginative, evocative and cathartic.  Our poets hope you enjoyed their work and look forward to more.

CORE 6 : Defining Ourselves

CORE 6 is a juried art exhibit by artists with disabilities.
The 6th annual CORE exhibit is sponsored by Arts and Services for Disabled, Inc. and the National Arts and Disability Center of UCLA. In it's 6th year, CORE continues to extend its reach to artists nationally and worldwide. The exhibit showcases artwork, literature, and performances by artists with disabilities with the purpose of providing a space for artists, community members, and arts and disability advocates to build common bonds and promote visibility through a diverse art forum. See our 'upcoming events' box on the right for dates, times and venue.
Several Hope University students will be having their work showcased at CORE 6. We are happy to see literature included in this years CORE exhibit. Here we have three Hope University student poems composed in poetry class.


Cleaning Up The Drive Thru At Taco Bell
by Darren Petersen

There is a trash can out there
a big brown trash can
that people put trash in
and a patch of grass
I find things in the grass
cigarette butts
straw wrappers
beer bottles and paper cups.
I feel kind of grungy
picking up gum that is chewed
and just lying on the ground
hot sauce packets
that have been run over or stepped on
the hot sauce squirts out but doesn't go far
pennies and dimes (I have to give them back).
One time I had to help push a car
out of the drive thru.


At Henry's
by Chih Tseng

Saturday is haircut day
He cuts it straight
Henry does
I look in the mirror
to see Henry
Using his scissors
and me
Eating red vine licorice.


My Favorite Shirt
by Tanette Tuttle

Is white
like clouds on a sunny summer day
and Shamu's tummy when he does a flip in the air
like milk in the morning
bunny's teeth chewing a carrot
cold winter snow
My mom's eyes
Clean smelling clothes, out of the dryer
Socks, thick and tall
Delicious vanilla ice cream
Frosting on a strawberry cake
Dalmatians without spots
Tissues that I cry on.