Rhyme Scheme: NF Poetry

By Phyllis Lombardi

It's how we learned history. "In fourteen-hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue." And how we learned to count. "One, two, buckle my shoe." Even how we learned love of country. "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty." Later we learned about romantic love. "For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings, that then I scorn to change my state with kings."

It was poetry every step of the way. I confess we sometimes balked, back in school, when a big, mean teacher told us to get out our literature books and open to page 30. We were going to read a poem. Oh, the moans, the groans.

Now folks on the North Fork respond happily to poetry and then some. They encourage it. Just see what Greenport's Congregation Tifereth Israel and Cutchogue's North Fork Reform Synagogue came up with. They sponsored a poetry contest for North Fork students and the results were impressive.

There was one requirement. The poetry had to deal with inner peace. (I guess even on our blessed fork we could use a bit more of that.) Then the young poets were on their own. And on to something good from what I heard on a windy Sunday afternoon in the Community Room at Mattituck-Laurel Library. That's where a dozen or so poets read their work to an every-seat-taken audience. I'll add that those selected to read had their poetry printed in a booklet and received a monetary award.

Greta Peters, a third-grader at Cutchogue East School, finds peace sitting in a hot tub. Way to go, Greta. And you are certainly wise. The tub quickly becomes too hot and you wish for something "freezing cold." That's people for you. Never satisfied. By the way, Greta's grandparents, Wally and Janie Brunner, came from way off the North Fork to cheer on their poet.

This next poet, fourth-grader Dominique Kart, should send her work to Detroit, especially in this troubled time. Dominique writes "Peace is like a car ...... with no exhaust." Dominique attends Our Lady of Mercy School in Cutchogue and admits in her poem "Fluttering Peace" she doesn't really need a car. She's peaceful "walking on the sidewalk." Me too, Dominique.

Two poet-readers came from Oysterponds School. Fourth-grader Marina DeLuca is peaceful with her cat Blacka and even with her younger brother Robby. Now that is unusual. Marina writes about Blacka and Robby in "Peace with Myself." Also in Grade 5 is Ben Bondarchuck. Ben's "Inner Peace Haiku" reveals he's peaceful when "Someone's listening" to him. We all like that, Ben.

Here's a guy, Oliver Orr, from Cutchogue East. Oliver wore a Red Sox jersey as he read and I knew inner peace must have been hard for him during playoffs. As a Yankee fan, I've no sympathy, Oliver, but I like your poetry. Especially the part about "the smell of mom's baking."

Colby Prokop of Cutchogue East was unable to attend the reading so a judge filled in and read Colby's poem "Inner Peace Endures." Colby knows what seagulls cry. "There will be another day." True, Colby, the seagull cry seems eternal.

Applauding loud and long was three-year-old Joey Dolce. He was proud of his older brother, Chris, in fourth grade at Cutchogue East. Chris penned "Arizona." Bet little Joey liked the part where "the sky plays tag with the clouds, the clouds run away."

Not everyone in the audience, however, was there to support a particular poet. Irma and Bob Strimban of Cutchogue, for example. The just came because they think "it's important to hear what young people have to say." Irma and Bob summed up the afternoon as an "incredible experience."

Indeed. There's power and glory in the magic world of a word. Let two of the North Fork's young poets conclude. Alex Waski of Our Lady of Mercy tells us all to "stay quiet." The sound we hear is peace. Finally, Cutchogue East's Caitlin Rivera knows the secret. "Peace is everywhere you look, and peace is everywhere you don't look."

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