Found Poems from English II Honors

Found Poems from English II Honors From a long way gone By Ishmael Beah

This isn’t your faultby Kim Gerbert & Olivia Powell Something that plagued their minds They walked toward the bodies, giving high fives Innocence replaced by fear We became monsters This isn’t your fault Blood poured out of their wounds How much they cringed This isn’t your fault Two rows of men, carrying machine guns You will get used to it, everybody does These men will find you a better life This isn’t your fault From A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

The Truth I felt as if somebody was after me. I shot as many as I could but I didn’t feel better. It’s not your fault. I didn’t feel a thing for him. I didn’t think about what I was doing. It’s not your fault. I couldn’t face the nightmares I knew would come. I tried to think about my childhood but it was impossible. It’s not your fault. I began to cry. I began that day to believe it. *From A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

The life of war. The first time I was touched by war I was twelve. The sudden outburst of gunfire, chaotic. One man carried his dead son, covered with his son’s blood. Some fainted or vomited. The bullets could be seen sticking out just a little bit in the baby’s body. It was the last time I saw my brother. I heard gunshots, people screaming and crying. The village was on fire. My childhood has gone. My heart was frozen. I was only fifteen. From the novel: Long Way Gone

Hope There were all kinds of stories, Memories I sometimes wish I could wash away. “Drop the bag and hurry. The rebels are coming. Come on.” I wanted to blame someone for this particular predicament, but there was no one to be blamed. I suffered, holding back my tears, frustrated with living in fear. I was lost. “Circumstances will change and things will be fine, just hold on a little more.” I wasn’t sure when or where it was going to end. Their crying pierced my heart. We know only how to survive. Never have I been so afraid. I think my troublesome days are long gone. Affecting children around the world; we continue to run, we continue to hope. From A Long Way Gone By Ishmael Beah

All kinds of stories about the war that made it sound as if it was happening in a faraway and different land The first time I had seen a grown man cry like a child A sting in my heart A liberation of the people from corrupt government Ten days of hiding, five days went by peacefully, the rebels came A sting in my heart Only one escape route No one had control over anything A sting in my heart Fighting for over two years My squad was my family, my childhood gone by without my knowing A sting in my heart Killing, a daily activity Involved in the conflict as soldiers A sting in my heart A Sting in My Heart A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah Poem by: Will O And JR M

I Need Love January 1996 I found myself lonely after the war It’s not your fault All I continued to hear were gunshots and screams Laughter turned into sadness “I Need Love” Where can we get ourselves some good drugs in this place Esther was putting the battery and cassette in the Walkman, and handed it to me I loved her but never told her You are lucky From A Long Way Gone

Lost. Blood, dead, crying, bullets…pain. Shot, tears, the rebels arrived. Lost. Sierra Leone. We left home with only these cassettes and clothes Liberation. Memories. Burned, crapes AK-47’s. Child. Live in 3 worlds. Rediscover the happiness Revolutionary United Front. A single gunshot. The rebels fired a rocket propelled grenades, machine guns, Ak-47’s, G3’s, all the weapons they had, directly into the clearing. Soldiers would kill you without any questions. Risky, lucky. Bodies, furniture, clothes, all kinds of property were scattered. Congealed blood and mud. Cooked rice and cassava. Temporarily happy, we were so hungry that it hurt All I could think about was death. Captives Drown the rebels. My grandmother… The imam. Walking towards death. Even a twelve year old couldn’t be trusted. The most difficult part of being in the forest was the loneliness. I recognized a few of the faces, and smiled to break the tension. Atlantic ocean Bleeding Musa, Alhaji, Kanei, Jumah, Saidu, Moriba Carseoili. Storybooks, storyteller New York City A long way Gone by Ishmael Beah

Ishmael’s Journey It was happening in a faraway and different land No indications that our childhood was threatened I was touched by the war when I was twelve. “Your time to revenge the deaths of your families” We were dangerous, and brainwashed to kill Then came UNICEF Benin Home, rehabilitation “My name is Esther and we should be friends” I loved her New York City United Nations First International Children’s Parliament Her name was Laura Simms She became my mother From A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

The Wounds of WarBy Parker Eaton and Chase Malone Per. 4 “You mean you saw people running around with guns and shooting each other?” “Yes, all the time” “Cool” I smile a little A splash of blood hit my face The idea of death didn’t cross my mind and killing had become as easy as drinking water The person whose prisoner died quickest would win the contest My squad was my family, my gun was my provider and protector, and my rule was to kill or be killed A Long Way Gone By Ishmael Beah

The Face of War All of us here have seen death or even shaken hands with it. If anyone starts any funny business, shoot them. Think of it as destroying a great evil. Fire on my command. Gunshots filled the air. Is that how you stab someone who killed your family? The grenade’s blast got only a few men. Split bodies flew through the air. He was clutching his gun like a mother holding her baby. We gave them shovels and demanded that they dig their own graves. This isn’t your fault, you know. It really isn’t. From: A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

Keep Moving Forward Hopefor a better dayNothing good leftHe or she will dieDrove my spirit forwardMade it stay aliveStarting over and over againEasier to be sadThan to go back and forthBetween emotions A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

First Time in the City We had entered a different world We were greeted by an extremely cold wind Little white things falling out of the sky The buildings looked as if they were made of colorful lights There were so many cars on the street They impatiently honked The city glittered We were in awe of how amazing and crowded the place was Mesmerized by the displays We had to say goodbye From A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

“You should tell us about it sometime.” War stories that sounds faraway Didn’t say goodbye A sting in my heart Man carried his dead son Continued on Determined to find a way out “…afraid to hold a gun.” “This gun will belong to you” Visualize the enemy Rebels killed your parents Responsible for everything that happened to you I grabbed and slit his throat The silence tormented me I shot them, watched them suffer “It’s not your fault” Three worlds: dreams, experiences, memories “Yes, sometime.” From A Long Way Gone by IshmealBeah

Found Poems from English II Honors