PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

When she was birthed she had no name, until her grandmother came, that is,

And so she was given the name ‘Chutchie,’

And this name became a part of her for the day or a certain part of the day,

Or for many years or stretching cycles of years.



Childhood laughter filled the orange tree, the persimmon tree, the pear tree,

the plum tree, and the peach tree,

climbing each for their delicious fruits they’ve bored became a part of this child,

And the mud cakes, the ant hills and playing with rolly-pollies,

And the stray cats she took, the pigeons,

and her pet bunny with its startling ruby red eyes,

And the funerals she had for those strays, bunny and her many goldfish,

she wept placing her popsicle stick crosses,

And the days when she wanted it to snow in Stockton —however never did —

she and three others then filled the entire living room with bottles of baby powder

And pretended a snow day was possible somehow,

And the cool muddied garden nearby outside that seemed like a jungle

with the hanging vines and luscious green leaves,

traveling through it like a safari, all became a part of this child.



And beneath the orange tree a swing her father built where she swung upon everyday,

She felt she could touch the cloudless and endless sky if the tried hard enough,

And when her brother “accidentally” burned her hand with the iron,

How her mom put tooth paste to relieve that pain,

And the many days she coughed, sniffled and sneezed,

How both parents made lugaw [rice porridge] and offered orange juice

to clear the cold away, became a part of this child.



The days went along and so she entered grade school,

grinning telling her mother, “ It’s okay, you can leave now”,

When her mother saw other children crying and screaming for their mothers,

And the luck she had being in the same kindergarten class

with her best friend and partner-in-crime: her cousin,

And the time her favorite pink glove was stolen from her cubby

never knowing just who the culprit was,

And the day she met another kid who didn’t understand how to snap his fingers,

And, in the first grade, how she embarrassingly called her teacher “dad” by accident,

And the disgusting cafeteria food which she’s always unsure about eating

since the “tuna incident” when she later regurgitated in class, became a part of this child.



And more days ticked on and she entered junior high,

feeling more nerdy when she first received a pair of eye glasses,

And adjusting to an unfamiliar class schedule, disoriented,

because it was a complete difference than in elementary,

And meeting new friends from different schools,

And the enjoyment going to Great America to ride every roller coaster,

became a part of this child.



Finally high school arrived which joining the student leadership class

for the first two years was an enriching experience,

And working on decorations ‘til late at night, attending rallies, the dances,

working within the student store when once they sold food,

acting as commissioner of awards during freshmen year,

serving too as class president sophomore year,

And learning so much from her classes,

And the great willow-like tree under which she and her friends spent lunch time together,

the long hanging branches provided them shelter from the elements

until the day it was sadly cut down,

And although the tree shall be missed, the absence of bees

that the tree’s blossoms attracted, will not,

And the very courage it took her to join the tennis team,

And the days training spent under the scorching sun,

beaded sweat dripping from her frame,

And though she was burned and bronzed she enjoyed the thrill of the game still,

became a part of this child.



Yet growing up she experienced events happening.

At six years old, Princess Diana died in a car accident,

And she was just as dejected as the rest of the world in 1999

because Ginger Spice disbanded from the Spice girls,

And the “Y2K” incident when mankind believed the world’s technology

would cease to function at midnight’s stroke,

How some appeared indifferent while others took precautions

to stock on food, supplies, and water,

And the moments of disbelief that nothing chaotic happened,

And then the devastating occurrence of  9/11 which she didn’t understand

not until a few years later what it meant,

And, Hurricane Katrina, 2005, how this child helped organize to raise money

at school for it, became a part of this child.



These became a part of that child who went forth every day,

and who now goes, and will always go forth every day.