Class project
Expressing Maslow through Poetry
For this class project we are asked as a team to use some form of the arts to express social & emotional needs of learners. We are using the Maslow hierarchy of needs. We are still in progress and my teammates may take a different approach.
For now, here is my first iteration.
Physiological needs
I am a Time Bomb
Like a bomb on TV
I am wired to a remote control
My insulin pumps
It flows with my basal rate
My glucose monitors
It checks my levels
Tick tock, tick tock. It checks.
Monitoring. Pumping.
Alarms.
Am I crashing?
Check my levels.
More sugar? More insulin?
Snack on board.
Feeling better, focusing.
My classmates stare.
Some want my food.
Look at That
Tap tap, tap tap
Legs going, I’m in rhythm
Go, go, go
Teacher
Wah wah, wah wah, wah wah
What’s she saying?
Window
Bird flaps, glides
Graceful, beautiful
Drumming
Paradiddles, paradiddles
Flowing, flowing
Bobby’s hair
Too much gel
It’s so spiky
Teacher calls
Who me?
Yes, I love it.
Teacher won’t stop
No, I don't like Hitler.
Leave me alone
Classmates stare
Leave me alone
Flee, flee, flee.
Safety needs
I saw the news
I saw the news
That kids in school
Are not so safe
And were shot
I saw that kids in
Columbine
Ate their lunch and read books
And were shot
I saw that kids in
Sandy Hook
Hid in closets
And were shot
I saw that kids in
Parkland Florida
Barricaded doors
And were shot
I heard the principal sound an alarm
Here in my school
We do our drills
Will I get shot
Love and belongingness needs
Be here for me
It’s okay Mom
Don’t cry
We’re fine
I’ve got you
Be here for me
I feel your pain
I see your hell
You’re not alone
Be here for me
The subway’s packed
Long day typing
Go ahead melt down, then
Be here for me
The exhaustion
The tears
Indignities
Be here for me
I am quiet
I am alone
I am so sad
Be here for me
Esteem needs
What do the other kids think
The teacher says
That my cursive’s bad
She can’t read the squiggly lines
What do the other kids think?
The teacher says
That I blurt my words
I lisp and can’t say snakes
What do the other kids think?
The teacher says
I should be in the reading group
I guess I struggle with words
What do the other kids think?
The teacher says
That I’m a good boy
What does that mean
What do the other kids think?
Self-actualization needs
I found my place
Phew, it took so long
Very many years
Yet now I found my place
Along the way
I remediated, explored, discovered
Just to find my place
I took on jobs
That were just part me
Hoping to find my place
My hopes and dreams
I pursued them all
Scrambling to find my place
At the end
I’ve pieced it together
Knowing that I found my place
Nothing short of beautiful. <3
This poetry made me laugh, cry, and sit in a melancholy space for a moment, reflecting on my own life and others who have these lived experiences. Thank you for providing a safe space to reflect on those painful moments in my life to remember how far I have traveled.