The Human Voice

In 2010, English teachers Mrs. Tina Curby and Mrs. Audrey Olson put on ICSB's first Poetry Recital, which quickly became a beloved school tradition that continued annually through 2019. Last fall, English Teachers Ms. Rachel Stowell and Ms. Rachel Culbertson revived the event in honor of Mrs. Curby, for her last Poetry Recital before retiring, and have now taken up the mantle to carry on the tradition.

I love offering this event because it feels like a place where some of our students who don't participate in music or athletics (and even some who do!) get to shine. I also appreciate an opportunity for our students to engage with poetry in a different way--for the ones reciting to really get to know the poem and for those listening to just enjoy the words, rather than having to analyze them deeply. I think we had a good mix of themes and levels of depth, and I'm very proud of our students for their hard work!

Ms. Rachel Stowell

 

Many of the poems heard that night explored life's beauty and impermanence. Some students recited prayers, poems of doubt and faith, including Nash C., who shared “Love’s as Warm as Tears” by C.S. Lewis. Others focused on the relationships that shape its beauty from Shakespearian and contemporary love poems, to ones focusing on parental relationships like Brando U.'s retelling of the fatherly advice in Rudyard Kipling's "If," and a heartwarming ode to fathers in Edgar Guest's "Only a Dad," recited by Mira T., to the raw and emotional realities of “How to Love Your Mother at 98” by Ellen June Wright and performed by Joanne S.

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,   

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   

 And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

“If” by Rudyard Kipling

 

Some students recited poems on human rights issues, like Jázmin M., who recited “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou, who was a key figure in the Civil Rights movement, and a close personal friend of Martin Luther King Jr. In this poem, Angelou contrasts a free bird with a caged bird in an extended metaphor of racial oppression, freedom versus captivity, and happiness with sorrow. Others shared thought-provoking pieces on cultural identity, like Kostya E.'s powerful performance of “Legal Alien” by Pat M., or Timothy M.'s animated and impactful delivery of “Bilingual/Bilingüe” by Rhina P. Espaillat

 

 

A few students even shared original poems, like Dunja V. & Cami R.'s performance of “Day and Night” by Dunja V., or Chaerin H., who shared her original poem “Doing Phone Alone on the Bed at the Corner of My Room” following the Ariel Franco poem that inspired it, "Eating Dinner Alone at the 163rd Street Mall." 

 

 

Our amazing English teachers also bookended the night with poems celebrating poems and their necessity for human reflection and expression.

A beautiful tribute to some beautiful poets! I was impressed by the students' hard work memorizing these powerful and beautiful words. You never know when those lines will rumble back through your brain and capture an experience you're having. This year, our poets showed depth of heart and understanding by sharing poems from all over the world which speak to myriad experiences. What a gift to share this evening together, exploring the deep and meaningful human experience of poetry.

Ms. Rachel Culbertson

 

We are grateful to Ms. Rachel Stowell, Ms. Rachel Culbertson, and Ms. Joanna Gallagher for taking up the mantel and continuing this wonderful tradition. Thank you to Mr. Zoli Márton for his help with refreshments, to Joseph D., Gavril V., Kayleigh S., Elaina L., Annora K., Landon R., and Steven K. for their support in setting up this evening’s event, and to Michael M. for sharing his musical talents with us. Finally,  thank you to all the students who worked hard to learn and recite these inspiring and thought-provoking poems, and to all who took the time to listen.

Poetry (and now my voice is rising)

is not all love, love, love,

and I’m sorry the dog died.

Poetry (here I hear myself loudest)

is the human voice,

and are we not of interest to each other?

“Ars Poetica #100: I Believe” by Elizabeth Alexander