Most of my poems rhyme, but there are some exceptions!

Table of Contents

Four Seasons of Childhood

Collecting

Luggage

I love adventuring before I sleep

Thoughts on annotating poetry

Four Seasons of Food

The Block

Penny

Beluga Whale

Four Seasons of Childhood

It’s eighty degrees,

The sun beats down on the basketball court,

And my head top feels as hot as the blacktop

Sweet cherry Popsicle juice

Stains my teeth, drips down my chin, sticks to my skin

Satisfyingly syrupy

Wet, dribbling sweat

Pools in my armpits, soaks my shirt, mixes with dirt:

The mark of a day well spent.

Not to mention the chalk dust on my pants,

Monkey-bar calluses on my hands,

And the change I earned from the lemonade stand

Jingling happily in my pocket

*

I feel the crisp crunch of leaves as I walk – no, skip

On my way to the bus stop

The wind whips my hair and blows brisk kisses,

Makes my eyes water and reddens the tips of my ears

Filling me with a fierce determination

And eager anticipation.

The first day of school:

New binders, new notebooks, new pencils, new folders—

And I am one year older.

And bolder: ready to take on the world!

In my cupcake-patterned turtleneck,

Jeans with the sparkly pink belt,

And light-up tennis shoes

*

It is ten o’clock at night

Snow swirls, wind whirls, and powdery flakes carpet the world in white

I am sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of milk and a computer,

Constantly refreshing weather.com

Until I am told to go to bed.

At six in the morning the phone rings,

Confirming that yes, school is canceled!

And my heart leaps at the prospect

Of stomping through fresh new snow wherever I go

Building a snowman with a scarf and hat and carrot nose

Lying on my back and catching snowflakes on my tongue—

The sensation of icy wet cold slipping down my collar, making me shiver

And coming inside at last to a steaming mug of hot chocolate

*

I’m wearing brand new shiny red rain boots,

And my heart fills with the thrill

Of splashing through every puddle in my path

And singing “Robin in the Rain”

Picking up lovely slimy worms off the concrete

And slipping them back into the grass

I pause at the front porch, to see if the hyacinths and crocuses

Have poked their dainty little heads out of the soil

I inhale the rich, earthy smell that lingers after rain

And let it linger, too, in my brain:

Store it in my memory

For a time may come

When I long to feel what I felt this day

~Sarrah Hakim~

January 15, 2017

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Collecting

I sit here gathering a basket of sun,

the light touch of a warm breeze,

and the soft whisper of the wind to the trees,

gracing each leaf with a kind word;

*

I am collecting the rough bark against my back

and each crumbling speck of dirt

that kisses my hands, my legs,

and the underside of my thighs;

*

I snatch up every drop in the pool of sky –

the expanse of blue and the frothy white foam –

and I store the vast framework above me:

the maze of gentle branches,

each long limb offering a hand to a furry friend;

*

I take every slender green finger that tickles my skin,

every sip of fresh air that fills my lungs,

and every leaf napping on a comfortable bed of grass,

*

So that when the days come

of powdered sugar and cold peppermint breaths,

of frosted windowpanes and silvery mornings,

I can open my collection

And reach for my basket of sun.

~Sarrah Hakim~

September 4, 2014

*Inspired by the book “Frederick” by Leo Lionni

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Luggage

For the most part, I travel light.

But every so often

I pack something away,

Lock up my precious cargo,

And carry it with me

Wherever I go.

 *

Some of my cargo will never feel heavy,

No matter how much I pack.

Like the warmth that fills me with every hug,

The love in my parents’ eyes,

And the laughs I share with my friends each day.

The joy overflows; it spills out of my bags –

Yet the more I pack, the lighter I feel!

 *

But some of my cargo weighs me down

It gets too heavy; my shoulders get sore

And I have to stop,

Catch my breath,

And unpack.

I might take something out

And leave it behind

Like the frustration that seizes me with its blackened fingers

Shakes me, digs those fingers under my skin

Or the annoyance that builds up

Faster than I can break it down

Or the disappointment that fills me

With naught but emptiness,

Leaving a gaping hole heavier than the leaden anger that

At times

Forces its way inside

 *

For the most part, I travel light.

But every so often

I open my bags

And adjust the contents.

A little more love,

A little less hate.

Then I pack it all up

And keep moving on.

 ~Sarrah Hakim~

October 7, 2013

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I love adventuring before I sleep

I love adventuring before I sleep.

It’s just the way I am.

I visit far-off lands and battle dragons and sail with pirates,

Plot with thieves, dine with fairies, and ride on horseback to ancient castles

Whose kings and queens welcome me and implore me to save their kingdoms.

I soar through painted worlds on the backs of great, winged creatures

The colors swirling in a river around me

And all of this I do

For at least an hour before I sleep.

 *

Though I must admit, I have noticed of late how quickly

The hour turns to minutes, the minutes turn to nothing.

Before long I cannot seem to depart for my journey.

So I tell the fairies to wait another day,

Which I regret soon turns into another,

And another, and another.

The ship is leaving without me now; I see it in the distance

But there is much work to be done, and no time to battle dragons

I am sorry that your kingdoms must go unsaved.

 *

Till at last one fine night,

When I can steal some time for myself

Fifteen minutes, or an hour if I’m lucky

When my obligations are either taken care of

Or ignored

When I am warm in my bed

By the light of the lamp on my bedside table

(Though the flickering light of a candle would be much more romantic)

I pick up my book, ready to adventure once more.

 ~Sarrah Hakim~

January 5, 2013

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Thoughts on annotating poetry

I find it highly amusing when

Deep within the folds of exploration,

Of searching passionately for some hidden meaning,

Absorbed by the printed words that seem to be brimming with a vital truth meant only for us,

Concentrating with a furious excitement,

We discover something that isn’t there.

*

When the poet puts pen to paper

And writes down a few words

Just because they sound pretty together,

Just because she likes the sound of “silver chariots in the night sky”

And somehow these words

Become a metaphor for life.

 *

When she uses “thunder”

Simply because it rhymes so well with “wonder,”

Not because it is a symbol of the deep anguish we feel when a loved one has passed away,

The suffocating, inescapable loneliness that envelops us,

Or the raging fury

That refuses to loosen its iron grasp.

 *

When we pore over a piece for hours

Racking our brains over what the poet could possibly have meant by that dash in line three

When, if we were to ask the poet herself,

She’d tell us she didn’t know

Or that she didn’t remember putting it there,

And maybe it was just a mistake.

*

I cannot tell you if it is beauty,

A vast misunderstanding,

Or a mixed-up world in which everything is more complicated than it needs to be.

I cannot explain myself in the clarity of glass,

And I certainly cannot promise you

That I understand exactly what I am saying.

 *

There are no puzzling mysteries here,

Nothing to lose sleep over,

And certainly no deep dark secrets that will change your life.

All I know is the ship may not reach the right port,

Or even know which port it is supposed to reach,

And I find that highly amusing.

~Sarrah Hakim~

September 9, 2012

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Four Seasons of Food

The sweet summer sunshine that kisses the top of my head

Is almost as sweet

As the watermelon juice dribbling down my chin

Sticking to my skin

Making me grin

I spit out the seeds and now I’m thinking of the peach,

Which I had earlier today

So impossibly pure

I am quite sure

It held the cure

To the disease of dismal days

And dripping with such ripe, nectarous essence

I had to stand over the kitchen sink to eat it

*

The wind is bitter and brisk, and it bites at my cheeks

As I bite into the fresh apple I bought at the farm stand

It may not be a shiny red

But its sweet crispness fills my head

And indubitably I am led

To buy a dozen more

Along with pumpkins and butternut squash

Which I plan to use tonight

In a dish that will delight

And propel one to the height

Of her senses

Savory spices and melted brown sugar

Make for the soul of autumn

*

Winter takes deep breaths and blows powdery kisses

That make me shiver

But are welcomed by my cabbage in the frost

Which sweetens with each degree lost

And will certainly go well with the sauce

I have prepared

The cauliflower and winter squash are getting ready

To play their part

In a glorious work of art –

A hearty stew that fills the heart

And as the world is carpeted in a white blanket outside

I can imagine nothing quite as satisfying

As the meal I am about to savor

*

The dampness that lingers after the rain is as refreshing

As the spring salad I am currently concocting

The asparagus is at its best

And radishes add a needed zest

To the other veggies in my harvest

And I think I know what awaits me for dessert

The first fruit of spring has arrived

With heavy stalks and shiny rose skin

And a sharp tartness that lies within

It will be perfect to put in

A pie – yes, rhubarb pie

With cinnamon and ginger

It’s simply divine

~Sarrah Hakim~

April 2018

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 The Block

Must I sit here at this awful desk?

Although I suppose it would make no difference

If I were on the floor, or in bed,

Or even in some faraway fantastical land.

 *

I would still be the tortured writer

The beads of sweat would still drip from my forehead

And the furious Block would still refuse to leave.

It would seem that it has taken up permanent residence.

 *

How I long to wield a hammer and smash that Block!

Smash it to pieces,

To bits so small

No one would even know it had been there.

 *

I would free writers all over the world

Of the sickening chains that bind them

And the Block would not simply lurk in its lair, as it has done for so long

It would be gone!

~Sarrah Hakim~

January 5, 2013

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Penny

Out of my hand

Towards the mailbox

Around the corner

Between two cars

In front of my house

Along the sidewalk

Across the street

Into the gutter

My penny rolled.

~Sarrah Hakim~

June 10, 2009

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Beluga Whale

In the water

Beneath the sky

Above the seaweed

With a permanent smile and gentle eyes

Around the coral

Among the fish

Without a care

Inside a niche

Swims the beluga whale.

~Sarrah Hakim~

June 10, 2009

*Yes, this is another poem from my beluga whale phase. I still think they’re adorable!

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