'Memories left in a bind:" Elegies - The Chicago Poetry Center

‘Memories left in a bind:” Elegies

Students wrote elegies on lost people, places, things, and feelings.

Lesson Note: “…research reveals the role of elegy writing in acknowledging and nurturing ongoing bonds with lost loved ones.” – The Literature of Loss: Elegy Writing as a Therapeutic Strategy for Coping with Grief, by poet Judith Harris, British Journal of Guidance and Counseling, 2021.

Ms. Wright 7th Grade

A Dog Yaodong T.

In the morning burning sun, you sat there lying down outside the house. Your shiny, yellowish fur is like gold. I went and played with you, fed you, and also even sat on you wondering what happened next. Then another day came, and I saw you disappear, I was sad about where you had gone but then you back like the sun rising in the night sky taking over the moon. Soon after We played and more days went by, even a month but one day when I woke up I saw you were not there. I was confused and I yelled for him but heard nothing like the sun was going down. Yet now he is forgotten; may he be found.

Computer Jason L.

I clicked, I tapped, and I yelled and I cried.

I even begged for you to stay alive, but you just died.

My games, my files, and my stuff

Losing my computer has been really tough.

Now, all my joy is stuck offline.

So here I am, both sad and mad,

Missing the best tech I ever had.

Rest in peace, my screen and sound.

Friends Along the Way Brandon H.

It’s all about the friends we made

With those online at your aid

Or in reality, so you aren’t afraid

By the time it was to leave

All I wanted was to grieve

Then I remembered a time

Where our excitement was shared

All until bedtime

And we never had another care

It felt like it would last forever

That our friendship could never sever

Now I know it would never

In order to give life to my dreams

I would have to cherish what I had

I had to move forward

There were things to leave behind

Memories left in a bind

Things will never be the same

And I may not remember their name

But if I could say one more thing

To the friends I made along the way

“Good luck”

Socks Wenxi C.

When I first got you at that store

I was so excited

I wore you everyday

On every special occasion

But now you’re gone, nowhere to be seen

What am I going to wear now?

I miss your blue, soft cloth

When you gave me warmth from the cold

It’s not the same when I wear other socks

They always make me itch or they’re too big

Maybe someday I’ll find a new pair

One that is just as special as you

But you’ll still be at the back of my mind

Wondering how you disappeared