John Muir students recall homelands through poetic performance
Some of the John Muir Middle School students have lived in Burbank only a few weeks, others a handful of years.
But each has memories of friends, siblings and grandparents who remain in their homelands, places like Iran, Syria, France or Thailand.
On Friday morning, the students shared those memories as they recited poetry either they or renowned poets had written.
Thirteen-year old Mishel Hartooni’s work recalled his grandfather in Tehran, where Michel lived until he moved to Burbank three years ago.
“Home is my grandpa’s classic red Volvo,” he said in his recitation. “I wonder if it still has its shiny red color. I pretend my grandpa is taking me to school. I feel the warm hug he gives me before he drops me off. I worry if he will get home safe. I cry after school when he’s just a little late. I remember home when my grandpa made me hot cocoa so I could get warmer. Home is my grandfather’s classic red Volvo.”
Parents and guests in attendance were given a short lesson in how to perform properly after 48 students performed “Homeland: Poetry in Performance,” at John Muir Middle School in Burbank on Friday, Jan. 22, 2016.
Michel said he has not visited Iran since leaving but plans to see his grandfather when he returns this summer to Tehran for an uncle’s wedding.
Each of the 50 or so students are developing their English-language skills under teachers Jessica Wertlieb and Jim Koontz. The youths represent many nations, including Armenia, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Romania, Russia and Saudi Arabia.
For 10 weeks, the students worked under teaching artist Kate Randolph, an actress who was brought on to direct the performance after the school received a Burbank Arts For All grant.
After reading the students’ poems, which they wrote in class, Randolph assigned each lines and verses to read about their cities and loved ones. Then she taught them to project their voices and speak clearly and slowly.
At certain times during the performance, students recited excerpts in unison, such as one by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish that states:
“I come from there. I learnt all the words and broke them up to make a single word: Homeland. I come from there.”
Thirteen-year old Nora Fulop, who arrived in Burbank from Hungary six months ago, recalled red and pink roses planted outside of her former bedroom window and expressed concern for them in the cold winter months.
“I worry about the rose in my garden because it gets frozen,” she said on stage.
After their performance, Randolph wiped away tears, and later admitted she also cried when she first read the students’ poetry.
“Another one of the things they learned is that no matter where you come from in the world, you have a mother, you have a father, you have a family that you love,” she said. “And everyone’s suffering is the same suffering, and you experience the same joys, and you learn you have much more in common than you have differences.”
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Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com
Twitter: @kellymcorrigan
