The List of Things I’ve Never Done

You’ll have to forgive me.
I’m a little nervous.
I guess you could kind say that this is my poetry debut.
I’ve never done anything like this before.
So I thought about it
And made a list of some of the things that I have never done.

I’ve never seen the sun set below the horizon of a never-ending field, while riding in the back of
a flat bed truck after a hard day’s work.
I’ve never had the chance to listen in on Philosophical conversations, held by educated men,
while I served them coffee or Brandy.
I’ve never been able to provide diamonds for all of the beautiful girls in the world, let alone all
the girls that I have loved.
I’ve never traveled to the heart of New York, where I was able to peddle goods, on street
corners, to earn money for those who paid for my trip.
I’ve never worked in coffee fields for an hourly wage that is much less than the price being paid in the purchase of the final product.
I’ve never been forced to walk the midnight streets of L.A. making in money for pimps by
doing favors for strange men.
I’ve never had to work in shops that are defined by the perspiration that comes from my long hours and manual labor.
I’ve never been sprayed with pesticides while working in heat that could boil your blood.
I’ve never had to wade in the water while being watched over by mercenary men with machine guns held hand-in-hand.
I’ve never been knocked out and kidnapped from my family only to come to in a house full of
broken girls.
I’ve never been kidnapped from my home, given drugs and brain washed into wanting to fight as
a child soldier.
I’ve never seen the last look on my father’s face while I was torn from his arms and taken away.
I’ve never had my virginity stolen from me when I was 10 years old.
And I’ve never been born into a system, where I didn’t have a choice, but only a way of life.
I’ve never done any of these things before.
So the least I can do,
is take on these nerves,
and create awareness for those who have.


-Luke Boggess

How I Relate to Slave Labor

I walked into the M.T. Cup

(where the coffee’s not great but

at least Myles hires cute girls

for minimum wage

to work behind the counter)

with an Indianapolis Star

in my right hand

and the idea of a drink on my mind.

“Black coffee please.”

Because that’s what great poets do

as they read the daily news

as if to taste the pain of the world

through

the plain color of a plastic lid.

With my idea in my hand

and the paper on my mind,

I paid the cute girl with a tip,

left her with a smile,

and made my way outside

to where the people sat around black circles

and discussed grey topics

as the insides of their cups

began to show their true colors.

While I

made my way

to a spot below shade

and set down my black pack

that reminds me of a book bag

that I once had when I was seven years old

that read:

“Made in China”

on the front pocket

below the emblem of

my favorite basketball team.

I remember asking my mom

“Why was this made by Chinese

if they didn’t speak English?

if they don’t know who the Chicago Bulls

were?

And if they’ve never seen Michael Jordan

play ball before?”

Answering my own question

before she had the chance to explain

I came

to the conclusion

that it must have been a mistake.

So they donated it to America.

Knowing a little more on the topic

now

but thinking about it a little less,

I took a seat at the table

and a sip from my drink.

It was warm outside that day.

So I, removed my Nike cap

that was Made in China.

Unzipped my Columbia fleece

Made in China

Exposing my gray J. Crew T

Made in China

And tugged at the legs of my jeans

Made in China

Adjusted the shades on my face

Made in China

And leaned back,

and propped up on the table

my red, white, but mostly blue

converse

that were Made in China.

And I thought about how comfortable

I was

as I read those censored stories

about the poor

and about the raped

and about the abused.

And I sipped from my black coffee

as if I could taste the pain of the world

through

the plain color of a plastic lid.

-Luke Boggess

2nd Annual Fair Trade Fondue Party

We are putting on the Fair Trade Fondue Party again this year with help from some other student organizations on campus. It is also a tie-in with the Freshmen Connections Common Reader, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah, so we were able to get more funding to make it even bigger and better. There will be poetry readings and motivational speaker Marti M. Fitzhugh who is a survivor of international human trafficking, addiction and homelessness. She rebounded to live a happy and prosperous life in California and Indiana, alternately. Marti has begun speaking to raise awareness about human trafficking. Her story is powerful and uplifting.

Come Join Us:

	Tuesday, November 17, 2009
	7:00pm - 9:00pm
	Pruis Hall at Ball State There is also an event on facebook, click here to RSVP

Another Opporunity...

...To go make and buy yummy treats!

Yes we are having another bake sale. The sale will run through today and start up again tomorrow morning at 9am until we either run out of goodies or run out of daylight. Today we have lots treats including: vegan spice cake, peanut butter cookies, puppy chow, funfetti cookies, chocolate chip cookies, brownies and lots of other goodies as more people bring them in. Also there is information about the upcoming Fondue Party at the table, don't worry information is free, while all goodies are 50 cents. The goodies are going fast so I might suggest hurrying over to Teachers College to go get yours for the day.

Think of it as doing your good deed for the day...

Pictures from the Bake Sale

Sorry it took me so long to get these posted. Better late than never. Also don't forget to check out the facebook group! I am going to post them up there too.

Bake Sale and Meeting

Today is the Bake Sale! Already we have run out of a few tasty morsels, it is still going on tomorrow so make sure to go buy some treats, if you can't make it out today. Also we have a meeting at 8pm in the Writing Center (RB291). I took some pictures of the bake sale this morning and will post them later.

Happy Birthday Gandhi!

To celebrate go look up information about his life and works.