Poems written as part of DKW’s 2024 ReMARCable Dance Project

Memory Means Remembering the Good Moments about Key West by Steven

Sitting at a restaurant on the water

Basking in the sunshine

Key West all decked out for the holidays

Walking on the beach

Dining under sunshine and stars

Pretending like I am flying like a graceful bird in the wind

Spending an afternoon at the tropical beach

Watching love all around

The garden full of flowers

The Customs House Museum

Going to the MARC House

Being inspired by everything around me

Seeing historic houses

Mallory Square Sunset

Theater magic

Boat rides

Shining in the spotlight

Key West

full of sun and stars

Imagining I am dancing like a star

Proud by Philip

I am proud

About the good time I had in the Wal-Mart

I am proud that I have bought a new yellow shirt

When I was with my friend

He helped me purchase it

I paid for my yellow shirt

And then we left and went home.

Spiderman by TJ

Shooting Webs

Swinging

Climbing

SAVING THE DAY!

People Don’t Know by Johnny

People don’t know

I have a tattoo of King Tut I got that a long time ago

People don’t know

I’ve been to Graceland

And I have all the Elvis DVDs, movies and records

People don’t know

I’ve been to California and Hawaii and Gettysburg

People don’t know

I went to Egypt

Me and my mom, together, on an airplane

It was a long, long trip

Let me explain.

We got on a boat,

and went along the Nile River.

We saw temples and sphinx and pyramids.

I got sick from the smell of gas on the boat. It was very, very hot.

I know all the Gods, and the Pharaohs. Isis

Osiris

The Scorpion King

Mentuhopet III Amenhotep III Tutankhamun Rameses Neferteti Cleopatra

I figured out how to read hieroglyphics

I rode a camel

I want to be an archaeologist

I’d like to find where Cleopatra’s body is

One day,

a man introduced us to his daughter. He wanted me to go out with her

I said, I’ll go out with you.

We could walk on the beach

and hold hands.

She was very nice

But we had to leave the next day

I wish I could go back someday.

Bodies in Motion by Ben

Wiggling

Jiggling

Waves

Untitled by Curt

I am a little girl

getting her hair braided

It used to hurt

But I’m used to it

Beauty is pain

But not for my mother

She is naturally beautiful

Easy to pull out & to coil back up

into a circle like the tomatoes

of my dreams, that I eat.

And the ones that I think about taking home to my sisters. I love them.

All the Feels by Emirlee

I was eating chicken salad & rice

When I heard it on TV

I felt the song

Happy

Excited

Raining Sunshine

I started dancing.

Yami to Hikaki (Darkness & Light) by Andrew

Out of the darkness, light,

The dark taught us what is right,

So, we value light.

I Still Think About Her by Donald

I still think about her.

She’s in a better spot than I am, she’s in Heaven, and I’m still here.

She’s up there, with the Lord playing the pipe organ, I bet you.

Heaven has gold streets

and there are lots of good preachers preaching up there.

Everyone singing these Gospel songs.

She’ll be waiting for me when I walk in.

She’ll look like an angel with wings.

“Son,” she will say, “Come into Heaven and see your family.”

Winn-Dixie by Donald

Before I moved here I worked at Winn-Dixie in North Carolina.

I bagged groceries, brought in buggies, put stuff on shelves, cleaned up the floors,

I did it all

One day, I was bagging a lady’s groceries

and she told me something I didn’t want to hear

it made me feel bad after she said it to me.

I tried to be patient with her but she just kept on and on and on.

I told the manager and he called the police and they put her in jail

I think she was drunk.

When she came back, I bagged her groceries. She said Sorry, and tipped me five dollars.

I’ve seen a lot of things at Winn-Dixie in North Carolina and in Big Pine Key.

One time a man came in and stole some beer and then he fell down.

The police came and he had to go to the hospital

One time a deer jumped in the trash can and the trash can fell over.

My friend William at Winn-Dixie, he always talked to trees. What do you do that for, William? They don’t talk back.

I’d thought he lost his mind.

He goes out to bring the buggies in, he says, Hi Tree, How you doing? It ain’t gonna talk back, I say.

It don’t have lips.

I don’t talk to trees, I just go right past them.

The Jungle Cruise Ride by Wendy Senical

I’m Skipper Dan, driver of the Jungle Cruise Ride Come on Board, I’m your guide.

Around the corner there’s a huge surprise

And here they are - big beautiful butterflies!

On your cell phone, you have your calls,

Along the Amazon, you see the Inspiration Falls!

I made people say “oooh and Aaaaaah”!

What am I doing here? I should be in a spa!

I show you were the Pygmies live,

And all those bad puns that I give!

On the limb, in the tree house, we see a huge python snake

When I go home, for dinner, I’ll have a Slab of steak!

I just can’t stand it, the apes are messing up my camp..

Along the jungle cruise, I turn off my lamp.

Then I show you the River Nile,

I sit on the crate and give my nails a file!

We see two African elephants with big floppy ears,

I can’t believe I’ve been doing the Jungle Cruise all these years.

Passing the rocks, we see the Wildebeest,

Along the way the lions, are having a zebra feast.

We see a Rhino chasing poachers up the totem pole,

he send and used his horn to poke them, in their rear end!!

We saw two big Crocodiles,

If they were a Tux, that would be their style!

On our way in a tunnel, long, dark and black,

We are still in the jungle, I hope I have lunch in my backpack! Look at these Indian elephants that we see…

Now we can return home, that’s where we need to be.

Now get off my boat and on the dock,

Go and jog back home, along the block

Happy by Linnea

I am happy to be a cat, purring

Playing with a little girl’s hairbrush

The cat jumps on the windowsill

People going by

It is sunny & warm

Cats like birds

Fisher Girl (or Bad Octopus) by Kai

The ocean is like my backyard

Both my dads are fishermen

The first time I went on a boat I was two years old

My dad held me on his lap

Sometimes, I drive the boat

I’m happy and proud because my dad taught me how to drive the boat

I love to see the turtles and dolphins jumping out of the water

The turtles put up their heads

I wish they could talk and soak at the reef

One time I saw an eel coming out of his hole

He had sharp teeth… “Hi Kai!!”

We jump in the water and lol

He looked like he wanted to bite me

When I was little my dad had a bucket

He put water in the bucket and little baby fish, little baby lobsters, little baby stone crab, little baby octopus

It made me feel happy

But one time the baby octopus bit my little finger I grabbed him and threw him into the water

Bad octopus!

Ode to Ice Cream by Michael Neri

Ice cream, melting onto the ground,

It drips on my clothes: blue shirt,

black shorts, blue, red, the round drips that drop, like bubbles.

Grape, Strawberry.

Wet & sticky.

It comes from the store, in the freezing - cold freezer,

Slide it open. The breeze makes my body feel cold, like ice. It feels good.

Refreshing.

Wait for it to melt a little to make it easier

to scoop out.

Any bowl will do.

Silver spoon, plain but needed.

It tastes so good when I’m hot,

hot in the Florida Keys summer,

extra hot.

Share? No thanks.

I Eat it alone– all of it.

Nothing is left.

But don’t lick the bowl.

Dance by William

It feels wonderful

Wilderness with your Depression of the Loving heart

Everlasting Life

When I Dance by The ReMARCable Dancers

I see red and pink waves

I feel like a dolphin jumping

& splashing

I feel energized

and it’s FUN!

Graceful as the water of the sea Winter wonderful

Like birds flying in the air

I am a butterfly

a Superstar

I feel embraced by love and grace like a rainbow of golden colors

I am my real self

I am Fast

sometimes slow like ballet

With my friends

happy like when you get pizza

I am a spray of strawberry perfume

going through the air

gorgeous air

wonderful strawberry, strawberry

floating in the blue sky with clouds embracing my heart

When I hear clapping and cheer

I feel Joy

I am in a wonderful place.

Fairytale Ballet by Rosemary

I love you

I love all my friends

I can dream of anybody I want

Fairyland by Jill

There’s a land

Where the fairies

are free

Up in the forest

The fairies fly free

With a love you can see Just like me

Ode to Tomatoes by Amalia

Round like a face, an eye, or the sun,

piled highland heavy in the green metal basket.

I pick them for work

in my favorite purple shirt - I love it, it’s my color - with hibiscus prints across my heart, for giving.

I love hibiscus but not as much as I love

tomatoes colored tomato-red,

which is best. Yellow’s tasty, too, & even green’s kinda good.

So many growing from pots on the ground, their smell in the air, look around!

See if it’s ready, ripe-ready red.

We all work together, 4 of us,

working hard outside in the heat,

careful not to step on what’s rotten.

Suzy lets me eat the small ones.

So juicy, so mushy in my mouth.

The rest we carry to rinse in the silver, metal sink, then use for our food.

Spearmint, basil, salt & pepper.

Woody stirs the pot. I help.

Oh, it’s good. I love it.

We save the seeds, water the plants

every day with the long, green hose.

I am Frightened by Pam

I know there is something out there but I don’t know what

I hear scary noises at night

like chippers and grinders

I wear black leggings

and hide under the sheets

I have an iguana named Thunder and a vampire bat

I feel happy and protected

True Colors by Serina

The colors of the Rainbow

I feel great

Happy

I’m being Myself

I Love to be Out in the Water by Jennifer

When I am out in the water, paddling

I am free

I love looking at the water in a different way I love to paddle board out there

the wind in my hair

And that is why I just love to be on the water

Happy by Rosi’s Saturday Group

I am Happy

I love near a heart I smile in the mirror

Happy likes pizza with cheddar and anchovies and fried chicken, blueberries

and chicken salad

Happy drives a fast car to the mall

to watch a movie with her boyfriend

and they are going to kiss until one o’clock!

Happy wears a shirt with a beautiful glitter heart

Happy sounds like singing a love song

Happy has three boys and one girl and four cats

Happy pets her cats and they play with yarn

Happy turns her cats upside down and tickles their bellies

Happy has a dental office

She wants to make kids’ teeth white and shiny, like pearls

Happy dreams of dreams that come true and dreams of living in a castle and getting a yellow shirt for a birthday present

Happy likes swimming, paddle boarding, soccer,

bocci, flag football, and bowling

Happy is very good at bowling!

My Work by Tony

I get down in the morning

working on the Navy base

I get my ID & get to work cutting the weeds

I get home & I’m worn out

I put my pajamas on & go to bed

Fun by Billy & The ReMARCable Dancers

Friends get together

Girls want to have fun with boys

I love the party

My Friends by Nadia

My friends are special to me

They never let me down

They are always beside me when I need them

My friends love me

When I am down they are right by my side

They are like my family

I cherish them with all my heart

A true friend shows love at all times

My friendship always means a lot to me

and I never forget that.

Whether we are older,

whether we are young,

we all got to stick together.

And a true friend can always trust me.

It’s beautiful to be with your friends,

like happy friends.

It’s like you see your friends with a happy face and joy to be.

Steven by Steven

S - Sassy

T - Triumphant

E - Elegance

V - Vivacious

E - Enchanting

N - Newsworthy

W - Welcoming

I - Imaginary

L - Legend

L - Legacy

I - Inspiring

A - Adorable

M - Magical

S - Society

A - Acceptance

U - Unreplaceable

T - Transformed / Theatrical

E - Easygoing / Educational / Extraordinary

R - Rewarding / Regal / Royal

Always by Hailey

Constant, his love makes me Happy

Excited

I smile.

Constant, his love gives me Kindness

Time

I’m thankful.

Love by Amanda

Love in my heart

Love

Love in your heart

Love

Love everywhere

Special thanks to B. Lucy Stevens and Cricket Desmarais