Pastiche of “A Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes

Its another one of those literary assignments again.. As the due date has passed, and our grades for the poem have been recieved, I decided that I shall post my poem on the internet. Knowing that there might be plagarists out there, I sure hope they would morally know what is right and wrong.  So.. Here is the poem, a pastiche of “A Theme for English B,” written by Langston Hughes, entitled “An Orchestra in We.”

Adelbert Madali
Mr. Jones
IB English
August 17, 2006

An Orchestra in We

The conductor shouted,

Class! Prepare to play,
the first piece of your concert today.
And let the sound come out from you—
Then, you will know it’s true.

I thought if I really could do it?
I hold the cello, a bow in hand, and music on the stand.
I learn from this prestigious conductor, in seriousness and laughter.
I have a unique sound in my orchestra.
The notes in the piece pass through each page,
playing arpeggios and scales, one after the other,
and I come to a repeat,
a never-ending repeat, where I play hard and fast
sitting on the edge of my chair, diligently waiting for the coda:

It is in great perspective to know the difference between a viola, violin, bass, and a cello player
with a bow and music on the stand. But I feel and play what I see, the music, I see it:
see it in you, see me—we all—you, me, play in this orchestra.
(I see it in Violins, too.) Me—who?
Well, I prepare to play, perform, and express the music.
I like to interpret, read, and write sound.
I like a new cello for a Christmas present,
or a new bow—Ebony, carbon fiber, or fiber glass.
I guess playing the cello does not
make me play
the same music for the same reasons other players play.
So this music I play be filled with the emotions I express?
Like me, it will not just be cellos.
But it will have
a part of you all, viola, violin, and bass.
yet a music player like me, as I am to you.

That’s an orchestra.
Sometimes you don’t play like me or others.
Nor do I often want to play like you.
But we are an orchestra! That is the truth.
As I play with you,
I guess you play with me—
although you are softer—and smaller—
and have a higher pitch.

This is the Orchestra in We.

Well, there you have it. I hope you have enjoyed reading it, as it only took me about 2 hours late in the morning to do it. I got a 25/25 for this and am pretty proud of it… though most people got 25/25’s anyways, I had received a nice comment.

Written on August 24, 2006 in School Things by Noel Madali. TrackBack URI.