Adventures in Odyssey

Chris: Hi, this is Chris. We're just about to have a time of wonder, adventure, and excitement. Would you like to join us? Get ready, because you never know what'll happen when you have an Adventures in Odyssey.

Guest (Male): His mom keeps putting stuff on his sandwich that he doesn't like.

Guest (Female): Exactly.

Guest (Female): Do you like it?

Guest (Male): Yes.

Guest (Female): I see.

Guest (Female): I like pants.

Guest (Male): You did say pants?

Guest (Female): Yes, pants.

Guest (Male): Wow.

Ms. Hogan: Okay class, let's move on to the homework. Last night I assigned you to read a poem by Robert Moss. Let's turn to that.

Ms. Hogan: I have a question. What do you think Moss is trying to say in this poem? Charles, why don't you give it a try?

Charles: Well, I read it a couple times and I think he's mad about something. Something to do with sandwiches, or maybe the ingredients of a certain sandwich. I think maybe he's mad about his mom keeps putting stuff on his sandwich that he doesn't like.

Ms. Hogan: I see. We're on page 127, Charles. Did you read the right poem?

Charles: Oh, I guess not. Sorry.

Ms. Hogan: That's okay, but read it for tonight. Anyone who did read the correct poem? Yes, Courtney.

Courtney: I think he's fighting with himself because he wants something he can't have.

Ms. Hogan: And what is it that he wants?

Courtney: I think freedom?

Ms. Hogan: Exactly. Very good, Courtney. This poem is about freedom, but it's a certain kind of freedom. What kind of freedom is he talking about?

Courtney: I loved that poem today. Just the way the words sounded so good together. You ought to read it tonight, even though we've already talked about it.

Charles: Sure, I will. That was pretty funny, you reading the wrong poem.

Courtney: Yeah. Which one did you read?

Charles: Oh, the one right above it.

Courtney: I read that one too, just for fun. Didn't you like the way it? Wait a minute. That poem didn't have anything to do with sandwiches either.

Charles: It could. Mrs. Hogan said it depends on your interpretation.

Courtney: It doesn't depend that much.

Charles: How do you know?

Courtney: I could tell you what he's talking about.

Charles: Oh, so you know the guy who wrote this? Did you ask him?

Courtney: What?

Charles: Maybe he likes sandwiches.

Courtney: You're missing the point. Let me show you. Look at this poem.

Charles: I don't want to.

Courtney: Right there.

Charles: I got to go to class.

Courtney: It's lunchtime. Just read this.

Charles: Which one?

Courtney: The one we did today, about freedom.

Charles: Right, freedom, whatever.

Courtney: Listen to this line. "The moment I touched my hands to the wall, I longed to be beyond it. I relished the moment."

Charles: There, right there. Why can't he be talking about sandwiches there?

Courtney: Where? I don't see. You mean the word relish? You saw the word relish and you thought, wait a minute. You did read this poem, didn't you?

Charles: I got to go.

Courtney: You really thought this poem was about sandwiches.

Charles: So what? It's a dumb poem anyway. This whole poetry unit is dumb.

Courtney: It's not.

Charles: I don't want to talk about it anymore.

Courtney: What's the problem?

Charles: There's no problem.

Courtney: Do you need help?

Charles: No.

Courtney: I'll help you if you want me to.

Charles: I don't need it. The only reason I got it wrong is because I can't stand to look at it.

Courtney: I hope you get used to it because we have to read poems every night for the next four weeks.

Charles: Four weeks?

Host (Female): In Adventures in Odyssey's 75th album, The Best Is Yet to Come, Penny gets news about her old nemesis, Benjamin Trask.

Host (Female): Benjamin died in prison almost a month ago. What?

Host (Female): And Eugene invents something that could change the world. The sky's the limit for you, Eugene. As usual, there's a lot happening in Odyssey, both bad and good. But as we all know, the best is yet to come.

Host (Female): Available now on the club, CD, and download. Find out more at AdventuresinOdyssey.com.

Guest (Male): Undivided in soul and mind, a place where men may gather and say, "Let us open our hearts."

Charles: Open our hearts? Gross.

Mr. Allen: Charles?

Charles: Hi, Mr. Allen.

Mr. Allen: Would you like something to eat or drink? You've been working hard over here.

Charles: No, thanks. I can't believe you have to do this poetry stuff.

Mr. Allen: You don't like it?

Charles: Like it? It's making me sick to my stomach.

Mr. Allen: Really?

Charles: I don't understand why we're even studying these people.

Charles: Like this one, Emily Dickinson. She's terrible. Everyone knows that dark doesn't rhyme with quick. It's not even close.

Mr. Allen: You're right.

Charles: And we have four weeks of this.

Mr. Allen: Everybody has things they don't like in school. I didn't particularly care for geometry when I was in high school. You just have to do your best to enjoy it. It'll get better.

Charles: It's going to get worse. You know what we have to do? Tomorrow night I have to write a poem.

Mr. Allen: No kidding.

Charles: What am I going to do? I don't know what to write about.

Mr. Allen: Oh, it shouldn't be that hard. Think of things you care about. Things that make you feel happy, or sad, or angry. That's pretty much what all poems are about.

Charles: Yeah, but how do I even start?

Mr. Allen: Best thing is to just do it. Start writing and see what comes out. Speaking of which, you're not getting anything done with me bothering you. I'll leave you alone so you can get back to it.

Charles: Thanks.

Mr. Allen: I'll be at the counter if you need me.

Charles: Bye.

Charles: There's got to be a way out of this.

Charles: Hey, Courtney.

Courtney: Hi, Charles.

Charles: Did you read the poem for today?

Courtney: Sure.

Charles: Pretty good one, huh?

Courtney: I thought so.

Charles: Pretty obvious what it was about.

Courtney: Yeah.

Charles: How would you put it if you were asked what the meaning of the poem was?

Courtney: Why?

Charles: Just out of curiosity. I mean, I know how I would put it, but I'm just interested in how someone else would word it.

Courtney: Oh. Well, I guess I would say that it was about the way people have become too separated. We think we have to be so independent, but we're supposed to, you know, trust each other and depend on each other. What did you think?

Charles: Oh, same thing.

Ms. Hogan: All right everyone, let's get right to it. We've got a lot to do today. Why don't we talk about today's poem? Who thinks they can tell me what the poem was saying? Charles?

Charles: It's about the way people are saturated. We think we should be in defensive, but we're really supposed to depend on and trust each other and stuff.

Ms. Hogan: Okay. If I'm deciphering that correctly, I think maybe you're right. Why do you think the author feels that way, Charles?

Charles: What?

Ms. Hogan: Why do you think the author feels like we need to depend on each other?

Charles: I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was going to be a two-part question.

Ms. Hogan: Uh-huh. Meaning you don't know.

Charles: I just didn't give it much thought.

Ms. Hogan: I see.

Ms. Hogan: This is what the poem is about: separation. The author thinks that people have become too independent of one another.

Charles: What was that?

Ms. Hogan: The author is a man who lived during the Depression.

Charles: You stole my answer.

Courtney: What do you mean?

Charles: You know exactly what I mean.

Courtney: Excuse me, I'm trying to listen to the teacher.

Courtney: Why did you do that?

Charles: I didn't do anything wrong.

Courtney: You said exactly what I was going to say. Kind of. So, did you even read the poem?

Charles: Yes, about 50 times.

Courtney: Then why did you need to steal my answer?

Charles: I didn't steal your answer. I just thought the same thing you did.

Courtney: I don't believe you. I don't think you could repeat what you said in class if you had to.

Charles: Like I would even want to. That poem is over with. I never want to think about it again. I got a headache reading it last night.

Courtney: Charles, it wasn't that hard to understand.

Courtney: You really having a hard time with this stuff?

Charles: No, I just hate it.

Courtney: Because I'll help you.

Charles: I don't need help. I can handle poetry.

Courtney: Are you sure?

Charles: Yes.

Courtney: Are you going to be able to write your poem tonight?

Charles: I'll figure it out.

Courtney: All right. Guess I'll see you around.

Charles: Yeah, see you.

Rusty: Hey, Chunky.

Charles: What? Oh, hi Rusty.

Rusty: I just happened to be eavesdropping on your conversation with Courtney. Are you really having trouble with poetry?

Charles: No.

Rusty: Because I can help you out.

Charles: I don't need your help. Why does everybody want to help me?

Rusty: Because it's obvious you need it. Let me ask you a question. In the poem we read in class today, why was the guy staring out at the ocean?

Charles: I don't care why the guy.

Rusty: Because people don't normally do that, you know? Stare at the ocean? They usually have better things to do.

Charles: Exactly. That's why it's a dumb poem.

Rusty: But answer my question. Why?

Charles: I don't know, and I don't care.

Rusty: Because he missed his girlfriend. Got it? Even I know that. What are you going to do tonight when you have to write your own?

Charles: I'll come up with something.

Rusty: Uh-huh. I'll bet you haven't slept in three days thinking about that assignment.

Charles: I got to go.

Rusty: Well, just in case you find yourself staring at a blank sheet of paper for three and a half hours a night. I got some poems I could sell you.

Charles: What poems?

Rusty: Complete, written poems. And they rhyme.

Charles: Where'd you get them?

Rusty: My sister's a poetry major in college. She writes these things all the time, and they're pretty good too.

Charles: Is your sister as smart as you?

Rusty: Maybe even smarter. Anyway, I could let you look at one and you can see if you like it.

Charles: No, no, I can't. I'm going to write my own poem if it kills me.

Rusty: Suit yourself, but the sale ends tonight.

Charles: The sale?

Rusty: 50% off regular price. Tomorrow the prices go back up.

Charles: I don't care. I'll see you.

Rusty: Guess I'll be saving one for Charles.

Mr. Allen: Hey Charles.

Charles: Oh, hi Charles. Can I read something to you?

Mr. Allen: Sure.

Charles: I finally finished my poem.

Mr. Allen: Oh, good.

Charles: It took me three hours.

Mr. Allen: I'd love to hear it.

Charles: Yeah, I want you to tell me if you think it's bad.

Mr. Allen: Okay, you go ahead.

Charles: Now, it's only my first time through. It may not be perfect yet.

Mr. Allen: You don't have to make apologies. I'm sure it'll be fine.

Charles: All right. Now, don't say anything until I'm done, okay?

Mr. Allen: I won't.

Charles: Here goes. My poem is called I like pants.

Mr. Allen: Pants?

Charles: You promised you wouldn't say anything till the end.

Mr. Allen: I'm sorry. I just thought I might have heard wrong. You did say pants?

Charles: Yes, pants.

Mr. Allen: Okay. Go on.

Charles: All right. I put on pants every day to go to school or to play. I like pants. Sometimes I wear pants of blue or brown to go with my shoe. I like pants. Sometimes I feel sorry for ants because they can't wear pants. I like pants. Pants cover my legs so that I can go. Without them, I would be cold, I know. I like pants. I like them so. That's it.

Mr. Allen: Wow. That is some poem.

Charles: Do you like it?

Mr. Allen: It has merit.

Charles: Now come on, Mr. Allen, be honest.

Mr. Allen: It rhymes well. It's got a good rhythm to it.

Charles: Yes, but is it good? Because I don't want to get up in front of the class tomorrow and have everybody laugh at me.

Mr. Allen: Well, Charles, it's a poem about pants, and that's not a subject discussed in poems very frequently. So, don't you be surprised if maybe a couple of people take it wrong and laugh a little.

Charles: They are going to laugh, aren't they? You think it's dumb, don't you?

Mr. Allen: No, of course not, it's fine. It might need a little work in places.

Charles: I knew it. You don't like it. I'm going to get up in front of the classroom and everybody's going to laugh at me.

Mr. Allen: Charles.

Charles: Well, forget it.

Mr. Allen: Charles.

Charles: Nobody's going to laugh at me tomorrow because no one's ever going to see it. I'm going home.

Mr. Allen: Let me help you.

Charles: I don't want any help.

Rusty: Hey Charles.

Charles: What?

Rusty: Charles, you seem to be in a bit of a disturbed panic this morning.

Charles: You got to help me.

Rusty: I help a lot of people with a lot of things. Could you be more specific?

Charles: I need a poem.

Rusty: Uh-huh. I guess you do. Unfortunately, our sale ended last night.

Charles: I'll pay you anything.

Rusty: I love the sound of desperate children willing to sell their very lives to me. That'd make a good poem.

Charles: I'm kind of in a hurry.

Rusty: Of course. We got business to do, don't we? Got a poem for you right here.

Charles: Let me see it.

Rusty: Okay.

Charles: A mother is truly my very best friend, ready to comfort, to help and defend. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. That sounds good.

Rusty: Yeah, I'll be sure to tell my sister you liked it.

Charles: How much?

Rusty: Ten bucks.

Charles: Ten bucks?

Rusty: Hey, yesterday it was $4.99. It's your own fault.

Charles: All right, all right. I only have four.

Rusty: Good enough. You can give me the rest later.

Charles: Okay, thanks.

Courtney: The ocean laps up onto the sandy shore, and I cried to the heavens, I am lost no more.

Ms. Hogan: Very good, Courtney. Very good. I'm impressed.

Courtney: Thank you.

Ms. Hogan: I didn't realize we had such deep-minded students in this class.

Ms. Hogan: Okay, who's next? Charles, why don't you read us yours?

Charles: Okay. What is a mother? A mother is truly my very best friend, ready to comfort, to help and defend. Her love has no limits, her devotion no end. My mother is truly my very best friend.

Ms. Hogan: Okay, that is fine. Charles, I want to see you after class.

Charles: After class? Did I do something wrong?

Ms. Hogan: Just see me after.

Ms. Hogan: Sit down, Charles. Now, I want you to tell me where you got that poem.

Charles: I don't understand.

Ms. Hogan: You didn't write it.

Charles: I didn't?

Ms. Hogan: Charles, I received a birthday card from my son this year that had the very same poem in it.

Charles: Oh. How in the world did they get my poem?

Ms. Hogan: Charles, I'm surprised at you. Surprised and disappointed. I'm afraid I'm going to have to tell your parents about this. Plus, you get an automatic failing grade on this assignment.

Ms. Hogan: You've always been such an honest boy. Why did you do it?

Charles: I don't know.

Ms. Hogan: It was a simple enough assignment. Write a poem. No studying, no answering questions, no reading.

Charles: I did write a poem.

Ms. Hogan: Well, where is it?

Charles: I ripped it up.

Ms. Hogan: Why?

Charles: It was dumb. Everybody would have laughed at me.

Ms. Hogan: What was it about?

Charles: Pants.

Ms. Hogan: Pants?

Charles: Yeah.

Ms. Hogan: You have a particular pair of pants that are special to you?

Charles: No, just pants. Any kind of pants.

Ms. Hogan: I see. Well, you must have known that anything you handed in would have been better than cheating like you did. I've never known you to do something like that, Charles. What happened?

Charles: Poetry happened.

Ms. Hogan: What do you mean?

Charles: I can't stand it, Mrs. Hogan.

Ms. Hogan: What is it about poetry that you don't like?

Charles: Everything.

Ms. Hogan: Is it the subject matter, the symbolism, the language?

Charles: It's all of those. I mean, what's the point? Why can't those poets just write all the way across the page like everybody else? I want to go back to the stories, the mysteries and adventure stuff. At least I can understand those.

Ms. Hogan: Oh, I see.

Charles: You see what?

Ms. Hogan: I see what the problem is. The reason that you don't like poetry is that you don't understand it. Charles, why didn't you ask for help?

Charles: I didn't want help.

Ms. Hogan: Why not?

Charles: Well, you're busy.

Ms. Hogan: I'm always here for my students, Charles. I said that at the beginning of the year, and it's still true. Now, why didn't you want help?

Charles: Because I'm always asking for help. Mrs. Hogan, even Rusty understands this stuff. I never understand anything. I always have to ask for help with math and history and science and everything. I wanted to do something on my own for once, figure it out by myself.

Ms. Hogan: But look what happened. You got a failing grade and you ended up with just as much work as you had to begin with. And it all could have been avoided if you just would have asked someone. It's okay to ask for help. We all have to sometimes. You should see me with my husband. I'm always asking him for help with electronics. Drives him crazy because I can never figure out the VCR, or the stereo, or the alarm clock. If it's got wires, I'm worthless. Every time I want to turn something on, I'm calling him to help me.

Charles: Does he show you?

Ms. Hogan: He could show me that stuff until I was blue in the face. It wouldn't make any difference. I have to have him there. If he wasn't around in the summer, I'd probably melt before I figured out the air conditioner.

Charles: You don't know how to turn on your air conditioner?

Ms. Hogan: No. Isn't that silly? You see, Charles, we all need help with certain things. And instead of trying to work everything out ourselves, sometimes it's better to ask someone we trust. I know that's a hard thing to do. It's like you're admitting that you don't understand something as well as someone else. You have to have something called humility.

Charles: Oh yeah, I know all about that. I'm humiliated just about every day.

Ms. Hogan: No, not humiliated, Charles. Humility. It's admitting that you're not perfect, that sometimes you need other people's help.

Ms. Hogan: I'd better let you go. I'll write you a pass to get into your next class.

Charles: Thanks.

Ms. Hogan: And Charles. I'll be here if you need any more help.

Charles: Okay, thanks.

Charles: Hi, Courtney.

Courtney: Hi, Charles. What did Mrs. Hogan want?

Charles: She just needed help with a VCR.

Courtney: She what?

Charles: Never mind. Can I eat lunch with you?

Courtney: Sure. Hey, by the way, where'd you get that poem today? I mean, three minutes before class you didn't have anything.

Charles: It was a greeting card.

Courtney: Oh.

Charles: I paid Rusty ten bucks for a greeting card.

Courtney: Is that why Mrs. Hogan wanted to see you?

Charles: Yeah. You did a good job on your poem.

Courtney: Oh, thanks. You really seemed to understand that stuff. I love it. I wish we did poetry all year.

Charles: Yeah, that would be a blast. Can I ask you a question?

Courtney: Yeah.

Charles: In the poem we read today, why was the man talking to a rose?

Courtney: It wasn't a rose. It was a symbol of. Wait a minute. Are you asking for my help?

Charles: Yeah.

Courtney: Really? I thought you said you understood it.

Charles: Well, I don't. Now will you please help me?

Courtney: I thought you'd never ask. See, the guy remembers his friend as a rose because she always wore a silk rose in her hair.

Charles: Where did you get that?

Courtney: Here, open your book. It says right here.

Chris: King Solomon was one of the wisest men who ever lived, and yet he wrote in the Book of Proverbs, chapter 15, verse 22, "Plans fail without good advice, but plans succeed when you get advice from many others." Even wise old Solomon admitted that he didn't know everything, and that he needed help and advice. If we don't understand something, we shouldn't hesitate to ask someone we trust. It's all a part of learning about life.

Chris: Well, that's all for now. If you ever want to write to us, just send your letter to Adventures in Odyssey, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80995. In Canada, write to Box 9800, Vancouver BC, V6B 4G3. And don't forget to ask how you can get a copy of today's episode. It's called Poetry in Slow Motion.

Chris: That address once again is Adventures in Odyssey, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80995. Adventures in Odyssey is a presentation of Focus on the Family. Poetry in Slow Motion was written by Marshall Younger and directed by Phil Lollar. Our production engineer was Bob Luttrell, and our executive producer was Chuck Bolte. And I'm Chris, hoping you'll join us again next time for more Adventures in Odyssey.