Emporia State University Poem

Posted on September 23, 2015 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

From Alma Mater Vol. 1: The Midwest. Available Now!

*Emporia State University*

Empowered by Education.
Empowered by a composed Environment.
Empowered by Equal Opportunity.
Empowered by our own Excellence.
Empowered by a black & gold Efflorescence.
Empowered by Energy Encroached.
Empowered by our Elders.
Empowered by Empirical wisdom.
Empowered by Emporia.
Empowered by
Each & Every
One of us.

At Emporia State University,
A hive off strength is in
Every bee;
As
a nest Empowered—by
E.

Follow ClydeAidoo.com for sample poems from the Alma Mater and Art of Mind series. You can purchase the newly released Alma Mater Vol. 2: The Northeast, a poetic celebration of the top universities of the Northeast below.

Tagged with: Books, College, Kansas, Midwest, Poetry
Posted in Alma Mater

Wichita State University Poem

Posted on September 23, 2015 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

From Alma Mater Vol. 1: The Midwest. Available Now!

*Wichita State*

Wichita State University showcases the finest display of outdoor sculptures in the nation—fixing Dub-K’s large black slabs by the sunflowers of variation,
Weaving the current along the granite
&
in the native gravel of entrepreneurships developed into over 6,000 Huts
and in supremacy on the Eck baseball mound with National Champions of 1989 and more wins struck than any other college can match in recent decades making baseball coalesced with our electrifying basketball program among our favorite past times
to coincide with some of Wichita’s
Favorite Graces—
Shocktoberfest Symmetry of Mud Volleyball,
The songfest of youth’s beauty hurled in a Mud Tug-of-War
&
Our Men & Women making time in a Doomsday Dash
and even fighting world hunger in Can Wars:
The conquerors are the Greeks with the highest castle.
From the keep you can see the banners of glory,
Much like the conference championships of Shocker Baseball & Basketball
Now flying with Delta Gamma pink and Phi Delta Theta blue.
Wichita State connects stars unplugged and deadbolts consumers of energy in this open space.
When our students touch, there is a static that charges the land
while we lift one another
to the abundant fruit that had eluded us;
&
when we grab hold of the growth we have produced, our fused potential
Shocks the Harvest.

Tagged with: Books, College, College Life, Kansas, Poetry
Posted in Alma Mater

Kansas State Poem

Posted on September 23, 2015 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

From Alma Mater Vol. 1: The Midwest. Available Now!

*K-State*

Inside of the Royal Purple Yearbook,
There is a picture that smiles of Kate.
Kate came to K-State to placate her four-year relationship
with her boyfriend Will—who scored a basketball scholarship.
In these pages endures Kate’s happiness.
She came to K-State because she was in love,
&
Then she fell in love.
She fell for the Haymaker,
The Limestone buildings, the Little Apple, the friendly faithful…
And in this yearbook there are other pictures of Wildcats under this magic spell.
There are students who took the Honor Pledge and now glory stands.
These pages are shed with the colors of scholars: Students Phi Betta Kappa, Rhodes, Truman, Marshall…fierce minds in this Student Scholar Capital.
These colors tell the lives of gleeful declaration. Sons of farmers and grangers, and Wildcats together in the K-State student union, Hale Library, or like Kate & Will—enjoying a cool treat from Call Hall.
There are students still exuberant from the previous night in Aggieville, and there are photos of the Sunflower Showdown—with a volleyball image of Wildcats leaping to another win.

Jayhawk Down.

There are snapshots of shouts of
“Eat ‘Em Up, Eat ‘Em Up, K-S-U” that bring these vivid catcalls to life right in Purple & White.
This yearbook symbolizes more than a timeline of this year’s events.
It proves this is the print of the Wildcat claw;
And whether from Wichita or all the way from Miami,
Together, we can shout,
EMAW!
Manhattan fields and sharpens these claws,
And in this home we all say,
EMAW!

This big campus prepares us in smaller classrooms, so that like Will, everyone can feel like
the big man on campus.
This is a place to discover and love….
It is a place to be in love.

Kate was proud of Will entering the storied Bramlage Coliseum, but she dreaded
The Octagon of Doom:
The Magic 8-Ball that says love can’t make it through the luring flames of infidelity that so many athletes walk through.
Four years later within the Royal Purple,
In spite of the Magic 8-Ball,
Kate & Will have survived the fire,
joining
Wabash Cannonball.

Tagged with: Books, College, College Life, Kansas State, Love, Midwest, Poetry
Posted in Alma Mater

Iowa State University Poem

Posted on September 23, 2015 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

From Alma Mater Vol. 1: The Midwest. Available Now!

*Iowa State University*

There are Cyclones all over this state,
Whirlwinds of creation and a storm of elation—
Rising as sons
For I,
Sons
For S,
Sons
For what
Is
Iowa State.

Victors of medicine
Engineers of industrial science
Inventors of the first digital computer
Students of the Iowa State Daily
Heroes of home and community
Entertainers of this great festival
All under the same haven

Celebrating our founders since 1922
with showcases, fundraisers, exhibits…
Concluding with a parade drift of Cardinal and Gold…
No Iowa City wears their colors like we do.
The Hilton Coliseum is hit with Cardinal and Gold,
In the center is a Cardinal “I”—overlapped by a Gold “State,”
“Iowa State” on one end, Cyclones on the other and throughout—
Packing the air with Cardinal and Gold.
Jack Trice Stadium is hit with Cardinal and Gold,
In the center is a Cardinal “I”—overlapped by a Gold “State,”
“Iowa State” on one end, Cyclones on the other and throughout—
Packing the stands with Cardinal and Gold.
This entire campus is hit with Cardinal and Gold,
From one end of Iowa state, to the other and throughout—
This is the epicenter of the Cyclone experience—
With the unending flood of Cardinal and Gold.

Sound the alarm as these Cyclones
Take Ames
To continue our tradition of bettering

Our College. Our Campus. Our State.
Rising
For what is forever
Iowa State.

Tagged with: Books, College, College Life, Iowa State, Midwest, Poetry
Posted in Alma Mater

Northern Iowa Poem

Posted on September 23, 2015 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

From Alma Mater Vol. 1: The Midwest. Available Now!

*University of Northern Iowa*

There’s a magic in the colors of
U-N-I,
Everywhere you go—
Purple & Gold
Pass By,
Panthers United
Is the reason why:
13,000 spirits make
U-N-I

Welcome to the UNI-Dome!
Home of thirty-three conference titles,
More than any Division I Iowa Team,
We sing the victory songs, our foes
Give the recitals.
Purple and Gold fill the arena!
There’s Purple T-shirts everywhere!
It is the wild call of the Panther faithful
That leads the Panthers on a merciless tear.
The UNI bloodline travels through the college system,
Through blood we fight the classes of failure’s cold,
Like Kurt Warner holding the Lombardi trophy:
It is UNI’s courses that lead to gold.

There’s a magic in the colors of
U-N-I,
Everywhere you go—
Purple & Gold
Pass By,
Panthers United
Is the reason why:
13,000 spirits make
U-N-I

It is midnight on Homecoming Friday,
The bells sound and Panthers race to the tower,
Old Lovers, New Lovers, and Fond Strangers
Meet as custom dictates at the top of the hour.
Cedar Falls is where many passions meet,
And when they meet, it is truly Homecoming,
Ladies are not Panthers until they join this parade:
Kissing by the campanile with their heart’s beat drumming.

There’s a magic in the colors of
U-N-I,
Everywhere you go—
Purple & Gold
Pass By,
Panthers United
Is the reason why:
13,000 spirits make
U-N-I

Tagged with: Books, College, Iowa, Northern Iowa, Poetry, United States
Posted in Alma Mater

Drake University Poem

Posted on September 23, 2015 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

From Alma Mater Vol. 1: The Midwest. Available Now!

*Drake University*

Drake University has a school spirit
that our campus will always impart,
And like Alan Webb in the ’07 Relays—
We go the extra mile
To set us apart.

Only in Drake will you find athletes from all over the globe competing on tracks at an Olympic level. And where else but Drake will you find beautiful bulldogs from around the country competing in a race to represent the Relays? We even have our own sport:
Hubbelling in the winter down the snowy hills of Des Moines.
We have student organizations that paint colors up and down Carpenter Avenue, and a kissing rock where sweethearts love to meet.
Yeah, there’s just something about life as a Bulldog…
A sensation of pride that you just can’t fake…
There’s an aroma of delight that permeates Des Moines,
A special blend that’s
Distinctly Drake.

Tagged with: Books, College, Drake, Iowa, Midwest, Poetry
Posted in Alma Mater

University of Iowa Poem

Posted on September 23, 2015 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

From Alma Mater Vol. 1: The Midwest. Available Now!

*Iowa Hawkeyes*

When history’s pages sit still—we will write first.
We don’t accept inequality—we right the curse.
This is an equal-opportunity space
Where biases erase and creativity may race.
On Ye Hawkeyes to the Pedestrian Mall!
Where the only thing pedestrian is the walks of us all!
Iowa took the first step to give equal ground
To men and women with options abound.
This sweet land homes the imagination,
Birthing masters of fine arts in our dissertation,
Stating that creativity and genius are kin,
In terms of Big Ten—It’s Iowa for the win.

I-City parties and fights the hardest,
My city is my guide, this spirit—my harvest.
Deep it flows like the Iowa River,
We’re owners of this fire and also the givers.
Black and Gold pride burns inside,
Opponents enter Kinnick and abruptly hide,
They rattle to the rattle of the Hawkeye fleet,
We clap our hands & stomp our feet.
Iowa fights until the game is won,
Then toasts Brass Monkey with shots of rum.
In wrestling we work holds because they can’t hang,
No dynasty can match the Gable’s Gang.

Winning is our history, we should know:
We wrote it.
We win fighting inaction—
Inclusion was voted.
To ensure every student at large has a say,
Hawkeyes are straight, black, white, and gay.
In asking answers from winners of equity,
The initiative to act will hoist a disparity,
Sometimes the high stick to their class and do not act,
So they sit still and class participation slacks.
While the world is waiting to take command,
Like Triumphant Hawkeyes—
We will raise our hand.

Tagged with: Books, College, College Life, Iowa, Midwest, Poetry
Posted in Alma Mater

Alma Mater Vol. 2: The Northeast is Available Now!

Posted on September 23, 2015 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

Do you want to learn about all the major universities of the Northeast region in a creative and engaging fashion within just a few days’ time? Have you ever wanted to know what makes each university across this great country unique? Football season is upon us! Now is the perfect time to learn where the school pride you see on Saturday afternoons comes from! And you can do just that for 99 cents.

100 Colleges of the Northeast are celebrated in the second installment of the series that Kirkus Reviews calls “A Thoroughly Unique Poetry Project” with “A variety of delightfully unexpected poetic forms.” It is a collection that is all things college: Educational, Interactive, Experimental, and of course: Fun. Come see why Kirkus Magazine featured the series, calling it a collection of “Delightfully unexpected poetic forms.” You are cordially invited to the poetry party of the year. Do join us.

Tagged with: Books, College, Education, Northeast, Poetry, United States
Posted in Alma Mater

Indiana University (Bloomington) Poem

Posted on September 22, 2015 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

From Alma Mater Vol. 1: The Midwest. Available Now!

*IU*

It’s game night in B-Town at Assembly Hall.
Everyone has their ticket,
It’s Hoosier Basketball.
No Stripes, No Glory,
17,472 strong…
21 Big Ten Championships,
Five National Banners
brought along:

1940
1953
1981
1987

The Blessed Hoosiers of ’76.

Fans from all over town stand under
The Banners of McCracken and Knight,
Some came from Indiana trails,
Others from an on-campus site.
From the Rose Well House
deep in the Dunn Woods,
The breathtaking arboretum—
With arbutuses in their books.
They stream like the Jordan River
into the raging storm of red,
They pound the Indy Limestone—
To have their Hoosiers led
by the most passionate fans in college hoops,
Indiana Basketball is in our roots.

The Hall is sold out and our voices lift,
It’s almost time for tip-off,
And when the Crimson and Cream take the court,
It’s time to blow the lid off.
They warm up in their candy-striped pants,
Then Martha cleans the floor,
Our Indiana, we’re all for you,
Now let’s finish mopping the floor.
This is our culture, We are the Hoosiers,
The opponents are just the Losers in Blue,
Over in Row 8, well, those are the Boozers,
but they’re part of our culture, too.
So are the brains from the SPEA,
And performers from the Jacobs School of Music,
Also, the informed Business Majors
are here in attendance to support The Movement.
Even fellow athletes like our champion hurlers,
And alum Will Bruin from our prestigious soccer team,
Have come through Sample Gates
to show support for Indy’s team.
And shoutout to the racers of the Little 500—
The Beta Theta Pi is in the house!
We’re all still recovering from Little 5 weekend,
Drank enough Hairy Bears to fill a frat house.
Eight months later and those times we still miss,
But if they didn’t end—we’d miss nights like this.

It’s the second half and we have the lead,
Now it’s the World’s Greatest Timeout:
Cheerleaders and William Tell Overture,
Dickie V is about to fall out.
He’s in the Basketball Nation, Baby!
And this excitement is too much to take,
Break’s over, let’s get back to work:
We’ve got many more baskets to make.

“Zeller the rebound! Hulls is open!”
#SWISH!

“Zeller…Watford sees a lane!”
#Tothebucket

“They wanna give Watford a little one-on-one…”
#Crossoverlayin
“That’s a big-time move!”

Down 72-70
5.6 seconds left…

“No timeouts for Indiana….Jones….”

“WATFORD FOR THE WIN………”

Every Hoosier in Assembly Hall, the street, and the campus,
Even students watching from Kirkwood & Indiana…
Could feel the foundations shake as Hoosiers charged the court….
17,472 strong.

And throughout Indiana and Sports Nation,
All the way to Kentucky,
You couldn’t help but
feel
The Movement.

Tagged with: Basketball, Books, College, college basketball, College Life, Hoosiers, Indiana, IU, Poetry
Posted in Alma Mater

University of Indianapolis Poem

Posted on September 22, 2015 by clydeaidoo — Leave a comment

From Alma Mater Vol. 1: The Midwest. Available Now!

*University of Indianapolis*

It’s been another long night at UIndy. Everyone’s studying for the exams—complete with writing cramps,
Frappuccino solitude,
And peace between half-functioning roommates.
Stand up, stretch your legs…
Break the silence with a much-needed break…
It’s Midnight,
Let’s go get some Breakfast.

Midnight Breakfast in Schwitzer is where UIndy races
in preparation to meet the Finals head-on.
Residents from Roberts, Cravens, Warren, Crowe…
Everyone on and even off campus scramble to the Center to get some eggs,
sausage links, hash browns, donuts, and yes,
More coffee, Professor.
This is the rest stop where Greyhounds refuel.

Students are wearing hoodies, sweats,
Scarlet & Gray Scarves,
Some lay on the carpet aside the walking aisles,
Some sit with friends at a table,
Others sit Indian Style.
It is the calm of the night with late-night company,
Exhausted minds—and yet no one is tired,
Greyhounds could bark & bite it up right here forever,
Even after the moon and stars have expired.
There are pages and books on the floor & blankets,
There’s also some dancing & plenty of laughter,
This is a place where clamor and calm sit together,
To help students prepare for the day after.

There’s something special about studying with close friends
Under the moonlight,
That makes performance anxiety
Feel alright.
Greyhounds don’t need to go to sleep—
They give it a rest;
So their minds can stay up
for the grinds
of the test.

Tagged with: Books, College, College Life, Education, Indianapolis, Poetry, UIndy
Posted in Alma Mater

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