SUNY Purchase Supplement -4

Growing up, musicals were my obsession. I made it my mission to know every
Broadway show, listen to every cast recording, watch every movie-musical adaptation–I
endeavored to leave no stone unturned. Although I was very proud of my collection of facts,
the fire that had originally ignited my love for Musical Theatre began to dim as I grew weary
of information-gathering.
In my 11th grade English class, I was given the task of making a book of poetry about
a passion. Although it had been a while since I visited my old obsession, for whatever reason,
that flame inside me began to flicker again. So, I began to write poems about my favorite
shows: I detailed the clicking of tap heels in ​Anything Goes, ​the dark glamour of Bob Fosse’s
choreography–but everything I did felt stale.
Once I had disregarded my precious collection of “facts” however, my old feelings of
excitement began to re-emerge. Instead of looking at each show as it ​is, ​I envisioned it as it
could be ​in an alternate universe: in my mind, ​Anything Goes​ transformed into a gritty
sailor’s tale, and Sally Bowles’ left shoe from ​Cabaret​ got its own origin story.
To me, “Think Wide Open” means pressing past the confines of what is normal and
established, and opening my mind to the world of unexplored possibilities. I believe it is
impossible to grow as a human being without pushing yourself to expand your worldview,
and if accepted to SUNY Purchase, I would be honored to belong to a community that shares
that same value. I want to share this book of poetry–or “fascicle”–because it represents a
time when I was able to push myself to shatter my notion of what has already been done, and
reassemble the pieces in a unique formation that helped me to view something I love in a
new light.

Fiddler on the Roof
a warm glow stretches over the horizon;
dancing and flickering
the candles, in the heart of the table,
wash a tranquil aura over the family,
the townsfolk,
as they hum a silent prayer
the warm glow fades into starlight
and the night begins

Anything Goes
grey water beats on pallid steel
She lacerates the mist
wet mops slap down in unison
and spin a knotted twist
atop the faceless sea She lies
while churning icy graves
one slippery fumble, down they fall
all ravaged by the waves.

Young Frankenstein
he drags his fingers across tattered spines,
hands now caked in ashen grey
and irises ignited
in red hot exhilaration.
swiftly his fingers are halted by a book,
bound in chestnut leather -
his breath catches -
he leans it back,
and nothing.
his fingers continue their exploration,
first trickling,
then pouring over motley spines -
still nothing
overcome by frustration he boots the shelf
a scarlet book tumbles out
his eyes reignite
and a door swings open

Oklahoma!
as orange ripples through the ink
and shoos the stars away
my heart knocks up against my chest
and pulls my eyes astray
the amber sheen of youthful sky
ensnares him in its glow
And dazzled by the lively sun
he leaves my heart fallow

Cabaret
a black patent-leather Heel
stretches out of a taxicab,
clip-clops across the pavement,
and enters through a throbbing doorway
shrouded in purple light
suddenly the wearer of the Shoe kicks it off in a
frenzy,
wails out with passion,
and discards it in a dingy crevice of the nightclub;
the Shoe, dejected and alone,
lies in somber wait to be claimed by another;
as the atmosphere trembles and pulses around it,
and time slowly slips from its grasp,
the Shoe begins to deteriorate,
sinking into the walls,
pooling into the floorboards;
until, when a weary, bear-footed young girl
returns to claim what she had so cruelly deserted,
she finds the crevice bare and spotless.

Tuck Everlasting
encircled now by emerald trees
I clutch a silver vial;
translucent under sunlight’s gaze
it speaks aloud my trial:
for though I may be innocent
it says, I must prevail,
through strife and grief and misery
to swiftly end my tale.