The rhyme and flow of poetry echoed through the Grant Wood Foyer in Parks Library on Monday.

This week’s Monday Monologue performance went from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. and was the last performance of the semester.

“When I reached out to Deb Marquart about doing something at Monday Monologues again this semester, she was excited to let me know she is teaching a poetry class this semester,” said Susan Jasper, program coordinator for Parks Library. “It is an opportunity for new budding poets to share their works.”

After Jasper’s introduction, Debra Marquart, a distinguished professor of English and the Iowa Poet Laureate, explained the plan for this Monday Monologue.

“I volunteered this class to do a reading before class started,” Marquart said. “I appreciate that some brave souls agreed to go along with this experiment. We have about 11 readers with one poem each.”

The Marquart started with a poem of her own, titled “Kablooey is the Sound You’ll Hear.” The poem described the time Marquart’s sister fired a shotgun into the ceiling of her brother’s room.

“Kablooey is the sound you’ll hear, then plaster falling and the billow of gypsum, after your sister blows a hole in the ceiling of your brother’s bedroom with the shotgun, he left loaded and resting on his dresser,” Marquart said.

Next was Ellen Sattler, senior in horticulture, who read a poem titled “Heavy Handed Grace.”

“Sometimes my words flow out faster than I can manage,” Sattler said. “Muscles wove my face into a million emotions as I narrate a bold attempt, a hilarious misunderstanding, an eventful day.”

Next was Pauline Miller, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute selection committee member, who read a poem connecting to Native American Heritage Month.

“What you heard is true,” Miller said. “I am the woman who was arrested you know Mount Rushmore, those stone-faced dudes carved up there to honor wealthy white males. The ones who have ruled this world long enough.”

Jobe Fee, junior in performing arts, read a poem about starting projects at the last minute.

“A man wakes up, only to find he is hurtling through space at 122 miles per hour,” Fee said. “And the expanse of it all really provides perspective, I am infinite but yet my time grows short. My problems are all I have but they mean nothing when you are hurtling through space at 122 miles per hour.”

Then it was Terianne Marsh, senior in psychology, who read the poem “No Means.” The poem described a violent interaction where a man tries to sexually assault a woman.

“‘No.’ A soft voice left my lips, I didn’t need to think, just answer, it’s not what I wanted,” Marsh said. “‘Oh c’mon, don’t be like that.’ A light laugh left pursed lips, suggesting I am just being coy.”

Madrina Decker, senior in English, read a poem she said connects to recent events on campus. The poem is titled “Down and Up.”

“I was talked down to, so much that I became down, but down can always get back up,” Decker said. “Down is only temporary. Some might kick you while you’re there, others might offer a hand. Either way, you are down on your own.”

Jordyn Dubois, senior in journalism and mass communication, read a poem about a golf ball.

“Bounce around inside the bag, a hint of light shines in,” Dubois said. “Quickly grabbed, ‘Not again’, set on the tee. Practice swing, air whisks by, now its time for me. Smacked behind, tee stands still, soaring through the air.”

Then was Brooke Chesmore, senior in English, who read a poem titled “Mean Woman.”

“Look left, look right, hold thumb close,” Chesmore said. “Right, left, right, walking cadence. Bushes at the end of the street, stay close to the streetlight. Be mindful, look confident, don’t look feminine. Don’t look female, walking alone in the dark.”

Leah Silver, senior in animal ecology, read a poem titled “X-Men Origins.” This poem included many statements and numbers that flowed together to make a story.

Next was Mara Olsen, sophomore in English, who read a poem titled “Chore.”

“Let’s open the shade so light can show off her long legs, if you wash my back I’ll wash yours,” Olsen said. “Dump the basket on the mattress and I’ll jump in. Hair dripping, antique scented polka-dots.”

The final reader, Emily Headley, senior in English, read a poem titled “Forever.”

“Sweet aroma fills the air,” Headley said. “Chittering laughter runs from child to adult. Softly music embarks. Arm glides through arm, a kiss brushes the back of her hand.”

Marquart thanked all the attendees for coming as well as all of her students for reading.