Memory Lane

Author's Note: I am currently reading a book called Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas. The book is written in verse format so it is kind of a mix between fiction and poetry. Anke, the main character, narrarates the events in the book. This book is in present tense, but is written in little clips of her memory. My version is of someone walking down a street, having flashbacks of their life.

Out the door,
I am on my way.
Across the porch
and down the steps
I walk.

A school bus drives by,
children running,
standing,
missing
the bus as it
drives away,
without them.

~
Crunch,
crunch,
crunch.
My cereal munches
and crunches,
as I see a yellow blob
roll past the window.

I run out the door
almost forgetting
my backpack
as this vehicle
drives onward
to school
without me.

~
Around the block,
I pass the school yard
Little children
laugh,
scream,
play,
running all around.
The school bell rings,
and I am on my way.

~
Falling
down
down
down,
scraping my knee
crying
as the teacher rushes over
pulling a magical band-aid out
of her pocket.
Everything is
all better.

~
Across the street,
around the bend,
the massive hospital,
seems to never end.

The ambulence pulls up
with a child inside.
The mother crying,
thinking inside
"I told you so"
and into the building they go.
~
Climbing up,
up,
up,
my mother tells me to
be careful.
Taking none of her
words
into consideration,
I climb higher.
Suddenly,
the branch breaks
and down,
down,
down,
I go until...
Crack!!! Oww!!!

The siren wails,
as the ambulence arrives,
instantly taking me
to a room,
inside this giant,
structure.

~
Another turn,
and I
hear dogs
barking,
smell flowers
blooming.
Past the houses
with the lovely
flowery
drapes,
My walk down
Memory Lane
continues.

The wedding chapel
on my left
passes by as
a happy couple
runs out.
The start of a
new life.

~
Walking down the aisle
as I try not to trip,
everyone's eyes are on me
and
I feel as beautiful as anyone could ever feel

My family to the
left,
his to the
right.
Both intertwining in the
middle,
just as our lives
will as we
say our vows.

~
Turning around the corner
once more.
Life is a circle.
Just remember to
Live
Laugh
Love.

Flying: a poem responding to Maximum Ride- The Angel Experiment

Author's Note: I wrote this poem describing the feeling of flying. This was based on the book Maximum Ride- The Angel Experiment by James Patterson. In the book, the main characters are kids who are 98% human, 2% bird. This poem tells the emotions of flying while also describing the scenic beauty of the view up in the sky.

Departing...

From the peaceful jade forest

Capturing...

The beauty of the grand clouds up above

Seeing...

The tiny world shrinking as you rise up into the sky

Escaping...

From the restricting world beneath

Soaring...

High above the clouds

Feeling...

The wind on your face

Racing...

Joyful members of the flock

Falling...

Back down to the earth below

Po...

Author's Note: After I read the book Graceling by Kristen Cashore, I wrote this short story describing, to more detail, one of the events in the book. In the book some people are born with special abilities known as a Grace. Po has a Grace of sensing people and his surroundings. He can also read people's minds.


The panic is almost unbearable. Po may not be able to control it anymore. If he fails at this, he may be taking their lives along with his. If the king doesn’t die, then surely Po will. The mission: kill the evil King Leck to save Princess Bitterblue and all of Monsea.

Coming up on the party, fright is the one soul feeling rushing through Po’s body, along with the uncontrollable sense of everything around him for which he is Graced with. The first sight of Leck’s outer guard is a moment of feared joy for this is either the beginning or the end. First, the guard Graced with amazing sight and hearing spots him. Taking him out should be no problem for Po, but he might come out slightly scratched up from the guards Graced with sword fighting skills.

“Halt!” the first guard wails.

Out comes the dagger and the guard is gone. However, the guards of the outer guard have heard all this commotion and have come to avenge their fellow guard. Soon they are all gone and all that stands between Po and King Leck is the inner guard. Here is his chance. It’s now or never for Po to kill King Leck. Before they can even see him, Po shoots an arrow that nicks King Leck’s neck and alerts the men.

“Ready! Aim! Fire!” shouts King Leck to his army.

The arrows fly through the air. Po sees this one arrow, headed straight toward him. The attack of the arrow sends pain throughout Po’s body, all coming back to the wound on his shoulder. So much pain. I must get back to Katsa: the one thought repeating itself over and over again in Po’s mind. The galloping horse whinnies as arrows are lining its mane like a porcupine. The darkness comes. Pain, darkness, and death are erupting inside Po’s mind as he falls into a deep, dark sleep.

Po wakes to the rush of air along his face, the sight of water, and a little girl shrieking. Oh what a wonderful sight this is to Po, until the reality of the situation hits him. Po! Po! Katsa calls to Po inside his head. More than just the wind is knocked out of Po when he hits the water. His foot caught in the stirrup of the horse, sinking fast to the bottom of the icy cold lake. Something is moving towards him. Is it just his imagination? Or is there really a living, moving creature spotting him, coming to him? Just as he is pulled free by this thing, he comes and goes between the realms of unconsciousness.

Po! Po! Please don’t die. Po just look at me. Katsa? Was it she who has saved me from the depths of the lake? It must have been. Po sits up, wincing in pain. The fire’s burning glow seems distant and blurry, not quite the same as before his immense fall. Suddenly he knows what he must do. What they must do to him, for him.

“Katsa. You have to leave me behind.” Po states.

“What! But Po how… how… how could I leave you, you need help, you can barely limp.” Katsa manages to get out between whimpers.

”Oh, but Katsa you must. I am slowing you down. Bitterblue will never get to safety with me along. Tomorrow we will find a place for me to stay while you take Bitterblue to Lienid.”

The next day, as Po, Katsa and Bitterblue are searching for a decent cave of some sort for Po to stay and recover in, the group comes across a deserted cabin in a good condition. Po this is perfect! But where will you hide? Leck’s soldiers will search every inch of this place.

“There is a pond behind this place. Back in Lienid, my brothers and I found a cave in the side of a pond. I have a feeling there might be one in this pond, too.” Po hints to Katsa.

While Katsa is exploring the cave, Po and Bitterblue stand in silence, waiting. Bursting up for air, Katsa says,” There is definitely a cave down there but, will you be able to swim if Leck’s solders come looking for anyone hiding in the cabin?” Po nods his head, yes.

We will not leave until you have food and a fire. “Ok fine, but you have to hurry, Leck’s soldiers might not be far behind.” Po warns. Katsa ties the horse to the dusty old fence surrounding the cabin.

Katsa departs into the forest to find fire wood for the fire Po was to keep going at all times of the day. As Bitterblue asks him a series of questions having to do with his health, Katsa and herself, and Lienid; Po’s thoughts are elsewhere. Thinking Why is everything suddenly different? How can it become like it was before? Bitterblue’s jumble of questions seem to disappear as Po’s own wonders occupy his thoughts.

After Katsa returns, starts a fire for Po, catches many fish and places them into her wooden cage emerged in the pond, Katsa and Bitterblue say a sad and lonely goodbye and are on their way to Po’s castle in Lienid. Now it would be Katsa’s castle, for Po had given her his castle’s ring. Any Lienids the girls come across will honor their request for safe passage over to the castle on the western coast of Lienid.

Days pass as Po struggles to fight his Grace and survive in his current state of health. Suddenly, one day he senses it. The soldiers are coming! Po hops, falls and knows that it is impossible. The soldiers are still far enough away that he might be able to crawl to the pond and swim into his cave, the only place he is certain the guards will not search. Slowly splashing into the cold, icy water, swimming to the dry little cove where Po will be safe.

As Po enters the cave darkness surrounds him. Suddenly it hits him. He doesn’t need to fight his Grace, he can live more peacefully with it rather than trying to pretend it’s not even existent. There is no more fighting. No more believing that his Grace doesn’t exist. Without the struggle, everything becomes more clear. Po knows he lost his sight, but his Grace lets him see.

Road

Author's Note: This is a journal response about when my family was driving to St. Louis. There isn't really a purpose to it, just something that reminded me of the prompt: Road.

As we are driving down the road, I, being the one laying in the backseat, am unaware of the world around me as it passes by unnoticed as we make our way to St. Louis. The story of Helen Keller captures me as my bookmark slowly ticks away, until we are flying, floating away into the sky. I wonder, "What could possibly be lifting this gentle, blue minivan off the ground and into the wonderous world above?" As I sit up to have a better view, I see a road with our car rolling across it, it's wheels never once leaving the ground and my imagination dims as we exit the freshly paved portion of the road.

Fire

Author's Note: This is a journal response on the topic of fire. This never actually happened to me, I just always think of this kind of scene when I think of fire. The end is left hanging for the reader to creativly imagine what would happen next.

Flames erupting

Almost swallowing us whole

Running around in circles

Trying to escape

Managing to exaust ourselves

We hear the witnesses shouting to us

"Are you in there?"

"Are you safe?"

Door after door

crashing down

Brave men stepping in

coming to save us

dissapointed when we are

nowhere to be found

the nice lady next door

screams as we are spotted

at the top of the building

the flames on our tails

forcing us to jump...

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Project

Author's Note: This is our (Alaina, Autumn, Hannah, and Me) creative project for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. The border consists of subthemes of the book, the better ones at the top, while the bad ones are lined on the bottom.




Click to make it bigger!

Trump Hotel

When we went to Las Vegas on our way back from Disneyland, we stayed at the Trump Hotel. When my mom checked us in, I was thinking that we would end up on the 3rd floor of a 64 floor building. I was happy and very surprised to find the she upgraded our room from originally being on the 5th floor to room 5803 on the 58th floor! Our room was amazing. There was a TV in the mirror in the bathroom and our window took up a whole wall. It was very fun riding up in the elevator. Just like in an airplane my ears popped as we rose at an amazing speed, reaching floor 58 in about the same time it took to reach floor 7 of our hotel at Disneyland.

Forest

I am in a forest. I see trees, great tall giant pines. I cannot see anything but trees everywhere I look, only green and brown. But I can hear so much more. I hear the rushing waters of a stream nearby. Birds up in the treetops chirping softly. It's quiet. I am the only one here, but I don't even worry about finding my way out.

River

It is hot out. The praire sun is beating down on us through a cloudless sky. I am on a river boat. It is very crowded. It's a small boat and every lady is wearing a dress like it's 1886. Are all these people pioneers? Are they heading west? There are animals aboard, but the one that sticks out most to me is the donkey. Now it's a cargo boat. Oh no! I realize where I am. If I'm right...

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving doesn't really start until the guests arive, we eat, and the fun begins. Once we have eaten, my whole family gets situated and they start to socialize- the adults that is. The small children run down the stairs and into the basement. The bang the drums, sound the train whistile, and run around, seemingly never running out of energy. We all gather around and play various games such as Spoons and Apples to Apples. I smell the warm pumpkin pie as it's removed from it's pan, one slice at a time. As the marvelous desserts disappear, the TV clicks on and a movie starts playing. As night grows near, the first of the guests say goodbye, and leave. Another movie starts as more guests depart at their own pace, while the rest may stay close to midnight, but some out-of-town reletives head up to steal my bedroom. Once the last of our family has left our house we, but mostly my mom, clean up our house, then we all head off to bed.

Recess

Kids are running all around me. Around everyone. I call them kids, but they're the exact same age and grade as me. It's a cool, brisk autumn day, clouds are filling the sky. I hear the wistle blow, see everyone near and far come rushing towards us. They are now lining up. It is finally time to go inside, the cold air is nipping at my nose and bitterly biting my ears. There is a sudden rushing mob, and we are in, recess is over.

Bread

I am in my kitchen not of my current house, but a home before this time. Before everything I now know. I can smell the sweetly sensational smell from all over the house. When will this masterpiece be complete? I wander, sighing as I smell the delicious scent of cooking bread. Then I hear my mom remove it from the bread making machine. Fresh bread... how I want to smell sweet bread cooding right before me. Bread, such a simple subject, yet a completely complex and amazing smell.

Ocean

I am up in the air. Surfers are on the high waves in the ocean. I feel the cool artificial ocean breeze flow across my face. We ar sitting in a row with strangers every where. Up, down, left, right. Our ride is coming to an end. The fireworks crack, Nathan screams. we all float swiftly back down to the ground. We unstrap our seat belts, and grab our shoes from below our seats. As we exit the ride, we get right back in line again for Soarin'.

Veterans Essay

When is the Right Time to Honor our Veterans?

..........When is the right time to honor our veterans? Is the right time just on November 11, Veteran’s Day? Is there really no right or wrong time but every day the time to honor our veterans? Veterans need to be respected every day of the year for they deserve more than just a few days of honoring.

..........Veterans have risked their lives for our freedom. These brave men and women have left their families, their lives, everything they have to travel far to fight to defend the freedom of our country. So many Americans have done this, are doing this now, and will do this to defend our country. How would you like to leave your life to fight, possibly even lose your life, for other people you don’t even know and will never meet? Leaving, fighting, dying; this is not the life anyone wants to live, but fighting for freedom is what many, young and old, wish to accomplish in their lifetimes.

..........We as Americans need to celebrate our veterans more, for they not only leave their families, they sacrifice their lives. We often think of them as people who just leave our country to fight some people from other countries so we can win the war. Veterans do so much more than that. They sacrifice their lives for us. Even though we may not know them, these heroes care about us and our freedom. Veterans have seen what no man or woman ever wants to see, experienced what no man or woman ever wants to experience, but cares how every man and woman wants to care.

..........These veterans, heroes, need to be admired, thanked, and honored for their hard work, services and dedication for this country where, because of them we call this the land of the free and the home of the brave. So we say thank you to all the veterans of America for perusing their dreams of fighting for this country. I hope younger generations follow in their footsteps and realize the need of such heroes as these brave, courageous veterans.

Welcome!

Welcome to Cara's Blog!!!!!