Winter

The emotionless realm trailed with frost

Threads snowflakes and

Flurries of sorrow through the

Skies of ashen streaks.

Crisscrossed patterns engrave the ice

A wretched window to tomorrow--

A wretched window to tomorrow.

On the Cusp of Sanity

Author's Note: Melody and I decided to have a "Poetry Contest" and as I started to write my piece, Melody said, "Why don't we have the same title and see where we go from there?" So, let's see how this turns out! 

a poInt at which the directioN of a curve is reversed,
my cusp,
reverSed. 

i

 wAtch the shadows of night.

stars of day.

stagger to me

time balaNces,

on thE cusp,

cusp of sanity.

INSANE

Perceptions

Author's Note: This piece was supposed to use one of the lines or story starters off of the board in the Writing Lab, and I chose the line "Why should I care? It's not like he ever did anything for me!" But I never got to that line because I like this piece ending the way it does. Please comment with suggestions!

They walked down the hallway, hand in hand, love entwined together. The girl turns around, rolling her eyes with a bored sigh, for all of her friends trailing the couple to see. They stop in front of the girl’s next class, and he pulls her into passion’s embrace whispering in her soft, strawberry scented hair “See you at lunch, ok? Love you…” and to bid farewell, gives the girl a delicate kiss on the cheek. All the while, the girl mocks the boy behind his back, and the oblivious crowd “oohs” and “aahs” at the sight of adoration. As he left, his eyes glossed with love, searched the girl’s eyes for a response, and in return, received a glare telling him to go. The glare was perceived as a puppy dog’s eyes telling him that she loved him in return.

He too was brainwashed by the power of the girl.

2 and 2 makes 5

Author's Note: This is my theme essay using the theme of government control to compare the books 1984, The Giver, and Animal Farm. In this piece, I focused on trying to find unique subsections of "government control" and explaining them in creative and thoughtful ways. Enjoy!          

             Imagine living in your fantasy land, a place where all of your dreams would come true. It could be across the ocean, it could be across the globe, it could be across the universe. It could be a fictional place, or maybe a country just a few borders away. Where ever you may land, close your eyes and envision the society. Create everything—the people, the technology, the objects surrounding your everyday life. Now create a government for your community, and this won’t be any ordinary government, of course. No, this a kind of government that watches you intently, just waiting for you to screw up, waiting for you to be the hopeless, innocent creature you might call prey. They feed off of your guilelessness and brainwash you into their society. Wait, you may say, I thought this was my world… but the government will overpower you, and the only option for you to survive is corruption. In 1984 by George Orwell, and in many other novels alike, government control and misuse of power in government leaders is the overall theme.

            Children are the most innocent beings of them all-- their lives should be filled with laughter and smiles bright enough to shine through all darkness. As Whitney Houston quoted in her song, “Greatest Love Of All”: “I believe that children are our future/Teach them well and let them lead the way.” Although not just people of today’s world recognize children’s purity, so do the government leaders of 1984 and The Giver by Lois Lowry, resulting in brainwashed children who will do anything to  follow the path of their leaders.  The book 1984 represents this thought completely-- "Nearly all children nowadays were horrible. What was worst of all was that by means of such organizations as the Spies they were systematically turned into ungovernable little savages..." (24).  The next couple pages in the book even discuss children who will turn in their parents to the society in order to be called “A Child Hero!” The idea of controlling children is also perfectly executed in The Giver , as well: "It was a game he had often played with the other children, a game of good guys and bad guys, a harmless pasttime that used up their contained energy and ended only when they all lay posed in freakish postures on the ground. He had never recognized it before as a game of war " (133). This quote in comparison to the one in 1984 shows that children are the easiest targets to brainwash and create a whole new way, good or bad.

            Not only does the government in the book The Giver use kids to indoctrinate an entire society, but they misuse technology, as does the government in 1984. Both communities consist of high tech tools that can see, hear, and comprehend everything and anything you do.  As a page in 1984 states: "To keep your face expressionless was not difficult, and even your breathing could be controlled, with an effort; but you could not control the beating of your heart, and the telescreen was quite delicate enough to pick it up" (79). This is the kind of advanced technology that doesn’t give society members an option to do anything illegal, much less give them the opportunity to corrupt. Another comparison between the two books is that the technology usually always has some kind of monotone voice associated with it as both books tell us—“... in the self-important voice that all Speakers seemed to develop, saying things like, ATTENTION. THIS IS A REMINDER TO FEMALES UNDER NINE THAT HAIR RIBBONS ARE TO BE NEATLY TIED AT ALL TIMES. He turned toward Lily and noticed to his satisfaction that her ribbons were, as usual, undone and dangling" (The Giver 23). "The voice from the telescreen paused. A trumpet call, clear and beautiful, floated into the stagnant air. The voice continued raspingly: 'Attention! Your attention, please! A newsflash has this moment arrived from the Malabar front. Our forces in South India have one a glorious victory. I am authorized to say that the action we are now reporting may well bring the war within measurable distance of its end. Here is the newsflash--' " (1984 25-26). As I learned from Mr. Mamerow, technology is any tool used to make our lives easier, but when there is a misuse of it, societies are stripped of their knowledge and freedom.

            The books 1984 and Animal Farm were two brilliant books both written by George Orwell, and it’s easy to tell. Although each book may have different stories and backgrounds weaved into them, George Orwell’s writing style in both pieces are almost exactly the same, and they give you the same perceptions of government control. To start, both books have one main line that is in bold and often quoted throughout the rest of the book. "WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH,” (26) says the government in 1984, compared to the writings of the pigs in Animal Farm: "ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL, BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS,” (133). The government in both books gradually changes rules as well—the chocolate rations in 1984 are slowly reduced, and in Animal Farm, all of the rules are slightly altered little by little to fit the needs of the pigs, not the farm as a whole. Slow and steady wins the race, we learned from The Tortoise and the Hare, and in this case, very true. By gradually changing rules, bit by bit, society will do what you say. As Winston in 1984 says "And what was terrifying was not that they would kill you for thinking otherwise, but that they might be right. For, after all, how do we know that two and two make four?" (80).

            Now, imagine living in a world where you are forced to follow the rules set by insanity itself, have your innocence stolen from you, and you are constantly watched, listened to, analyzed. Envision your only spark of hope being corruption… not anticipating presents on Christmas, or waiting for that day when your big baseball game finally comes—no, you are excited about overthrowing the government.

            Imagine living in a world where you doubt that two and two make four…

Targets

Author's Note: Instead of doing a Character Development piece on a character, I chose someone from real life. This is my character development piece on the motives and behaviors of Dylan Klebold, main shooter in the Columbine High School Shootings.

Dylan Klebold was born into a life representing a target. A smooth, flawless target. Anticipating. The. Bullets.  Each bullet that Dylan's life was hit with resembles change and decisions. Each bullet transformed  Dylan into an unrecognizable monster. Each bullet gradually got closer and closer to a bulls-eye. Dylan shot the bulls-eye, and instead of receiving a trophy, the decisions he made in his life sprang off of the target and collided with his soul.

The first major bullet that Dylan was hit with was when Dylan completely remodeled himself and created an ireful, violent person  too out of control to tame.  Dylan's childhood was filled with baseball, soccer, Cub Scouts, friends, and the fact that he knew his family loved him (Shepard, Dylan Bennet Klebold). He moved onto high school, still with a very positive personality… Dylan was active in the school play and spent time making videos for a news network with his friends.  Next door neighbors even claim that the Klebold household was a picture perfect family. Dylan attended the prom with a friend, talked about what his life might be like at the University of Arizona, and had a seemingly good time. He gradually fell into depression and unhappiness, and neither of Dylan's parents cared enough to notice his sadness.  Who doesn’t notice their son writing “Anyway... I was Mr. Cutter tonight - I have 11 depressioners on my right hand now…” (Shepard, Dylan's Journals)? Dylan's attitude changed completely after that night, from swearing at teachers, being suspended from school  for hacking into the school's computer system, blowing up pipe bombs behind his work, and shouting "Heil Hitler!" when he rolled a good ball in bowling (Shepard, Dylan Bennet Klebold). Dylan is one of the most dynamic people that this world will ever know, and in this event, the effects weren't worth changing for.

”I am GOD compared to some of these un-existable, brainless zombies” (Shepard, Dylan's Journals).

The next bullet that Dylan's target was splintered with was his disrespect towards people he didn’t like, the human race, and life in general.  Looking at the quote above, some might notice the fact that Dylan refers to himself as a “GOD”, but the first thing I notice, is that Dylan uses the term “un-existable,  brainless zombies” to speak of humans.  Take a moment if you need… embrace…comprehend...accept. Hm-hm… Dylan Klebold refers to humans as brainless zombies! Dylan’s mother, Susan, grew up in a prominent Jewish community, and although neither Dylan nor I have necessarily practiced the Jew religion, I’m pretty sure almost every, if not all, religions in the world supports life.  How Dylan, living in a positive community with positive influences, came to have thoughts such as these… I am at a loss of ideas.

One of the last bullets that hit Dylan’s target, was his admiration for Hitler. Sad enough, I can see how Dylan revered Adolf Hitler—honestly, their lives, childhood in particular, were almost exactly the same. Both started with very positive elementary school experiences, and their academic futures were seemingly bright (Spartacus Educational).  They both were liked and fairly popular amongst their peers. Something life changing happened in each event… Dylan’s is still unknown to the world, but Adolf Hitler was pressured by competition in his school, and pressured by the attitude of his father who was planning on Hitler following his example of joining the Austrian civil service when he left school. Then, Hitler lost his popularity with other students as they weren’t willing to accept Hitler as a fellow leader, and resulting in this action, Hitler found interest in bossing around younger kids to try and gain respect. Similar to Dylan, Hitler then found a time of enjoyment of violence, as Hitler’s favorite game soon became re-enacting battles from the Boer War. Both men didn’t like their teachers in school, and Hitler also had the stress and burden of his father’s death when he was thirteen.

Strike one. Dylan, you created this angered soul too powerful to turn away from. You had control of the situation. You.

Strike two. Dylan, you didn’t find the love, the happiness, the rewards in life to become careless about not only yourself, but the other lives, the other souls who deserved a chance in life. You could have given them that chance. You.

Strike three. Dylan, you found admiration and understanding in a man who had done such harm to the world, was so psychopathic, had invented a choleric alien. You could have turned away. You.

You’re out.

Bibliography

Shepard, C. Dylan Bennet Klebold. 21 April 1999. 12 November 2012. <http://acolumbinesite.com/dylan.html>.

—. Dylan's Journals. 21 April 1999. 20 November 2012. <http://acolumbinesite.com/dylan/writing/journal/journal4.html>.

Spartacus Educational. n.d. 27 November 2012.

3:15 Prediction (End of Story)

Author's Note: Since I had seen the 3:15 Mr. Mason's Jar story before, Mrs. Hanson asked me to write a prediction piece on what I think would happen at the end of the story, if it were to be continued. Enjoy! 

I think that at the end of the story, Molly won't be surprised, try to find Mr. Mason, or try to get Troy the way he once was… rather, Molly will just kind of give up on everything, and just accept the fact that Troy's soul had been sucked out. I predict that this will happen because Molly had warned Troy not to go to Mr. Mason's room after school, and yet, Troy didn't listen, so I think that Molly will be upset, and just leave him. Molly will try to forget everything that happened, but she won't ever. The moral of the story-- the part the I predicted-- is very similar to the Uncle in Milkweed. He is very negative with life, and he doesn't believe that there is a way to get out of the concentration camps that he and his family were put in-- he thinks that he should enjoy his "luxurious" life before they are all killed.

Remade

Author's Note: This is my prediction piece for a Language Arts assignment. I have taken an old poem that I had wrote (the beginning section-- italics) and added to it as a prediction, and then concluded with a little response about the piece. Enjoy, and feel free to comment!

The moment you stopped to care,

I had already turned my head and locked my heart.

Lives just stopped and stared,

I was gone.

That memory of you saying my name,

So vague, distant, replayed in my mind like a movie.

Yet everyday treated like a game.

I'll show it love.

The times you tore me down,

Creating another twist, turn, in the maze.

There's only one way out.

I am lost,

All because you have the key to my heart.

The directions to the game.

You know the way out of this maze.

I'll turn left,

Right.

I'll walk from you,

To you.

I'll play nice,

Mean.

I'll move 3 spaces,

Or 4.

The moment you stopped to care,

I live, half-alive, in a world of my own, now.

I had already turned my head and locked my heart.

I will leave you, the way you left me--

Lives just stopped and stared,

Pounding on my steel door.

I was gone.

Fighting.

That memory of you saying my name,

For a chance to live.

So vague, distant, replayed in my mind like a movie.

But you have thrown away your chances.

Yet everyday treated like a game.

All that's left now...

I'll show it love.

Is...

The times you tore me down,

Hatred.

Creating another twist, turn, in the maze.

Revenge.

There's only one way out.

Remorse.

I am lost...

And you will be too.

All because you have the key to my heart...

That is now in my hand.

The directions to the game...

That you have forgotten.

You know the way out of this maze...

But not for long.

Have you ever been in a relationship or in a situation where someone you love, or want to love, has done something wrong… and you forgive them? Then, they either promise to never do it again, they promise to fix what is wrong, you let them be in control? I personally have been in this situation multiple times, which sparked the inspiration for this poem. The first italicized portion of this piece is the original poem, then anything in regular text is a response to that, or a back-and-forth format with the original or with itself. This piece basically states that you can't rely on others to fulfill their promises, and you really have to be in control of you-- a very good life lesson. (Then, again, this piece talks about revenge and that isn't really the way to go in life… that section just adds some spark and drama!)

The Show

Author's Note: Yet another happy piece... hmm... what's wrong! Whatever, I hope you like it!

You fly across the stage,

Your breath carries you.

Your spotlight caresses your face,

Highlighting the show.

You lock eyes with the audience,

Your story pours into their hearts.

Your song takes them with you,

From start to finish,

You point those toes until there is no end,

You beam until your jaw breaks,

Because there is only one moment  like that one.

Slow down,

 Let go,

And,

Enjoy.

AND

Author's Note: In this piece, I really played with the formatting... please comment on how you liked it!

Every.

Time. 

Pushed     d

                                    o

                                                    w       

                                                                    n

l

o

w

e

r

AND

l

o

w

e

r

until I am barely visible anymore.

The cycle repeats itself.

A setting on a washer,

slowly,

moving

                a

d                             r

                                               

n                             o

                u

AND

                a

n                             r

d                             o

                u

until everything inside comes churning

                                                                p

                                                u

AND

                p                                                                            

u

Everything that I am is determined by the ruby apple.

That you    evil  witch try to use against me.

the

s          m
                   o            o            
                                         t           h            
                                                             n           e            
                                                                                s           s

lays undecided,

unworthy,

in my hand.

Pop of Color

Author's Note: As I attended WASC Leadership Camp (level 2) this year, I was voted ambassador for our council (group.) Basically, that means that you are the representative for your group and have to write a speech in 24 hours. All of the ambassadors got together and picked a theme for our essays--music. The tricky part of this project though was that the theme for leadership camp was "Colors of Leadership," so our essay not only had to relate to music, but also had to tie into color. All-in-all, if this essay seems like some pieces don't fit.... well, they probably don't! In this piece, I also tried playing with the basic formatting of an essay. I hope you enjoy!

Imagine your favorite pop song. Play it through your mind… run it through your head; take note of what you see, hear, smell, connect to.

Now think about how many different parts there are to that song. Verses, choruses, bridges—all very similar to leaders.

Every leader has a song in them.

Every leader has a “pop” of color.

Verses in a person can symbolize many things. Seeing as verses change throughout the song, verses represent improvement as a leader. A leader’s verses are constantly changing, and their leadership skills, growing.

Verses can also show a path through leadership as the chorus is followed by the verse.

In my opinion, the chorus is the part of the song resembling the most leadership. Leadership you can rely on, and just like a chorus, it will always come back.

Also, songs tend to be known for their choruses and leaders are known for their organization, or responsibility, or enthusiasm, but above all, their leadership.

Another common part of the average pop song is a bridge. How this is connected to leaders is pretty self-explanatory, but all-in-all, leaders are (hopefully…) able to build a bridge between people, whether it is to repair a negative relationship, or enhance a positive one.

True leaders can see beyond sterotypes, true leaders can be themselves freely, true leaders can break boundaries and build confidence. True leaders can be all of you—just waiting to happen.

White…

A color of purity, innocence, hope, and beauty.

Symbolically, every leader is made of white. White is a part of every color—it makes them who they are. White is also used in art to create softer shades of colors. A fiery red combined with white can create a gentle rouge, or a cheeky pink. Depending on how much white each leader uses on their canvas, a beautiful painting can be made.

Just like all of these part of pop songs combined, the qualities of leaders can create one awesome song. I encourage all of you today to find your song. I encourage all of you today to help others find their song. I encourage you today to enhance your “pop” of color. I encourage all of you today to help others find their color.

And don’t be afraid to make that song truly beautiful with a bridge.

Don’t be afraid to be a leader.

Lines

Author's Note: This piece may be one of the most symbolic pieces I have ever written! Please comment, it would be very much appreciated!

There are lines.

Lines that cover me in mistakes, enclose me in the past.

The lines that make X's over  failures,

Create a life of regret,

Leave me swaying from one side to another.

Lines that shatter my windows, my only outlook to tomorrow.

The lines that demolish any hope ,

Create damage to dreams,

Leave me wishing in the winds of despair.

Lines that weave intricate patterns through the depths of life.

The lines that enhance the meaning of love,

Create confusions in the world they know.

In the world we know.

Lines.

The lines created of demons.

Left in Ruins

Author's Note: This piece is about the cause/effects in the story "Uglies." I worte this to demonstrate my understanding of cause and effect relationships.

Tally is anticipating her 16th birthday-- the day she becomes pretty. Pretty= Perfect hair, stunning eyes, get to live in the party tower with all of the new pretties, including Tally's best friend, Peris. Tally can't wait for the life of never ending parties, but until then, she is stuck in Uglyville with Shay, an ambitious girl with the same birthday as Tally. Shay takes Tally on fun adventures, to hoverboarding at night, to sneaking into one of the parties at Prettytown, to eventually revealing her most secretive plan to Tally; running away from Prettytown. Shay is completely satisfied with her own face, body, flaws and all. She can't undergo surgery that changes everything about you.

The moment Shay leaves, Tally is faced with the phase of loneliness once again. She waits, by herself, for her 16th birthday, for the day she becomes pretty. On the day of her birthday though, Tally is told by "Special Circumstances" (the group of highest authority) that something has gone wrong with her surgery. Special Circumstances explains that the only way for Tally to become pretty is to find "The Ruins." So, Special Circumstances plants a tracker on her and sends her off with some water purifiers, some food packets, a high tech sleeping bag, and her hover board. Once Tally is blackmailed into traveling to "The Ruins," and she agrees to, there is no turning back. This is the main conflict in the story.

The cause of Tally running away is the fact that Shay had run away. Although, another main cause to motivate Tally into escaping is her desire to become pretty. Without such a hatred for her imperfections, maybe Tally would have fought against Special Circumstances, changing the entire conflict of the story. If Tally had seen past her flaws, she would have run away to "The Ruins" with Shay, freely, and there wouldn't be a need for Special Circumstances to consult Tally, therefore, wouldn't be betrayal of "The Ruins." Everyone would live happily ever after...

Once Tally leaves, many things are set into action based on her decisions. First, Tally arrives, and has her eyes set on David-- the one Shay is convinced is her true love. The moment David talks to Tally, tension arises between Tally and Shay. Then, Tally ends up wanting to stay in "The Ruins," with her friends, and she disposes of the tracker the Special Circumstances has given her. Little does she know, that by destroying the tracker actually sets off an alarm which sends planes of Special Circumstances over to "The Ruins," and they leave the community in ashes, the community that Tally so wanted to be a part of. Special Circumstances takes many of Tally's friends hostage and with the impression that Tally has betrayed them. Once again, if Tally hadn't been so obsessed with a flawless body, her friends from the new community wouldn't feel like they have been betrayed, Tally would still be in love with David, and "The Ruins" wouldn't be in, well, ruins when Special Circumstances was done with them.

All of these conflicts then set the stage for book two, "Pretties."

Children in Winter

Author's Note: Our journal prompt in the Writing Lab was "You are standing on Pewaukee Lake Beach watching the sun set. What do you see, hear, smell, taste, or feel?" This is my response to this prompt. Feel free to give suggestions!

As the glowing pink of the sunset reflects off my glasses, the sharp winter air of January claws at my already reddened cheeks, interrupting the beauty. I see my breath dance in front of me the moment I open my mouth in awe. Suddenly, I am very grateful for the soft mittens enclosed around my fingers. Their warmth comforts me like chicken noodle soup when you are sick, or the embrace of your mother's arms when you are sad. The sounds of laughter from the children enjoying the snow insulates my ears, creating a barrier from the cold.

Maybe this sunset will melt the frozen hearts of the world, empty them, like the children in the winter.

For Better, or Worse

     Author's Note: As assigned, this is my Patriot's Pen Essay (rough draft). Don't worry-- this piece is supposed to be humorous rather than the traditional serious essay-- I am NOT turning this in to the contest. :D Please comment!            

                 As America’s Founding Fathers, you are looked up to and greatly appreciated from the 16^th century to the 21^st. You were big figures in the creation of our country and our beloved home. Why can’t you take the time to make your appearances somewhat acceptable?

                Although your attire is fairly decent (considering the fashion statements in the 1600’s were, uh, different than ours today,) the next thing the 21^st century looks at (well, most women at the least,) is the hair. Let’s face it: this area NEEDS improvement! While guys today either go for the piranha or just-got-out-of-bed look, you Founding Fathers are sporting the old-age-greasy-gray hair. People nowadays dye their hair so that it isn’t gray, and you guys are wearing wigs so that it is? Come on! When you signed all of those papers, and “discussed” all of those important issues, didn’t you think at all that you were creating the foundation to our country, and that you would be talked about for centuries to come? That your hair creates a look of disgust on our faces?

                The gray, greasy hair brings us to our next item of business: bathing.  Men in the 16^th century didn’t bathe for weeks, months, even years on end, and honestly, what good did it ever do to you?  I mean, aside from keeping the women far, far away from you, being given the great opportunity to be constantly scratching the dried sweat on your body, and always swatting those pesky flies and gnats away from you, of course. When the first colonists came over from England, they settled inland, sure, but on a river! What a perfect opportunity to take a bath. In the river. You Founding Fathers were given all of the essentials necessary to becoming even more successful, but they were ignored.

                Despite your opinions of your funky hair or your repulsive smell, the one thing that you should for sure be caring about is your smile. Crooked  and yellow teeth aren’t good at representing you when you show happiness.  Founding Fathers—you have very intelligent and creative men on your squad, use them! Have Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Edison create teeth whiteners, or at the very least, toothpaste! If this is really too much to ask, just find some hay and cut it to short pieces, attach it to a stick, and, what do you know? You have a toothbrush. For those lopsided teeth, get a piece of twine and tie it around your teeth for makeshift braces. Put your thinking cap on, people!

                With all of these new improvements to you, there is absolute certainty that you will feel more confident in the decisions of our country. There is also no doubt about it women today will appreciate your good looks and maybe, just maybe, call you “hot” instead of “old man."

Ever Forgiving

Author's Note: This piece is about the conflict/resolution in the story "What Happened to Goodbye." i wrote this piece to demonstrate my understanding of conflict resolution relationships.

Author's Note: This is my conflict/resolution piece discussing "What Happened to Goodbye." Enjoy!
Once her parents divorce, McLean becomes engaged with her ever changing personalities-- from cheerleader to geek, from New York to Lakeview, McLean is convinced that by inventing identities from place to place, it won't hurt to say goodbye. This 17-year-old is taken on a journey of reality, acceptance, and trust, setting the stage for the book "What Happened to Goodbye" by Sarah Dessen. McLean's main conflict-- she doesn't know who she really is.

McLean's dad forces her to move, yet again, for his restaurant, and McLean decides that she is sick of being someone else all the time-- she wants to be herself. One issue... she doesn't know who that is. This problem is on the road to resolution when McLean first surrounds herself with trusting and understanding friends who are there to support her. With the extra boost of confidence, McLean eventually accepts the fact that, indeed, her parents are divorced and are never getting back together. She is able to confide in her dad, and eventually, forgive her mom.

This relationship between the conflict and resolution is very similar to Psalm 103:8-12 in the Bible where it explains that God  is ever forgiving.
"The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us."
This verse is so powerful in the text of the bible, especially since it is somewhat understandable by us stupid humans. Basically, this quote tells us to put our life in the hands of the Lord-- he won't be upset or angry with what we have done, we just need to trust him and trust that he will forgive. He won't hold grudges against us if we sin, disobey the righteousness. This text is in perfect unison with the overall moral in "What Happened to Goodbye." If we do something wrong in life, not only will God forgive us, so will our parents, our friends-- most of the time we will be forgiven, if given time.The moment McLean lets go of the past and moves on with her relationship with her mother, there is a sense of peace.
The Lord is ever forgiving.

Parted Worlds

A circular world, this one,

No place to run, no corners to hide,

No matter the circumstance.

I will be there.

Once upon a time,

The pieces all fitted together,

Time fighting itself.

As the pieces drifted apart.

The pieces may have parted,

Puzzle to puzzle,

Me to you.

But remember our forever lasting connection.

Edges may fade,

Sections will be lost,

But the center of gravity is too strong.

For you to fight the connection.

So, even if you avoid me,

Move half-way across the world,

You will still be living in my clutch.

You are just a handprint away.

This is Me

Author's Note: This is my personal memoir from language arts reflecting on a very life changing event a few years ago. Please interpret the lesson from this story and comment! :D

"This is me."

As the song fades to an end, I ease into my final pose, breathing heavily through the smile that is plastered on my face-- not that it needs to be, I am fairly certain that if I hammered the cement grin off my face, I would still be smiling ear to ear. Although the crowd has no more than thirty five people, the audience roars in applause. My jaw really hurts; I just can't seem to wipe this beaming expression away. I gracefully stand up from the floor and politely curtsy before running "backstage" (which really wasn't backstage considering that I was dancing in a fish hatchery...) to greet my mother's embrace.

"Great job," she whispers and the moisture of her breath sticks in my hair. Maybe it will wash away some of this rock-hard hairspray and gel.

Now, I wait full of anticipation through the other dances, and finally, I hear, "Will all the performers please make their way up to the stage. Thank you."

Then.

"The winner of the 6 year old age group...."

The.

"The winner of the 7 year old age group..."

Moment.

"The winner of the 8 year old age group..."

Comes.

"Waukesha County's Favorite Dancer is.... Erika Ziolkowski age nine!"

 Ecstatic. On cloud nine. Can't wrap my brain around the fact that.... I am supposed to be taking my trophy and award! I force my feet in the direction of the judges. 

"Congratulations."

Running my fingers over the intricate designs of the dancer on top of the trophy, I promise myself to always live life to its fullest--give 103% effort. Spectacular things always come from the extra push.

I will always live that dance.

Retelling

Author's Note: As an assignment we had to write a retelling piece for the Reading Lab. This piece is retelling "What Happened to Goodbye" by Sarah Dessen.

Once her parents divorce, McLean becomes engaged with her ever changing personalities-- from cheerleader to geek, from New York to Lakeview, McLean is convinced that by inventing identities from place to place, it won't hurt to say goodbye. This 17-year-old is taken on a journey of reality, acceptance, and trust. Will this young girl ever find peace in one place?

The Meaning of Words

"Half of the world of is composed of those who have something to say, but can't; and the other half is of those who have nothing to say but keep on saying it." (Robert Frost)

There must be millions. Tens of millions of people that hold their voice inside of them. They have ideas that can change their community, their nation, our world.  These are the people that can impact, inspire, spark a revolution in the being of our people. But they are held back by the cage that entraps their expression, the wall too high for them to climb, or from fear of being put down by negativity. There must be another million people, the exact opposite of these.  Tens of millions of people that don't hold back.  Does that mean though, that they really have something to say? We as a community have to question whether or not our "leaders" of today really have ideas that can positively influence  us as a whole.

"Half of the world is composed of those who have something to say, but can't; and the other half is of those who have nothing to say but keep on saying it."

As many if not all of Robert Frost's pieces do, this particular quote from him left me thinking. Hard. I came to the conclusion that I agree with his statement… I just think that there should be additional information. Robert Frost first states "half of the world is composed of those who have something to say, but can't," and I completely agree.  He then says, "and the other half is of those who have nothing to say but keep on saying it," and I also agree here. Where is it then that I put up an argument? To be honest, I don't know. All I know is that while some people in this world are fighting the urge to speak, and others are repetitively stating their knowledge of nothingness, there are people who do have a voice, and put it to good use. They take a group of people with a common goal and help them to achieve or to move them towards that goal. Who are these people? Leaders. True leaders. While half of the world is fighting the urge to speak, and other half is repetitively stating their knowledge of nothingness, there is a small handful of people beyond the two halves, beyond the separation.

"Half of the world is composed of those who have something to say, but can't; and the other half is of those who have nothing to say but keep on saying it."

I distinctly remember a few summers ago, when I went to my first year at WASC leadership camp. So many new, exciting emotions, so many new experiences just waiting to be found, and so many new faces just waiting to build into everlasting friendships. I particularly recall doing a project-- having to make up a school and a flag for the school. It was interesting to see all of the different personalities in people as they shared (or didn't share,) ideas with the group.  Some people would keep stating their ideas over and over and over, while others didn't even want to speak. Eventually, our leader, Scott, stopped us and told us to look at how well we were really communicating in that situation. We all realized then that we should all get the chance to speak. We started a system where one person would start sharing their ideas, and when they were done, call on someone to share theirs, even if they didn't particularly want to be called on.  It was very fascinating to find that some of the best ideas came from those people that really didn't want to speak in front of the group. It just goes to show that true geniuses can come from even the shiest of people.

"Half of the world is composed of those who have something to say, but can't; and the other half is of those who have nothing to say but keep on saying it."

Twists and Turns

 Author's Note: This piece is what I used for my Writing Assessment. Please comment!

 

Life. A strange, peculiar, phenomenal gift; full of love, friendships, smiles, laughter… decisions. Life.  A web of lies, a quilt of regret, a book of tragedy. Life. A maze of right and wrong, left and right, yes and no’s. Life… a maze.

Questions fill every minute of every day. What should I wear tomorrow? Should I go to basketball practice tonight? Can I stay home from school today? You think so? Should I date him? Should I ask her out? Are you sure? Should I do drugs? Is this safe? What college should I go to? Will you marry me? Should we take her off life support? Should I risk others’ lives to save mine? Every question has an answer. These answers are what make up your maze. These are the paths of yes and no, sure and whatever, I do and  I don’t. These questions are the foundation of your maze.

Every decision we make in life leads us to a consequence. Every decision we make in life elongates our maze, complicates our maze. Every decision we make in life determines the future. If you come to a crossed road, you’ve got two choices. Left or right. Theoretically, a fifty percent chance of choosing the right path. Theoretically, a fifty percent chance of choosing the wrong path.  The thing is, even if we make the wrong decision, and we realize our mistake before further progressing, we can backtrack and try to undo what has been done. We can start over on the right trail. If you have the attitude of “Oh, I’m perfect and I don’t make mistakes,” well, good luck getting to the end of your maze.  Good luck getting past that dead end just in front of you that you fail to see.

Whether or not you choose wisely, it is important that you learn from your experiences. That you are able to say; “Alright, drinking when I am fifteen isn’t such a good idea, I should have said ‘no.’” Not only is it vital to learn something from these encounters, it is necessary for a successful trip through the maze to put that newly found knowledge to use. Next time you run into a similar situation, you can say “No way, not again,” instead of trying it “just one more time.”

Through the road of surprises, death, enchantment, mistakes, fluttery throats, flopping stomachs, loving hearts, it is important that we realize where we are heading in our maze. Learn from your experiences. Question the future. Live life to its fullest. Life. A web of lies, a quilt of regret, a book of tragedy.

Life.

A maze.

The Last Flower

Author's Note: As a writing prompt/ journal given to us in Language Arts, this piece is supposed about the last living flower in a flower bed, but I would love to hear other interpretations. 

I bow to the ones before me.

I bend,

Lower,

Lower,

Lower,

Until I am practically kissing the ground.

I bow to the ones who have sacrificed for me.

I bend,

Lower,

Lower,

Lower,

And drops form on my petals.

I see all of the dead.

And I reminisce as I bend,

Lower,

Lower,

Lower.

Until I become one of them.