Remembering Him

I remember him
The love he had
The compassion for others
His hobby of fishing

I remember him
His beautiful tenor voice in the choir
His dedication to the Chruch
His joy of gardening

I remember him
The talks we had on the deck
While he smoked, the stories he told
The way he ate from his garden

I remember him
When he sent me to dig
An onion or pick a tomato
When he mowed for June

I remember him
His gardens, oh the produce,
Junes beautiful flowers, and strawberries
All the things he did for us

I remember him
The time he spent with his children
The love he had
The compassion he had

I remember Grandpa Bob
The love we had for him
The time cut too short

I remember

AC



 

Unicorns are rainbows

Unicorns are rainbows
Because unicorns fly
You see them flapping up into the clouds
You can smell the rainbow
Taste the unicorn
Feel its fur
Jack at Paris
Some unicorns can't fly
The unicorn is falling YOLO
"The white Unicorn of Rainbow"
The unicorn that couldn't fly hit the ground and didn't die!
Ron witnessed this
The unicorn would have been astonished of his doings
"El unicornio she callo del cielo"
Said the Latin man
The Eiffel Tower said whoah!
Unicorns are rainbows

Optimus prime

Arrow

Here is where I met him for the first time.
Here is where I realized that sparks shoot through me whenever he's close.
Here is where I spent my first 10 minutes alone with him in my truck one night because he forgot his
money and needed a ride to get it.
Here is where he said things that had my heart racing so fast, I thought it would beat right out of my chest.
Here is where I fell for him.
Here is where I should've told him because I thought he was leaving for good the next day.
Here is where I blissfully learned that he didn't.
Here is where he hugged me because he hadn't seen me in a week and he said he missed me.
Here is where he came up and rubbed my shoulders when I was having a hard time.
Here is where he suddenly hugged me again because he said he felt the need to be near me.
Here is where we had our first moment, standing in silence, looking deep into each other's
eyes.
Here is where I was out with him until 12:30am, just talking about
anything and everything.
Here is where I got grounded for it.
Here is where he first held my hands, wrapping them in his as he stared intently.
Here is where his laugh intoxicates me.
Here is where his touch sends shivers down my spine and where his smile sets fire to my
heart.
Here is where, even when his eyes glare daggers of blood, I am struck by arrows of love.
Here is where it all began.
Here is where our future is.

A.H.

Never ending struggle

College,

Exciting but nerve wrecking.

Never less stressful as heck! You get a plan to go to a college you really like, then at the last minute a college offers you a deal to do so,etching great with them. Throwing everything out of Wack, you suddenly can't decide what's the best thing to choose.

Parents never stop talking about it, constantly trying to change your mind.

But in the end it needs to be your choice not anyone else's.

Learning about yourself is important because it helps you out in the long run to help choose what's best for you.

College is a never ending struggle

Kdh

Life As a Crayon

It all started with the creation of my own well being. I was composed at a factory in Easton, PA on the 6th of July. But I'm not the only one to be constructed on this day, because the rest of my family is here in this oddly shaped box. My name.... Is R.E.D. Which is short for Retired and Extremely Dangerous. As I am swiftly jerked around by huge hands, I here the rest of my family screaming, almost as if they were on a roller-coaster. I barely catch a glimpse of a white truck labeled Rosetta, pulling up to the back of a larger building. My family and I are brought toward this other building. When we reach our destination, I can hear the soft whimpering of my mother(purple) and my little sister(baby pink) in the background of all these gruff sounding men. The men are telling the driver of the white truck to bring us to our rally point. ____________________________________________________________________________
After a while of being in the dark and musty back, the truck abruptly stops. The door opens and we are shocked and blinded by the bright illumination of the sun. Right when I start to believe that I'm going to die, the man grabs our box and a few others, and carries us into a new building. This building smelt like flowers blooming in the spring. The artistry on the wood walls was exuberayting. And the perfectly aligned shelves and stock was exciting as well. As we made our way down to the isle we belonged to, I saw a sign that said "Welcome to Hollywood, CA." This was our next home. I was starting to get a little dizzy from all the moving around. So I decided to take a little nap....(snoring excessively) I am awakened by a high pitched voice saying something about wanting crayons. As soon as I heard this, I was like, "Oh my gosh this is my chance to escape this box. So I started to move around so that the box would wiggle off the shelve we were on. Surprisingly it actually worked. So the mom of the girl boy picked us up and tossed us into this cold, metallic object. Soon after we were being scanned and put into a plastic bag. I was singing to my self about being able to see the open world once more.....

____________________________________________________________________________ We arrived at our "final" home and were being brought upstairs to this child's room. Finally, after so many days in this crammed box, we were free. The child said that we were in Albany, NY. Once free from our original home, I jumped due to the sound of my mothers blood curling screams. She had colored her last picture of purple. For she had been broken in half by this demonic child. ____________________________________________________________________________
Years later, my clothes(wrapper) had worn out into a blur of words and color. I ended up being washed down a toilet, once my height had shortened and my color was bland. Was this the end of my crayon life? Was I now useless? Yes to both questions.
I am now in the after life of a crayon. I see a sign that reads Death Valley California.

Once I saw that sign, I knew it was all over.

CK

CUSTOMS

In my house there are no rules.
You will fly carelessly with the wind
And respect wherever it takes you,
because everybody's path is unique.
You must be tolerant and obedient enough
That nothing may dull your happiness.
You have to be open to trying new things
And be accepting of failure.
Respect others; be kind always; hugs are nice too (just so you know).

E.S.

The Right Shadow to Follow

If I could help the kids of this corrupted world think that they do not have to join gangs or do drugs, I would. There are a few things they need to hear....
There are many things that can occupy your leisure time. Such as, writing, hanging with RIGHT group of friends.... Etc.
Don't do drugs because they will corrupt you and it is hard to get out of such an addiction.
When you join a gang, there is no turning back because once your out, YOU are the victim of their tortuous acts of pleasure.
Gangs are just wannabes that think they are a "family" but when the push comes to shove, they gave nobody but themselves to defend their own well being.

DRUGS KILL!
Gangs hurt others for pleasure.
But you, can choose how your going to live....live for yourself , and not in another persons shadow.
CK

Here and There

Here I scribbled a picture of my doggy and kitty with purple crayons on the living room wall.
Here I bubbled with pride as I scaled a tree, a fallen Nebraska cottonwood, for the first time.
Here I played t-ball on the purple team.
Here I hobbled along on my bike that was freed from the training wheels.
Here I unearthed my love for science, watching heat from my grandma's lamp melt a plastic toy.
Here I lied to my aunt that it was not me who created the green, plasticky mess on the carpet.
Here I built, with architectural skills of a second grader, a treehouse crafted with old barn wood.
Here I fell through an unsturdy board of a treehouse.
Here I waited patiently for when I would be lifted on shoulders for the game-winning interception
Here I cackled at my impromptu horror stories while my cousins shivered with fear.
Here I learned to drive on a muddy 210 St. in a grey Ford Taurus.
Here I listened to cackling fireworks, innocent child play as we said goodbye under July stars.
Here I snatched my diploma and walked off the stage one last time.
Here I had an epic summer.
Here I end this journey at a place that once seemed a very far off there.
Here I start a new journey there, using the knowledge gained from the last journey.
Here I pull up that grey Taurus in a parking lot in front of a dorm.

Ha

Lightning show

If I lay here...

It's a warm summer day and I choose to ride my bike out in the middle of a pasture right by the beaver creek. I part the prairie grass and lie down. The clouds have now moved their way across the span of sky. I was promised a lighting show this afternoon. In the near distance I can hear the birds chirping and the bugs buzzing along. Moooooo. I hope the cows don't mistake me for their afternoon brunch. Horses trot right past my toes checking to make sure the cows are doing well. The wind picks up, and my hair strands sand on end reaching to the sky. It's three o'clock and it's only two minutes until showtime. The cows decide to join me and they too lie down in the grass. I can hear the stage director's voice booming behind the grey curtain of clouds. The spotlight flashes from all comers of the stage. Now, it's 3:02 and it's time to let the lighting show begin. I find it so sweet that after the show some of the actors came down from the stage and greeted me with kisses on the apples of my cheeks.

Kell

I Long For The Summer Nights

The sun starts to set,
Summer's warm day is coming to an end.
The wood is stacked by the pit,
Waiting and begging to be burned.
The fire makes a loud pop,
Flames reflect in our eyes.
The heat burns our shins,
Hot dogs roast over the fire.
Flames sizzle and spit sparks,
Ashes raise to the sky and become stars.
The moon lights the path to peace,
Trees sway in the cool breeze,
And fireflies light up the landscape.
The coals glow dimly in the bottom of the pit,
Telling us its time to rest.
The locust sings us a sweet lullaby,
And we drift off to sleep in the summer air.

-KZ

My name...

Devyn
such a hollow sound
like knocking on a hollow tree
like yelling in a tunnel
the lonely echo
yet daring to be
different

Loud without making a sound
Silently screaming

Psych

Quotes of Inspiration*

A sage is the instructor of the ages--
"No one can ever fill your shoes!"
Be the light--

For life is too short to stay mad.

You see, you are in charge of your own happiness,
and you
are
enough.
So explore the world around you,
Laugh often, long, and loud
Gasp for breath...heck,
High five it....
Because the truth matters. 
More than you know.

Stick with love as hate
is too great a burden to bear,
But most of all?

Set your sights on a star of known brightness....

Create.


~Ms. Olson
*Poem of quotes compiled from my desk calendar!

Not Just A Father, A Dad

Here I pulled the throttle back and leaned forward as my bike climbed the steepest hill in the pasture.

Here I bargained back and forth and held my ground to get my first truck.

Here I kissed every good looking girl in the room on New Years Eve.

Here I danced at a wedding with your mother for the very first time.

Here I curled up on this couch with her and watched Cheers in her small apartment room.

Here I kissed her in front of both our family and friends after we exchanged vows to start our lives together.  I still see her beauty in that moment and every moment since.

Here I held her hand with excruciating pain as she huffed and puffed in the hospital bed.

Here I held your little head in my arms for the very first time.

Here I carried you upstairs from a blanket on the floor after you dozed off while we all were watching America's Funniest Home Videos.

Here you persuaded me to buy yet another toy because you were so cute that I couldn't say no.

Here I held you on my knee and let you drive the tractor to the next gate.

Here you slingshotted water balloons at me in front of the house.

Here I lifted you up onto the saddle to ride no further than around the yard.

Here I watched your gaze turn to love as you looked down at your new baby sister.

Here I gathered sand by the ocean so you could make your first sand castle while the waves glided forth to the edge of my callused feet.

Here I sat by the campfire with you asleep in my arms until I had to give you up to your mother who took you to sleep in the tent.

Here I wrapped your icicle toes in my coat to warm them up until the buck walked into the clearing at the edge of the field.

Here I cooked you a steak at 1 am because you ruined your supper by eating chips before we sat down to eat.

Here I hugged you after each football game and felt how proud of you I am.

Here I watched you grow to become a man, through all the steps, the trials, the glories, the smiles, the laughs, the love.  I was there.

JayZ

Memories of Venezeula

Here as a child I played ding dong ditch with my group of friends
Here I attempted parkour with friends and got in trouble for trespassing
Here I picked lemons off the neighbors lemons tree and made lemonade with my friends, and got in trouble
Here I survived the three inches of rain we got in 2008
Here I flew a plane and ventured into new lands
Here I lived in a new world
Here I am now


Optimus prime

Real Nightmare

It was 11 O'clock, and I had just arrived back in my dorm from my long shift at Applebee's. My feet were still screaming as I walked over to my bed. They let out a squeal of joy once I finally slipped my shoes off. It felt so amazing to lay down. My roommate was surprisingly sound asleep. I didn't want to bother her so I grabbed my headphones and covered up as I prepared myself to watch a few episodes of psyche on my laptop before I went to bed. It was now 12:01 am and I hadn't seen or heard any noise come from my roommate, which was extremely odd since her snores were louder than the screech of a wild boar. I slowly slid out of my bed and ever so quietly crept over to check on her. I placed my fingers on her neck. There was still a pulse, good she is a live. I didn't think anymore of it, and decided I was extremely tired so I went to bed.
It was now 10:00 am and my roommate still hadn't moved from the same position she was in last night.  She never can sleep past nine so I couldn't figure out what the deal was. I walked over to wake her up because she had class in ten minutes, but it didn't take more than the quick touch to her arm for me to realize the horrifying truth, she was dead.
I started screaming and took of running down the hall to get our RA. I couldn't even begin to describe to her what was going on so I pulled her down to my room and forced myself to show her. She frantically started dialing 911 in an attempt to get help of any sort. Confusion, panic, and chaos had set in.  
After a few hours of sitting in our RA's room and constant questioning from the police, they told me she must have died while I was at work, her legal death time was 10:49 pm.  I just stared at them and said nothing. How could that be? There isn't any way that that could be possible. I felt her pulse at 12:01. I know I did.
I stared at the investigator and with a deep breath I told him that.
He looked at me with a little worry in his eyes and spoke the words to me I will never be able to forget as long as I live, "That pulse you felt wasn't hers. It was her killers."

Bri

A Day in the Garden

The flowers growing in the garden blossom
As the clouds roll in the lighting flashes the rain
Begins, the cool breeze and waving branches are beautiful
The rain comes trickling through the dry creek, it grows into a stream
The garden continues to cool letting each and every plant
breath. Sitting on the bench in the gazebo, relaxing.

The rain goes away, allowing me to move out to the garden to relax
more, I find the bench nearest the roses and decide the smell from each blossom
is absolutely wonderful. Sitting there watching the trees and flowers and shrubs, plants
are beautiful things, never needing more than a scoop of love and a shower of rain.
flowing on and babbling through the garden's center filling the pond below, runs the stream
as I sit, dreaming on throughout the day of place far and near, that are exquisitely beautiful

laying on the banks of the pond, I stare up and watch the clouds drift by, beautiful
spending time alone in the center of this grand garden green I lay just relaxing,
happy times and joyous things, a pond of memories filling up ready to flow downstream
there in the distance, are the Lilies growing tall and fragrant, such large blossoms
coming from in the distance the clouds return, they rumble ever so quietly, the rain
Comes and I run for the gazebo arriving just before the rain begins, I sit watching the plants

the rain ends and I wander off towards the shade garden, filled with plants
in many different hues of green. Hostas and Bleeding hearts fill the area with beautiful
shades of purples and pinks. under these trees not more that a drop or two of rain
is ever needed. I sit in soft green grass enjoying the sounds of happy birds, I love relaxing
eventually I take a nap next to the violets as they wave in the soft gentle wind the blossoms
of perpetual motion. down the hill runs the babbling brook the runs right into the stream.

I awake to and go down to the brook, following it until I find the stream
There I sit skipping rocks watching as the wind blows by rustling the leaves of the plants
Down by the stream I find a hidden alcove filled with columbine and astilbe blossoms,
the scent is amazing, as I wander through a find a waterfall near the back such a beautiful
place, simply walking through the alcove continues to refresh the already relaxed
senes of mine. The creek feeding the falls above, has been replenished by the recent rain.

Time moves on, and I follow the stream up a ways, finding more brooks created by the rain,
I decide to stop and sit again for a while listening to the birds and the babke of the stream.
this day has been filled with peace and tranquility, i have become fully relaxed
laying next to the stream I notice more blossoms of new primrose, the plants
simply abound, filling this garden to the brim making it the most beautiful
that I’ve ever seen. on the other bank I notice a patch of Lily of the Valley with big blossoms

The flowers and their blossoms abound with joy, many washed open by the rain.
The beautiful land surrounding me, cut by brooks and streams
A garden filled with these plants of grandeur, and a place to sit and relax.

AJC

People change

The world we live in not everyone is going to get along.

But when we are younger, we are forced to be stuck in a room with people 

That we either can not stand or bully one another.

Through middle school years it gets worse everyone is going through that awkward change.

People do grow up but it doesn't seem they do until the last year of high school, this year my senior year, I finally feel like I get along with mostly everyone. Hanging out with people I never hungout with before. But as a senior we all want to get out, so we really just realize how much time we wasted hating instead of hanging.

Kdh 

First Love's Knife

I can still remember the butterflies
Fluttering through me,
Tickling me when I saw you,
Talked to you,
When you smiled at me,
And your touch that electrified me,
The blindness that came with a first love.
But I woke up when you stabbed a knife into the small of my back,
You know, where you always used to caress.
You left a gaping wound so deep, it was a river of blood,
Flowing from my heart that you tore out of my chest.
Over time, the void has slowly filled,
The river dried out and I have healed,
Moved on to another who will treat me right.
But no matter how much time will pass,
I'll always have the scars from my first love's betrayal.

-A.H.

Together We Rose

Together we rose, like bear cubs do, during their first moment that they step foot out of the den. Together we laugh, together we sway, but it's not the same way everyday. Together we can create a whole new way of life, I'll write the script and when I am done you can draw it into reality. Together I want to live, together I want to stay, together we stand strong against all odds. When we are apart, even for a second, I feel weak. Together, we can surpass our worst fears. Sometimes I think about what the future has in store for us. Could we be? Will we be? Can we be together forever, until the end of days. These are the questions I ponder over every night and day. Baby, can you make these questions go away and make my worst fears disappear? Cuz together we can create our own history.

A lot of people have their own "first times" and a lot of people, consider me as a "nobody" when it comes to talents, but there is but one thing that I have that they don't...... A SOUL!!!! To have a soul is to show emotions, to feel, to care, and to feel empathy towards those who are down or depressed. I may not be good at sports, or even have the best grades, but I can sure as heck move any girls heart with my poetry.

So if you think I'm just a cheesy nobody, you're WRONG!!! Because it's not what's on the outside that matters, it is the inside that all of us should pay the most attention to.

CK

The Bulldozer

The words were like a bulldozer
Rolling over the lump of clay
The victim.
The clay wore thinner and thinner.
The driver traversed the machine
Back and forth
Back and forth
Cackling at the obliteration
Smirking at the power, control
Unknowing that the victim
Appeared to be clay,
Bendable and controllable,
But had a core of titanium
That would never be crushed
By some bulldozer.
Leaving the "victim"
Cackling, smirking, knowing.
HS

Poetry Comic

ES

A day at work

The lady whose desk was next to mine and had only been there a week when she found herself in front of the manager.  He had her take this job because she was suited for it and seemed to work well... he was wrong about that!  She never seemed to know how to do anything and always came in late, burned the coffee, and never picked up donuts.  She then didn't sit down at her desk but rather rearranged it all afternoon.  We couldn't help but wonder why she was hired.  We consulted out boss and he said he'd look into it.  She was then reprimanded for being late.  We thought that was it, but she decided to go crazy and wreck the entire office building.   She walked out crying wondering why she was fired.
 

A moment in history

I woke up to the sound of what seemed like screaming. Pulling my covers around my shoulders, I got out of bed and walked up to a little storm window. I ever so gently pulled back my purple curtains and glanced out of my window. I lived on a second story building so I could pretty much see everything. I could hear this supersonic boom as I continued looking out the window. My ears were ringing and I almost felt a bit of warmth brush against my skin. The light was only there for a few seconds before everything went black.  I was confused because I was still staring out my window and I could hear the screams of people, but it was like someone put a blanket over my eyes. I fluttered my eyelashes, like wings on a butterfly, scrunched my eyes as tight as I could but all I could see was darkness. I heard my mother rush into my room and let out a big gasp. I could feel her tears on my cheeks as she picked me up and carried me away.

*A reflection of a little girl staring out the window when the atomic bomb strikes. Because of the magnitude of light, she was blinded. 

Kell 

Portrait

A frown is a screaming smile
Canadian ninjas fly through the wispy air as marshmallow men haul snow through the chocolate forest in the land where the toucans flap their beaks and chirp their wings
But the cold brisk air smells of salt in the morning over the starboard bow
The sea is dark and thunderous and tastes like dry salty fish
But it feels like moist sand that wedges itself into the crevasses in fingernails
The harrowing axeman of Montegue smiled a screaming frown
But growling alligators might attack on the main deck by climbing the side of the three story building and through the skylight while eggnog is spilled upon the floor
But as the dark gloomy sun will set on the quivering horizon
And the finger of God explodes balloons of vibrant cotton candy in the sleepless sky
The cat cuddling castle will intimidate the never ending sins that are pounded into the overpowering eye that it sails into at the edge of the quivering horizon.    

JayZ

Monsters Under the Bed

When we are little, we ask our parents to check under our beds and in our closets for monsters. As kids, we know that our parents aren't afraid of anything and will always protect us. Eventually, the monsters crawl out from under our beds and become present in our everyday lives. In our first experiences with them we look to our parents, only to realize they have to let us fight our own battles. After a while, the monsters become easier to find. The monsters are the people who hope you fail, the people who love to watch you lose it. Their colors begin to show, and turn out to be green. Jealously. Jealous of the person you are, and the person they wish they were strong enough to be. Here is some of the best advice ever given to me: they will say things that hurt and you can't let that change the person you are. Sometimes even the ones you trust turn out to be monsters. The monsters are people, and they are everywhere.

KZ

This I Believe

I believe in the beauty of nature. In the smallest grain of sand there is a world you would have never imagined. Tiny shells, and pretty pieces of a gorgeous igneous rock, ground down into the fine powder we all take for granted. In the grove of trees surrounding a pond in a pasture, there is beauty. Brought to this spot by pure chance and force of nature. Carried but the wind from its mother trees possibly miles away. There is beauty in the fish that swim in the pond. The way they dart to and fro amongst the lilies. Their backs reflecting silver from the rays of the sun. There is beauty in the small grass frog sitting along the back of the pond. It's long legs curled up, relaxed but ready to leap at any moment. His legs, long and powerful are the thing that make him so beautiful. The way they tuck under him and quickly throw back while he swims out to a a dead tree, fallen in from a mighty wind storm many summers ago. Already on the log is the gorgeous painted turtle, warming himself in the mid June sun. His black and yellow head help up high and proud. His underbelly, hides his most remarkable feature, a colorful array of orange, green, and yellow made into a breathtaking design. Back on the bank, a garter snake slides through the tall green prairie grass. She hides on the shadows beneath the tall poplar trees, looking for crickets to make her next meal. She slides by the ground squirrel. He is too big for her to make a meal of, so they live together in peace. Ground squirrel is staying out of sight of the mother Red-Tailed Hawk. She circles overhead searching for a meal for her newly hatched chicks. Their bald grey heads connect to ever hungry mouths, making mother go out to hunt for lunch. A white tailed deer and her fawn walk the cow path to the water. Thirsty in the days heat, they reach their heads down to get a drink. All while keeping their eyes up, fixed on me.
In all this there is beauty. I have seen it myself. I have sat on the backs of this pond, underneath the poplar trees, and I have seen. I believe that in a time long gone, everyone had a spot like this. But not now. Now, this is my spot. This, I believe, is where all the troubles of life slip into nonexistence , and I can just cast out, and fade away.

Z

O me! O life!

Christmas break provided us all with a much needed recharge of the batteries.  Brains and attitudes came back for the most part ready and willing due to extra sleep, time with family and friends, the ability to read a good book or play a game, etc.  Second semester always brings a variety of change, whether it be the switching of classes, new courses, winter activities, etc.  As for us, December sent off 23 Creative Writing students with a hearty fair-thee-well.  The new year, and this blog, welcomes many familiar faces as well as some new souls into the world of Advanced Creative Writing!

 --------------------------------------------

On our first day together, I showed the kids a clip from Dead Poet's Society...a brilliant film, in my opinion!  We watched as Robin Williams' character, Mr. Keating, encouraged his classroom full of male students to rip out the pages in their books regarding "Understanding Poetry." 

The message to be creative and view poetry as a privilege rather than a duty is maybe my favorite scene.  What Mr. Keating follows this specific scene with are some of my favorite lines of the movie:

 "We don't read and write poetry because it's cute.  We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race, and the human race is full of passion!  Medicine, law, banking--these are necessary to sustain life.  But poetry, romance, love, beauty?  These are what we stay alive for! I quote from Whitman:

O me! O life! of the questions of these recurring; Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill'd with the foolish, . . . What good amid these, O me, O life?   

That you are here--That life exists and identity, That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.

Keating pauses in the movie, and repeats that powerful last line one more time to his students: "That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse."  He looks around and asks intently, "What will your verse be?"

  --------------------------------------------------------

On that note, I went through the normal routine of what would be expected of the members of Advanced Creative Writing, as well as some of the projects we will tackle along the way.  This week they finished up their first task, to write their own "This I Believe" statement, inspired by thisibelieve.org.  I chose to end this week with some daily activities intent on getting them to think about the power of the written word.

Today, on a beautiful sunny, 40° reprieve from Father Winter, we made our way outside for the last 20 minutes of class.  Recess, if you will!  After getting the concept of throwing a snowball out of their system, members went about finding a dry place to sit in the grass and on the sidewalk outside of my room.  What followed was so peaceful, so amazing....that I fear I can't give the moment justice.  I didn't care what they wrote about--if they wanted to go further with our discussion that happened indoors on joy writing, or observations, or memories...it didn't matter.  I just asked them to write.  

For 20 minutes, the heads of 15 young men and women bowed to their paper, at times pausing to turn closed eyes and blissful faces towards the warmth of the winter sun, cocking a head in the direction of the gentle breeze through the trees, the music of birds, and the laughter of children on the playground....and they wrote!

It was a wonderful thing to witness, and a powerful moment to be a part of.  What would our world be like if everyone took the time to slow down like this on occasion?  Worries melted away like wax from a finely lit candle, and the pressures and stresses of Thursday were gone in minutes...it was all over in their body language and facial expressions.

Starting next week, Advanced Creative Writing members will begin sharing their own work, at their own choosing.  I welcome you in to witness their youthful brilliance.

~Ms. Olson

 

Goodbye

Goodbyes are the last few pages of a story.
Auburn hearts break as the words are seen, scribbled on a note, never received.
Feel shattering emotions course through as you taste the salt of your tears.
Hear it sizzle in your mouth just the same as words unspoken.
They will eat you alive.
They may even set you free.
Reuniting is a beautiful thing.
"I'll see you on the other side."
My Stockholm Syndrome kicks in as we leave Earth, hand in hand.
Flying with the pink flamingos among the purple sky, we'll make it this time.
Iridescence will show her true colors, stop and smell the roses.
À plus tard.
Goodbye is the tear-filled last page of happiness, but we'll make it this time.

-A.H.

*You hear beating on your tent when you are out on the beach. What is it?

I've set up a green tent right along the shoreline and I can hear what sounds like little hands hitting the tent. Baby stars like to venture down on the beach I've heard so I decided to press my luck and try to experience it myself. It was about 12 o'clock when I heard what sounded like puppy yawns and soft thuds against my tent. The little stars decided to pay me a visit.

Kell

20 things in my head

I am my own king
In 1987 the kings won the Stanley cup
The savory sweet flavor mixed with the old timey stove felt rough under my fingers and fire crackled.
The lake was a cold sight.
Sacramento Is the home of the Kings
Although the year they actually won was 1999
Even though Kobe passed MJ in all time points
I ain't got the time do this
If you bite a squirrel it will eat an apple
Shotcraztenlattopitto
The green elephant was like carpet.
The room covered in black lit up with the lights of the eyes.
Helen Keller will never know what Morgan freeman sounds like
Brady is always running us late.
I will never die
My blue elephant is amazingly fast
If tomorrow is Tuesday and we like pie then we will udderly cry
Me gusta
My tv cried in anger as it powered down.
The salty pie eats it's own words amps it is burned and has a bad taste rather than the amazing aroma.

Mr. dodge

Vacation~

My time going to Keystone this past March was one I'll never forget. It wasn't the most extravagant trips this world has ever seen but it was one that had some of the best memories. For instance, the 9hour drive down packed with a van full of girls was the loudest vehicle probably on that interstate. Though the past eight hours driving to Colorado were loud, the last hour was spent gazing at all the beautiful mountains that we saw while stuck in a traffic jam. Passing through all the small little towns was very interesting! There were houses in places you'd never would see houses at in Nebraska. Each small village had their own little cafe to eat at and about five other houses you'd call your neighbor. These villages were all just alike, except the town we passed through just before arriving at our condo. When we got to our condo we unpacked all the food from all the various vehicles that carpooled. Girls went and unpacked in one room while the guys unpacked in another. Then when we realized we were in the wrong room we packed up again and drug all our belonging to the correct room. The first night we just spent unloading and relaxing in our condos. By morning we were all ready to hop on the next bus carrier to go down the mountains. Some people got up super early to hit the slopes, but me, I slept in. I was probably tired from the rough cold floor that kept me up, since all the adults got all the comfy warm beds. Since the boys got most of the food, I got up and went over to the boys room to get some breakfast and I was all ready to snowboard for the very first time. Olivia and I had gained enough confidence to try snowboarding, but the only thing we didn't realize was that we needed to take ski class before we ever tried snowboarding. So me and Olivia had to pay extra for ski classes (that we didn't want to take), wait two hours for our scheduled appointment, and take a day and a half of our ski trip in ski class. The whole time I was thinking, "Man, I wish I could be snowboarding with everybody else. Even if I may fall down the entire time." But I stayed in class, and learned on the bunny slopes. Once we got past all the unnecessary tips and tricks, that night I took Justin Lees skiing pass and I hit a blue slope for the very first time. I honestly was kind of scared, just because I kept thinking that it was going to be a drop off, but once I got asked to prom with a bunch of shirtless guys, I didn't care about the blue. The hardest part was the ski lift for me.. Haha. I don't know why, but I could NOT land the ski lift, and people probably figured I was the worst snowboarder ever but no, the ski lift just got to me. I literally dreaded just going on the ski lift, but I loved snowboarding! After I finished my first blue, I wanted more! I might have caught onto some things by watching Matt biff it a lot and Joe about run into a tree because I obviously took their tips and decided to sprain my tailbone. But at least Olivia was getting most of the guys attention by falling down the whole time. She probably spent most of her time going down the mountain on her butt while I went on my face. But overall snowboarding was the best first experience ever!
-FYI $13 mozzarella sticks may not sound worth it.. BUT THEY ARE.

ES

Christmas

In my house you immediately yell "HONEY IM HOME!" Even if your not my honey.
You always bring cookies and frosting for me because you know that's what I like.
Parking is a hassle because you must not park near the grass. 
And if it's snowing you must sit with me and watch it while we watch Christmas movies and make paper snowflakes. 
If it's near Christmas don't forget to bring me a present!
I promise to always have hot chocolate ready as well as some type of cookie.
And I have a jar that you can pick a candy cane out of to stir up your hot chocolate. 
If there is snow remember to bring warm things because we will go outside to go sledding and have a snowball fight.
If I'm putting up my Christmas tree you may help, but not too much because it's mine...and besides you have your own! 
Remember to always bring my dog and treat and in return he will give you a kiss.
And if you would like to stay up all night watching scary movies with me that would be amazing because I am a baby when it comes to scary movies.
  You will probably have to listen to me talk a lot because I have a lot to say...so be prepared.
Oh and don't forget to bring your slippers to wear around.
Oh and Christmas music will always be playing so sing along!

JW

A Big Day

The beautiful white dress on the bride.  The fancy tuxedo on the nervous yet excited groom.  The groom standing at the altar waiting for his bride to come to him.  Flowers bright up a full church.  When did we start doing all of this?  Customs and traditions are everywhere we look.

Covering our shoulders in Church is a custom we have followed for a very long time.  Many of the things  we do in one Church service are customs.  Do you take off your shoes when you enter your house? That is a custom.  Every day is a big day full of customs.  Having a certain food during a specific holiday is a custom.  Celebrating the holidays we do is a custom.  Customs and traditions make up a lot of our everyday lives.

SAT

The Shot of a Lifetime

Chuggin' up the pasture
"Please oh please let me get a deer," I pray
Almost to the hill, so close
This Chevy isn't really doing it's job.

I ask dad why he's driving so slow
"Good things come with time," he says
Having my 243 gun by my side
And Dad's 270 next to mine.

I run my freezing fingers across the barrel of my gun
It's my own, it really is!
We get to our mini, magical, mount to hunt
Windows rolled down to keel the fog out.

Four in the morning, freezing my butt off
Don't step in the snow, it's just too beautiful
I check my phone to see how much time has passed,
Three minutes, man, this is going to be a long day!

I look to my left and see a phenomenal sunrise
To my right, I motion a 9x9 buck
About sixty yards away!
This is the shot of a lifetime!

Taking out my gun, safely,
I exit the pickup and put my gun on the toolbox to shoot
I aim and shoot,
The buck goes down and dies a horribly, fantastic death
This is going to be a great season!


ALS

That one day

         There he stood, a very large man, he was watching the sunrise over the hill. Drinking his warm coffee, black, no sugar and no creamer just a strait black French roast that had a sweet smell, vanilla. He stood there sipping it letting out a sigh, not of disappointment but as happiness, like it was a small slice of heaven. Then he turned around, I didn't know at first who it was but I haven't seen him in years, not since third grade, the only memories I had I lived through old pictures and talk with my parents about him.
        "Grandpa is that you" I said as he turned around and even before he could get a word out I was there, I just sat there I couldn't hug him hard enough. He said no words just put his hands around me and gave me a good tight squeeze. I was never happier than that moment, I could feel the tears cascading down my cheeks but I didn't care. I was with grandpa, he was here with me I didn't want to ever let go again.
        "Hey there bud," he said with a wide grin "how have you been. It's been forever since we talked hasn't it." I didn't say a word I just sat there I stared the tears still running down my face. I just sat there and stared not knowing what to do, I just stared. He stared back and didn't say anything else.
        Later on, we talked for a bit I talked about football and my school stuff. He talked about what it was like in heaven, and the memories he had of me and him at the lake. We sat for a while and talked some more then he stood up and started walking.
        "Grandpa, what's wrong, where are you going." I said my voice quivering
     "I'm sorry bud I have to go its time I need to go back." And in a little flash of light he was gone. I look up in the sky and see a twinkle, a small little smug across the sky. Then I crumpled into a ball and cried, just cried.

Ceratotherium simum

Bummer of a Stay

It was late and we didn’t have a place to stay yet.  We were driving all over this big city looking for a room.  We were hotel hunting.  It was late, or at least it felt like it was, but I wasn’t tired, I wanted to swim in a pool at a hotel.  I love swimming; there’s just something about it that suits me.  Anyway, I was sitting in my seat in the van outside of probably the fifth hotel that we were trying, waiting for my mom to come out and give us the nod or head shake.  I waited very patiently despite my feeling of desperately wanting to swim.  Finally, after what seemed like hours, my mom came out very excited to tell us that she had just got us a hotel room for only 67 dollars!  She said they have a heated pool and it’s open for another hour too!  It was obviously going to be a great night.
    We gathered our suitcases and made the walk inside and down the hall to the left and into our room for the night.  As each one of us entered to room we instantly felt dry warm air rush over us.  After about two minutes I could see sweat trickling down my dad’s forehead and mom had went to go tell the person at the front desk that the air conditioner was broken in our room.  Dad took his shirt off and plopped down on the bed with the tv remote and clicked the power button once.  Twice.  Three times.  Then he got up and tried clicking the power button on the old box tv.  Once again, nothing happened.  Mom came back into the room just to be told that the tv doesn’t work either, along with the air conditioner and a lamp that Jesse had tried to turn on after first entering the room.  I really didn’t care that nothing seemed to work in the room though because all I wanted to do was go swimming.  I didn’t care for the heat though, it felt like a sauna in there.
    Mom left to go back to the front desk to complain again and returned shortly after I got my swimming trunks on.  Even though she was very angry with how this hotel turned out, she put a smile on her face, took my hand, and led me down the hall to the glass door at the very end to let me go swimming.  We proceeded to the edge of the somewhat dark pool and I bent my leg to stick my toe in.  Brrrrr!  The water was ice cold!  My mom tested it too and she agreed that it was freezing.  Good thing they had a hot tub!  My mom and I continued on to the edge of the hot tub.  It was a good amount clearer than the pool and looked promising.  Then we saw it.  On the bottom of this cozy-looking hot tub was a pile of light brown poop.  But it wasn’t what you just pictured in your mind.  This poop was different.  The reason it was different was because it didn’t look like poop.  Someone had let it go down there on the bottom of that hot tub and left it be.  It had been there for so long that it had disintegrated and was now a pile of tiny pieces of a bigger poop.  Nasty.
My mom didn’t even let me test the water in the hot tub because we were gone and oh was she mad.  She took me back to the room and told the rest of the family to pack up because we were going to stay somewhere else.  There were absolutely no objections and we were out of there in less than five minutes.  We waited in the van while mom had a talk with the man at the front desk.  I remember feeling sorry for that man because I bet he was sure getting a butt chewing.  We left that hotel and found a room at a pretty expensive hotel for the night.  At the end of it all,  I remember my mom saying she is never going to get a cheap hotel room again, and we all agreed that that would be a good idea.

JZ

Holiday Tradition

I have a very specific tradition for every holiday event with my father's side of the family. My cousins and brothers and I always always ALWAYS play sports. Outside, no matter the weather. The colder the better, in fact. When I say sports I obviously mean either football or basketball. As for the teams, they are permanently set as follows: myself and my older cousin Thomas vs. my older brother John and Thomas' little brother Matthew. It's actually a  pretty close matchup. Thomas and I are far better athletes than our adversaries, yet we try to show off a little, which ultimately gives John and Matthew a chance to win. I might try a sick alley oop pass to Thomas that'll get stolen, or a crazy lateral that might result in a turnover. It's great fun, and after the game we all go inside and enjoy some of Grandma's cookies and..... Oreo dessert.

                 Kennedy

 

The Other Side

I am a morning bird,
She is a night owl.
I can wake up at at dawn and be ready for anything,
She wakes up at noon and stays to see the sun rise again.
I can last only going on a few hours of sleep,
She can sleep all morning and stay up all night.
I am wide awake while eating breakfast,
She is groggy until lunch.
I love being at home,
She dreads coming back to this small town.
I borrow and return,
She steals without asking.
I like when my life is in place,
She loves when her's is out of order.
I am proper,
She burps in public.
I never swear,
But she has the mouth of a sailor.
I love books,
But she prefers to watch the movie.
I like coming to school,
But she must motivate herself to be there.
Grades are important,
She could care less.
I know where I want my life to go,
She has no clue.
I follow the rules,
She ignores them.
I do what I want,
She does what she's told.
She likes feeling secure,
I'd rather be free.
I am her,
And she is me.

        KZ 

Not Myself

I get up in the early morning. I'm not sure what it is, but I know that something is wrong. I never willingly wake up in the morning. I get dressed. For some reason I choose to wear a short skirt, tight shirt, and a tall pair of stilettos. I go to the bathroom to get ready for school. I look in the mirror, ready to do my hair and makeup for the day. Who I see in the mirror is not me though. The girl in the mirror is a beautiful, tall woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. I decide that it is time to take my medicine. I don't see it anywhere. I begin to get a little worried.
I head downstairs to make myself some breakfast. I settle on some scrambled eggs with toast. When I am done cooking my eggs, I realize that they don't taste right. I look at my eggs to see that they are overdone and have little pieces of the shell still in them. The toaster suddenly pops up, but what pops up is not golden brown. The bread is black and is as hard as a rock.
I head outside to get ready to drive to school. What is waiting for me outside, is not my 1992 Oldsmobile. Instead, I see a brand new cherry read Mustang convertible. I step into my sweet ride. I realize that I didn't have anything to worry about. I know that I will eventually want my old life back, but for now I decide to take this life in. I anxiously await to see what is next in store for me and my new life.

L.J.

Impossibly flawless

A quick glance in the mirror is all I give myself. It's not worth it to look any longer, at the completely imperfect mind, body, and face that stares back at me with the most disappointed look. A look that says, " I'm not satisfied." The longer I look, the more confidence I lose.  There are too many things not good about me, inside and out. The golden hair on top of my head is masked to my scalp with layers of oil it has produced. No matter what I do, no matter what shampoo I try, no matter how long I stay in the shower digging violently at every angle of my skull to get it fully washed out, nothing gets rid of the oil. I look at my legs and think to myself how gross I feel for not shaving them, then again I restate that thought because there are many reasons I don't shave them every two days. Like the fact that every single time my legs are as soft as a baby's butt right as I shave them, I get out of the shower and get goosebumps..causing it to grow one milli-centimeter! So what's the point if it grows right back literally a minute later? I glance at my face.. There's a red blemish causing my glowing, smooth, pale-pink skin to look impossibly flawless. I slip on the outfit of the day, excited to dress up for once. Then I slowly depict rotten details out like how my jeans are too loose around my waist, or how this shirt makes my stomach look fat. Maybe I am fat, after all  I'm not a size zero, nor will I ever be. Every time I try to lose a few pounds here and there I gain it all back right away. I guess that's what I get for working at a restaurant! Aside from my problems constantly gaining weight, I have depression. Yes it runs in the family, grandma's mom died when she was nine years old, that's when she got depression and anorexia, almost all my aunts on my dad's side have both of those diseases. I happen to have one. I don't take medication for it because I'm against it. I think that if I have a problem I need to fix it myself. I feel like the medicine is ibuprofen with a different label, and it's meant to make me think it will work. No I haven't actually gone to the doctor and asked them if I have depression, but I don't need to pay someone a bunch of money to tell me I'm sad. I'm pretty much an adult in a 15 year old's body. I pay all my own bills, work three jobs, have a boyfriend, and all the things I could ever want. I'm starting to lose some things though. My family and I never talk because we can't talk without arguing. I can't stand people's decisions, and I am constantly annoyed, sad, and stressed. Nothing goes right in my mind. People try to help, but they don't understand. I cry too much, I'm mad too much.  I just wish I could be happy all the time, instead of turning everything into a sad, pissy situation. He says he loves me for me, and I know he does. Sometimes I think he's crazy, because you can't love someone so possibly flawed. But then I hear his words, "I love you" and think to myself what those words mean coming from him. Somebody who has seen my best days, my worst days, my completely bitchy days, my sad days, and my days where I love life so much I could scream it at the top of my lungs! If someone else can see the best in me through all the bad, why can't I see it too? Maybe being possibly flawed is what people really want. Maybe the little mistakes in my mind, body, and face aren't mistakes after all. I may not be size zero, perfect hair, skin, or have the happiest thoughts all the time, but I am happy with who I am, and I am flawless.

AN

Dating customs

     Along with a lot of other things,dating customs have changed since the start of technology. When our parents were teenagers they didn't have cell phones to text their boyfriend or girlfriend 24/7, like we do now. Nowadays some girls think that getting a WCW is the most romantic thing ever. Our parents never used the term "we have a thing" like what does that even mean? You're either with someone or not! Guys used to walk to the door to pick up their date, now they just text them and say I'm here. Snapchat best-friends can ruin relationships and cause fights. Handwritten letters have now became long emoticon filled texts. Guys used to give their girlfriend their letterman jackets to show that they were going steady now they just make it Facebook official. I wish that some of the old dating customs would come back into style!

Bai

The days fly by

              The days fly by, soon I won't be living the same life I did before.

Not seeing the same faces everyday, it brings adventure, the days that go by seem to feel like seconds

Starting something new is exciting but a little scary. But nothing lasts forever

Kdh

Easter Customs

While waiting for mother to finish supper, dad and I are painting Easter eggs a week before Easter. Oh! Who is that running around the corner? It is my younger sister coming to help paint her very first egg. My little sister is now 3, and she is uber excited to get colorful. Mother is cooking her traditional steak and gravy, with a pinch of parsley flakes over the top of the mouth watering mashed potatoes she makes every year at about this time. As dad, my little sis, and I finish up our new and improved eggs, I start doing what I always do. TALK! At this moment I talk about how the school year has been going, how I am reacting to either good or bad situations, and now I am coping with my past. As usual, my dad says his famous phrase.... “Chene, there are two things that you need to learn in life, How to deal with the past and how to keep moving forward without regrets” And like I always say, the best of things come from the worsts of places and situations. By the time we get done chattering, supper is ready. We (as in me)rush to the dinner table and hurry to sit down. My dad says to slow down and that its just food. But I always have to have the last word. So I say, “Yeah, but I'm literally starving my guts out”. Once we are all sitting at the table as a family, we hold hands in a weird looking circle, and bow our heads as my dad gives grace. He says the same prayer every day, at every meal.... I love it.

This is my family's Easter custom. We do different things at other holidays, but of course, it's my favorite holiday of the year, so you bet your buttons on it that I remember what my family does during this time.

Ck

The Expressionless

Broken Promises of The Expressionless.

As I sit here thinking of my very first promise,
I remember being the youngest of the family champions,
But then I'm almost certain that I was extremely delirious,
Whenever I feel down in the dumps, I comprehend her importance,
If I ruin what I have now then I shall lose all expression,
And I will Lose everything In my mind that I have conquered.

Where will I go, where will I stand, where will I conquer?
These are the things I need to figure out to secure my promise,
All I ever wanted was to see you and your enthusiastic expression,
This is where I stand, this where I will go, I will go to the hall of champions,
Because you are the missing puzzle piece, which means you fix the importance,
That is why I believe I'm losing control of myself do to being delirious.

Why am I so sad, why am I so depressed, it's because I'm delirious,
Everyone tells me that I can excel in life if I chose to conquer,
But I believe that they are wrong because I believe I have no importance,
I've lost everything I have worked for, I have broken my promise,
If they think I am important, then why don't they understand that I'm no champion,
There is no point in me being here anymore, I have lost all expression.

Sometimes I wish I could fix the blank stare on your face, but I show no expression,
Due to the fact that I'm useless, incompetent, and insecure, I am delirious,
I wonder what this world would be like with one less champion,
What if I had never been born? What if I was never thought of? Then who would conquer?
I act the way I do because I've broken hearts, I've broken relationships, I've broken promises,
This Is why I live the life I do, this is why I limit myself, I have lost my importance.

How am I supposed to keep moving forward without my own importance?
How am I to live life, if I have lost my own expression?
What kind of person am I if I've destroyed all of my promises?
I'm losing my mind, my soul, I'm so delirious,
Now I can only hope to overcome my feelings so I once more conquer,
If only I hadn't said what I had said, then I would be her champion.

Please stop feeling bad for me, it irritates me to the point of no return. I'm no champion.
Just stop what you are doing and bring back my belief of importance,
Why do I ruin every relationship? Why do I think I can conquer?
What if I just stopped existing? Then who would lose their expression?
I wonder if anybody else in this world of great sorrow, is feeling very delirious,
I wish I could fix my mistakes, but alas, I know I can't even bring back my promise.

I will never be able to fix my broken promises, I've lost my chance to be her champion,
Why am I always so delirious? What if it's because I've lost my own importance,
I end this with my final expression, oh wait, I don't have one, I have been conquered.

Ck

Camaro code of conduct

The Camaro code of conduct
Optimus prime

If entering the back seat maintain feet on the floor mats this also applies to passenger seat as well
You do not tell driver what do to, driver knows what to do
Never sit on drivers seat, not even in a mockable fashion, there will be blood
If you are feeling ill or are filthy, you shall not be allowed access into the vehicle
Always wear the safety belt no exceptions!
Do not tamper with radio or temperature controls, there will blood
Always maintain average volume while in the vehicle
There shall be no distractions, driver needs his concentration!
Never roll down windows unless directed to by driver
Do not make driver mad, there will be blood

Hope you enjoy your ride on Camaro!

The Note I Understood

OMG! She completely blew me up today. As a complete crabby lady, she up setted me.
She thinks that around all of us she can be mean and cranky. But of course as  soon as her husband walks in she becomes the peps kiser pup in the litter. Today is a new day and I hope she's in a better mood or the silent treatment will go on. As soon as I get in my car to leave for school I see:

I'm sorry I've been crabby lately, I hope this gas card can fill you up. And here's a little more cash for something fun. Hope you have a great day.

    -her.


So I did fill up with gas, but with the spare money I ordered her flowers. Along with an apology because I do know myself, that I get crabby. We all have our days, but Her and I now completely understand each others days.

Th

Dead butterflies

With every cut they make
Is one breath they won't take
From the wound blood cries
And one more butterfly dies

Dark

Standing outside in the hard-falling rain,
I see you at the end of the alley.
Illuminate the velvet night, so dark,
Come with me out onto the urban streets.
Watch the mist fall in iridescent sheets.
The world awaits as you blindly see.

Why can't you see, oh why can you not see?
Is your mind washed out by overcast rain-
ing down, fading away in vivid sheets?
Come on out of that desolate alley,
Open your heart to these spirited streets.
You don't have to continue living dark.

It's hard to catch you leering in the dark.
I know there's someone you're longing to see.
I want you to pull him off of the streets,
And, cliche, kiss him in the pouring rain.
Emerge from the gloom of twilight alley,
Tangle yourself in passion's golden sheets.

Love will cascade in gentle satin sheets,
So turn to the light, away from the dark.
Take a different road, a new alley.
Now-all the sights that you suddenly see,
Let them enlighten you like falling rain.
Don't go down any unsuitable streets.

If you find yourself wandering those streets,
Think back to all that you felt in those sheets.
The feelings that drowned you like flooded rain,
Then transported you home, out of the dark.
So why did it take you so long to see-
Life is nothing but a winding alley?

Pave over all your old rocky alley-
s, start off fresh with new, unbroken streets.
See all that you can potentially see.
Unfold and color your wrinkled white sheets,
Illuminate the velvet night, so dark,
And happiness will fall on you like rain.

The mild rain will cleanse you so you can see,
Be caressed by the alley of these sheets.
It will take you in off of the dark streets.

-A.H.

Bread of Life

1 cup of vibrant Golds, Browns, And Blues
8 Pillars, chopped
Handful of Stain glass windows
2 Tablespoons of pews, divided
Dash of peace
Sprinkle of love
Echoes for dusting

In a bowl mix 1 cup of vibrant Golds, Browns, and Blues,  8 chopped pillars (preferably brown ones with gold edges), and 1 tablespoon of pews. Blend a handful of stain glass windows, throw into the mix.  Add a dash of peace and a sprinkle of love. Top with remaining pews. Cover, and let sit for three days or until it has risen. Place in a bread loaf pan and cut a cross on top for venting. Bake at 300* for 1 hour. Dust loaf with echoes. Enjoy and share with others!
Tip: Best served with salvation jam.

Bri

This Holy Night

The bell rings and student dash
for the doors! I, among the crowd,
am swept right to my locker
and then again on to the street.

I walk home happily singing a tune,
We Gather Together to be precise.
Thanksgiving break has come,
the gateway to Christmas!

My favorite time of year! Decorations
hung from door to door, even outside
the house lights are all a glow! My family
trims the tree and hangs the stockings.

I walk through the streets, admiring
the beauty of the lights on each house
and I hear the bells toll at the church
just over yonder way, I join my family.

As we walk along the street, we talk
of joyous things, the gifts we will be giving
each other in the morning, but first we sing
we celebrate the birth of Christ the King

Joining many other families we sing
harmoniously with the organ. We listen
to the readings from the church youth,
telling of the Christ child, a newborn king.

Upon returning home we hit the hay and wait,
the youngest members of my family try to see
if reindeer really can fly, and they try to catch
a glimpse of Santa Claus as he makes his way

Eventually all is silent and all is calm on this holy night

AC

Starry skies

Waking to the glow of light
Of colors turning gold
Specks of dust shinning bright
All huddled towards the warmth
A twinkling little star above
Up up above the earth

The sun shining thought the earth
Of ocean, trees and light
A burning flame from above
A comet of pure gold
Hugging life, emitting warmth
Ever knowing, always bright

Tossing and turning, staying bright
She smiles at the sight of earth
Her cheeks blush pink with warmth
He's light
Worth more than gold
In the yellow eyes of above

Turning way above
Spirals burning bright
Painting pieces massive gold
Embracing the earth
A twinkle in her eyes, a light

Love is warmth
Although it's from above
Through dark and light
And shadows bright
The sun loved the earth
A love of pure gold

A tattoo of gold
Sketched with love and warmth
A ray of hope on the earth
Sharing faith from above
A sun so bright
Filled with light


KG

Life in a Cafeteria

A food crumb forgotten
Their life depended on it.
A Colorado rock avalanche, and
A playroom
Like bubbles on a sunny day.
What do we have to do
To get some
Steak?

Evil searches out it's prey
It will be his grandest moment...
Finish the scene of desolate loneliness.

She wouldn't and couldn't survive without it
Icecream
A mess and a jumble
Holding all charm in her hand
As easy as tying shoes

Frantically cutting through the air
Fingers flash, hands sway
A swamp of spaghetti,
Suffocating.


-Ms. O

A Bow of Chocolates

He knocked on my door early this morning before my alarm even screamed.  I trudged to the door in my silky pajama pants with my eyes half closed because it was only 6 am.  Why does it seem like I can never sleep in on a Saturday?  I creek open the strong wooden door and see him standing there looking down at a paper.  He looked up from his crumpled paper with a confused expression.  "Does Jenni live here?"  My face lit up when I realized who he was and so I invited him in even though Jenni didn't live here.  She had died a few years back but I couldn't find it in me to tell him that.  I just told him no and insisted that I he come in for some coffee.
We sat at the small wooden table in the kitchen until the coffee was ready.  "I've never tried coffee before," he said as I set a cup in front of him.  Soon after, coffee was spewed out in mist onto the table and tile floor.  I could tell he was very embarrassed as his face turned red and bitter.  "I don't really like the coffee.  Can I just have a Coke?"  I said sure and went to the fridge in the garage where I kept my pop.  I returned to see him shirtless, mopping up all of the coffee that was spilt on the table and floor.  "I didn't know where a towel was so I just used my shirt," he told me while wiping his shirt in circles on the table.  I rushed to the drawer beside the sink and handed him a clean towel only to watch him wipe his face with it and continue cleaning the floor with his shirt.  I decided to just let him finish.
After he was done he told me he had to go to the bathroom, so I showed him down the hall then walked back and sat waiting at the table.  Eventually I heard the flush of the toilet, the running water of the sink, and the doorknob that wobbled back and forth almost frantically for about ten long seconds.  He paced back into the kitchen and said, "I thought you locked me in there."  "No that door is just a little touchy," I replied.  Then he told me he felt like running and still needs to find Jenni so he opened the strong wooden door and walked out.  I went to the door and watched him run down the cracked sidewalk and around the corner toward the bus station.  Then I turned back to see his soaking wet, coffee stained shirt sitting on the table.  Maybe he'll be back someday.  I almost didn't get up to open the door that interesting Saturday morning.  I'm glad I did though because I was definitely not expecting to find him on the other side.  I guess life really is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you're gonna get.

JayZ

Ex wife

Looking down the skylight and it struck 5 we smashed the window and jumped through quickly killing all seven chefs with our hands we switch clothes with them and get ready to serve dinner.  We take out the food and wait for the couple, many guest arrive and I know them all to well.  We used to be friends, some of us anyway.  My exes family was very nice for the most part.  I felt for my gun neatly tucked in behind the chef outfit and out of site.  The silencer in my front pocket ready to be put on.  The couple walked in and my team all took positions.  I behind the cake,  Jeff in the corner by the doors, Karl right behind the head table and of course Yuri who had positioned himself outside the door ready to lock us in.  I had to admit the royal Russian wedding was nothing but fantastic.  I reached down to grab the tear gas canister hidden behind the cake and threw it.  Yuri closed the doors and we all put on masks and grabbed the head of the Russian mafia and ran past his two guards outside the door put a bullet in there chests and ran to the car and left.  The American embassy will be happy with this one.

Mr. Dodge

The Fort

Here's a place we used to go,
Where it is not many know.
Up the small hill and through the trees,
Was a place we used to be free.
It contains all our favorite things,
Sit in the seats of the car and hear the birds sing.
Homemade signs with all our names,
Hoping someday we'd be writing them for fame.
Grandma comes to bring us cookies and juice,
Knowing this is where we'd come if we got loose.
We rake the leaves and shape them into piles,
I'm sure you could hear our giggles for miles.
There were times we played with fire,
But were careful; the consequences were dire.
The old chairs were made new with cans of spray paint,
Signs of the past had become faint.
Trees were climbed all the way to the top,
Little did we know, someday it would stop.
The trunks of fallen giants were made into seats,
When we played war, no one would go down in defeat.
One after another, cousins would lose interest.
Times like these put our faith to the test.
Until there were only three who remained,
These memories together forever retained.
Now, this place we used to go houses our past.
I wish it hadn't gone by so fast...

KZ

A little country never hurt anyone

The country is so inviting. You have the sunset to watch over the rolling hills of overgrown grass that sways in the wind. Sometimes it's best just to step away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. To live life doesn't simply mean to exist. Another day dawns only to say that you've made your way to the "top of the food chain", have plenty of green stored away, and have the absolute best of everything. To me, that isn't what life is all about. Life is so much more than the silly materialistic pleasures that the world has to offer. Being able to go out somewhere quiet and settle your thoughts is so liberating. To have a sound mind and happiness while enjoying the quiet whispers of nature gives me goosebumps. To connect your inner beauty to the beauty that surrounds you gives you a true sense of what life really can be. The country is my quiet place where I can have a sound mind and be able to feel my intangible thoughts. The way that I see it is if there is all work and no play, the world will consume you whole. Live in some beauty or you might become one of those robots the world produces daily.

Kell 

Destruction

I wake u in the morning to look out my window and see the moon.
This is unusually strange sight for I usually see the ocean.
And this makes me quite blue.
I walk out my bedroom onto the porch.
I am quite shocked because it's never this hot in Maine,
a great day to surf and I end up laughing.

As a cold wind blows I abruptly stop laughing,
And closer comes the moon.
Waves beat the beach, blowing in from the ocean.
But I cannot see it which makes me blue.
I go inside away from my porch.
This is not my Maine.

Calm, fresh, and smelling of salt is MY Maine.
In the wind I hear laughing.
Angrily I glare at the moon,
which is making the waves grow larger in the ocean.
I call to my dog Blue,
And he runs up onto the porch.

I don't want to go out onto the porch,
And see what is happening to my Maine.
Hear the insane laughing
of the wind, see the moon
getting closer and closer. Hear the ocean
whipping the shore. I don't want to get Blue.

But I let Blue 
in. And we look out the window, past the porch.
And watch the storm destroy my beautiful Maine.
Nobody is laughing.
Sending destruction is the moon.
    The one that gets blamed is the ocean.

The usually calm, clear ocean, 
A gorgeous color of aqua blue.
The one I love watching while swinging of my porch.
What's happening to my Maine?
The place I spend every summer laughing 
with my family on the beach, watching the moon. 

Blue is a sign of sadness, not laughing.
Which is what I feel now, the moon has made the ocean
destroy my porch but not my Maine.

Jw