It´s Hard to Explain

Old roses are reminders telling us life always ends at some point,

Horrendously and delicately as an unappealing garden gnome´s life.

Droopy leaves yearn for the touch of the heat of the sun

Whereas the Little Prince yearns for a loving flower.

But the flower was too bossy and too rude for his liking.

I beg to differ, Moe. Roses teach us that new beginnings can come from dying.

Therefore, spicy foods won't taste so fierce to those who are used to it.

They say, it isn't hot! It is just so cold it seems hot.

Hankeryabble is known as the words and phrases that are foreign to non-native speakers.

Yelling at the innocent greens will make them scared and shrivel up.

¨Go for a walk,¨ he said. ¨ Where?¨ She asked. ¨In the air.¨

The tilted sphere of reality is a jumble of mess.

Godly humans will never exist.

They will forever taste bittersweet

And smell like well-used sleeping pillows.

Even though, someday, airplanes will be able to soar through the sea.

¨행운을 빈다!¨ (haeng un eul bin da) Good luck!

Says the withering willow tree as it waves its branches in goodbye.

Finally, the petals of the beautiful ones will fall away, one by one.

8/30/16

-MTO

Don´t Forget

I don't remember when I got those old, worn books. They´ve just been there ever since I could remember. Tucked away in the cabinets downstairs, waiting for someone to open them up and explore inside. Mom always told pleasant stories that were hidden behind the pictures of my sister and me. As I grew up, I started wondering about the foreign pictures and what they meant. I decided to invest all my concentration on a specific photograph to start out with. A thin, grinning man is squatting low to the ground next to my sister; it looked like they were the same height. To the right of them is a skinny middle-aged lady who is smiling as she's holding a little person- me. I notice my sister and I looked unsure. Were we unsure of what was happening? That would be my guess. She was only three at the time, and I was one. You don't know much at such a young age. All we knew was that something big was happening.

There are groups of joyous-looking figures all around me in the photographs. I flipped the page; there are more. Each turn of a page just showed more and more people and places I didn't know about. Where was I? There´s small, green, see-through tents in one picture. Mom and Dad are riding a huge stroller in another. Lots of the photos are filled with people scattered around share similar features as me. Their hair is a sea of blackness- just like mine. Their eyes are deep shades of brown- just like mine. Their skin is a beautiful mix of white, gold, and brown… Just. Like. Mine.

I turn my attention away from the books, a little rattled. Now, when I look up, all I see are people who are different from me. They don't look like me. Questions began to zip through my brain as fast as darts. Why do these people not look like me? Is this not where I belong? Would I fit in more there because the people are more like me? Would they not comment on my shortness because they too would be short? I stared back again at the old pages that are full of memories of my past… Then it clicked.

This is not where my ancestors once lived. I was millions of miles away from my original home. As I began to live my life here in America, playing volleyball and learning how to write my name in English, my birth family stayed on the other side of the world, sleeping soundly in their small homes. The only actual glimpse I could get of the short life I lived over there was through these small, unfamiliar photos. I remember asking Mom about my baby books. Who are these people? I would ask. These are the people from the orphanage that took care of you. And that is your birth family. We adopted you two. She would say.

After I asked what an orphanage was and what adoption meant, I understood. My life was altered before I even knew it. Things still feel weird, as if this isn't where I should be, but at the same time, it feels like home. America is the only home I ever knew. For better or for worse, I am here. My birth parents gave me up so I could have a better opportunity of a greater life. So I am as sure as butter on bread that I am not going to waste the gift they gave me. I gently lifted the books into my hands and walked over to my bookshelf. It was time I left the past in the past and focus on the future. Carefully and daringly, I slip the hard covers into the open slots. I stood to leave my room, but paused to look back. I won't let you down, I think to my birth family. And don't worry. I won't forget.

8/26/16 -MTO

These I Have Loved

These I have loved:

Gleaming rocks on a gravel road, reflecting the sun’s rays

My family in the living room, laughing at “Whose Line is it Anyway?”

The soft ears of an old horse

The tales of many, many novels

Brand new shoes on my feet

Hands slapping five in a line on a field

Bouncing diving boards on a scorching summer day

My grandma’s monster cookies

The wagging tale of a golden retriever

Rain water running down a newly made stream

The first scissor cut into a fresh piece of construction paper

Meat on the grill

Soft hands and softer lips

My life

B. Kennedy

Home

Here I built a fort in the tree line and spent hours inside

Here I ran the four-wheeler into a ravine and thought Dad would kill me

Here I watched a flock of turkeys walk across my lawn

Here I hunted rabbits with my loyal companion, Alex

Here I got my foot stuck in the snow for fifteen minutes and cried for ten of them

Here I threw a baseball at an old TV satellite, and it always bounced back perfectly

Here a slippery sandal caused me to fall off of the back of a tractor, busting my knee open

Here I fantasized about being a star football player

Here I worked thousands of head of cattle in the hot summer sun, with the awful smell of

the branding iron bombarding my nostrils

Here I perfected my 3-pointer, and learned how to soar above the rim

Here I let go of the past, and started to figure out who I was going to be, and realized that 

nothing matters more than being happy

Here I asked my parents to forgive me for getting home too late, after a few crazy nights

Here I contemplated where to go to college, and thought I would never come to a decision

Here I realized where I belong, and signed my name on the dotted line

Here I started a new, exciting chapter in my life that is still being written

B. Kennedy

From Here to There

Here is where my cousins and I climbed onto the hay bails and jumped

from bail to bail

Here is where I would go fishing with the boy scouts during the yearly

family scout camp

Here is where people in my class were tricked into believing the sixth

grade girls’ locker room was haunted

Here is where I got my first job as a projectionist at the Gateway Theatre

Here is where I got my liver transplant during the second semester of my

eighth grade year

Here is where I got my first car--a ‘92 Oldsmobile Cutless Ciera S

Here is where I started my freshman year of high school

Here is where I made a lot of new friends--some of the weirdest people

I’ve met

Here is where I backed up into my chorus teacher’s car during my

brother’s graduation reception

Here is where I started my final semester of my high school life

Here is where I will finish my high school life, when I walk across the

stage

Here is where I will say goodbye to all of the friends I’ve made

throughout elementary, middle, and high school

Here is where I will start college to major in culinary

Here is where the start of the rest of my life will begin.

-Lily

Where I Come From

I am from macaroni and hot dogs

from John Deere and Ford

I am from the backyard

grassy, playing field

It was a harder landing than

one might’ve thought

I am from the cow poop

the corn

whose tall stalks gave me shade

on a hot summer day

I’m from the whiskey drinking and

the good time having

From be carefuuuulllll and

not until you finish your peas

I’m from Sunday morning church

and fried chicken afterward

I’m from small town Ireland

steak and potatoes

From my dad stabbing his sister

with a pitchfork

the inventions my great grandpa used to create

Up on the wall in an old frame

I am from the lives and stories before me

another chip off the old block

yet a unique one

BK

Poetry Comic

-Lily Joy

Tronald Dump

Reckless voices are the antagonist in my story. Uneducated opinions being accepted as fact by close-minded nut jobs. The monster is big. It’s long, about 2,000 miles. And it would cost Americans billions.

A fat, ugly man with floppy, blonde hair wants to build the monster. He also wants to be the president. The scary thing is that there’s millions of idiots that support him. They think he will “Make America Great Again,”  but they don’t realize he’s a maniacal villain that only cares about his own financial gains. They don’t realize that someone that has filed for bankruptcy four times cannot lead a country. The movie “Idiocracy” foretold a prophecy, and it is dangerously close to coming true. Maybe the monster isn’t a wall. Maybe it’s not a TV celebrity. Maybe the monster is America.

Kennedy

Where I'm From

I am from quilts

    From Simplicity and McCalls

I am from the tall pine in the corner of our yard

    covered in Christmas lights.

    It looked like an ice kingdom.

I am from the spirea bush,

    from the peonies

    that lined the sidewalk on my grandparents farm.

I’m from the sugar cookies and advanced height

    from Ray and Mardella

    and Jon

I’m from the board and card gamers

    and being a smart ass.

I’m from arguing about

    who gets to get the mail,

    or who has to take the dog out,

    or empty the dishwasher.

I am from camping.

    from kayaking and campfires.

I’m from 4-H,

    and working in the summer

    to get projects done for the fair.

I’m from extracurriculars,

    from two part-time jobs,

    and school clubs,

    and One Act/Musical.

I’m from friends and family.

    from spending time

    with the people I love the most

From inside voice

    and clean your plate

I’m from showing off my amateur piano skills

    at church on Sunday morning.

I’m from Iowa and Germany,

    from corn on the cob and kuchen.

From the cancer

    that killed my dad’s brothers and father

    and the Alzheimer’s

    that hit my grandma harder as she got older.

From the photo albums,

    overflowing a box

    in my parents’ closet.

I’m from a loving family

    that surprises me every day,

    and gives me all they can.

I’m from a great life,

    from a great home.

    and great family.


-Lily Joy Johnson

Not Letting Go


One thing my family never lets go is all of the koozies.
Every wedding, race, concert, or anything we always end up getting a koozie.
We think, we can use it.
We can use them for drinking cans,
Keeping our hands warm from the cold can,
And they're memories of where we got the koozies.
In every car, there's a koozie.
In a drawer, there's a ton of koozies.
We say we'll use them,
But would we use all of them?

KR

Memories during Christmas

Going to grandpa and grandmas house is quite interesting.

looking at the stuff that my grandmother has been given during her childhood years.

Listening to my grandpas stories about how he worked very hard as a teenager and talking how he don't use "those new things that beep and ring"

looking around listening to little kids arguing.

eating with family and just enjoying them.

That is most of my memories I think about when it comes to christmas.

-AB   

 

Visit This

Of all the places to visit go to Rome,
 of all the people the girl,
 only saw amazing,
The dark haired blue eye boy,
Visited only the Colosseum,
It didn't feel very vibrant.

Shouldn't it have felt vibrant,
After all it was Rome.
The Colosseum
Should have felt different to the girl.
I know it did to the boy.
Now he only saw amazing.

The whole experience should be amazing
The whole adventure should be vibrant
Only one other thing was fantastic for the boy.
Not the entire Rome
thing, it was the girl
Where they met at the Colosseum.

Who knew it would have been the Colosseum.
Now everything is amazing
I guess the girl
Could like more than just the vibrant
City of Rome.
Now everything was different for the girl and boy.

Even though it was exciting it also scared the boy.
He had to leave the comfort of the safe Colosseum.
He would now have to go to different places in Rome.
Would it be amazing?
Would it be vibrant?
He would just have to trust the girl.

But should trust the girl?
Oh boy.
She didn't lie, it was vibrant
Although not like the Colosseum.
Their time was amazing
In the big city if Rome.

If Rome was this fantastic for the girl
And this amazing for the boy
Now they both think you need to describe the Colosseum as vibrant.

Pk

What up St Johns

Back at St. John's when I was in elementary school, going there was some of the best and worst times of my life. From kindergarten all the way through fourth grade me and the ten other kids that went there. Plus two other teachers we made some pretty epic memories like:

Playing hockey for P.E. And getting penalties for hitting each other's with the sticks.
Not realizing how weird it was having class with people from different grades.
The older kids trying to convince us that the enchiladas was alien meat.
Accidentally letting our class bird outside.
Finding different ways to threaten each other with rulers.
Punching or yelling at Cole everyday.
Having to sing 11 plus songs for concerts.
Also I always had to be Mary and Cole had to be Joseph.
Hanna and I having a fight like every other day.
Glueing our fingers together so we didn't have to work.
Not knowing that school lunches were suppose to taste bad.
Reaching a certain age and having to help with lunch and mass.
Playing hangman with father Stan.
 Making a light fall from the ceiling when we hit it with a ball.
Getting our swings taken away because we were to dangerous with them.
Them let's not forget our legendary filed trips
Getting to stay overnight in a zoo
Going zip lining and rock climbing
Being the only girl bravery enough to milk a cow when we went to a dairy farm
Sleeping over at the school
Playing hide and go seek in the dark.
Having a scavenger hunt in the church.

Being some of the last classes to go to this school we definitely had the best adventure in our short time of being together.

Pk

Mom's yell to tell Justin to clean his room.
A little girl running around the house to find the toy she had just five minutes ago.
Dad preaching about how we are too loud for this house.
A stout boy complaining there is nothing to eat in this house while staring at a cupboard full of food.
A loving Granny that walks in with a purse full of toys that will be looked at once.
A sassy blonde girl who complains about how annoying her brother is.
The sight of a loud dog that seems to fill our lives with joy because of her cuteness.
A red, white, and blue figure standing proudly in our driveway.
Many fluffy and dirty black cows eating constantly.
A dog that seems to be everyone's best friend

KB

Getting Rid of The Past

I should get rid of...
All my old perfume and lotion bottles.
Clothes that are totally ripped.
My countless Zac Efron posters.
My old retainer.
My worn out, years old shoes.
Pointless printed out awards.
Dresses from every color day.
My stuffed pig.
The countless old cell phones.
All my birthday cards.
Broken pieces of my past sunglasses.
Countless bottles of lip gloss.

But I can't because...
Those perfumes still smell good.
The torn clothes were once my favorite.
I still love Zac Efron.
That retainer was expensive so I'd feel bad.
I walked so many miles in those shoes.
Those awards show my old accomplishments.
Those dresses make me feel like a rockstar.
That pig helped me sleep the first five years of my life.
The chips and cracks in the phones bring back great memories.
I love every single person that gave me those cards, and they could be gone someday.
I'm hoping one day, those sunglasses I used to love will be put back together.
You never know, the world might end and you don't want chapped lips.

B

Rainy sundae

Ingredients:

A bowl of good books

3 scoops of warm blankets

A dash of comfy clothes

4 shakes of rain

1 cup of hot chocolate

3\4 of a cup of a nice soft bed

A load of warm fuzzy socks

A pinch of relaxation



First, get a bowl of good books. Second, get three scoops of warm blankets. Then, put a dash of comfy clothes into the mix. Get a second bowl and add 4 shakes of rain. Get a coffee mug and add 1 cup of hot chocolate into it. Put 3/4 of a cup of a nice soft bed into the 1st bowl. Add a load of warm fuzzy socks on top. And a pinch of relaxation. Then, take your second bowl with the rain and toss it outside towards the sky. Stay warm and enjoy! Don't forget your spoon.


E

Male Looking for Relationship
I'm a light 400 pounds. I'll eat anything, I've even eaten some toilet paper and dry wall. I have many hobbies. One of my favorites is rubbing old mans feet with lotion. I love feeling dry, callused feet on my hands. Another one of my hobbies is swimming in a pool filled with snakes. I love feeling that slimy feeling of their body. Other than these great hobbies the best part is you can always know where to find me. I'll always be in my parents basement making peanut butter sculptures cause it's my passion. You'll love my parents cause they always have taken care of me. They love me so much they have continued to buy my diapers cause I've never been potty trained. These are some of the things I love to do so if your interested please contact me.

Responses
Hi, you sound so sexy! I'd love to feel your rolls. 😉 I still live with my parents too and we can buy our diapers together. We could start a feet lotioning business cause I love lotioning old lady's feet! We are a perfect match! The only thing is I recommend you try rocks. They are delicious!

By :  Chucky Gubbles

Mr. Incredible

Help! Look hanging off the building there's a girl!
Then he appeared from behind the sun,
it was incredible.
I was standing behind a tree,
I got to de the whole thing; as did the moon
we all saw it, he could fly.

Like no joke the man could fly,
and he's going to save the girl!
He flew across the moon,
sped right past the sun.
Wow now he's just showing off, and ran into a tree,
I'd call that karma. He didn't seem as incredible.

Maybe he will once again be incredible
through my eyes again. I want to see him fly,
and not into a dumb tree.
Oh yeah I forgot that the girl
is still hanging off the building. And the sun
was beating down. But cold and dark was the moon.

And what showed up in the middle of the day? Well the moon!
It was the most incredible
thing I've ever seen, and the sun
was still beaming at the same time. It was almost as cool as the man who could fly.
But the girl
is still patiently waiting to get saved by the man by the tree.

He passed the tree,
without hitting it this time and winked at the moon.
And as for the girl,
well he saved her! It was incredible!
I wish I could be saved by a man who could fly
higher then the sun.

He carried her across the sun.
And told her the story about him running into the tree.
She asked him how he got the ability to fly,
he said that all his power is from the moon.
He told the girl that he thought she was incredible.
Soon after that, he fell in love with the girl.

The girl obviously said yes when he proposed, her smile was brighter than the sun.
And that's the story of how Mrs. and Mr. Incredible met, they got married under the tree.
Mr. Incredible said good bye to his family from the moon, and taught his bride how to fly.


TO

When we're driving a car

When we go on a trip to somewhere,
the youngest will drive,
and then the oldest has to sit back,
the oldest has to sit in a baby chair,
While you drive with your feet,
You have to drive backwards
as fast as you can,
the passenger has to say
"wee woo wee woo,"
the passenger has to clap their
hands every time we stop,
the older person has scream
"run forest run" while their driving,
and when we finally get to
the location we say "hip hip hooray."
By The J

Dating Ad

Teenage White Male Searching for Companionship

I'm a pale, acne covered teenager. I have no real talents, other than I can play the harmonica with my nose. I really like to eat, a lot. When I eat, I just scarf it all down. I practically can inhale it. People say I chew rather loudly and obnoxiously, but that's besides the point. I've gotten my record up to eating ten hotdogs in a minute. Pretty impressive, huh? I'm a real big gamer. Because I always shut my lights off when I play and sit two inches away from the screen, I'm practically blind. My glasses are an inch thick. When I play for too long, I'll get a TV burn from the screen, so I'll have to lather on some sunscreen to keep from burning. White kid problems, right? So yeah if you don't play video games like hardcore like me, then stop reading. By the way, I'm not going to be the one who works in a relationship. It has to be all you. One day, though, I'll be on America's Got Talent to play my harmonica beautifully with my nose. I'll make millions. But until then, I'll become a famous video gamer. You'll have to cook, too. So yeah. Don't everybody respond to this ad at once, please. My mom limits me to three girls in my contacts at once, and that's counting her. Can't wait to meet the lucky girl ;)



I'm Perfect for You!

Oh. My. Gosh. We like sooooo totally must have been met for each other, because like you sound totes hot, like OMG. I've always found something attractive about a man who refuses to work. And it's soooooooooo amazing that you can eat ten hotdogs in a minute. My record is only seven. But here's the real kicker... I can play the flute with my nose!! We must be soul mates. Maybe we could
do a duet. Well I hope you have space in your contacts for me, but bye for now!



JS

My Opposite

I am a morning person.
I am happiest when my life is swirling.
I love when I get told plans at the last minute.
My favorite kinda of music is jazz.
If I found a wounded sparrow I would pick it up.
The best place in the world to live is North Omaha.
All of the crimes that have happened make me happy and want to be there.
If I found a wallet with money in it, I would take the money and leave the wallet.
My relationship with my family is terrible.
All we do is fight constantly.
I would describe my style of clothes as gothic clothes.
My idea of a perfect job is a stay home mom.
I love the fact of always being alone and home by myself.
My Idea of a perfect evening is staying home.

MR

I should let go of...

Those random earring backs that have no use anymore
9 rolls of empty tape in the junk drawer
all 8 of our old cells phones that have no use
mismatched socks in my drawer that never get worn
half of the clothes that aren't even in style anymore
all of my bank statements under my bed that have never been opened
bobby pins that I look at every day and cuss about
the candles that sit under my bed and never get used
those shoes that are beyond ugly but can't get rid of them
free makeup that never gets worn
a galore of perfume that piles up because it smells terrible after a week
hair accessories that have never been used
so much trash in my car and water bottles

I should let go of those but..

I'm lazy and never clean
I don't want to give to Goodwill
Feel bad about burning it
Meant something to me at one time.

KAB

The List

In the month of November, there's only one thing on everyone's mind. The holiday with the guy in the big red suit and white beard. Everyone begins putting decorations up. They wonder if they were naughty or nice. They start making a list and checking it twice. This is what I wish for this holiday season:
Endless amounts of hot chocolate with marshmallows,
Nothing going wrong,
A wonderful, white Christmas Day,
An extra long winter break,
The perfect meal at grandpa's,
Hugs from all my little cousins,
My favorite dessert of all time, pumpkin bars,
My grandma's famous apple cider,
Bags and bags of dove chocolate,
New clothes,
Those shoes I've been eyeing,
My secret Santa to be a secret the whole time,
Monkey bread on the morning of Christmas,
Being able to watch all our new movies,
Try not to kill each other at apples to apples,
Seeing my family from all their different states,
Get so much sleep that I'm tired of sleep,
A boyfriend would be nice,
Stay on the sled longer than I did last year,
Basketball practice gets canceled,
My annual nap on my grandpa's couch,
And finally, make some memories that I will never forget.

B

Christmas traditions

It used to always be a tradition that me and Derek would try and stay up and see Santa.
But now that we know he's not real this is usually how it goes.
We all wake up before church and open the presents.
First you have to get what was in your stocking first.
Then you would always open the bigger presents second. After that we would have to go to church.
After church we would go home and listen to Christmas music while playing with whatever we got.
When it would get darker we would have a family supper.
After the family supper we just talk as a family about things and memories.

By: Chucky Gubbles

Flawed Romance Ad

I'm looking for a guy who is tall and charming. He has to be country and wear boots. He has to know how to fish and hunt me food for our cabin in the woods. We will have 12 children. That way they can help on our large farm in the woods we built from scratch. We will have no running water and no electricity. And we will wear Amish clothes. We have to heat our home by chopping  wood. We will cool our home by taking off the shudders and letting light in. Our children will be homeschooled with chalk and slates.

My name is Ted. I live in Redland, Kentucky. My favorite entertainment is watching my crops die and watching my grandma sneeze, she's up to 15 sneezes in a row now. I like your idea of Amish clothing. Right now I have so many holes in my pants that I have more skin showing than Miley Cyrus on a wrecking ball. I drink out of ponds full of mud, the mud adds flavor. Sometimes I eat a grass instead of lettuce because lettuce doesn't grow here. I grew up in a family of 21 kids, I'm the middle child number 11. Oh, and I'm already married though. My wife won't mind though, she already has 3 other husbands.

TJ