High, low
That is how.
Roller coasters go
Slow, high
Fast, low
That is not how...
Roller coasters go
Fast, slow
High, low That is how. Roller coasters go Slow, high Fast, low That is not how... Roller coasters go
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Present a present
A present in the present Present a present Unfortunately, a few weeks after that birthday my Grandmother died. I was enveloped with grief. That day was the day, the wisteria plant stopped blooming. All the beauty was stripped from my life, except for the flower necklace she made for me. About a month after the passing of my Grandmother, my name was put into the reaping. I didn’t put any extra names in because my parents couldn’t lose my Grandmother and me in the same year. The odds were in my favor, and I didn’t get picked for the Hunger Games. A couple more years passed, and I was much happier after my mother told me she was pregnant. I was going to have a baby sister! I remember the wisteria started blooming again that day.
A few weeks later my Father fell very ill. We took him to the doctor but the doctor had no idea what was wrong. We tried giving him herbal remedies, but nothing seemed to help. Due to my Father being too sick to work and my Mother being pregnant, I had to skip school to work. First I worked in the fields planting, which was arduous work. It required a lot of walking and bending over; I figured I was better at working in the orchards, which was much less arduous because I got to do my favorite thing; climbing. I didn’t weigh a lot, so I was able to get all the fruit off the trees quickly and efficiently. In the beginning, my Mother was able to help my Father at home and do some cooking and cleaning. She would help with the garden and sometimes sell the herbs and vegetables that grew there. After a few months went by, she became weaker. It became harder for her to move around and walk. I could tell she was getting sick. Very quickly she became bedridden. With her and my Father stuck in bed, I had to do everything. I had to cook, clean, work, and take care of them. We were barely scraping by, but I was keeping us all alive. Some days, when I got home from the orchards, I would go out in the garden for hours. It relieved stress and was relaxing to be out there. I would sometimes just stare at the wisteria, which had been thriving. Once, after a hard day at the orchards I came home and got some herbs from the garden to trade for soup. When I got home, I decided to chop up one of our last potatoes to put in the soup as a little treat. While I was chopping the potato, I accidentally knocked the soup all over the ground. It was inedible. I was so enraged that I threw the knife at the wall to the right of me. It stuck and dug in deep. When I went to retrieve the knife from the wall, it was very difficult to pry out. The next day, I took the knife and threw it into the small tree in the backyard. I didn’t miss once. I practiced on smaller objects and even while not looking. It was relaxing and helped get my anger out. It was much better than sitting inside and watching my parents suffer. My fifteenth birthday came and went. It wasn’t very special and only reminded me of my Grandmother’s passing. Then the Reaping came. I had to go for tesserae. My name was entered into the bowl fourteen times. If I didn’t, then my family would have had no chance of lasting another year. I wasn’t even thinking of what would happen if my name was called. The morning of the reaping I put on a nice dress and wore the necklace my Grandmother gave me. I fed my parents and gave them a little bit of herbal medicine. They did not have to come because they were too sick to leave the house. I stand with my peers as the mayor introduces our capitol representative. She says “Happy Hunger Games, everyone. May the odds be in your favor.” She walks over to the girls' bowl, sticks her hand in, and pulls out a small white slip of paper. She reads it carefully aloud “Wisteria Harvey.” Her words echo in my head. I am in shock. All I can do is stand there. Then someone nudges me forward and I walk towards the stage. I don’t remember anything except for sitting on the stage in shock. I don’t even remember the other name that is called. When they bring us into the Justice Building, no one visits me. My parents can’t come so all I do is sit there ruminating about how I can survive in the arena. I can throw a knife, I am good at climbing, I can cook, and I can make medicine from herbs and plants. That is pretty much It. I am not strong, I am certainly not very big, and I am emaciated. While I am thinking, my hand falls to my necklace. A little smile comes when I think about my Grandmother. Then I realize I can take my necklace into the Hunger Games to keep a little piece of my Grandmother with me for support. The air is filled with hairspray as the seconds tick down. The heels of cast members searching for props, makeup, and costume pieces quickly click behind you. Staring back at yourself in your handheld mirror, you add one last touch of mascara to your eyes.
The crowd murmurs past the dressing room and the heavy red closed curtain, waiting to escape from their lives - work, politics, society - for a few blissful hours. “Places in five!” your stage manager calls out from the doorway, though it seems far away; your mind is rushing through the many dances, songs, and lines you have spent months memorizing. The overture begins to play in the distance. Reaching your ears, the music pulls you back to the present. Your friend places her hand on your shoulder. You look into her bright eyes and set your mirror down on the table dusted with blush, like snow in early December. Feeling the nerves and adrenaline mix inside you, your heart rate rises slightly. “Ready?” she asks. The answer doesn’t really matter; it’s time to begin. Time for all the hard work to be worth it. But you nod anyway, a smile spreading across your face. She pulls you in for a tight hug. “Break a leg,” you encourage. Smoothing out your white shirt with shaking hands in the wings of the stage, the curtains open, and lights flood the stage. The music speeds up, giving vigor to your mind with familiar melodies. You step into the heat of the stage, becoming someone else. The words flow out of your mouth with ease. Emotions radiate off of you, and the audience soaks it up becoming plants needing your rays. Strutting off stage, your breath returns to you until your next scene. The world feels brighter between scenes: life pulses through the air; energy radiates from the other actors; colors shine more vibrantly. Later, as you finish belting your last note, the lights flash out. Roars of approval land on your ears as you and your castmates bow and run from the stage. Your friend grabs your hand and embraces you in her arms. A pang of sadness tugs at your heart: it’s over. No more long nights laughing, drunk with exhaustion, as they bask in the lights of the stage. You will no longer have time with the people you hardly see outside of this sacred ground. Inside jokes will fade into the back of your memory. But these connections go beyond the stage. You have a family you can trust to support you onstage, backstage, and in the halls of school. Though some cast members might be leaving, next year is another show and another family. Frustration
Again and again gossip surrounds us Alas the people in power get all the praise While the peasants get the punishment, in a different way Peasants get guilt While people in power get higher and higher Degrading our status and credibility Tired and tired Insecure and little Overworked, uninspired None of your business I say as you storm away It’s none of your business Go your own way I have my problems and you have yours Why did you have to go slam the door I’m really not angry I swear Just leave me alone Go sit over there I’ll be back without my problems Maybe you can learn not to solve them They are mine and you have yours So thank and don’t slam the door Dusk
is the time when you can’t see the Sun, but you can still see its Light. looking to the East: a deep navy blue color Beginnings Of Stars peeking out from behind the veil. looking to the West: a tranquil ombre starts at blue fades to pink, orange, pale yellow finale just above the treeline. with each season a new time for dusk. Summer, the excitement of the day holds it off late as eight o’clock. Winter’s cold nature makes the world eager rushing Dusk to five o’clock. Dusk is the last darkest stage of twilight. the final moments of Light before Night settles - a blanket over the land. the last drops of Sun that must last you through the Darkness. Dusk is a Memory of Day. a reminder of the Light that once filled the Earth This transitional time evolves swiftly - like a toddler, checking their height each time rising on the door jam - you turn away from the window, just to get the mail or check your email, and it is over. These instants of Solar Indecision have no clear start or end - blending into Day and Night. Dusk is the time when you can’t see the Sun, but you can still see its Light. Willow is a genius. She was adopted by her mom and dad when she was a baby. She believes that her world is perfect. Everything is going well and then the crash happens. Her mom had just been diagnosed with cancer, when her mom and dad were killed in a car crash. Her world is instantly turned upside down.
She had just started school at Sequoia Middle School. She had never been included or had friends, so her and her parents had been hoping for a new, fresh start. Well, that didn’t quite work. The most exciting thing that happens to her there is that she is accused of cheating. She gets a perfect score on a standardized test, but nobody believes that she is actually a genius, so they accuse her of cheating. She is to go see a counselor, Dell Duke. Dell isn’t very good at counseling. He just decides if he actually has to pay attention to the kid or not, based on his Dell Duke System of the Strange. But Willow is different. She changes everything. He doesn’t know what to do with her. She is interesting. Quang-ha and his sister Mai are Vietnamese. Quang-ha sees Dell for counseling too, but one day he stays longer than he is supposed to. Willow meets the siblings, and instantly creates a friendship with Mai. She decides to learn everything she can about Vietnamese and to arrive early at her next appointment. When Dell finds out that they are starting to become friends he gets mad. He doesn’t especially like the two siblings. A their next appointment, Mai suggests that they go get ice cream. This is Willow and Mai’s idea. Dell says okay, but he doesn’t like it. They go to the ice cream parlour then to the park. Finally, they head to Willow’s house to drop her off. Then they see the police car. Willow doesn’t know what to think. She gets out and heads over to the two officers. And that’s when her world falls apart. Her parents are dead. What will happen next? Who will care for Willow? Where will her life take her? Read Counting by 7s to find out! I would recommend this book to mainly girls 10 and older, though some boys may enjoy it. There are a lot of things happening, especially at the beginning that you have to keep up with. A lot happens in just the first three chapters. Also, because Willow is a genius, there are a lot of advanced vocabulary words. One is eradication. This is the complete destruction of something. Most of the hard words are related to something medical or in nature. I really liked this book. It was a really interesting story that was very unique. The story is fast-paced and you get to see inside a lot of people’s heads and watch the story unfold from their points’ of view, not just Willows. There is also a lot of interesting things that happen that you wouldn’t expect. There is a twist at the end that is surprising, but helps the story to end well. Even though Willow is the main character at the beginning of the book, the other characters come to be just as important and needed. This book is mainly about family and friendship also. I really enjoyed it overall. This is a haiku.
It's not a very good haiku. What did you expect? Summer breeze drifts off,
scorching sun turns away Moon is late, yet soon too early Falling leaves. Broccoli and beets spurt. Spring-blooming bulbs of daffodil bury into the cool refined ground To Awake in the season of birth. Pansies on guard- showing their spirits in the drowsy times of some seasons Emerging and departing fiercely. Oh, the time in years! Ground, temperature, weather, looks, and attitudes change for the better?? Though love lasts for eternity- Love stays firm through the madness and never leaves like a cowardly, blue gust of wind. Sister Scripture
Sister Stella screams- Sister Sage sorrows- Sister Sally sails- Sister Sabrina sacrifices- Sadness of sisters surrounds our sssssssmindssssssssss S c a t t e r d s o u l seeps into……. Sunday school secrets: (of untold love) Softly suns shine Sundays subdued with seasons sorted by spirit, But Did not U know were all the same sisters in the Sister Sanctuary: with sister, sad fables and scriptures of the saloon times (where sisters were unequal because of stupid lies) Settle down, sister! you are my Sanctuary you are my same sister the spirit I love the soul I cherish the self- you are you- Goodbye Sister I’ll see ya in the sea, “okay sister” |
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