Sometimes

This is day number two of watching a tenacious Robin outside my kitchen window grab, pull, yank dried leaves from the garden.  She gets a beak-full of about 10 strands before she flies away.  I haven't timed how long she is gone, but it seems only minutes before she returns and begins gathering her homemaking tools again.  

I just received sad news from a friend that her beloved 3-year-old golden doodle is sick with cancer.  They will have to make a hard decision soon.  And a student, Diane, just put down her 16 year-old dog.  She was two when they got her as a puppy.  

Two best friends eat lunch together every day in the library.  Everyday.  Today the order was two sandwiches and a coke; yesterday, it was one sandwich each and a bottle of water.  This ritual takes place everyday all year; I just noticed it yesterday.  

Tomorrow I leave to see my dearest friend in Seattle.  I get to board a plane and in 3 hours I am in a new place and different home.  I know it will be filled with laughter, reminiscing, long discussions, and a sad goodbye.

Sometimes we work hard to build our lives; sometimes what we have put our hope and our love into suddenly disappears; sometimes we get the blessing of spending every lunch hour with a dear friend; and sometimes we are lucky enough just to have a dear friend even if she is thousands of miles away.  Sometimes we miss what is right in front of us until we simply stop to take notice.  Spring beckons us to find the joy in what is new.

Peace by Gregory M. III

The 12th grade student-poet Gregory M. deserves an introduction (plus he begged me to say something about him!).  He commands attention by his sheer height and his carefully chosen raiments.  He is a beast on the basketball court and adamantly shows his passion for the game.  Give him a basketball and he owns the space, the room, the world!  Without any further ado, I present to you his poem on peace.  May you indeed receive the beautiful promises of Peace Greg presents in his poem and may her comforting presence  stay with you today, tomorrow, and always.  

Peace

She whispers in your ear

With no intentions of harm.

Her touch so very gentle,

As she caresses the side of your face.

Must she even say anything?

Or can she just sit with you gracefully?

Her movements bring joy

For people of all descents.

She comes from a perfect world,

Perfect.

Although we aren't accustomed to seeing her, 

The rare presence lightens everyone's face, 

Her skin is perfect with no sight of blemishes,

And her dress lies on her back so elegantly.

People strive to greet her,

Welcome

Her with open arms.

But then she vanishes,

Again.

Tag Galaxy

Tag Galaxy is Far Out!!  Click on this link to be amazed.  Enter "Poem" to read thousands of poems

Merely a Pebble by Megan S.

Merely a Pebble

A pebble.

Small,

Gray,

Round.

Just merely a pebble.

Routinely stepped on,

Walked over, 

Ignored,

Overlooked.

Eroded and worn down.

Merely the size of a penny, 

What could it possibly disturb?

Picked up and thrown into the pond by a small boy,

It becomes more than a pebble.

The fish turn their heads as an intruding object disrupts their atmosphere.

The waves from the rippling effect only slightly brush the sea plants back and forth.

A nearby fisherman scorns and furrows his brow as he searches for what has hindered his

potential catch,

His supper.

A child marvels at the way the insignificant stone leaps across the water, 

Bouncing with energy and life.

The pebble.

Merely a pebble.

Seen and felt yet overlooked by all.

Worn down and insignificant, 

Yet causing a 

Disturbance.

Walk On

Click on the picture of DJ Gregory to link to the ESPN video.

I will try not to complain; I will try not to be tired; and I will try to be thankful for each pain-free step I take.

Walk On can only inspire one to look toward a goal and to move toward it one careful step at a time even if one falls and struggles to get moving forward again.

Thanks, Dad, for the video!!

The Satrical Love of Poetry By Colin S.

Love of Poetry

Poetry is not entertaining.
It cannot be fun
Whenever I read it,
I look for a gun.
Its verbal rhymes assault me,
The meter beats me with pain.
Should it ever be uttered,
I’ll jump in front of a train.
Alas, I hear its fell syllables,
All hope is lost
Is there a nearby river of fire
That I might swim acrosst?
O lyrics so foul,
Running round in my head.
If nothing else
I wish I were dead.
Everything about it is wrong;
I’m sure it’s a sin.
Yet you fools walk ‘round
Reciting with grin.
Poetry takes my soul,
It drains my life.
Surely it fills the world
With nothing but strife.
It is the tool of the devil,
The 7th plague of hell.
How can you people tell me
It wishes me well?
Its task, it seems,
To fill us with knowledge.
Should I hear much more,
I’ll die before college.
The words consume me,
They drown me in flames
Dost thou not hear me?
I’m done with your games!
I don’t like poetry
Of this my teacher knows.
Can we please hurry up
And get back to prose?
~Colin Sabie, 12th grade

Are you smarter than an 8th grader??

My dad sent me the following link, and he is inquiring about what my students have to say about such a test. I am only giving you the English part of the exam. Could you pass 8th grade in 1895? My grandma only had an 8th grade education, and at the ripe old age of 97, she can still recite the two poems she memorized for her 8th grade graduation!

Would you be a better writer if you could answer the questions? How quickly could you access the answers on google? If you don't know the answers, do you think your teachers have let you down by not teaching this material? What have you been taught instead in your English classes?
8th Grade Final Exam: Salina , KS - 1895
Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph
4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of 'lie,''play,' and 'run.'
5. Define case; illustrate each case.
6 What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.
7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.