Lord of the Flies Tanka

The conch is useless

Jack's manipulating them

He's abusing too

Can Ralph get back his power?

No, Jack's reign is now complete

You Can't Have It All...

But you can have oatmeal in the mornings made by Dad--

warm like balmy summer days

and sweet like Betty Crocker vanilla frosting

And the diablo rojos startling you at 4 in the morning

their engines thundering the highway,

depriving you of sleep.

You can have goats to feed corn cobs with no kernels to,

wet corn leaves and banana peels.

And have thick sofa covers

as brown as the Arabian desert sands

to keep you warm at night.

You can have a toothbrush party

by the kitchen sink with your cousins--

using drinking glasses for gargling.

You can have Gingham print forks and spoons

and a big fish pond

where you can sail in a bamboo raft.

But you are too afraid that it might give way

under your weight.

You can have a toad's lullaby lulling you to sleep

with its deep coarse, croaking.

And the radio playing hypnotizing music

from those spas and massage places

during lunch.

You can have the moist and mild air after the rain

grasp your nostrils and throat,

"It's muggy," some could say,

as the sun shines in its reign.

And slow, heavy traffic that seems like an eternity,

with blaring horns and sudden stops.

You can have Crispy Rice cereal with honey for dinner

and flooded streets that are knee-deep

when it rains too hard;

the cars making water works as they zoom past,

rippling the murky, green water.

You can have handmade wish bands that come in many different colours:

blue and white with orange

yellow, pink, and purple

red and blue with maroon,

all in a Ziploc bag.

You can sleep and wake up in the morning for school

and still feel sleepy.

You can think of all the things you do have

and still say you don't,

but there always is.

Benjamin Moore Wethersfield Moss HC-110

Down by the Wethersfield moss

where oak trees hide

a small path

where only they

Pauline, Casey, and Susie

could find

Among the moist leaves

and lemon yellow

dandelions

Down by the Wethersfield moss

past the morning glories

the small path

led to a spring

Bottomless

Still

The tree,

Down by the Wethersfield moss

where Pauline and Casey

jumped

from the tallest branch

of the elm

Splashing

and thrashing

into the dense, dark

blue

Through the path ,

Down by the Wethersfield moss

they dragged along Susie

whose eyes made you

fall

into the deep

azure that they are

To the water

the abysmal water

Giggling

and screaming

as they went

At the spring

Down by the Wethersfield moss

blinded by the wisps of

white water

drenching their faces

they were all

oblivious

to what had occurred.

Through the path,

Pauline and Casey ran

Leaving the spring,

when Susie didn't come back

up

Her eyes

now part of the

obscure hue

Down by the Wethersfield moss.

As I Wait...

Poems selected by Nysha T.

Theme: Waiting

Description: When we wait, we are being patient as well. And the things we wait for can actually be interesting sometimes, and so are the thoughts that spark in your mind while doing so.

Synopsis: Poems about the time you spend while waiting for somebody, someone, something. The thoughts that comes across your mind and what happens in between.

How to Make a Game of Waiting by Jennifer K. Sweeny

In the Waiting Room by Elizabeth Bishop

Patience by Kay Ryan

Pigeons at Dawn by Charles Simic

Bright Star by John Keats

That Everything's Inevitable by Katy Lederer

It Happens Like This by James Tate

Aubade: Some Peaches, After Storm by Carl Phillips

Book Review By Nysha T.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Publisher: SRIBNER International

Genre: Memoir, Non-fiction

Where I got it: I found it when I was clearing out my bookshelf.

One sentence summary: Jeannette Walls tells about living in a unique yet quirky family--a brilliant yet alcoholic dad, and a free spirited mother--where she and her siblings look out for each other as they grow up together in different states till they find their way to New York City; their parents insisting on being homeless.

First sentence: I was sitting in a taxi, wonering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a Dumpster.

First chapter review: The first chapter is about how the memoirist expresses her feelings to her mother about being homeless when they meet up. She tries to offer some help, but her mother refuses, pointing out her values have been mixed up. We can tell a bit about her mother in the chapter--she seems to stay strongly by what she thinks. It ends with a clue to how the chapters are written.

Verdict: A dazzling volume of whimsically told chapters, an enlightening read; I'd love to read it again!

Cover comments: Has a girl whispering to a boy--could be brother and sister. Maybe it shows the bond between siblings as told in the book.

Chp.5 Beast from Water, Beastie

What about the beast?

Says the beast

is dark

unknown indigo

a dense black mass

says the beast

comes out

the shimmer

of the vast sea

A squid

couldn't come up the water

a ghost?

Perhaps

that's what it is

said they dream and cry

--the littluns

the vivid horror

so nakedly terrifying

like Pacific storms

frightens them

frightened myself

sometimes

but we are all

being cry-babies and sissies

We're strong

we'll hunt it down!

Fear can't hurt you

anymore

than a dream