Spotless as a Dalmatian

A poetic response to Michael Ondaatje's poem "Sweet like a Crow"

Your room is like a black hole, lacking a beginning
and an ending
Like walking into a dark, foggy graveyard, not knowing
what will pop out of the blue
Like a bursting volcano, the aftermath of a
tsunami, like a food fight that had gone totally wrong but
totally right at the same time
Like a sputter of glitter in a monochrome picture,
the rotten bunch of bananas that people
steer clear from, the fallen litter that nobody cleans up
Like Neverland or Narnia, unknown and unrealistic
Like a football locker that hundreds of
sweaty men have used, the feeling of stepping on dog poop,
the dreaded sound of the leader yelling "Charge!"
Like a trip to the Safari gone wrong, or like dropping a pin needle
in a hay stack; it will take ages to find anything,
the feeling of a hundred eyes staring at you
Like a million fountain pens exploding in mens' pockets, a thousand
hippos got diarrhea and had nowhere else to let it out but here
Like Tribulation was doomed upon the human race, like dozens of raccoons
going through the trash but couldn't find
what they were looking for, like the thought of cleaning the bathroom
slipped from Cinderella's mind way too many times
Like finding your child peeing their bed ten times in a night,
cooked Parmesan cheese, the eeriness of going into a haunted house at night alone,
as spotless as a dalmatian's body, as clean as the forgotten and "I'll clean
it out later" garage
Like having to look down and see the tiny buildings that once seemed tall
to prove that you aren't scared of heights, but you are
Like realizing that you're too short and cannot get the last cookie the easy way,
the godawful sight of the garbage dump-like room that I was stuck
cleaning because you were ill.

This is Just to Say

A poetic response to William Carlos Williams' poem "This is Just to Say"

I have taken

your shirt

that was in

your closet

it was

your favourite shirt

sorry

not giving 

because we

both realize that

you can't

wear it well

The Ice Cream Melting

A poetic response to William Carlos Williams' poem "The Red Wheelbarrow"

So much depends

upon

the ice cream

melting

down your chin

dripping

leaving your hands

sticky

The Muse

a poetic response to "The Metaphor" by Budge Wilson

Miss Hancock, you were the book few bothered to open
You were the old song that nobody knew
You were the vegetables on the dinner plate that nobody ate
You were the question that few knew the correct answer to

You were plump, bright, and overenthusiastic
Your love for teaching only grew
Even after all the hate from your students
You still tried to fly over the gloom

To me, you were a friend, a person who I looked up to
You accomplished the impossible, making students want to learn
Your noticeable makeup always kept me entertained
You were the survivor in the junior high community

Mother didn't like you, but to be fair, she didn't understand you
Your bright clothes, over friendliness, and enthusiasm did not please her 
She judged your flamboyant orange hair, your makeup, and your persona too soon
My mother is calm, collected, controlling and cold, it's not like she knew any better

High school came, and I admit, I changed
I only pretended not to care to fit in
Honestly, I recognized you, and I apologize for not catching up with you
If only I spoke with you, not caring what others thought, would you have been here today?

I'm sorry that I stopped writing
I'm sorry that I hid my joy
I'm sorry that I left you to fend for yourself
I'm sorry for not saying this to you sooner

English is empty, it is like a box, like my home sweet home
There is now no joy to be found wherever I go
I called you a frosted cake, with many layers and depth
But now, I call you my muse

Mother Knows Best

a poetic response to "The Sound of the Hollyhocks" by H. Garner

There he was, not in body, but in soul
A treasure buried beneath the ground but forever trapped
Oh son, why did you have to go? What made you get the rope?
Was it the doctor who made you stay, or the girl that faded away?

I did everything for you, everything I could
I gave you status, money, and life of pure content
You could've been rich beyond wild belief and had a wife who was the same
Yet you married that wench thinking that all would be fun and games

She didn't do anything for you, she didn't care
She's the one that left you in despair
You had the burdens, she had nothing to strain
She was just a dog looking for a good bone

If only you let me take you away
I would've kept you safe, would've kept you alive
If only you knew that she was the real reason that you were in that dreaded place
Her death left a mark that couldn't be erased

I kept you from anything that could be in harm's way
They always say "Mother knows best", but nobody told you that it seems
Now all I have left is an empty feeling in my heart
And a flower to remind me of that devil of a girl

source

For the Children- Free Verse to "Gentlemen Your Verdict"

How was I to tell my crew that all hope was lost?

No ships, no planes, no rescuers that were going to come our way

I had 5 married men, and 15 who are not, what was I to do?

I couldn't save them all, yet I couldn't save only one or two

I had no choice, I had to do what felt right

The men with loving wives and innocent children couldn't just die

The other 15, oh poor lads they were

Their sacrifice is what reunited the 5 families once again

I couldn't just let myself live, not after what I'd done

I killed my best crew, a coward was I ,with no real thought-out plan

I was running out of time, didn't want to imagine shed tears and cries

So I drank the liquid that united 15 brave men

Once the cold liquid ran down my throat, I understood what my men must've felt

Betrayal, sadness, but grateful towards a painless death

As long as there were survivors who could go home safely, my job was done

To have all weights on my own two shoulders was enough

I drag all the guilt, shame, and grief with me, as a true leader should

For it is better that I do so alone, then have the 5 men thought of as guilty

I may be thought of as a murderer, an evil man with no heart

But I did for the sake of the children, for their families not to part

-Lieutenant Commander Oram 

Book Blabber #1: The Giver by: Lois Lowry

“The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.”  ― Lois Lowry, The Giver

     Have you ever wondered what society would be like if we had no control of ourselves? What if the government decided every single aspect of our lives? It's a world that's unimaginable to us, but in The Giver, it's real life.

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     The Giver is set in a community that's locked in. You can only go so far before it's impossible to go any further because of a force field. Within that community, there is a group called the Committee of Elders, who serve as the government. They make all the rules since: a) they have most of the power and b) because of past dilemmas caused by humans. The Committee took away many aspects of the human life, mainly freedom and all that's encompassed within it. The whole community is black and white, literally, and nobody feels any true emotion. In this community, everything is 100% perfect. There are no wars, no pain, no worry, and no fear. Your siblings are also given to you. Females are chosen as Birthmothers, whose only role is to give birth. During the ceremonies of age, the babies are named and given to the parents whom the Committee have chosen. You also cannot be disrespectful and there are also a limited number of jobs, or Assignments, in the community, and they include: a Fish hatchery Attendant, Assistant Director of Recreation, and Caretaker of the Old. But there is one job that hasn't been given to any child for hundreds of years: the job of the Receiver.

     There is only one man who has more knowledge, and therefore more power, than the Committee of Elders, and that is the Giver. He is the only person who knows the past of human existence, the only one who knows what emotions feel like, what colours look like, and what memories were like. When the Committee doesn't know how to fix a new problem, they go to him for the answers. But one child had been chosen to be the Receiver and that child was Jonas.

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     Jonas is the protagonist in the story. He's an Eleven, which is his age, turning twelve in December. Every year, there is a ceremony of ages, and during each one, the children are given new privileges, like getting a bike in the Ceremony of Nine. However, the Ceremony of Twelve is the last and most important one of all because each child is given their job, and it's the last ceremony before adulthood. After, the children go on as apprentices, until they take on the job fully. Jonas dreads the Ceremony of Twelve because he can no longer have fun and be carefree. What he doesn't realize is that he's entirely different from the other kids his age. Throughout the novel, you see how Jonas' character develops, how he soon comes to realize that not everything is what it seems. His picture perfect world is falling apart, but he's the main reason for it.

     Personally, I think that the overall book is a fantastic read. The plot itself is really unique and interesting. There aren't many books out there that are about how human life would be like if it were "perfect". The whole concept of the story is also really relatable because as Jonas experiences the memories that the Giver gives to him, it reminded me of how I was like when I first went through them as well; when Jonas first experienced snow, pain, and love for family and friends, it reminded me of how they were like when they were my firsts also. The other characters in the book, such as Gabe, Fiona, Lily, Asher, and the Giver, were great additions to the storyline as well. They all played significant roles in the story, and they all contributed to why Jonas did what he did and thought what he did. 

     I have to hand it to Lois Lowry. He put in a lot of effort to build this world and make it come alive on the pages. His writing is very detailed, but not to point where it's just boring. The Giver looks like and is a short read, but the story of these characters are so well integrated that it helps the reader form a connection with the book.

     I highly recommend this novel to people who are looking for something new and different to read about. It's definitely something that will make you ponder about today's world and how lucky we truly are. The Giver was a captivating and fun read, one that you should, without a doubt, check out. 

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