To Kill A Mockingbird Cover

Maycomb's Daily News

The Book is Always Better

By: Matthew Carlson

Lord of the flies by William Golding is much better than the movie Lord of the Flies by Harry Hook. In the movie there was a loss of symbolic meaning of items, tension between the main characters wasn’t clear and events in the movie didn’t allow us to see the author’s message.

In the book Lord of the Flies, it takes you through it bit by bit each moment, item, and/or character which symbolizes something, and keeps the reader thinking. While in the movie its skips through important parts and things with symbolism, and there is less understanding into why it appeared in the movie. For example the Pig head. In the book the Pig Head represented The Lord of the Flies, the devil, Beelzebub. The pig head talked to Simon and foreshadowed his death. While in the movie, the pig head just appeared as food for the beast, and nothing else. The pig head in the movie didn’t even speak to Simon.

As of the start of Lord of the Flies you could tell that there was some tension, and rivalry between Ralph and Jack. They were friends at first, but then came that division of power, as Ralph was the chief, but Jack was the alpha. This division of power was visible in the book. While in the movie, it doesn’t elaborate much on that division; it is too direct and doesn’t show that importance of that division.

The authors message (one of the most important parts of the book), isn’t shown at all in the movie. The significance of the book Lord of the Flies wasn’t shown at all in the movie. The movie didn’t show how the human kind is an abomination to the world, how the island they are stranded is represents the Garden of Eden, and when humans were placed there, it was completely destroyed. The movie didn’t show this as clearly as the book.

To conclude this essay, it is easy to say that the book-as always-is better than the movie, because it show more detail, it emphasizes more in important moments, items, and characters. The book describes the relationships between characters much clearly, and doesn’t leave the audience confused. And finally, the authors’ message is shown much better in the book rather than the movie. The authors’ message is very important, because this is the reason the author wrote the book, this is what the author is trying to teach the readers. The movie didn’t show this message, and if they did, they made a poor job emphasizing it. If you hadn’t read the book, and watched the movie you most certainly would have not understood what was going on.

Boys Only

Upon the introduction of a female character, it would drastically change the story, and the message the book is portraying would be altered, but then this may depend on the female characters’ characteristics. Golding may want the female character to be able to tempt (because the island they are stranded on represents The Garden of Eden-paradise-where god placed two humans, Adam and Eve) the male characters to do specific things, as in hunt, or to take something that may be prohibited or sacred such as the Conch, specs, or other symbolic items of the island. Or the female character could be tempted to do something for someone (because of the snake tempting Eve in The Garden of Eden). Also a women figure on the island can also mean organization, more order, and having supplementary moral values. There would be a bigger voice of truth, and perhaps many of the uncivilized acts the male characters were doing would have been avoided. The female character can also cause jealousy. With jealousy fights might occur, and a bigger division could perhaps have happened, but not only with Jack and Ralph, but possibly with some others of the Bigguns. Golding obviously meant this as a complement to women, as though he shows the savageness of society through the acts of boys of the island.

Like Eve in the bible, she tempted Adam to eat the forbidden fruit of The Garden of Eden. Eve in the bible was tempted by the snake, which in The Lord of the Flies would be the devil or Jack. The forbidden fruit could represent the specs, something that Jack wants by the end. Jack would be able to entice the female character, to take the specs from Ralphs’ group. This would have also caused a big problem, but would have also caused them to have had fewer savage moments. The way the women could be tempted, also could show how today men (as in men and women) have power over each other, and how they can easily control others to work for them to gain more.

Many people see-stereotypically-that females in general as more organized, and less savage compared to men. This being the reason, that if a female character were to have been introduced, then she would have been the adult figure of the island, and would have lead the characters of the island with less savagery, more sanity, and better judgment. Now not only will she be most probably representing the adult figure of the island, but she would also be the motherly figure, the one who entrusts hope of being rescued in the littluns and the bigguns, and she would also take care of the littluns at night, when they had nightmares.

With a female character on the island, she can enhance their moral values, and stand up for what is ethically right. She could become a much bigger symbolic reference to order and civilization. She would be able to convince the group that there really wasn’t such a thing as the beast. She would have held the group together, and avoided that division between Jack and Ralph. She would have gotten more things done, because she is the one most capable of being the adult figure of the island, which was what the boys were trying to find, the adult figure of the island that would lead them, and tell them what to do. She would be able to comfort them from the fears of the nightmares.

As the story normally goes there are only boys on the island, causing there to be rivalry, as in having the Alpha, the leader, and the followers. But with a female character there would be a bit more. There will not only be the leadership relationship with everyone, but probably some kind of romantic relationship might emerge in more than one character. Thus, causing a fight between each other and more savagery could happen. If the female character actually falls for one of the male characters, this might cause another male character to have jealousy therefore, also starting a fight, or just assassinating the other character, but that would be taking too far.

Its easy to say, that Golding meant this as a compliment to women, because he is basically saying how men are savage, of course he is portraying that all mankind can be savage, and uncivilized, but as he shows in the Lord of the Flies, it seems that that savagery was easily shown through the male characters on the island, Jack, Roger, the choir group (hunters), and many others of the island. In my honest opinion, the story is well without a female character, because with the female characters, those memorable moments of the book would have not happened, it would have completely changed symbolic means of different characters, scenes, and items. With a female character, the book would be completely different, and would not be as interesting as it is now.

Jack is in Command Now!

Ralph overpowered,

Authority now belonging

To the one, who hides

In the mask of savageness,

With shocking supremacy.

You can’t have it all…

But you can have the refreshing balmy breeze,

Like swimming in a hot summer day.

You can have the little brother

Who you always criticize,

But reminds you of yourself when you were his age.

You can have that one out-of-place song

In your playlist that describes who you are,

And how you feel.

You can break up for the third time,

And just say, “Yeah it was expected…”

And life moves on.

You can have one of those bad days

And feel as if the world is going to end,

But keep a smile on your face

Because friends are always there for you.

You can have that stupid trip and fall,

Where you rupture a ligament,

But not cry

because there are worst things in life.

You can have the barking of the dogs at the pet store,

Waiting impatiently to meet their new owner,

But as I approach the clear glass

They ignore me,

As if they already knew that it will never be me.

You can have the nostalgic moments in life

Where you wished the past was the present,

Looking back at the good old days,

Similar to a man in his elder ages.

You can have the moment

When you are just jumping and dancing in the rain,

Not caring if you’re going to catch a cold.

You can have those friends,

who are always ready and prepared to help,

Like a soldier prepared for battle.

You can have teachers claiming

You can’t finish a project in a day,

But what comes to mind

Are these two simple words,

“Challenge Accepted…”

A Smile a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Description: These poems will show you the true meaning of happiness and joy. Of the great moments in life, after you have overcome turbulent times, where you just feel a great warmth of happiness, and feel as life can’t get any better. Times when you just jump, punching the air and yelling out, “WOOHOO!!”

Synopsis: These poems will show you how there is always a bright side to any situation, how with happiness you can truly free yourself, and live without worrying about what might happen next.

Theme: Joy and happiness

Happy the Man by John Dryden

A Man In His Life by Yehuda Amichai

How still, how happy! by Emily Bronte

Happy Thought by Robert Louis Stevenson

How happy I was if I could forget by Emily Dickinson

A Happy Man by Edwin Arlington Robinson

Joy and Pleasure by William Henry Davies

Sadness and Joy by William Henry Davies

Where to go? – Benjamin Moore 2110-40

Where to go?

The left,

To the sweltering scorching sand

Where enormous sand castles

Stand.

Or the right

To the cold, chilly ocean

Where the waves

Are perfect,

Crashing not too soon

Nor too late.

Or maybe the middle,

Where everything

Is split in half

And you are

Lost in-between,

Undecided on which side to choose.

In-between where you

Have a bit of one side

And a bit of the other.

The young boy

Inexperienced,

A fledgling in life,

Thought of this…

Where to go…?

Maybe to a bar

Though I am not old enough,

Or a play ground,

But I am already

Too old.

He’s stuck in the middle

Where both ends

Meet,

Not knowing which side to choose…

Akin to a lost child

Trying to find their mother.

Book Review by Matthew Carlson

Catching fire by Suzanne Collins

Publisher: Scholastic

Genre: Science fiction, and Young Adult

Where I got it: It was the second book in the trilogy of the Hunger Games.

One Sentence Summary: It is the Quarter Quell, (the 75^th anniversary of when the Hunger Games started) all the 24 victors were forced to compete against each other in the Hunger Games again, Katniss knows that she is going to be competing against Peeta in the Games… again.

First sentence of the book: I clasp the Flask between my hands even though the warmth of the tea has long since leached into the frozen air.

Summary of first chapter: Katniss is being brought into the Victors Tour, where now she is going to live, as the victor of the hunger games. She was hoping to forget her traumatizing experience in the games, but living in the Victors tour made it impossible for her to forget. Her best friend Gale is now working on the mine. The occurrences in the hunger games have created a line between their friendship. Everything is different for Katniss since she got back from the games, and she knows they will never be the same. She always goes hunting leaving some food at Gales house, while he is at the mine. At the mob (the illegal trading area), she buys liquor for Haymitch (their Hunger Games trainer), and meets Haymitch at his house with Peeta. The chapter ends with Katniss encounter with the capitols president-President Snow, in her house in Victors tour.

Verdict: I liked this book, it was very interesting to see how Katniss and Peeta survived through the tortures and traumatizing experience in the hunger games again. How Katniss isn’t able to choose which one to love Peeta or Gale. The plot on how they survive through the arena and how Katniss does what she can to keep Peeta alive, keeps the readers intrigued, shocked, and amused. I recommend this book to people who like action and a bit of romance in it.

Cover: The cover attracts the reader at first sight, it gives them curiosity, makes them wonder why there is a bird-Jabberjay-on the cover? The Jabberjay is something that could kill them in the Hunger games. It uses their deepest fears, and their emotions to lead them into deadly life-threatening traps.

Ralph the Chosen Chief

He lost himself,

He was overcome

With astonishment.

He found himself understanding

the wearisomeness of this life.

The place of the assembly

In which he stood,

Was roughly a triangle

But irregular and sketchy,

Like everything

They made.

We have never had an assembly

This late,

But we need to put thing straight.

There must be no mistake

about this assembly,

no chasing imaginary.

The trouble is,

If your chief

You had to think

You had to be wise.

We need an assembly

Not for fun

Not for laughing,

And not for making jokes,

Or cleverness.

He took the conch,

The yellow and pink

To near-white and transperancy,

He faced the place of assembly

And put the conch on his lips.

I am from...

I am from the Mp3

From Apple and Sony.

I am from the annoying

Honking cars

To the sight

Of the distant boats.

I am from the wannabe-trees

The plastic, the fake, the outcast of nature.

I am from the family fun night

To family argument night

I am from the not going to church

And playing basketball instead.

I am from “It’s not too late.”

To “there is nothing you can do.”

I am from the faith of God

To the proof of Science

I am from going to Protestant Church,

To Catholic with my mom’s relatives.

I’m from Ecuador,

Where the hot Caldo de Bolas

Are served.

To American,

Where the smell

of fresh made Corndogs

Fill the air.

From the soft ball skills

My grandfather has kept,

The time when we

(The whole family of my dad’s side)

Went to go watch his game,

Meeting people,

I might not remember.

I am from the boxes and small books,

Hidden in the closet,

The pictures which shows

What I once was,

With memories long forgotten,

And hard to remember.

Photos that find their way

To the heart of the tree,

Where they will be safely

Stowed away.

Pray For Japan

The devastating earthquake in Japan was fitful; nobody was expecting such earthquake with such magnitude. Japan is copious when it comes to people, and this has affected the lives of many people not only in Japan, but Worldwide. Other then this 9 magnitude earthquake, it was followed broadly half an hour after, an over 10 meter tsunami that wiped out many areas of Japan.

Many family members who have relatives or friends in Japan have been fastidious with the news and trying to desperately contact them. Most people who watched the news the date of the occurrence, felt a pang of pain for the footage they showed of the people affected, and all the houses being dragged by the tsunami.

The nuclear meltdowns in the nuclear facilities, is said to decelerate Japans economic growth. They also have had electrical shortage due to the fact that these nuclear facilities create most of the energy in Japan. This is why Nuclear Plants are crucial in Japan. The nuclear meltdowns have also caused a 10 mile radius of radiation, and it has been said that the wind may carry the radiation, up to the coast of California, United States. Japan is trying to grapple the situation of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdowns.

Many rescue and search parties have been deployed in the coasts of Japan and areas affected by the tsunami. Adept doctors have also been sent for the aid of the survivors. This natural disaster has claimed the lives of over 10,000 people. The nuclear meltdowns have caused the evacuation of over 200,000 people.

The Japanese government is trying to keep everything under control, and are taking care of the situation gingerly, and having to make quick decisions. Other countries of the world have also gone to Japans aid, and have volunteered to help Japan get back to its formal self.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

The significance of The House on Mango Street is that this was the where her new house was located, in which the memoirist-Esperanza-with her mother father, two younger brothers, and sister moved into. Also this was the first house her family had owned, “The house on Mango Street is ours, and we don’t have to pay rent to anybody, or share the yard with the people downstairs, or be careful not to make too much noise, and there isn’t a landlord banging on the ceiling with a broom.” (3) This is where Esperanza spends most of her coming of age years. Mango Street is where she learns life lessons that will help her in the future, and it’s where she creates her ambition of being a free women.

The memoirist of the book is Esperanza, a young Mexican girl who moved into Mango Street. She had to face different coming of age issues such as being self conscious about herself and how she looks, Awareness of sexuality-as in she was noticing boys more, “All night the boy who is a man watches me dance. He watched me dance.” (48).She also had to face situations and problems that she didn’t have full understanding of in the moment, moment she wasn’t ready for and was too young to understand.

The story is set up in chronological order from the time she got onto Mango Street, and each story is set up in vignettes that talk about parts of her life, in which she learned life lessons and discovered who she was. They never specify her age, but the reader can give a good guess on what her age is, depending by the story. The farther into the book you go, the older she becomes and more the more knowledge she acquires, from people she meets along the way.
Esperanza came to find out about herself was that, she wanted to be a free woman, not one that was stuck indoors, but one that could go out when she wanted, she wanted to enjoy life. She also learned other life lessons, watching and experiencing different moments in Mango Street. Mango Street, the people, and her personal experience there have taught her much of the knowledge she has.

This book was interesting at many points to read, it shows you how a person from Mexico can have a hard time living in America, through the eyes of a young teenager growing up. It shows you how people stick to stereotypes and judge people before they know them. Every vignette keeps you thinking on how this is actually happening to people, many of her stories can be related to. It is a really good book; Sandra Cisneros kept the book real and intriguing to read.

two lines I loved were, “In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters. It mean sadness, it means waiting. It is like the number nine. A muddy color. It is the Mexican records my father plays on Sunday mornings when he is shaving, songs like sobbing.” Pg.10 and, “Those who don't know any better come into our neighborhood scared. All brown all around, we are safe. But watch us drive into a neighborhood of another color and our knees go shakity-shake.” Pg. 28.

I Believe...

I believe in Music,
To calm a person down
Like the ocean,
After a ferocious storm.

I believe that brothers
Can be a pain,
But they always find a way
To teach you something new.

I believe in Patience,
To wait, observe, and listen
Like a predator
Stalking its prey.

I believe that a person
Can’t and doesn’t change,
But just learns
How to act differently.

I believe in creativity,
It creates who you are,
And what you’re going to be.

I Believe that playing a instrument,
Doesn’t only take raw skills
But dedication and time

I believe in taking risks
Even if the out come
May seem bad.

I believe that everyone
Should have a chance
To live life at its full potential

I believe that a beginning always has an end
And the length of it

is variable.

Memories to Remember

Thrown into the interrogation room John sat down on the chair and his head started to hurt. He felt claustrophobia and began to swelter. He never was a big fan of closed rooms. The room had four walls; one of the walls had a big window that he couldn’t see through from his side. In front of the table that he was sitting was placed a chair, which he apprehended that was for the person who was going to interrogate him. Time elapsed slowly and he began to feel as if he was shackled to the room as if he was never going to leave.

Suddenly a thin man wearing a black suit came in with a note book and said, “We are going to ask you a few questions and you must answer them thoroughly. Also we have a lie detector, so don’t even think of lying to us. Now wait till my work partner arrives. Oh and I’m Steven, my partner is Dave.”

5 minutes later another man came in also wearing a black suit. Johns head began to hurt more, and didn’t know why. Then he receives memory of blood and a knife and a silhouette of a person running away, which seemed to be running away from him. John falls off the chair grabbing his head. The two men kneel down and help John up.

“Should we really continue this interrogation, I mean he clearly doesn’t seem to be feeling well, and he has suffered memory loss.”

“Well, his wife did hit him with a baseball bat in the head, because he was trying to kill her.” John watches as the two men murmured between each other, his headache has seized, and he was able to remember vague things that he had forgotten. “Was he really trying to kill someone, did he succeed, who did he try to kill?” these were the questions he was thinking of. His mind was in a state of anarchy, he had no clue what was going on. Then Steve began to interrogate him and later Dave also did the same, but they weren’t able to get anything.

“It’s imminent that he will recover those memories, but we must help him remember them.” Whispers Steven to Dave.

“All he remembers was that he was hit really hard by something. He also remembers that he was arraigned, but he was clueless of what. His doctors said that little by little he will first uncover vague and small memories, and later he will recall the scene. Maybe if we take him to his house he would be able to recall the scene.” Says Dave.

“Good Idea.” Responded Dave (Him and Steven almost never have dissensions which is why they are one of the best work partners), and tells John that they were taking him home. When they go inside the house, John noticed that the place they called “His House” was completely calamitous. It was completely bizarre that John didn’t remember even though he was in the actual crime scene he had caused, but suddenly while they were walking next to a sports store John saw a baseball bat and his head began to ache. Then he remembered the bat he had given his wife when they were at a baseball game, and it got signed by the player he lionized. This was the same bat she used to him in the head. Then he remembered that he has conspired to kill his own wife, because she was driving him insane, and getting him mad.

Once again Dave and Steve meticulously helped him up, but then John made a run for it, he had been caught and it was imminent that he was going to go to jail and going to jail was the last thing he wanted. He ran as fast as he could and lost Dave and Steve, and assimilated into the multitude of people. There was a killer on the loose…

The Dispute

“You guys have to be likes Samuel! He always does his homework and gets A’s!” My Mom says directing it to my brother and me. He is being lionized once again eating pounds of ice cream and watching T.V. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was grinning right now, because he knew we would be grounded and he would be able to use my Computer (Which I will hide).
“Mom, HE is in THIRD GRADE and I’m in EIGHTH GRADE don’t you expect things to be harder in my grade, and look this test grade is just a B+ yeah I probably could have done better, but I wasn’t well prepared.” I say
“Yeah, because you’re always chatting on Skype instead of doing HW, and you always tell me that your done doing homework AND studying.” I knew if I kept this dissension was going to keep going and the outcome was going to be negative, so all I did was say that I was sorry for not studying properly… bla bla bla. This wasn’t enough she was going to come back later, but for now it was all SHE needed to hear.
Next was my brother Zachary’s turn, He has to fend for himself. My mom is already mad at me enough, and hiding homework deserves a big consequence. I meticulously place my ear on my brother’s room door, and listen to my mom talk to him seriously about not hiding his homework and things like that. I got bored after a while and decided I wanted to go take a walk in Multicentro.
“Hey Mom can I go to Multicentro?” I ask
“Yeah, Yeah you can do whatever you want!” She answered, yeah she is still mad, but she said yes.
I go to the movie theater and assimilated into the line of people waiting to buy tickets and left when I got to the counter. I just remembered that I left my money at home.

"Damn I have to return home now..." I say to myself, and walk out into the sidewalk of the streets.

Wordly Wise

Mobs of angry citizens filled the roads throwing rocks, sticks, and many different house-hold items. Guards were being overwhelmed; the Kingdom was in a state of anarchy. The more Corrupt the kingdom is becoming, this is what we have conspired. This is where it all begins….John had planned this all along; he managed to convince a whole nation that it was time to over-power the blood-thirsty king. This King was the one who made unfair laws; he was the one who executed the ones who didn’t follow his orders. They all feared the King, but the time had come for everyone to take action.
John had no mother and father, they were both executed right before his eyes when he was just merely 4 years old, and anything close to family was his best-friend Bob, who was like a brother to him (whose parents were also killed). They both hated the King with burning passion, but never have been able to do anything about it… well until now that he has the whole nation against the kings and the lords. John and Bob had trained and studied hard since they were 10 (now their 18), patiently waiting for John to avenge the death of all the innocent lives the King has taken.
Shortly after John turned 18, Bob got really sick. He asked the King (even though he hated him), to give him the cure, but the King would only give it to him for a price, a really high price, and John didn’t have that kind of money. Then came the day when Bob died, leaving John isolated and alone, he had lost everything that was dear to him. He wasn’t just going to stand there and watch more people die. He took action. He convinced most of the Kingdoms citizens to start riots, to fight back the King. All the citizens and John conspired against the King, and decided to attack at dawn.
John was using the riot as a distraction for the King, he was planning to get rid of the King himself, but this he could not tell anyone, the King was going to die by his hand for killing the people he loved and cared for. Telling the citizens would cause them to get in his way and the more people in the actual riot the better.
Time elapsed slowly, but finally came the time for the riot to start. All the Citizens charged to the Kings temple, the managed to break down the gates. Guards came charging with weapons in hand. Citizens with weapons were up front and fought of the guards. While the others tried to break down the Kings Temples door. While all of this was happening John was trying to break in on the other side. He had planned it out with Bob, but he wasn’t there at the moment, so he had to improvise. Most of the temples roof was made out of glass, so John found a way to get to the top of the roof, and with a rock broke the glass. He gets into the temple and lands on a marbled tile floor. He had never seen such floor before, but he knew it wasn’t time to get distracted he had to go search for the King. He searched the temple stealthily, so that he wouldn’t be found by the Kings guards. He knew he was getting closer as he noticed that the security was getting tighter. Until he finally saw a giant red door, which imminently indicated where the King was.
He assassinated the two guards guarding the door and entered the Kings room. As he entered the room he saw the Kings throne and the King sitting on it. The King seemed calm even with all the commotion outside. Something also troubled John, the King was wielding to swords ready to duel.
“You have wanted to kill me for a very long time.” Says the King, as he throws one of the swords at John, for him to catch.
“Yes, and I will succeed!” He yells out loud as he charges the King with anger in his eyes, hatred in his heart, seeking revenge for what he has taken. As John brought the sword down on to the King, The King skillfully stopped it with his. The battle went on, it seemed endless, but John had lots of Stamina, and was going to do what it takes to kill the King. The King suddenly became tired and this was John’s chance to kill him…
“Father!” yelled out a little boy. The boy reminded John of himself when he was little and how his parents were executed in front of his very young eyes. He could do the same to the Kings son, but he knew better, he knew he couldn’t bring himself down to the Kings level. The Kingdom had successfully overthrown the throne. They shackled the King in jail for a life sentence. His kid became Johns son, and everyone nominated John to become the new ruler of the kingdom.

Encounter with Holden!

I walk into the bar clad in jeans and a black shirt. I sit down and grimace to the sight of a young boy, wearing a red hunting hat, drinking alone; he was sitting right next to me, and suddenly I began a conversation.

“Hey, I’m Matthew.” I said in an affable manner.

“Hi, my name is Holden Caulfield.” He said in a drunken way.

“So what school do you got to?”I asked “, Seems like you are already out in vacation.”

“I used to go to Pencey Prep.”

“Oh so you graduated from Pencey Prep?”

“No, they gave me the “ax” once again.” Judging by the way he said, “once again” I think this hasn’t been the first school he has been kicked out of. Then out of stupidity I asked him why they expelled him from Pencey Prep. This was the worst error of my life, because he suddenly began an interminable tirade of how every in that schools were morons (and he was the one who was kicked out), and how he thought almost every man in the bar were flits.
Holden spontaneously changed the subject leaving me confused on what he actually meant. He kept talking really loud, at the point of shouting, and when you pointed that out to him he would deny it. It was like if he didn’t even notice himself yelling. This was beginning to rankle me, but I kept a serene disposition.
“Hey do you think those guys over there are flits?” he asked

“How am I supposed to know” I said “, hey I have an idea! Why don’t you go ask them!?” yeah it was pretty slovenly and obnoxious, but I got tired of him. Then I noticed that he had begun to abhor me, and suddenly turned his hunting hat a bit and began to demean me. I endeavored to keep my anger from coming out and I warned Holden to calm down. Then I got pissed, got up, and left the bar leaving him with the unfortunate bartender who has to talk to him.

Damn Jenga Piece

The wooden Jenga piece flies across the room, which was thrown by my infuriated brother. I hadn’t seen it coming and it painfully hits me on my back. I grab it and throw it back at him and miss…typical. He grabs another piece which he throws as well, but I didn’t react fast enough and it ends up hitting me on my shoulder. I move back and watch my brother as he leans down and grabs the Jenga piece that I threw before.

I aim carefully, I swing my arm, and let go. The next thing you know I hear a sound of breaking glass, and a bunch of glass shards falling on the ground. “Oh shit.” I thought as I saw all the broken glass fall right in-front of me. I look up and I see the clock that my mom bought was broken, there was like a giant hole where parts of the glass used to be. “I’m so screwed.” I thought, and I picked up the broom and started to sweep.

When I was done and I had thrown all the pieces of glass away, I put the broom away, and took out the clock that was hanging above the door. I looked at it, and it still function, but it just had pointy left- over glass around the area where I accidently threw the Jenga piece. I looked around on the floor to check to see if there were any glass shards that I had missed, but it seemed like I didn’t. “I’ll have to tell mom about this, so that (most probably with my money), we could buy a new clock for the wall, and I’m probably going to get grounded even longer then now.” I thought, as I got into my room, and started to read my book, waiting for the riot to begin.

Like a cloud

Like a cloud
To just float around
Unable to get rankled
No parents, No teachers, No Peers
To rebuke me
Always in a serene disposition
And never lackadaisical
Letting the wind guide me
Without an inkling of
Where we will end up

I wish I were a cloud
Always moving
Like a nomad
From place-to-place
On my own will
With my own rules
Living my own life

Embarking on many journeys
As soon as I finish one
Gliding across the country
Letting the wind take me
To wherever it leads to
Without a depiction
Of where we will end up,
But just going with the flow
And not worrying about anything