Book Marks

Congratulations to Robert and to all who entered. Enjoy his untitled poem.

Mountains are Castles for the wild
Leaves decorate their grand halls
The tall towers reach for the sun
and their foliage fills the sky

The moat flows, abundant with life
Guarding the castle from a surveyor’s eye
The Royalty graze amongst their thrones
and warm their fur in the welcoming sunlight

The corridors are covered in a leafy carpet
Where vibrant art is grown and displayed
Many times, I have been a guest in this earthen castle
And many more times I long to stay

Congratulations to xxxxxxxx, 1st  Runner Up in the Media Center poetry contest.

Just Words

Spinning and spinning and spinning…
But not like the carefree girl I once was.
No longer the daughter you once knew
Now there’s books and boys and boundaries
You see there’s booze and boobs and bud that separate us…
AND I’M TRYING TO TALK; WHY WON’T YOU JUST LISTEN?!?!
I just wanted to tell you  how excited I am about college and my new car
& how sad I am about my new school
& how confused I am about the senior boy that likes me but doesn’t know I don’t like him because well… I think I might like someone else…
But these aren’t the safe topics of yesteryear
When scraped knees and pulled pigtails were the cause of my tears
& you actually wanted to hug me and say “I Love You”
Now it’s just “Who are you?!” and how much I disgust you
But “I didn’t mean it; I’m sorry” doesn’t work anymore
There’s just yelling and screaming and pushing and slapping and the sound of slammed doors
And then the silence…
Of my uncried tears
I’ve been holding them back and packing for your years.
Now my bags are ready and I think I should go;
but before I leave here’s this note so you’ll know
that my worlds been spinning for quite some time
& I tried to control it but things were so out of line.
Realize I’m sorry; I hate that it ended this way
but when I’m gone, and you’re grieving look at what’s left of me
& remember to say…
A Few Words

Water for Elephants a video book of the day.

2 out of 5 bookmarks

Congratulations to Pierce Clawson, 2nd  Runner Up in the Media Center poetry contest.

Rumors — Pierce Clawson

The river cries so beautifully
Flowing like strands of silk
Or like a baby begging for warmth
Of mother’s loving milk
Its cheeks so gentle like a stone
The sand is coarse and dry
Like a mole from his hole,
Wakes with the sun in his eyes
The river cries, and the wind whispers,
Words to the fragile earth,
The lies that spread, like a burning red
Words that must be seldom heard

Another audio entry:

http://wakefieldhs.wcpss.net/media/files/feed.mp3

4 out of 5 bookmarks

A guest audio blog from baseball fanatic and Yankee fan, Ms. Munroe.

http://wakefieldhs.wcpss.net/media/files/natural.mp3

Congratulations to Victoria Shockley, 3rd  Runner Up in the Media Center poetry contest.

Picture Perfect – Victoria Shockley

Your mind is a blank
Coloring book,
And people are
The crayons:

Some crayons are sharp;
Thick outlines of purple,
Definition and precision,
Emphasizing every shape;

Some crayons are dull;
Crooked swirls and
Messy blotches of beige–
Wax smeared like finger paint;

Some crayons are broken,
Rubbing, blending,
Blue and gray,
Outside the lines;

Some crayons are melted,
Distorted and ugly;
Bright red consuming
The whole page like fire;

Some crayons are chipped,
Slashing each page
With jagged black lines,
Destroying the picture;

Choose crayons wisely to fill
Every page of your mind…
Favorite colors make your
Picture perfect.

I read Yukio Mishima’s Spring Snow on a recommendation of a co-worker. It was incredibly intriguing and I was sucked into the entire series. Mishima’s series was my first experience with Japanese literature and it has spawned a bit of an interest in that culture and its literature. Mishima may be most known for his suicide by seppuku after a failed coup d’etat. Mishima is an interesting and somewhat controversial figure.

The works, however, are generally considered some of the greatest works of Japanese literature. For the most part Americans, unfortunately, tend to  identify Japan’s  literary works in terms of Haiku.

The Sea of Fertility series follows one character through the four works. This character, Honda, is convinced that his friend is being reincarnated. In each book, the friend is a different character that Honda feels is doomed and must be saved from an early death. Honda’s beliefs become a problem in his own life.

Again, this isn’t for everyone, but it is a nice introduction to Japanese literature beyond 3 lines and 17 syllables.

Vernon God Little was the winner of the Man Booker Prize and the Whitbread Award.

It’s about a school shooting, written about 4 years after the Columbine tragedy. Vernon happens to be out of the school during the shooting for reasons that will remain untold for our purposes here.  The shooter turns out to be Vernon’s best friend who eventually shoots himself in the aftermath. This leaves  the police and the community searching for a scapegoat.

It’s hard to believe that a book about a school shooting can be humorous, but Pierre’s book does a good job of mixing in the situational humor with the background of a tragedy.

The content and language may not be suited for all, but it’s an award winner and probably a little off the beaten path for many readers.

3 out of 5 bookmarks

“When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.” Thoughts on Various Subjects, Moral and Diverting–Jonathan Swift

A Confederacy of Dunces is funny. It’s different, and it might even be brilliant. It follows the character of Ignatius J. Reilly. Reilly is an overweight, slovenly and unemployed man who lives with his mother. When she has an accident causing damage to their home, Ignatius is forced to go out into the world that he disdains. As a popular movie once stated, he goes out and has adventures. He’s part Don Quixote as he quests and an elderly Holden Caulfied as he bemoans the state of man.

It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1981, 11 years after his suicide. It is a modern classic and one that most well-versed literary readers should seek out.

4 out of 5 bookmarks