About the Poems

I like writing poetry. It's not something I would do in my spare time, though. Anyway, it wasn't too difficult for me to write these poems. The revision did help in some ways, but I just ended up switching around a couple of words. But what I enjoyed most about the process is the results I got in the end.
My favorite of the three poems is "What's Tea?" because I like the tone and what's happening. It's strange, though, because I'm not a big fan of history. Now the poem that I think needs some more work is "Magic" because it rhymes and - to me - it sounds a little childish. Yet I'm keeping it the way it is. I wish, though, I put more descriptive words in the poem. The problem for me was that I couldn't find the right spot for good, descriptive words.

The voice of my poems are nearly all different. I'd say that my "Sand" poem is a bit more seriously descriptive than the other two because it's dealing with art. The "Magic" poem just sounds like an amateur wrote it. No, I'm not declaring that I'm a guru of poetry or anything. I am just an amateur in the 'art' of poetry like nearly everybody else. Anyway, the voice of "What's Tea?" is kind of laid back and friendly because historical poems can get very boring - to me - if they are too serious. Moving on now! I used a sound in my historical poem. I used splash just to make it more 'creative' in some kind of way and to remind the readers that there is water below. I'm required to write at least three stylistic elements that help convey the meaning of my poems so the last one is that I didn't really use any diction. I guess you could say that the last poem is someone or something talking to someone.

Meh . . . Look at me typing up a storm. I'll shall end it here!

What's Tea?

I think the water needs

Originally painted by Nathaniel Currier

some flavoring.

Your task?

Don’t worry, it’s an easy one.

Just board those 

three ships over there

and drop those crates into the water.

Yes, those crates over there.

You know . . . Boxes made of 

wood?

The stuff inside of it

smells strange.

I’d like for you to 

dispose of it.

Photo Credit: Boston Tea Party Historical Society

Dispose of it properly, though.

How? 

I already told you.

Pick them up 

and drop them into the water.

How many ships?

Only three.

How many crates?

Only 342 of them.

Why don’t you go gather

up your friends and

dress in a disguise? 

I’m sure you have

lots of friends.

Maybe even around

Photo Credit: Boston Tea Party Ship

130 of them.

Sorry, but am I asking for too much?

If it helps, not all of you

have to dress up.

You only have to take those crates

and toss them into the water - Splash!

How?

I already told you.

Pick them up 

and drop them into the water.

One last thing . . .

What’s tea?

Magic

Photo Credit: josieray

The sound of the snake’s tongue,

A burst of deathly green light.

The winged golden sphere,

Magical phrases now fight.

A man clothed in flowing black,                             

Photo Credit: NerdBirdWeb

Pictures come to life upon the walls.

The bathtub filled with bubbles,

A mysterious egg calls.

A cup of blue fire,

The stone of blood red.

Water that reveals memories,

Ghosts of people more alive than dead.

Part of his soul 

is trapped inside.

Of a boy with a cousin 

who is too well fed.

A wanted man he becomes 

near the end

The boy who lived 

with a scar upon his head.

Sand

Drawing done by Betsy Yang

A statue of sand

on the bank of the water.

String comes together

in a never-ending weave

feeding into the earth.

Nature adorns herself

on the hills of the clouds

where the sun meets the sky.

Eyes left an endless, blank

stare.

An emotionless face

that tells no story.

Yet a fortune is told

about a lost city

where hope shines above

and dreams flow below.

A Bond Filled With Sunflower Seeds

My Twin
Photo credit: Hannah Wells

I believe that twins have a special bond. Well, all bonds with family and friends are special, but a twin’s bond is really something. I know this because I’m a twin myself!

It all started 16 years ago. My brother and I came into the charming world on October 16, 1996. I got a six-minute head start. About five months later, we were adopted by my mother. After many tearful, noisy, painful plane rides, we had finally settled down in Austin Texas. My brother and I were getting older and our friendship was getting better.

There are many perks of being a twin, for me. He is always there for me. He might not want to listen to my problems, but I know that he cares, even though he might not show it. Because he is always there for me, I consider him my best friend. No one can match the bond we share. Even the bond I have with friends that I've known for nearly eight years is nowhere close to the bond my brother and I have. It truly is a very special connection; A connection that’s filled with many inside jokes, trust, and secrets.

If there are good things about being a twin, then, of course, there are bad things. My mom told me that when my brother and I were babies, my brother would always try to do what I did. As we got older, I feel like that switched a little. So what’s the bad thing? We almost always want to do the same things or want the same stuff. Fights rarely break out, but when they do, it gets messy. Due to my personality, whenever we fight, I usually come to him and apologize to him in tears. But when we were young and having a fit, my dad would place us at either end of the table and made us stare at each other until we were both laughing.

I’ll be honest with you when I say that twins have a secret language. Actually – for me and my brother – we understand each other’s feelings even better than my mom. I can tell if he is troubled by something or upset. I rarely approach him when he is feeling that way because I feel that he can sort it out on his own. I noticed that when he feels upset about something, it’s as if I can feel it too. I can always tell when he is happy because he is in a very good mood and has a huge smile on his face!

The best thing about being a twin is that they are always there. I don’t know about how other twins feel, but I think this is how my brother and I feel. It might have something to do with the fact that he is the only person in my family who I’m related to by blood. Anyway, I feel like he is that only friend who you can tell everything to and they will understand. He is the only person who I can share all my likes and dislikes with. It’s as if we could talk for hours and never get bored. We might not know everything about each other, but one thing I do know for sure is that his favorite snack is sunflower seeds. 

FAQs for Twins

- Do you and your twin look alike?

First, he's a guy, so we don't really share the same looks. But we have the same smile.

- Are you guys interested in the same things?

Yes we are interested in the same things, but not all things. We both like video games (he likes them more) and we also like many of the same movies and foods.

- Who's the better twin?

We both are in our own ways. But in general, I won't give any answer because I think we are equally both good.

- Do you fight a lot?

No

- Who's older?

I am by six minutes.

Why Are Zombies So Popular?

Zombie (n) - an animated corpse resurrected back to life my mystical means 

Rotting flesh, bloody mouth, missing limbs.... What’s not to love about a zombie? Well, maybe the fact that they eat humans that haven’t been infected yet. 

Photo Credit:

"The Walking Dead," Oniricolmagen  http://www.flickr.com/photos/oniricophotographies/5119000119/in/photostream/lightbox/

Zombies made their major movie debut in 1969 in the movie “The Night of the Living Dead.” Ever since then, there have been about 570 zombie movies and the number is still increasing. So, why are zombies so popular? What’s gotten the subculture into preparing for a zombie apocalypse? In my opinion, media has a major role in the influence of zombies. Not only are there movies with them, but there are video games, TV shows, books, short films and stories, music videos, and many other works. 

I’m going to cut this short and tell you exactly why people like zombie movies. The ugly truth no one wants to admit. The fascination is not because of the zombies themselves, they are merely the catalyst; the real fascination is with surviving a zombie apocalypse. Being a survivor, playing the odds, making your own rules. You don’t have to report to some stupid job every day; in fact, if your boss or someone else you hate is bitten, you may have an opportunity to bash their smelly head in. 

          -- “Why Are Zombies So Popular,” Dan Birlew That Game Guide Author Guy (http://www.danbirlew.com/why-are-zombies-so-popular/) 

Another popular thing with zombies is the Zombie Apocalypse. Are you ready for it? I took The Ultimate Zombie Apocalypse Survival quiz on zomboid.com/zombie/ and I scored a 71.1%. My opinion on this whole zombie thing is that it’s not a bad concept. It would be fun to do a little experiment where you use a small down, make people act like zombies, and put only one person in it at a time and see what they would do. Then, start to put the families and friends in together to see what everyone would do. If I went in alone, well I can’t even think of what I should do first. Would we really do the things we think we might do when faced with a bunch of zombies? 

One of the most important aspects of zombie physiology is the ability to spread. While there are many different versions out there on how this works – sometimes it’s through an infectious bite, and other times it requires actual death – the idea of turning from a rational human being into a mindless monster is just as fascinating as it is horrifying. Just like vampires and werewolves, zombism involves an involuntary shit in consciousness where one is no longer in control of his or her body. 

          -- “Two Conflicting Theories on Why Zombies are So Popular,” IGN (http://www.ign.com/blogs/awesomefive/2012/08/21/two-conflicting-theories-on-why-zombies-are-so-popular) 

One main reason zombies are so popular – to me – is the whole supernatural part of it. Many people love Marvel Comics and DC Comics due to the supernatural abilities and unworldly adventures. This kind of stuff might never happen on Earth. That is why people love it so much. They have a fascination with the abomination. Zombies are so different from the plain human. Some have better strength, some can run faster, and some have special abilities. Having these abilities would be very cool but not being able to control your own mind and having to eat human flesh is a bummer.