Trout Lily, glowing elliptical
beauties, a pair of brown-mottled leaves beneath one
yellow, nodding flower
covered with a bronzy exterior.
The delicate curves swoosh down,
then up toward the base of the sepals;
brown splotches sink into the green leaves as the green reaches out
in the rich woods and meadows where they reside.
A dress so flowery and bright as these would stand out
in any crowd.
The flower of the wild lily
bursts open as it jumps to a higher level.
The capsule contains multiple seeds
that are spread north in Canada to south in Georgia,
expressing its loveliness.
Surrounded by a crowd on the ground,
Erythronium americanum tries to be superior to the other
pequeño angiosperms.
The glowing, radially symmetric petals
demonstrate their beauty that extends through the family of the lilies.
Prickly Pear, a misconception in the desert
A cactus of flat, fleshy, green pads covered with reddish-brown,
barbed bristles and yellow flowers with reddish centers
produces a bright purple fruit
It’s prickly to the eye and touch, but tempting to taste its prickling severity
The flatness of the bubbles gives the cactus a geometrical
shape that is unique to the surrounding beauties
The golden yellow flowers burst from the cactus’ tips
The delicious fruits are admired,
but soon enjoyed because of their taste
Hated, but marveled, they are placed in open sandy areas with rocky sites;
the desert
With just one touch on its pads, it latches multiple miniature bristles into your skin, leaving them there to prick with the slightest pressure
“That’s what you get for messing with MY skin!”
you show such beauty, but give such pain
and continuously smile until it’s lame
Broadcasting your love from May to August,
throughout that time you give the reward of dull, purple fruit
The harm this beautiful cactus can do is misunderstood,
one defense mechanism is the bristles that are lined with backward-pointing hooks, impossible to take out
Damn you Opuntia humifusa for looking so gorgeous, intricate,
but hiding your weapons and wickedness
One thing’s for sure, you definitely live up to the standard
of a misconception in the desert.
April 18th, 2009 San Diego, CA
Mission: Beach
This morning it was difficult getting up because of the time change; I live in Vermont, but was vacationing in San Diego, so the three-hour difference was hard to adjust to. I managed a mere 9:30 wake-up, which I thought was pretty good considering I had been up until about three o’clock, Vermont time, the night before. I quickly prepped myself for the gym and did my daily exercises I do back home. Before long, the rest of my friends had woken up and gone down to the boat for breakfast, so I decided to join them once I was finished at the gym.
Once again I had a bland mix of yogurt and granola, because that’s all that was served. We finished breakfast with determination because we had a goal of going to the beach, but the focus of leaving for the beach dwindled as time passed. Before long, it was 12:30 when we had finally made it to Mission Beach. Our host was extremely kind and rented surfboards so we could spend the day surfing. Granted the waves were on the smaller side and the water was far from a bathtub temperature, we still managed to wear ourselves out having fun. I had forgotten how much energy surfing takes, but I was quickly reminded when I was out experiencing the waves. It’s a sport that requires focus, rapid judgment and skill. It was only when I was lacking these qualities that I would get a friendly reminder from the waves telling me to pay attention; also known as getting tumbled a few times. It was the most fun I had all vacation, apart from a couple other things we did. We surfed until about 4:30 then returned our boards to the shop.
We spent time walking on the boardwalk after surfing ended. There were some tempting tourist surf shops that I just had to go into, so I looked around and ended up buying a few things. When my friends and I arrives back at our towels, we laid in the sun until it was time to head back to the boat to prepare for dinner.
Tonight was the night we went to Joe’s Crab Shack, a delicious crab restaurant. Here, I found a new hobby of mine: cracking crab. It’s the most fun thing I’ve ever done with food. It’s very satisfying and therapeutic. For dessert one of my friends and I shared a slice of rich chocolate cake. We left after the conversations slowed and the entertainment was lacking.
We arrived back at the boat, exhausted from the day of surfing and playing on the beach, so no one was up for watching a full-length movie, which we had been planning on doing. Most everyone decided to go right to bed, but others, including me, stayed up watching TV or read and chatted until our eyes failed us and we had no choice but to fall asleep.
If you give a Zebra an Oreo…Once he starts eating his cookies, taking them apart and licking the filling off both sides…
He’s going to realize that Oreo’s are black and white, just like him!
With the eight cookies he has left, he decides to count the number of black cookies and white fillings so, he can compare the black and white cookies to the number of stripes he has. One black, two black, three, four, five black… and finally, sixteen black cookies.
Once he figures out the number of black cookies, he’ll start counting the white fillings. One, two, three white, four, five, six, seven and eight white fillings!
Once he discovers the strip-like Oreos, he’s going to want to count his very own stripes, but in order to see his whole body he’ll have to find a mirror.
But once he sees himself in the mirror, he’ll realize that he has many more black and white stripes then the Oreos had!
With this discovery he’ll get all confused, and of course, ask you to help him figure out his
dilemma.
Once he’s satisfied with your answer, he’ll begin counting his stripes, but when he’s almost finished he’ll lose track of where he was.
Now he’ll have to start all over, but this time he asks for your help.
In the process of counting his stripes for the second time, he’ll get distracted and ask why he’s so stripy and you’ll have to give him a creative answer.
As soon as you begin to answer the one question he’ll begin to ask you another, and another, and another.
Are there more zebras like me?
Why am I the only one around?
Do they have white AND black stripes too?
Do I have a zebra family?
Where did I come from?
How did I get here?
Why am I not living where the other zebras are?
I miss them.
And before you know it, with all the questions, he will begin to sob.
He is suddenly saddened that he is the only black and white thing he’s seen, and he then asks you to comfort him.
So you snuggle up with him on the couch and decide to tell him a fun story of a wild zebra in the savannah.
But before long he loses interest and begins to cry again. Thinking about the zebra in the story will make him wish there were other zebras like him around.
With the change in attitude, you’ll try your best to calm him down but nothing works.
You try dressing up like a zebra and be his new friend, play a board game, finish some arts and crafts and bake some muffins, but
even with all these activities his mind is still fixed on how much he misses not having other REAL zebras around and he soon gets bored.
Before long, you run out of ideas and almost give up, until…
You remember how much joy and excitement the Oreos brought him, because after all they are black and white, just like him.
So you ask him if he’d like just one Oreo, and with that, he perks up, wipes his tears away and accepts the offer, but…
You know if you give a zebra an Oreo…
Chances are he’s going to want twenty-seven more double-stuffed Oreo cookies to go with it.
Zebra Cartoon. Www2.sd43.bc.ca. 26 May 2009
Oreo Clan. Ask a Ninja Fans. 26 May 2009
One morning (1st person, name) woke up and he/she decided to go for an adventure with his/her (adjective) (object). So, he/she got (verb, past tense) and headed (place) for breakfast. (1st person, name) had , (food) , (food) and (food) to eat and (drink) to drink. Once he/she was finished with breakfast, he/she
(verb, past tense) his/her things in a (object) and headed outside. The weather was (adjective), so (1st person, name) had to bring a/an (object). As he/she (verb, past tense) through the woods, he/she decided that he/she wanted to (verb) a friend with him/her. So, on he/she went to ‘s(2nd person, name) house. When he/she arrived, (2nd person, name) was about to go outside, it was (adjective) timing. (1st person, name) said “hello” and (verb, past tense) if (2nd person, name) wanted to go on an adventure. (2nd person, name), of course, said “yes” and they were soon on their way. They decided to go to
(place) where they’d begin their adventure of (adjective) a
(noun).
Today I went swimming with (noun). It was really (Adjective) and I wish I could go (number) times every week. (verb) and
(adjective) in the water is (adjective) because I can do whatever I want. Except the one thing I can’t do in the water is (verb) because that would be (adjective). Swimming outside is the (adjective) when the sun is (adjective). Having the (noun) on your (body part) is the (adjective) part. So, when you get the (noun), go swimming in the summertime and (adjective) the time spent doing it.
Note: I decided to pick 10 words from 1000 SAT vocabulary study cards at random and make a story with them.
Guy:
I met this eloquent girl who was extremely amicable. She was the type of girl I could spend all of my time with. It wasn’t just me who was falling for her, multiple of my buddies were in congruity with me. So, when I finally got the guts to ask her to join me for ice cream, her actions and feelings toward me were abridged. I thought we were on the same page with our feelings, but apparently not. I was resilient to her response and continued living life as though it never happened, except I did change my attitude toward her a little bit. I mean why not? For how she treated me? I think she deserves just a little payback.
Girl:
So today I met this amazing guy. He’s affectionate and I relish being with him and his posse of friends. We were becoming really close friends and there could have been modicum between us, but he jumped the gun and made his move too soon. I was like “whoa, hold it a sec. there buddy, it’s a little too soon to be takin’ that leap.” So, ultimately I rejected his offer to join him for ice cream. You see, sometimes I have a problem with speaking my thoughts before I think about what I’m going to say; this was one of those times. If I had just taken a step back to breathe a little and think things through I would’ve realized that going to get ice cream wasn’t that big of a deal. I would’ve actually given him, us, a chance. But since the whole potential between us is over, I feel compunction because I was selfish and didn’t give him time to explain himself.
Ever since the day I rejected him he’s become extremely heterogeneous with his attitude and because of this, it makes me feel odious toward him. What I though was an amazing guy whom I relished being around turned out to be a jerk in disguise.
I’ve known Morgan Since I was seven and she was nine. When we were young, we were friends, but we didn’t think of each other as the other person’s ‘best friend’. After all we had only seen each other when our families got together. We’ve been together for ten years and during those years we’ve shared my times together. It wasn’t really until Morgan started driving me to and from ballet that we began to really ‘click’ together and become the bestest of friends.
Every time we are together we laugh for the most random reasons, but yet we still find laughter in them somewhere. We make jokes that are supposed to be funny; some of them are, but sometimes we just laugh because they don’t make sense at all. When we’re together, we can always count on having a great time because we both know that the other of use will bring the other up, if they are down, but with us, that is rarely the case, so we just spend time together just to have fun.
I remember one early evening we were got out of dance rehearsal early and were heading home. We had gone through a light and were attempting to take a left, but once Morgan had taken the turn, we realized that it was a one-way street, so after about a 10-ponit turn, we were facing the right direction at the same light we had been waiting for three minutes earlier, but this time we weren’t going to take a left down a one-way street. Another time, we had extra time on our hands to kill and we needed some lunch, so we decided to go to Healthy Living. It was the new location and it was fairly new to both of us so we decided to raid the store. We probably spent about two hours just looking around, using the sample, all-natural make-up, for fun and eating some food from the deli. We had a great time, but after about two hours, we thought it would be a good idea to leave, and it was.
So now, Morgan is in Europe, touring the country. She doesn’t really have a plan, she just decided to meet her sister for a few months and then continue her journey on her own. This is an opportunity of a lifetime for her, so I am extremely excited for her, but at the same time I’m not wanting her to go because I will miss her dearly. I tried going with her, but there was zero chance of me going in her back, mostly because she only brought a backpack with her. I told her before she left that she would meet multiple guys with gorgeous accents that she would make talk and talk just to hear the way in which they talk. She will, or should I say, already has met many interesting people that she will remember forever. Maybe because of their clothing, their attitude or their overall impression they had on Morgan. She has been in Europe for about three weeks now, so I know she has been experiencing many marvelous dishes of traditional foods.
Before she left, she had been working on her portfolio for RISD, the school she will be enrolled in this fall. She is going to master the major of fashion design. One line I helped her construct was tutus made of recycled materials. I was one of the models, but I also help her figure out her designs and construct the tutu itself. It was about the week before she left that she composed a book of her masterpieces that were amazing. I had first seen the completed book at Village Wine and Coffee, the place she worked when she was here. I was speechless when I was looking at all of her pieces together because they were all mind blowing and showed her unique talent.
The night I had to say good-bye to Morgan was difficult because I knew I wouldn’t be seeing her or hearing her voice for 172 days. I almost cried when she left, but I resisted the emotional challenge. Now that she’s gone, there are times when I don’t know what to do because she is not here to join me. She has influenced my life tremendously and I am so thankful she is apart of me. She has an amazing heart that is truthful and unfailing with love. Now that she’s there and I’m here, we both share a chromosomal pair of XX and I will love her forever. I think of all the great memories Morgan is creating new memories everyday in Europe and I know that when she comes back home we will be able to continue our friendship of being sisters from where we started. From the beginning, ten years ago, it was planned that we would be sisters forever.
A translated song from spanish to english by Juanes...
To whom my eyes dismiss
With the glow of your face toward me
To God I order
That my mom doesn’t die
And that my dad remembers
To God I order
That you stay by my side and
More that you never let go of my life
To God I order
That my soul doesn’t rest
When this Tuesday it treats heaven
To God I order
For the days that I stay
And even the nights that don’t leave me
To God I order
For the children of my children
And the children of their children
To God I order
That my village doesn’t go to war
And it would take care of its people
To God I order
That my soul doesn’t rest
When this Tuesday it treats heaven
To God I order
Give me a second more of life
And my heart will tell of its award
Give me a second more of life
And to your side I will always stay
A second more of life for me
To God I order
That yes my pain comes from love
And yes I won the heart of voice
And that of your voice is my heart
All the days approaching, to God I order
A is for all the times we share
B is for ballet of three years
C is for crying when you leave
D is for driving on one-way streets
E is for Europe, your destination
F is for fashion design— the major you strive to achieve
G is for guys with accents who will make you drop to the ground
H is for Healthy Living and the two hours we spent raiding the cusine
I is for interesting people you will meet and remember forever
J is for joking around when we’re together
K is for Kyala; I will miss you ‘til the very time I see you again
L is for laughing for no reason at all
M is for marvelous food you will consume
N is for not wanting you to go
O is for opportunities
P is for portfolio, a masterpiece of hard work and success
Q is for quite excited that you are going to enjoy yourself
R is for RISD, the place I will be coming to see you in September
S is for saying good-bye, but only for 172 days
T is for tutus that bring back the good news… no pun intended
U is for underneath the physical you is your soul: good and true
V is for Village Wine & Coffee, where they will miss you terribly
W is for what will I do without you?
X is for XX, the chromosome pair we both share (had to get that Bio in there somewhere)
Y is for your influence in my life
Z is for zero chance of me going in your suitcase… or is it a backpack?
Originally by: Alberto Blanco
Re-worked by: Kyala Schenck
The birds chirp all day
and when night comes
they quiet their sounds
to compliment their shadows
and the silence of the night.
They related to like all other species
-the parakeets-
making noise all day,
and having bad images throughout the night.
The gold rings
on their beaks accent their appearance,
brilliant feathers
and a restless heart
with endless twitters…
They are like all other species,
-the parakeets-
they are best at relating
to other birds in separate cages.
Through the sky, till they slowly build up tall;
Beautiful paws are they that scurry
Across the blanket of pure white, creating a flurry;
Beautiful icicles are that drip
Cold water from their very tips;
Beautiful trees are they that glisten
With the ever different sparkling crystals that listen;
Beautiful needles are they that dance
Back and forth on the branch;
Beautiful wind that blows so strong
Makes a whipping to create a song;
Beautiful clouds are they that waft
Through the grey-blue sky, so soft;
Beautiful sun that shines with delight,
Melts the snow with its ultraviolet light;
Beautiful winter, the scene so surreal and silent
Brings peace and play with every climate.
Winter trees. Wallpaper for You. 26 May 2009
