Caits Charismatic Compositions
Just another WordPress.com weblogMythbusters Essay
Caitlin Barnum
4/10/08
Ms. Robinson
AP Language and Composition
The Myth of the High School Relationship
Have you ever been madly in love and you just knew you were going to marry that person? Most people have had these relationships in high school. You walk to every class together, eat at the same lunch table, and stay up all hours of the night talking on the phone. Most of the time, these are puppy love relationships that only last a few months. But what about those high school relationships that last a lot longer, for years after high school until they are married? Do they really exist?
Although many people speculate that these types of relationships don’t last, here is a first hand example that proves those speculations wrong. My uncle Kirk started dating his girl friend, now my aunt Nanny, his junior year in high school. They had fun, went to parties, and hung out with friends. A few years later, when she was out of high school, they were still in love and decided to get married. Now 22 years later, they are still a happy couple with two kids.
Another fairy tale ending – my cousin Jennifer met her husband, Kevin, her sophomore year in high school. Her parents hated them being together, but they refused to separate, and kept on seeing each other. They were not going to let anyone get in the way of their love. They have been married now for 10 years, have 3 daughters, and are happier than ever.
Dr. Lynn Ponton from Salon magazine stated, “On average, teen relationships last for 18 months.” A year and a half is a lot longer than many people believe high school relationships actually last. From the Helium website, Sherry Obenaure states that “the majority of grandparents today have been married for close to or beyond fifty years, meaning they married when they were teenagers or shortly thereafter”. She aslo asked the question, “if their feelings for each other was just “puppy” love, how did their marriage last for so long and why are they so happy together?” The answer is that times have changed. The divorce rate has increased to over 50%, and society is just becoming more and more busy (Obenaure).
But that’s not to say these relationships can not last in todays world. From my personal experience with boys I do believe these puppy love relationships can last. My boyfriend, Eric, and I have been dating for a year and three months. It’s my longest relationship since I’ve been in high school. We get along great, we rarely fight, and we have fun just being ourselves. We do believe we have a genuine love for each other, and we’re hoping to be together for a long time. I’m not saying we will turn out like our grandparents, but there is always a possibility.
So the next time you say, “Oh, it’s just a high school relationship, it wont last.” think again! Look at just how many relationships do last. Look at how many people actually can stay happy with each other for more than 18 months. It’s not everyday you find people who have a heart that guinely loves, so cherish those people you meet.
Dr. Ponton, Lynn. “Salon.com.” Is she the one for me?. 4 Feburary, 2003. Salon Premium. 9 Apr 2008 <http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/col/pont/2003/02/04/ponton_love/>.
Page, Kirk. Personal interview on high school relationships. Cape Carteret, North Carolina. 9 April. 2008.
Underwood, Jennifer. Personal interview on high school relationships. Cape Carteret, North Carolina. 9 April. 2008.
Obenaure, Sherry. “Can you find lasting love?.” Helium. 2008. 25 Apr 2008 <http://www.helium.com/items/284598-puppyhow-times-parents-other>.
Battling for an Answer to Beat Breast Cancer
Caitlin Barnum 12/11/07Ms. Robinson
Honors English 3
Battling for an Answer to Beat Breast Cancer
Approximately forty thousand women have died this year from breast cancer! It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women today, after lung cancer. An estimated 1.2 million people will be diagnosed with breast cancer every year, and over 500 thousand will die (World Health Organization). Battling today, Karen Brix is a 39 year old mother of two; she was diagnosed with breast cancer in September of this year. After conducting an interview, Mrs. Brix gave me the insight and personal accounts to better understand the impact this disease has on a person. This information is also far greater than any statistic. The effects of breast cancer, whether from the disease, from treatments, or from the personal struggles, are varied but prevalent and will differ from case to case. Breast Cancer
The most common way to describe breast cancer is cancer that forms in the ducts, the tubes that carry milk to the nipple, and in the lobules, the glands that produce milk, in the breast. Most people don’t realize that both women and men can get breast cancer, but it is most common among women. There is no known cause for the cancer, but there are
factors that can highly increase your chances of getting it: being older than 45 with out having gone through menopause, not becoming pregnant before the age of 30, or having a mother or sister who has had breast cancer. You are also at risk of the cancer coming back if you had breast cancer before having gone through menopause. Other risks include the following; age, starting periods early and late menopause, benign breast disease, hormone replacement therapy, alcohol, being over weight and having an abnormal height, and exposure to radiation( Health Square). Also, you are at risk if you have had trauma to the breast or areas around the breast.
Treatments
Although there is no cure yet, there are many types of treatments for breast cancer. The most commonly used are surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy. Depending on the stage of the breast cancer, the patient may need surgery to remove the lump, a part of the breast, or the entire breast. You may also need to have some lymph nodes taken out to help prevent the cancer from spreading to other parts of your body. Another option is breast conserving surgery, used to save the actual breast from being removed( Priscilla S. Kwan). Even if the cancer is removed from another form of therapy, some women still chose to have the breasts removed to prevent it from coming back. Karen Brix is choosing to do this; she will go through chemo and then will have a double mastectomy. “I would rather get rid of my breasts than have the chance of the cancer come back,” she stated.
Often called “chemo,” chemotherapy uses drugs to kill new tumor cells or shrink lymph nodes that contain cancer cells. Patients may have surgery to remove the rest of the cancer once the tumor is smaller. Many different chemo medicines are available: they may be taken as a pill, as a shot, or in an IV. The drugs can produce many side effects, and may leave you susceptible to infection for a while. Right now, Karen Brix is going in once a week every week for 6 months to the Cancer Center. She receives an IV of Araiamycim for an hour and a half, and also has to take 2 pills of Cyclophosphamide or Oytoxan once a day. The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.
Radiation therapy uses X-rays or gamma rays which can kill the cancer and help prevent it from spreading. This form of therapy can also be effective in reducing pain, controlling bleeding, and shrinking cancerous tumors. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are often used together. Radiation therapy is also used after surgery to kill any cancer cells that may have been missed.
Hormone therapy takes the natural hormones from you body so they cannot promote the growth of cancer cells. Hormones are substances made from glands in the body and pumped through the bloodstream. Some hormones can even cause types of cancers to grow; special drugs are available to block the estrogen and slow the cancerous growth. Hormone therapy may also be necessary to surgically remove sources of estrogen such as the ovaries or adrenal glands.
One other form of treatment, although not highly used, is a bone marrow transplant. In a BWT, the diseased bone marrow is replaced with healthy marrow; the transplant is given through an IV.Side Effects
Every treatment though comes with its side effect. After cancer removal surgery, most women experience painful swelling and a limited range of motion. Women may also experience an infection around the wound: ether build up of blood or clear fluid in the wound. The operation may cause short term pain and tenderness. All women are at risk of not healing properly, or to having a reaction to the anesthesia. Upon having chemotherapy, some women have had difficulty concentrating. One common side effect is hair loss, “The hardest part about loosing my hair and wearing a wig was with my youngest daughter Sophia. She’s 5 years old and was sort of scared at the sight of her mom not having hair; she would ask me to put my wig on if she came into the room. But other than that, I just wonder if people know I’m wearing a wig. I wear hats around the house, but when I go out in public I’ll always wear my wig. One good thing though is it makes it a lot easer getting ready in the mornings.”
Some patients may also have thinner skin and may loose their nails. Most women will be prone to nosebleeds, and will have less energy than normal. “I feel as if I have the flu, I’m always weak and ache. I’m very forgetful and I loose focus very easy,” states Karen Brix. She also commented, “Having cancer in the winter is the worst time of the year. I’m more susceptible to infection due to my low immune system.” Some other side effects include mouth sores, diarrhea, constipation, and changes in the menstrual cycle. Not everyone has side effects after undergoing radiation therapy. The most common side effects though are fatigue and skin changes. Most forms of treatments come with the side effects of sexual proportions; women see a decrease in sexual urges or sexual performance. Personal Side Effects
Treatments also come with personal side effects. The most common is depression. People feel guilty and angry; they wonder why this is happening to them. They are confused and scared, and some are even ashamed of their disease. Karen Brix shares her story, “The hardest part for me as a mother is not being able to be a part of my children’s every day lives. I might feel too weak to go to my daughter’s play, or be to sick to go to church with them. I’m most scared of dying leaving my children. I do believe that God has a plan for me and by sending me on this journey, he will tell me my purpose.” When I asked if people were treating her differently she said, “When I first found out and word starting getting around I found the people throughout my neighborhood weren’t as friendly anymore. They just didn’t know that to say to me. People think of me as fragile. But my friends don’t really treat me any different. I think it all depends on the relationships you had before as to how people are going to treat you.”
When I asked what went through her mind when the doctors told her she had cancer, she replied, “I thought they didn’t know what they were talking about. I went in to get a lump in my breast checked in 2004. They did a mammogram and said it was just a cist. They didn’t biopsy it or anything just to make sure. Then when I noticed the lump getting larger, I went in again this year and as soon as the nurse felt it she told me I had breast cancer. I looked at her like she was joking. The mammogram was once again clear, but this time they did the biopsy and I had four tumors in my left breast. My next thought though was fear. I was scared, for my life and for my children.” Statistics
Figure 1: Breast Cancer Stats. World Wide
The figures in this table represent the incidents or cases and deaths due to breast cancer throughout the world. It has the number of deaths per every 100,000 people for every country.
|
|
Breast Cancer World Wide | ||
| Incidence | Deaths | ||
| United States | 101.1 | 19 | |
| France | 91.9 | 21.5 | |
| Denmark | 88.7 | 27.8 | |
| Sweden | 87.8 | 17.3 | |
| Uk | 87.2 | 24.3 | |
| Canada | 84.3 | 21.1 | |
| Australia | 83.2 | 18.4 | |
| Italy | 74.4 | 18.9 | |
| Japan | 32.7 | 8.3 | |
| China | 18.7 | 5.5 | |
We have found that although treatments for breast cancer can save a life, like everything good, there is always some bad which comes along with it. Breast cancer is a serious disease that takes thousands of lives every year. If it is left untreated, cancer will
eventually spread through out ones body. Treatments, although the effects might be bad, can help to save a life and improve the chances of beating the cancer. There is something you can do though. Go to www.komen.org to learn about what breast cancer is and you can donate money to help find a cure. This foundation has scientists searching for the cause and a cure, doctors who are empowering patients to continue on through their journeys and fight and most of all they are engaging millions of Americans to learn more
and do something. The more you know the more you can help. Like Karen Brix told me, “It’s just a big emotional roller coaster ride. If you don’t get a grip you’ll loose the fight!”
The Scarlet Letter
caitlin-1.pdfcaitlin-2.pdfcaitlin-3.pdf
In The Scarlet Letter, one could say there were many heroes. But according to American Romanticism, there was only one. Author Dimsdale meets the exact specifications of a Romantic Hero: he is young and good-looking, not very good with women, and had a good education.
Being young, Author Dimsdale was constantly harassed by the women of his town to be married. From the beginning of the book, he was described as having a soft and smoothing voice. He was greatly regarded as a people person and was well liked by everyone.
Although Dimsdale could have any woman the wanted, once he had Hester, he wasn’t a very good ladies man. Hester knew in her heart that Dimsdale loved her and wanted to be with her. But Dimsdale didn’t do a very good job of showing it. This might have something to do with Pearl though. Once, Pearl asked Dimsdale if he would stand with her and her mother; he said “No”. This could be because he wasn’t ready for the town to be suspicious of him or to accuse him of being with Hester. Or it could be because he wasn’t ready for a commitment to Hester and Pearl.
Dimsdale, as I said before, was highly regarded in the town, mainly because he was their priest. Through the story, as Dimsdale’s pain was increasing, his sermons were getting better and his congregation praised him more and more! He had been educated in religion and what his town’s people believed. This put him in a position that is closer to the people of his town.
Author Dimsdale was a great man. Although he committed the sin of adultery, he chose to protect those who looked up to him so highly by not confessing until the very end. Dimsdale, a young priest, who was in fact not very good with women, was the hero in The Scarlet Letter.
When I wrote the first copy of this essay, I wasn’t prepared for the prompt. But what I didn’t know I just sort of made up and it sounded good. When I wrote the second I had gone back and looked over the book and found the correct information. I had made a few minor mistakes with punctuation and fragments, but over all, he essay was said to be well written.
Peer Pressure Puddles: Affects on Today’s Society vs. Back Then
Caitlin Barnum
Hn. English 3
Ms. Robinson
Peer Pressure Puddles: Affects on today’s society and back then
Peer pressure is defined as social pressure by members of one’s peer group to take a certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in order to be accepted. One could say the reasoning for the girl’s actions in The Crucible was because of peer pressure. They wanted to be accepted by Abigail. We could see throughout the story how much power Abigail had over everyone in the town. Take a look at the affects that peer pressure has in The Crucible verses today’s society in having a leader, followers and how those roles affect each other.
Abigail was the leader of the other girls her age in the town. No matter what she did or said, they were right behind her doing the same things. For example, up in Betty’s room when she had first fallen sick, Abigail had told Hale, “I danced for the devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I saw Goody Osborn with the devil”.(Miller 25) When Hale asked her if she had seen anyone else with her, she claimed to have seen Sarah Good. At that very moment Betty sat up from her bed and claimed also to have seen other women from the town with the devil. Also, when Mary Warren was going to testify that the girls were pretending, Abigail started screaming of seeing a bird; all the other girls started screaming and looking up at the ledge. Only those girls could see the bird. Imagine a high school cafeteria, all the tables are filled with talking children, but all are separated into their ‘clicks’. There are the popular girls, next to the jocks on the left. Then over in the corner are the band geeks. And spread out randomly are the people who don’t really talk to anyone. One of the popular girls, Allison, with a smirking smile on her face, walks in. Everyone moves out of her way. The other girls get up to make room for her at the lunch table. Everyone in the whole room knows who she is but they don’t dare make eye contact for fear of ‘the evil stare’! She’ll give it to anyone who displeases her in anyway. Mary Warren, and the other girls, were followers of Abigail. They wanted to be in her group. Mary’s plan was to come forward with information about Abigail and the other girls pretending they were seeing spirits. Abigail would not stand for this, and drove Mary crazy. The girls repeated everything Mary said and kept taunting her. Finally Mary broke down and accused Proctor of forcing her to sign the devils book. She ran sobbing to Abigail and said “Abby, Abby, I’ll never hurt you more”!(Miller 52) Mary felt she would be cast out by Abigail if you continued to testify, so she gave in to peer pressure, and joined the rest of the girls under Abigail’s ‘spell’. We can now take a look back at our lunchroom scenario. The girls who got up for Allison to sit down defiantly didn’t want to upset her, like Mary didn’t want to upset Abigail. And if people are afraid to even look at you, you know you have some power. But we can also assume Allison is not a very nice person. Why can’t they just let Allison find an empty seat, so not to inconvenience them?
Maybe the reason for the ‘leader’ in both situations is because they need to feel they have control over other people, just to feel good about themselves. And maybe the reason for the ‘followers’ is to be following the ‘leader’ is because they don’t fit in or feel uncomfortable about themselves; they want to be a part of something. Mary warren went back to Abigail maybe because she didn’t want to feel left our or like she didn’t belong anymore. Maybe Abigail was accusing people of witch craft just because she wanted some attention. The same goes for our lunchroom scenario. The followers of Allison felt overpowered and felt like they had to do everything for the ‘leader’ to stay in the group. And maybe Allison is only mean and overpowering because she doesn’t like to feel overpowered.
Overall, peer pressure had a major impact on the trials and the actions of the witnesses in the 1690’s. in both societies, the existence of peer pressure is very similar. We could see how the leaders obtained power, and why the followers would look for some one to rule them. Also we saw why the leader and the followers chose their roles in this dog eat dog world. If you are a follower, don’t be controlled into things you normally wouldn’t do. And if you are a leader, don’t be controlling and mean. Your personality will determine what your role you will take, but keep in mind those of the opposite role.
Hemingway vs. Henry: the Comparison of Similarities
Caitlin Barnum
11/19/07
Ms. Robinson
Honors English 3
Hemingway vs. Henry: the Comparison of Similarities
What is the significance of a novel so closely related the life of its maker? Is it accurate information, or is there no significance at all? Hemingway wrote A Farewell to Arms based on his own life experiences throughout World War 1. The novel was influenced by Hemingway’s experiences in ways such as his time spent in active duty and his love for a nurse.
Although Hemingway was an ambulance drive, there are many other similarities between himself and his character Lieutenant Henry. In 1918 Hemingway was accepted as an ambulance driver by the Red Cross. He drove for ARC Section Four. Ambulance drivers during World War 1 played a very important part in the war. They had to risk their lives and go into the battle fields to retrieve wounded solders; all while as risk of becoming wounded themselves. In early June, Hemingway was placed in Fossalta, a small village in the middle of the heavy fighting. His job was to give out food to the army, but he was at high risk of getting hit. On July 8th, 1918 he was hit by Austrian artillery. He was injured in his knee and foot and had to return to Milan for operations on his wounded limbs. Because of his brave action of saving another soldier during this ordeal, he was promoted to First Lieutenant and awarded the silver medal of valor. By October, Hemingway was back with his regiment, but had jaundice and had to return to Milan for hospitalization. In Hemingway’s novel, A Farewell to Arms, Lieutenant Henry is also an ambulance driver during World War 1. Henry comes back to Italy, from being on leave for a few months and is sent right into the battlefield. While explaining to his fellow drivers what the plan was for the next few days, their tent is hit by a trench mortar shell. Henry is taken to Milan for his wounded legs and feet. He is also given the Medal of Honor for carrying one of his men to the hospital tent. While in the hospital in Milan, Henry gets jaundice and is kept longer. All of these things, which happened during Hemingway’s time in the service, also happen to Henry.
While in the hospital, Hemingway was very popular with all the nurses and enjoyed their company. He especially liked one young nurse from America, Agnes Von Kurowsky who entered the Red Cross Nursing Service in 1918. Hemingway claimed he was wildly in love. It was his first adult love affair and he hurled himself into his emotions of love and excitement. Agnes however was not fully involved. Hemingway expressed his love, and wanted badly to be married to her, but she claimed she was committed to her nursing career at the time. They saw each other on occasion, but wrote regularly after Hemingway left the hospital. Their affairs ended when Agnes wrote him a letter telling him there was someone else. Hemingway’s five month unconsummated love affair with Agnes was to live with him for the rest of his life. Hemingway later wrote a story summarizing his love affair with Agnes. One can see now where the idea for Henry’s love affair with Catherine came to be involved in the novel. Like Hemingway,
Henry is a wounded soldier in a hospital. His friend Rinaldi introduced him to a nurse, Catherine Ferguson, before he left again for battle. So when Henry returns to the hospital, the love affair begins. Although Hemingway’s Agnes left him, Catherine and Henry’s love grows and will continue for the rest of her life.
Some might say Hemingway’s experiences in the war had no relevance to the book. If one looks closely at the details that are provided, one can see how similar they are. And if one knew the story of Hemingway, one could hear him saying “We are both wounded a little” (56). Everything important or that stands out in Hemingway’s career show up in A Farewell to Arms. They are both ambulance drivers, “WE parked the cars beyond a brickyard” (46). They are also both wounded and receive medals of honor. “Because you are gravely wounded. They say you can get the silver,” Ranildi explains to Henry. These small but vital details are significant to the story in more ways than one. First off, Hemingway is able to go into great and truthful detail about the war, what cities they traveled through, and what actions were taken, all because he was there. We are able to relate to the story, and in some ways we feel we have an eyewitness view into the life of Hemingway by his use of a first person narrator.
Hemingway’s love story is slightly shifted from that of Henry’s. But there is a reason for that as well. Hemingway fell in love with a nurse, who broke up with him five months later. Henry falls in love with a nurse who went on to have his child, and died in childbirth. Catherine is madly in love with Henry, “I’ll be so thin and exciting to you and you’ll fall in love with me all over again” (305). It is possible that Hemingway made the love story of Henry and Catherine so he could have the relationship that he yearned for.
He turned his love with Agnes into a story with the out come he expected and wanted. From All Free Essays, one critic states, “Millicent Bell perceives the novel to be a “pseudo autobiography and a personal metaphor.”
Slight changes, such as Henry’s successful relationship, and a few wartime details, “allowed Hemingway to try and prove to the public that it was not himself and his own experiences in which he was writing about” But we can see that his experiences did greatly influence his novel A Farewell to Arms , through his relationships, and his time spent in the service.
Journals
November 9th, 2007
Personification Poem When I wrote this we were learning about figurative language, and different ways to improve and add excitement to our essays. I really like this poem because its sort of takes you on a journey, and all the senses are used. Objects that you would never think could have human characteristics are shown here.
The wind sings through the trees
Writing down tunes with the bees
The meadow pulls up a blanket of leaves
And sighs
The children float through the roads
Splashing sunlight on lizards and toads
Then scamper away to their homes
Purring goodbyes
The swing on the porch calls to me
So I go and I crouch with my tea
And dream thoughts of the sea
And skies
The wind sings through the trees
Writing down tunes with the bees
The meadow pulls up a blanket of leaves
And sighs
September 20th, 2007
My Declaration of My Independence
After we had read the Declaration of Independence, Ms. Robinson had us write our own Declaration of Independence. I wrote about teenagers moving out and gaining their independence. Every teen goes through those days when their going to college and the parents are having a hard time letting go.
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one portion of the family to branch our and become their own person, but one to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God opinions of that person should be given by, up until this point, the caregivers of that person, which will empower then through their chosen course.
We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; they have all been give inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of parents toward their children, even after they have left the home. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.
- A mother will always think of her child as small and helpless without her.
- Even after a child leaves for college, the first year is filled with phone calls and letters.
- A mother and daughter all of a sudden become best friends.
- The summer before a child leaves will be the most time the parents spend with their child.
Now, in view of this entire bombardment of one half of the parents of this country, we insist that the parents let go, start the process sooner than after they are gone, let us as students get everything we can out of out adolescent lives with out feeling bombarded by the parents.
September 6th, 2007
The Life of a Drug Dealer One day in class we had to use 10 of our vocab. words and write a story about them. So I dug deep into my imagination and though of a great story about a drug dealer. I’ve never aspired to do this, but it went well with my vocab. words.Sometimes I wish I was an affluent drug dealer. But only for the fame, fast life, and adrenaline rush. The brevity of my meetings with my clients would be super. I wouldn’t be connotated as a drug dealer though. I would be smart, quick, resourceful, and ninja like. I would try hard not to evoke an enemy. I would the be most laudable drug dealer around. Just give me the money and I’ll give you the goods! October 15th, 2007Color When we were studying imagery, one of out journals was to free write. So I decided to write a poem about color. I like this poem, poetry in general, because I got to tell a story about a flower, but make it interesting and not so boring. That was out main focus this year, to make out writing more exciting.
This object stands in front of me
Its petals are open to the sun
The brightness of its color
Shows the day has just begun
It stands at a slight angle
Its head bent down a bit
The fragrance it produces
You would think was heaven sent
The bees parade around it
Mutualism playing its part
The flowers job is almost done
Bringing others to their start
November 7th, 2007
Ramble
A lot of days Ms. Robinson has us just free write and I usually just write what ever comes to my head first. This day I was mostly thinking about volleyball and everything going on with that, I was thinking about all the homework I had to do and how my grades have finally been brought up. But sometime rambling really helps you get your thoughts together.Ms. Robinson’s blue sweater reminds me of the sky. I did a project on clouds and the sky today in Marine Science, today I have to work at the coffee shop, but I can get all my homework done, I want to go to bed as soon as I get home, this weekend is coming soon, I have volleyball tryouts on Monday and I’m ready for a good workout, I need to go workout, maybe after work tonight, work out, home work, somehow all related. It is crazy to see how different you hand writing can be just based on how fast you are writing, my chair is squeaking, like a mouse, running across the floor in a dungeon, I need a new one, I need new grades, I need new schools, I need more education of my desire, I want to write, but now I have to write, which brings me back to why I’m writing this, because I have to.
Descriptive Essay
Peace in my Place; Where has it gone?
As I’m writing, a leaf falls upon my paper. It whispered to me, “Fall is here.” The shadows that are cast down through the branches make chilling designs. The pond lays out in front of me like my art canvas, always clean and open to my ideas. Around the sides of the pond are a variety of flower and water plants. There are trees to one side, and a grassy field to the other. You can see ripples from the fish moving under the surface. I sit on a swing, built at the side of the pond. Flowers surround my head. Today, I have spread our pollen. The wind has turned and twisted it into patterns of intricate design. I come out here to express myself; to let my ideas pour onto the paper. The locusts’ songs are like an orchestra, melodically singing to me. The wind moving the leaves around on the ground sounds like children’s feet through the grass. This is my perfect place. All life is at peace.
It’s only my perfect place early in the morning though, as the birds are warming up for their songs. It’s not just because everything is waking up, or because the rising sun is sparkling on the drops of dew hanging on the grass. It is only perfect in the morning because the roaring of the motors has not yet begun. Just beyond my pond is a road, a well traveled highway, polluted with exhaust, trash and unconcerned people. Just beyond my pond is the horrid stench of man’s intrusion into my place.
I once had a fawn cautiously creep out from the wood line. It was early in the morning. The mist made him look like a shadow. He noticed me and I him. His glassy black eyes seemed to penetrate my soul. I felt I knew him. His white spots gleamed bright against the gingerbread brown of his coat. He came upon the pond and looked at his reflection in the water. The sun shone brightly off the water, illuminating his face. He drank for a few minutes and looked at me. The first of the motors could be heard in the distance, and soon one of them thundered by. He sprinted back to the wood line for shelter. No wonder they don’t come out during the day. They are scared. Writing is not the same with the screaming of the tires on the pavement. Before the highway came to be, I could write for hours on end. I would stay out in the sun all day long, sweating words out of my pores. The animals wert’ scared to come out then, neither were my thoughts.
I wonder what the world would be like if half of it was left alone. What if only half of the world were demolished, built upon, and polluted; what if the other half were left alone, to be free and peaceful? I would live there. I would sleep under the trees, in the fields. My thoughts could be free to flow onto the paper without distraction. The sun would burn down though my pen and engrave my ideas. The wing would blow my words to form great sentences and stories. My mind would be like a river in this place. Always rushing and flowing. I would glimmer in the bright sun. I would splash my wetness up onto the banks. The fish would race me over the rocks and under the rubble. I would be free to do what I pleased and go where my heart led me. I would be free. I would be free until I hit that wall. That dam, that won’t allow me to go further. I would be stuck, unable to move but only in that same thought. I wouldn’t be able to write freely anymore.
The pollution in our world today is unnecessary. People are more worried about when their new house is going to be ready, when their new office will be built. What happened to preserving nature? With out nature people cannot allow their creative juices to flow. They are too worried about the hustle and bustle of their daily lives. So I wait. I wait until the morning, when the roaring motors aren’t awake yet. I wait until the pollution has settled under the dew; when the sun is peaking its rays over the horizon. When the birds are warming up for their songs. I wait until peace has restored itself to my spot. My pond.
