I like to run and jump 

And sit down on my rump 

I like to sing and dance 

And travel off to France 

I like to have much fun 

And play out in the sun 

I like to play football 

And hang out at the mall 

I do not like homework 

It does not make me smirk 

I really like balloons 

And gazing at the moon 

I like to shoot some hoops 

And kick it with my group 

All these things are great 

I’ll like them till I’m late 

This poem, I felt, was somewhat easier than writing the dimeter poem. It was extremely fun like the last one and I actually am somewhat warming up to possibly writing more poetry in the future.

I Hate  This Suff 

Huge Waste  Of Time 

I’d Rather be locked up in cuffs 

Or out enjoying the day it’s fine 

Homework is tough 

Can’t stand this crap 

It has turned my brain to fluff 

I have sudden bursts of anger I give the desk a rap

These poems are very hard to make, balancing the rhyme scheme with the Iambic beat. I learned a few tricks that I will continue to use only my next poem. These are; however, extremely fun to write.

My favorite sport 

It’s fun to play 

Each play is short 

And when you score they yell hooray 

Football is fun 

It can’t be beat 

You have to stop the pass or run 

And hand your opponent defeat

I met a sort of mental block in writing this one, I didn’t really know what to write about. So I just wrote about the one activity I love most, football. It was much easier to write these hard poems about something I enjoy doing so much, this was a valuable lesson I will take with me in future writing.

And how it impacts my daily life

One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain. ― Bob Marley

        An important afterthought. Music is something we don’t often think about being so important in our daily lives but in reality, most of us listen to maybe at least an hour of music a day, I know I certainly do. Whether it is driving to work or school, some background tunes as you work or study, while you’re at the gym, we all listen to, and enjoy music. Even in doing all these, most of us never really stop to think about how much we love music or how much we use it in our lives. Everyone also loves making music, strumming a guitar nonchalantly, rocking out or even just messing around with friends, making music is also really fun and not extremely hard to do. Yet still we continue to somewhat take it for granted. To me, music is a huge source of entertainment, but it is also a way for me to unwind and relax, decompress after lots of work and stress. For me and many others, music is much more than just simple entertainment, it’s a safe haven, a place to escape to. Music—for me at least—takes me away to a place where I feel comfortable, safe and not have a care for what is going on, music is many things, but for everyone, music is very important. Also, who doesn’t like bumping Chief Keef in the shower? If you just think about taking music entirely out of your life for an entire day, what type of impact would it have on you? How would you cope with things that you normally cope with through music? How else will you vent your negative emotions? When you realize how much music comes into play in your life, then you can start to see how much it really means to you, but more importantly what music can mean to not only you, but everyone else in the world around you. I love music, I listen to countless songs every day and I could never go without it. Music is very meaningful and has a pretty big part in the way I live my life.

A meaningful challenge. The Negro Speaks of Rivers and Black Panther are two poems that are fascinating to me and really have a message rather than in the past when I have just chosen a poem that seemed easy to memorize. Memorizing and becoming familiar with these two wonderful poems has taught me something not only about poetry but also about myself. First of all, Langston Hughes — the author of these two poems — is a wonderful poet who possesses an astounding way with words. His style and flow just melt onto the paper to create spectacular works of literature. I chose these poems for two reasons, one was that I love Langston Hughes’ fantastic writing style and two, these poems are very closely, if not directly, related to race struggles and the way the world was back when Langston Hughes was writing and living. In The Negro Speaks of Rivers, the poet talks about the dignity of his — and by extension most black peoples’ — soul. It is a simple poem with a much more complex meaning. In the second poem, Black Panther, Langston Hughes talks about his stance on the Black Panthers, and how he doesn’t approve of them, he feels they are a last resort for a desperate people looking for a truth to speak in the face of powerful violence and injustice. The truth they find however is still a lie, the truest of oldest lies, and through this he implies that vengeance will never overcome injustice. I loved committing these poems to memory and getting to know them better because it helped me see poetry in a whole new light and they also assisted me in finding a phenomenal poet with an extreme talent for words.

By: Ben Lisa & Edoardo Takacs

A fun classic

At the end of the day, if I can say I had fun, it was a good day - Simone Biles

              As Patrick Süskind said, not a visible enthusiasm but a hidden one, an excitement burning with a cold flame. Around the World in Eighty Days was a wildly exciting classic that surprised me at every twist and turn that made me realize reading could actually be fun, who knew. Through all the old English, odd 1875 sayings and parts of the world back then I didn’t understand, I just read the book and had fun. Around the World in Eighty Days taught me that sometimes it’s better to enjoy cool things rather than to try and process and think about every little detail. The book helped me see that doing that can often ruin things. I started reading this book because it was the first one Fitz out in my hand. I thought it would just be another book that I would go through the motions of and not really enjoy. It ended up being one of my favorite books I’ve ever read. I will never judge a book by its first couple chapters again because I stuck with this book and the end result was great. In reading this book, I learned that even reading can be fun. I learned how exciting it can be to read a good classic. I learned how satisfying it can be to finish a good old piece of literature. This re-introduced me to fun reading, and showed me stick with a book no matter how boring or flat the beginning is. I recommend everyone, not just teenagers, should go and try to find a great classic book and to just read it, but most importantly, enjoy the book. For anyone who doesn’t like reading, such as myself, I will say to always try and stick with a book. If you get to the middle and you still don’t like it, then go ahead and get a new book but at least stick with it until then, because just because it has a slow start doesn’t mean it’s not an 100 mph book.

     Skiing... fun, exciting, and cold.

     This weekend, I did a lot of fun skiing. Through harsh winds an fresh powder, it was a great experience. I have been skiing since I can remember and I have always loved it, skiing is a great activity to partake in and I have always been very fond of it.

     My family has been going skiing together forever, ever since I was about two years old, we would always do spring break in Park City, Utah. We have also skied in other places on the west coast such as Colorado (Stemboat Springs and Breckinridge).

      Skiing is super fun because you have so much freedom and the feeling of speeding down the mountain and shredding through the powder is awesome. I like skiing because it is something that is insanely fun to do, especially with your friends.

     This weekend, we had a slow start to the skiing but once we got out there, it was amazing. On Sunday afternoon, we took the last lift up all the way to the summit and it was -15°! Despite the extreme cold, we had a great last run on a seemingly untraveled ski trail.

     Another awesome thing about skiing is some of the ridiculous scenery you get to experience, the snow-topped tree lines and gorgeous mountains are unrivaled. Going up in the chairlifts and looking around is a natural view you can get only with skiing.

     Skiing is for all ages and can be done most times of the year (Fall-Spring), so, if you have never before, I recommend you get out there and do some fun skiing.

     I’m not excited by the book, I’m excited that I’m reading the book. Around the World in Eighty Days is a very exciting work of literature. It evokes my brain and demands me to always be ready for more intense action.

         In reading Around the World in Eighty Days, I learned that even a book can be wildly enticing. It is not a very hard book to read, but there is always some plot twist or crazy escapade going on. It is one of the very few books I have trouble not wanting to read, I know that this is a great book if it can be that appealing to someone who quite dislikes reading.

        I started reading Around the World in Eighty Days because we had to do read for a project and it was the first book Fitz recommended to me. At first, I thought the book was going to be terrible because the first few chapters were actually pretty boring. As the book started to develop more and more; however, I realized that it was a splendid piece of writing and now I can barely put it down.

        I, so far, have had a wonderful time reading this classic; moreover, next time someone suggests a book, I will give it much more of a chance; I will continue to read this exciting, exhilarating, and wonderful composition. I started to read this book for the simple fact that I had to. However in continuing to read it, I found that it is a great book and I case why it is loved by many. In my adventure so far in Around the World in Eighty Days, I have seen lots of action and adventure, and can’t wait to continue my venture into this novel.