Happy Thanksgiving

Hey all in the blogosphere!

Happy post exam week relief, Happy pre Thanksgiving gobble, Happy who-cares-about-grades- because-they're-not-out-yet -- just HAPPY!

This is something I've been wanting to do for a while now... A building story!! (that is, a story that builds, not a story about buildings) Here's what's going to happen: I'll start a story, just a paragraph or so to set the scene, then all of you can add on. You can add a sentence, a paragraph, a page, you can make it funny, tragic, fantastical, do whatever you want with it so long as you just respond, just write. Okay, here we go...

It was a Tuesday and the snowflakes had begun to fall. They whirled down in airy spirals as if the gods were having a sleepover party and in their girlish squeals opted for a pillow fight that broke the clouds open. Gethsemane stared out the window, hand on chin, chin in hand. It was not a good Tuesday. Yes, the snowflakes were falling, and yes, the land of Dulog was best in winter, but today was not a good Tuesday.

Happy World Peace Day!

It's International World Peace Day! All around the world no one is fighting, no one is killing, all is well... In theory of course, but it's a lovely thought. If you are interested in learning more about the day and the story behind it, I would recommend going to www.peaceoneday.org and clicking around.

So, since this is the writing blog I was going to put up a poem about peace, but then I decided that lyrics are poetry and what is more peace-ish than a song. (Plus I had writer's block and calculus homework- not a pleasant combination) Now I wouldn't go so far as to say these lyrics are poetic, but this is a song I wrote about peace when I was around 13. I apologize for bad rhymes, bad puns and any other general badness... But Happy World Peace Day! Feel free to post your poems, thoughts, dreams, songs, anything! Without Further ado...

Welcome!

Hellooooo Everyone! Welcome back to the land of the textbook and the home of the Husky. If you are new to this blog then here's all you need to know: We are Gould Academy Out Loud and we write. This is a nonjudgmental, zero pressure environment to post your poems, thoughts, short stories, college essays or anything else you wish to share with our digital community. The ultimate goal of this blog is that we get enough writing up to publish a once-per-trimester Gould newspaper.

Ready to post something? Here's how, you can either post it as a comment off of this entry, or you can email me at goldberg.abbie@gmail.com and I will make it its own post.

SO, come all ye writers and WRITE! There's no rubric, no rules and you can be anonymous so no pressure. Welcome to the sanctuary of words set free, a haven for all that is creative.

Happy Writing!

People You Know

Anonymous

Hanging out with the people you love, but haven't seen in what feels like years is incredibly satisfying. You can't seem to get enough of these people. You want nothing more than to spend hours and hours catching up, going over every little insignificant detail in your lives, just to be around each other for a little bit longer. You feel elated, like you're on cloud nine. You laugh over the stupid and funny things, nod sympathetically over the things they get upset about, tell them you know what they mean about everything. And they do they same for you. And then there's seeing the people that you thought were your good friends, and have been betrayed by them. They don't know that you know, and they probably don't think that they did anything wrong by you. But they didn't tell you what happened, even though you deserve their respect, having been their loyal friend for the last 13 or 14 years of your life. But they are afraid that you do know, and try to avoid you, even while saying that they miss you and that they want to see you and hang out with you. They make up excuses that are blatantly false in order to keep conversations short and in their control. When they finally do allow a conversation to start up they barely stop talking in order to make sure that you can't confront them about what they did. It's sad, to see someone you thought you knew so well act so pathetic. It makes you feel as though you didn't know them after all. It also makes you feel a little stupid, to know that you didn't see this coming.

Happy Summer!

I hope everyone is having an awesome first few days of summer and finding lots of time for whatever creative endeavors suit their fancy. Here are some poems that I made yesterday out of a newspaper that seemed to be screaming "I am a poem! I am a poem! Please cover me in black ink!"

Feel free to post anything you've been working on and happy summer!

Summer Writing

It's summer time! Well...in two days it will be. But summer means that you have lots of free time (unless you're like me and want to do a million and one things instead of lazing around in the sun and going swimming), and lots of free time means plenty of time to write! So let inspiration run wild, and the words fall to the paper as if from a spring in your fingers, or in your pencil. Don't be afraid of exposing your thoughts, because there is a second identity within you, and it is called Anonymous. Just write and shout to the world that these are your words, the words of a human, just like them. Let them know that you exist and are very much alive. If your words are out there, people will see, and people will listen. So write about what is meaningful to you, write about the things you like, write about everything and anything that you want, and people will see.

JUST!!!

write....

Identity...Controversial?

Everyone in the world has something about them that is unique solely to them.

IDENTITY. What is it? Showing who you are....It is YOU. You can’t be you if you are lacking your identity...IDENTITY IS EVERYTHING.

How does one debate identity? Can one debate identity?

It is religion, beliefs, thoughts, actions. Very much is it ACTIONS. BUT HOW.....? How....what? HOW WHAT? How can I answer my questions when I don’t know what the questions are?!?!

identity....controversial? What can be
controversial about identity?
Some could make it controversial. Pretty easily too. But perhaps not I.

“You need to be more controversial....to make it good.”
WHY? Why does it HAVE to be controversial?
Identity. What about it? It’s important....ok. It’s who you are....fine. But what is it? How does one write a paragraph about it, how does one develop a thesis about it?

Forget “one” -- how do I?

People want things. What do they want? I don’t know. Things. Lots of things.
These things people want help to shape their identity, whether they intend for it or not.

Here’s an idea: “Identity is a false proposition to make people think that they are unique, something intended for the sole purpose of making people feel good about themselves.”

. . . But it’s not my idea. What’s this about a “personal theory?” How can it be a personal theory if it’s not my idea...?

But I could make it work . . . right? I could argue it. . .

Then again, I don’t agree with it. “You don’t have to agree with it to like it.”
Ok. But what if I don’t like it?

Could I argue in favor of something that I don’t even like,
let alone agree with?



Probably not.

“Do you have something that works?”
“Yup.” Pfft. You’re kidding, right?

ARTiculation

I hope a lot of people went to the slam poetry assembly by ARTiculation this past week because they were, to put it as simply as possible, AWESOME!!!! It was a very powerful and exciting evening. If you didn't go, or if you did and want to hear more, I'd encourage you to visit their website: articulationworld.com. They have some great videos of a few of of the pieces they did and a free download of the poem I Teach if you sign up for their mailing list.

While the group was here, Mr. Bean's dot 4 English class was lucky enough to partake in an hour and a half of poetry wonderfulness which resulted in a plethora of poems that are definitely worth sharing. If you were in that class, please email me your poem. There are no excuses and you can't hide them because I know they're out there, already written and just waiting to be read. Thanks and Happy Poeting! (Also, check out the poems in the comments)

I Dream by Rose Gill

I dream of laying in a patch of lemon thyme,
The sweet smell filling my nostrils,
Lulling me into a drowsy state.

I dream of laying under a blue sky,
Of sunlight pouring over every inch of visible skin,
Of being filled with the delicious warmth of light.

I dream of a swim in a river,
Of the river stones beneath my feet,
Round and smooth and covered in moss.

I dream of the garden,
Of the oranges and silvers and reds,
Of green vines and purple and white petals.

I dream of walking through a forest,
Over moss and grass and dirt;
Of the forest floor under my bare feet.

I dream of pushing fingers into fresh, clean dirt,
Forming a hole into which must go young roots,
Feeling the cool moist earth.

I dream of red tomatoes straight off the vine,
Of wonderfully orange carrots, fresh out of the ground,
Of peas - sugar and snap and snow, crisp and green.

I wake, opening my eyes to grey clouds,
Frozen, partially white, partially brown earth,
Cold rain spilling from the sky.

I dreamt of summer...

- Rose Gill

National Poetry Month!

Happy National Poetry Everyone! As you may or may not know, April is national poetry month and we are CELEBRATING! There's a box in the library where you can put your poems, artwork or other writing. What will happen to this box you may ask? Well, it will be put into a Gould newspaper! Anything that's posted on this blog will also go in so every writer at Gould can be published. I am very excited.

I am also excited about Thursday on which there will be THREE ways to celebrate National Poetry Month. First, April 14 is national poem in your pocket day. What this means is that everyone will be encouraged to put a poem in their pocket and over the course of the day they can trade and share that poem. Second, on Thursday the biggest library taboo will be broken and we'll have eat-your-lunch-and-write-in-the-library-day. Hopefully this will be an every Thursday event for the rest of the month. And the last way to celebrate poetry this Thursday is a van will be headed to hear Charles Simic at PSU. I've read some of his poems and I think the night will be great! Talk to Ms. Cooper if you're interested.

Of course you don't have to wait until Thursday to start the celebration. Write a poem today! Write a poem right now. Drop everything and get started.

And then post it here of course. And tell your friends too.
HAPPY NATIONAL POETRY MONTH

Let Your Heart Run by Margaret Cameron

Life’s a trail and the courts come undone,
But remember, this test has just begun.
Follow your heart and chase what you believe,
You can’t be proved wrong if you say what you see.

So, let your heart run,
And set yourself free,
Shed all the weights that,
Hold you back.
Oh and determination is all the food that your body needs,
So set your goals high,
And aspire to succeed.

Soul is a forceful light in our lives,
We can’t un-see the dreams we glimpse,
So, with wings sprouting from my back,
I will take flight.
Like a lightning strike,
It’s a sudden energy,
An ambition that takes over.

Listen to your heart,
It’s pounding like a drum,
A signal shouting that your times just begun,
Welcome to life,
We’re all about living.

When night seems to long,
And the road to steep,
The day far to dark,
Take a breath and remember,
That you can find it within yourself,
Your heart speaks, so listen,
Stronger than your words,
Blind ambition, unfiltered joy, bursting with dreams.

So let yourself fly,
And taste freedom’s sky.
Set yourself free and you’ll see,
You can become all you want to be.
But find that love within you,
The dreams and beauty you forgot you had.
Let your heart run,
And you’ll see,
That the real journey of life has just begun.
Your heart will lead you to what you become.

Totally like whatever, you know? by Taylor Mali

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.

Untitled

Catching a dream like you catch a ball,
grasping your fingers around its frightening force
Catching a heart like you catch a cold,
kiss goodbye to boxes of tissues
Catching a memory like you catch a fish,
slippery scales tugging harder
Catching life like you catch a bus,
hurry, don't be late.

-Anonymous

Perfect

by Andrew Nesbitt

I sit here with the computer on
In a dark room, the screen illuminating
The only bright thing
There is nothing to do
Yet there is so much to do

How will this ever get done?
This makes me want to cry
Does this even have a point?
Because history is dead

I have words in sentences that only make since in my head
When they get to the page, what does that mean?
The teacher is not going to like this
The whole page looks like a Boggle board

I was never made for languages of forgean lands
The charters on the page
Looks like some crash test car
Not representing a word, but a pile of scrap metal
And you expect me to know all of them?

Equations and formulas
Where do they all go?
What do they all do?
Is my mind playing tricks on me?
I went into that test with my mind as blank as the naked page
Straight from the factory in Rumford

Finally I get a break to look up at the stars in the sky, into your eyes
Where so beautiful on that cold, clear night last season
And you in that midnight dress, I was stoned in love
I came out this way and I guess we were all meant to be here
Perfect

12 Hours

12 Hours
by Andrew Nesbitt

12 hours we live in a confined space
we rule the air, rule the movies
and the rows and rows of seats
drone of the engine, I cannot sleep, but
we are finally hear, the winter air not winter
but south once more, now this, this is winter!

could it really be? but how?
we dreamed of being them, we have posters of them,
we met them, and we love them.
how is this happening? Is this even real?
Monopoly, so much Monopoly, so intense!
STORM!SLEETRAINSNOWSNOW
one hundred kilometers per hour

“If you win I will cut my hair,
if you win you will cut my hair”
“deal”
There was betting too
He threw pillows after Monopoly
“NO FUCKING, FUCK”
He almost threw the race
for beer?
“God Damn it!”
Finally he won both times No more fits

snow better than I had ever seen
everything better than I had ever seen
scenery, skiing, the people, the Monopoly?
we are falling in love
MORE FOOD! we love that too
we cannot stop smiling, we are too fortunate

race day, this day, they destroy us
that is why we want to be them
fast faster fastest never slow down on The Farm
we or they will never slow down
they are too good we are too young

“I am not racing”
“why?”
“Something hit me” Said the silver medalist
“Who hit you?” Said our coach

we loved those days and they were our favorite
we do not want to leave
back to the summer the heat and the north
but we know so soon south will come north
and they will return
we will see them and race them again

Martin Luther King

In the words of James Taylor, “Let us turn our thoughts today to Martin Luther King”. Gould Academy’s annual MLK day is drawing near, or depending on when you’re reading this, is already here or has already passed. Either way, let us turn our thoughts to it.

While conducting a few google searches for a poem to post about MLK, I was shocked to find hardly any quality writing on him. There were short sentenced biographies listing his birth and death as well as copies of his speeches, but the closest I could find to a poem was something along the lines of “Martin Luther King was so good I could sing. He had an awesome dream, blacks and whites were the theme.”
This hardly does justice to the man who wrote “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
So why is there so little on the world wide web honoring this most honorable of men? True, we have a whole day in his dedication, but in idolizing Martin Luther King, we’ve accidentally done something pretty dangerous, distanced ourselves from his message.
Martin Luther King was not a God. He was as human as each of us. That’s important to remember. He was mortal and he was extraordinary, and we can be too.
This MLK day, I challenge us all not to look up in awe at this man, but be empowered by his words to the point that we may realize the strength within our own own selves to become our own heroes. Let’s embrace his dream of all people joining together to work towards bettering this world that we share. I dream Martin Luther King’s dream too. A dream of a world where hate does not exist and all people live equal to one another with the rights and standards of living they deserve. If ever this world is to prevail we must all become, like Martin Luther King, active advocates for peace and love.

“Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.

Post your thoughts. If you have something longer, feel free to email me and I will make it a main post (as opposed to a comment). Let's try and get a lot of writing on this one!