Solitary

In July, my brother went to this music camp that I went to when I was in middle school.  We biked up the Hudson River bike path to get there, and he would lock up his bike while Mom and I biked back home, until the afternoon came, and we would head back up to bring him home.  Most days, while we biked uptown, I noticed this man in a wheelchair, wheeling himself downtown on the bike path.  One day, I was inspired that, and I decided to write this.  Except for the wheeling the wheelchair downtown on the bike path, the short story is entirely made up, but I think it sounds good.  What do you think?




Solitary

Once, there was a man.  He was on the older side, probably over 50, but maybe not.  It was hard to tell.  He lived alone, without even a pet.  Just alone.  His family was long gone and far away, their infrequent visits weren’t much comfort anyway.  He was stuck with his life, and there was nothing he could do to change it, and it hurt, but he just chugged along, day after day.  

In the mornings he would struggle with his wheelchair as the sun peeked over the horizon.  Sometimes it was a beautiful sunrise, but he didn’t even notice anymore.  He would get dressed, in red and grey sweats.  He would wheel out of his tiny apartment and down the hall to the elevator.  No one else took the elevator that early.  It was just him.  He would take it down and go outside.  He would wheel over to the Hudson river waterfront, and he would work his way downtown.  People who saw him thought he was mental, or just very disabled, but in reality, he was just doing something to keep his life from becoming one day after another just sitting in his wheel chair.  

He forced his way downtown, wheeling with strength.  He always wore long sleeves, even in the middle of August.  He wheeled more with his left arm than with his right -- maybe the wheelchair was defective, or maybe his right arm was stronger, only he knew.  He had a fixed expression on his face, looking forwards.  He probably saw everyone who whizzed by him, on a bike, or on rollerblades.  Not many of them saw him.  Sometimes he would be noticed, and then forgotten, even by the people who frequented the path every morning, like him.  

He made his way from 79th street to 14th street, all along the bike path.  There, he would turn around and work his way back.  He did it every day, except for the few occasions when he had a doctor’s appointment, or on the rare occasions someone visited him.  He wheeled himself down the Hudson river, seeing everyone who was on the path enjoying the day.  He didn’t enjoy it himself, but he could see that they did.  He was just a solitary man who had no comforts left in life, yet he kept chugging through it.  

The people he saw on the path had potential.  For example, the young couple walking together, or the family of bikers racing their way uptown, or the young man who was wearing a suit and tie, just walking from place to place along the beautiful waterfront.  All of them had lives to live, people to see, things to do.  This man had none.  He lived alone, just for the sake of living.  For the rare occasions someone said a kind word for him, or the once in a while when he was met with a smile.  Even though his lonely life was long and hard, he kept living it.  And some days, he watched the sun rise through his small window, and he realized just how beautiful the world could be.

Louis' Adventure

This is the story I wrote for my new baby cousin Gabriel Eli Centor.  The line breaks are where the page turns are, because it's a picture book.  I didn't add the pictures because about half of them were hand drawn.  This version is also a bit longer, because I wrote more than what fit in the book.  So, here it is, unabridged, Louis' Adventure.

Louis' Adventure

Once upon a time when the sky was blue and the grass was green, there was a young cat. His name was Louis. He lived in a big house on a street that ran up a big hill.

His favorite part of the house was the basement. It was dark down there, but it was easy for him to see. There was a washing machine and a dryer, a litter box for Louis to go potty in, and a bed for him to sleep on. On the steps up to the rest of the house there was a water dish and a food dish. Everything he needed was down in that basement.

His second favorite place was outside. Sometimes either Mommy or Daddy would open the door to the outside, and Louis would go out to look around. The first time he went outside he was scared. It was so big! He slowly explored the area around the house, and then one day he got adventurous, and raced across the street to see what was on the other side. When he was outside, he would chase mice and birds, and roll in the grass. Sometimes he would talk to the cats who lived in the houses nearby. They were older than him, and had explored much more.

One day, Mommy and Daddy came home with someone else. Louis realized that it was a dog! Mommy and Daddy called the dog Andy. Louis was very quick to make sure Andy knew who was boss. Louis would sit on top of the table that Andy was playing under, making sure he didn't do anything stupid.

Andy didn't seem very smart, compared to cats in general, but he soon grew very big. Andy was much bigger than Louis soon, much to Louis' surprise! But the two of them soon became very good friends. Andy could dig for bones, run very fast, and smell almost anything, and Louis was good at pretty much everything else.

As Louis got older, he got braver. He began to chase not only mice and birds, but also squirrels and rabbits. He explored further and further from the house, but he always came back for dinner and bed. As winter came, and it began to snow, he spent more and more time inside with Andy.

One day, when there wasn't much snow on the ground, Louis went outside to talk to his friend Fluffy, who lived across the street. She was a beautiful black and white cat with green eyes. She was around the same age as Louis, but she had explored much further. Louis liked to hear her stories about places she had been and things she had seen. On this visit, however, she was talking about something she had only heard of.

“I heard from Butterscotch, the cat who lives a couple of blocks over, that there is a big scary thing that lives underneath the tree in the park. It scares away any cat or dog that goes by, so none of us can get into the park anymore,” Fluffy said to Louis.

“Is it even real? Or is it just a story?” Louis wasn't sure that such a scary creature could exist.

“Butterscotch says it's real, and I believe him.” Fluffy replied.

“I bet I could scare it off,” Louis said, puffing out his chest.

“Then go try,” Fluffy said, licking her paw “but you'll need to be brave. It isn't like anything we've seen before.”

Louis was happy as he raced back across the street to home. Now he had an adventure to go on! He raced inside to warm up from the winter cold. Andy noticed Louis as he walked in.

“Where were you?” Andy asked, sitting lazily on the floor.

“I was talking to my friends. I heard about a scary thing under a tree that is keeping cats and dogs from going into the park,” Louis replied, stretching and laying down on the stairs.

“Oh, I've heard of that. It's called a dragon. It is red and green, and can breathe fire,” Andy said with awe. He rolled onto his side.

“Where did you hear all that?” Louis asked, amazed.

“Dogs are smarter than you think we are,” Andy said calmly. “One of my friends told me. He had gone to the park and been scared away by the dragon.”

“I think I can scare it away,” Louis said to Andy. Andy snorted.

“Really? It's almost as big as me!” Andy laughed.

“You don't scare me,” Louis said calmly.

“Yes, but some of my friends still make you run and hide.” Andy yawned. “And I don't breathe fire.”

“I can handle it!” Louis said.

“Sure you can,” Andy replied. “Do you even know how to get to the park?”

Louis thought about what Andy had said. It was true, Louis had never explored as far as the park before. He decided that he would go as soon as he could, and ask for help finding the park from other cats along the way.

“I'll go in a few days, when it's warmer out. I'll find the dragon, make it go away, and come back. No one will even realize I was gone,” Louis said to Andy.

Andy sat up, excited. “Can I go with you?”

“What?” Louis asked.

“I want to come too! I can only get outside on the leash. It will be fun!” Andy said, almost begging.

“Well...okay. But if you get us caught, I'm not helping you.” Louis replied.

The next night, after eating dinner, Louis went back outside. He rested on the grass until the sun was almost gone. Then, when he heard the scratching from inside, he went over to the back door and opened it for Andy. Andy raced outside, shook himself off, and began to bounce around.

“Oh boy, oh boy! This is going to be fun!” Andy said as he bounced.

“We're going to scare off a dragon as big as you, and you think it's fun?” Louis asked Andy.

“Yes! We haven't had an adventure in a long time. And then we will be able to go to the park again!” Andy said, jumping up and down. “Lets go!” He turned and crept out of the back yard, down to the sidewalk.

Louis followed Andy down the block to the corner. Andy was about to charge across the street when Louis streaked in front of him, stopping him. Just then, a car raced down the street. Andy stood there, looking shocked.

“You need to look both ways before crossing the street,” Louis reminded Andy before walking across. Andy nodded, following Louis.

Andy led Louis down two blocks, and then he stopped at the corner.

“Are we lost?” Louis asked Andy. Andy looked confused.

“I think so. I don't remember which way to go next.” Andy said sadly.

Louis looked around. It was all quiet, and he didn't see any other cats around. Then, suddenly, a dark striped cat walked over to them.

“Hi! My name is Corbin. What is yours?” He asked the surprised dog and cat.

“I'm Louis, and this is Andy. We are trying to find the park so that we can scare away the dragon,” Louis said to Corbin.

“Oh!” Corbin said. “The park is right down that way. Just keep going straight and you can't miss it.”

“Thank you!” Andy said. “Do you want to come with us?”

“No thank you. I am to scared of the dragon to go any closer to the park than this,” Corbin said sadly.

Louis and Andy left Corbin on his block and continued on their journey to the park. Louis looked at the night with amazement. He had never been outside at night before.

The sky, which was a bright blue in the day, was dark, almost black, with many little stars glittering. The sun, which was normally there during the day, was replaced by the moon. Louis was amazed by the moon. It was white, and very bright, even brighter than the stars.

Andy noticed Louis looking up. “You know, the sky is like this every night. Look out the window sometime, and you can see stars falling down from the sky to land somewhere far away,” Andy told Louis.

“Now we need to figure out which tree the dragon lives under,” Louis said, looking around. Andy stood still. “What?” Louis asked Andy.

“I'm trying to smell it,” Andy said.

“How do you know what it smells like?” Louis asked.

“I don't. I'm trying to smell something that isn't normal,” Andy said. Louis nodded, because this made sense.

“I smell it!” Andy said suddenly. “Over there, under that tree,” he said, pointing with his nose.

“Wow!” Louis said.

Louis began to walk to the tree that the dragon lived under. After taking a few steps, he realized that Andy wasn't with him.

“What's wrong?” Louis asked.

“I'm scared,” Andy admitted.

“It's okay to be scared. I am scared too. But if we want to stop the dragon from scaring everyone away, we need to be brave. Okay?” Louis said.

“Okay,” Andy said. Together, the two of them walked over to the tree. When they were a few steps away, they both stopped suddenly.

The dragon came out of its tree slowly. Both dog and cat stared at the dragon.

The dragon was big. Standing on it's hind legs, it was taller than Andy. It had green glittering scales all over it's back, a yellow belly, and orange wings behind it. Its tail was very long, with little scales sticking up on the back. Its eyes were dark brown, and it's nose was long. It had two white fangs over its upper lip, and it blew smoke from its mouth.

The dragon took two steps towards the dog and cat. Andy and Louis backed up. The dragon turned it's head away from them and blew out a stream of fire. It lit up the area for a few seconds, and then it disappeared. The dragon turned back to face Andy and Louis. It stared at them, and they stared back at it.

Louis hissed at the dragon. The dragon looked surprised.

“We want you to stop scaring all the dogs and cats away from the park,” Louis said. “We live here too, we deserve to play in the park. So please, stop scaring everyone away, or go away and don't come back.”

“Are you actually asking me?” The dragon asked.

“Yes. I thought that if I asked you nicely, you would listen,” Louis said.

“That is just fine,” the dragon said. “I will leave the dogs and cats in the area alone, but if they try to take my tree away, I will scare them off.” It jumped up and flew away. Andy and Louis watched it as it landed in the branches of the tree.

“So that's it?” Andy asked. “We're done?”

“Yes,” said Louis. “We made the dragon stop scaring off the dogs and cats. Now everyone can enjoy the park again, thanks to us.”

“Wow!” Andy said.

The two of them went home and went back inside. Louis curled up on his bed and went to sleep. He was happy that he had stopped the dragon from scaring everyone away. His adventure had been a good one.

That night, Louis dreamed of dragons flying up into trees, friendly cats who help other cats who are lost, and shooting stars in the night sky.

The next morning, Louis went to talk to Fluffy. He told her all about making the dragon stop scaring cats and dogs away. She was impressed.

“Not many cats have done something so brave. You're a hero among the cats and dogs for saving us from the dragon,” she told him.

“It wasn't just me. Andy helped too,” Louis told her. “Between the two of us, we were able to find and stop the dragon.”

Louis went home to see Andy playing with a boy. A girl standing on the side walked over to pet Louis. Louis purred, rubbing up against her leg. He was happy to be home, and to have everything he wanted. Not many cats can claim to having stopped a dragon!

Caliper

This poem is the one I submitted for Caliper, the literary magazine my school publishes twice a year.  I wrote it a long time ago, and I never posted it, so here it is.

DAWN

Stars glistened in the sky.
The grass was cold and damp.
Silence grasped the small town.

A wisp of wind
  woke the trees in the dark dawn.
A robin flew past the trees,
  quietly rushing to a nest unknown.
A cricket jumped out of the grass.
A mouse scurried by into a tree,
  hiding from an owl,
  hooting mournfully in the trees.

The sun slowly crept upwards.
Street lamps flickered and went out.
A child stood in the empty street.
He looked east,
  where the sun was growing steadily
  bigger and brighter.
A bird chirped a hello.
Soon, all the birds
  were singing their morning song.

The child turned around
  and walked down the street, into a house.
The door gave a soft closing thud.

In the sunrise, the birds sang on.

Hi.

This poem won't be like most of my other poems, because it's one of the the poems I had to write in the style of W. S. Merwin, for my English project.  I think its still pretty good, though.



SUNSET

the glowing ball of fire
has fallen
beneath the
purple-blue of
the mountains
in the west
hiding its hot
shamed face
it doesn't have the
strength
to stay up any longer
the pale white
sphere of pearl
slowly rises into
the eastern darkness
shining with
the strength it took
making the sun
creep away as
the moon stole its glory

Poem-Sonnet

I found this, and I wrote it at the end of 8th grade (it was an assignment) but it turned out pretty good, so I figure I'll post it.  It's a sonnet, so its really strictly formed, which means I couldn't write it the way I wanted, but it's pretty good.

A Song Of The Past
Waking up to this year, my heart pounding
Wishing, waiting, hoping, dreaming, this year
The last one in this school, I cried a tear
Throughout this year, the music astounding

I sit in my chair, the drums resounding
Music holds my life, a boat holds the pier
The sound of the song leaves me with no fear
A clarinet sings, a trumpet sounding

Music, thing of the past, a time gone by
Yet memories lay here as bright as now
The music continues, a song, I sigh
Try to push reminders away, yet somehow
A simple song behind my head, I cry
Say goodbye to the past, hello to now

We were there

We were there
We were there, once
We lay, shoulder to shoulder
On the sweet green grass
The soft shadow
Of the hazelnut tree
Cooled our faces
As we stared up at the leaves
We were there, then
We listened to the birds
We watched them fly
From branch to branch
Singing a mid-day song
We watched the cool breeze
Making patterns
In the shifting leaves above our heads

We were here
We sat in the starlight
Felt the cool, damp grass
Standing up between our toes
Staining our almost invisible feet
A beautiful, spring smelling
Dusky green
Reminding us of the summer behind us
We were here
Where the sunlight met the starlight
And the moon pulsed, gleaming
We heard the rustle of the leaves in the wind
The trickle of a stream down below
Running through the winding hills
Ending at a small pond where fish swam
And frogs jumped into crevices in the rocks
We were here
When the bushes in the trees rustled
A small, sloped nose poked out
When a herd of deer stepped out
Making their hesitating way to the stream
When they bent their soft necks to drink
When they drank their fill and lifted their heads
When, as one, they turned and ran into the trees
We watched them vanish
Leaving only the rustle of branches they had brushed
And the soft, clip-clop of hooves on dirt
Until it, too, vanished
Leaving only the starlight, the stream, the sweet wet grass
And us

It's been a while...

I realize I haven't posted in a long time.  Yes, I know it's my fault.  You can yell at me later.

So I was reading and I had inspiration for this poem.  Read it and smile.  AND COMMENT!

Oh, and happy new year!  (wow, that was late...)

Smile

In every shadow
There is a ray of light
A spark, a flame
A sign of life
In every corner
There is a window
A way out
And a way back in
In every hole
There is a friend
A person to hold you up
When you feel like you will fall
In every thunderstorm
There is a rainbow waiting
A shimmering arch of color
Showing you the way
In every saddened heart
There is a drop of hope
A dream of the future
A wish to come true
In every person
There is sadness deep inside
A hole, deep and dark
With a bottom muddy and slick
In every friend
There is kindness, a smile
A rope to pull you out
And put you on your feet
A hand to hold onto
And a smile that spreads
From their face
To yours