The snow falls outside
fluffy and white like the withering cat
sweetly lying at your feet.
gently you roll to the side
as to not wake Candy,
these are the memories of my childhood.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Seasons Haikus
Spring
April showers falling
Flowers start blooming freely
The sky's a perfect blue
Fall
Colorful leaves falling
Old friends meeting, schools starting
The reasons I love fall
Winter
Children building snowmen
Hot chocolate to go around
Snow falls on white ground
Summer
Sprinklers on green grass
The sun is more than I can bare
A spritz will help me there
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
1990
“She’s ready to see you now,” a nurse in flower-printed scrubs told me as my neighbor took my hand, leading me into the room where my mother was supposed to be.
As soon as I walked in my eyes were instantly drawn to what she held. All I could see was a bundle wrapped in a blanket with a grapefruit sized head and lots of dark hair. “That’s it?” I said, mostly to myself. I couldn’t believe I had waited 9 months for something so petty. As everyone else in the room ooooed and awwwed at my new baby sister I began to cry out of sheer disappointment. No one even noticed.
For the next couple of weeks life at home was complete chaos. People I had never even met before were coming to my house to see the baby. I wondered how something so small could possibly be so mesmerizing to them. It’s not like she ever really did anything. All I had seen her do was cry and sleep. Mom asked me several times if I wanted to hold her, each time I declined not wanting to have anything to do with her.
Meanwhile in kindergarten, kids were talking about a cool new theme park that was opening called Universal Studios. It had all sorts of cool rides based off different movies, and some kids were even planning on going to visit it! Of course I knew we wouldn’t get to go, as mom had mentioned several times Marissa was too young to walk and play still meaning she was far too young to ride the merry-go-round with me. Not only was she too young to play but it seemed she was too young to do anything by herself. She needed mommy and daddy’s help for eating, burping, and even falling asleep. As a result, I was left to entertain myself. I wasn’t use to sharing my parents and I realized very quickly that I didn’t like it. I decided there was only one thing to do; live somewhere where I wouldn’t have to share.
The next day I packed up all the things I would need: one of the blankets from my bed, my stuffed lamb, the 78 cents I found in daddy’s pocket, and a bag of Goldfish. I wrote the ABC’s and my name (the only thing I knew how to spell) on a note to let them know I would be living with my cousins in Portland. I snuck into the living room where my dad was watching the news. The reporter kept talking about and earthquake in the Philippines and the new president in Peru. I tip-toed around his chair and past Marissa’s room. She was sound asleep. I was just about to go out the front door when I heard a familiar voice say my name. I turned around to see my mom right behind me in her fuzzy blue bathrobe, looking exhausted. “Where are you going?” she asked me. I tried to explain but ended up sobbing instead. I told her I was leaving because she didn’t need me anymore. She walked over and held me tight as I continued to weep. As she held me she told me how much she loved me and she was sorry I felt that way. She informed me that Marissa was just going to need a little extra attention for a while and how special it would be for her to have a big sister to help take care of her. Just then we heard a shrilly wailing sound coming from down the hall, notifying us that Marissa had woken up. My mom got a concerned look on her face but instead of feeling angry that she would be occupied with the baby again, I told her I wanted to help. We walked into the pastel-colored bedroom where Marissa was still wailing in her crib. My mother lifted her up onto her shoulder and rocked her side to side to calm her down. “I’m ready to hold her,” I declared, sitting down in the wooden rocking chair. She placed her gentle in my arms and immediately she stopped crying. Looking down at my baby sister, I couldn’t remember why I didn’t like her in the first place. She was so tiny and precious I could hardly believe she was real. I felt her warm breath touching my skin and I knew that being a big sister wouldn’t be such a terrible thing after all.
As soon as I walked in my eyes were instantly drawn to what she held. All I could see was a bundle wrapped in a blanket with a grapefruit sized head and lots of dark hair. “That’s it?” I said, mostly to myself. I couldn’t believe I had waited 9 months for something so petty. As everyone else in the room ooooed and awwwed at my new baby sister I began to cry out of sheer disappointment. No one even noticed.
For the next couple of weeks life at home was complete chaos. People I had never even met before were coming to my house to see the baby. I wondered how something so small could possibly be so mesmerizing to them. It’s not like she ever really did anything. All I had seen her do was cry and sleep. Mom asked me several times if I wanted to hold her, each time I declined not wanting to have anything to do with her.
Meanwhile in kindergarten, kids were talking about a cool new theme park that was opening called Universal Studios. It had all sorts of cool rides based off different movies, and some kids were even planning on going to visit it! Of course I knew we wouldn’t get to go, as mom had mentioned several times Marissa was too young to walk and play still meaning she was far too young to ride the merry-go-round with me. Not only was she too young to play but it seemed she was too young to do anything by herself. She needed mommy and daddy’s help for eating, burping, and even falling asleep. As a result, I was left to entertain myself. I wasn’t use to sharing my parents and I realized very quickly that I didn’t like it. I decided there was only one thing to do; live somewhere where I wouldn’t have to share.
The next day I packed up all the things I would need: one of the blankets from my bed, my stuffed lamb, the 78 cents I found in daddy’s pocket, and a bag of Goldfish. I wrote the ABC’s and my name (the only thing I knew how to spell) on a note to let them know I would be living with my cousins in Portland. I snuck into the living room where my dad was watching the news. The reporter kept talking about and earthquake in the Philippines and the new president in Peru. I tip-toed around his chair and past Marissa’s room. She was sound asleep. I was just about to go out the front door when I heard a familiar voice say my name. I turned around to see my mom right behind me in her fuzzy blue bathrobe, looking exhausted. “Where are you going?” she asked me. I tried to explain but ended up sobbing instead. I told her I was leaving because she didn’t need me anymore. She walked over and held me tight as I continued to weep. As she held me she told me how much she loved me and she was sorry I felt that way. She informed me that Marissa was just going to need a little extra attention for a while and how special it would be for her to have a big sister to help take care of her. Just then we heard a shrilly wailing sound coming from down the hall, notifying us that Marissa had woken up. My mom got a concerned look on her face but instead of feeling angry that she would be occupied with the baby again, I told her I wanted to help. We walked into the pastel-colored bedroom where Marissa was still wailing in her crib. My mother lifted her up onto her shoulder and rocked her side to side to calm her down. “I’m ready to hold her,” I declared, sitting down in the wooden rocking chair. She placed her gentle in my arms and immediately she stopped crying. Looking down at my baby sister, I couldn’t remember why I didn’t like her in the first place. She was so tiny and precious I could hardly believe she was real. I felt her warm breath touching my skin and I knew that being a big sister wouldn’t be such a terrible thing after all.
Nature Poem
An apple tree
Sits with me
As I write its poetry
The leaves are smooth; the bark is coarse
Apples stir and cause to force
In me a gentle remorse
For the leaves have grown to red
Away from it my path does tread
And quickly to home I head
The time has past
I see at last
The tree has lost its chloroplast
The apples fallen to the ground
There are no leaves to make that sound
It's happiness gone that I found
Sits with me
As I write its poetry
The leaves are smooth; the bark is coarse
Apples stir and cause to force
In me a gentle remorse
For the leaves have grown to red
Away from it my path does tread
And quickly to home I head
The time has past
I see at last
The tree has lost its chloroplast
The apples fallen to the ground
There are no leaves to make that sound
It's happiness gone that I found
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