Monday, November 25, 2013

Create a sphere but make it flat,
At 12 pm in the dead of night.
Acquire a feline but not a cat,
Keep the peace but make them fight.

Forget the engine; drive the car
At 12 pm in the dead of night
Walk away--and very far!
‘Til you’re the closest one in sight.

Read a book that doesn’t exist
At 12 pm in the dead of night
Don’t move your hands but make a fist
Keep it dark but turn on the light.

Dance in the moonlight under the sun,
This poem will tell you what to do
Stay quite still but start to run
And then your wish shall be made true.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Have you ever been to Costa Rica? Practically everyone has heard of it, but not everyone has been. I, for one, just came back from my visit there yesterday, and would love to share my honest opinion on it.
      To begin with, I am from Costa Rica and consider it my home, so this post may be ever so slightly biased. I love Costa Rica--the beaches, the mountains, even San Jose--but more on that later.
      We went to Playa Hermosa, which, as it's name suggests, is a beautiful beach. There isn't trash and the water is clear. The funny thing is that instead of shells there are rocks, smooth, round, perfect rocks, but rocks nonetheless. If you want shells you should go go to Playa Conchal, where instead of sand there are shells. Really! If you don't believe me, look it up.
      We didn't really go into the mountains but we saw them, blue mountains like you see in paintings. We did go to the volcano (Volcan Irazu) and boy was it cold! Mostly because I was in shorts and a t-shirt, but I will definitely wear a sweater next time I go. The volcanos are a great place to see a variety of flora though, and I'm sure there is a lot of fauna too.
      We didn't go to the rainforest this time, but we have before and this is another place with a great variety of flora--and insects!!! It is cool but humid, so wear pants and a t-shirt, and bring a rain jacket.
      Now about San Jose. Apparently the tourists love it, but it's super crowded. There is trash everywhere too-- and it is not all kid-friendly. For example we passed three night clubs in a row once: Night Girls, V.I.P. Girls, and Sin City. It is kind of sad. But I can also see why the tourists love it. It is so different from the U.S, and even though it is packed with people and polluted it has a certain charm to it. Any way, I think I'm finished for now and I hope you enjoyed this loooong talk about C.R...
Over and out!
Emily

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The Silent Owl Comes

Through whistling winds and rustling trees,
The silent owl comes.
What would you give to see as he sees?
 Spy the deep silver moon, hear the buzzing of bees--
While the whole world's asleep, lying under the leaves--
The silent owl comes.
Shush! Be quiet and you'll hear,
The rustle of wings, the cry of the night--
While the only lantern is the lovely moonlight--
And he soars as high and as free as a kite--
The silent owl comes.
But lo! the dawn is coming through,
The people awake, the day starts anew,
And no one is thinking that when the day dies--
When they're in their beds and the moon starts to rise--
That then, in the dark and the cool of the night--
The silent owl comes.

Monday, March 12, 2012

The Girl, the Prince, and the Shape-shifter, Rakaflame

So long ago that there is no man who can still remember that time, there was a girl with eyes as bright as the moon and hair just as beautiful. She lived in a humble cottage with a thatched roof and there she spent much time reading and enjoying the cool breeze that often came whistling through the windows. She read so much, in fact, that she was one of the most intelligent creatures on Earth, although no one knew it.
   One day, a small dog appeared by her cottage. He had terrible gashes along his back. When the girl saw him, she immediately took him in and, remembering a book she had read long ago, patched him up and sent him on his way. As soon as the dog was out of sight he magically turned into a torn up and bleeding kitten, for he was, in fact, a shape-shifter by the name of Rakaflame who had been sent by the nearby prince to find a person who was truly brave. He returned to the girl's cottage and meowed constantly until the girl came to the door.
   "Oh, dear!" said she when she noticed the kitten. "There must be some animal out there, attacking other creatures." With that she took the kitten in, washed him, fed him, and sent him on his way.
   "Ah!" thought Rakaflame. "She is kind to animals-- but what if the animal is. . . a rat?" With that he turned into a rat and returned to the girl's cottage.
   It must be said that the girl was less than pleased to see a hurt rat at her doorway, but she took him in and fixed him up till he was  good as new, and then with a smile and a wave, sent him on his way. As soon as the rat was out of her house the girl sat down on the couch and began to think. "I know," she said aloud, "that there is a cruel beast attacking other animals, for so many are appearing on my doorstep. Perhaps I shall go find the beast, and get rid of it, and then the animals won't be hurt." With that she grabbed some books and began reading about the many creatures that roamed the forest. She read about an ogre that had killed many an animal, and how it was afraid of fire, and how no man had ever gathered up enough courage to kill him. She read about a snake as long as a river and as wide as a tree, and how it slithered through the woods looking for animals to eat. And she read about a dangerous creature that no one had ever seen and only heard, and how its cry could chill your bones and paralyze small animals. She read at last that these three animals were working together as a group, so they always had enough to eat at night.
   When she had finished reading all  this she picked up a kitchen knife and a frying pan and ran out the door. She wanted to kill these terrible beasts, and although a kitchen knife and a frying pan wouldn't do much, trickery would.
   Soon she came upon a clearing in the woods and with a squeak of fear, she saw a huge ogre with a broad flat face and small black eyes looking straight at her. "Hu-u-man!" it said, and with that it took its mighty fist and was about to deliver a devastating blow when another creature appeared that distracted it. It was the prince that had sent Rakaflame, and right there next to him was Rakaflame, all perky and cheerful in his human form.
   "Ahhh, princess, I will save you." said the prince, and he drew his sword.
   "I was doing quite fine on my own, thank you." said the girl. "And I'm not a princess."
   The prince frowned. "You are ruining my dramatic appearance." he said. "Either way you are beautiful and for that reason I will save you."
   The girl glared at him. "So, if I were ugly, you would not save me?"
    "Of course I wouldn't!" replied the prince. "Just imagine if I came in to save you and you turned around and you were ugly! That would ruin my dramatic appearance!"
   The ogre was looking at them, eyes going from the girl to the prince to the girl again. Noticing that the ogre was distracted, the girl promptly hit him hard over the head with the frying pan and the ogre fell down, knocked out. With the kitchen knife, she stabbed him in the chest. Then she turned on her heel and walked away without looking back.
   The next day, she returned and this time she found the giant snake. The snake was sleeping peacefully and from the enormous lump in its middle had just eaten. With a swipe of the kitchen knife, the girl  cut it in two. Out of its middle crawled a very disgruntled-looking prince. When he saw who had saved him, he turned white then red and then purple, and without even a grunt of thanks he strutted off.
   On the last day, when the girl came to kill the screaming beast, she found Rakaflame instead. As soon as Rakaflame saw her he turned into a puppy, then a kitten, and at last a rat, and the girl stared. Then she burst out laughing. "So you are the hurt animals!" she said. "Can you tell me where the screaming beast is, or are you it, too?"
   "I do not know what you speak of." said Rakaflame, and then they heard a terrible scream.
   "That!" cried the girl, and drew her knife. And Rakaflame laughed.
   "Hasdry, come here!" he called into the woods. "Hasdry, my pet!" At his call a small blue bird came hopping by and opened its beak and let loose an awful scream. Rakaflame turned to the girl and grinned. "That," said he, "is the terrible screaming monster. My brother, Gurguntash, dared me to trick all the villagers into believing that there was truly a terrible beast in the woods."
   "Ah," said the girl. "But what about-- I mean, how can it paralyze small creatures?"
   "Rumors, my lass." answered Rakaflame. "Rumors."
   At that moment the prince came walking by, and, noticing the girl's cozy meeting with Rakaflame, grew very red in the face. "Milady," he said, pushing his way in between Rakaflame and the girl. "Allow me to escort you to the palace where you and I shall be wed."
   The girl frowned. "We're getting married?"
   "But of course!" answered the prince. "You are a beautiful lass, and I a handsome prince! That is what happens in fairy tales, no?"
   "Yes," agreed the girl. "But God be thanked that this is not a fairy tale. Goodbye." and with that she went off, with Rakaflame following her.
   A year and a half later, the girl and Rakaflame were married, for, to be honest, this is really a fairy tale although don't tell the girl that. They went off to live in a small house by the sea and were never heard of again. Whether or not they had children, or went off on any more adventures, well, that is really up to you.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

The Owl

 I wrote this for my sister Annelise because for some reason she has a current obsession with owls. Enjoy.
The owl with eyes as big as the moon
Looked about his forest room
And said in a voice all shudder and grim,
"What a place I'm sleeping in!
The tree is too big; the tree is too old!
It's covered with mildew and slimy with mold.
I sit here useless all day and night. 
I've nothing to do but give small creatures a fright!
But now don't you whisper even a peep
The dawn is nearing, so it's time to sleep."

Saturday, December 17, 2011

My Many Colored Days!


On my grey days
I feel bored
Like an owl
Waiting in his tree
For a mouse that never comes.

On my red days
I feel angry
Like an ocean
Raging
On a stormy day.

On my white days
I feel tired
Like a blank paper
Sitting
On a desk.

On my purple days
I feel carefree
Like a bubble
Floating
Carelessly through the air.

On my sky blue days
I feel full of life
Like a flower
That just bloomed
In a meadow by a creek.

On my black days
I feel sad
Like a bicycle
That hasn’t been ridden
In years.



On my dark green days
I feel scared
Like a mouse in its hole
Trembling
While a cat watches him.

On my orange days
I feel inventive
Like a puppy
Trying to figure out
How to reach the bag of treats.

On my burgundy days
I feel sick
Like a manatee
Lying
At the bottom of a polluted ocean.

On my silver days
I feel competitive
Like a cheetah
Racing furiously against an eagle.

On my brown days
I feel hurt
Like a kitten
Who was ignored by her family.

On my clear days
I feel curious
Like a newborn bird
Chirping
In its nest.

On my gold days
I feel frusturated
Like a turtle
Who wants
To run fast, but can’t.




On my yellow days
I feel free
Like a falcon
Soaring
Through the air.

On my dark blue days
I feel clumsy
Like an elephant
Trying
To learn ballet.

And on some days
There is a color I can’t describe
It is warm
And happy
The color of being loved
Even though I don’t deserve it
Like a baby panda
Curled up against her mother
On a cold winter’s night.


Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The Kings Dog

Chapter One

I am a majestic beast of fine intellect and fur, otherwise known to you humans as a dog. My fur is a reddish-brown color, it is long and shiny. My body is slim, my legs are muscular, my snout is long with a very black nose, and my pride and joy, my tail, is long and feathery and curls up at the end. I am with out a doubt the finest dog the world has ever seen. I deserve to be the king's pet, and yet I am the pet of a beggar.

Though my beggar scarcely has enough money to give me the nutrition I need, he and I have spent many a fine year together, and I love him. He and I live together in a little shack near the town's dump. Often my beggar, whom I call Jack, will let me roam free in the dump, and often I will return to our shack with a gift for him; a torn up carriage wheel, or a mattress spring. Then Jack will put his in a wooden box where he keeps all my gifts, and I know he will treasure it for as long as he may live.

However, no human's life lasts forever, and I came upon the misfortune of discovering this when my beggar grew very ill and died. Because he was a beggar grew very ill and died. Because he was a beggar no self-respecting person dared bury him, or even come within 80 feet of him, for he was unimportant to them. But as a loyal beast should, I stood by his side and did not move for food nor drink.

It was then that the king's men came, on their horses, to bury my poor beggar, for it was the law that all men be buried in the cemetery. I growled at them, of course, because he was my beggar and no other living being was allowed to come near him. The horses cowered, afraid of my ferocious bite, but the men drew nearer and the fattest of them held out a piece of meat.

Oh, how that tempted me! I had not eaten for three days, and when I had, it was never proper food. But loyalty must come before hunger, so I did not budge.

At that moment, a new horse came, this one blacker than any night. On it sat a magnificent human. He was dressed in red and purple velvet, with a long cape flowing out behind him. His boots were made out of expensive leather; gems adorned his clothing. On his midnight black hair sat a golden crown with one large ruby in the middle and smaller emeralds surrounding it. I knew at once that he must be the king, for no commoner could afford such luxuries.

The king looked at me, then at my beggar beside me. Then he said, in a voice that roared like thunder, "Men! Take the dead one and grab me the dog!"

I yelped with surprise. No one was going to take me anywhere! I backed into the corner of my shack, baring my teeth and growling. The fat man with the meat walked towards me, arms shaking, obviously nervous to approach such an angry dog.

I showed no mercy. Leaping forward, I sunk my teeth into the man's fat arm and he yelled and jumped backwards. He crashed into the crate full of straw that my beggar, Jack had once slept in, and fell to the floor, arm bleeding and twisted at an odd angle.

now all the men hid, not even willing to touch Jack. The king frowned at me, and a heavy feeling filled my heart, for I knew I had displeased my king. Then the king jumped off his horse. His cape flew out behind him and give him the appearance of flying. "Come, dog!" he said. I glared at him. The word 'dog' was an insult, a harsh word that did not fit my species. On the other hand, I very much wanted to become the king's pet. But I stayed by my beggar's side. He was dead, I knew this but was unable to accept it.

It took the king a while but he finally realized that under no circumstances would I leave my beggar's side. I looked at him, and he returned my gaze. "Men!, Take the beggar. We will put him in a glass coffin in the castle where this dog will be able to visit him whenever she likes."

The men walked forward to take my beggar and this time I let them. The king walked to me and picked me up. "You are a fine beast," he said. "I must name you. How about... Scout?" I shook my head and growled.  I was a female! realizing my displeasure at the awful name, the king asked some more names. "Curtis... Klarinda... Palt?" I growled for all of them. "Okay..." murmured the King. One of the men, this one as thin as a pole walked up to the king.

"Please your Majesty, such a beautiful dog deserves the name of a goddess or something." He said.
And that is how I became known as Pallas Athene.

Chapter Two

The ride to the castle was long and boring and I discovered my displeasure of horses. Though I admit that I did not smell like a rose myself, these creatures stunk awfully, and it stung my delicate nose.  When they walked they made me jump up and fall down again and again.

Flies and ticks surrounded them, and though it did not bother the king nor his men, it bothered me. My beggar rode in the arms of two disgusted men, with his head lolling to one side and flies surrounding him.

After many hours we finally reached the castle. Oh, it was magnificent! The towers were so high up that I could not see their ending. Different colored windows made the palace shine like a rainbow.  The stone of the walls was polished to perfection, and the water of the moat was clearer than I had ever seen.

The water of the moat was crystal clear, which allowed me to see the ominous crocodiles swimming in it. A tall, handsome boy dressed in a midnight black suit and with a long, sharp sword on his side bounded over to us.

"Halt." he cried. "Who goes there?"

"Peace, Peter." said the King. "It is I, his Majesty, King Marble."

The boy, Peter, fell to his knees and put his forehead on the ground. "Oh, please, your Majesty. My mistake!"

King Marble raised his eyes to the skies, then said, "Peter, put down the moat's bridge and perhaps I shall forgive you. But be warned: He who mistakes his king for a common peasant twice will be thrown to the dungeons." Peter nodded and ran off to put down the bridge.

Three minutes later, with a long, high CRREEAK, the moat bridge slowly descended. "Come now, men!' yelled the king, and we slowly rode over the moat and into the castle. Then a you girl rushed to me. She had hair the same color as my fur and was dressed in rags. I knew that I would love her. But the king did not really seem to care. "Take Pallas Athene to her room," he said.

The girl nodded, dropped to her knees and touched her forehead to the floor, then stood up, gathered me into her arms, and ran off. I didn't get to see much of the castle, since the girl was going so fast, but I did notice there were lots of display cases containing swords, crowns, rings, and strangest of all, a human skull wearing a diamond crown. Here is where the girl stopped. She pushed her hand agianst the glass of the display case, and a heavy wooden door to our right creaked open.

"This is the King's room." said the girl. "You will stay here until we have built a proper house for you." She bent down.