Lauren+E

 Hello my name is Lauren! :-) I'm going to share with you some of the writing I have done this year. Some of my writing pieces are from my creative writing class and some of the others are from my english class. I have enjoyed writing all of these! Writing a lot of these pieces were challenging but fun.
 * __Introduction__ **

​ Poetry I wrote these poems for my creative writing class. There were several different styles to writing these poems. Some of them were difficult to write while some were more simple than others. I was able to express my thoughts and creativity through these poems. I hope you enjoy them! Around Then…


 * // Around 1998: //**// I //// picked up a basketball for the first time. //
 * // Around 2000: //**// I became a big sister. //
 * // Around 2009: //**// I realized that my mom is always right. //
 * // Around 2002: //**// I had the best teacher and she influenced me so much that I decided to be a teacher. //
 * // Around 2007: //**// I performed on stage for the first time. //
 * // Around 1997: //**// I spent most of my days with my grandparents. //
 * // Around 2009: //**// I lost my best friend whom I called grandma. //
 * // Around 2006: //**// I met a boy and I became crazy about him. //
 * // Around 2009: //**// I realized I’m better off without that boy. //
 * // Around 1999: //**// I fell off of the monkey bars and had my first broken bone. //
 * // Around 2008: //**// I drove a car for the first time. //
 * // Around 2005: //**// My brother Robert was born. //
 * // Around 2008: //**// My sister Mattie was born. //
 * // Around 2006: //**// I walked through the high school halls for the first time. //
 * // Around 2008: //**// I walked across the basketball court to receive my straight A plaque. //
 * // Around 2010: //**// I will walk across the stage to get my diploma. //

The Around then poem was the first poem that I wrote. It was about different times in my life that are significant. In my poem, I included the important events in my life such as, the birth of my siblings, when I started driving, and other situations like that. When I was writing this poem, I didn’t have to think about what to write. The important events automatically came into my head.I have learned from writing this poem that you can take different times in your life and put them together to make a good poem. I enjoyed writing this poem because; it reminded me of all the mostly good things that I have gone through in life. I enjoyed being reminded of these events because now I’m a senior. I think that this was an easy poem to write. I think it was easy because, I didn’t have to think hard to remember the important events that have happened to me.

Hannah the M&Mtana

She’s green and she’s mean Born in the state of Tennessee Lacing up her boots under the moon She thought of ways to get loot She made a list of everything she could be Of all the ideas, she chooses to sing Her dad finds her a job No more lying and trying to be something that she’s not While waiting for her taxi, she puts on her white gloves Her blue shoes that she loves will bring her luck The stage is set and very dark Nervous and afraid she’s ready to start The crowd gets loud as she takes a bow They scream her name and she feels no shame The last song approaching, it ends the show And at that moment she knows that life has so much to unfold

For this poem, I had to go online and make an m&m. After I made the m&m, I wrote a poem about it. I created m&m to be like Hannah Montana. I got this idea because I was listening to one of her songs when I was making it. My poem describes her and how she came to success. By writing this poem, I learned that assonance is the internal rhyming of vowel sounds. I think that assonance influenced my poem in both a positive way. The lines in my poem turned out to be good and somewhat funny. I thought it was easy using assonance in this poem. I really enjoyed writing this because it was fun making an m&m and also, because I got to write about Hannah Montana.

** New York **

Eight in the morning Streets crowded with people that are tired They rush and run to work Hoping they’ll be on time and not get fired

Statue of liberty stands near She waves people in to the land of the free Buildings so large and tall, Are the only things in New York that can make you feel small

When midnight comes around, the lights turn on Music blares and children dance in the street Not too long after, they are home and asleep While their parents share laughter

The city is brighter than Albert Einstein It’s the city that never sleeps And is filled with hopes and dreams In New York, It’s impossible to feel alone

In this poem I had to describe a place. When I described this place, I had to use symbolism and allusion. I wrote about New York. I wrote about New York because it is a place that I want to go to really bad. I’ve wanted to go for along time so; my mom decided that she would take me for my graduation present. I wrote about how New York is a busy city with people everywhere. I also, wrote about how it has the statue of liberty and how it is really pretty when it’s lit up at night. I learned how to use symbolism and allusion when I wrote this poem. I think that symbolism influenced my poem in a positive way because I used the statue of liberty as a symbol and it went well in my poem. I also, think that allusion influenced my poem in a positive way because I compared the city being bright to Albert Einstein and it’s easy for people to get the connection that he is very bright. I thought that this poem was easy because I could use many symbols and allusions for New York. I enjoyed writing this poem, especially because it was about a place that I really want to go.

Onomatopoeia


 * Oink! The pig said **
 * He was big and pink **
 * He fell in some mud and hit his head **


 * Neigh! Said the horse **
 * I fed him some hay **
 * He was happy of course **
 * I could tell it would be a great day **


 * Smack! Said the hand as it hit the pig **
 * The farmer tried to get him in the pen **
 * The heel of his shoe digs **
 * Without a fight the farmer should win **


 * Fizz! Said the coke falling in the glass **
 * Cold and caffeinated it satisfies your thirst **
 * On a hot summer day, it helps time pass **
 * Out of all the pops, I’d choose coke first **


 * Squawk! All of the sudden appears a bird **
 * It lands on a fence **
 * From what I’ve read and heard **
 * This poem doesn’t make since **


 * Plop! Goes the fish **
 * Swimming down the stream **
 * Fisherman’s wish **
 * The biggest fish is just a dream **

Different students in my class helped me write this poem. We passed it around and each wrote a paragraph. We had to pick a literal noise and write about it. Some of the noises that were in my poem were noises that animals make. The other noises were just random noises. When I was writing this poem I learned that you can make an entire poem just by one word that is a noise. I think that onomatopoeia influenced my poem in a positive way because my poem was all about those noises. I thought that it was kind of hard to write this poem because I had to think of things that made that noise. I also, had to pull the poem together from what everyone else wrote. I did enjoy writing this poem because it was fun to see what everyone else wrote.

What’s Your Favorite Thing?

Another five minutes pass I’m sitting in the pew at church My pastors says “I’m coming to a close” for the fifth time My belly growls like a lion at the zoo

I leave and head towards the red brick palace of greatness It’s one o’clock I’m just in time to get the lunch and breakfast bar Breakfast is the best

I walk through the gates of heaven When I go in I see that… The lines are as long as The lines for rides at Kings Island

The lady at the hostess desk says: “It will be 20 min” I stand impatiently Even though I wait an eternity

Finally, I get to my table While I wait I pick up some crayons And I color a masterpiece

After I eat I order a hot fudge cake It slides down my throat like the Nile River A cherry coke Turn my eyes into a faucet

Out the door I feel stuffed like a turkey Yet, I walk slowly like a turtle I wave goodbye to the giant plastic guy in plaid overalls

In the poem, I had to give a restaurant review. I used Frisch’s for my restaurant. My idea came from the Sunday before when I ate at Frisch’s after church. I talked about how good the breakfast was. I also, talked about how I color when I go there. I used Frisch’s because it is my favorite restaurant. I learned that you can use many similes and metaphors when writing a restaurant review. I compared the restaurant to a red brick palace. I thought the poem was easy to write. I enjoyed writing this poem. I enjoyed writing about my favorite restaurant and using similes and metaphors in it.

__ What Does Red Sound Like? __

Red SOUNDS LIKE TWEENTY DRUMS, THEY BEAT LOUDER WHEN YOU WALK BY I SSTUDDER, But you ignore it

Red sounds like tides of the ocean You are the water, And I am the shells You move me

Red sounds like a dozen roses They sit on my front porch before school Vegetable soup on a Wednesday morning You bring it just because I’m sick

Red sounds like your annoying laugh I tell a joke You bust out laughing But I can tell that you don’t think it’s very funny

Red sounds like the heels of my boots Running to you They make my toes feel like ten friends at a sleepover What can I say? Red sounds like you

This poem was about what the color red sounded like to me. At first, I was going to write this about my grandma because her favorite color is red and she loved roses. When I began writing, it was hard for me to write about her because it made me sad. In the end, I decided to write about a past relationship. It showed me that red sounded like that relationship in the beginning, but more like black in the end. I learned a couple things when writing this poem. I learned how to use lines and stanzas when writing a poem. I also, learned that the sound of red doesn’t have to be a literal sound. I think that this poem was hard to write because I had trouble thinking of things that reminded me of red. I didn’t enjoy writing this poem because it brought up memories that I really didn’t want to remember.

__ R h y t h m C i n q u a i n  __

Happy Giggly, Smiley Funny, Silly, Loving Often Grateful To Be Alive Feeling

Depressed Sleepy, Upset Lazy, Unloved, Unhappy Often Ungrateful To Live Feeling

Noisy Noticed, Outgoing Jumpy, Bouncy, Friendly You do not like to be alone

Quiet Hiding, Soft-spoken Alone, Silent, Undisturbed Comfortable being by themselves Trait

This poem is about antonyms and synonyms. I used different emotions to show antonyms. I also, used different characteristic traits to show antonyms. When I was writing I was thinking of certain people that I know. I used some of my friends’ emotions and characteristics to show how they are different. I used rhythm when I was writing this poem. I learned how to use meters in my poem by counting different numbers of syllables. I thought this poem was hard to write because; you had to find words that fit with the number of syllables needed. I didn’t enjoy writing this poem with meters and rhythm. I found that it was one of the more difficult poems to write.

__Little Girls Can Still Cry__ Here is a little girl With blonde hair and bouncy curls She can’t be more than three Usually she is happy and full of glee

All of her dolls are stacked on her shelf She plays all by her self She’s often lonely No siblings, she is the only

Most of the time she is good She never cries She’s just misunderstood And never shy

Lately she has changed her ways Cries, cries, cries all day Her mother doesn’t know what to do About her daughter being so blue

Last week at the playground She tripped and fell down As she began to cry Others just looked and walked by

Off to the mall She wanted to get a ball Her mom said no She began crying and so they had to go


 * This poem I had to take a picture and write a poem about what I saw. My picture was about a little girl screaming. In the poem, I described what she looked like and why she was crying. I have three younger siblings so I got my idea of why she was screaming from why they cry. I said she was crying because she wanted a toy and her mom wouldn’t buy it for her. This poem was one of my favorites. I used a rhyme scheme when writing it. I liked using rhyme schemes. I learned that you can take a picture and make just about any story to describe it. I thought this poem was easy to write and it was a lot of fun making a story to go along with the picture. **

__Thank you Mom__

I’ve held on to your hand for 17 years My heart has memories of joy and tears However, things are different now it seems I’m letting go of your hand and heading towards the world at full speed

Your moods change like crazy Constantly calling me lazy You can be my best friend and then cold Can’t you cope with it; it’s kind of getting old

One mistake and you yell and scream Yikes, sometimes you and I both can be mean Yet, for your guidance I’m still yearning Young and youthful even though time is turning

I remember playing on the playground Putting puzzle pieces together, you were always around Packing my things will be sad But perhaps me setting off on my path won’t be so bad

Things are going to get better between us Me going off to college won’t change too much You’ve raise me and given me a good life I’m grateful for a mom like you leading me towards a future so bright

I’ll drive out of the driveway Feeling daring and delightful, I will wave goodbye Days may fly or we may feel depressed But when I have my college diploma, you will be impressed

For this poem we listened to different songs and used our feelings toward those songs to write the poem. Every feeling I had that day was the same. It seems that things have been stressful because I’m going to college here soon. The poem started out from anger to “its going to be ok” emotion. When I wrote this poem, I learned how to use alliteration. I thought that the poem was hard to write because you have to find consonantl sounds that sound alike. I also, thought it was hard to write because I had to take the different feelings from each song and combine them. I think that the alliteration elements influenced my poem in a positive way. I enjoyed writing this poem because I was able to vent during that poem.

What If…?

What if the sky wasn’t blue? And the grass never grew green? If I could have anything in the world It would be one more day with you

What if I never had a grandma like you? I would’ve been a lonely kid Like a chick without its hen I would’ve never knew what it was like to have a best friend like you

What if I never had anyone that brought me lunchables? Someone who showed me how to love What if we never stayed up until 3 watching lifetime movies? Or even the incident where you got stuck in the hot tub

Still yet the days fly by I look up and you are a bird in the sky You continue to watch me grow Good things are happening for me, I hope you know

Now I know that if it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be who I am today And I definitely, Wouldn’t be the woman that I turned into.

I wrote this poem for my grandma. She was one of my favorite people and she passed away last year. She was someone that I looked up to. I wrote this poem thanking her for all she has done and if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be who I am today.

__ Non Fiction __

St. Louis Arch

On a hot summer day, a chilly Missouri breeze brushed over my face. The breeze was so strong that it nearly knocked me over. I walked closer to the monument even though the wind was so strong. I’ve never felt this little before. The monument was in the shape of an arch. I decided to go inside. The wait was long, but it would be worth it. Twenty minuets passed by while I was waiting. Suddenly, I smelt something very good. I looked over my shoulder and around me trying to figure out where the smell was coming from. It was coming from a hot dog stand across the street. Before I had a chance to get one, the workers in the monument said it was my turn to go up. They put me and seven other people inside a tiny elevator. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, because of the small confinement. On the way up the arch, I heard some noises. There were metal clinking noises as I went up in the elevator. Finally, I was up there. I took a great big look down from the windows in the top of the arch. The people below me walking looked like tiny little ants. After I took a great glance down, I made my way back to the elevator. I was very happy one I was back on the ground. Before I left, I touched the smooth white brick on the arch. I now can say that I have been at the top of the St. Louis Arch.


 * For this piece, I had to select a place and describe it uses the five senses. I chose the St. Louis Arch for many reason. When I was in 2nd grade, my cousin was in the air force and his base was in Missouri. My family took a trip there and all of us went up in the arch. It was amazing and an experience that you can never forget.

We Flew High

One day over the summer in eighth grade, Lauren and I went to Kings Island. When we first got there, Lauren discovered that Ryan Cabrera had been there for a concert. She got on the ground and acted like she was going to kiss it. I was so embarrassed. It was such a fun day. Before we left, there was something that I wanted to ride; it was called Sky Fly. I told Lauren that we were going to ride it and she just laughed and said “no way girl.” Knowing how much she hates heights I went and bought the tickets to ride it anyway. After a thirty minute wait, it was our turn to ride. I made her get on even though she was by the ticket booth crying her eyes out. They put us on a harness and flipped us really quick. She screamed so loud it nearly busted my ear drum out. As the flyer lifted us off the ground, we went from a hundred, two hundred, and then finally to three hundred feet in the air. The man holding the microphone screamed “one, two, and three, Fly!” I went to pull the string, but it got stuck. I was so scared. I looked over at Lauren and said “I broke it!” As I tried and tried again, it began to poor rain. Without fearing death, Lauren said “Oh no! I’m wearing the flip-flops that turn my feet green when they get wet!” I tried pulling the string one last time and finally the string released and we fell. Lauren was squeezing my arm so hard, it turned purple. When we got off of the ride, she was so mad at me. I left the park thinking man we really did survive Kings Island. Till this day, Lauren will __never ever__ let me forget that night. __Ever__!


 * For this piece, I had to write an experience and use someone else's point of view. I decided to write about the time that my friend Mary and I went to Kings Island. I wrote the experience from her point of view. Even till this day, I can't believe that I rode Sky Fly.