Horizon is Blogerrific!

1st Place – “Dream Chaser” by Poet in Disguise

2nd Place – “Spring Rain” by Skye

3rd Place – “Spring” by Book Maniac

Congratulations to all the talented poets! Please stop by the library ASAP for your very own photo shoot!

To celebrate National Poetry Month, we are asking Horizon students to submit their original poems to our “Horizon is Blogerrific” Blog by clicking on the title, “Annual Poetry Contest, 2013”  for this posting.

Please put both your pen name or alias AND  your first and last real name in the “Name” box , and your poem in the “Comments” box.  (Your real name will be kept confidential on the blog, but If Ms. Berg doesn’t know who you really are, YOU CAN’T WIN.)

The deadline to submit poems is April 19th. We will then vote online from April 23rd – April 26th and the three winning poets will receive their very own posters.

TO VOTE: 1) Click on the title of your favorite poem; 2) In the “Comments” box, explain why you think that this poem should win – be specific!

Spring Rain
The time is early spring,
I hear the thunder rolling in; I know a storm is coming.
I can almost sense the million tiny drops,
becoming too heavy for the clouds.
I run outside, umbrella free,
and let the raindrops fall on me.
I feel the peace, I feel the rhythm,
that only rain can bring.
I know I’m being soaked to the bone,
but the heavenly smell has filled my nose,
and I don’t even care.
The rain soothes me, calms me,
Frees me of my stress.
The spring rains have come, and I am at peace.

Caballo
Beautiful, Free
Prancing, Trotting, Galloping
Runs like the wind
Mustang

Shelby-Love Poem for a Car

Shelby
Beautiful, Impressive
Accelerating, Glistening, Purring
One day she’s mine
Baby

Glorious, wonderful, beautiful spring.
Everything turns from brown to an awestruck green.
The time when everything comes alive after a very cold winter.
You see butterflies flying and hear birds chirping to their loved ones.
Spring is going outside in a short-sleeved shirt and riding your swift bike.
Spring is the time you go outside slowly slurping a melting ice-cream cone.
Trees are getting baby green leaves, becoming perfect for climbing in the crisp fresh air.
Everything is thawing out and leaving behind yet another frozen winter.
Almost all of the snow has melted and has made small cold streams.
Bee-filled flowers start to bloom and plants start to come to life.
Everything is so very peaceful, content, and quiet.
The perfect time to go for a long walk
With your dogs.
Have water fights
With your friends.
Watch the sun rise
Or watch its setting.
Or maybe find a good book and read it while sitting under a tall quiet tree.

(This poem should be in the shape of a tree, but unable to do this in our blog.)

The Dream Chaser

She dwells in a land
Untouched by human eye
A world of left behind dreams
Battered in the wind
Before they arrived

She has a house
A library of sorts
But she does not live
Within its walls

It is a land
Covered in gray
Cloaked in the dim colorless hue

She is dark too
As she gathers fleeting wisps
Of hopes
Destroyed by another world

She drops them in the shack

They long to see her again

Only when she delivers more
Discarded dreams
Do they glimpse her face

And they see the hope

That is already gone

Picnic

The wee birdies sing,
Children play in the evening warmth of the scorching sun,
The bees zoom around the park sweetly buzzing,
Watermelon is dripping off the tips of my fingers
and splashing onto the cool, dark pavement,
Families gather around the picnic table and dish
up their favorite home-cooked meals,
Time for dessert!
Everyone gathers around the midnight campfire
Little ones falling asleep safely in their mothers arms.

Please discuss some or all of these questions in your group. You may also blog your answers by clicking on the title of this blog post.

1. The author S.E. Hinton was 16 years old in 1967 when she wrote The Outsiders.  Can you tell that a teenager wrote this book?  How?  Do you think a talented 16 year old could write a book with similar themes and characters today?

2. Describe what various groups have in common in your school.  Are there conflicts among the groups similar to those in The Outsiders?  How do you fit into these groups?

3. Ponyboy resents that his older brother Darry rides him hard about school, friends and responsibilities.  Why is Darry much harder on Pony than on Sodapop?  Do you think that Darry’s high expectations for Pony are an expression of love or power?

4. Cherry, one of the girls in the Socs tells Ponyboy:  “We’re sophisticated – cool to the point of not feeling anything.”  What do you think of this definition of being “cool”?  What is your definition of “cool”?  Has it changed from when this book was written?

5. Why does the Robert Frost line, “Nothing gold can stay” mean so much to Ponyboy?  What do you think this line means?

6. Ponyboy has this insight about the life he has lived:  “Sixteen years on the streets and you can learn a lot.  Just all the wrong things, not the things you want to learn.  Sixteen years on the streets and you see a lot.  But all the wrong sights, not the sights you want to see.”  What are the things Pony wants to learn and see besides what he has experienced?  In your own life, what do you hope to learn and see that you haven’t experienced yet?

7. There are no adult main characters in The Outsiders.  The teen characters experience passion, love, hate and violence amongst themselves and completely apart from the world of adults.  Do you think all teens go through these experiences away from their parents? Are you?

8. Loyalty and friendship are the glue that binds the characters together.  How do the characters show loyalty to their friends?  How do your friends show loyalty to each other?

9. Ponyboy’s intelligence and sensitivity shine through all his experiences.  What kind of future might he have as an adult?  Do you feel hopeful for his future?  Why or why not?

10. What was your favorite part of the novel? Why?

Create Your Own Underland:

1. Things you will need to get started:
   • a notebook and some sketching paper
   • writing/drawing utensils of your choice (pencils, pens colored pencils, markers)
   • your imagination
2. Choose your “rabbit hole”
   • Alice fell down the rabbit hole to Wonderland. Gregor fell down a grate behind the laundry room dryer to the Underland. Where do you think you might find the way to your Underland? Think about the things you do each day and the places you go. Maybe your way to the Underland is hidden in one of your favorite places, like your bedroom, your treeehouse, or the mall. Maybe the way to your Underland is, like Gregor’s, in a boring but unexpected place. List some of your favorite places, then list some of the places you go to everyday that might seem boring, but would actually be very surprising if they led to another world. Look at your list and decide. Where will the way to YOUR Underland be? Make a drawing of that place, and make sure to include the pate to your Underland.
3. How Underland is your Underland?
   • Next, it’s time to think about what your Underland will look like. Will it be a dark place? A cold place? A pretty place? A creepy place? Will it be the place of your dreams? Will it hold challenges for getting around (waterfalls, mountains, etc.)? Now do several drawings of your Underland. You can even draw a map and name the different regions.
4. Who goes there?
   • Who will inhabit this Underland? Humans, animals, or both? Will they be good or bad? Will they be funny, helpful, rude, or kind? What will they look like? What kinds of things will they like to do? Sketch several of the characters you will meet in the Underland and write a brief description of each one. Make sure to give them names – that’s the fun part!
5. Travel much?
   • Now that you know what your Underland looks like and who will live there, it’s time to decide: will you go to the Underland alone? Or will you take someone with you? If you’re going to have a companion, draw a picture of this person and yourself, and list the reasons why you want to take them along.
6. A picture is worth a thousand words.
   • Congratulations, you have your Underland! It’s time now to write a story about how you get there and what happens to you (and the person who accompanies you) when you fall inside. Then the real fun begins: Write the story (or stories!) of what happens when you get there. Remember: Don’t forget to come up for air every once in a while!