Self Portrait Poem

 

My hair is like butter, smooth and silky

My eyes are like hot cocoa, brown and warm

My fingers are tree stumps, short and stumpy

My personality is a mess, serious one minute then childish the next

 

My heart holds fear

That is black as coal

 

I live in a curling iron

And eat bobby pins

 

By Livia Kola

 

Haiku

 

A thin line of black

carrying my tomato,

taking it away

 

By Livia Kola

 

Inside this Mind

Inside this Poem

 

Inside this mind,

cogs are spinning wild

Processing every number

every letter, every symbol

that I see.

This mind needs help

When it comes to memories

Which is why little people live inside

filing and sorting

my every thought.

By Livia Kola

 

When The Music Played that Night

Villanelle

 

When the music played that night,

people danced with such ease

It was really quite a sight

 

Our faces were lit by the moonlight

as we looked over the shining seas

When the music played that night

 

Glowing lanterns were sent into flight

and lifted by the breeze

It was really quite a sight

 

All around, fireflies shined their golden light,

and wind rattled the trees

When the music played that night

 

I’m glad I got the invite

Because I wouldn’t want to miss events like these

It was really quite a sight

 

And for the first time in awhile, I felt alright

The day was mine to seize

When the music played that night

It was really quite a sight

 

By Livia Kola

 

Hatred of Winter

Sestina Poem

 

Now that everything is covered in snow,

I have to stay inside

We used to climb on trees

or play on the beach

But the only thing I like about winter

Is the smell of cookies on Christmas

 

I’m only looking forward to Christmas

Not the snow

That falls during winter

I don’t want to be inside

I’d rather be running on the beach

or hanging in the trees

 

Now that the leaves have fallen off the trees

and it’s even closer to Christmas

I only have memories of the beach

but I’m growing fond of the snow

Even though it looks gloomy from inside,

I’m warming up to winter

 

I can’t explain my hatred for winter

I guess I prefer leaves on trees,

and I was never one to stay inside

but it’s worth it for Christmas

I can handle a little snow

as I visualize the beach

 

Remember the beach?

Well I can’t, its way past winter

and I can only see snow

Remember the trees?

Well I can’t, it’s way past Christmas

And I’m still stuck inside

 

Soon I’ll be out from my cave inside

And I’ll be running in salty air on the beach

but I’ll miss Christmas,

and I’ll miss winter.

Even though I’ll be up in the trees

I’ll still miss the crunch of the snow

 

Now that I’m not inside, and its past winter,

I’m getting sick of the beach, and the trees

I can’t wait for Christmas cookies, and crunchy snow.

 

By Livia Kola

 

The Seed

Sonnet

 

A girl is born, a seed waiting to grow

Filled with wonder and potential

Finds comfort under the weeping willow

Where she feels the most influential

The stage where she’s bloomed and wants to go back

Engulfed in other’s words and the chitchat

Examines herself for what she might lack

Are her leaves to pale? Is her stem to fat?

As life takes its toll, she will wilt away

Trying to remember memories past

Tries to live in tomorrow’s yesterday

Because any day could be her sad last

But soon another life will start its feed,

with every planting of a new seed.

 

By Livia Kola

What have you learned about YOUR poetry writing?

I have learned that I don’t enjoy writing poetry. I usually think literally which makes the writing challenging.

What was your favorite style of poem and why?

I liked the ones that gave me more freedom, such as the haiku or the inside this.

What challenges did you face with this unit?  Explain.

One challenge I faced was that I think to literal, which makes writing poems a challenge. Thinking of synonyms for words is also stressful when you have to fit a certain structure.

The “ Nightmare Scene” from The Diary of Anne Frank fits into the structure of the play by helping develop and introduce plot points and adds to the major themes of the book. In this scene, Anne wakes up with a nightmare. When Mrs. Frank tries to console her, Anne refuses to talk and instead seeks comfort in her father.  When talking with her father, Anne says, “We have nothing in common. She doesn’t understand me.” This is referring to her mother and how Anne feels her mother doesn’t understand her and is always comparing her to her sister. This scene introduces and develops Anne’s struggling relationship with her mother. It shows how Anne feels about her mother, and her mother desperately trying to understand why Anne acts the way she acts. During this time, Anne was living in a cramped attic with seven other people. Along with the war, this living arrangement made Anne’s mental health slowly deteriorate throughout the book. Anne wakes up from a nightmare screaming, “ No, don’t take me.” This scene clearly shows the effect the war had on many different people. It also relates to the theme of isolation. Anne feels alone even though she is surrounded by so many people. She can only find comfort in her diary, or talking to her father. This constant isolation also played a part in her declining mental health. Overall, this scene helps to develop plot points, such as Anne’s relationship with her mother, and adds to one of the major themes of the book, constant isolation.

1. I relate to the Family theme of Anne Frank because I am very close with my family.

2. I would improve the overall structure of my paragraph. It started getting very long, and there might be a few sentences I could combine, to make it more precise.