Paddy Clarke Snippet

We thought she was an alien. We would be swimming in the pool, Laura, Nick, Daniel, Nicole, Joshua. We always played this game. If she came to the window you hid behind your boogie board so that she couldn't suck out your brains. If you saw the curtains move but weren't fast enough, you were out.
-I'm not out.
-Yes you are, you didn't hide. Your brains are gone.
I was always the first out or the first one picked on. Just because I was the youngest. I thought being at my house would help but it never meant anything. Just that if we needed something I had to go get it. Daniel knew where everything was too, but he always made me do it.
We didn't know that Misses Edick wasn't a real alien. We'd look up and see her starring outside from her window, and just knew she was always watching us. She was a nice lady though. When I had to learn Polish for a school project, she was the one who taught it to me. She always bought from my school fundraisiers too. But none of that mattered if she was an alien. Her buying cookie dough and cheese from me just gave her stuff to eat with our brains.
~~~~~
I couldn't hop the fence. Laura, Nick, Daniel, Nicole, and Joshua could, but not me. They always had to get a chair for me to climb onto and a chair for me to step onto on the other side. They always complained but usually they did it. If not then I had to walk all the way around the block to get to Laura and Nick's house. When I was younger they used to just lift me over. But I guess I got too old for that. They tried to teach me, and sometimes I'd get to the top, but I'd get stuck. It hurt to sit on the top of the fence. I could never get my other leg over without getting hurt. Finally they gave up.
-Hey guys, coming over.
-Ok, I'll go get the chairs.
They weren't the nice chairs that had cushions. They were just the plastic flimsy ones that tipped over if you stepped too close to the edge. I didn't feel too bad about stepping on those chairs.
Kathy told me that when I was a baby, she'd lift me over the fence and play with me. Whenever her sister saw her she'd take me and walk all the way around the block and give me back to my mom. I don't know why her sister didn't let me stay. They were both grown-ups. I used to go over and make mud pies in their garden. They never complained. Sometimes Kathy would even help.
~~~~~
She had a huge backyard. We'd play manhunt and hide and go seek and tag, and someone would always hide behind her house. There were no fences, but she always got mad if she saw us back there. During the day we'd play baseball or catch, or I'd pick the pinecones off the tree. It was huge, and I'd count the number of seeds still in each pinecone. She didn't mind us being there during the day, or maybe she jus didn't notice. The backyard made it easier to go to Laura's house or our house. You could get to Nicole and Josh's house too, but it was easier to just walk. At night, we would hide below the window or behind the tree and wait. If she heard us, she would lean out the big window and yell at us.
-You kids get out of my backyard or I'm calling the cops.
She was only mean when we were playing though. Every Christmas she would give me and Daniel a giant plastic candy cane filled with chocolate kisses. She was an old lady with red hair who lived in a green house. Sometimes we'd hide next to her car too, but she never noticed.
~~~~~
Connie loved animals. She had bunnies and fish, but her favorite were her birds. We'd go over there across the street every once in a while to play with the animals. She was really nice and always gave us stuff, like jewelry she had made or candy. She taught us how to sew, and showed us some of her paintings. Alot of them were pretty flowers. During the summer she'd play kickball in the streets with us if we needed another person. She was an adult, but she almost acted like a kid. One day I was over there and she was watching TV. A show came on called Sex and the City and she sent me home. When I asked why she said I was too young to see that show. I don't remember my mom's reaction.

Villanelle

Fickle friendships come and go
The ones you thought would be pious and last through any endeavor
You just never truly know

Like sunshine on the newly fallen snow
It will be gone sooner than ever
Fickle friendships come and go

Boxers hurt you with a blow
Friends with a litany of promises of always together
You just never truly know

Only these can make you feel so low
While standing on a platform, they pull the lever
Fickle friendships come and go

The seeds of friendship you as a zealot did sow
But they make sure they last for never
You just never truly know

Their cynicism they did ominously show
Through translucent emotions, don't let them control your life forever
Fickle friendships come and go
You just never truly know

Fairytale

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, lived a young girl named Kristina. She lived on a small farm with her mother and father, and her best friends were the pigs and cows her family raised. Her father pitied his daughter, because she had no real friends. She was a beautiful girl, and he knew that if she was around people more often, she could easily get a husband. The mother thought the girl was too simple and stupid, because she’d often find her talking to the animals. She told the father that they needed the girl to stay home to help with the farm, but still the father felt pity for her. One day, the father made up his mind to send Kristina to the nearest village in hopes that she would find a husband. The mother consented because she hoped to profit off the girl in case she got lucky, but the father truly hoped the girl would be happy.
The next day he woke Kristina up earlier than usual, and told her to pack her clothes. “I am sending you to the nearest village, so that you might find a husband.” The girl protested at first, for she did not want to leave her animal friends. However, the father was insistent, and eventually the girl was packed and ready to leave. She said goodbye to the cows and pigs, kissed her parents on the cheek, and headed towards the forest to get to the village. After a short walk, she came across a stream that was too wide to cross and too deep to wade through. “What am I to do now? I cannot go back home without a husband, but how will I cross this stream?” The girl sat on a fallen log and believed all was hopeless. Not long after a brown bear emerged from the bushes and trees, and the girl was terribly frightened. She jumped off the log and hid behind a tree, sure that the bear would try to eat her. The bear however, saw how distressed the beautiful girl was, and nudged the log towards the stream until it stretched across and formed a bridge for the girl to walk across. The girl witnessed this and felt compassion for the bear, picked some berries from the bush next to her, and gave them to the bear. It grunted in delight and continued along its journey, while the girl did the same.
After walking for quite some time, Kristina finally came upon the village. She found an inn with a room for her, and soon fell asleep, exhausted from her excursion. The next morning she woke up unsure of what to do next. Kristina had no idea how to find a husband, but was smart enough to know that sitting in her room would do no good. She decided to go to the market, sure that there would be men there who would be suitable husbands. She walked up and down the market streets, but the men in the village were simple folk, and while they were startled by the sight of such a beautiful girl, they knew not how to approach her. Kristina misinterpreted the men’s uncertainty and believed that she would never find a husband, and never be able to return home. She returned to the inn and wept bitterly until she fell asleep.
The innkeeper heard the poor girl crying, and sent his son to check on her. His son was a very good man, who had been born into royalty but left under the innkeeper’s care. The king and queen wanted their boy to know more about the people they ruled, so they entrusted him to the innkeeper, who raised him with morals and values not usually found within court. His royal blood made him very attractive, but the innkeeper wanted to protect the boy, and kept him out of the view of most of the villagers. He would work in the kitchen and could only go outside under hood and cloak, but was mostly unknown by the local townsfolk. However, the innkeeper noticed Kristina’s beauty as soon as she walked through the door, and took pity on the girl when he heard her tears. He believed Kristina would be a suitable wife for the young prince, and sent him to check on her.
The boy, named Henry, was surprised by his father’s request. He had never before been sent to check on a customer, and found the request quite odd. However, when he walked in the room and saw the maiden, who had cried herself to sleep, he was struck by her beauty. He would not disturb her, and vowed to get to know her the next morning. When the young maiden awoke, she felt that staying in the village was pointless, and was determined to travel to the next village. She began to pack her clothes yet again, but had no one to say goodbye to except the innkeeper, which saddened her. She approached the table where she should return the key, where in hope for his son, the innkeeper had the young prince working. He heard someone approaching and looked up, and saw Kristina walking towards him. When she got to the table he took off his hooded cloak, and she was startled by his good looks. She faltered in her action to return the key, and the young man saw his advantage and took it. He introduced himself as the innkeeper’s son, and asked Kristina if she would need an escort around the village or to the market. He knew that she would soon leave if he did not ask, but luckily she said yes.
The two could be seen all throughout the village, and soon fell in love. They planned to marry, and Henry soon revealed his true identity to Kristina. She was shocked, by had always known deep down that there was more to him than meets the eye. They married, and returned to Kristina’s home to tell her father and mother. The mother was overjoyed that her daughter had gotten so lucky that she had married the prince of the kingdom, but her joy did not last long. Soon after Kristina’s return, her mother fell ill and could not fully enjoy the riches her daughter had now gained. Her father was truly happy for his daughter, and happily accepted Henry as his son. Kristina was glad that she was able to see her animal friends again, and the new couple lived happily ever after.

Harangue

Don’t drive too fast; don’t rush if you’re late; make sure you get to school on time; get straight A’s; try your best, that’s all that matters; don’t act immature; wear age appropriate clothing; don’t show too much cleavage; wear clothes appropriate for your body type; lose wight; don’t give in to peer pressure; don’t stand out too much and attract too much attention; don’t embarrass me in front of others; stand up for your beliefs; you’re too young to know what you want in life; follow your dreams; pick something you can make a career out of; pick a job that will make you a lot of money; money isn’t everything; don’t sell yourself short; clean your room; put away your clothes; put away your shoes; put away your mail; fix yourself up; don’t put on too much makeup; fix your hair; don’t style your hair like that, it looks horrible; don’t believe everything you hear; did you hear what I said?; did you hear what they said on the news?; don’t spread rumors; don’t listen to rumors; did you hear what they did to them?; don’t lie; respect your elders; stand up for yourself; don’t try to force others to accept your beliefs; don’t argue with the teacher; don’t tell them they’re wrong; if I make a mistake, correct me; put the dishes away; clean up after yourself; leave it, I’ll take care of it; always be polite; don’t make a mess; be creative; don’t be a freak; the ideal of romantic love does not exist; someday you’ll find your knight in shining armor; not everyone has a true love; you’re too young to date; you don’t know what you want out of life yet; it’s better to just be friends with someone; practice makes perfect; you learn from experience; you’re not ready to experience that yet; you’re too young for that; you’re too old for that; don’t forget your family; call me when you get there; learn to be independent; you wouldn’t be able to survive without me; I’m preparing you for the real world; sometimes it takes tough love; never be mean or hurtful; you live in a fantasy world and won’t survive in the real world; I’m always right; nobody’s perfect; everyone makes mistakes; you should’ve known better; you were raised to know better; I’ve taught you all you need to know; you need to go to school and get an education; be yourself; conform to society’s view; go against the grain; don’t cause any trouble; reach for the stars; that college’s too expensive; that’s unpractical; do your homework; study for all your tests; don’t be a suck up; make sure your teachers like you; take every opportunity you come across; don’t be ruthless; don’t take advantage of others; don’t be overly emotional; let me know how you’re feeling; help me try to understand; you don’t make any sense; act your age; be more mature than that.

Wordle - structure of an argument

Wordle - structure of an argument: ""

Poem

The Structure of an Argument

Hoydens blither endlessly, forming lineaments with their words
Expostulating with triangles, circles, squares, and octagons
Words transformed into appurtenances to build a structure

The forgotten polygons are extant in a hoyden's vocabulary
Leavened from their resting place in the minds of the masses
To support the base from collapsing

Fickle triangles and circles are soon deployed then deplored
They work only to destroy the work of the polygons
While their older siblings pyramids and orbs watch and laugh

Once the structure is completed, it is engirdled
The conclusion barriers around the hoyden's argument
And rebukes it for its weakness and lack of reason
Surrounding it with the constant question
Why were you created?

playlist

College Essay

The topic was your own choice, the only requirement was at least 250 words.


Family is defined as a group of persons related by blood or marriage. Most people would take this definition literally, but I see that it has multiple meanings. Yes, your family is the family you are born into, but it can also be created. Theatre, for me, is my created family. I have put my blood into every production, sacrificing hours of sleep and free time for play rehearsals and outfit fittings. I have married all my fellow thespians through all the hours we have spent together and all the memories we share. Theatre, and the stage arts in general, have always been a part of my life, and a part of my history.

I got my first taste of the stage when I was three years old and enrolled in dance lessons. Home videos prove that I was meant to be there, showing me center stage and unafraid to be the leader of the group. You can even see the other girls watching me to see what steps to do. As I grew up, the steps got harder, but the situation stayed the same, except girls learned how to hide their unknowing eyes from the audience. I was placed front and center many times not because I was the most talented or the most flexible, but because I was the one who could remember every step. Dance was my first stage arts family, the people who helped form my love of the visual arts. Every worker knew every student who knew every parent, and every time you walked into the studio felt like a family reunion. The group of girls you started classes with became your sisters, as you progressed together throughout different levels and dance styles. I took tap, jazz, and ballet for eleven years, so Center Stage Dance Academy truly did feel like a second home to me. When word got around that my family was moving from New Jersey to Florida in eighth grade, I was given special recognition at my final recital in front of hundreds of people, an honor usually awarded only to graduating high school seniors. Both my blood family and my dance family cheered and clapped for me, proving only again how close of a bond I had formed with people who had been complete strangers before we shared a common love of dance.

My next encounter with the stage came in middle school, where I joined the school choir. I had always sung around my house, but never had official voice lessons. Then in eighth grade I was chosen to be in the select choir, a special group of the best singers in school. We did Christmas concerts and sang to the elderly, and people finally recognized that I could sing. I did not have solos or special parts because I was not the most talented, but I was content with being part of a new family. This family however, was not like my dance family. There was always competition, and people tended to stick by their friends from their classes. However, I still met new people and gained new experiences from my tougher family. They taught me how to be independent, and showed me just how cruel people can be to get what they want. This may not have been an ideal family, or a type of family anyone would choose as their blood family, but they too helped me to grow, and taught me how to stand on my own two feet when no one else will support you.

Then we moved from New Jersey to Florida, and things started to change. I became more of my outgoing self, and joined the first of my many plays. In joining the plays, like before, I joined a family, only this one is more evident. You are instantly taken in by the upperclassmen, who become your big brothers and sisters. As you progress through high school, the new freshmen become your younger brothers and sisters. Our teacher Ms. Day is not only our director, but our mom. Some might believe she practices the ideal of tough love, but she will also help you when other activities cause problems with play rehearsals. We all watch out for each other, making sure no one is left out or feels unwanted. If someone’s falling behind in a class, we tutor them; if they need a ride to the end of production cast party, we drive them. You care for your theatre family as much as you care for your blood family, no questions asked.

By now it’s evident that I love the arts, and have formed many families in the different types of the arts. While dancing and singing will always be a special part of me, theatre is the one that has helped me grow the most. In dancing and singing it was, for the most part, the same people every year. Although you loved them to death, they did not challenge you in new ways like theatre does. Every new wave of freshmen exposes me to new opinions and viewpoints. I have grown in my confidence both onstage and offstage through all the new challenges. I’ve gained leadership skills from becoming one of the few seniors left, forcing me to take control during the times I would have otherwise backed down. Next year, I will pass the responsibilities to my younger brothers and sisters, and will hopefully join a new family at college. While I will not make theatre or the arts my whole life, I do hope to continue to show my love for the arts throughout my years at college. They have obviously helped me throughout my life.

While theatre has shown me new aspects of myself, it has also enhanced those I already possessed. I am still reliable little Kim, the student teachers know can rise up to the challenge. I remember every word, every song, every step, and every lesson that I am entrusted to remember. Ms. Day herself has even told me that I am “ a go-to student”, the one she can trust with almost any task, whether it be teaching new steps to absent cast members or controlling the lights during an after school event or meeting. Theatre and the stage arts have helped me grow into who I am today, and have helped me create amazing families along the way.