Wonder Bomb

So I love my English class a little too much….

We had to write The Stranger by Albert Camus in poem form, and I had a little too much fun with it. ( oh and you’ll probably only understand it if you’ve read the book)

This is the story of a young man
Whose days were not an elaborate plan,
Of people, he was not a great fan,
Who’s life was over before it began.
 
He learned that his mother died
So to Marengo, he caught a ride.
The home’s director served as his guide,
But when he saw the casket, he just sighed.
 
No emotion at all did he show
His own mother’s age he did not know
Old man Perez was filled with woe
But Mersault showed no signs of sorrow.
 
 
He went home the next day in a hurry
Went to the beach, where he met Marie
They went out and saw a movie
Laughed and laughed all through the comedy.
 
A few days passed by uneventful,
Until he ran into his neighbor who was going mental,
Yelling at his dog, who was not very healthful,
Pulling at its leash, not at all being gentle.
 
Mersault passed by the dog and it’s owner unamused,
Ran into his other neighbor, who felt he was being used
By his mistress, his lover. Mersault was confused,
But Raymond was angry and very short-fused.
 
He wanted to write her a mean letter, but didn’t know how.
Mersault did him a favor. They were pals now.
 
The death, the gal,
The letter, the pal,
Dont seem important now,
But soon they shall.
 
Meursault, Raymond, and Marie decided that to the beach they’ll go,
But on the way they notice Arabs and suddenly they know.
Raymond was in big trouble. He needed to hide down below.
 
At the beach the Arabs confronted them ready to fight.
The men tried to look tough, showed all their might.
The day was hot and the sun was shining bright,
Then Raymond got stabbed and the Arabs took flight.
 
They cleaned him up, nice and neat.
Mersault felt sick from all of the heat.
He walked in the sand, dragging his feet
Walked over to what would become his defeat.
 
He found the Arab man lying in the sand.
The sun was hot, the gun ended up in his hand.
Light glinted off a knife and what happened was unplanned.
He killed a man. What for, he didn’t understand.
 
He was taken to jail and waited for a trial.
He answered all their questions and was not in denial.
And traits he had which would make a man worthwhile
Worked against him and took him back a mile.
 
He was found guilty and sentenced to die.
In his jail cell all day long he would lie,
Waiting for his death and wondering why
His life was short and yet time wouldn’t fly.
 
He came to accept that death was his fate.
No way to fix things now. It was already too late.
He should’ve lived his life, now all he could do was wait.
 
The sun, the heat,
a stranger, a cheat,
Brought a young man to his defeat.

Lust is not something that one wants to feel. It is an uncontrollable feeling that some may not be proud of, but feel anyway. Because it is human nature to want what we are not allowed to have, a desire for that untouchable person or object begins to grow. Once that desire grows, it begins to take over every thought, every action, and every moment of one’s life. This is when a simple want for something or someone becomes lust. This lust can drive people to do things that they would not do in the right state of mind. Though some will choose not to admit it, everyone experiences a lust for someone or something at some point in their lives. It is inevitable, uncontrollable, and inconceivable.

Pick a modern day song that is a perfect example of a ballad. Give the name of the song, author/singer, describe the song and then state why it is a perfect example of a ballad.

“Mr. Brightside” by The Killers tells of lust and envy. It is the perfect example of a ballad, as it dramatizes the situation of having to see the person you love with someone else. The song is about a jealous lover and the pain that he goes through imagining his love loving someone other than him. He plays out the possible scenarios in his mind and drives himself crazy. He imagines his lover in the arms of another and cannot bear seeing the two together. He is full of lust and envy and confusion. Another important point made in the song is the affect that jealousy can have on people. Jealousy can become a vice for everyone, including the most saintly of people. We have no control over our feelings, and though we may try to convince ourselves that we are not the “jealous type,” it is only human nature to want what we cannot have.

What is your favorite book and why?

Of all the books I have read, TheHarry Potterseries by J.K. Rowling is my favorite. Never have I felt so connected with the characters and the plot, than while reading these books. I always felt like the fourth best friend who was never mentioned in the books, but was there, hiding under the invisibility cloak, fighting off dementors, sneaking out of school grounds, and trying out new spells. These books made me cry, laugh, panic, scream in anger, and envy the characters. They lived in an enchanting world that went far beyond my imagination. The firstHarry Potterbook I owned was a Christmas gift from my uncle. I was in first grade and the giant book seemed impossible to me. How would I ever be able to read a book with so many pages? However, he read the book to me over many days, and slowly, I fell in love with this fantasy world and its fascinating heroes. Every time I knew that a new book from the series was going to be released, I would read every book in the series that had already been released. Reading the same books over and over again never bored me, because I would discover something new every single time. I grew up with these books and they have a special place in my heart. I would never be able to pick a favorite book out of the seven in the series, because to me they are a sum of the parts. These books taught me to expand my imagination and to let it roam free, never doubt myself, and realize that life is an adventure waiting to happen. Harry Potter and his crew showed me that there are no limits to where the mind can travel.

Which of the literary eras do you connect with the most? Why? Which piece of literature would you like to read from this era?

 Romanticism is definitely one of my favorite literatary eras. This might be because Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors, but it also has to do with the fact that the emotions in the literature of this era are very strong and influential. During this era, which was between 1785 and 1830, writers began to revolt against the aristocratic and social norms of the Enlightenment period. They moved away from the formality of previous generations and greatly emphasized emotions. I love Jane Austen’s works such as Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Persuasion. I also enjoy the American Literature of the era. Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving was one of my favorite stories as a child. Although I did not understand the true meaning behind the story when I first read it, I now know the significance of the events and the importance they have. If I could ever go back in time, I would undoubtedly choose to go to this time period, wishing to be one of Austen’s characters.

There is a terribly widespread misconception that if there is a smile on someone’s face, that that person must be happy. I can attest to the falsity of this misconception. I’m always smiling. That doesn’t mean that I’m happy. I have an image to keep up. It’s easier to have people believe that I’m happy, than have to grudgingly explain to them why I am not even remotely happy. I think an explanation is required for why the expression on my face does not rightly convey the feelings I have inside. I may never have been in love, but I have experienced heartache. I have experienced being unwanted, alone. I have heard people cry in pain and want to die. I’ve seen hate, crime, cruelty. I’ve seen discrimination, been threatened, and felt fear for my life. I’ve seen carelessness towards the value of a human life.  So no. I am not truly happy. But I have to make you believe that I am. 

When (this one actually got published in an anthology YAY!)

When the sky feels so out of reach

When you want to know things they don’t teach

When the world treats you like a stranger

When the day passes by in a hazy blur

When the one you love doesn’t love you back

When the colors seem to fade to black

When the darkness refuses to give way to light

When everything you want feels out of sight

When the world seems so bitter and cold

When the courage you had is no longer bold

When everything feels wrong and nothing feels right

When everywhere you turn, all you see is fight

When everyone you see is filled with hate

When the end of the world seems like fate

When all the hurt, you can’t erase

When life’s a marathon and you’re losing the race

When no one you look at returns your smile

When you want to crawl away and hide for a while

When you want to disappear and fade away.

Just wait. I promise. There will come a brighter day. 

We fool ourselves to think we are in love.

We convince ourselves that we are happy.

We put that person on a pedestal high above.

We read love poems that are oh, so sappy.

Who are we we fooling but ourselves

As our sanity decreases,

Because people in love only hurt themselves.

They break their hearts into two separate pieces.

Lovesick and troubled, they live deceiving

Those around them who cannot tell,

That inside they are falling apart and grieving

And really they are not doing so well.

Maybe one day the foolish will see

That love has to be two sided to last eternally. 

My eyes scan the crowd in the pool. It’s about a hundred and fifty degrees and I feel like an egg in a frying pan. The water in the pool, which was so cold it made my teeth chatter in the morning, is like a Jacuzzi now. The heat from the sun bears down and a growing feeling of exhaustion starts to make its way through me. 

All weekend I have not seen one attractive girl. I feel like I’m in a nursing home. The old ladies bunch around, sneak peeks at me, and whisper very loudly.  I can hear everything they’re saying though they try to be discreet. One brave one even asked me how I got my arms to become so muscular and my shoulders so broad. 

That’s an advantage I have for being a swimmer. I have a swimmer’s body. And what better place to show off a swimmer’s body, than in a pool. There’s just one problem. There is no one to see my body besides the old ladies. Sure, they were entertaining for a while in the beginning, but now I’m annoyed. When my parents told me about our weekend getaway to Hot Springs, my mind automatically started thinking about all the hot babes tanning, and rubbing lotion over each other, and looking at my muscles.  

I have not come across one person under the age of fifty and I’m slowly losing my patience. I decide to take a dip and swim to the other edge of the pool. I stick my head under the water, waiting for a coolness to spread over me, but it doesn’t come. I come up at the other edge of the pool and shake the water out of my hair. As my eyes begin to clear, I realize that a girl has walked into the pool area. Wait! What? A girl? Yes, and she looks around my age too. There’s just one problem. She’s wearing sweats, a baggy T-shirt, and sunglasses. She has her hair up in a messy pony tail thing. What a turn-off. I mean I wanted someone to be there to look at me, but I also wanted someone for me to look at! This girl was dressed as if she was at a perve convention and wanted to cover up every inch of skin she had. 

She carries her large bag over to a beach chair, sets it down, then walks over to the towel rack. She picks one up and begins to scan the pool. I look away, but my muscles automatically flex. I wonder if she noticed. I mean, I have to do something to pass the time right, even if that means capturing the attention of an unattractive girl. At least she looks around my age. That’s better than showing off to old ladies. 

I follow her in my peripheral vision and see her reaching for the bottom of her shirt. I turn my head fully, watching her now. What? You can’t blame my for wanting to see some skin. I’m a teenage boy. I’m built that way. I wait for a little glimpse of skin to show, but my anticipation is crushed when instead, she wraps the towel around herself. After doing this, she then proceeds to wiggling her clothes off from underneath. I want to shoot myself. Still not an inch of skin is revealed on her part, even though her sweats and shirt now form a pile on top of her bag. She lies down on the chair and shuffles through her bag. 

She takes out a book and begins to read. I don’t know whether to be angry or upset or what. No one has ever ignored me like that before. I begin to do laps in the pool making sure to make just enough noise splashing. She must hear me. I look over at her every couple of laps, but still no glance and no reaction. What is wrong with this girl? After what seems like an eternity, she puts her book down and gets up. I stop swimming. 

She walks over to the steps leading into the pool, still holding her towel tight around her. She takes one foot out of her sandal and dips it into the water. She then slowly takes off the sandal from her other foot and looks around again. She wants to make sure no one is watching her. No one is…. Except me.  I make sure she doesn’t see me watching though. 

She takes off her glasses and places them on top of her sandals. As she looks up, I notice that her eyes are bright blue. Without the mask of the glasses, she actually has a pretty face. Her button nose and high cheekbones look good with her messy hair now. It’s actually kind of seductive - in a weird sort of surprising way. 

All that runs through my mind now is “show some skin…come on and show some skin already.” I mean I could see her calves and her arms, but I wanted to see more. I wanted to know if she was worth showing off for…….(to be continued)