Heather+Campbell

**"Poetry is either something that lives like fire inside you—like music to the musician or Marxism to the Communist—or else it is nothing..."**
= - F. Scott Fitzgerald =

=** Summer day in Scotland **= A white little hare, Sitting in the warm breezy air. It runs away and My grandma does swear.

We run to catch it, The wee little rabbit. It hops far away and My sister throws a fit.

It starts to run back, No more anxiety attack. Into the rabbit hut and The door goes smack.

We sit all around, It's all quite and sound. We watch the rabbit and It's little foot going pound.

The air gently whistles, swaying the purple thistles.

The teary eyes are dried, Now the peace does reside. All is peaceful and calm, In the Scottish countryside.

=** Ode to Tchotchkes **= Tchotchkes, knickknacks, and trinkets of the like. They have little use, but to look at and cherish. They sit there unused, untouched, but admired. A little gold medal made from cheap bits of plastic. When you first held the small award it made you feel honoured, Like the an Olympian on the first place podium. A fuzzy little keychain that is soft as rabbit ear. It hung from your book-bag for many a year. It was your prized possession, that you showed of to your friends, Like the dog handler of a Greyhound that just won its first show. But now they sit on your shelf. No use, no nothing. Just sitting there with memories, Just waiting to be admired.

= =

=** Riff Poem **=

With a line by Naomi Shihab Nye
What if the clock said 6:92 instead of 6:30? Would you be scared? What if time never moved, and just stood still? Would you sit there? What if there were no windows, and just black walls? Would you feel lonely? What if there was nothing to do but wait? Would you get weary? What if you could only feel grief and not happiness? What would you do?

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/2206034/Riff%20Poem.mp3 = =

=** Jabberwocky **=

By Lewis Carroll
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wade; All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe. "Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!  Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun  The frumious Bandersnatch!" He took his vorpal sword in hand: Long time the manxome foe he sought -- So rested he by the Tumtum tree. And stood awhile in thought. And as in uffish thought he stood, The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came wiffling through the tulgey wood, And burbled as it came! One, two! One, two! And through and through The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! He left it dead, and with its head He went galumphing back. "And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy!  O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" He chortled in his joy. 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.

= = = How Doth the Little Crocodile = **By Lewis Carroll** How doth the little crocodile Improve his shining tail, And pour the waters of the Nile On every golden scale! How cheerfully he seems to grin, How neatly spreads his claws, And welcomes little fishes in With gently smiling jaws!"

= = = Dreamland =

By Lewis Carroll
When midnight mists are creeping, And all the land is sleeping, Around me tread the mighty dead, And slowly pass away. Lo, warriors, saints, and sages, From out the vanished ages, With solemn pace and reverend face Appear and pass away. The blaze of noonday splendour, The twilight soft and tender, May charm the eye: yet they shall die, Shall die and pass away. But here, in Dreamland's centre, No spoiler's hand may enter, These visions fair, this radiance rare, Shall never pass away. I see the shadows falling, The forms of old recalling; Around me tread the mighty dead, And slowly pass away.

= = = A Strange Wild Song =

By Lewis Carroll
He thought he saw an Elephant That practised on a fife: He looked again, and found it was A letter from his wife. "At length I realize," he said, "The bitterness of life!"

He thought he saw a Buffalo Upon the chimney-piece: He looked again, and found it was His Sister's Husband's Niece. "Unless you leave this house," he said, "I'll send for the police!"

he thought he saw a Rattlesnake That questioned him in Greek: He looked again, and found it was The Middle of Next Week. "The one thing I regret," he said, "Is that it cannot speak!"

He thought he saw a Banker's Clerk Descending from the bus: He looked again, and found it was A Hippopotamus. "If this should stay to dine," he said, "There won't be much for us!"

He thought he saw a Kangaroo That worked a Coffee-mill: He looked again, and found it was A Vegetable-Pill. "Were I to swallow this," he said, "I should be very ill!"

He thought he saw a Coach-and-Four That stood beside his bed: He looked again, and found it was A Bear without a Head. "Poor thing," he said, "poor silly thing! It's waiting to be fed!"

= = = A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky = **By Lewis Carroll** A BOAT beneath a sunny sky, Lingering onward dreamily In an evening of July —

Children three that nestle near, Eager eye and willing ear, Pleased a simple tale to hear —

Long has paled that sunny sky: Echoes fade and memories die: Autumn frosts have slain July.

Still she haunts me, phantomwise, Alice moving under skies Never seen by waking eyes.

Children yet, the tale to hear, Eager eye and willing ear, Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie, Dreaming as the days go by, Dreaming as the summers die:

Ever drifting down the stream — Lingering in the golden gleam — Life, what is it but a dream?

= Analysis of the Poems by Lewis Carroll =

The themes of the poems by Lewis Carroll are all unique from most other poets, but they all have a distinct style characteristic to Carroll’s writing. All of Carroll’s poems tell a whimsical and fanciful story influenced by something from his life. For example, his most famous poem, //Jabberwocky//, is most recognizable from his book //Through the Looking Glass//. //Through the Looking Glass// is about the adventures of a girl, Alice, through a made up land. The girl in the story is inspired by a girl whom he used to tutor, also named Alice. The name Alice also appears in //A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky.// The //Jabberwocky// clearly states a warning to a boy from his father, warning him of something harmful. It also talks about how the boy overcame and triumphs over the fearsome subject. One could conclude that there is a deeper meaning to this poem. One that projects the thought and possibility that one can overcome a distressing obstacle. Every poem by Carroll tells a story, a story relating to a dream. From this observation it is clear that Carroll is a very imaginative dreamer who expresses that through his poems.

The writing style of Lewis Carroll is also very distinct and unique. Every poem has a rhyming pattern, for example //A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky// ends each line in a stanza with a rhyme, while //Dreamland// ends two lines in a row in a rhyme, then skips a line and then ends in “away”, and then repeats this pattern. All of the poems written by Carroll convey a deeper meaning, but is written in metaphor and in stories, like //How Doth the Little Crocodile// and //A Strange Wild Song//. Carroll’s most famous poem, //Jabberwocky//, includes many stylistic devices such as onomatopoeia, the word for a sound, for example, a sword’s “snicker-snack!” Another stylistic device that Carroll uses often and in //Jabberwocky// is portmanteau, a blend of two words into one, for example “slithy” which is a combination of “slimy” and “lithe”. All of these devices have been used to enrich the poem and illustrate a double meaning. All of Carroll’s poems also have a pattern in terms of the syllables per a line. Most of the poems have 6 to 8 syllables per a line.

“The Jabberwocky – Lenny’s Alice in Wonderland site. //“Lenny’s Alice in Wonderland site.// N.p., n.d. Web 18 Mar. 2011. []. = =

= I was raised by... = I was raised by  The blue mascara Matching shoes And purse Glamourous and proper Types of Women.

The muddy shoes Old sweatshirts Adventure bound Laughing all around Kind of Cousins.

The deep dish pizzas A little shopping Some modest talking Kind of Mothers.

The screaming and shouting Next minute hugging Do anything for you Mood swinging Types of Sisters.

The finger snapping Loads of laughing Cheering you on But always a critic Kind of Mothers.

The tons of chores Get it done Then watch a movie Or play some football Relaxed and productive Types of Fathers.

The funny stories Old age at its glory Always smiling Do anything for you Sorts of Elders.

The campfires blazing Volcano making Crazy and fun Barefoot and dirt in your toes Adventure bound Kind of Aunties.

The teasing and trash talk Football and rubgy Laughing and giggles Friends and Enemies Polite conversing Types of Cousins.

The love and support Their caring arms Always there From my birth To the day I die I was raised by family.

= Sonnet = The sun is nice and bright outside today, People are out and about, minds are clear. Children are outside and ready to play, The wind is cool and breezy by the pier. The colorful houses all in the row, Reflect the citizens joyous feelings. The bakers are out and kneading their dough, While businesses are out with their dealings. But down the road further, you see the poor. Trying to earn their place in the big earth, Trying to survive and nothing much more. They watch in envy at people with mirth. Life is unbalances, and life is unfair. So relax, and take a breath of fresh air

**Riding a Bike in Someone Else's Shoes**

By Jeremy Spry
My name is Heather. Bike goes very, very fast; watch out. When did that tree arrive.

** Analysis of My Poems ** My poems are quite simple. They all are influenced by some experience or observation that I had. The only exception is my riff poem, which was not about a memory or experience. My sonnet was inspired by all my travels to Europe. When you travel as a tourist you only see the bright and shiny surface of a place, but when you experience a place, you learn about all the layers of the people and community. The ode was inspired by the box of key chains I found when I was cleaning out my room. In elementary school, key chains were a big deal, those little things were our prized positions, and now they are sitting in a box.  I prefer to poems that rhyme, because I find them more fun, but I was only allowed to do one rhyming poem other than the sonnet. I wouldn’t say my poems are unique; the style is not very “stylistic”.