Poetry Imitations

There was a Katie Went Forth


1)  There was a child went forth every day;
And the first object he look'd upon, that object he became;
And that object became part of him for the day, or a certain
part of the day, or for many years, or starchy cycles of years

At the beginning of time, I wandered about my great grandmothers home
It was a very small apartment, but a massive castle to me
In her Italian dialect she would ask me what I wanted to eat,
While simultaneously chasing me around the room with a hair brush
In my 3 year old eyes- I was already 16
10)  16 year olds deserve to wear the fanciest heels, makeup, and jewelry,
And so I did.
Popsicles, costume jewelry, and home made lasagna became a part of this child.

My Daddy was the bread-winner
He wore a suit and tie everyday and was always on the phone
I can't even tell you how many times I got one finger held up in my little face
I always was doing something different with my appearance
Always had to have a princess outfit on
Always had to be the center of the spotlight while I was still an only child
My old man traveled a lot
20)  He would be gone for weeks and when he came back from trips he always had a little gift
Never once did he come back empty handed
He spoiled me rotten until my little brother came into the world
That was when he decided he would rather nurture his baby boy and have him
grow into a great football player;
Instead of loving and playing dolls with his little girl
All she wanted was his attention, not his presents

Momma bear stayed home and cooked and cleaned and watched baby girl
While Dad was away we would do art projects, and play for hours
Solely using our imaginations
30)  We would build forts and have slumber parties and then go to
sleep in the little nest she made me at the foot of her bed
Never once did she leave my room without rubbing my back until I fell asleep
And some nights she would just watch over me and sleep with me for the entirety of it
I will always cherish those nights
I wish my mom would build baby bear a nest and rub her back still.

A life long friendship with my little Rachel started budding in pre-school
Dress up, dancing, and barbie games became a part of this child.
Cliques were formed, bonds were made and then broken,
All social pressures surrounded by the stress to get into high school became a part of this child.
40)  Meeting long lost sisters and struggling to find one self;
accompanied by an inner battle of image so dark that she is drowned it it
Became a part of this child.
The constant paranoia and fear that another 9/11 would happen-
and bring ever greater pain to her heart, became a part of this child.

These became part of that child who went forth everyday,
and who now goes. and will always go forth everyday.


There's a Certain Allure of Tide


There's a certain allure of tide,
It brings be to a heavenly place,
After a long hard day of work and school, I climb into my bed
And get lost in the smell of Tide.

There is no better feeling than being drowned in covers full of that sweet scent
They warm and exhilarate my body
They empower it and put it to sleep.
My entire being gets lost in my Tide dreams that are full of joy.

My alarm goes off at 6:00am
10) The only thing that I will get out of bed for is knowing that when I put my clothes on
The smell of detergent will engulf me
Throughout the day I smell like the wonderful Tide until it fades away

I like to spend time in laundromats.
My parents own a washer/dryer but there is really no better experience than being
surrounded by 50 washing machines oozing Tide from their gills
The scent peals me away from the droning nuisances of reality and lets me live.

What would I do without my orange bottle?
This smell had become a routine start and finish to my days
Reality would set in far too close for comfort
20) I couldn't ever dare switch to Downy.

The American Dream: A Raisin in The Sun Vs. Great Gatsby

The idea of the American Dream is shown throughout the novels A Raisin in The Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  The American Dream is described as working hard, making money, and living a better life than the generation before you.  The characters in both of these novels are striving to reach their interpretation of the American Dream at any cost.  In the Great Gatsby, Jay transformed himself completely in order to achieve his dreams, even if that meant losing people that he loved along the way.  In A Raisin in the Sun, the Youngers make the final decision to move into the white neighborhood, despite Mr. Linder’s offer and the fact that they could get harassed in this white neighborhood. This demonstrates how money is not an equalizer. The common perception is “if I had more money, this or that would be better or different,” but in reality, this is not always the case.  Even though Gatsby has all the money in the world, he is never truly satisfied with himself or the world surrounding him.  In comparison, even though the Youngers may have just as much money as some of the white families in Clybourn park, they may discriminate against and looked down upon.


Another element of the American Dream is home ownership and both novels discuss this topic.  In the Great Gatsby, Jay buys a house purposely directly across the bay from Daisy, and this isn’t just any house that he buys, its the most grandiose mansion on West Egg!  He specifically purchased it based on the likelihood of Daisy loving it.  He also enjoyed the comfort of the proximity of to his home to Daisy’s.  It made him happy that all he had to do was look out on the bay for the dock with the green light on it and he knew that Daisy was near.  This green light symbolized everything Gatsby loved and needed- mainly money, but also love, success, and being with his beloved Daisy.  

Within the novel, A Raisin in the Sun, the concept of home ownership is tied into the hopes and dreams for the next generation.  Not only does the family purchase a house in a better neighborhood, but Mama’s hope for her children is to be smart and successful.  By moving out of their current neighborhood, she gave her children a real opportunity to move beyond segregation both physically and figuratively.  Although they probably would have experienced some setbacks due to discrimination at first, overall, they enabled themselves to so do much more with their lives.  Walter has more of a chance to start a business and Beneatha can get a better education to become a doctor.  Their children can now live out their hopes and dreams to the fullest.  

All of the characters strive to achieve their own personal American Dream by making money, acquiring property, and transforming their lives.  It is human nature to always want to succeed and do better than those who came before, but at what cost?  Some people may succeed, and some people may be frustrated and not achieve their perception of the  American Dream.  When it comes down to it, we have to make our peace with doing what we love because it makes us happy and accepting our lots in life even if they don’t include billions of dollars.

Words: 564

Persuasion- Patrick Henry Vs. Thomas Paine

In my personal opinion, Patrick Henry’s “Speech in the Virginia Convention” is much more convincing in arguing for war with Great Britain than Thomas Paine’s “from The Crisis Number One” because Henry completely enveloped and captivated me.  I felt as if I had my own personal time machine and had gone back to his time and had literally been there at his speech.  I could feel the power and intensity filling the hall, I could smell the justice in the air, and could touch the power before my very eyes.  It made me mad and enraged to go do something about the issue at hand, but then I remembered that that had already been taken care of a long long time ago.  Thomas Paine’s speech was convincing and powerful too, but it was rather confusing at times.  Paine says: “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” (Page 174)  I believe that this quote is a good standard for man as a race to live by and try to live up to.  When he said this live in his speech, he must have encouraged hundreds of people who were depressed and blue to get up and pick up, and fight for freedom.  However, this quote is forever and always topped by Henry saying: “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”  Although it is shorter than Paine’s quote, it means a whole lot more.  By those 7 short words, Henry expresses his complete and utter devotion to the cause and what he is willing to sacrifice for his country’s freedom- his own life.

Word Count: 290

Rags to Riches

The idea of “rags to riches” has been an essential part of the American dream ever since our country began.  Everyone who has ever immigrated to America did so because they believed they were destined to find opportunity and could make something out of nothing.  

This belief has not changed one bit through the years.  If you work hard enough, you can be successful.  If you go to school and get a good education, it can be your ticket out of poverty.  Our country was built and continues to thrive today because individuals followed their dreams or weren’t afraid to take a chance on a new idea.

America defines itself as the “land of opportunity.”  Whether you are new to this country or were born and raised here, you can fulfill your own personal American dream with hard work and dedication.  

A real-world example of this concept is represented by Derrick Rose.  He came from a poor neighborhood of Chicago and through hard work and dedication to the game that he loved the most, basketball, he is now an NBA MVP with a contract worth millions.

Word Count: 187