Amber Hiles's Blog, page 2

Death Do Us Part

This story begins after the Vietnam War
I lived out in Cali, right near the shore.
I was twenty two years old
And feeling quite bold,
when I met a young man twenty three years of age,
that’s when my life began on a whole new page
I was a waitress at the ol’ Grove
He smelt fancy and kind of like clove.
He flirted with me and asked me “Why don’t you come sit?”
I told him, “I can’t right now, but I get off in a bit.”
He gave me a cocky wink and a cute lil’ smile-
said to me, “Doll, why don’t I make your time worthwhile?”
I smiled right back then said “What can I get started with that?”
“I’ll take a cup of Ol’ Joe, then we can chat.”
After my shift, we talked all through the night.
He asked if he could walk me home, but I said “It’s alright.”
This boy and I talked every day for over a year.
Then one day, I was sure, everything became clear.
We fell in love and decided to wed.
Promised to stay til’ the deathbed
That boy then became a man,
and I changed my name to Mrs. Retlingfan.
He built us a house by Snake Mouths Creek.
Someday we’d know we’d have a pip-squeak,
who’d run the halls and color on the walls
If it’s a lil girl, she’d play with her dolls
A lil’ boy would play hunt-acting like a man, after all.
The day we brought Ophelia Jane home,
my love for that man began to roam,
A lot farther then I thought I could ever love
Our story is what I’m most proud of.
Well Ophie grew up and then back to just two
in the very house we once knew,
that was filled with our lil’ girls laughter,
but then she met a man and soon came happily ever after,
Then one day there was a call for Chester and I.
It happened one day in hot summer’s July.
We became a Pops and Granny,
and our girl had sweet baby Annie.
Annie came by the house every other day
until she started school at West Brooke Way
Then again, it was Chester and me,
but we still had fun you see.
We would go down to the creek and fish,
or watch the stars and make a wish.
But my favorite memory of them all,
was the living room ball.
We would dance the night away,
acting as if we weren’t old and gray.
Every Sunday morning we went to church-
walked three blocks past some sweet birch.
It was our favorite thing on those walks;
then it would bring us to some plant or bird talks.
Chester was a man of nature, and so was I.
We loved the sound of wind and seeing birds fly.
After church, I’d make a cup of Ol’ Joe.
Oh my, that feels like such long ago.
So the years went by until we were both near death.
Still we promised to love until the last breath.
At the age of seventy-four, Chester had a heart attack.
God, I miss him so much, I just want him back.
So I sit in his spot and wait for the day,
where death will stop being in our way.

Rylee H. is a 7th grade poet.

Something Called Love

People have asked me-
What is love?
Love is a feeling,
but not just any feeling.

Love is something that feels
like the sun is smiling down on you.
It makes your stomach twist and turn.
your cheeks flush.
makes you feel joy.

It’s something
like trust.
like happiness.
that’s strong.
magical.
powerful.

It’s when you're head
over heels for someone.
always want to be with someone.
someone is always making you smile.
always thinking of someone.

It’s when you're always
talking about, or with, someone.
when you start to glow because of someone.
someone heals you.
you show affection towards someone.

someone is always there for you.
you're always with someone.
someone catches you off guard.
has your heart.
fixes your heartbreak.
watches you grow up.
remembers your birthday.
supports you.

It’s something romantic.
platonic.
It’s self love.
It’s family love.
It’s something called Love.



Sarabella Zihlke is a 7th grade poet.

What is love?

The beauty of love is upon us.
Love is a mysterious thing.
This one word frees us from pain,
it’s simply Magical,
and grants you glee. That’s
the grand beauty
of what we
know as
Love.

A nonet poem by 6th grade writer, Tyndahl G.
A nonet poem is a nine-line poem where each line progressively decreases in syllable count, starting with nine syllables on the first line and ending with only one syllable on the last line.

The Wicked Witch of Morbit

You’ll hear the trees whisper and you’ll hear the world weep
But from the grave under the willow tree you won’t hear a peep
You’ll see stormy nights and the harsh winter sky
But not even a slight movement from where I may lie

This story begins a long, long time ago
But not in my first life where I lost my left toe
No, this story that I tell happens in my sixth
Lost my life because they thought I was a cursed witch

Bad things were happening in that small town
This is where everything soon went down
One night I was walking past Snakes Mouth Creek
I saw an old cat - so dirty and weak

I scooped the poor thing up - brought it back to my home
The next day that very cat was able to roam
I set him next to where I found him the previous day
That’s when Mayor Podmire got in the cat’s way

The cat's foot was stepped on, and boy did it hiss
This is where this very story starts to twist
The cat scratched the mayor and then came for blood
The mayor kicked the poor thing right into the mud

He pointed his crooked right finger right at me
I looked around hoping that I could flee
But he said with a smile “This woman’s a witch.
We must hang her and throw her body into a ditch.

For any woman should know a cat is the devil’s pet.
She cursed me for coming upon this cat that I met!”
This horrible man looked me right in the eye
And he knew his words were a big made-up lie

But, Alas there was no where I could go
I stood on the gallow and looked down below
I was okay with the fact until I saw that cat
They put it into the water to drown - that's a fact.

I had to do something about this town
As I die, I must bring this whole place down
If they accused me of a witch- fine so be it
I’ll become the most wickedest witch of Morbit

I would curse the mayor to burn at nightfall
As my body lay cold under that willow tree and all
My final words were that wicked curse
Not a prayer to God just me doing the worse

So if you ever pass through the small town of Morbit
Look at the big willow tree and you’ll be sure of it
A black cat there will lay
Waiting for my arrival someday

For that cat brought me powers
Now all I am is just some flowers
For when my ninth life is done
The big church bell will be rung

And the wicked witch of Morbit
Will be back in a split

Rylee H. is a 7th grader writer at MMS.
Featured photo credit: Canva

Wicked: a “Popular” Film

Wicked is the first of a book series by Gregory Maguire, inspired by The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The movie adaptation of Wicked, written by Winnie Holzman, has two main characters, Elphaba and Galinda: Elphaba being the “bad witch” and Galinda being the “good witch.” The actresses who play these characters are the well known Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

Elphaba is unlike others: she has green skin. This makes her unique which brings much attention to her. She ended up at a magical school called Shiz University, and she did not have anybody to hang out with because everybody thought she was weird. Her parents abandoned her when she was born. Galinda, like her name, is special, and everyone thinks so. At the beginning, she was being called (GAlinda). Closer to the middle of the movie, she decides to go by (GLinda). Galinda is also the most popular girl in school, and she stands out. While everybody around her wears blue school uniforms, she wears pink clothes.

In this movie, Galinda and Elphaba become best friends. This was a very slow process though because they were completely different. One example is that Elphaba focuses on school and studies while Galinda focuses on appearance and boys. In this movie, opposites definitely attract.

Once they became friends, Galinda wanted to make Elphaba popular and started to sing a song “Popular.” Even people who have not seen this movie can sing the tune to this “popular” song! The music in the movie is catchy, fun, and has great sing-along quality.

As the movie continues, there are a lot of twists and turns. In addition, they have to go on a journey to the Emerald City to see The Wizard Of Oz as a part of their plan to make the world a better place. They faced some challenges, but they each brought their strengths to achieve their goal.

In the end, everybody accepted Elphaba and Galinda (or Glinda), and everybody was happy. Glinda and Elphaba were able to embrace who they are and how their differences made them unique, even though these differences set them on different paths. This movie was a relatable story based on the “popular” book series, and I highly recommend it!

Cadence H. is a 6th grade writer.

Featured photo credit: Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures- Universal Studios

Miss Peregrine’s Home: YA Fantasy & Horror

Caution: review contains spoilers.*

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is a fun, yet romantic book. It features a large sum of action, suspense, and conflict in many scenes but also has slower, more subtle scenes that are very influential to the storyline and plot. On a different note, the pacing in this movie was not great. Many important parts at the start of the film happened much too fast compared to the book. The characterization and scenes were also astonishing, and while they were a little different than the book, in my opinion, it made the film that much better.

Jacob, Emma, Miss Peregrine, Grandpa Portman, and Mr. Barron were the main characters. These characters played a crucial role in this film and were significant to the plot. The main character, Jacob, had many important parts in the movie such as finding his grandpa dead and then leading the peculiar children to resolve the conflict. This character had a very bland personality both in the movie and the book. He has no humor, and it doesn’t seem like he is in any type of mood throughout the film. Similar to Jacob, Emma also had a very boring personality. It seemed like she was a robot other than having her powers because of her personality. She had a couple of significant roles such as helping get Miss Peregrine back from Mr. Barron and defeating the hollowghasts. Grandpa Portman also influences the plot by causing Jacob to want to find the peculiar children’s home. He had a much more enjoyable personality than Jacob or Emma because he was very wise; however, I expected better because he was more entertaining in the book. Mr. Barron had a great influence on the plot being the main antagonist. He had some crucial parts like taking Miss Peregrine because he wanted more power for himself. He had the common villain personality, very evil and mischievous, yet happy at the same time. Lastly, Miss Peregrine had one very important part in this movie which was introducing Jacob to all the peculiar children. She was also in a helpless state for a lot of the movie, since she was stuck in her bird form in a cage, which gives her an even bigger role. She was one of the only characters that had a decently enjoyable personality because she treated Jacob well; however, it was much different from the book. I pictured Miss Peregrine to be a wise and sophisticated older woman, as she seemed to be in the book, but she did not fit that criteria in the movie.

Many special effects were used in this film. To start, there were the moving puppets and the moving skeletons that Enoch animates. Similar to these moving puppets and skeletons were the hollowghasts. The moving skeletons were done by people wearing bluescreen suits for the movements and then the image of the skeleton was pasted on. This special effect specifically is very unoriginal taking into consideration the size of the monsters. To add to Millard’s floating clothes, Millard’s footprints were also a special effect. This is one of the more low-key effects that was in the film; however it was still major.

In the film, there were many parts where there was music, but hardly any of the music correlated with the mood. However, one part of the music that did was the action music that was played when the hollowghasts were fighting the peculiar children. When this was happening, a very upbeat and rapid type of song was being played, which directly correlated with the fast pace events that were going on. This music made this scene much more thrilling, which I enjoyed. Another part in this movie where there was music was when Jacob was telling his grandpa that he knew he was lying about the peculiar children. This music was very sad which directly correlated with the scene, and it made the scene that much more emotional.

The theme of this movie is that being brave is more important than being safe and in fear. This theme was introduced in the movie when Emma stated “We don’t need you to make us feel safe, Jake. Because you made us feel brave. And that’s even better.” This theme is present throughout the first part of the movie when the children and Miss Peregrine are safe. However, they are fearful of hollowghasts and wights coming after them. Now, at the end of the movie, they are brave and know how to fight off the monsters.

I give this movie a rating of 74% out of 100%. Even though the book was very suspenseful and fun, the pacing was not great, and Miss Peregrine was very different than in the book. However, it was still a great watch, and I would recommend it to those who like fantasy stories and movies with monsters. I would also recommend this film to young adults and teenagers because that age group makes up most of the characters in this book.

Cain Z. is an 8th grade writer.

Featured image credit: GiuseppeDiRosso on DeviantArt

Percy Jackson: The Titan’s Curse

 

Percy Jackson is the son of Poseidon. That’s great, right? Being the son of a god and all.

Well, for Percy, things aren’t sunshine and rainbows, a piece of cake, the bestest, most greatest; oh, you get the point. Percy actually has a rough time because his best friend, the one who he trusted, the one who gave him shelter, betrayed him, and became his enemy number one.

The theme of this book, coincidentally, is friendship and loyalty; this theme can be seen all through the book. The theme especially shines through in one of the last parts of the book when Percy J. is fighting Atlas with his small but powerful team of half bloods. They work together and have a small victory, which is one step closer to winning the war against Luke, the kid who betrayed Percy, and his alliance with Kronos, the god of time.

The reason Luke and Kronos are dead-set on destroying Percy is because, as the prophecy goes, the next half blood that is the son or daughter of the big three, (Poseidon, Zeus, or Hades) will have to make a choice that will either destroy the gods or help them win the war. Kronos is trying to persuade Percy into joining his side so he can manipulate Percy into making the decision to destroy the gods.

The author is very good at leaving you off on a cliffhanger. When you’re reading the book, you kind of get a feeling of, “What’s going to happen next?” While you read, you start to realize that the book is really suspenseful and nail biting. Rick Riordan is also really good at adding humor to text in the book. Sometimes parts of the book are so funny that you can’t help but laugh out loud.

Kaiden C. is a 7th grade writer.

Image credit: The Book Smugglers

Christmas Day

As the months pass,
the Holidays grow near.
Snow covering the grass
jingle bells in my ear.

Loud music playing
the holiday song.
Santa’s sleigh sleighing
I cannot wait long.

Then comes the night
of Christmas Day coming.
I lay with delight
thinking what’s in the morning.

Cookies and presents.
Holiday cheer.
I do simply love it,
when Christmas is here.


Ellie M. is a 7th grade writer.

The Fire

Through the night,
A fire burns bright,
Its embers in the air,
growing old,
through dark and cold.
A silent, hopeful prayer.
It found a way,
to make bright a day,
through all the wind and snows.
It cooked his meat.
It gave him heat
‘till Christmas morning shows.
It made it through,
until it knew,
that its wood was soon to burn,
It knew he’d find,
the truths of his mind,
that he came to learn.
After it died,
the man realized,
the fire was his gift.
It inspired him,
strengthened him-
his sadness it did lift.
The man learned then,
it always helped him,
something that he made.
He learned right there,
the fire cared-
his sadness began to fade.
It cooked his meals,
it heard his ordeals,
with all the pain and strife.
It made him grow,
It saved him- no!
The fire gave him life.


Caleb M. is an 8th grade writer.

Childhood Spirit

Yes, it is better when no one is bitter.
When you can easily find joy in the small and little.
When you’re not confined, but protected.
Protected from the hard truths of the present.

Some may say the responsibility of matured age is best,
but responsibility of what? Stress with little to no rest?
I’d rather enjoy my life.
To know that everything will be alright.

To enjoy the great foods
The great surrounding moods.
The thankful love and joy.
Yes, I prefer that much more.

To live in the light,
loyal, laughter of love.
Rather than the minimized
moments of memory.

To always be in the holiday spirit,
and never have to worry,
or fear it.

Would you rather worry about bills
or jumping in the leaves from the sweet smelling fall.
Have to worry about anything and everything,
or nothing at all.
Nor I, or you could prefer such a thing.
No, I’d choose our childhood,
with the happiness it brings.

Alexa M. is an 8th grade writer.