M AKE THE MOST OUT OF YOUR LIFE Poetry Portfolio By Andrea Seager P. 4

H AIKU Sunset The sun is setting Butter melting on the sky Beautiful and Free

I A M P OEM I am creative and outgoing. I wonder where I will be in 10 years. I hear music everywhere. I see a great future ahead. I want to be happy and successful. I am creative and outgoing. I pretend to be happy even when I'm not. I feel fortunate to have such great family and friends. I touch the hearts of those I help. I worry about what will happen in the tomorrows to come. I cry about the loss of a loved one. I am creative and outgoing. I understand life doesn't always go as planned. I say I’ll do the best I can. I dream of a family and a great future. I try to do my best and work hard to achieve my goals. I hope to live my life to the fullest. I am creative and outgoing.

C OLOR P OEM Hope is the color yellow It is not amber yellow It is not canary yellow It is Sun yellow

C INQUAIN Songs Melodic, sweet Listening, humming, harmonizing Hearing birds in trees Expressions

L IMERICK The angry old man in the house Sat waiting and watching the mouse He sat there for weeks and weeks Planning and plotting against the squeaks The man never did catch that mouse.

C ONCRETE You only have one life to live So live to the fullest you can, Enjoy life and treasure it. It is more valuable than anything

F REE VERSE Life is like a river, it has its ups and its downs, Sometimes it is swiftly, sweeping through The years fly by faster than the blink of an eye And we find ourselves asking, why? Why wouldn't we wait and watch the waves of the ocean calmly flow Instead of rushing home to watch our favorite T.V. Show? Why did we not quietly enjoy the pitter patter of the rain As it fell from the heavens above, Instead of groaning that we could not go out and play. We took for granted the beautiful moments we could have had We cast them aside for normal everyday life The chaos in the world took over. The years slowly crept away, leaving us in need. We did not think to stop and enjoy what we had while we could. Don't let your life slip away, stop sluggishly lying about, Stop and smell the roses, feel the warmth of the golden sun, Make every day count as if it were your last.

F REE V ERSE - P ARTS OF P OETRY Life is like a river, it has its ups and its downs, Sometimes it is swiftly, sweeping through The years fly by faster than the blink of an eye And we find ourselves asking, why? Why wouldn't we wait and watch the waves of the ocean calmly flow Instead of rushing home to watch our favorite T.V. Show? Why did we not quietly enjoy the pitter patter of the rain As it fell from the heavens above, Instead of groaning that we could not go out and play. We took for granted the beautiful moments we could have had, We cast them aside for normal everyday life The chaos in the world took over. The years slowly crept away, leaving us in need. We did not think to stop and enjoy what we had while we could. Don't let your life slip away, stop sluggishly lying about, Stop and smell the roses, feel the warmth of the golden sun, Make every day count as if it were your last. Simile Alliteration Personification Alliteration Onomatopoeia Personification

F AVORITE PUBLISHED P OEM Phenomenal Woman BY MAYA ANGELOU Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size But when I start to tell them, They think I’m telling lies. I say, It’s in the reach of my arms, The span of my hips, The stride of my step, The curl of my lips. I’m a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That’s me. I walk into a room Just as cool as you please, And to a man, The fellows stand or Fall down on their knees. Then they swarm around me, A hive of honey bees. I say, It’s the fire in my eyes, And the flash of my teeth, The swing in my waist, And the joy in my feet. I’m a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That’s me. Men themselves have wondered What they see in me. They try so much But they can’t touch My inner mystery. When I try to show them, They say they still can’t see. I say, It’s in the arch of my back, The sun of my smile, The ride of my breasts, The grace of my style. I’m a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That’s me. Now you understand Just why my head’s not bowed. I don’t shout or jump about Or have to talk real loud. When you see me passing, It ought to make you proud. I say, It’s in the click of my heels, The bend of my hair, the palm of my hand, The need for my care. ’Cause I’m a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That’s me.