Yellow
Lemons,
Sunflowers,
Rubber duckies,
A wet floor sign,
The center of a sunset,
A little Volkswagen Beetle,
A wide variety of things,
To be classified by one simple word,
Yellow.
They’re all different,
Yet still the same,
That's why they work well together,
Differences unite instead of separate,
Just like you, me, and everyone else,
“Yellow” by Coldplay,
They get it,
They understand my feelings,
I wish I could have written that song for you,
They took the words straight from my mouth,
But I will write you a better song,
No matter how long it takes,
Because even if it takes forever,
I will always love you.
What They Mean
I’ve always been told to follow my dreams.
But when I said I wanted to be an astronaut,
Or a firefighter,
Or a doctor,
I was told I couldn’t.
I was told to pick a more achievable dream.
So I only try for the things given to me.
I don’t push myself.
I don’t do hard things to improve.
I stick to the easy way,
Because that’s what they said.
When they told me to follow my dreams,
I think they meant this,
You can follow your dreams,
If approved by society,
You can follow your dreams,
If it’s easily gained,
You can follow your dreams,
If it’s a dream of mine.
Rubber Ducks
From bowties to bucket hats,
And pickle socks to mermaid tails,
We are decorated and displayed,
Forever sat still on shelves,
Until we become dog toys,
Destined to be lost beneath couches.
When we are found again,
We become a child’s toy.
Forced to love and be loved,
Forced to live in an extravagant castle,
But it’s not all so bad,
We are cared for and cherished,
Until we are forgotten about,
Given away to find a new home,
And the cycle starts once more.
The Story of the Stone
The large red crystal in the middle of town was what drew people to live in Denton, Nebraska. No one really knows how it got there, but many tales have been told and loads of rumors have started. Some people believe it was brought by aliens in an oddly-shaped UFO. Only people who actually think aliens are real are the ones who believe this rumor. Others believe that it’s in fact a fake crystal planted by the government to spy on the town. This also is usually only thought of by the alien believers. The most common tale of all, however, is this: the rock is a very unique type of asteroid that has never been seen or identified. If you think about it, this is the most logical theory of them all. Even I believe it could be the real story, if I didn’t already know the real story.
I assume- even though you should never ever assume- that most of you would like to know the story and I would be happy to share, but I am only able to broaden your minds for a price. Before you go blaming me for gatekeeping, no I did not make this price. I have only been made to eternally uphold my word and charge each and every person to ask. The price you must pay is simple: all listeners will be in debt, not in money, but in favors. I am not allowed to speak of who chooses the favors, but beware. These favors can be collected at any time and you are not allowed to say no. EVER. After hearing this, if you would still like to hear the story, please continue. If you have any inkling of danger or reluctance, TURN BACK NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!
The story starts centuries ago with a young boy named Reed. Reed had been a farmhand for his father since he turned seven years old. Once he became of age, he was expected to take over the farm from his father as his father had done with his father and so on for many generations. The tradition had never been broken, and no one suspected it ever would be. But Reed wasn’t interested in anything related to farming. He wanted to be an astronomer. He had been fascinated by meteors, asteroids, comets, and other galaxies. To become the first astronomer to find the rumored, red crystal called Emberstone was what sparked the interest in him about astronomy. Ever since then, finding the rock had been his only interest.
His father started to notice Reed wasn’t putting all his time and effort into the farm, and it made him nervous. As a kid, his father had shown very early on that he was interested in the farm and only the farm. He had known that he was to take over and he was okay with that. So when Reed wasn’t as interested as him, he started to fear that his son would be the one to break the decades-long tradition. He was afraid of how the family would react. Would they blame it on him for not helping to interest Reed more, or would they be accepting and understanding? He assumed the former was to be true as the family was very strict on tradition and family togetherness. They would think that by Reed not taking over the farm, he was trying to break the family up. This couldn’t be farther from the truth, since Reed was truly just not interested.
As time continued to pass, he seemed to get more and more disinterested. He began helping out less and eventually stopped helping altogether. This made his father even more worried. But you see, the thing is, no one could change Reed’s mind about the Emberstone. Because once he sets his mind to something, it takes a great amount of effort to divert him to something else. He has never strayed from a single thing he’s shown interest in.
But one particular day, his father had asked him to go into town to get some food from the market. Reed was reluctant, because there was supposed to be a meteor shower soon and he didn’t want to miss it. He thought maybe if he hurried, he would make it back in time to watch it. So he went as fast as he could to town, running the whole way. When he got to the market, the sky suddenly darkened, alarming the townsfolk. Reed instantly became curious and went to the only open spot, the center of town square. He stood there, staring at the sky, hoping to see something soon. Minutes passed and nothing seemed to happen. Most of the townsfolk started heading home, assuming that nothing bad was going to happen but still taking precautions just in case. Soon enough, Reed was the only one left standing in the square. As more time passed with no sign of anything, he started to get discouraged that it was all a false alarm.
He started to walk away when all of a sudden, the sky lit up like the night on the Fourth of July. He turned around to see a burning ball of fire careening toward him. As any sane person would, he ran as fast as he could, but he didn’t make it far before it impacted the ground. A cloud of dust expanded in all directions, pushing Reed faster and faster, causing him to stumble and fall. After the dust cleared, he turned to look at what had almost crushed him. He couldn’t believe his eyes. It was the Emberstone, and he had been the first one to find it.
The days and weeks following Reed’s wide-spread discovery, people came from all over to see the stone. Artists painted it. Writers wrote about it. And reporters talked about it. The town eventually became very popular, and the stone became the center point. Ever since then, people continue to come from all over to stay and see the infamous Emberstone.
Sourdough's Travels
Where sourdough bread originated is a mystery, but the first recorded civilization to have made the bread were the Egyptians in 1500 BC. They accidentally left out a mixture of flour and water for a few days and sourdough was discovered. The Egyptians also loved beer and accidentally mixed beer and flour. The result was a light loaf of bread and they kept perfecting it until it came out exactly how they wanted it. News drifted to Greece where it was first made by women at home, but eventually was baked in bakeries. In 1848 with the California gold rush, news of the bread was brought. Now San Francisco has their own sourdough culture nicknamed “mother dough.” Sourdough baking then made its way to Canada in 1898 during the Klondike gold rush. San Francisco's “mother dough” is identical to the recipes we use today and we still use some recipes from 17th-Century France. If you haven’t already, you should try making sourdough. It tastes delicious and takes so long it could become a hobby! Who knows, maybe you’ll even feel connected to the past?
“Love Poem to the Wicked Witch of the West” by Hollie Dugas. Lake Effect. Volume 27. 2023.
In Hollie Dugas’ “Love Poem to the Wicked Witch of the West,” Dugas manages to capture the original beauty of The Wizard of Oz while still giving the story more character. This unique approach to the Wicked Witch gave me a new view on the character of the witch. It was interesting to see how Dugas perceived the witch as not just a villain, but a lover. Dugas writes, “You had me at I’ll get you my pretty.” (27)This line was a great start to the poem and really catches a reader’s attention. It was wonderful to see a line included from the film adapted from L. Frank Baum’s book. Additionally, Dugas’ use of metaphors and similes creates a more enjoyable reading experience. The literary devices help build the message she is trying to convey. These devices give the poem more underlying tones and meanings. Reading the poem for the first time, I really enjoyed how she compared two contrasting ideas or objects and found a way to make them relate. Dugas writes, “your darling familiars they are, / slithering across yellow, / pavement like the drops, / of my heart for you.” This is just one example of a simile used in her poem. Comparing these two things personifies the speaker’s heart. Therefore, when reading this poem you really need to pay attention to the words and think about a deeper meaning. Overall, I highly recommend this poem, especially for fans of The Wizard of Oz.