CONCRETE POEM

A type of poetry that uses some sort of visual presentation to enhance the effect of the

poem on the reader. The visual layout of the poem need not necessarily form a picture,

although many concrete poems do.

A verbal composition designed to convey experiences, ideas, or emotions in a vivid and imaginative way, characterized by the use of language chosen for its sound and suggestive power and by the use of literary techniques such as meter, metaphor, and rhyme.

POEMPOEM

SHAPE FORM

LYRIC POEMIn lyric poetry, the mood is musical and emotional. The writer of a lyric poem uses words that express his state of mind, his perceptions, or his feelings.

o William Shakespeare

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?Thou art more lovely and more temperate.Rough winds do shake the darling buds of

May,And summer's lease hath all too short a date.Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold complexion dimmed,

And every fair from fair sometime declines,By chance, or nature's changing course

untrimmed.

BALLAD POEM A ballad is a song that tells a story, and it can be dramatic, funny, or romantic. You can find ballads in a variety of musical styles, from country-western to rock n' roll.

ANGEL’S WINGSBy Linda Hays-Gibbs

I just had the most horriblefeeling something is wrong

It woke me up with my heartdrumming a drumbeat song

loudly in my earsI pray all good will

And God take my fearswhatever men may say

I shall pray and pray and pray

ThenAngel's wings beat over me

I knew though I could not seeAnd love like heat and peace

flowed throughInto my pores and I knew

A Guardian, a messenger, a faithful friendGod's will to fulfil till the very endA harbinger of justice like a dove

Sent to guide and care from aboveHis only reward His Master's love

My heart filled with peace and faith tooAnd I knew

NARRATIVE POEMI GIVE THANKS

I give thanksfor a Dementia patient growing more loving in latter

years, my motherfor a Dad who has diabetes, high-blood pressure,

overweight, andshould have been in the grave 20 years earlier like father

and brother

I give thanksfor a wife with lymphoma who has shown her faith and

love of Godfor a son who travelled the world and used nursing skills

for othersfor a daughter with challenges growing up, after college

had four job offers

I give thanksFor churches that I have attended that have helped

mature meFor good jobs to help take care of my family and those in

needFor a great education from a Community College and

University

For iron sharpening friends and mentors in to my life they gave

For my Lord Jesus Christ who first loved and got me savedI give thanks

ACROSTIC POEM

An acrostic poem is a poem where certain letters in each line spells out a word or phrase. Typically, the first letters of a line are used to spell the message; but, they can appear anywhere.

Acrostic Poem Using the First Letter

Acrostic Poems Using Different Position

Spelling out "school"RowS of desks

TeaChers explainPencils sHarpened

Going Over the factsWriting pOems and essays

The belL rings, final.

Acrostic Poems with Name

Spelling out "Betty"

Beaming, so joyfulElegant, so graceful

Tantalizing, thrilling the sensesThorough, attentive to detailsYearning, a drive to succeed

Acrostic Poems in Literature

From Edgar Allan Poe.

Elizabeth it is in vain you say

"Love not" — thou sayest it in so sweet a way:

In vain those words from thee or L. E. L.Zantippe's talents had enforced so well:

Ah! If that language from thy heart arise,Breathe it less gently forth — and veil thine eyes.

Endymion, recollect, when Luna triedTo cure his love — was cured of all beside —

His folly — pride — and passion — for he died.

THE SONNET The word sonnet is derived from the Italian word “sonetto”. It means a small or little song or lyric. In

poetry, a sonnet has 14 fourteen lines and is written in iambic pentameter. Each line has 10 syllables. It has a specific rhyme scheme and a

“volta” or a specific turn.

Shakespearean Sonnet A Shakespearean sonnet is generally written in an iambic pentameter, there are 10 syllables in each line.

From fairest creatures we desire increase,That thereby beauty’s rose might never die.

But as the riper should by time decease,His tender heir might bear his memory:

But thou, contracted to thine own bright eyes,Feed’st thy light’s flame with self-substantial

fuel,Making a famine where abundance lies,

Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel.Thou that art now the world’s fresh ornament

And only herald to the gaudy spring,Within thine own bud buriest thy content

And, tender churl, mak’st waste in niggarding.Pity the world, or else this glutton be,

To eat the world’s due, by the grave and theeThe rhyme scheme of Shakespearian

sonnet is abab-cdcd-efef-gg.

ELEGYa form of literature which can be defined as a poem or song in the form of elegiac couplets, written in honor of someone

deceased. It typically laments or mourns the death of the individual.

ShineShine as a source of endless light

whose rainbows of colour deter the nightwhere daydreams are gentle as doves in flight

and sleep the sleep of angels

Shine like a shower of soft moonbeamsInhabit the sea of a thousand dreams

where laughter and love are timeless themesand sleep the sleep of angels

Shine like the sun in a golden skyOn warm, sultry evenings, a fragrance, a sigh

an echo of summer as life passes byand sleep the sleep of angel.

COUPLET

A couplet is a successive pair of lines in a poem. The pair of lines that comprise a couplet generally

rhyme  with each other and contain the same meter. Couplets are either closed, which is to say that both lines are end-stopped, or open, which is to say that there is enjambment  involved and the

meaning of the line runs on past the end of the line. Closed couplets are also known as formal

couplets, while open couplets are sometimes called run-on couplets.

Rhyming Couplet ExampleShe was a little tense

The notice made no senseI saw a little hermit crab

His coloring was oh so drabIt’s hard to see the butterfly

Because he flies across the skyHear the honking of the gooseI think he’s angry at the moose

His red sports car is just a dream

It needs no gas, it runs on steamThe children like the ocean shore

We want to leave but they want moreI made the cookies one by one

I hear the bell, so they are doneMy cat, she likes to chase a mouse,Especially one that’s in the house

Lightening, thunder, all aroundSoon the rain falls on the groundI tire of writing poems and rhyme

I think I need vacation time

Rhyming Couplets from Other Sources

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wallHumpty Dumpty had a great fall - nursery

rhymeJack be nimble, Jack be quick

Jack jump over the candlestick - nursery rhyme

"So precious are true friends who lend their ears

and give their time to wipe away sad tears." - Joy Saunders

"When Silly Sally irons her clothes, they come out looking awful.

She did not read the label and her iron was meant to waffle." - Denise Rodgers

"Oh my!" the portly gent called out. "I cannot find my hair.

I washed and put it out to dry, and now it isn't there!" - Denise Rodgers

ODE

a lyric poem, usually addressing a particular person or thing. Was

performed by a chorus, which walked along one side of the orchestra chanting

the strophe and down the other side chanting the antistrophe, then came to a

standstill before the audience and chanted the epode. This performance was repeated with each set of three

stanzas.

Ode to Joy

Wild and fearful in his cavernHid the naked troglodyte,

And the homeless nomad wanderedLaying waste the fertile plain.

Menacing with spear and arrow

In the woods the hunter strayed .Woe to all poor wreteches strandedOn those cruel and hostile shores!

From the peak of high OlympusCame the mother Ceres down,

Seeeking Found no kindly welcome there,And no temple bearing witness

To the worship of the gods.

From the fields and from the vineyardsCame no fruit to deck the feasts,

Only flesh of blood-stained victimsSmouldered on the alter-fires,

And where'er the grieving goddessTurns her melancholy gaze,Sunk in vilest degradation

Man his loathsomeness displays.

Would he purge his soul from vilenessAnd attain to light and worth,

He must turn and cling foreverTo his ancient Mother Earth.

Joy everlasting fostereth

The soul of all creation,It is her secret ferment firesThe cup of life with flame.

'Tis at her beck the grass hath turnedEach blade toward the light

and solar systems have evolvedFrom chaos and dark night,

Filling the realms of boundless spaceBeyond the sage's sight.

At bounteous nature's kindly breast,All things that breath drink Joy,

And bird and beasts and creaping thingsAll follow where she leads.

Her gifts to man are friends in need,The wreath, the foaming must,

To angels -- visions of God's throne,To insects -- sensual lust.in those savage

regionsHer lost daughter Prosperine.

But the Goddess found no refuge,

The Ship of State (Odes I, 14) Quintus Horatius Flaccus (Horace) (65-8 B.C.)

On Ship! New billows sweep thee outSeaward. What wilt thou? Hold the port,

be stoutSEE'ST not thy mast

How rent by stiff Southwestern blast?Thy side, of rowers how forlorn?

Thine hull, with groaning yards, with rigging torn,

Can ill sustainThe fierce, and ever fiercer main;

Thy gods, no more than sails entire,From whom yet once they need might

aid require,Oh Pontic Pine,

The first of woodland stocks is thine.Yet race and name are but as dust,Not painted sterns gave storm-tost

seamen trust;Unless thou dare

To be the sport of storms, beware.O fold at best a weary weight,

A yearning care and constant strain of late,

O shun the seasThat girt those glittering Cyclades

HAIKU Haiku is a Japanese poetry form. A haiku uses just a few words to capture a moment and create a picture in the reader's mind. It is like a tiny window into a scene much larger than itself.  Traditionally, haiku is written in three lines, with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line. 

BASHO MATSUOHere are three examples of the haiku of

Basho Matsuo, the first great poet of haiku in the 1600s:

An old silent pond... A frog jumps into the pond,

splash! Silence again.

Autumn moonlight—a worm digs silentlyinto the chestnut.

Lightning flash—what I thought were faces

are plumes of pampas grass.

To His Young MistressPierre de Ronsard (1524-85)

Fair flower of fifteen springs, that stillArt scarcely blossomed from the bud,

Yet hast such store of evil will,A heart so full of hardihood,

Seeking to hide in friendly wiseThe mischief of your mocking eyes.

If you have pity, child, give o'er,Give back the heart you stole from me,

Pirate, setting so little storeOn this your captive from Love’s sea,

Holding his misery for gain,And making pleasure of his pain.

Another, not so fair of face,But far more pitiful than you,

Would take my heart, if of his grace,My heart would give her of Love’s due;

And she shall have it, since I findThat you are cruel and unkind.

From Ode to Sir Lucius Gray and Sir H. Morison

Ben Jonson (1572-1637)

It is not growing like a treeIn bulk, doth make man better be;

Or standing long an Oak, three hundred year,

To fall a log at last, dry, bald, and sear.

A Lily of a dayIs fairer far, in May

Although it fall and die that night;It was the plant and flower of light.

In small proportions we just beauties see;

And in short measure, life may perfect be.

PASTORAL POEM

  much like it sounds; poetry that has to do with pastures! And in some pastures, there are sheep tended by shepherds. The pastoral poem elevates the life of the shepherd or shepherdess, versus the evils of the city.

The Passionate Shepherd to

His LoveBY CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE

Come live with me and be my love,

And we will all the pleasures prove,

That Valleys, groves, hills, and fields,

Woods, or steepy mountain yields.

And we will sit upon the Rocks,

Seeing the Shepherds feed their flocks,

By shallow Rivers to whose falls

Melodious birds sing Madrigals.

And I will make thee beds of Roses

And a thousand fragrant posies,

A cap of flowers, and a kirtle

Embroidered all with leaves of Myrtle;

A gown made of the finest wool

Which from our pretty Lambs we pull;

Fair lined slippers for the cold,

With buckles of the purest gold;

A belt of straw and Ivy buds,

With Coral clasps and Amber studs:

And if these pleasures may thee move,

Come live with me, and be my love.

The Shepherds’ Swains shall dance and sing

For thy delight each May-morning:

If these delights thy mind may move,

Then live with me, and be my love.

LONG POEM is a literary genre including all poetry of

considerable length. Though the definition of a long poem is vague and broad, the genre includes some of the most important poetry ever written.

Still I RiseBy: MAYA ANGELOU

You may write me down in historyWith your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?Why are you beset with gloom?

'Cause I walk like I've got oil wellsPumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops.

Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?Don't you take it awful hard

'Cause I laugh like I've got gold minesDiggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?Does it come as a surprise

That I dance like I've got diamondsAt the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shameI rise

Up from a past that's rooted in painI rise

I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fearI rise

Into a daybreak that's wondrously clearI rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I riseI riseI rise.

A Dream Within a DreamBY   EDGAR ALLAN POE

Take this kiss upon the brow!And, in parting from you now,

Thus much let me avow —You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;Yet if hope has flown away

In a night, or in a day,In a vision, or in none,

Is it therefore the less gone?All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar Of a surf-

tormented shore, And I hold

within my hand Grains of the

golden sand — How few! yet how they creep

Through my fingers to the deep, While I weep — while I weep! O God! Can I not

graspThem with a tighter clasp?

O God! can I not saveOne from the pitiless wave?Is all that we see or seem

But a dream within a dream?

To One in ParadiseBY EDGAR ALLAN POE

Thou wast that all to me, love,For which my soul did pine—

A green isle in the sea, love,

A fountain and a shrine,All wreathed with fairy

fruits and flowers, And all the flowers were

mine.

Ah, dream too bright to last!Ah, starry Hope! that didst ariseBut to be overcast!A voice from out the Future cries,

“On! on!”—but o’er the Past(Dim gulf!) my spirit hovering lies

Mute, motionless, aghast!

For, alas! alas! with meThe light of Life is o’er!

No more—no more—no more—(Such language holds the solemn sea

To the sands upon the shore)Shall bloom the thunder-blasted tree,

Or the stricken eagle soar!

And all my days are trances,And all my nightly dreams

Are where thy grey eye And where thy footstep gleams

In what ethereal dances,By what eternal streams.

SHORT POEM A short poem may be a stylistic choice or it may be that you have said what you intended to say in a more concise way.

o A DIVINE IMAGE

Cruelty has a human heart,

And Jealousy a human face;

Terror the human

form divine,And Secrecy the human dress.

The human dress is forged iron,The human form a fiery forge,

The human face a furnace sealed,The human heart its hungry gorge.

– William Blake

oThe world is too much with usThe world is too much with us; late and soon,Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;—Little we see in Nature that is ours;We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;The winds that will be howling at all hours,And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;For this, for everything, we are out of tune;It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather beA Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,Have glimpses that would make me less

forlorn;Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.

– William Wordsworth

a kind of poetry that has a unique place in English comic poetry. It consists of five

lines, three trimetres (first, second and fifth) and two dimetres (third and fourth), which

rhyme according to the AABBA scheme. Rhythm is prominent and somewhat blatant anapaest – two short syllables and one long.

LIMERICKSLIMERICKS

There was a bold pirate of Boulder Whose cutlass was slung from his shoulder. He’d mighty fine notions Of plundering oceans, But his mom said: “Perhaps, when you’re older”

Graham Lester

An anecdote is a short little scene or story taken from a personal experience. Anecdotes can be useful for setting the stage for a speech or personal essay. An anecdote often relays a story that can be used as a theme or lesson.

A Tragedy Or a Blessing?Years ago in Scotland, the Clark family had a dream. Clark and his wife worked and saved, making plans for their nine children and themselves to travel to the United States. It had taken years, but they had finally saved enough money and had gotten passports and reservations for the whole family on a new liner to the United States.The entire family was filled with anticipation and excitement about their new life. However, seven days

ANECDOTEANECDOTE

before their departure, the youngest son was bitten by a dog. The doctor sewed up the boy but hung a yellow sheet on the Clarks' front door. Because of the possibility of rabies, they were being quarantined for fourteen days.The family's dreams were dashed. They would not be able to make the trip to America as they had planned. The father, filled with disappointment and anger, stomped to the dock to watch the ship leave - without the Clark family. The father shed tears of disappointment and cursed both his son and God for their misfortune.Five days later, the tragic news spread throughout Scotland - the mighty Tittanic had sunk. The unsinkable ship had sunk, taking hundreds of lives with it. The Clark family was to have been on that ship, but because the son had been bitten by a dog, they were left behind in Scotland.When Mr. Clark heard the news, he hugged his son and thanked him for saving the family. He thanked God for saving their lives and turning what he had felt was a tragedy into a blessing.

Grind or ShineAdversity is the grindstone of life. Intended to polish you up, adversity also has the ability to grind you down. The impact and ultimate result depend on what you do with the difficulties that come your way. Consider the phenomenal achievements of people experiencing adversity.Beethoven composed his greatest works after becoming deaf. Sir Walter Raleigh wrote the History of the World during a thirteen year imprisonment. If Columbus had turned back, no one could have blamed him, considering the constant adversity he endured. Of course, no one

would have remembered him either. Abraham Lincoln achieved greatness by his display of wisdom and character during the devastation of the Civil War. Luther translated the Bible while enduring confinement in the Castle of Wartburg. Under a sentence of death and during twenty years in exile, Dante wrote the Divine Comedy. John Bunyan wrote Pilgrim's Progress in a Bedford jail.Finally, consider a more recent example. Mary Groda-Lewis endured sixteen years of illiteracy because of unrecognized dyslexia, was committed to a reformatory on two different occasions, and almost died of a stroke while bearing a child. Committed to going to college, she worked at a variety of odd jobs to save money, graduated with her high school equivalency at eighteen, was named Oregon's outstanding Upward Bound student, and finally entered college. Determined to become a doctor, she faced fifteen medical school rejections until Albany Medical College finally accepted her. In 1984, Dr. Mary Groda-Lewis, at thirty-five, graduated with honors to fulfill her dream.Adversity - the grindstone of life. Will it grind you down or polish you up?

Who's Counting?

Napoleon was involved in conversation with a colonel of a Hungarian battalion who had been taken prisoner in Italy. The colonel mentioned he had fought in the army of

Maria Theresa. "You must have a few years under your belt!" exclaimed Napoleon. "I'm sure I've lived sixty or seventy years," replied the colonel. "You mean to say," Napoleon continued, "you have not kept track of the years you have lived?"The colonel promptly replied, "Sir, I always count my money, my shirts, and my horses - but as for my years, I know nobody who wants to steal them, and I shall surely never lose them."

"If I Had My Life to Live Over"If I had my life to live over, I'd dare to make more mistakes next time. I'd relax, I'd limber up. I would be sillier than I've been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously, take more chances, take more trips. I'd climb more mountains, and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I'd have fewer imaginary ones. You see, I'm one of those people who lived seriously, sanely, hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had it to do over again, I'd have more of them. I've been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot-water bottle, a raincoat, and a parachute. If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than this trip. If I had my life to live over, I would start going barefoot earlier in the spring, and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances, I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies.

The Whole World Came TogetherThe young mother was ready for a few minutes of relaxation after a long and demanding day. However, her young daughter had other plans for her mother's time."Read me a story, Mom," the little girl requested. "Give Mommy a few minutes to relax and unwind. Then I'll be happy to read you a story," pleaded the mother.The little girl was insistent that Mommy read to her now. With a stroke of genius, the mother tore off the back page of the magazine she was reading. It contained a full-page picture of the world. As she tore it into several pieces, Mom asked her daughter to put the picture together and then she would read her a story. Surely this would buy her considerable relaxing moments.A short time later, the little girl announced the completion of her puzzle project. To her astonishment, she found the world picture completely assembled. When she asked her daughter how she managed to do it so quickly, the little girl explained that on the reverse side of the page was the picture of a little girl. "You see, Mommy, when I got the little girl together, the whole world came together."Each of us has the responsibility to put our world together. It starts by getting ourselves put together. We can become better parents, friends, spouses, employees, and employers. The first step is changing our attitude.

Hang In There

Nicolo Paganini was a well-known and gifted nineteenth century violinist. He was also well known as a great showman with a quick sense of humor. His most memorable concert was in Italy with a full orchestra. He was performing before a packed house and his technique was incredible, his tone was fantastic, and his audience dearly loved him. Toward the end of his concert, Paganini was astounding his audience with an unbelievable composition when suddenly one string on his violin snapped and hung limply from his instrument. Paganini frowned briefly, shook his head, and continued to play, improvising beautifully.Then to everyone's surprise, a second string broke. And shortly thereafter, a third. Almost like a slapstick comedy, Paganini stood there with three strings dangling from his Stradivarius. But instead of leaving the stage, Paganini stood his ground and calmly completed the difficult number on the one remaining string.

 is a question, a puzzle, a phrase or a statement devised to get unexpected or clever answers. It is a folklore genre as well as rhetorical device, having often veiled or double. Some riddles show the wit of protagonists in a narrative, allowing them to

RIDDLESRIDDLES

escape a terrible situation by using their wit rather than their strength.

“Three eyes have I, all in a row; when the red one opens, all freeze. ”Traffic light.

“ I am weightless, but you can see me. Put me in a bucket, and I'll make it lighter. What am I?”  A

hole.

Pronounced as one letter,/And written with

three,/Two letters there are,/And two only in me./I'm

double, I'm single,/I'm black, blue, and gray,/I'm read from both ends,/And the same either way./What am I? An eye.

I'm the part of the bird that's not in the sky. I can swim in the ocean and yet remain dry. What am I? 

A Shadow

I am mother and father, but never birth or nurse. I'm rarely still, but I never

wander. What am I? A tree

I can run but not walk. Wherever I go, thought

follows close behind What am I? A nose

a kind of story shorter than the novel or novelette, characteristically developing a single central theme and limited in scope and number of characters

The Story of An Hourby Kate Chopin

SHORT STORY

Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death.

It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences; veiled hints that revealed in half concealing. Her husband's friend Richards was there, too, near her. It was he who had been in the newspaper office when intelligence of the railroad disaster was received, with Brently Mallard's name leading the list of "killed." He had only taken the

time to assure himself of its truth by a second telegram, and had hastened to forestall any less careful, less tender friend in bearing the sad message.She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance. She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister's arms. When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone. She would have no one follow her.There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which someone was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves.There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window.She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when

a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams.She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on one of those patches of blue sky. It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought.There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air.Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously. She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will--as powerless as her two white slender hands would have been. When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under the breath: "free, free, free!" The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body.

She did not stop to ask if it were or were not a monstrous joy that held her. A clear and exalted perception enabled her to dismiss the suggestion as trivial. She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead. But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome.There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination.And yet she had loved him--sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in the face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!"Free! Body and soul free!" she kept whispering.Josephine was kneeling before the closed door with her lips to the keyhole, imploring for admission. "Louise, open the door! I beg; open the door--you

will make yourself ill. What are you doing, Louise? For heaven's sake open the door.""Go away. I am not making myself ill." No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window.Her fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her. Spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long.She arose at length and opened the door to her sister's importunities. There was a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory. She clasped her sister's waist, and together they descended the stairs. Richards stood waiting for them at the bottom.Someone was opening the front door with a latchkey. It was Brently Mallard who entered, a little travel-stained, composedly carrying his grip-sack and umbrella. He had been far from the scene of the accident, and did not even know there had been one. He stood amazed at Josephine's piercing cry; at Richards' quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife.When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease--of the joy that kills.

A Pair of Silk Stockingsby Kate Chopin

Little Mrs. Sommers one day found herself the unexpected possessor of fifteen dollars. It seemed to her a very large amount of money, and the way in which it stuffed and bulged her worn old porte-monnaie gave her a feeling of importance such as she had not enjoyed for years.

The question of investment was one that occupied her greatly. For a day or two she walked about apparently in a dreamy state, but really absorbed in speculation and

calculation. She did not wish to act hastily, to do anything she might afterward regret. But it was during the still hours of the night when she lay awake revolving plans in her mind that she seemed to see her way clearly toward a proper and judicious use of the money.

A dollar or two should be added to the price usually paid for Janie's shoes, which would insure their lasting an appreciable time longer than they usually did. She would buy so and so many yards of percale for new shirt waists for the boys and Janie and Mag. She had intended to make the old ones do by skilful patching. Mag should have another gown. She had seen some beautiful patterns, veritable bargains in the shop windows. And still there would be left enough for new stockings--two pairs apiece--and what darning that would save for a while! She would get caps for the boys and sailor-hats for the girls. The vision of her little brood looking fresh and dainty and new for once in their lives excited her and made her restless and wakeful with anticipation.

The neighbors sometimes talked of certain "better days" that little Mrs. Sommers had known before she had ever thought of being Mrs. Sommers. She herself indulged in

no such morbid retrospection. She had no time--no second of time to devote to the past. The needs of the present absorbed her every faculty. A vision of the future like some dim, gaunt monster sometimes appalled her, but luckily tomorrow never comes.

Mrs. Sommers was one who knew the value of bargains; who could stand for hours making her way inch by inch toward the desired object that was selling below cost. She could elbow her way if need be; she had learned to clutch a piece of goods and hold it and stick to it with persistence and determination till her turn came to be served, no matter when it came.

But that day she was a little faint and tired. She had swallowed a light luncheon--no! when she came to think of it, between getting the children fed and the place righted, and preparing herself for the shopping bout, she had actually forgotten to eat any luncheon at all!

She sat herself upon a revolving stool before a counter that was comparatively deserted, trying to gather strength and courage to charge through an eager multitude that was besieging breastworks of shirting and figured lawn. An all-gone limp feeling had come over her and she rested her hand aimlessly upon the counter. She wore no gloves. By degrees she grew aware that her hand had encountered something very soothing, very pleasant to touch. She looked down to see that her hand lay upon a pile of silk stockings. A placard nearby announced that

they had been reduced in price from two dollars and fifty cents to one dollar and ninety-eight cents; and a young girl who stood behind the counter asked her if she wished to examine their line of silk hosiery. She smiled, just as if she had been asked to inspect a tiara of diamonds with the ultimate view of purchasing it. But she went on feeling the soft, sheeny luxurious things--with both hands now, holding them up to see them glisten, and to feel them glide serpent-like through her fingers.

Two hectic blotches came suddenly into her pale cheeks. She looked up at the girl.

"Do you think there are any eights-and-a-half among these?"

There were any number of eights-and-a-half. In fact, there were more of that size than any other. Here was a light-blue pair; there were some lavender, some all black and various shades of tan and gray. Mrs. Sommers selected a black pair and looked at them very long and closely. She pretended to be examining their texture, which the clerk assured her was excellent.

"A dollar and ninety-eight cents," she mused aloud. "Well, I'll take this pair." She handed the girl a five-dollar bill and waited for her change and for her parcel. What a very small parcel it was! It seemed lost in the depths of her shabby old shopping-bag.

Mrs. Sommers after that did not move in the direction of the bargain counter. She took the elevator, which carried her to an upper floor into the region of the ladies' waiting-rooms. Here, in a retired corner, she exchanged her cotton stockings for the new silk ones which she had just bought. She was not going through any acute mental process or reasoning with herself, nor was she striving to explain to her satisfaction the motive of her action. She was not thinking at all. She seemed for the time to be taking a rest from that laborious and fatiguing function and to have abandoned herself to some mechanical impulse that directed her actions and freed her of responsibility.

How good was the touch of the raw silk to her flesh! She felt like lying back in the cushioned chair and revelling for a while in the luxury of it. She did for a little while. Then she replaced her shoes, rolled the cotton stockings together and thrust them into her bag. After doing this she crossed straight over to the shoe department and took her seat to be fitted.

She was fastidious. The clerk could not make her out; he could not reconcile her shoes with her stockings, and she was not too easily pleased. She held back her skirts and turned her feet one way and her head another way as she glanced down at the polished, pointed-tipped boots. Her foot and ankle looked very pretty. She could not realize that they belonged to her and were a part of herself. She wanted an excellent and stylish fit, she told the young

fellow who served her, and she did not mind the difference of a dollar or two more in the price so long as she got what she desired.

It was a long time since Mrs. Sommers had been fitted with gloves. On rare occasions when she had bought a pair they were always "bargains," so cheap that it would have been preposterous and unreasonable to have expected them to be fitted to the hand.

Now she rested her elbow on the cushion of the glove counter, and a pretty, pleasant young creature, delicate and deft of touch, drew a long-wristed "kid" over Mrs. Sommers's hand. She smoothed it down over the wrist and buttoned it neatly, and both lost themselves for a second or two in admiring contemplation of the little

symmetrical gloved hand. But there were other places where money might be spent.

There were books and magazines piled up in the window of a stall a few paces down the street. Mrs. Sommers bought two high-priced magazines such as she had been accustomed to read in the days when she had been accustomed to other pleasant things. She carried them without wrapping. As well as she could she lifted her skirts at the crossings. Her stockings and boots and well fitting gloves had worked marvels in her bearing--had given her a feeling of assurance, a sense of belonging to the well-dressed multitude.

She was very hungry. Another time she would have stilled the cravings for food until reaching her own home, where she would have brewed herself a cup of tea and taken a snack of anything that was available. But the impulse that was guiding her would not suffer her to entertain any such thought.

There was a restaurant at the corner. She had never entered its doors; from the outside she had sometimes caught glimpses of spotless damask and shining crystal, and soft-stepping waiters serving people of fashion.

When she entered her appearance created no surprise, no consternation, as she had half feared it might. She seated herself at a small table alone, and an attentive waiter at once approached to take her order. She did not want a profusion; she craved a nice and tasty bite--a half dozen

blue-points, a plump chop with cress, a something sweet--a creme-frappee, for instance; a glass of Rhine wine, and after all a small cup of black coffee.

While waiting to be served she removed her gloves very leisurely and laid them beside her. Then she picked up a magazine and glanced through it, cutting the pages with a blunt edge of her knife. It was all very agreeable. The damask was even more spotless than it had seemed through the window, and the crystal more sparkling. There were quiet ladies and gentlemen, who did not notice her, lunching at the small tables like her own. A soft, pleasing strain of music could be heard, and a gentle breeze, was blowing through the window. She tasted a bite, and she read a word or two, and she sipped the amber wine and wiggled her toes in the silk stockings. The price of it made no difference. She counted the money out to the waiter and left an extra coin on his tray, whereupon he bowed before her as before a princess of royal blood.

There was still money in her purse, and her next temptation presented itself in the shape of a matinee poster.

It was a little later when she entered the theatre, the play had begun and the house seemed to her to be packed. But there were vacant seats here and there, and into one of them she was ushered, between brilliantly dressed women who had gone there to kill time and eat candy and display their gaudy attire. There were many others who

were there solely for the play and acting. It is safe to say there was no one present who bore quite the attitude which Mrs. Sommers did to her surroundings. She gathered in the whole--stage and players and people in one wide impression, and absorbed it and enjoyed it. She laughed at the comedy and wept--she and the gaudy woman next to her wept over the tragedy. And they talked a little together over it. And the gaudy woman wiped her eyes and sniffled on a tiny square of filmy, perfumed lace and passed little Mrs. Sommers her box of candy.

The play was over, the music ceased, the crowd filed out. It was like a dream ended. People scattered in all directions. Mrs. Sommers went to the corner and waited for the cable car.

A man with keen eyes, who sat opposite to her, seemed to like the study of her small, pale face. It puzzled him to decipher what he saw there. In truth, he saw nothing-unless he were wizard enough to detect a poignant wish, a powerful longing that the cable car would never stop anywhere, but go on and on with her forever.

The Plane Tree

by Aesop

Two Travelers,

walking in the

noonday sun,

sought the shade of a wide spreading

tree to rest. As they lay looking up

among the pleasant leaves, they saw

that it was a Plane Tree.

"How useless is the Plane!" said one of

them. "It bears no fruit whatever, and

only serves to litter the ground with

leaves."

"Ungrateful creatures!" said a voice

from the Plane Tree. "You lie here in

my cooling shade, and yet you say I am

useless! Thus ungratefully, O Jupiter,

do men receive their blessings!"

Our best blessings are often the least appreciated.

A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounding

words occurring at the end of lines in poems

or songs.A rhyme is a tool utilizing repeating

patterns that brings rhythm or musicality in poems

which differentiate them from prose which is

plain. 

Little Boo Peep

Little Boo Peep has lost her sheepAnd can`t tell where to find themLeave them alone

RHYMES

And they'll come homeAnd bringing their tails behind them

Little Bo peep fell fast asleepAnd dreamt she heard them bleating,When she awoke, she found it a jokeFor they were all still a fleeting

Then up she took a little crookDetermined for to find them.She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleedFor they`d left their tails behind them

It happened one day, as Boo Peep did strayInto a meadow hard byThere she espied their tails side by sideAll hung on a tree to dry

She heaved a sigh, and wiped her eyeAnd over the hillocks went ramblingAnd tried what she couldAs a shepherdess shouldTo tack again each to its lambkin

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Baa, baa, black sheepHave you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sirThree bags full.

One for my masterAnd one for the dameOne for the little boy

Who lives down the lane.

Old Mc Donald Had a Farm

Old McDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-OAnd on his farm he had a cow, E-I-E-I-O

With a "moo-moo" here and a "moo-moo" thereHere a "moo" there a "moo"Everywhere a "moo-moo"

Old McDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O

Old McDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-OAnd on his farm he had a pig, E-I-E-I-O

With a "oink" here and a "oink" thereHere a "oink" there a "oink"Everywhere a "oink-oink"

With a "moo-moo" here and a "moo-moo" thereHere a "moo" there a "moo"Everywhere a "moo-moo"

Old McDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O

Old McDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-OAnd on his farm he had a horse, E-I-E-I-O

With a "cwack-cwack" here and a "neigh, neigh" thereHere a "cwack" there a "cwack"

Everywhere a "neigh, neigh"With a "oink" here and a "oink" there

Here a "oink" there a "oink"Everywhere a "oink-oink"

With a "moo-moo" here and a "moo-moo" thereHere a "moo" there a "moo"Everywhere a "moo-moo"

Old McDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O

Three Blind Mice

Three blind mice, three blind mice,See how they run, see how they run!

They all ran after the farmer’s wife,Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,

Did you ever see such a thing in your life,As three blind mice?

Sleeping Bunnies

See the bunnies sleeping till it’s nearly noonShall we wake them with a merry tune?

They`re so still, are they ill? Wake up little bunnies!

Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hopHop, hop, hop - Hop, hop, hop

Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hopHop, hop, hop...

See the bunnies sleeping till it’s nearly noonShall we wake them with a merry tune?

They`re so still, are they ill? Wake up little bunnies!

Skip little bunnies, skip, skip, skipSkip, skip, skip - skip, skip, skip

Skip little bunnies, skip, skip, skip Skip, skip, skip... 

See the bunnies sleeping till it’s nearly noonShall we wake them with a merry tune?

They`re so still, are they ill? Wake up little bunnies!

Jump little bunnies, jump, jump, jumpJump, jump, jump - jump, jump, jumpJump little bunnies, jump, jump, jump

Jump, jump, jump... Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hopHop, hop, hop, - hop, hop, hop

Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hophop, hop, hop...

Five Little Snowmen

Five little snowmen standing in a lineOne, Two, Three, Four, Five

So fineMelt in the sunshine with a sigh

We'll see you next yearBye Bye!

Four little snowmen standing in a lineOne, Two, Three, Four

So fineMelt in the sunshine with a sigh

We'll see you next yearBye Bye!

Three little snowmen standing in a lineOne, Two, Three

So fine

Melt in the sunshine with a sighWe'll see you next year

Bye Bye!

Two little snowmen standing in a lineOne, Two

So fineMelt in the sunshine with a sigh.

We'll see you next yearBye Bye!

One little snowmen standing in a lineOne

So fineMelt in the sunshine with a sigh

We'll see you next yearBye Bye!

The Farmer in the Dell

The farmer in the dellThe farmer in the dell

Hi-ho, the derry-o

The farmer in the dell

The farmer takes a wifeThe farmer takes a wife

Hi-ho, the derry-oThe farmer takes a wife

The wife takes a childThe wife takes a child

Hi-ho, the derry-oThe wife takes a child

The child takes a nurseThe child takes a nurse

Hi-ho, the derry-oThe child takes a nurse

The nurse takes a cowThe nurse takes a cow

Hi-ho, the derry-oThe nurse takes a cow

The cow takes a dogThe cow takes a dog

Hi-ho, the derry-oThe cow takes a dog

The dog takes a catThe dog takes a catHi-ho, the derry-o

The dog takes a cat

The cat takes a mouse (or  rat)The cat takes a mouse

Hi-ho, the derry-oThe cat takes a mouse

The mouse takes the cheeseThe mouse takes the cheese

Hi-ho, the derry-oThe mouse takes the cheese

The cheese stands aloneThe cheese stands alone

Hi-Ho, the derry-oThe cheese stands alone

PARABLESPARABLES

 a short narrative using metaphor and symbolism to illustrate a moral point - has

been used since long before his time. Parables like those in the Bible or the holy

books of Buddhism demonstrate the tendency of these stories to be largely

religious in nature.

The Lost Sheepby Sharla Guenther

This is the parable of the lost sheep.  Jesus started

by telling the story to men called tax collectors

and Pharisees.  These were men who thought they

were more important than everyone else and they

weren't very nice.  They were whispering about

Jesus and how he shouldn't eat and talk with

sinners.

It's funny they would say that because we all are

sinners, we all do things we shouldn't.  The tax

collectors and Pharisees thought that they were

better than everyone else.  In fact, they didn't

think they had to repent or say sorry to God for

their mistakes.

Have you ever felt really bad for something you've

done?  Maybe you've hit your brother or sister and

afterwards you wished you hadn't.  When you

really feel sorry for something and tell that person

you are sorry, that is what we do when we repent.

Just like with our family we need to feel bad and

say sorry to God when we've done something

wrong.  The Pharisees and tax collectors didn't

think that they had to do this because they were

so important.

Of course Jesus knew

what they were thinking, so he told this parable:

Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses

one of them.  Does he not leave the ninety-nine

sheep and go find the one sheep until he finds it? 

And when he finds it, he is so excited he carries

the sheep all the way home.  Then he phones all

his friends and neighbors and has a party to

celebrate the sheep that was found.

Then Jesus told what the parable meant:  Just like

there was a big party over the one lost sheep,

there will be a big party in heaven over just one

sinner who repents than over ninety-nine people

who think they are perfect and don't need to

repent.

Just imagine, when you say "your sorry" to God all

of heaven has a big party just for what you've

done!  God is much more excited when we say

we're sorry than when we act like nothing has

happened and don't think we need to repent at all.

But you know, Jesus just kept going and he told

another parable.  Listen and see if this sounds like

something you've already heard.

Suppose a woman has ten dollar coins and loses

one.  Does she not turn on all her lights, sweep the

whole house and search carefully until she finds

it?  And when she finds it, she calls all her friends

and neighbors and has a party to celebrate finding

the lost coin.

Just like the lost coin, there is great joy with all of

God's angels over one sinner who repents.

I think the lesson here is that nobody is perfect

(except God of course).  It's very important that

when we make a mistake we realize we have done

something wrong and we tell God we're sorry.  It's

as simple as taking a couple minutes, going

somewhere quiet would be best (but you can talk

to God anywhere), and just say you're sorry for the

wrong thing you've done

and ask God to forgive

you.

When you ask God to

forgive you He

immediately erases the

mistake from His mind and

He won't think of it again.  It's pretty easy, huh?! 

Just think how happy God will be when you do

it ,and you'll feel better too!

 

Parable of the Talentsby Sharla Guenther

This story is called the Parable of the Talents.  A

parable is a type of story Jesus would tell so we

would learn something from it.

Jesus' stories had more than one meaning.  For

example, this story is about talents which was a

super large amount of money in Bible times. 

Today a talent might be worth a million dollars!

A talent in this story can also mean our gifts or

abilities.  Something special and amazing God

gives just to you, almost like a super power.

The parable starts like this:  A man decided to go

on a long trip, so he called his servants and asked

them to take care of his house, his stuff and his

money.

Keep in mind that the man in this story is like God

and the man's servants are God's people (you and

me!)  The man in this story trusted his servants

and believed that they would take care of his

special and valuable things.

The man decided to give one servant five talents of

money (lets say that it's about five million dollars),

to another he gave two talents (or two million) and

to the last servant he gave one talent.  He gave

each servant a large amount he thought they could

handle or according to their ability.

Our abilities are our special gifts that God gave to

each of us.  He made some of us smarter about

some things than others.  Some of us are good at

memorizing, some of us are better at certain

sports, and some of us are better at knowing how

to help others.  Some can solve problems better

and some are more generous.  Our ability is

something special we have that's different than

anyone else.

Back to the story, the man left on his trip and the

servants each did something with the money that

they received. 

The man with the five talents went right away and

used his money and got five more!  The man with

the two talents also used his money wisely and

gained two more talents.

But the man with one talent took his talent and

buried it in the ground to keep the money safe. 

He didn't even try to do something with it. 

He reminds me a bit like a dog that buries a bone. 

He had lots of time to do something with his

money.  He could've bought some seeds and

planted a garden and made some money but he

didn't do anything!

After a nice long trip the master

came back and wanted to know what his servants

did with his money.  The first man with the five

talents said, "You trusted me with five talents and

I made five more!" 

His master smiled and replied, "Great job, good

and faithful servant!"  You are trustworthy with a

few things so I will put you in charge of lots of

things.  Come celebrate with me!

I think it's interesting that the master says he

trusted him with a FEW things.  He gave him five

million dollars!  That's ALOT of things.  But to this

master it was small compared to what he would

give and trust him with now.

Then the man with the two talents came and said,

"You trusted me with two talents and I made two

more!" 

His master smiled and replied, "Great job, good

and faithful servant!"  You are trustworthy with a

few things so I will put you in charge of lots of

things.  Come celebrate with me!

Then the man who received the one talent came

and told his master, "I know you work hard for

your money, so I was afraid to lose any of it.  I

decided to bury it and keep it safe.  Here is your

one talent back."

The master was not impressed and said, You lazy

servant!  At the very least you could've taken the

money to the bank and you would've at least

collected some interest from it."

He immediately took the talent away from the man

and gave it to the first man who used his money to

make more.

The point Jesus was trying to make is that if you

use your special gifts and abilities God will give

you more to keep doing these things you are good

at.  He will trust you with so much more. 

If you have a chance to do something for God that

he gave you special abilities for and you don't do

it, you will lose your special gift.

God considers you very valuable and trusts you to

do something for him using your gifts and

abilities.  If you have a chance to do something

and don't because you want to watch tv, play video

games or because you just don't want to do

anything; God will take that valuable gift and give

it someone who is doing something with their

gifts.

Maybe you're not sure what your special abilities

are yet.  Ask your parents or teachers what they

think you're gifts are. 

Listen and watch when others compliment you or

notice something good about what you're doing. 

To you it might be something small but to God it's

a special and very valuable gift that only you can

give.  If you keep using it God will continue to

make it bigger and better.

Also try to encourage and compliment others if

you notice something special in them.  Your

friends, teachers and parents might forget that

God put something special in them and you might

see it.  Tell them that they're good at it and

remind them that it's a special ability given to

them by God.

 

THE PARABLE OF THE TWO

SONSMatthew 21:28-

32 

 It concerns a man who owned a vineyard. He had two sons. He approached his two sons and told them to go and work in the vineyard that particular day. The command 'go and work' is an emphatic imperative. The sons were to work for their father. They were not given a choice.

 

'No, I will not' The first son said, I will not. This blunt

answer indicated outright rebellion against the father's authority. Culturally this was unacceptable since obedience would have been the only proper response of a son. Later however, he repented and went to the vineyard to work.

 There are two words in Greek for

'repent.' The first one is the word metanoeo which means regret and forsaking the evil by a change of heart. This is the word that is associated with salvation (Matthew 4:17: Repent(metanoeo), for the kingdom of heaven is at hand). The repentance expressed by the son here is a different word. It is the word metamelomai. It indicates a strong reaction of displeasure, a certain disgust with one self. The son was disgusted with himself that he had talked or behaved like that with his father.

 This word, metamelomai, has one big

difference from the other word for 'repent.'

And it is that this strong feeling of regret does not necessarily lead to the right action. For example, metamelomai is the word used of Judas to describe the sense of bitter regret that he had betrayed the Lord Jesus. Matthew 27:3: When Judas, his betrayer, saw that he was condemned, he repented (metamelomai) and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. In other translation, we have, he was remorseful. Judas felt so bitter with himself that he eventually committed suicide. So the strong feeling of regret may or may not lead to the right action. In the case of Judas, it did not lead to the right action. In the case of the son in the parable, it did. He eventually obeyed his father and went to work.

 'Yes, I will'

 The second son responded quite

differently. He said, I go, sir. It is surprising that a son addresses his father as 'sir'. He was so respectful, so polite, so apparently obedient. Calling his father by 'sir' strengthened the apparent agreement to

obey. 'Yes, sir. Right away!' But it ended there. He did not go to work in the vineyard. Perhaps, he never had the intention of honoring his promise.

 Then Jesus asked His listeners, the chief

priests and the elders (v. 23), which son had done 'the will of the father.' Is it the one whose 'no' became a 'yes', or the one whose 'yes' became a 'no'?

 In this short story, Jesus highlighted the

fact that doing the will of the father is more than simply a matter of words. It is primarily a matter of deeds. It is one thing to say one will do the will of the father; it is another thing actually to do it. Words alone mean nothing. And so, the religious leaders gave the obvious answer. They said that the obedient son is the one who went to the vineyard, not the one who said 'yes' but did not go.

 That was the correct answer. But they

must have been shocked and offended by the application Jesus proceeded to draw from the parable. Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors

and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. Jesus linked them, the religious authorities, with the son who seemed so ready to work but decided not to go. They accepted the law of God and did everything possible to show their compliance to it. Yet they had not obeyed it, nor did they obey the messengers God had sent them. On the other hand, the sinful outcasts of society, 'the tax collectors and the harlots,' are identified with the son who first refused to obey his father but afterwards changed his mind and did so. They will be in the kingdom.

 Exclusion from the kingdom

 Jesus spoke not only of their entering

God's kingdom but also going there first, before the chief priests and the elders. The 'sinners' will enter the kingdom ahead of the religious people! This was as radical as Jesus' pronouncement in Matthew 8:11-12 where the Lord spoke of Gentiles coming into the kingdom of God to sit with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob while the 'sons of the kingdom' will find themselves outside. Matthew 8:11-12: And I say to you that many

will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. I can imagine the religious leaders fuming when they heard Jesus' explanation of the parable.

 This phrase, the tax collectors and the

harlots go into the kingdom of God before you, also raises the issue of how much is implied by the words 'go before.' In Greek, it is one word, proago. Proago means, at least, a reversal. Those who appeared to be first are in reality last; and those who appeared to be last, are first. But does this 'go before' mean that the religious leaders will also go into the kingdom, only they will go behind the others and go less honorably? I don't think so. Not to be there first does not imply that one will necessarily get there one day. Remember the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-12). Those who go in first enjoyed the wedding feast. But the door is shut before the others get there. In the parable of the Two Sons, the Lord's saying implies an exclusion, not merely a demotion.

Those who 'get there first' take the place of those who had been expected to be there.

 So Jesus was saying, 'The tax collectors

and the prostitutes will go into the kingdom of God before you, but you may not enter. You will enter only if you, like them, like the good son, change your mind and respond to the preaching of righteousness.'

 Then in v. 32, Jesus provided the logic

underlying His explanation of the parable. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him.

 John came to show people how to live

according to God's will. Those who believed him repented and were baptized. They included the least-respected members of Jewish society, the tax collectors and the harlots, for whom repentance was an obvious need. Their enthusiastic response should have caused the religious leaders to do the same, to repent and to believe John. But they

did not. They rejected John's call. And if they refused John's call, it is clear that they will also refuse that of Jesus. Therefore they will not enter the kingdom of God. The kingdom is not for them.

 Responding to God's call

 I just mentioned that God had provided

an invitation to the people in the preaching of John the Baptist. Some responded positively to it; others rejected it. In many ways, this parable has to do with God's call, God's invitation to us. What constitutes this call? The call, in the Scripture, takes place when God's word comes to you. Even now as you are reading or listening to this lesson, as you hear the word of God being taught, you are being called. If you are not a Christian, know that God's word is addressing you and calling you at this very moment.

 Why do we say that God's word itself

constitutes a call? Because God's word always requires a response, a response that changes everything in a person's life. When the word of God came to Isaiah in Isaiah 6, it

was a call to be a prophet. And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"(Isaiah 6:8). That call demanded a response from Isaiah that affected his whole life. Notice that many prophetic books begin in this way: 'The word of the Lord came to so and so, to Hosea (1:1), to Joel (1:1), to Micah (1:1), to Zephaniah (1:1)…' The word of God addressed them specifically. These men became prophets because the word of God came to them and they responded to that word. This is also how, in the NT, we become a Christian, i.e., when the word of God comes to you and you respond positively to it. If you reject it, then you have said 'no' to God and shut yourself off from the kingdom of God.

 Another thing to notice about God's call

is that it is a call to serve. In the parable, the father came to the sons and said, Go and work in the vineyard today. The vineyard is of course the symbol of the kingdom of God. Go and serve God within His kingdom. So God's call to us to become Christians is never a call by which you

simply raise your hand and you profess to be a Christian. That is not Christianity. The Christian is called to action. Every Christian is commissioned to accomplish a task. Go and work in the vineyard.

 And the third point to emphasize is that it

is not just a question of hearing God's call. It is not even just responding by saying 'yes' or 'no' to God's call. It is first and foremost a question of doing it, of doing God's will. Doing the will of God actually means getting into the substance of what it means to serve God.

 According to the parable, the religious

leaders did not do the will of God since they are identified with the son who said he would go to the vineyard but then did not go. I wonder if you have ever asked yourself this question. The religious leaders, did they think that they were not doing God's will? Did they say to God 'Yes, Sir,' but they did not really mean to do God's will, they had no intention to obey His word? In other words, were they willfully disobedient? I don't think so. I think they wanted to do God's will. In

fact, they were sure to enter the kingdom precisely because they felt they were zealously obedient.

 When you study the life of the Pharisees

for example you discover that they certainly did not lack sincerity in their commitment. They tried very hard to live in obedience to God's law. They were so concerned about obeying God's law that they kept themselves strictly apart from those who were not doing it. Yet Jesus compared them to the son who did not do the will of his father. If their failure was not in terms of religious sincerity, then something else must be the reason for their disobedience. What is it?

 We can put the question in this way: How

can we say 'yes' to God, but this 'yes' turns out to be a 'no'? How can we agree to serve God and yet disobey Him?

 A 'yes' becomes a 'no'

 'Yes, sir,' the son said. The word

translated 'sir' here is kyrie, 'lord'. It shimmers with extra meaning in this parable.

It is the same title that we find in Matthew 7:21 where Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me,  'Lord,Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. 'Lord, Lord.' 'Sir, Sir.' Kyrie, Kyrie. It is not enough just to say 'Yes, Sir.' In order to enter the kingdom of heaven, you must do the will of the Father. Does that remind you of something? Yes, that is exactly the point that Jesus was making in the Parable of the Two Sons. 'Which son obeyed the father,' Jesus asked. It is the one who said 'no' but changed his mind and went to work. He eventually obeyed. He did the work. He symbolizes the tax collectors and the prostitutes who repented and welcomed the preaching of John the Baptist. They are the ones who will enter into the kingdom of God.

 Notice again that in Matthew 7, there is

no suggestion of insincerity in saying 'Lord, Lord.' The problem is that their claim to discipleship did not match up to Jesus' criteria of obedience.

 Let me repeat my question. How can a

'yes' to God turn out to be a 'no'? How can we sincerely agree to serve God and yet in actual life disobey Him? I would like to suggest two possibilities.

 Firstly, a person might suppose that in

saying 'yes' to God's word, he has already done it. For example, he feels that by saying 'yes' at a meeting, maybe it was an altar call or a call to serve the Lord, he has obeyed God. He thinks that his response is equivalent to doing His will. The Pharisees and the scribes might have thought that they have done God's will when they received the law and gave assent to it. The son in the parable may think that in saying 'yes', he has already pleased his father and nothing more really needs to be done. Whether he actually goes to the vineyard or not does not matter all that much, seeing that he has already pleased the father by saying 'yes'.

 Secondly, a 'yes' can become a 'no' if a

person says 'yes' with the understanding in his mind that he will serve God in his own way. 'Yes, I will do it, but I will do it my way.' Jesus wants disciples who will work under

Him, i.e. over whom He can be Lord. We can profess faith in Christ and yet be indifferent or even hostile to keeping His commands where they pinch us. We decide to live the Christian life according to the parts of the Scriptures that we like. And we feel that we are pious. Jesus does not want this kind of disciple. In Matthew 7, this self-centeredness is seen in the high self-consciousness of people who sounded so religious. These people were too much aware of their piety.  'Lord, Lord,' they said. They were too much aware of their successful ministries. 'Didn't we perform many miracles and mighty works?' Their sense of devotion expressed in the double divine name and their sense of success seen in the review of their work indicate that they were too impressed with their work. They performed amazing religious deeds, but they were not Christ-centered deeds. 'I never knew you; get away from Me,' Jesus told them. They believed that they knew Jesus, but they never gave Him a chance to know them because they were too preoccupied with themselves.

 

The fact that one can be sincere, do the right things and not be admitted into the kingdom at the judgment should be a serious warning to all of us. Sincere zeal for God and doing the will of God can be two very different things.

 Go and come

  You know, it is interesting to observe that

for those to whom God says 'Go', and those who obey that 'go', God will say 'come'. We see this very thing in Matthew 25:34: Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.' To those who go in obedience to God's will, to God's call, the Lord will say, 'Come, blessed of My Father.

Take your inheritance. The kingdom is now yours.'

 On the other hand, those to whom God

says 'go', and they do not go, God will say 'go' to them a second and final time. Again, in the Parable of the Sheep and Goats, Matthew 25:41:  Then he will say to those at his left hand,Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 'Go away. Go into the eternal fire.' That is the final 'go' of God. If you do not respond to God's first 'go' (His call to serve), then the second 'go' will be a final 'go' from God. That means, 'Go and don't come back again.'

 Our response to God's call is the most

important decision that we will make in this life. If we say 'yes', then we must understand the 'yes' in terms of going out every day and doing God's will, living the kind of life that glorifies God, and depending on His strength to do it. 

Fable is a literary device which can be defined as a

concise and brief story intended to provide a moral

lesson at the end. In literature, it is described as a

didactic lesson given through some sort of animal

FABLES

story.

In prose and verse,

a fable is described

through plants,

animals, forces of

nature and

inanimate objects by

giving them human attributes wherein they

demonstrate a moral lesson at the end.

The Fisher and the littlefish

A fisherman had been fishing all day and in the end all that he could catch was a small fish. He was disappointed but thought that at least he would have something to eat.The little fish looked desolate and suddenly cried out, “Master, have pity on me and let me go. You can catch me again when I grow up and have a delicious meal. Right now I’m too small and my mother will be sad if you eat me. Please have mercy and let me off.” But the fisherman replied, “Little fish, I’ve worked hard the whole day long and finally I’ve got you. I may not catch you later because by then somebody else may have already eaten you. How can I let you go?” So the moral of the story is that a little in hand is better than what is unknown in the future.

The Wind and the SunIllustrated by Kwang Dong

The Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger. Suddenly they saw a

traveller coming down the road, and the Sun said: "I see a way to decide our dispute.

Whichever of us can cause that traveller to take off his cloak shall be regarded as the

stronger. You begin."

So the Sun retired behind a cloud, and the Wind began to blow as hard as it could

upon the traveller. But the harder he blew the more closely did the traveller wrap his

cloak round him, till at last the Wind had to give in despair.

Then the Sun came out and shone in all his glory upon the traveller, who soon found

it too hot to walk with his cloak on.

Kindness affects more than severity.

Two Goats on the Bridge

Two goats - Two Mountains - One Bridge   

One goat from the east and one from the west...

Both were determined to know who was best!

Each day, two goats crossed the same bridge.  The goat from the east crossed the bridge to graze on the grass of the mountain in the west.  The goat from the west crossed the bridge to graze on the grass of the mountain in the east.

One day the goats both started across the bridge at the same time.  They met in the middle of the bridge.  The goat from the east could not get to the west.  The goat from the west could not get to the east.  Neither could get past the other.

"Back up," said the goat from the east.  "I am crossing this bridge.""You back up," said the goat from the west.  "I will be the first to cross.  You may go after me."

Neither goat could go forward.  Both refused to go backward.  First, they puffed themselves up to look bigger.  Next, each tried to out shout the other.  Then they bent their heads forward and aimed their horns at the other.  They locked horns and pushed and pushed.  They pushed each other off the bridge and into the waters belowWas a lesson learned by either?  I fear it was NOT that day.They both shook off the water and went upon their way.As the goats both walked away, they both could be heard to say, "If he had not been so stubborn, we both could have eaten today!" 

Legend comes from the Latin legere, "to read." The Latin word

was originally limited to written stories, but in English, legend la

LEGEND

larger-than-life story that gets passed down from one generation to the next.

The Legend of MakahiyaPhilippines

Long time ago, there was a couple in Barangay Masagana (Pampanga today) who wanted a daughter. Their wish was granted and the wife gave birth to a baby girl. They called her Maria. Maria was very beautiful but very shy that she wouldn't go out from their house.

Weeks later, Spaniards came to their town. The Spaniards were very cruel that they get everything they wanted. They rob houses and kill everyone who gets in their way and who refuses to give what they wanted.

The couple was very frightened to lose their daughter so, they hid Maria in the bushes so the Spaniards couldn't find her.

After the Spaniards left their town, the couple tried to look for Maria but they couldn't find her even in the bushes

where they hid her, instead they found a little plant that is very sensitive that when you touch it, it would immediately close.

So they thought it was their daughter, Maria. They called the plant "Makahiya" that means "touch me not," like their daughter who was very shy.The Legend of Mount Kanlaon

There once lived on the island of Negros a princess named Anina who lived a very sheltered life. 

One day, Anina overheard her father talking to the kingdom's chief priestess. The priestess was frantic about a report that they could not find a single maiden who was unblemished. 

Later, Anina asked her father what it was all about, and the king finally broke down. There had long been a seven-headed dragon threatening the kingdom, and the monster could only be appeased if an unblemished maiden was sacrificed to it. 

In fear, all the women in the kingdom had cut

themselves to disqualify themselves from the sacrifice. Parents cut their own baby girls so as to spare the infants from the sacrifice. But the king and the queen couldn't bring themselves to mar their daughter's beauty, and so Anina was the only remaining unscarred female in the kingdom. 

Anina did not weep. Instead, she willingly offered herself for the sacrifice. Fortuitously, on the day she was to be brought to the mountain where the dragon lived, a man calling himself Khan Laon appeared. (Khan in his language meant a noble lord.) He said he came from a kingdom far away in order to slay the dragon and spare Anina's life. 

No one believed the dragon could be killed, but Khan Laon insisted that his ability to talk to animals would help him. He asked the help of the ants, the bees and the eagles.  The ants swarmed over the dragon's body and crept under its scales to bite its soft, unprotected flesh, while the bees stung the fourteen eyes of the dragon till it was blind. The largest eagle carried Khan Laon to the mountain where he was able to easily chop off the seven heads of the writhing

beast.  

In gratitude, the king gave Khan Laon his daughter Anina to be his bride, and the people named the mountain after the noble lord. 

And that is how, according to the story, Mount Kanlaon got its name. That it is a volcano is because of the spirt of the dead dragon. 

The Legend of Sampaguita

               A long time ago, there were neighboring Baranggays named Balintawak and Gagalangin. Between the two baranggay, is

a very sturdy fence made up of dried bamboo. Every five years, they destroy it and build a new fence. Sometimes, the guardsmen from Balintawak watch over the fence, oftentimes the guardsmen from Gagalangin. Everything is working according to the rules of each datu.

The datu of Barangay Balintawak has a daughter with incomparable beauty and kindness. Her name is Rosita. Her mother died when she was young, however, she has four maids to assist her every need. There are a lot of handsome young men who admires her. But the only man who captured her heart is the son of Gagalangin’s datu, whose name is Delfin.

            The conflict between their parents did not stopped Delfin and Rosita from loving each other. At the end of the bamboo fence lies there secret lair. Every night when the moon is bright, they meet at the end of the fence and stroll along with Rosita’s maids. Their relationship is hidden from both of their datu parents.

One day, the datu of Gagalangin heard that the fence is being destroyed by the servants of datu Balintawak so that they can build a new one. He asked one of his guards to watch at the said fence-making. When the guard came back, he told the datu that the new fence

was moved. He was mad because the datu of Balintawak took five meters of their land. Immediately, he sent a man to the datu of the neighboring baranggay.

”Tell the datu of Balintawak to put the fence back where it is supposed to be. They are being unlawful and stealing one’s land is a crime!” said the datu of Gagalangin.

             When the datu of Balintawak heard about it, he became furious and asked the servant to give a message to their datu. “Tell your datu that I never stole anything from him. I just placed the bamboo fences at its right place according to the documents that I discovered, written by my ancestors.”

Delfin’s father was very much displeased with the other datu’s response. This kind of conflicts usually results bloodshed among the two baranggays.

              The datu of Gagalangin prepared his unit for the upcoming battle. He needs to get their baranggay’s stolen land even by violent means.When the news reached the datu of Balintawak, he eagerly prepared his battle unit as well. The two leaders are now ready for a never-ending war.

A few days before Gagalangins planned to attack the Balintawak, the datu got sick. He became seriously ill that lead him to his death. The responsibility was then handed to Delfin. He will be the one to lead the battle troops of baranggay Gagalangin.

              The female servants told Rosita what was about to happen and she started to become frightened. Delfin is so young and does not have any experience when it comes to war. His father, on the other hand, had been trained to fight since he was still a child. She worried too much. She wanted to talk to Delfin and ask him to forfeit the war and simply talk to his father and settle the conflict peacefully. However, they do not have time to converse anymore. Tomorrow is the start of an endless battle between the two baranggays.

Both parties lost so many lives. Delfin was badly hurt and shed a lot of blood. He started to be blurry. He was half conscious when he fell to the ground. Before his last breath, he told one of his comrades to bury him near the end of the fence where he and Rosita used to secretly see each other.

              Nobody can ever tell what really happened to the young lovers or the result of the war. All they knew is that Rosita became seriously ill when she knew that Delfin died in the battle. Her father called for so many doctors to make her feel well but neither one of them can treat Rosita. When she was about to die, Rosita told her father to bury her near Delfin, at the end of the bamboo fence. Though it is hard for the datu to do, she still obeyed her daughter’s last wish.

                Many years had passed and the existence of baranggays gradually disappeared. Spaniards came and the city of Manila was established. Balintawak and Gagalangin became populated. But all the people living in these two places were having a mysterious experience. During the month of May, especially when the moon is bright, they hear a mystical sweet voice of a lady saying “Sumpa kita! ... Sumpa kita!” (I swear, I swear) but nobody can see from whom it is coming from. It seems as if it comes from the bushes where little white flowers grow. Although the flowers are so tiny, it bursts out a different kind of scent that everybody loves to smell. That’s what usually happens every month of May, each year.

             Because everyone was so curious about the voice, they all decided to dig up the spot and uncover the mystery behind it. To their surprise, they found the roots of the bushes where the lovely flower grows, comes from the mouth of the two bodies buried not so far from each other. The elders remembered the memoir of the two lovers – Delfin and Rosita.

         The story spread fast. The words “Sumpa kita” evolved as “Sampaguita” that signifies an everlasting love of Delfin and Rosita.

Stories about everyday life and the day-to-day issues of humanity. Sometimes the stories involve supernatural elements, like the ghost story we discussed above, but they usually happen to people. Other kinds of folk tales involve animals, but the animal

FOLKTALESFOLKTALES

characters behave like humans, with realistic emotions, flaws, and failings. A Gift from Saint NicholasA New York Christmas Story  retold byS. E. SchlosserClaas Schlaschenschlinger was a wealthy cobbler living on New Street in New Amsterdam. He was a contented bachelor who could afford eight - eight mind you! - pairs of breeches and he had a little side business selling geese. He cut quite a figure in New Amsterdam society, and was happy being single, until he met the fair Anitje! She was as pretty as a picture, and Claas fell head over heels for her. He was not her only suitor, by any means. The local burgomaster was also courting the fair Anitje. But the burgomaster was a stingy, hard man, and in the end, Anitje gave her heart and hand to Claas. 

At first, Claas and Anitje were very happy and prosperous, raising geese and children. But the burgomaster was a vengeful sort of fellow, who began a series of "improvements" to the local neighborhood, charging highly

for each one, until all their money was gone. The arrival of a blacksmith who repaired shoes with hob nails, so that the shoes lasted a year or more, left Claas, Anitje and their six children as poor as church mice. 

Christmas Eve found the Schlaschenschlinger family down to their last, cold meal of bread and cheese. Claas was wondering what he had left to sell, in order to feed his

family. Then he remembered a fine pipe that he had found in one of his stockings on a long ago Christmas morning in Holland. It was a fine pipe, too good for a mere cobbler. Claas knew even then that such a gift could only be from Saint Nicholas himself. 

Claas leapt up and went to dig through an old chest until he found the pipe. As he unearthed it from under a pile of clothes, a draft of cold air came from the open front door. Claas scolded his children for playing with the door and went to close it, but found the doorway filled by the merry, round figure of a stranger. 

"Thank you, thank you, I will come in out of the cold," said the man, stomping in the door and taking a seat by the

poor excuse for a fire that blazed in the hearth. 

The family gathered around the white bearded old fellow as he tried to warm himself. He scolded them roundly for not keeping the fire hot, and when Claas admitted that they had nothing left to burn, the old man broke his fine rosewood cane in two and threw it on the fire. The cane blazed up merrily, heating the whole room, and singeing the hair of the cat, which leapt away with a yowl of indignation, making everyone laugh. It was hard to be sober around this merry old man, who made sly jokes, told riddles, and sang songs. 

After sitting for half an hour with the family, the old man began rubbing his stomach and gazing wistfully at the cupboard. 

"Might there be a bite to eat for an old man on this Christmas Eve?" he asked Anitje. 

She blushed in shame and admitted there was nothing left in their cupboard. 

"Nothing?" said he, "Then what about that fine goose right there?"

Anitje gasped, for suddenly the smell of a tenderly roasted goose filled the room. She ran to the cupboard, and there was a huge goose on a platter! She also found pies and cakes and bread and many other good things to eat and drink. The little boys and girls shouted in delight, and the

whole family feasted merrily, with the little white bearded old man seated at the head of the table. As they ate, Claas showed the old man the pipe he meant to sell. 

"Why that pipe is a lucky pipe," said the old man, examining it closely. "Smoked by John Calvin himself, if I am not mistaken. You should keep this pipe all your days and hand it down to your children." 

Finally, the church bells tolled midnight, and the little old man cried: "Midnight! I must be off!" Claas and Anitje begged him to stay and spend Christmas with them, but, he just smile merrily at them and strode over to the chimney. "A Merry Christmas to you all, and a Happy New Year!" he cried. And then he disappeared. Ever afterwards, Anitje and her daughters claimed they saw him go straight up the chimney, while Claas and the boys thought he kicked up the ashes and disappeared out the door. 

The next morning, when Anitje was sweeping the fireplace, she found a huge bag full of silver, bearing the words "A Gift from Saint Nicholas". Outside the house, there arose a clamor of voices. When Claas and Anitje went to investigate, they discovered their wooden house was now made of brick! 

At first, the townsfolk thought they were in league with a wizard, but when Claas told them the story and showed them the new possessions and riches left to them by the old man, they made him the town alderman. 

The transformed "Dutch House" remained a landmark for many years following the death of Claas and Anitje, until the British tore it down to make way for improvements in the neighborhood.

Lady in LaceA California Ghost Story 

retold by

S. E. Schlosser

There is a ghost that walks along the Seventeen Mile Drive on foggy nights. She is called the Lady in Lace. People say she is the ghost of Dona Maria del Carmen Barreto, the woman who used to own much of the land on that stretch of the California coast, returned to keep watch over her land. Others disagree. The claim that the white, flowing gown of lace in which the ghost appears resembles a wedding gown. They think that she might be the ghost of a jilted bride who was left standing at the altar

Travelers encountering the ghost of the Lady in Lace as they drive down the Seventeen Mile Drive on foggy nights say that she looks very sad and lonely, as if she were about to cry. They see her walking slowly along the road, her shoulders drooping a bit as if she were carrying a heavy burden of grief or pain. When they draw close to her, she disappears.

One night, a courting couple went out to sit on the rocks at Pescadero Point overlooking the sea. It was a bright night, and they were whispering together and watching the moonlight sparkle on the water when the Lady in Lace appeared right before there eyes. As they watched in astonishment and fear, she walked passed them, her form glowing in the moonlight. Slowly, her face set and sad, she wandered down to the beach. Then she vanished into thin air. Needless to say, that was the last time that couple went courting at Pescadero Point!

 

Cowboys in Heaven

A Texas Tall Tale 

retold by

S. E. Schlosser

After cow punching for nigh on fifty years, a Texas cowboy went on to his reward. There was considerable excitement in heaven when he reached the pearly gates. The arrival

of a real Texan cowboy was considered something of an event in heaven. Saint Peter himself came right over and insisted on giving the cowpoke a tour. Things were right friendly-like until the cowboy spotted half-a-dozen cowpokes staked out like broncos.

"Why are all those men staked out?" he asked Saint Peter. Saint Peter replied: "Those are cowboys from the Panhandle. Every time we let them loose, they try to go back to Texas!"

THE CREATIONIgorot

In the beginning there were no people on the earth. Lumawig,  93the Great Spirit, came down from the sky and cut many reeds.  94He divided these into pairs which he placed in different parts of the world, and then he said to them, "You must speak." Immediately the reeds became people, and in each place was a man and a woman who could talk, but the language of each couple differed from that of the others.

Then Lumawig commanded each man and woman to marry, which they did. By and by there were many children, all speaking the same language as their parents. These, in turn, married and had many children. In this way there came to be many people on the earth.

Now Lumawig saw that there were several things which the people on the earth needed to use, so he set to work to supply them. He created salt, and told the inhabitants of one place to boil it down and sell it to their neighbors. But these people could not understand the directions of the Great Spirit, and the next time he visited them, they had not touched the salt.

Then he took it away from them and gave it to the people of a place called Mayinit.  95 These did as he directed, and because of this he told them that they should always be owners of the salt, and that the other peoples must buy of them.

Then Lumawig went to the people of Bontoc and told them to get clay and make pots. They got the clay, but they did not understand the moulding, and the jars were not well shaped. Because of their failure, Lumawig told them that they would always have to buy their jars, and he removed the pottery to Samoki.  96 When he told the people there what to do, they did just as he said, and their jars were well shaped and beautiful. Then the Great Spirit saw that they were fit owners of the pottery, and he told them that they should always make many jars to sell.

In this way Lumawig taught the people and brought to them all the things which they now have.

Myth is a legendary or a traditional story that usually concerns an event, or a hero, with or without using factual or real explanations, particularly one concerning with demigods or deities, and describes some rites, practices and natural phenomenon. Typically, a myth involves historical events and supernatural beings. There are many types of myths such as classic myths, religious myths, and modern myths etc.

MYTHS

Roman GodsThe Mythology of Ancient Roman Gods and Goddesses for KidsThe myths and legends surrounding the Roman gods and goddesses that were worshipped by the ancients

Roman GodsDiscover interesting facts and information about the famous Roman Gods and goddesses. Each article provides information and a fact sheet about each of the Roman gods and goddesses detailing, their description, their roles, their symbols, the families with lots of facts and info and illustrated with various pictures and images. Discover the legends and myths surrounding the gods and deities such as Jupiter, Mars and Cupid that were worshipped by the Ancient Romans. The religious beliefs

Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses

of the ancient Romans was based on an extraordinary number of gods and goddesses. The religious  

The Story of Poseidon, God of the Sea from Ancient Mythology

Poseidon, God of the SeaThe short mythical story of Poseidon, God of the Sea is one of the famous legends that feature in the mythology of ancient civilizations. Discover the myths about the ancient gods, goddesses, demigods and heroes and the terrifying monsters and creatures they encountered on their perilous journeys and quests. The amazing story of Poseidon, God of the Sea really is easy reading for kids and children who are learning about the history, myths and legends of the Roman and Greek gods. Additional facts and information about the mythology and legends of individual gods and goddesses of these ancient civilization

 a long, narrative poem that is usually about heroic deeds and events that are

significant to the culture of the poet. Many ancient writers used epic poetry to

tell tales of intense adventures and heroic feats. Some of the most famous literary masterpieces in the world were

written in the form of epic poetry.

EPICEPIC

The Epic of Gilgamesh

The epic story of the Babylonian hero Gilgamesh is one of the first recorded examples of an epic poem. Gilgamesh was written on clay tablets in cuneiform by a priest named Sin-leqi-unninni. Many scholars believe that Sin-leqi-unninni was inspired by Babylonian and Sumerian tales about a real-life king who ruled between 2700 and 2500 B.C.E.According to the poem, Gilgamesh was an arrogant and inexperienced ruler. The Babylonian gods were displeased with the way Gilgamesh treated his people, so they sent a hero named Enkidu to guide Gilgamesh and help him become a better leader. Enkidu and Gilgamesh initially fought; however, Gilgamesh soon realized that Enkidu was a stronger man and a better warrior. The two became

fast friends and went on many adventures together.

One day, the Babylonian goddess Ishtarsaw Gilgamesh, and she was so enamored with the handsome ruler that she asked him to marry her. Ishtar offered Gilgamesh gold, jewels, and storm demons to pull his chariot. She promised that all the kings of the earth would bow down before him. Despite all of these promises, Gilgamesh was

uninterested. He reminded Ishtar that she had killed or maimed all of her previous lovers.Ishtar became angry and sent the Bull of Heaven against Gilgamesh. With the help of Enkidu, Gilgamesh defeated the bull and confronted Ishtar. Enkidu was especially angry that Ishtar had tried to kill his friend and he cursed the goddess. A few days later, Enkidu became ill and died as a result of his curse on the sacred goddess.Gilgamesh was devastated at the death of his companion and began to fear his own death. Gilgamesh sought out Utanapishtim, who had survived the great flood that swept over Mesopotamia. Utanapishtim told Gilgamesh that the great flood had been caused by an angry god who wanted to drown out the clamor of humanity. The god Eawas distressed at the idea that all humans would drown, so he told Utanapishtim that he must

build a large boat and gather all of the animals into it to survive the flood.After he survived the flood, the gods gave Utanapishtim and his wife eternal life. Although Utanapishtim was unable to give Gilgamesh eternal life, his stories helped Gilgamesh to become a wiser ruler. His adventures with Enkidu and the knowledge he gained from Utanapishtim helped turn an arrogant young man into a wise and understanding ruler.The transition of a young hero into a wise ruler is a common theme in epic poetry. Another common theme in many epic poems is the tale of a flood. Many ancient cultures in the Middle East had a flood story. Historians believe that there may have been a real flood in the area that inspired flood stories in Babylonian mythology, Sumerian mythology, and the Bible.

The IliadThe Iliad is another example of an epic poem. The Iliad, and its companion work The Odyssey, were probably based on real life events that occurred in ancient Greece.Homer, a Greek writer, is usually credited with writing both epic poems.

The Iliad begins with a love story. Paris, a young Trojan prince, fell in love withHelen, the wife of King Menelaus of Sparta and the most beautiful woman in the world. The pair decided to run away

together, leaving Helen's 9-year-old daughter behind. When he learned that his wife had run away with young Paris, Menelaus and Agamemnon, his brother, set out with their armies to try and take Helen back.

Paris and Helen fled to the city of Troy, which was ruled by Paris' brother Hector. During the battle, many Trojans died in order protect Helen and

Paris from her vengeful husband, including Hector, their king. When he was finally killed in battle, the Greeks drug Hector's lifeless

body behind a chariot around and around the city walls, displaying their contempt for the Trojans inside the city walls.

TABLE OF CONTENTSPoem......................................................................................................................................1

Concrete poem..............................................................................................................................2Shape Form...............................................................................................................................3

Lyric Poem.................................................................................................................................4Ballad ........................................................................................................................................5

Narrative ................................................................................................................................6Acrostic Poem............................................................................................................................7

Acrostic poem with name.......................................................................................................8Acrostic Poems in Literature......................................................................................................8

The Sonnet.............................................................................................................................9Elegy........................................................................................................................................10

Shine........................................................................................................................................11Couplet.................................................................................................................................12

Rhyming couplet...................................................................................................................12Rhyming couplet from other sources ..........................................................................................13

Ode..............................................................................................................................................14Ode Example...............................................................................................................................15

Ode to Joy...........................................................................................................................15-17The ship of State......................................................................................................................18

Haiku........................................................................................................................................19Basho Matsuo..............................................................................................................................19

To his young mistress..................................................................................................................30Ode to Lucius Gray and Sir H. Morison ...............................................................................................21

Pastoral Poem......................................................................................................................22The passionate shepherd to his love..............................................................................................23-25

Long Poem......................................................................................................................26-28A dream within a dream.........................................................................................................28-29

To one in paradise..........................................................................................................30-31A Divine image.............................................................................................................................31

Short Poem..................................................................................................................................32The world is too much with us.....................................................................................................33

L i m e r i c k s .............................................................................................................................34The Singing bird...........................................................................................................................35

Turkey Limerick........................................................................................................................35Anecdote..............................................................................................................................36

A Tragedy or a Blessing.......................................................................................................37Grind or Shine......................................................................................................................38

Who's counting.....................................................................................................................39If I had my life to live over.....................................................................................................39

the whole world came together..................................................................................................124Hang in there............................................................................................................................41

Riddles………………………………………………………………….............................................42Example of Riddles………………………………………………………………………………….43-44Short Story……………………………………………………………………………………………...45The story of an Hour……………………………………………………………………………....46-50A Pair of Silk Stockings………………………………………………………………………......51-59The Plane Tree……………………………………………………………………………………...60-61Rhymes………………………………………………………………………………………………….62Little Boo Beep………………………………………………………………………………………...63Baa Baa black sheep………………………………………………………………………………....64Old Mcdonald………………………………………………………………………………………......64Three Blind Mice……………………………………………………………………………………….65Sleeping Bunnies…………………………………………………………………………………......66Five Little Snowmen……………………………………………………………………………….67-68The Farmer in the Dell…………………………………………………………………………….69-70Parables…………………………………………………………………………………………………71The lost sheep……………………………………………………………………………………...72-76Parable of the Talents……………………………………………………………………………..77-83The parable of the two sons…………………………………………………………...............84-97Fables…………………………………………………………………………………………………....98The Fisher and the little fish………………………………………………………………………....99The wind and the sun…………………………………………………………………………..100-101Two goats on the bridge………………………………………………………………………102-103Legend………………………………………………………………………………………………….104The legend of makahiya…………………………………………………………………………….105The legend of mount kanlaon………………………………………………………………...106-107The legend of sampaguita…………………………………………………………………….108-112Folktales……………………………………………………………………………………………….113A gift from saint Nicholas……………………………………………………………………..114-117

Lady in lace…………………………………………………………………………………………...118Cowboy’s in heaven…………………………………………………………………………..........119The creation……………………………………………………………………………………...120-121Myths…………………………………………………………………………………………………...122Roman Gods………………………………………………………………………………………….123Poseidon, god of the sea…………………………………………………………………………...124Epic……………………………………………………………………………………………………..125The epic of Gigamesh…………………………………………………………………………126-129The lliad………………………………………………………………………………………………..131Proverbs……………………………………………………………………………………………….132Fairytales………………………………………………………………………………………………133Rapunzel……………………………………………………………………………………….....134-137Hansel and Gretel……………………………………………………………………………....138-145The six swans…………………………………………………………………………………..

Submitted by: Judy Ann T. JaticoBEED III-B

Submitted to: Prof. Perfecta Falcasantos

COMPILATION INCOMPILATION IN CHILDREN’SCHILDREN’S LITERATURELITERATURE

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