2nd Quarter Nature Portfolio

Nature Poem

Wind - 30 lines

Swift as the cheetah
But as slow as a snail
Cautious like a turtle
But as dangerous as a shark

Calm like waves on a shore
As wild as a monkey
Smooth as ice cream
Rough as ridged rocks

As cool as ice
As warm as a sauna
As carefree as a sloth
As worried as a mother

I am wind
I am free
I can carry the heaviest item away
I can push the strongest man

I can lift your worries
I can free your doubts
I can set your mind free
I can fix your problems

In this world of chaos
In this world of pain
In this world of fear
In this world of resentment

I will be here
I will be near
I surround you
I fill you up

I am Wind
I am air

The Most Beautiful ____ - 381 words

            The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen was the birth of kittens.  There was a stray kitten in my backyard and she would come every day and hide between my home and the neighbors’ home.  The cat was white with black patches and grey eyes.  Each time I came home it would scurry behind the house and make a little shelter.  I told my grandmother and mom about this cat and they didn’t seem as happy as I was.

I even asked to keep it, knowing it was a stray.  My mother told me to leave the cat alone and not to go near it.  She was very protective of my well-being, but I’m an animal lover and had to look over the kitten.  A few weeks later, the cat was in the grass in our backyard and it didn’t look very healthy.  I immediately ran in the house and warned my mom and she gave the cat a blanket we stopped using.  A few hours later I heard the meowing of the cat and looked out the window.  When I walked outside, there was a small kitten lying down on the blanket.  I was very vigilant and kept watching, and in due time, there were 6 more.

I thought the kittens were so cute and I even gave each one a different name based on their looks.  Spot, had one brown spot on his white fur, while Chaz was a grey kitten.  The mother of the litter was very protective of her children and did not want anyone near them.  She would venture out day and night to find food for her and her young.  Before I went to school, I would check behind the gate to count the young animals to see if any had escaped.  Even though I was afraid of the kittens having a disease, I was very willing to help them.

After about two weeks of being behind my house, my grandmother called an animal shelter to pick up the kittens but the mother ran away.  I was a little upset that I couldn’t keep one and just get it vaccinated.  The mother left and didn’t come back for a whole month but the last time i saw her, she was in the neighbors’ basement.

 

Native American Creation Story - 547 words, 1 1/2 pages

I see my dad in the distance desperately grasping onto his rifle.  He sits tall and strong on his horse.  But suddenly, I see a man barreling towards my father wearing a different war uniform.  The man is aiming his gun at my dad, but he is facing the other way.  The area is loud and I hear gunshots everywhere.

“DADDY!” I yell at the top of my lungs to my father.  He didn’t hear me so I begin racing towards him artfully dodging the dead bodies that litter the dirt ground.  “DADDY, WATCH OUT! THE MAN ...!” I scream and my father turns to me in shock just as the man pulls the trigger.  The shock on my father’s face turned to an expression of shear, utter pain.  I scream and cry as my father’s body crumbles off his horse.

“Naomi, Naomi,” I hear my name being called softly, “NAOMI! Get up!”  I quickly sit up, dripping in sweat while my whole body trembles.  My older sister is kneeling at my side begging me to wake up.  “You were screaming for nearly a whole minute.  Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Remi asks me with deep concern as her eyes begin to search.

“I - I - I had a scary dream, Remi, it was about Dad.”  I begin, “It was while he was fighting in the war.  A - A - A man shot him, I was there.  He fell off his horse, and I tried to help him, but...” I trail off while big wet tears graze down my face and onto my lap.  Remi gathers me into a hug, my tears damping her glossy, black hair that laid down her back.

“It’s okay Naomi, daddy is all right, he’ll come back, alive, strong, and well.  I know it, now you go to sleep, alright?” she says as she comforts me.  As I dry my tears I say, “Okay, but Remi, I don’t think I can go back to sleep.  If I do, I’ll have the same dream.”  She closes her eyes to think, then she gets up and walks to her bed.  Carefully, she unhooks an item near her lamp and puts it in my hands.

“Take this,” she says, “it's a Native American dream catcher.  It prevents bad things from coming to your dreams.  Hang it on your bed, it works, I promise.”  I put it on my bed and crawl under my sheets, Remi runs her fingers through my long, chestnut hair and wishes me a goodnight.  Hesitantly, I close my eyes and try to think happy thoughts.  I miss my father and cannot wait for him to get back from the war.

It’s been a month since Remi gave me her dream catcher and I haven’t had any nightmares.  As my sister, mother, grandparents, and I gather for breakfast, there’s a knock on the door, I open it and screech at the sight.  It’s my father in his uniform, he’s back from the war, well and alive.  The rest of the family runs to the door because of my scream and rejoiced at the arrival of my father.  I can’t help but realize that Remi was right and I looked at her.  At the same time, she caught my eye and winked, I smiled back happily.

Weather Experience

The day of my cousin Taylor’s birthday the sun was out. We were having a party outside with bounce houses, a gigantic slide, a couple of swings, and a bunch of food. Most of Taylor’s closest friends and family were at the party. Around the middle of the party, the sun fades and huge storm cloud rolls in, and it became dark quickly. About 5 minutes later it starts to rain a slightly, but we stayed outside because it wasn’t too bad. Then, 10 minutes later we hear thunder and see a flashes of lightning. By that time my aunt decided that it was best to gather all of the guest and continue the party inside of the house. While everyone was filing inside, lightning struck the big bounce house in the back yard, everyone screamed and made a big fuss. I had to calm all the kids down and play a game with them while my aunt called the place she rented the bounce house from.  The party was ruined and most of the things were destroyed all because of a small thunder and lightning storm.

Responses to Class Pieces

THE TIDE RISES, THE TIDE FALLS - 200 words

This piece makes me feel calm, lonely, upset, and sad. When the piece said, "The little waves, with their soft, white hands," it means that the sea is calm along the shore at night. When the piece said, "The traveller hastens toward the town," it means that the traveller was rushing to get to something new. The traveller was alone or lonely. When the piece said, "The day returns, but nevermore. Returns the traveller to the shore," it means that as the sun rises, the traveller is no more. The traveller is no longer alive, this was why I felt upset. The view that this piece takes of nature is as a way to show lessons. It teaches us all not to fear death. Death can sometimes be a peaceful thing although it might be a sad thing. Losing someone close, is heartbreaking. But, in this case, the traveller died peacefully, in a peaceful, calm place. The ideas of things are staying the same in this piece because the tide rose and fell even after the man died. Things stay the same even after someone or something passes over. The traveller's death does not affect the tide rising and falling. 

When Grizzlies Walked Upright - 212 words

This piece makes me feel disappointed. The reason why this piece makes me feel disappointed is because the Chief made the girl stay with him forever after he found out about the new creatures. Also, the Chief made the grizzlies walk on four feet and they could never speak again. The Chief was angry because "A new race had been created that was not of his making!" After the Chief cursed the grizzlies, "He drove his grandchildren out of the lodge, put his daughter over his shoulder, and climbed back up the mountain. Never again did he come to the forest."  When the piece said "When she became a young woman, she and the eldest son of the grizzly bears were married. In the years that followed, they had many children, who were not as hairy as the grizzlies, yet did not look exactly like their spirit mother, either." This quote made me appreciated the creation of life because a human daughter of the Chief mated with a bear to make different looking creatures.  This piece can relate in ways that it doesn't matter what race you are, everyone should be treated equally. Different races can mate together. Also this piece can make you appreciate what you have before you lose it. 

The Earth on Turtle’s Back - 202 words

This piece was very beautiful. It was very beautiful because of the creation of the Earth from just a little dirt being sprinkled onto the turtle's shell to save the Chief's pregnant wife. Even though there were hard times, the animals figured out a way to overcome them and bring the woman air and land.  "Before this Earth existed, there was only water. It stretched as far as one can see, and in that water were birds and animals swimming around.", this quote represents the fact that there was no Earth but just water. Water where animals and birds would just live in or play in. Imagining the Earth as just water is impossible to me. But it is beautiful.  "I will bring up Earth or die trying." was said by a small voice who was the Tiny Muskrat. The Tiny Muskrat risked her life to bring up the Earth from the water. She was so tiny, yet so strong. Even though her lungs felt as if it was about to burst, she kept going, until she died. But in the end, she was a hero to me. She was so brave. She lost her life, to help Earth to be born. 

The Navajo Origin Legend - 225 words

This piece made me feel surprised and amazed. I was surprised because the woman was made from yellow grain and the man was made from white grain. "When the Mirage people had finished their walk, the upper buckskin was lifted; the ears of the corn had disappeared, a man and a woman lay there in their stead.", the white grain had been changed into a man and the yellow grain was changed into a woman.  This piece made me amazed at how just the use of small particles could make such an amazing thing. "The white wind blew from the east, and the yellow wind blew from the west, between the skins." The wind helping create the people was also amazing. The wind helped create life. "It is the wind that comes out of our mouths that gives us life.  "When this ceases to blow, we die." In this quote it is meant that if the wind stops blowing, then we die. This can relate our everyday life. Without wind, we will die. We will cease to exist on Earth. The wind keeps us alive. The wind, otherwise known as oxygen, is all around. If we somehow can't receive oxygen, we won't be able to breathe, then we won't be alive, death will come to us. So therefore the wind (oxygen) is important to us. 

GRASS by: Carl Sandburg - 241 words

I am amazed at this piece. I am amazed at how the grass grows but history is still there. The grass works with no help from humans but works efficiently over time.  "Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo, Shovel them under and let me work-- I am the grass; I cover all.", this quote from the piece is meant by people who died and are piled up, are now under the grass. The grass is not affected by the burying of the people or the their decaying bodies. The bodies are six feet under, but the grass continues to grow over them.  "I am the grass. Let me work.", means that the grass does the work of nature. The grass covers memory and dead (memory is meant figurative and dead is meant literal), no matter how much time, "passengers", people on a train ask about the area.  This piece can relate to life and death. This piece can relate to life in which grass brings peace to nature. Grass can continue to grow for a long time. Even though life changes, the grass carries history. This piece can relate to death in which grass covers the bodies of the dead. While the body is underground and might not be seen again, the grass continues to grow over it, to cover it, to hold it in place, to show that the people who were once alive are no longer alive. 

The Atlantic Excerpts -The Force That Drives the Flower, The Sound of Trees, River Driftwood

The Force That Drives the Flower was more than just a way of explaining the need of plants, but also a way to describe how humans help plants.  "....these primitive trees can fight city hall and win" is used as a way to show how a large city like New York is "victim" to the innocence of trees and plants.  They keep the plants safe and out of water pipes so they may prosper.  The Sound of Trees is a poem used to question the acceptance of the noises trees make.  Describing something that happens everyday like "when I watch trees sway", as trees sway with the wind.  Even as the days go by and "it grows wiser and older", the trees will still be there and be the same.  River Driftwood was an observation of small animals along the river banks.  As the musk-rat "hurries through the water with a little green branch in his mouth" he observed the man float through the river and carefully watched him.  The small animals were very vigilant of their land although there many people that pass by on their boats all summer long.