the bird on fire

The Palm Valley School Student Blog

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

easy self care tips:

by 3 Comments

By Makena Behnke, Lifestyle/Poet Guru

  • take care of your skin. wear face masks, wash your face, etc.
  • drink your water. it improves your mood and overall helps your health.
  • take some time to yourself. don’t always feel like you have to talk and/or hang out with your friends 24/7.
  • drink some green tea. it has multiple health benefits; makes your skin glow as well as boosting your metabolism. if you don’t like the taste, you can always sweeten it.
  • plan for the future. don’t get too stressed out though, just make a list of things you want to do when you’re an adult/later on in life.
  • read. just read.
  • take care of your body. inside and out.
  • eat some fruit every once in awhile.
  • find something interesting and educational to study outside of school. like religion or different languages.
  • don’t keep your feelings bottled up.
  • treat yourself to something sweet every once in awhile.
  • find some way to calm yourself down wherever you are.
  • write a song or poem about how you feel. it doesn’t have to be good, no one needs to see it if you don’t want them to.
  • fake it till you make it. stand tall, and smile often.

Editor & Lifestyle Co-Guru: Brennan Nick

Avalyn

by Leave a Comment

By Renée

 

You wake up everyday–

every single day.

What makes you get up everyday?

Some of you might tell me right away,

but some of you may not yet know.

I’ll keep living everyday,

thinking I know; knowing I know.

But, will I ever tell a soul?

No.

Life will keep beating me.

It will trip me up; tear me apart.

Life will keep loving me.

It will give me its gifts; let me play my part.

Some days it’s aimless,

other days I can’t think of anything else.

But please let you keep this to yourself,

here I’m sharing a piece of my heart.

 

Editor Makena Behnke

From where do you draw inspiration?

by 1 Comment

Junior Asher Mai is an ardent reader of John Green and a recent expert on Robert Frost (thanks to his AP English Language Synthesis Project), so when he found a line of Frost quoted in the newest John Green book, Turtles All the Way Down, Asher felt inspired to write the following poem. 

 

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on.”–Robert Frost, as quoted by John Green

By Asher Mai

 

A red autumn leaf had fallen

And the wind had blown

He had flown seven thousand miles

To the other side of the Pacific Ocean

It was a path that he had chosen

 

He enjoyed the new environment

And learned to be independent

He had an amazing experience

An experience that he would

never have dreamed to experience

 

Summer had come

It’s time to go home

But his spiral of consciousness

had started to tighten

Because it’s a path he had not yet chosen

A future that was not yet known

Editor: Makena Behnke

Poetry Responds . . .

by Leave a Comment

Guest Poet Blogger Jackson Dean contributes this week.

 

That Sunday

 

That Sunday was the first day of someone’s life,

And they will not understand the hate of the world for some time;

That Sunday was the first steps for someone,

who proudly galloped across the living room floor;

That Sunday was the marriage of many someones,

And their love for each other was unbelievably grand;

That Sunday was happiness for someone,

as they read a book on their porch;

That Sunday was joy for someone,

when that math problem was finally understood;

That Sunday was the first day of college for someone,

As they began a new life in a new place;

That Sunday was with friends for someone,

Laughing and reminiscing about the “good ol’ days”;

That Sunday was a breakup for someone,

And they never felt such sadness before;  

That Sunday was falling in love for the very first time for someone,

And they knew it would last;

That Sunday was a drive for someone,

Just taking in the sights of their town;

That Sunday was church for someone,

Meeting up with church friends and enjoying the company;

That Sunday was family time for someone,

As they all sat around to watch Football;

…

That Sunday was the worst day for someone,

When the shots kept coming;

That Sunday was when “Missed Call” was displayed on the phone of someone,

And people prayed their loved ones were okay;

That Sunday, no call was returned for someone,

Because they weren’t okay;

That Sunday was devastating for someone,

As they lost their friend in the crowd and have yet to hear from them;

That Sunday, Monday, and all the days to come will be mourning for someone,

Because of the news they received;

That Sunday was, is, and always will be a nightmare for someone,

For the image of them running for what seemed like hours was branded into their skull;

That Sunday, people cared for someone,

As they lay on top of strangers to hide them from what was the end for many;

That Sunday, people were there for someone,

As strangers carried strangers to hospitals;

…

That Sunday, life passed on for someone,

And they were innocent;

That Sunday, life passed on for someone,

And they were loved ones;

That Sunday, life passed on for someone,

And they will not be forgotten.

Editor: Peter Kadel

5-word sentences

by 2 Comments

By Brennan Nick

This sentence has five words.

This also has five words.

Five word sentences are fun.

They can be interesting, too.

Here is a short story.

There once was a boy.

This boy was drinking milk.

He was also eating lunch.

His day was going well.

But, tragedy struck right then.

He moved his hand carelessly.

This motion spilled his milk.

He then cried and cried.

His mother heard the crying.

She rushed to help him.

She thought it was serious.

Reality was far from that.

She simply cleaned the milk.

She got him more milk.

Thankfully, the crisis was averted.

Five-word sentences are fun.

They can be interesting, too.

However, they are very simple.

When strung together it’s tiresome.

When in abundance, they’re monotonous.

They lack the needed details.

They lack the needed variety.

Five word sentences are not fun.

 

Editors: Claire Jenkins & Peter Kadel

 

utopia

by 2 Comments

By Makena Behnke

i live in a world where girls stand hand in hand

not judging each other by race or ethnicity

each supportive of the others’ dreams

we teach each other kindness and compassion ~and sometimes makeup tips~

we don’t tear each other down or shame

we don’t mind if you have lip fillers or crooked butt implants

we accept each other for who we are

we share clothes and funny stories

we don’t mind if you put on a little weight or lose some

as long as you’re healthy and happy, we’re happy

–unfortunately not everyone lives in this world, and what kills me is that there’s not much i can do about it right now.

Editor: Brennan Nick

Some Weird Haiku’s from Charles

by 4 Comments

By Charles Schnell

 

It’s Funny

It is funny how

We can be so similar

And not realize it.

 

Freedom

Freedom is what we

Yearn, Search, and Fight for, but we

Can’t find it alone.

 

Not What You Wished For

This is not what you

Wished for, but it’s what you got;

Thus it’s meant for you.

 

Excitement

I sit atop the

Mountain, and the world is vast,

Holding all futures.

 

Conflict

Stop the fighting; Stop!

The world is pretty, and nature

Is calling for peace.

 

These Rules

These rules, these rules, These

Rules cannot break us; we will

Stand and live and win.

 

Life Goes On

Sometimes, the world stops.

We feel we don’t know a thing,

But, we keep going.

 

Temporary

Everything in this

World is not everlasting;

Your pain will end soon.

 

Yugen

An awareness of

The universe too deep for

Words; I love Yugen.

 

No Sense

These poems do not

Make any sense, but, who knew

I would like haikus?

 

Editor: Peter Kadel

Dear Music,

by Leave a Comment

By Renée Vazquez A.

 

Even when you’re falling apart,

you comfort me.

When you’re writhing in anger,

you calm me.

When angst gets in my way,

you support me.

You’re with me always.

When I feel alone,

tell me you are with me, always.

You take my breath away.

You make me smile so much I cry.

You make me cry so much I smile.

I will always need you.

Humanity will always need you.

Editor Charles Schnell

true or false

by 2 Comments

By Makena Behnke

i am trapped

today i came to the realization that i am trapped

there are very few days that i feel like this

that statement is false

i feel very small once i think deeply about myself

that statement is true

i know who i am

that statement is both true and false

 

Editor: Peter Kadel

Foreigner  

by Leave a Comment

By Renée Vazquez A.

Most people find it ridiculous

that I dare call myself foreign.

My skin is pale,

I’ve lived here for years;

I have no accent, with a few exceptions,

But yet, I am foreign.

I have not the loyalty or the indebted view

that many immigrants do.

But yet, I am foreign.

I feel foreign.

I was raised foreign.

I manage a very different perspective

on various things.

I read foreign.

I speak foreign.

But not in the crowd,

no, not in front of those near me,

for I have enough sense not to stand out.

I miss my country’s culture,

it’s rich long history,

and the kindness of its people

and the food they eat.

I scowl in resentment,

when my native place is mocked.

Especially when those people are ignorant

or just plain wrong.

Don’t get me wrong; I see its faults.

I know that it is flawed.

But not in those ways that are said by some.

But, in many ways, I’m foreign there too,

in the ways that I’m foreign here as well.

For sometimes I feel I am a foreigner of the world.

 

Editor: A.J. Patencio