A Poem Written

Last week, we read a poem in English Class that personified eggs. We then were given the assignment to personify some non-human or inanimate object and give this object thoughts and feelings. I got a 20/20 on this assignment. Enjoy!


The Life of A Pillow

By Brahms Lewis

Like an appliance, the pillow sits,

Waiting to be used,

But like a servant, the pillow hopes

It will not be abused.

On the bed, the pillow lies,

Dreading the nights to come,

For that is when the master comes,

Who thinks the pillow’s dumb.

When down the man lies on the pillow,

The servant gets to work,

Holding the master’s head up high,

Massaging the aches that lurk.

Like an oxen at the plow,

The pillow’s work is hard,

Keeping up a head so large,

Which smells of stale lard,

But when the rooster crows again,

It is a joyful bell,

For the head will rise again,

And the pillow, again, is well.

East Coast - Day 11, 12, & 13

This part of my travel journal is about our last actual sight-seeing day and our two days on our way home.

Tues. June 6, 2006; 9:45pm (East Coast Time) -
We went to the Crayola factory in Easton today. We made clay figures. My mom made a snake, my dad made an Octopus, Miriam made a yo-yo, and Shannon made two flowers and a plumb which she mixed up and made a ball out of it. I made a lasso, a flat crab, and a snail. Miriam got to stuffed crayons today. [I left a lot out of the whole day. The day was actually very interesting. We saw a model of a canal and we saw how canals worked. I also saw the world's longest blue crayon. I also had my first true understanding of stop-motion animation here. If you want to see some work that came out of this understanding, go to my YouTube channel {www.youtube.com/rabkdoomfish}.]

Wednesday, June 7, 2006; 2:30pm (East Coast Time) -
We are waiting for our airplane home. I didn't want to go home. I had a very good time in the East Coast.

Wednesday, June 7, 2006; Time Unknown -
I do not know what time it is. I am on the airplane. I met a man with no legs named George. I got a whole can of ginger ale!

Wednesday, June 7, 2006; Time Unknown -
I saw St. Louis! [Please remember that I was 10 at the time and that my comments might be a little like a ten year-old's comments. We saw St. Louis from the sky. The pilot pointed it out to us.]

Thursday, June 8, 2006; 9:15am (West Coast Time) -
We are back home in El Dorado Hills. It feels so good that we are back home.

East Coast - Days 9 & 10

Sunday, June 4, 2006; 9:16pm (East Coast Time) -

We had a free day today. My mom is truing to make herself think she is checked into The Four Seasons Hotel [A fancy restaurant in Philadelphia]. We saw a quarter glued to the sidewalk. We also saw a cockroach. We saw the original 'Thinker'.

Monday, June 5, 2006; 9:21pm (East Coast Time) -

We went to D.C. today. We saw the Capitol Building, the Library of Congress, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial [From the top of the Washington Monument], the White House, ducks, geese, and squirrels. My dad has gotten 3 Starbucks mugs on this trip: Philadelphia, New York, and D.C. A man said he liked my Princeton University shirt. I played the Revolution Scenario of Civ4.

East Coast - Day 7 & 8

Friday, June 2, 2006; 3:10pm (East Coast Time)
We went to the Barnes Foundation in Merino today. The most interesting picture I saw was of a lady who looked like a chicken and had some food that looked like a fried chicken leg and two chicken nuggets [When you are 10, you describe something as you see it]. There was also a picture that looked as if it was drawn by a kid. We went to the Merion Botanical Gardens and skipped rocks. On the train ride back, two people got into a fight. I heard some words I didn't want to hear.

Saturday, June 3, 2006; 10:34pm (East Coast Time)
We went to Valley Forge today. It was raining a lot. We ate on the grass next to a parking lot. I will destroy the environment by introducing a foreign species, the apple tree [I left my apple seeds on the ground there]. I went across the street while the rest of the family was eating and took a picture. A van was waiting for me to take the picture. After I took it, I signaled to him to go. I hurt my arm. I picked up a blade of grass. I ran a lot. It was all my dad's fault that my mom freaked out. He made us go a different way to the Valley Forge Visitor Center and we had to go through the grass. Many ticks got on us and my mom freaked out. At the store, Miriam got a little army kit. We got Marcus a camp cup. My Dad got a book, I got a Valley Forge license plate, and we got Grandpa a Valley Forge golf ball. I tried squid today. Miriam got a tick with its head stuck in her head! I am going to stop writing.

East Coast - Day 5 & 6

After leaving the East Coast Lewis's house, my family went to Philadelphia, which we used as our base for going to all the other major cities in the area.

Wednesday, May 31, 2006; 10:51pm (East Coast Time)
We went to New York today. We had a lot of trouble with trains. We didn't go to H&H Bagels, but someday I will. I still remember where it is: on W46 st. and 11th st. We saw Tarzan and went to the top of the Empire State Building. Oh Ya! [I seriously put that in my journal. Remember that I was 10 at the time.] We got to go to a good restaurant called Cafe Duke. We had a ferry boat ride and saw Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, the USS Intrepid, and the Brooklyn Bridge. It's tome for me to go to bed now, but I got to tell you that my dad got a New York mug for his Starbucks collection.

Thursday, June 1, 2006; 11:14am (East Coast Time)
We have a free day today. We got the groceries we ordered. We are going to go shopping today. We are also going to go to a chocolate buffet today. I am pretty bored right now.

Thursday, June 1, 2006; 10:48pm (East Coast Time)
I am just about to go to bed. We went to the Ritz Carlton and had a chocolate buffet. It was very good. It is on the Avenue of Art. I will go there some other time when I am older. I only have three more pairs of underwear [I was only 10 years old]. I got a lot of books to read: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Connecticut Yankee in King Author's Court, the Tale of Two Cities, and The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain. We are going to the Barnes Foundation tomorrow. I keep forgetting what the name is, but I remember right now. It is a place with impressionist art. We went and saw a place with pieces of many board games. My older sister and I had evil thoughts about what might happen if the Statue of William Penn was struck by lightning. There was lightning at night. Good night for now!
P.S. - I found a quarter in a vending machine!

East Coast - Day 3 & 4

On Monday, May 29, 2006, I was probably supposed to journal, but I didn't, so there is no entry for that day. In brief, we went to the Delaware River and Princeton University that day. That is a very short description, but it works.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006; 3:06pm (East Coast Time)
We had to leave the East Coast Lewis's. We are in Philadelphia now. We went to Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell center, the Independence Visitor Center, the Constitution Center, and the U.S. Mint. We also went to Reading Terminal Market where we had Philly Cheese steaks.In the Constitution Visitor Center, we watched an awesome show called 'Freedom Rising'. Wherever we went, we ran into kids on field trips. It was so annoying. In the Constitution Center, they made me go all the way to the end of the line in the gift shop. We met a nice lady named Mary in the Reading Terminal Market. She showed us the best places to get different things. Swallowed some gum that will stay in me until 2013, when I am 17 years old! [Remember that I was 10 years old at the time].

East Coast - Day 1 & 2

In 2006, my family and I went to the East Coast of the United States on vacation. My mother said to bring a journal because that is how many people became famous. Although I am never able to keep up a journal at home, I am able to keep a journal when we are away on trips. It may be some part of my way of thinking, but it is how I function, so here is my journal from the point of view of me on the East Coast. I hope you enjoy!

Saturday, May 27, 2006; 6:24pm (California Time [I think])-
I am in the airport. I went through the metal detector and it went off. I had to take off my belt and put it on the conveyor belt. It was funny to see a belt go through one of them [Remember that I was ten years old at the time]. I'm very bored.

Saturday, May 27, 2006; 9:40pm (California Time [I still think])-
We are waiting for our plane. I am still bored. I had a huge hamburger for dinner.

Sunday, May 28, 2006; 9:15am (East Coast Time [I am sure this time])-
We are in the Trenton train station and are getting tickets. We are going to Princeton to see Uncle David, Aunt Saskia, and our cousins. We got Uncle David Pete's Coffee. I'm kinda [actual word used] and my leg hurts a bit.

Sunday, May 28, 2006; 9:49pm (East Coast Time)-
We had a good day today. We had a big meal for lunch. Aunt Saskia even fried french fries. We walked a lot and I got a Princeton T-shirt. We got candy at Ricky's Candy, Cones, and Chaos. I had a drink with no sugar or caffeine [I have no idea why I wrote that]. I am not sleepy, but I have to go to bed. I'm not that bored. I like it here at the East Coast Lewis's. I am sleeping in D.J.'s [My cousin's] room. Shannon is sleeping in the tent in the basement with Juliana [I don't remember where they slept now. Juliana is my other cousin, older than D.J.] I'm going to go to bed now.