Protest Poem

In the lobby they sit,

Who will get the promotion?

Final interviews,

Are full of emotion.

Woman and man,

They have equal credentials.

Resumes in hand,

Both are full of potential.

From his office walks the boss,

It's the man whose hand he shakes.

As expected she faced her loss,

Walks away, while the new job he takes.

Sadly these were foreseen feelings,

This boss was not the first offender.

She has reached her glass ceiling,

Turned down due to gender.

Sonnet XVIII by William Shakespeare, Parody by Maddie Willson

Shall I compare thee to my cat Gizmo?

Thou art more dopey and more lean.

Rough winds do knock you off the window,

And your fur hath much less a silky sheen.

Sometimes too bright your yellow eyes do shine,

And often is his black complexion dimmed.

And every glare from glare and every whine,

Perhaps because he got his little nails trimmed.

But thy eternal coolness shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that hair thou ow'st,

Nor shall any cat try to take your place,

Though in eternal cat breath stench thou grow'st,

So long as mic can run and fish can swim,

So long lives you, and this makes me grin.

Ode to Button by Maddie Willson

Ode to Button

When I first held you,

You chewed my on my buttons and frolicked about.

Hence your name,

 Button.

Just a baby, you hardly fit your skin,

A silky little puppy,

Brought to your new home.

Your ears are so long and floppy,

Tongue twice the length of your head,

You howl, growl and bark.

You rip through your toys daily,

Except pretzel, wubba, and kong.

Pretzel you've had since you came home,

He holds strong yet slightly broken.

Sleeping on your bed,

You snore louder than any man.

Your kennel is your home,

You’ll make sure that cat never enters.

You will wait for hours to see Gizmo,

Race around the corner of that couch,

If only to chase him,

Make sure he knows he’s not welcome.

Your fur is so white, flecked with black,

We should have called you snoopy.

Your gimpy little leg,

Damaged from birth,

I guess that comes along with being part Basset.

Limping along like a champion,

You will never let it hinder you.

Button, your tiny hairs weave into anything and everything,

Making it so we can't wear anything black,

Unless we want to look like crazy cat ladies covered in hair.

It is alright Button,

Choosing you over your poop-eating sister,

You’re our baby dog,

And we wouldn't take you any other way.

Philosophy of Identity by Maddie Willson

Alone no man can survive,

For a day, for a week one can manage.

 Love and compassion is needed to thrive,

A whole life alone and there’s sure to be damage.

Human touch,

And the voices of others.

We need these too much,

Like love from our sisters and mothers.

To say you’re affected by nothing,

I must say I believe you are bluffing.

Sometimes we all need a friend,

I promise it’s not just a trend.

Dad

Sitting in his big brown chair,

He quietly recalls his favorite stories,

I see his soft blue eyes and fading hair,

Dad laughs and smiles at his past glories.

 

The great big ship the captain let him steer,

After two long weeks in blinding fog,

Soon it cleared; deckhand pouring a beer,

He grins, absentmindedly patting the dog.

 

He tells of times when I was a child,

His baby girl fast asleep on his lap,

I would roll down his legs, fall to his feet piled,

He retrieves memories from his mind like a map.

 

He repeats the same stories at least once a year,

It’s all alright, these I love to hear,

“I’m the luckiest Dad” he often tells me,

I love him so much, he’s the best there could be.

Passion

     My passions in life are what have guided me in making decisions, and have taken me along the path that I walk today. Having these desires to follow my passions have gotten me through hard times and allowed me to reach my goals. Defining the person I am today, and who I will be in the future are my three main passions, the search to find beauty in all, the glorious idea of a true love, and the thirst for knowledge. 

     I seek to find the beauty in things for I believe even the most wilted of flowers has had a beautiful past. In every difficult situation I find myself in, I make it my duty to uncover a brighter side. If only I can find that beauty, I know I can handle the situation and mold the darkness into a work of art. In doing so, I believe that nothing can stand in my way, for nowhere is there a tunnel that I can't find my way out of.

     I have been so lucky, in the way that I was raised in the most loving of homes. My parents share a love so deep, held so strongly for so long, that I now have the greatest desire to find a love as beautiful as theirs. My parents compassion for each other is such an inspiration to me. Just knowing that in this world, a love so pure truly can flourish gives me such hope. The proof of their love has given me the passion of believing in true love, and keeps me going everyday. 

     Many believe that the only way to achieve high grades is to study and work as hard as you can. Although I too believe this to a degree, I know that this is not the only way. In my life I have realized that I have a great thirst for knowledge. The idea of filling my brain with new information is exciting. There is so much in this world to be learned, and my passion for consuming as much of it as I can leads me on a path of higher education and new experiences. With this passion, I aspire to attend post-secondary and go on as many life altering trips as I can.

     In the foundation of who I am there are many more building blocks than what I have described here. It is these three passions, though, that really drive me to be the person I am today. Through all my life, searching for beauty in dark times, the idea of experiencing true love, and educating my self as much as I can, have sculpted me into the girl I am today.