Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"The moon shines bright: in such a night as this,
When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees,
And they did make no noise, in such a night"
-The Merchant of Venice

Figure Skating

A graceful loop
Twisting and turning
Yearning
Never to touch down
Floating, flying
Gliding on the wings of the wind
Sharp pick readying for landing
Yet your heart
Is still in the air

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"What: is the jay more precious than the lark
Because his feathers are more beautiful?"
-The Taming of the Shrew

Winter in New England

Week after week the
The Northeast is hit by snowstorms
Violent weather rules

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"What manner of man? Is his head worth a hat, or his
chin worth a beard?"
-As You Like It

Natural Beauty

Wonders of nature
Left untouched remain flawless
Will always be here

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
by any other name would smell as sweet"
-Romeo and Juliet

Storm

Leaves with the silver side
Facing upwards are a sign
The rain shall come soon

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Be to yourself
As you would to your friend."
-King Henry VIII

Obeservations

A picnicking family
Little boy laughing
Head thrown back

An elderly man
Drinking in the sunlight
Smiling at everything

A roller skater
Bent low, concentrating
Taking pleasure in her speed

A dog walker
Throwing ball after ball
His dog's tongue moist and pink

And me
Sitting on a bench...
Quietly observing

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"And do as adversaries in law,
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends"
-The Taming of the Shrew

A Little Bit of a Self Portrait

I am Claire.

I am clear and bright.

I am a voracious reader.

I am a planet saver.

I am a soccer player.

I am creative.

I am a hiker, biker, reader, writer.

I am an animal lover.

I am a Chelsea football fan.

I am energetic and kind.

I am a good sister.

I am Swedish and Italian.

I am the future.

I am clever.

I am Claire.

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"A good heart is the sun and the moon; or, rather, the sun
and not the moon, for it shines bright and never changes"
-King Henry V

Park Memories

A misty morning by a pond
A shady spot of which I'm fond
Wild blueberries beside the trail
Crackling lightening with golfball hail
A shaggy moose rambling 'cross my path
A patch of sunshine with a birdbath
The hidden spring from which I fill
My waterbottle, with not a spill
The voyage of a small black ant
To find crumbs which are very scant
All this I've gotten from a park
A dove, a crow, even a lark
These wonders onto which I hold
Are far more precious than any gold

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

Bit morbid, but still very interesting...

"By medicine life may be prolong'd, yet death
Will seize the doctor too."
-Cymbeline

Goons and Trees

Today will have two poems: One is the usual, semi-serious haiku, and the other I am dying to put in even though it has no reason or meaning. It is completely zany and wacky and whimsical...

The Tree
by Claire

The tree stands alone
Waving gently in the breeze
Surrounded by life

My attempt at a lymerick...I guess it's just not my forte.

There once was a goon
Who lived on the moon
He ranted and raved
Then smiled and waved
Then he started to play the bassoon

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"For I am fresh of spirit and resolved
To meet all perils very constantly."
-Julius Caesar

Sick

There's a frog in my throat
Or maybe two or three
A cat's pulling my tongue
In a most unpleasant way
Two elephants are sitting
On my feet
Which makes moving rather hard
And I'm almost positive there is a woodpecker
Inside my head,
Trying desperately to get out
Hanging off of my arms
Are four monkeys, two on each
Making my shoulders ache and
Resist movement
A snake is slithering through my stomach
Frightening the butterflies
Who are also causing my nausea
My lungs are two tortoises
Weighing down my breathing
Making me gasp and choke
Help!

Shakespeare Quote of Day

"True hope is swift, and flies with swallow's wings:
Kings it makes gods, and meaner creatures kings."
-King Richard III

My Game

The stadium holds its breath
Then, the whistle sounds
And OFF!

Like a tornado
Whirling
Whirling
Whirling
Down the field
I go.
Nothing can stop
Me.

Celebrating 102 posts! (Including this one)

Today, I decided to check up on some blog stats. They are AMAZING! When I started this blog back on December 4th, I never dreamed that almost two months later I would have 102 posts, 10 followers, and over 600 views from 8 countries! I am so happy that I started this blog,  which has been a great learning experience and a way to force myself to write much more poetry. Thanks to everyone who has come to this blog to check it out!

Have a wonderful winter!
-Claire

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Great floods have flown
From simple sources."
-All's Well that Ends Well

Window

Window, window,same old view
The seasons change and I do too
I stand on tiptoe, try to see
I can't wait for my destiny
Window, window, same old view
The seasons change and I do too

Window, window, messy room
I'm sure that school will be my doom
But when I'm there, I love it so
More than I could ever show
Window, window, messy room
My school will never be my doom

Window, window, not so high
I'm now so tall I touch the sky
Middle school is a piece of cake
I get great grades on the tests I take
Window, window, not so high
I'm now so tall I touch the sky

But no matter how tall I will be
I'll always control my destiny
Window, window, same old view
The seasons change but never you

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Bid the dishonest man mend himself; if he mend, he is
no longer dishonest"
-Twelfth Night

Moon

Moon
By Claire

A slivery orb hangs low
in the great pie pan
of the sky
pin pricks of light
tickle her
and she laughs and laughs
we wonder
why is she called the man in the moon?
she sulks
on ocasion
then turns her bright
and shining face
to earth
delighting anyone
who cares to look upwards
smiling
and catching people off gaurd
silently  gliding
over the surface of the pie pan
sleepily chuckling
as the stars prick her
one last time
before she is lost in the sunrise

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"All friends shall taste
The wages of their virtue, and all foes
The cup of their deservings."
-King Lear

Hoping for Hope Haiku

Hope is light and sweet
Yet the moment hope deserts
You are grey and black


Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"To gild refined gold, to paint the lily
To throw perfume on the violet...
Is wasteful and ridiculous excess"
-King John

Courage

Courage

Golden, Shining

Committing, Persevering, Succeeding

Hero, Happiness, Weakling, Darkness

Groveling, Sniffling, Failing

Black, Grim

Cowardice

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Who can be wise, amazed, temperate and furious,
Loyal and neutral in a moment?"
-Macbeth

Giraffe

Today I received a great late Christmas present...the complete works of Emily Dickinson!!! I am very excited about that!

Giraffe
By Claire

Long and slender neck
Reaching to the highest branch
Eats the sweetest leaves

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Be merry, you have cause,
So have we all, of joy."
-The Tempest

One Act

one act
can change a person's life
for good or bad
teetering on the brink
of something big
then bang!
diving off the cliff
soar or drop
like a dead weight
sink or swim
it's up to you
in your hands
you may hold something
far more precious than
gold
take care
my friend
curl your fingers
gently
steer them in the right direction
into the sunrise
not the rain
be careful
hold it firmly
because if you don't
it can slip away
forever lost

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
-Romeo and Juliet

Pegasus

Pegasus

Ivory, alabaster

Cantering, rising, soaring

A symbol of freedom

Hope

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"All that glisters is not gold."
-The Merchant of Venice

The Birth of Winter

A single flake drops
Onto my tongue from the sky
Winter is born here

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Blow, blow, thou winter wind,
Thou art not so unkind
As man's ingratitude;"
-As You Like It

Guinea Pigs and Scandinavian Holidays

Happy St. Knut's day!!! January 13th is officially St. Knut's day, a traditional Scandinavian holiday. Me being Swedish, I like to take the time to think about it when it rolls around. On this day three long years ago today, I adopted my guinea pig, aptly named Knut. He is a wonderful pet, and this poem is a tribute to him this St. Knut's day.

Knut
Playful, loyal
Scurrying, purring, squeaking
My sweet little pig
Knut

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day"
-Claire

Winter Storm and Julia

This morning, I watched the movie Julie and Julia. I thought it was an amazing movie, and very funny. Julia Child was such an interesting person, and I learned so much about her from this movie. Also, this is a great movie for any true blogger. It really made me feel inspired to have a blog. Thank you to all my followers and to anyone who reads this!

Winter Storm
By Claire

The wind whistling
Moaning in the treetops and
Causing snow to blow

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin"
-Troilus and Cressida

Nervous

Nervous
By Claire

A small bird flutters
Rapidly beating its wings
Inside my stomach

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"To be, or not to be: That is the question"
-Hamlet

Artemis

Here is a poem I wrote recently about Artemis, the Greek Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon...

Artemis

Goddess of the silvery moon

Forever hunting with hounds by her side

Artemis, cold as marble

Heaving the ocean-creating the tide

Artemis, pitiless daughter of Zeus

Racing her chariot ‘cross the night sky

Beloved by bears and birds of the wood

Brave Diana, who never would cry

Goddess of animals

Queen of young lovers too

Forever followed by fairies

Her hounds faithfully true

Artemis, shooting arrows

Of silvery light

As her white horses pull her

Up through the night

This queen, this beauty

Will be ever fair

As she bathes in quiet pools

Without a care

Aloof sister of Apollo

Artemis, statue of ice

Turning men into stags

Full of moonlight and vice

Weekends

After reading for a large part of the weekend, I decided to get creative and drew this picture of my name. It's a very amusing thing to do, and it stretches your imagination a little bit if you have a tough name. Sorry about the picture quality...

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind"
-A Midsummer Night's Dream

Surf

Surf
By Claire

The waves crash into
A thousand tiny splinters
Pricking your ankles

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

This is a picture from Baxter State Park in Maine. It is definately one of my favorite places. Anyway, on to the quote:

"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool."
-As You Like It

When Winter Isn't Fun

When Winter Isn't Fun
by Claire

When winter becomes bleak
And hard to bare-
Try not sit by the window and stare
Don't let morose weather
Catch you off guard
Get up and have fun
No buckets of lard!

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"If music be the food of love, play on"
-Twelfth Night

Hope

If hope tries to fly away
Catch it quick and make it stay
Ever present by your side
Even if it tries to hide

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"A jest's prosperity lies
In the ear of him that hears it
Never in the tongue of him that makes it"
-Love's Labour's Lost

Ant

Ant
by Claire

An ant crawls slowly
Over the eternity
Of a small green leaf

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny
But in ourselves"
-Julius Caesar

The Stream

The Stream
By Claire

A burbling brook
Winds its way
Over the hills
And far away
While animals take
A drink by its side
And a terrified beetle
Scurries to hide
A canopy hangs
Directly over their heads
While a whimsical water rat
Scuttles to bed
All this I observe
From my place by the stream
While it bubbles and chuckles
And sparkles and gleams

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"And certain stars shot madly from their spheres
To hear the sea maid's music"
-A Midsummer Night's Dream

Snowflakes

Sorry, today's post is relatively short due to a badly bruised hand which is causing me to type one handed.

Snowflakes
by Claire

Snowflakes softly fall to earth
Blanketing trees and hillsides
Blustery blizzards

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"The weakest kind of fruit
Drops earliest to the ground"
-The Merchant of Venice

Portrait of a Younger Self

The other day I had a bit of a flashback to when I was a really young child. I considered writing a story about it, then realized that it sounded much better as a poem. Who knows, maybe I will write a short story sometime soon. I have not actively written in quite a while, because I am still in the process of getting over writer's block and finding a creative idea. I think that writing this much poetry may help me get a brilliant idea as to what to write next. Hopefully, I have not gotten rusty. Well, enough of my ramblings; here is the poem I wrote about my past self.


Portrait of a Younger Self
by Claire

I was the child
that saw dragons out the window
forgot to take my socks off
when getting in the tub
became a pauper
then a princess
then an alien
landing for the first time on Earth
I was the child
who cooperated with the dentist
when he said
"Stop sucking your thumb"
who was Saint Lucia
for as long as I can remember
I was the child
who engineered the perfect way
to get out of my crib
who taught that trick to my brothers
when it was their turn
who constantly collaborated with them
in building forts
and having mud fights
in the yard on rainy days
I was that wild child
whose imagination soared
to new heights each day.
I am still that child.
That wonderful
energetic
creative
child.
That was me.

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Joy, gentle friends! Joy, and fresh days of love
Accompany your hearts!"
- A Midsummer Night's Dream

Corners

corners
lonely and desolate
created just to take up space
the hiding place
for dust
dirt
and unexpected visitors
sitting
with your face to a corner
can seem as bleak
as a cold winter day
but if you try very hard
to stare at the blank wall in front of you
it can turn
into a beautiful picture
colors
may seep through
the cracks in the wall
a picture is painted
and suddenly
you don't feel so alone

Shakespeare Quote of the Day

"Our revels now are ended; these our actors,
As I fortold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air"
-The Tempest

Happy New Year!

a time of new beginnings
shedding a layer of yourself
fresh and clean
a blank paper in front of you
ready to be painted on
a ball of yarn yet to be used
the old year
flapping out the window
desperate to be free
then catching an up draft
the old year gently begins to float up
the higher it goes
the more it is lost to us
soon to be completely forgotten