*Descriptive Paragraphs:

These are not poems, they’re paragraphs, but I’m putting them here anyways.

The great hall of the Castle Catorwey was abuzz with excitement. Bright colourful banners of red, green and blue hung on the thick cold stonewall in a festive fashion. The castle maids were rushing hither and thither trying to get the tables and chairs set up for the great feast. A wondrous aroma of pine needles and cinnamon candy hung low over the room causing the spirits of those within to rise in joyful expectation. An orchestra was practicing in the far corner and sweet Christmas melodies could be heard across the room. A small knot of children hid under the branches of a large tree in the corner; quietly enjoying the sweet delicate taste of Christmas chocolate, totally oblivious to the clamour around them. Whirling snow fell outside the window and the Castle was finally at peace and free from worries of an argument world full of uncaring people.

Soldiers lay scattered like a deck of cards strewn across the land. Death hung heavy on the air and it’s foul smelling essence filled the hearts and minds of those still left in this cursed place. The sound of gunshots and dieing men filled the air and little hope was found amongst them. Hearts that were so filled with love and peacefulness were no ravaged with a deep consuming emptiness and the dread of facing tomorrow haunted their every thought. Through the havoc appeared a tall silent figure dressed in robes of nobility and dignity. He walked amongst the dead and dieing and comforted their pains with a simple touch of his strong firm hand. Friend and foe he comforted and told them of great peace. A peace they’d find through him in only they’d ask the way. Many asked and many received but others failed to see and died in the agony that the evil in their hearts wielded to so easily. Never experiencing that firm comforting touch.

Behind her lay a work of art, a total masterpiece. Mountains of great hard billowing rock. Deserts of great stretches of sand and cactus. Islands full of tropical fruit, palm trees and soft bodied cappuccino monkeys with loud screeching voices. Prairies of sweeping grass, flat in all directions, rocky ridges and eucalypts. Yes it definitely was a wonderful place, a place to enjoy and be happy with. But she’d wanted more. She’d wanted to find the edge of it all. She wanted to see what it was like to stand on the edge of the world; she wanted to see what was beyond her small corner of rough rock, hot desert and cool mountain breezes. Now she knew. There was nothing there. Nothing. Just deep dark nothingness and endless beyond. But the trip wasn’t a whole loss. She’d heard aboriginals deep mellow voices singing, had tasted the soft sensation of the papaya, smelt the cool fresh feeling of the rain forest after a cleansing shower of rain, and had felt the slippery back of a dolphin. She laughed as she realized the test she’d undergone had served it’s purpose. She’d learned to love the world around her and had learned a great deal about the beauty of a sunset and a winter’s day. The edge of the world was worth the trip but the world was worth the stay.

The moon was bright and the stars were shinning when I came unto the mercy of the darkness. It wasn’t choice or my will in any way that I should be stole away in an hour of such darkness. The darkness took me to a place where all my fears became real, and I ran from spiders, a great white snake and a thousand stinging eels. I ran and ran till breath had left me and I fell into a hole of swirling blackness. Turning round and round I find myself on a merry go round. I hear laughter, she turns her head of soft brown lock and I see her eyes, eyes I recognize. Deep, dark pools of brown, curious and wise. The child stops laughing and watches me, the screams a scream of unreal terror. I turn to see what hs frightened her and find myself lying under the gallows. I can taste blood in my mouth and my heart is beating rapidly. The crowd in screaming insults and I can feel them, taste them as though they were pinging me like hail. The executioner stands over me now and I can smell a repulsive vulgar scent, I have a feeling it’s death. All the while I can hear the little girl screaming in my head. Then through the darkness I remember something said to me once and my soul becomes quite still as the words echoing in my heart burst out of my mouth; I shall never leave you, nor forsake you. The darkness is shocked and I can tell he was not expecting this. “Out,” I yell, “Leave me now!” and to my great surprise he does. Away he slinks and I hear him hiss, “I had her Christ, she was mine, I thought we hand an agreement!” A great powerful voice that I will never forget replied, “we did Satan!” as the dark burst into flames of great consuming fire. Then the sun called me back to the land of beautifully wonderful Light.

Wrote for English class, November 28th, 2002.