Inspired by folktales around the world, from the mountains of Nepal to the plains of North America, The Barefoot Book of Monsters! brings readers face-to-face with deliciously terrifying creatures including an abominable snowman, a feathered ogre and a hungry water monster. A high interest topic for reluctant readers as well as for children who devour books, Monsters features stories from Native America, Australia, Nepal and South Africa. Masterfully written by Fran Parnell and illustrated in Sophie Fatus' uniquely quirky style, this book is essential reading for any child who wants the thrill of meeting some of the world's outlandish creatures and living to tell the tale!

This book is on special this month! Great for Halloween...

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your smile,your laughter,

I dunt know who you are but u came back for me,

I dunt want to suffer anymore,

I accept it,

without you there is no me,

When i think about you everything else seems far,

I cannot hear the other noises only your voice,

i never wanted this to happen but u came back and changed everything,

I cant be like this anymore, I just can't,

I m sorry everyone but I can't keep the promise anymore,

I have fallen in Love

-------------------------------------------

Your eyes makeeveyone else fear you,

Your speech,thought are disgusting,

Everyone avoids you,

You gaze turns people in to stone,

Your Voice makes all the villans in the world fear you,

Everyone Hates you,

When you come close to me everyone warns me,

When you smile at me everyone stares at you,

But I don't I love every single second of it.

There's no other feeling like that.

I have fallen in Love with a Monster,

but i cant help it....

QUINTESSENCE

Robert A. Woodall

A miller’s wheel beside the stream

to catch a waterfall

Is all that tells the fields around

were once, with grain, grown tall.

Now asphalt intercepts the rain

and sun and wind-spread seed.

There’s no place left for nature here,

we had a greater need.

For concrete, plastic, glass, and steel,

a million feet of board.

Machinery fills the valley now

where once the eagle soared.

Is heaven gone, the garden lost,

or someday will we see

Wild flowers grow and birds renew

their song of praise for Thee?

ADDITIONAL READING:

IT WAS MEANT TO BE: A Meeting with Travelers from the Netherlands

LOSS AND LOVE

I BELIEVE GOD INVENTED DANCING

THE CORPSE FLOWER (Amorphophallus titanum)—A WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING-Is in Bloom

RAINBOW’S END Part 1

FAITH THROWN OVERBOARD

THE LEGACY FROM MY EDITORS

DOES EXAGGERATING THE TRUTH CREATE GOOD STORIES?

DRESSING FOR BLESSING: GOD AND FASHION Part 1

ON THE EVE OF 27

CHURCH SUED FOR FUNERAL DEMONSTRATIONS

BEAR STORIES ACROSS THE NATION

LEAF-PEEPING: Autumn Leaves

At the time the Earth was in chaos,

Imparting the entire heaven with ire

And sucking every blood of their

impeccant prey;

Rain of fire conquers the entire city

Splashing around the crimson fluid

                                mercilessly;

Heroes and martyrs were at stake,

Taking twenty-three of them

With their souls as pawns.

O unlucky those twenty-three paladins,

Their blood sprinkled throughout the

dying Earth

For this is the prize of sweet prejudice!

How cruel is their fate!

All they wanted is to salvage the

majestic land

From the poisons of lawlessness

                                                and absolutism;

Yet the Olympian gods wanted more—

All they wanted are the twenty-three

souls as collateral;

Just for the awakening of their divine

                                chariots

That will free the world from deathly

                                                enmity.

How unlucky these chosen twenty-three

For they perished helplessly;

Brutally than martyred saints and heroes;

As the Earth drunk their vestal blood,

Its wounds will remain forever.

Copyright 2008 by Demogargon Saatbarmald

Have u ever missed someone and felt terrible because
u think that
he/she
doesn’t miss u?

Missing someone is terrible but at the same time,
a
sweet feeling.

U will be sitting around wondering if u meant
anything to him/her.

Thinking if he/she ever cares about u.

Rushing to the phone once it rings hoping that
it’s
him/her.

Looking out of the window hoping that he/she will
surprise u by
appearing
downstairs.

Sitting in front of the television but thinking of
him/her,
missing the final episode of your favorite show.

Laying on your bed, thinking of the last time u
were
out together.

Thinking of how nice it will be to sit under the
stars again,
talking about everything, your dreams,
plans,future.

Logging on to the internet hoping to see him/her
online.

When u realise that he/she isn’t online and did
not
return your mail,
u will start worrying if he/she is okay.

Missing someone is a way of growing up i guess.
It exposes u to loneliness.
It teaches u how to cope with being lonely and let
u
know that there is
actually a feeling known as emptiness.

Sometimes it feels good to miss someone.

U know that u really care and u indulge in the
feeling of loving/caring
for
him/her.

But missing someone and not knowing if he/she is
feeling the same is
terrible.

U feel as if u are being left alone.
So if u miss someone, tell him/her and let them
know.

At the same time, ask if they miss u.

Don’t let the feeling of missing someone become
jealousy or paranoia.

If u are the one being missed and u know it, let
the
other party know.

If u miss him/her too, tell them. Don’t let them
wait.

And if the one you are missing can’t/doesn’t
reciprocate,

MOVE ON !!

Life is short, so instead of being hurt & waiting
around-Move on!!

Believe in yourself & life, there’s someone out there
waiting to miss U
too!!

It all is determine on how things were bent

I ran though thinking i was on top of the world

but in the end it was time well wasted

I got 1000 dollars, i spent on my house

I got 400 dollars, i again spent on my house

I think got had a car that i put hundreds of dollars into

Then all of a sudden broke and nothing in my pocket brakes go out again time well wasted

Fighting back on this belly of a while i said fuck it bought a new car

No more problems other then small ones that i have.

This poem sucks i know it

i really didnt have anything to relate to my belly of a whale.

Praise Him with all your heart!
Let our burning passions for Him be seen!
Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all you shining stars,
For He has forgotten the forgiven's scars.

In deception, the Tempter seduced me,
And in my strength, I yielded to him.
But like a fallen soldier, the Lord carried me
To the table with all my brothers and sisters.

There a feast was prepared like none I've ever fathomed.
There no sin sat to dine, no weary heart remained restless.
There no hatred persisted and no lack of love lingered.
There no pride stayed and no member was faithless.

Though we were all imperfect creatures in every sense,
What once was, is no longer, like winter and spring.
For we were given the greatest deal of retribution.
We were given the grace that we did not offer before.

Thanks to this, only joy and praise were present.
Only laughing and dancing and no one was excluded.
Only a shine brighter than the eyes of blessed children on Christmas.
Only the beauty of diversity of God's children united.

Exalt Him for His promises are not in vain.
He is laudable.

     i hit rock bottom and seem to be falling

how in the hell am i going to get out of this one?

         i dont want to feel this way forever

       alone, and afraid, i will sit in the dark

            until someone somewhere

                       can help me

                          get out

for many a year
i kept this key
oh so near
perfectly kept
like all god's creations
and hid it away
sometimes thinking
of it clicking
in the lock,
waiting for the pop,
the snap
and for the door to swing
wildly and widely open

things are not so simple
on account of nails,
door stops
rusty hinges
drop bars
and unseen barriers
that trap us within
keeping doors closed

yet one day it came
there was a shifting
of perception
slivers of light slid through the tightest keyhole
brightness of enlighment shined from under the door
between the cracks, a beckoning crept
like some stranger outside
and oh how i could not resist
the invitation to explore
slowly the key goes inside
with slight force, it turns
a pop
a click
an unlock
the door opens
the flood of wet watery light
as if i am born again

cleansed
awash
anew
this honesty

now, my children
i am no different
from who i said
less than 5 minutes ago
if you care to only listen
to my voice and the sounds
of a lock clicking, popping and unlocking

how broad art how narrow wit,

my own wit is lifeless,

for my own dance is neither

winner nor engraver

lest a tree find some permanent mark.

But metrical thought I understand

and look to it like

a rising star (to barrow another).

As I read,

I'm move to voice in lower tones

and without rain.

That my daughter would

scan the lines and lest

a smile would cover her.

15 Oct 08

Dave Barber

"He makes me feel alive"

she wrote it in her dairy,

the only thing she left behind,

a memory,

but not of him,

not of the man,

blood and bone,

left to pick up pieces,

scattering ashes and pages,

like a lost wind howling,

unknowing of what it missed

in the creases of her pages,

where she came to life,

secretly.

He stands in abject horror,

having never been allowed access,

to the workings of her mind,

and now this,

one entry,

calling him a fool,

he chucks it finely,

straight into the sea,

for the words are more real,

than she ever was.

Here are the Homework sheets for this week:

Numeracy Homework 16-10-08

Literacy Homework 16-10-08

This week's literacy is all about Performance Poems - your homework is to practice using you voice in different ways. You will need a Grown Up to do it with you - have fun and just be silly with it. Get used to using your voice in different ways, loud and quiet, different accents whatever!

Have fun, be imaginative and creative!

Mr W.

So fragile

So sacred

He who loves me true

He is,

My man

A real man - of honour

I shall give him my heart

Breath into him my soul

Lend him my life

I shall dance

I shall dance with him

Forever

that settles down along hardened ground

and hot to touch in the sun.

Yet the wind's work I can see

the space, passes, beyond repair

and where a rapant dog moved through

leaving by its tiny hair,

I'll mend and watch the sun smile

as it pours itself on the boards

so they sag again under weight

from press of the wind's cords-

(Frost would be apalled)

So,  I'll turn my back

and ignore my outside game

and leave it late until the spring

until the earth is far more tame.

How I hate the fence.

15 Oct 08

Collection: Natural Laws

Dave Barber

Sugar's Sweet Kiss of Death!

For some it's bread, for others it's potatoes,

for some it's pasta, for others it's rice,

but for me it was SUGAR, sweet SUGAR!

SUGAR in any form, SUGAR by any name,

SUGAR in any shape, SUGAR at any time,

I loved her every sweet touch to these waiting lips.

I awoke thinking of SUGAR and how I could get my first fix.

My plans for the day revolved around SUGAR and her soothing kiss.

Secretly we often met, for food eaten in secret is sweet indeed.

Sweet SUGAR...she came to me when I was but a child,

causing me to smack my little baby lips,

and cry and scream until she kissed me again and again.

SUGAR was the only one who could make me feel so good,

when the world went sour, SUGAR was always there,

to pick me up, kiss my lips and make things all sweet again.

Cakes and pies, candy and chocolate,

donuts and coffee rolls, fritters and éclairs,

muffins and pastries, SUGAR was queen!

I bowed and responded to her every beckon call,

as tightly she held me in her grips,

begging again and again for SUGAR's next kiss to my waiting lips.

Sweet deception, sweet lies, so sweet they all seemed,

little did I know SUGAR would lead me down the path,

to sweet surrender, sweet captivity, sweet bondage.

Sweet SUGAR, I never knew she had plans so evil,

intentions to harm, thoughts to destroy,

a strategy to take my life...one bite at a time.

My movement slowed, as my body was bulging and aching.

One minute I was moody blue, the next I was in a rage.

My insides were now trembling and my hands were shaking.

Oh, where are you Queen SUGAR? I need you now more than ever!

I beg you Sweet Queen, just one more kiss to calm me and keep me!

I'm dying for your sweetness, the touch of your sweet lips!

I now see clearly your evil schemes...Liar of Liars!

A thief and a robber...that's who you really are!

Your power is gone...you deceiver...you schemer!

Never again shall you hold me in your throes!

Never again shall you touch my lips and broaden my hips!

Listen to me Queen SUGAR...Let me tell something to you!

You can take your Evil Kiss of Death, Queen SUGAR...

Bend over, grab your ankles, and put your head between your legs...

‘Cause you can kiss your sweet @$$ goodbye!  For I am SOOOO done with you!

-- Ron, aka The Former Donut Junkie, August 4, 2007

Knowing you work hard at what you do

Not coming home in the middle of the day

Can ruin later what I have to say

I think of how much I miss you when you’re gone

And nothing can compare to pain like that one

You take for granted that few minutes we have together

But it hurts me more when you’re gone than you can weather

Quality time is the love language that I have and it’s fading

I keep telling myself that it’s ok latter I will see him radiating

This isn’t the way that I want it to be

I just want to show and you to see

That even the little moments that we share

Show me the greatest that you really care

I try to get a hold of you even for the little things

But you are out of reach and it hurts my heart strings

Spending time with family will never fully compare

To the time alone that only you and I share

I guess I have to get over this childish pain

And realize that you do this all for the gain

That keeps us going and out of debt

I just hope it keeps out the regret

That I feel because I seem like a little child

So bent on attention that my mouth and mind run wild

I wish you would come home and wrap me in the warmest embrace

And I would return it and give countless kisses on your face

F.e.e.l.i.n.g.s....I say what are those?
They have no real value in society, so why do we romanticize and pose.
To fill the emptiness that most feel from day to day I suppose.
Feelings won't pay your bills or keep a roof over you head,
and everyone ultimately loses feelings for you when your gone or dead.
Like a rebirth,
feelings were one of the awkward, misconcieved things I shed.
It can be quite disturbing even to me at times,
how I can tell someone I care, but it's just like another rhyme.
Not always is this the case,
but with the "F" word I try not to put my time to waste.
People ask me why am I so nonchalant about obvious situations that I see,
I politely tell them..
"Nonchalantness is just a daily routine for me",
I blame my parents for this attitude I have towards feelings in all actuality,
See they suffer from this same "disease" but not quite as bad as me.
I could sit here and try and put the blame in one direction,
but fuck that, if I did it would mean my "feelings" were making a ressurection.
I will not lie
my stubborn ways and nonchalantness do tend to scare me every once in a while.
I have never TRULY cared or loved one person,
so in most cases people usually call me foul.
Basically leaving a trail of bleeding hearts to my unforgiving, spiteful souls collective pile.
Do I have a heart?
Yes,
Do I usually think with it?
I try not to.
Basically what all this somes up to is paranoia and feeling of being trapped in my mind.
I am the master of me and nothing or no one will ever have me under a bind.
Because making feeling present always brings pain,
By avoiding the situation, I can for one more day remain sane and maintain,
The little bit of happiness that life does happen to pose,
and retract all my feelings of anyhting not about me or my woes.
Feelings are a worthless neccessity that I have weined myself clean from,
But hey maybe one day someone will change my perspective,
and feel me full of joy and happiness instead of this ever lasting feeling of numb...

I hate this obsession

All that I feel

I know that it’s real

I can’t get away

If even for a day

I cannot run or hide

Because it’s inside

It eats away at me

But the whole world cannot see

I’ve learned o wear a mask

Now it is but a simple task

There is no way to leave

From the feelings to which I cleave

It consumes my inner soul

It is nothing more than a hole

A hole in my heart that no one can fill

So I sit and watch the moon from my windowsill

The moons light calms me down

As it washes over the entire town

So I let it wash over me too

And I think I wouldn’t be like this….. Without you.

My days would past more fearlessly and my skies would've remain blue.

The pain you brought to my life has been unseemingly harmless.

Feeling as though you did nothing more than the rest.

But to be true you were one of the best.

But my love and devotion you constantly put to unrealistic test.

Test that I passed with flying colors each time.

You never took the time to realize all the beauty I truly possessed,

Until your time was gone and you had not one last lie to confess and get off your chest.

You turned this loving soul cold and never again to trust.

Shoved to a life of drugs, alcohol and lust.

Having that vital drink before class at 8:00 a.m. Became a must.

WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?

Beating at your cerebral cortex with clinched fist.

Never to trust again,

Feeling as though I just can't win.

Love and life is a losing game,

That brings no one any fortune or fame.

Thoughts of suicide cloud my rationality.

Stripped from the comfort and wellness of the exisistance of WE.

Trip to the hospital for overdosing because of the very thing you did to me.

Why do we love love? When love seems to hate us?

With time it bruises the heart and induces rust.

You frankly make me sick and I hate you.

You made promises and told me you love me and I was your one and only boo.

How you could let another woman come between our love is not understandable by my heart.

But I guess she's who you wanted and that bitch played her part.

As for me. Ha I'm definently a different person.

All ready fucked in the head, you just excalated my condition and made it worsen.

I have habits and thoughts now that I felt I would never obtain,

But thanks yo you, time and more time has passed nd they still remain.

My heart and trust went right out that window with the last part of me that I could call sane...........................

this is the place where odd and even meet

in point of fact there is a choice of gloom

in how and when the fire will best consume

each one of those who dares not to retreat

before the voice that speaks of death and doom

this is the place where odd and even meet

another sort of messenger might greet

any who comes to open up the tomb

to sweep it out with an old-fashioned broom

this is the place where odd and even meet