MAGIC APPLE'S POETRY and WORDS TO LIVE BY 2013-2014
IROQUIOS PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING -Poems to Memorize for November/December 2013-2014
We return thanks to our mother, the earth, which sustains us.
We return thanks to the rivers and streams, which supply us with water.
We return thanks to all herbs, which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases.
We return thanks to the corn, and to her sisters, the beans and squash, which give us life.
We return thanks to the bushes and trees, which provide us with fruit.
We return thanks to the wind, which, moving the air, has banished diseases.
We return thanks to the moon and the stars, which have given us their light when the sun was gone.
We return thanks to our grandfather, who has given to us his rain.
We return thanks to the sun, that he has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye.
Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit, in whom is embodied all goodness, and who directs all things for the good of his children.
Life Is By Mother Teresa
Life is an opportunity; benefit from it. Life is a beauty; admire it.
Life is a dream; realize it. Life is a challenge; meet it. Life is a duty; complete it.
Life is a game; play it.
Life is a promise; fulfill it. Life is sorrow; overcome it. Life is a song; sing it.
Life is a struggle; accept it. Life is a tragedy; confront it. Life is an adventure; dare it. Life is luck; make it.
Life is life; fight for it!
We return thanks to our mother, the earth, which sustains us.
We return thanks to the rivers and streams, which supply us with water.
We return thanks to all herbs, which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases.
We return thanks to the corn, and to her sisters, the beans and squash, which give us life.
We return thanks to the bushes and trees, which provide us with fruit.
We return thanks to the wind, which, moving the air, has banished diseases.
We return thanks to the moon and the stars, which have given us their light when the sun was gone.
We return thanks to our grandfather, who has given to us his rain.
We return thanks to the sun, that he has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye.
Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit, in whom is embodied all goodness, and who directs all things for the good of his children.
Life Is By Mother Teresa
Life is an opportunity; benefit from it. Life is a beauty; admire it.
Life is a dream; realize it. Life is a challenge; meet it. Life is a duty; complete it.
Life is a game; play it.
Life is a promise; fulfill it. Life is sorrow; overcome it. Life is a song; sing it.
Life is a struggle; accept it. Life is a tragedy; confront it. Life is an adventure; dare it. Life is luck; make it.
Life is life; fight for it!
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MAGIC APPLE POETRY SOCIETY MARCH 2013
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January- February 2013 Poem to Memorize
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Attention December students; memorize Indra's poem and win a dessert party!!
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Attention fall 2012-2013 students--help us celebrate the Mar's Landing by memorizing some Solar Poetry . . .
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MARCH 2011: THE "I HAVE A DREAM TEAM" of Magic Apple's Poetry Society. Standing next to our 1886 authentic bell taken from a plantation in Birmingham, Alabama are the amazing students who were able to commit to memory the amazing words of Dr. Martin Luther King's inspirational speech, I Have a Dream.
The infamous Magic Apple bell (used to celebrate birthdays and call students to class) was purchased from Crest Ranch over 30 years ago. The owners told Fran and Jan about tHE bell's history and were only willing to part with it after learning it would be installed at a school. The bell has a special place in our students hearts especially after learning its history; although it was illegal at the time to educate slaves, it was used as a signal to secretly call in children from the fields for clandestine reading lessons. Congratulations students, we hope the powerful words from I Have a Dream will be forever in your hearts!
MAGIC APPLE POETRY SOCIETY SPRING POEM CHALLENGE
ATTITUDE by Charles Swindoll Contributed by student, Amanda Churchill
The longer I live,
The more I realize the impact of attitude of life.
Attitude to me is more important than the past,
than education,
than money,
than circumstances,
than failures,
than success,
than what other people think, or say, or do.
It is more important than appearance,
giftedness, or skill.
It will make or break an organization,
a school, a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday
regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
We cannot change our past.
We cannot change the fact that people will
act in a certain way.
We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do
is play on the one string we have,
and that is our ATTITUDE…
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me
and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you…
THE MICROSCOPE by Maxine Kumin
Anton Leeuwenhoek was Dutch.
He sold pincushions, cloth, and such.
The waiting townsfolk fumed and fussed
As Anton’s dry goods gathered dust.
He worked, instead of tending store,
At grinding special lenses for
A microscope. Some of the things
He looked at were: mosquitoes’ wings,
the hairs of sheep, the legs of lice,
the skin of people, dogs, and mice;
ox eyes, spiders’ spinning gear,
fishes’ scales, a little smear
of his own blood, and best of all,
the unknown, busy, very small
bugs that swim and bump and hop
inside a simple water drop.
Impossible! Most Dutchmen said.
This Anton’s crazy in the head.
We ought to ship him off to Spain.
He says he’s seen a housefly’s brain.
He says the water that we drink
Is full of bugs. He’s mad, we think!
They called him dumkopf, which means dope.
That’s how we got the microscope
I HAVE A DREAM excerpts Dr. Martin Luther King
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
Gr. 4-6 or extra credit
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
The longer I live,
The more I realize the impact of attitude of life.
Attitude to me is more important than the past,
than education,
than money,
than circumstances,
than failures,
than success,
than what other people think, or say, or do.
It is more important than appearance,
giftedness, or skill.
It will make or break an organization,
a school, a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday
regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
We cannot change our past.
We cannot change the fact that people will
act in a certain way.
We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do
is play on the one string we have,
and that is our ATTITUDE…
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me
and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you…
THE MICROSCOPE by Maxine Kumin
Anton Leeuwenhoek was Dutch.
He sold pincushions, cloth, and such.
The waiting townsfolk fumed and fussed
As Anton’s dry goods gathered dust.
He worked, instead of tending store,
At grinding special lenses for
A microscope. Some of the things
He looked at were: mosquitoes’ wings,
the hairs of sheep, the legs of lice,
the skin of people, dogs, and mice;
ox eyes, spiders’ spinning gear,
fishes’ scales, a little smear
of his own blood, and best of all,
the unknown, busy, very small
bugs that swim and bump and hop
inside a simple water drop.
Impossible! Most Dutchmen said.
This Anton’s crazy in the head.
We ought to ship him off to Spain.
He says he’s seen a housefly’s brain.
He says the water that we drink
Is full of bugs. He’s mad, we think!
They called him dumkopf, which means dope.
That’s how we got the microscope
I HAVE A DREAM excerpts Dr. Martin Luther King
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
Gr. 4-6 or extra credit
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
MAGIC APPLE NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER POEMS
We have two interesting poems for December 2010. The first has been attributed to the beautiful actress, Audrey Hepburn, when asked to discuss her "beauty tips" with her fans. The second poem, "A Pilgrim of Today" by Susan Kilpatrick, followed a wonderful lesson on a young Russian Jewish pilgrim, in the wonderful book we shared with our students, Molly's Pilgrim. Primary students may choose either to memorize, intermediate students are encouraged to learn both:
"BEAUTY TIPS" credited to actress Audrey Hepburn
For attractive lips, speak words of kindness
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day
For poise, walk with the knowledge that with your friends and family you never walk alone
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands;one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone
A Pilgrim of Today by Susan Kilpatrick
A pilgrim leaves their homeland
with many thought in mind,
Freedom is the first thing,
They're hoping they will find.
It isn't always easy
To begin your life anew,
In a land where no one speaks
Exactly the same as you.
So when you meet a pilgrim,
A person from far away,
Hold out your hand and smile,
and tell them, "I hope you'll stay."
And be proud that America
offers the chance to be free,
And welcomes pilgrim of today,
People just like you and me.
"BEAUTY TIPS" credited to actress Audrey Hepburn
For attractive lips, speak words of kindness
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day
For poise, walk with the knowledge that with your friends and family you never walk alone
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands;one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone
A Pilgrim of Today by Susan Kilpatrick
A pilgrim leaves their homeland
with many thought in mind,
Freedom is the first thing,
They're hoping they will find.
It isn't always easy
To begin your life anew,
In a land where no one speaks
Exactly the same as you.
So when you meet a pilgrim,
A person from far away,
Hold out your hand and smile,
and tell them, "I hope you'll stay."
And be proud that America
offers the chance to be free,
And welcomes pilgrim of today,
People just like you and me.
MAGIC APPLE POETRY SOCIETY accepts the challenge . . .
When we first introduced the poem, Geology by Joseph S. Newman (actor Paul Newman's uncle) we knew it was going to be difficult. We offered a basket of books and prizes for those able to commit to memory this wonderful poem to memory and also offered an excursion to see the film , Megamind, at the Green Valley Cinema. We were hoping that maybe 15-20 students would be able to learn this difficult poem and join
Magic Apple's Poetry Society.
THE INCREDIBLE RESULT? FIFTY EIGHT MAGIC APPLE STUDENTS were able to memorize the following poem (the relevance is staggering when you realize it was written over 60 years ago:
GEOLOGY by Joseph S. Newman
This ball was once a glowing mass
Of mixed and superheated gas,
Till it cooled to liquid, shrank in girth
Solidified and turned to earth.
For several thousand endless ages
It muddled through its early stages
Of heat, eruptions,floods, and quakes
And other infant bellyaches.
Surviving all such pains and notions,
It settled down as land and oceans.
In eras that are known as "glacials"
The planet then got several facials--
Four geological massages
In four successive ice barrages--
Which filled its unbecoming dimples
And leveled off some rocky pimples.
If, sometimes, there's a recrudescence,
It's due, no doubt, to adolescence,
But in the main, we now are able
To say the Earth is fairly stable
And, in most geologic features.
Better balanced than its creatures.
Magic Apple's Poetry Society.
THE INCREDIBLE RESULT? FIFTY EIGHT MAGIC APPLE STUDENTS were able to memorize the following poem (the relevance is staggering when you realize it was written over 60 years ago:
GEOLOGY by Joseph S. Newman
This ball was once a glowing mass
Of mixed and superheated gas,
Till it cooled to liquid, shrank in girth
Solidified and turned to earth.
For several thousand endless ages
It muddled through its early stages
Of heat, eruptions,floods, and quakes
And other infant bellyaches.
Surviving all such pains and notions,
It settled down as land and oceans.
In eras that are known as "glacials"
The planet then got several facials--
Four geological massages
In four successive ice barrages--
Which filled its unbecoming dimples
And leveled off some rocky pimples.
If, sometimes, there's a recrudescence,
It's due, no doubt, to adolescence,
But in the main, we now are able
To say the Earth is fairly stable
And, in most geologic features.
Better balanced than its creatures.
