Constanza

This poetry task was inspired by Carol Ann Duffy's poetry book The World's Wife, a themed poetry book about the women behind famous, mythical and historical men; typically feminist and typically Duffy.  My English teacher read out a couple to us - especially the more sexual ones - and then asked us to write our very own. I don't suppose anyone else did the task, but I do remember one boy's being about a female Jesus. He was a popular boy so of course everybody loved it. Though, personally, I believe mine is better! It's about the wife of Mozart,  apparently he did not let her breast feed any of their children and so sadly they would die.

Constanza

Our baby lives on music and love

Truly our blessing from above

I love her dearly with all my heart

Dear Husband, please don’t tear us apart!

So please, think of this

The music you’d miss

If you were to play

Un-tuned piano all day

And that’s how I feel,

Without her milk for each meal

It’s not best for our daughter

To survive on just water!

Dear Husband, I will you

You can’t wish to lose her...

But, alas, I forgot,

You’re just a composer...

Thames

This poem was a piece of work set while we were on an English trip in London. I've only been to London around 4 or 5 times - and most of them were due to school trips - so, I'm ashamed to say I haven't really explored London at all. However, for this particular English trip our teacher had arranged a boat tour down the Thames, which was lovely considering how hot it was! Anyway, whilst on this boat tour were were told to write a poem about London and here's what I came up with!

The Yellow Wallpaper

This piece was inspired by the short story The Yellow Wallpaper. I ended up studying this story in A-Level English, A-Level Art and now at degree level too, and I have to say it is a very good story and I would advise everyone to read it!
The work we had to do was tell The Yellow Wallpaper from another's veiw point or in a different style. I had initially started re-telling the story from the protagonist's husband's point of veiw but my teacher told me to be more imaginative and not to just re-write the whole story. So, I ended up going home and having a brainwave whilst trying to get to sleep, as usual. And here's the final result!

To: James Gilman <J.Gilman@nyphysician.com>

From: John Weiland <J.Weiland@nyphysician.com>

Subject: Your sister

James,

I’m sorry to say that your sister is not doing any better than before; in fact I do believe she has gotten worse. I’m afraid that the city life just isn’t good for her right now, so I managed to secure a lovely place out in the country for the summer months. Brilliant house, really.

I took your advice and she’s taking all the right medications and plenty of walks out in the fresh air, but it honestly didn’t seem to do her any good. It’s almost like she doesn’t want to get better! I know she’s your sister and you only want what’s best for her and so do I.

As I’m moving I will continue my work out here for the time being, but if you have any troubles feel free to e-mail me.

This vacation will do her good; I’ll e-mail you her progress.

John

To: Mary Dasher <Mary.D@freemail.com>

From: John Weiland <J.Weiland@nyphysician.com>

Subject: Working

Mary,

Because of Charlotte’s illness we are taking up residence in a house in the country. Obviously our son will still need looking after and I would like for you to come with us. There is plenty of room at the house for you to stay in and of course we will pay for the inconvenience this may cause.

Please e-mail me your reply ASAP.

Regards, John Weiland

To: Jennifer Weiland <JennieW@freemail.com>

From: John Weiland <J.Weiland@nyphysician.com>

Subject: I need your help

Jennie, I am in desperate need of your assistance! Charlotte is becoming a bit of a handful lately. It’s just with looking after the house and Charlotte is a bit stressful, and I still have my job afterall. I was just wondering if you could do me a favour and come out here and help around the house, maybe looking after Charlotte every now and then.

Please say yes!

Love John

P.S Tell Mom and Dad I said hello.

To: Henry Grisham <HenryGrisham@fastmail.com>, Julia Smith-Grisham <J.SmithGrisham@fastmail.com>

From: John Weiland <J.Weiland@nyphysician.com>

Subject: Your visit

Dear Henry and Julia,

I’m sorry to say that Charlotte is not doing well and that maybe we should postpone your visit. She has been looking forward to it but I just don’t see any other option. Too much work and excitement is sure to harm her delicate sensibilities.

Charlotte even tried to convince me to let her visit you! You can see how ill she is if she thinks it’s wise to go travelling that far in her condition. But do not fear, I’m sure a few more weeks will do her well and then she will be able to visit you as much as she likes.

From John.

To: Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell <Dr.S.W.Mitchell@Jeffersoncollege.com>

From: John Weiland <J.Weiland@nyphysician.com>

Subject: My Wife’s Illness.

Dear Dr Weir Mitchell,

I have e-mailed you before concerning my wife’s condition and I’m afraid she just isn’t getting better. Some of her symptoms include lethargy, loss of appetite, tearfulness, loss of strength, and insomnia. I just don’t know what to do. I heard about your ‘rest cure’ in Jefferson’s Medical Journal and I decided it would be the best course of action but it just doesn’t seem to be working. I was wondering that if by fall she is not better you could take a look at her. I am starting to get very worried about her.

I look forward to your reply.

Many thanks, John Weiland.

To: James Gilman <J.Gilman@nyphysician.com>, Mary Dasher <Mary.D@freemail.com>, Jennifer Weiland <JennieW@freemail.com>, Henry Grisham <HenryGrisham@fastmail.com>, Julia Smith-Grisham <J.SmithGrisham@fastmail.com>, Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell <Dr.S.W.Mitchell@Jeffersoncollege.com>

From: John Weiland <J.Weiland@nyphysician.com>

Subject: HELP!!

I’m afraid she’s finally lost it! There is no cure for her! Just now I found her locked in our room crawling around the room on all fours, muttering about a woman behind the wallpaper! I don’t know what to do! This is more than anything we ever expected! She’s INSANE!

To: James Gilman <J.Gilman@nyphysician.com>, Mary Dasher <Mary.D@freemail.com>, Jennifer Weiland <JennieW@freemail.com>, Henry Grisham <HenryGrisham@fastmail.com>, Julia Smith-Grisham <J.SmithGrisham@fastmail.com>, Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell <Dr.S.W.Mitchell@Jeffersoncollege.com>

From: John Weiland <J.Weiland@nyphysician.com>

Subject: Apologies

Dear all,

I am deeply sorry for my previous e-mail, it is disgraceful for me to act in such a way whilst my wife is sick. Luckily, I have finally decided to send her to Dr Mitchell as I believe this will be more beneficial for her, and it will certainly help my health, too. 

Again, sincerest apologies,

John Weiland.

Mr & Mrs Andrews

This painting was inspiration for the following poem. In class we were asked to write a piece of flash ficiton, a story under 1000 words, only no-one really paid attention and the task was forgotten. I didn't really like my flash fiction piece about the couple but a few nights later this poem just popped into my head. Poetry is hard for me to write but the good ones always seem to spring up at night time.

 Mr & Mrs Anderson

She stares into the distance
She avoids his chilling eyes
Because she knows that he knows
That she's telling him lies

She keeps her hands to herself
She never touches his body
Because she knows that he knows,
That's why he looks at her oddly

She has her own chambers
She has her own bed
Because she knows that he knows,
That's why his heart's turned to lead

She dresses in riches
She's the belle of the ball
But she knows that he knows
That it's not for him, not at all

She meets another in darkness
She steals a kiss
Because she knows that he knows
That her heart is not his

She elopes before sunrise
She leaves no farewell
Because she knows that he knows
That he hates her as well.

Past Pieces

The next few posts will be the creative pieces from my college years. My English classes were some of my favourite and my teachers were very supportive. I was one of those people that I always did my homework so now I have many random pieces of writing, some of which I am proud of and some that I silently cringe at. Anyway, enjoy and comment!

Reading List

This is my reading list that I constructed during my last year in Secondary school. I aim to read all these books before I die and I would like you to join in too! Please suggest any other books you think I should be reading!

1.       2001: A Space Odyssey, Arthur C. Clarke

2.       The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin, Mark Twain

3.       The Adventures of Thomas Sawyer, Mark Twain

4.       Aesop’s Fables, Aesopus

5.       Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

6.       American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis

7.       Animal Farm, George Orwell

8.       Atonement, Ian McEwan

9.       The Beach, Alex Garland

10.    The Bloody Chamber, Angela Carter

11.    Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

12.    Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding

13.    Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres

14.    Carrie, Stephen King

15.    Casino Royale, Ian Fleming

16.    Catch 22, Joseph Heller

17.    The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger

18.    Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl

19.    Choke, Chuck Palahniuk

20.    A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess

21.    Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell

22.    The Color Purple, Alice Walker

23.    Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky

24.    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Mark Haddon

25.    Day Of The Triffids, John Wyndham

26.    Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick

27.    Dracula, Bram Stoker

28.    Emma, Jane Austin

29.    The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje

30.    Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy

31.    Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter. S. Thompson

32.    Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk

33.    Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell

34.    The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck

35.    Great Expectations, Charles Dickens

36.    The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

37.    Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift

38.    The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, Douglas Adams

39.    The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien

40.    The Hound of The Baskervilles, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

41.    Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo

42.    I, Robot, Isaac Asimov

43.    Interview With The Vampire, Anne Rice

44.    Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

45.    Journey To The Centre Of The Earth, Jules Verne

46.    Just So Stories, Rudyard Kipling

47.    Kafka on the Shore, Haruki Murakami

48.    A Kestrel for a Knave, Barry Hines

49.    Lady Chatterley’s Lover, D. H. Lawrence

50.    Life of Pi, Yann Martel

51.    A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett

52.    Little Women, Louisa May Alcott

53.    The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

54.    Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov

55.    Lord of the Flies, William Golding

56.    Lord of the Rings Trilogy, J. R. R. Tolkien

57.    The lovely Bones, Alice Sebold

58.    Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden

59.    Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck

60.    Middlesex, Jeffery Eugenides

61.    Misery, Stephen King

62.    Moby Dick, Herman Melville

63.    The Never Ending Story, Michael Ende

64.    Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro

65.    Nights at the Circus, Angela Carter

66.    Nineteen Eighty Four, George Orwell

67.    The Notebook, Nick Sparks

68.    Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens

69.    One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey

70.    Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood

71.    Perfume, Patrick Suskind

72.    Peter Pan, J. M. Barrie

73.    The Picture of Dorian Grey, Oscar Wilde

74.    The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan

75.    The Postman Always Rings Twice, James M. Cain

76.    Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

77.    Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro

78.    The Reader, Bernard Schlink

79.    A Room With A View, E. M. Forester

80.    Schindler’s Ark, Thomas Keneally

81.    The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett

82.    Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen

83.    The Shining, Stephen King

84.    The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson

85.    A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

86.    The Talented Mr Ripley, Patricia Highsmith

87.    Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy

88.    The Time Machine, Thomas Hardy

89.    The Time Traveller’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger

90.    Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There, Lewis Carroll

91.    To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee

92.    To The Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf

93.    A Town Like Alice, Neville Shute

94.    Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh

95.    Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson

96.    Ulysses, James Joyce

97.    Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray

98.    Vertigo, W. G. Sebald

99.    War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy

100.The War of the Worlds, H.G. Wells

101.Whistling for the Elephants, Sandi Toksvig

102.The White Tiger, Aravind Adiga

103.Wise Children, Angela Carter

104.Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte

105. The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The New Blog

To help with my Creative Writing course at university I have decided to start a blog and showcase to the world what I have to offer. I love to write and I like to think I'm quite good. Of course, family and friends are always full of praise but I want to know about what everybody else thinks too. So, as I write I shall also be posting here and I would like to know what you think. But, please, don't be too harsh!