The Boy Who Tried to Cheat on a Test

He had not studied for his midterm test. It was written all over his face, the nervous sweat was pouring down his forehead on this cold morning. He had to find a way out.

He tried to sit next to the best student in the class, but the teacher moved him. He got even more nervous. It was his only chance to do well on the test.

The teacher handed him his test. It was five pages long and it looked like Greek to him. He felt a sharp pain in his stomach but he couldn’t waste a minute by leaving the classroom.

He read and read and read. He kept one eye on his paper and another on the teacher. He continued reading. He even hit his head to see if his brain would cooperate by bringing his memory to when this subject had been explained. He now regretted not having paid attention to the classes instead of fooling around with his pals. He and his friends got a kick out of hitting each other during the classes.

Then out of the blue he had a brainchild.

He took out his cell phone and placed it between his legs on his seat. He started to google the information that was on the test. He was a genius or at least felt like one at that very moment. He knew he wouldn’t have enough time to search for and copy all the answers, but at least he wouldn’t get a zero. His stomach started to calm down. He had found the perfect solution, right?

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Wrong. He just forgot one thing.

There was an open space in front of his desk and the teacher was aware of what was going on because from where he was, he could see everything that the student was doing. The shit had hit the fan.

The teacher got up. He froze. The teacher walked toward him. He looked around to make sure that it was really towards him. The teacher did not look happy and kept on walking in his direction. His stomach churned. The teacher reached his desk and just stuck out his hand. He couldn’t pretend that he hadn’t done anything wrong. He remembered the opening in the desk. Deep down inside he was a good boy and this was actually his first slip up. The teacher coughed to make him hurry up and hand over the cell phone. He handed over his cell phone and the tears started rolling down his cheeks for he knew he was in deep trouble. Not only would he be getting that horrible zero, he’d also have to face his parents.

( Written August 30, 2012)

copyright ©2012 - Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.

The Graceful Little Old Lady

There she was, bright and early, roaming the streets looking for her shining tin treasures. She always dressed the same, a dress, overcoat and a handkerchief on her head to protect her ears from the wind. After all, she had reached her 70’s and any draft would bring the flu her way and she couldn’t afford to stay home.

As I waited at the red light, I saw her lady-like step on a can, hold on to the wall of a building, lower her body as if she were doing a Grand Plié, pick up the crushed can and put it in her flower patterned bag.

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It was a lucky morning for her, for those few minutes waiting for the light to turn green, she performed three Grand Pliés. She had found three small tin treasures.

(Written :August 30, 2012)

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Classroom Talk

Teacher asks the class “Have you ever heard of Star Trek?” Students stare at the teacher and only one boy raises his hand and says yes. He looks around the classroom and says “You people have no culture.”The class laughs.

 Then teacher asks “How do you people enjoy watching The Big Bang Theory if you have never heard of Star Trek?” Another boy lets out “That’s probably why we don’t laugh as much.”

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Four teachers are having lunch in the cafeteria when two middle school students come up to the table, interrupt the conversation and ask the Math teacher how much 32 times 3 is. Calmly the Math teacher says 96. The girls leave and we over hear them say “The other teachers looked at us as if we were supposed to know the answer to that question.”

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On an English test there was the statement: “Shakespeare wrote many poems.”

Student raises his hand and asks, “Teacher what kind of milkshake is this Shakespeare? Is it pear?

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In the English class a student asks, “What’s an aquarium?” Another student gets up, throws her hands in the air and starts singing, “This is the dawning of the age of Aquarium!!”The class bursts into laughter.


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The Orchid

By: Meire Marion

 

The orchid in the photo was given to me on my last birthday a little over a month ago. When I first received it I saw its beauty and the warmth that it brought to my heart for I had not received flowers all day until that moment. Once I read that the soul rejoices when flowers are given. If you stop and give it some thought, this is quite true. I am sure that you must have experienced a time when you were down in the dumps and someone gave you a flower they picked from a garden, or bought or even made out of paper. Or when you go to buy flowers for someone else and the flower vendor gives you one just because you are you. It is a warm feeling that takes over and this is the soul rejoicing. I know I have experienced these moments throughout these years and I also know that is not an easy task to write down the sensation I felt.

At the same moment that I had this feeling, I also became sad because there is some kind of energy in my home that the only plants that survive are violets and some green leafs specifically from Brazil. So eventually this beautiful orchid wrapped in paper that is my favorite color, would die too.

Now over a month has gone by and the orchid is still standing tall. It is beautiful, soft and fragile. Not a flower has withered nor fallen off the stem although if you take a close look you can see the imperfections already starting to show. If you take a close look you can see that the white areas are not as white and the flowers are a bit, just a tiny bit, limping. With time the flowers will fall off and the plant will dry up and the garbage disposal will be its end.

It made me wonder how much a person can be compared to this orchid. Mind you, that in this text I will be talking about myself, but perhaps it is applicable to the reader.

People look at me and say that I look great, but they are not looking that closely. Like the orchid the imperfections and the signs of aging are starting to show. In my case, also the side effects of a long time of using medication. On the outside I am standing tall and glowing, but on the inside the fragile me is weeping. Like the orchid I too am withering away and one day will eventually shrivel up and die. It is not a sad thought, no self-pity here, just a reflection of the facts of my life.

By accepting the route life takes, it is easier to move on and live. Enjoy the moments whether they are happy or not. Other people do not need to know why I weep inside, however, there are the angels that know and those are called friends. These angels are respectful and know so much as to just pray and be there if I need them.

One thing I know for sure and that is, like the orchid I am being taken care of. I can feel the power of God in my life and I know that if anything else fails, His hand is there and He will catch me.

By: Meire Marion

(Written August 20, 2012)

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Time Is on My Side

Who has never said or heard the saying “Time is on my side”? There is a song that was recorded by the Rolling Stones in 1964 with this title. It is about a girl who leaves a guy but he knows that she will be back one day. He intends to wait because time is on his side. However, is time really on our side?

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Positive and negative events take place every hour of the day though somehow we tend to only hold on to the negative parts which wipe out the positive ones. Moreover, when this happens time seems to stand still. The brain and the heart do not have the capacity to come to an agreement as to which event should prevail. People are hurt; they suffer and feel like dying. At this very moment, the phrase “Time heals all wounds” is heard and time appears to be on our side.

It would be wonderful to have a button somewhere on our bodies, preferably the heart, that we could just turn on and off at our convenience so that we could speed up the clock and make the pain go away. However, there is no telling how long it will take for one‘s wounds to heal for there is Father Time, who at his own pace tends to magically make everything well again. Nonetheless, it does not take place over night. Each day the crying ceases, the pain lessens, the aches go away and the bright side comes out just like the sun does and casts a shadow on the unfavorable thoughts. Therefore, one can assure that time really is on our side.

(Written August 15, 2012)

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Broken Heart

The heart, the hollow organ in one’s chest that pumps blood through the body has been broken. Where does the blood go to now?

The center of a person’s thoughts and emotion, especially love, has been shattered. Where does the love go to now?

When one’s heart has been broken a person feels great sadness, distress, disappointment and dismay.

There is a wound. A mysterious cut that does not appear if x-rayed but is felt physically. The pain the suffering, the ache…

Are there ways of mending a broken heart?

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(Written August 14, 2012)

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Burning Heart

My love for you is grand.

I have tried to make you understand.

You have decided to throw it away.

All I can do now is pray.

Perhaps you will bring to mind,

All that you have left behind.

At the moment my heart bleeds,

But bear in mind that I have set you free.

Perhaps one day you will return,

But for now my heart just burns.

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(Written August 14, 2012)

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Waiting for the Movie to Start

There she sat dressed in a green blouse that helped to bring out the color of her eyes, blue jeans that showed off her curves. She was having a great hair day just sitting there sipping her coffee and enjoying the view.

She sat at the far end of the café where she could see everyone who was sitting in the food court in addition to the people who were going up and down the escalators. There were two empty tables in front of her.

She was happy to be there but the only mishap was that she was all alone. After such a hectic week, she needed to be by herself. However, she wished that her boyfriend had been in town to be there with her instead of away on a business trip.

As all these feelings were running through her veins, she noticed a man at the other end of the food court staring at her.

He was an older man, perhaps in his seventies, wearing a black leather jacket and sun glasses. Guess he thought he was dressed to kill. Well, at least he gave off this impression.

She tried to look the other way while he stared at her. He sat there in that fixed manner for a good twenty minutes. She actually looked at her watch for she was starting to feel very uncomfortable. The way her looked at her through the shades gave her the creeps.

He got up and was slowly walking in her direction. She didn’t know what to do. Lots of possibilities were running through her mind. Should she get up and move? Should she head to the lineup for the movie?  Or should she just sit there and see what was going to happen? He continued walking in her direction as she decided to make up her mind.

All of a sudden a man with two small children sat at the table in front of her. She calmed down for the empty table was taken which meant that the older fellow would not be able to get so close.

The man in the leather jacket stopped at the café cash register and ordered a cup of coffee. He kept on staring at her with every movement he made. She started playing with the kids in front of her to try to distract her nervousness.

The man got his coffee and sat at the other table in front of the kids but with his back to the girl. She suddenly felt relieved at the fact that the man had given up his quest.

The man and the kids got up and left for their movie was about to start. There was an empty table between her and the man in the leather jacket.

She froze. The man turned around and lifted his sunglasses. She couldn’t believe what she saw and it freaked her out. The scleras of his eyes were black. It was time for her to get up and flee.

(Written August 1, 2012)

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Reflection after a movie....

After having watched the movie The Flowers of the War, I felt light hearted to see how at a hard time, the war, young girls and women were not selfish and gave their lives up for the other. Nonetheless, it made me wonder what this would be like nowadays. There were several scenes in the movie that showed how much one cared for the other.

In the beginning we see three friends running through a town destroyed by the war and soldiers running after them and shooting at them. One of the girls is shot. The others cry and say that she died without a cry, meaning bravely.

Another scene is when the girls suffer in the hands of the soldiers when they invade the church so that they will not discover that the prostitutes are hiding in the basement. The girls knew they were going to be raped and hurt but even so, they fought bravely.

Then finally in the end there is the switching of places (do not want to spoil it for those who are going to watch it), a true act of bravery. When the young church boy decides to also give up his life to save the young girls, it is a true act of courage and love.

Why do they all do this? Simple, love for the next person; lack of selfishness, so that the deaths of the soldiers would not be in vain, simply love.

(Written on July 21,2012)

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