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SAMPLES |
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Two
cowboys got caught in a sandstorm.
The
Land around them changed form.
The
sand was hot and stung their skin.
They
didn’t recognize where they had been.
They
didn’t know the right direction to go.
They
couldn’t see the flight of the crow.
They
tried in vain to create a shelter.
It
didn’t protect them from the swelter.
Sand
was swirling and flying everywhere.
It
blinded their eyes and stuck in their hair.
They
sipped water to relieve dried throats.
They
ate the last of their rolled oats.
They
tried to avoid getting buried.
Their
body positions they varied.
Suddenly
the storm’s noise stopped.
To
the desert floor the bodies flopped.
The
wind and the sand keep beating the two.
They
both realized they were through.
Just
then a man appeared on a white horse.
His
strength was greater than the storm’s force.
The
man was followed by a group of eleven.
One
man was picked up and taken to heaven.
The
other was told it wasn’t his time.
The
bodies were found buried in the grime.
One
was alive and the other was dead.
The
angels were an illusion the rescuer said.
Johnny
was recruited in 1861.
The
Civil War had just begun.
Johnny
was at the tender age of ten.
He
was liked by the older men.
In
battle his drumbeats could not be heard.
He
laid down his drumsticks without a word.
He
picked up a musket and a cartridge box.
He
took up a position behind some rocks.
Johnny
fought as hard as any other man.
Johnny
took part in the battle plan.
He
came out of the fight without a scrape.
His
body was still in good physical shape.
Johnny
did not want to stay in the infantry.
Johnny
sought a transfer to the cavalry.
He
was given a saber and put on a horse.
He
was now part of a killing force.
At
Richmond he fought with veteran skill.
To
Johnny it was just another military drill.
At
Perryville he got shot just above the knee.
Johnny
killed the enemy leader instantly.
A
week later the fighting was severe.
Johnny
fought without any fear.
He
took a deep saber cut to the leg.
The
little hero escaped a prosthetic peg.
He
was discharged because of his wound.
He
tried to reenlist the following June.
Again
his wound kept him out of the fight.
Johnny
appealed to the President that night.
The
President issued special orders.
Johnny
rode toward exploding mortars.
Julius
Caesar crossed the river.
This
caused Pompey to quiver.
He
took his men and fled to Greece.
Julius
wasn’t seeking the peace.
The
Republic plunged into civil war.
Caesar
was out to even the score.
In
Greece he pursued Pompey.
But
Pompey got away.
In
Egypt Pompey ended up dead.
The
Egyptians gave Caesar his head.
Julius
declared himself dictator for life.
Causing
the Senate a great deal of strive.
Sixty
members would congregate.
Their
plan was to assassinate.
Very
cleverly they devised a plan.
In
the Senate they would get rid of the man.
Calpurnia
had a dream.
She
begged him to stay away from the scheme.
The
omens would also be unkind.
But
to this he would also be blind.
In
the Senate the assassins went on the attack.
Julius
could not fight back.
On
the Senate floor dead he would lay.
He
was underneath the statue of Pompey.
Linda
and I joined a walk.
With
others we began to talk.
We
walked to defeat ALS,
a disease that needs to be put to rest.
It
took my sister – she was my friend.
I’ll
never see her loving face again.
She
called one day and she sounded drunk.
Her
voice no longer had its usual spunk.
I
thought she was playing and I began to laugh.
When
I realized she wasn’t my heart broke in half.
She
told me what it was and I began to cry.
I
wanted her to say, “Stop”, it’s all a lie.
Time
went by and she could no longer speak.
The
disease was beginning to make her body weak.
She
had a computer that would talk for her.
Sometimes
it was unclear – the words were a blur.
She
reached a point when she needed around the clock care.
Her
daughters and the gentle people from hospice were there.
Her
last months were spent at Susan’s home.
Her
hair she could no longer comb.
We
all went to be with her during her end time.
The
whole damned thing seemed to be a crime.
Her
strength and character were beyond belief.
Until
this day I still feel the grief.
She
gave her body to research to help find a cure.
She
is with us in spirit – of this I am sure.
We
walked by the ocean – its beauty was pristine,
much like the heart of my sister – Gloria
Jean.
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Maria
was born to a family of meager means.
She
grew up on tacos, fried rice and beans.
As
a woman her beauty was beyond compare.
She
was tall and lean with flowing black hair.
Rich
and poor men looked in her direction.
It
was an aristocrat that won her affection.
After
two sons his affections began to fade.
Maria
felt she was being betrayed.
His
love for her was in the past.
He
left her for a woman of higher class.
Maria
felt resentment toward her boys.
Gone
were the gifts she once enjoyed.
One
night as she strolled the riverbank,
Her
husband rode by; his face was blank.
In
conversation they did not engage.
His
actions threw Maria into a rage.
She
threw her boys into the river.
With
regret she began to shiver.
She
tried to save them but it was too late.
Drowning
her boys she could not negate.
She
fell into an inconsolable grief.
What
she did was beyond belief.
She
mourned and she would not eat.
It
was her boys she wanted to meet.
She
searched so much her feet bled.
One
night they found her dead,
soon after her spirit began to appear.
Her wailings the locals would come to fear.
Pearl
Hart robbed a stagecoach.
She
wore men’s clothes and a woman’s brooch.
She
was of French Canadian descent.
In
Arizona her adulthood was spent.
She
eloped when she was seventeen.
Fred
Hart turned out to be mean.
He
was a gambler and drank too much.
Fred
used alcohol as a crutch.
The
two went to a wild west show.
It
was an exposition in Chicago.
Inspired
by strong women she saw.
She
served Fred his last call.
She
left him standing in the snow.
Pearl
boarded a train to Colorado.
She
ended up in an Arizona mining camp.
She
made money as a barroom vamp.
Pearl
hooked up with Joe Boot.
He
taught her how to make quick loot.
She
would lure men into their room.
Joe
would hit them with a steel broom.
The
money wasn’t all that good.
They
turned to six-shooters and hoods.
They
stopped a stagecoach along the road.
They
relieved the stagecoach of its load.
Pearl
was caught and put on trial.
With
her charm the jury she beguiled.
She
was convicted of a lesser crime.
Pearl
did eighteen months of prison time.
Hiroshima
was hit with an atomic bomb.
A
baby was separated from its mom.
The
date was August 6, 1945.
Seventy
thousand people lost their lives.
69%
of the buildings were destroyed.
Where
activity took place now was void.
Shortly
after sixty thousand more died.
The
heavens turned dark and the angels cried.
Radiation
poisoning has killed more.
Should
atomic energy be used in war?
That
summer was the Franck Report.
Seven
scientists gave a strong retort.
“Demonstrate
its power to the enemy.”
The
scientists pleaded on bended knee.
The
Undersecretary of the Navy protested.
The
dropping of the bomb he detested.
On
that day the Universe felt a change.
All
that felt normal now felt strange.
The
atomic bomb annihilated a city,
without fanfare or welcoming committee.
The
population was taken by surprise.
Burnt
skin and blinded eyes.
Truman
called Hiroshima a military base.
People
disappeared without a trace.
The
bombing of civilians is a barbaric act.
Little
Boy had a devastating impact.
Life
can be what you want it to be.
Just
make sure you get that degree.
Don’t
be satisfied just playing the game.
Day
after day the routine is the same.
Develop
a plan and get it done.
You
could end up number one.
Try
hard to find your passion.
Don’t
be stale and old fashioned.
Don’t
always do what is expected of you.
Try
to come up with something new.
Stay
focused and on the right path.
Study
English, Science and Math.
These
are the lessons that will benefit.
Impress
people with your wit.
Don’t
do what others do.
Be
the leader of your crew.
Learn
to appreciate and stay humble.
Keep
out of the neighborhood rumble.
Life
is not always about material gain.
Life
is always about using your brain.
Stay
positive and try to be happy.
Keep
a smile and always dress snappy.
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