Gord Downie Inspired Poem

WWII Poem  

In 1939 the guns started to fire

Children ran and screamed

And the world discovered

That mean German liar

Flying in the sky at night

bright lights blind your eyes

As you drop “presents” on people

Sleeping inside

Enemies watching in the night

waiting to start their fight

Fathers, sons and daughters

decide to take a trip

All the way around the world

Who knows if they’ll come back

Books Burn by the fire light

Families go on a trip

In a far away place

With foggy yellow cages

That take people years to forget

When everything is over

Take a second look

Other still morn

While remembering siblings

Who were killed by the German storm

The perfect world

was the image in mind

I really wish that people

Could be more kind

Poet's Statement

This poem is inspired by Gord Downie because it is written in his style. It has an underline talking about the second world war. But does not fully say that it is the world war even though you can tell that that’s what the poem is talking about. This is similar to Gord Downie's style because it is talking about a Historic event and continues to keep that theme the entire song and portrayed a message about this historic event.

Lilly the Leader... Of the World

LeaderShip is one, of the most important characteristics in the 21st century. It can help  you to build a multi million dollar company, or create a small not for profit foundation. It is a vital skill that everyone must posses to make their mark on this world. I believe that I am a leader because I posses 3 skills that are important in leadership. Communication is one of those three skills. I have comunication because I can converse with others in a calm and effective way that helps me to get my point across. For example during the “stuck on a raft” exercise at Red Pine Camp, I had to take charge and tell everyone where to go and what to do and make sure that they were understanding what I was saying. Goal setting is the second skill I posses. Goal setting is very important in leadership because it helps the leader to be able to visualize where the team  can go  and make sure they can achieve it. I use goal setting a lot in my life by setting goals for kayaking to try and make it to nationals,  or to try and have school work done a few days before its due, or to try and be more organized and a good role model for others. The third skill that I have is time management. Getting things done that are the most important first, and organizing my time so that I have enough time to get everything done on time and to the best of my ability. An example of when I have used time management would be at Red Pine Camp we did a scavenger hunt and i went and found most of the 20 point idols and I helped my team win because i new that it would be faster to get the items that were further away and worth a lot than to try and get the ones closer. In conclusion I am a leader because I posses these skills that make me a leader.    

What do I want to teach the world

There’s a quote that says “be the change you want to see in the world.” For me the change I want to see is selflessness. Many people in this world are selfish, only thinking about themselves and what is best for them. A world filled with people who only think about themselves would not be a good world to live in. It would be filled with corruption and greed that come from being selfish. This alternate selfish and corrupt world sounds similar to our world, but there are people in this world helping others every day and do it for a living. Organizations such as UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders, Compassion are all organizations that travel to different third world and warring countries. These organizations help and aid them and even though they are putting themselves in danger, they continue to do what is right and selfless. By definition, selfless means “Concerned about other rather than yourself.” For me it means more than just that. It means always thinking about others and helping no matter who the person is. If they’re a drunk homeless person or the Prime Minister, if they’re dark skinned or light skinned, if they’re Jewish or Muslim no matter who or what that person is, you will always no matter what the situation help them the best you can. Being an example of selflessness is a great way to teach it, being a role model that others will look up to. Simply by holding the door open for someone when you’re in a rush or helping someone else who’s stayed in to finish they’re project when you could be outside. Another great way to teach others about being selfless is by sharing stories or experiences that you or others you know have had. A story that I have recently heard that would have had a different outcome if people were selfless was when my aunt came out of the grocery store and her groceries fell everywhere and three adult women walked by and didn’t even take a second glance at her. Another story where the person showed selflessness and had a good outcome was when my mom dropped some wood out of her car driving and workers nearby came over and helped her pick up the wood. They normally would have been working and she returned the favor by buying them sodas on a hot day. Imagine if selflessness was taught in every school, adults dropping food would have twelve people rushing to help them and the world would become a better place to live.