Grade 9: Literature: A collection of Nikki Giovanni poems

I Wrote a Good Omelet

I wrote a good omelet . . . and ate a hot poem . . .
after loving you
Buttoned my car . . . and drove my coat home . . . in the
rain . . .
after loving you
I goed on red . . . and stopped on green . . . floating
somewhere in between . . .
being here and being there . . .
after loving you
I rolled my bed . . . turned down my hair . . . slightly
confused but . . . I don't care . . .
Laid out my teeth . . . and gargled my gown . . . then I stood
. . . and laid me down . . .
to sleep . . .
after loving you
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A Happy Reason
a good book (not necessarily a mystery) . . .

some popcorn with real butter . . .

a fire in the wood stove . . .

quilts on the couch . . .

thermal blankets on the bed . . .

a feather duster waiting to be used . . .

coffee pot with a timer . . .

the 49ers winning if we get lucky . . .

comic pages in color . . .

intelligent editorials . . .

snow or rainor any inclement weather . . .

or heavy doses of sun . . .

a reason to move or not move . . .

a reason to go or not go no reason to beanything . . .

except happy . . .with . . .you

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I Do Have My Likes and Dislikes

I like cashmere scarves and cashmere sweaters and cotton blouses
with button down collars
I like mink muffs when my hands are cold and leather gloves up to
my elbow
I like manicures but I don't like nail polish
I like facials but not to squeeze the black heads out
I like caviar and pecan fried chicken and double decker sandwiches
white bread extra mayo
I really like anchovies on my pizza and quilts on my bed and
eucalyptus soap when I take a long bath
I prefer vacations in St.Vincent or Barbados or Jamaica but I'll take
any good beach I can find
I like ESPN Sports Roundup and homemade vanilla ice cream in a
big mug with chocolate chip cookies
I like bird houses and bird feeders and my coffee in the morning on
the deck where I hear birds singing
And mostly I like the peace of the breezes singing through the trees and
. . .oh by the way . . . I really like you

------------------------------------------------

August

Apples fall peaches harvested
One kind of pear is prickled
Blackberries turn your finger blue
Some cucumbers get pickled
Biscuits bake or they are fried
Grits are cooked real slow
Green tomatoes in bacon fat
then it's time to go
From Grandmothers country home
Back up to the city
I'd rather stay in the barefoot Southwhere everything is pretty

------------------------------------------------

How Do You Write a Poem?

how do you write a poem
about someone so close
to you that when you say ahhhh
they say chuuu
what can they ask you to put
on paper that isn't already written
on your face
and does the paper make it
any more real
that without them
life would be not
impossible but certainly
more difficult
and why should someone need
a poem to say when i come
home if you're not there
i search the air
for your scent
would i search any less
if i told the world
i don't care at all
and love is so complete
that touch or not we blend
to each other the things
that matter aren't all about
baaaanging (i can be baaaanged all
day long) but finding a spot
where i can be free
of all the physical
and emotional bullshit
and simply sit with a cup
of coffee and say to you
"i'm tired" don't you know
those are my love words
and say to you "how was your
day" doesn't that show
i care or say to you "we lost
a friend" and not want to share
that loss with strangers
don't you already know
what i feel and if
you don't maybe
i should check my feelings

-----------------------------------------

I Take Master Card

(Charge Your Love to Me)

I've heard all the stories 'bout how you don't deserve me

'cause I'm so strong and beautiful and wonderful

and you could never live up to what you know

I should have but I just want to let you know:

I take Master Card

You can love me as much as your heart can stand

then put the rest on account

and pay the interest each month

until we get this settled

You see we modern women do comprehend

that we deserve a whole lot more

than what is normally being offered but we are trying

to get aligned with the modern world

So baby, you can love me all you like

'cause you're pre-approved

and you don't have to sign onthe bottom line

Charge it up'til we just can't take no more

it's the modern way

I take Master Card to see your Visa

and I deal with a Discovery

but I don't want any American Express

'cause like the Pointer Sisters say: I need a slow hand

-----------------------------------

A Greater Love of God and Country
Concerning the Burning of Old and Alone Though Not Lonely
Black Churches

There is no reason to ask
"WHY" since to ask "WHY" is to enter some dark and crazy spot
where one presumes there is REASON and A REASON that will
make sense which is not to say there is a craziness: I don't belive
this is crazy but rather mean . . . hateful . . . ugly -- though not
ignorant because there is knowledge here and there is a purpose here
but there is NO
REASON

People who will burn a cross will burn a church

The buildings may be rebuilt but the creak
of a stair . . . the smell of polish in the pews
the old kitchen where Sunday dinners were reheated
the icebox where the iced tea was kept . . . the too narrow
steps leading to the damp and dusky basement . . . the leaky
window that could not always keep the cold at bay . . . the knowing
that this building was built by these hands to worship this God who
has Deliverd us . . . . . . . . . No. . . that cannot be rebuilt

The people who have burned crosses will burn a church

Something will be lost and the world just a bit sadder
for the loss ot the building . . . . But the people who sift through
ashes know that fire is a friend and that fire can be a foe
But the people who use fire are lowdown . . .
And the people who know that some people are lowdown will watch
the fires . . . will forgive the trespasses. . .and will go right on
thanking their God for His powerful . . . magnificentDeliverance

-------------------------------------------

You Were Gone

You were gone
like a fly lighting
on that wall
with a spider in the corner
You were gone
like last week's paycheck
for this week's bills
You were gone
like the years between
twenty-five and thirty
as if somehow
You never existed
and if it wouldn't be
for the gray hairs
I'd never know that
You had come.

Well Done!

Finally, I feel that my smart grade niners have grasped what a descriptive essay is all about. Yasmina has created one of the most well written descriptive compositions about the famous Alexandrian beggar, Rose. I am sure you will remember seeing her before once you read Yasmina's description. You will find Yasmina's writing assignment posted as a comment on the entry entitled Hallelujah Part II: The Writing.
Thank you, Yasmina. I can't wait to see the rest of the class' assignments.

Hallelujah Part II: The writing

Choose one of the following topics to write an essay of not less than 200 words on .

P.S. * If you write on both topics, you get bonus grades.
* If you write on one topic, your deadline is on Thursday. If you are writing on both topics: one of them is due on Thursday and the other on Sunday.

1st topic: Narrative essay: The worst accident I have ever had.
2nd topic: Descriptive essay: The most extra ordinary looking beggar/lunatic (crazy weirdo).

The Long Awaited Grade 9 Homework. Hallelujah! Read the text and answer the questions

Urban Legends

1- The Death Car
It was a cold night in September. The rain was drumming on the car roof as George and Marie Winston drove through the empty country roads towards the house of their friends, the Harrisons, where they were going to attend a party to celebrate the engagement of the Harrisons' daughter, Lisa. As they drove, they listened to the local radio station, which was playing classical music.
They were about five miles from their destination when the music on the radio was interrupted by a news announcement:
"The Cheshire police have issued a serious warning after a man escaped from Colford Mental Hospital earlier this evening. The man, John Downey, is a murderer who killed six people before he was captured two years ago. He is described as large, very strong and extremely dangerous. People in the Cheshire area are warned to keep their doors and windows locked, and to call the police immediately if they see anyone acting strangely."
Marie shivered. "A crazy killer. And he's out there somewhere. That's scary."
"Don't worry about it," said her husband. "We're nearly there now. Anyway, we have more important things to worry about. This car is losing power for some reason -- it must be that old problem with the carburetor. If it gets any worse, we'll have to stay at the Harrisons' tonight and get it fixed before we travel back tomorrow."
As he spoke, the car began to slow down. George pressed the accelerator, but the engine only coughed. Finally they rolled to a halt, as the engine died completely. Just as they stopped, George pulled the car off the road, and it came to rest under a large tree.
"Blast!" said George angrily. "Now we'll have to walk in the rain."
"But that'll take us an hour at least," said Marie. "And I have my high-heeled shoes and my nice clothes on. They'll be ruined!"
"Well, you'll have to wait while I run to the nearest house and call the Harrisons. Someone can come out and pick us up," said George.
"But George! Have you forgotten what the radio said? There's a homicidal maniac out there! You can't leave me alone here!"
"You'll have to hide in the back of the car. Lock all the doors and lie on the floor in the back, under this blanket. No-one will see you. When I come back, I'll knock three times on the door. Then you can get up and open it. Don't open it unless you hear three knocks." George opened the door and slipped out into the rain. He quickly disappeared into the blackness.
Marie quickly locked the doors and settled down under the blanket in the back for a long wait. She was frightened and worried, but she was a strong-minded woman. She had not been waiting long, however, when she heard a strange scratching noise. It seemed to be coming from the roof of the car.
Marie was terrified. She listened, holding her breath. Then she heard three slow knocks, one after the other, also on the roof of the car. Was it her husband? Should she open the door? Then she heard another knock, and another. This was not her husband. It was somebody -- or something -- else. She was shaking with fear, but she forced herself to lie still. The knocking continued -- bump, bump, bump, bump.
Many hours later, as the sun rose, she was still lying there. She had not slept for a moment. The knocking had never stopped, all night long. She did not know what to do. Where was George? Why had he not come for her?
Suddenly, she heard the sound of three or four vehicles, racing quickly down the road. All of them pulled up around her, their tires screeching on the road. At last! Someone had come! Marie sat up quickly and looked out of the window.
The three vehicles were all police cars, and two still had their lights flashing. Several policemen leapt out. One of them rushed towards the car as Marie opened the door. He took her by the hand.
"Get out of the car and walk with me to the police vehicle. miss. You're safe now. Look straight ahead. Keep looking at the police car. Don't look back. Just don't look back."
Something in the way he spoke filled Marie with cold horror. She could not help herself. About ten yards from the police car, she stopped, turned and looked back at the empty vehicle.
George was hanging from the tree above the car, a rope tied around his neck. As the wind blew his body back and forth, his feet were bumping gently on the roof of the car -- bump, bump, bump, bump.


1- Where were the Winstons going when this incident happened? Why?
2- What was the warning announcement on the radio about?
3- What was wrong with the car?
4- What are the two suggestions that Mr. Winston made to solve the problem? Why didn’t Mrs. Winston like either of them?
5- How did Mr. Winston finally convince her of the second solution?
6- Why hadn’t Marie slept all night? Where was she? Why was she lying there?
7- Why didn’t the policeman want Mrs. Winston to look back?
8- What was the bumping sound referred to at the end of the story?
9- What exactly had happened to George?
10- Find an expression in the text that means “to and fro”.

Multiple-Choice Questions
Tick the correct answer:

1. Why did he pull the car off the road?
a) to have a rest
b) to go for a walk
c) to walk to the nearest house
d) it broke down
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2. Why did Marie stay in the car when George left?
a) She was afraid to go out in the dark.
b) So no-one would steal the car.
c) Her clothes weren't suitable for the rain.
d) She wanted to get some sleep.
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3. Where did George set off to walk to?
a) the Mental Hospital
b) the nearest house
c) the Harrisons' house
d) the police station
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4. Marie says, "There's a homicidal maniac out there!"
What does "homicidal maniac" mean?
a) terrible storm
b) busy road
c) crazy killer
d) policeman
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5. In "Several policemen leapt out," "leapt" means
a) threw
b) jumped
c) shouted
d) drove

* Make these two sentences into one using conjunctions from the list below

[because – since – consequently - although – however – as a result – eventhough - so that – as]

1- The Harrisons were having a party. Their daughter was getting engaged.

2. The police issued a warning on the radio. A dangerous man had escaped from hospital.

3. Marie was worried about the killer. Her husband was only worried about the car.

4. George went to find help. The car broke down.

5. Marie could not walk in the rain. Her clothes were not suitable.

6. No-one could see her. Marie hid under a blanket.

7. Marie heard a strange sound on the roof. She became very frightened.

8. The knocking continued all night. Marie could not sleep.

9. Several policemen leapt out. One of them rushed towards the car.

10. The policeman told Marie not to look back. She could not help it.

*At what point in the story did Marie feel?
a- worried
b- relieved
c- horrified

Grade 10 Green

Good Luck to all!
P.S. Seif Megahed, Bassem, Nashwa, Sherif and Malak only had one to go at the end of the lesson:Way to go!

Grade 10 Green: Clues for crossword puzzle

Across
1.
French prison and revolutionary symbol
5.
Country not conquered by Napoleon (2 wrds)
8.
Meeting place of European congress
10.
Site of Napoleon's major naval defeat
11.
Ruler during Reign of Terror
12.
Political and social system before French Revolution (2 wrds)
13.
Left-wing of the Legislative Assembly
Down
2.
France's enemy in Peninsular War
3.
Large social classes
4.
Least powerful social class before the Revolution (2 wrds)
5.
Machine for beheading criminals
6.
A time when thousands of citizens were executed (3 wrds)
7.
A forcible closing of ports
9.
Site of Napoleon's final

so far no comment

i'm not going to reveal any information about this creature yet...waiting for your character sketches... then you are in for a surprise!