the bird on fire

The Bird is the Word: Sophisticated Schoolyard Shenanigans

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utopia

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By Makena Behnke

i live in a world where girls stand hand in hand

not judging each other by race or ethnicity

each supportive of the others’ dreams

we teach each other kindness and compassion ~and sometimes makeup tips~

we don’t tear each other down or shame

we don’t mind if you have lip fillers or crooked butt implants

we accept each other for who we are

we share clothes and funny stories

we don’t mind if you put on a little weight or lose some

as long as you’re healthy and happy, we’re happy

–unfortunately not everyone lives in this world, and what kills me is that there’s not much i can do about it right now.

Editor: Brennan Nick

Sellout

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By Guest Writer and Music Enthusiast Holden Hartle*

 

What is a sellout? This is a word thrown around quite often in the music world. If an artist or band changes their style of music, they are immediately labelled a sellout. Bands like Fall Out Boy, Maroon 5, and Weezer have often received the insult. Rivers Cuomo, the lead singer of Weezer, even wrote a song about being a sellout entitled “Back to the Shack” (great song, highly recommended). But that can’t be right. What if an artist wants to change their style simply because their interests have changed? According to most people in the Youtube comments, fans don’t care whatsoever.

In the music world, a sellout is attributed to someone who changes their style of music, for the purpose of making more money. Taylor Swift is a prime example of this. I realize I am making some very unpopular claims, but just stay with me. Taylor Swift started off as the sweet, innocent country girl, who wrote songs with her acoustic guitar and sang like an angel. Songs like “Our Song,” “Mean,” and “Sparks Fly” got into the heart of every twelve-year-old girl in America. But then she made a huge change. In October of 2012, Taylor Swift released the album Red. This album hinted at a change to pop music, with songs like “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “22,” and “We Are Never Getting Back Together.” Then in 2014, Taylor Swift finally announced that she made the switch to pop with her album 1989, featuring songs like “Blank Space,” “Bad Blood,” and “Shake It Off.” Now she has an album set to release on November 10, 2017, entitled Reputation, featuring “… Ready For It,” and “Look What You Made Me Do.”

So, down to the real question, why? Why would she make this sort of change? Well, in every interview I could find on her (which is way more than I wanted to watch), she doesn’t really answer the question. She always finds some way to swerve around the question. This leads us to assume that she did it solely for the money. She saw the money she could make doing pop, and the dollar bill signs started flashing in her eyes. If you compare the sales of 1989 and all of her other albums, 1989 crushes any other album by a staggering 3,000,000 total albums.

So, in essence, this is what the music community calls a “sellout.” It is an insult that means you dropped the sound of your roots in order to make more money. The problem with this insult is that it applies to too many bands who do not deserve it. Who do you think is a sellout?

 

Editor: A.J. Patencio

*The above is the sole opinion of Guest Writer Holden Hartle and does not represent the views of thebirdonfire.org editorial board (in other words, Claire disagrees).

Some Weird Haiku’s from Charles

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By Charles Schnell

 

It’s Funny

It is funny how

We can be so similar

And not realize it.

 

Freedom

Freedom is what we

Yearn, Search, and Fight for, but we

Can’t find it alone.

 

Not What You Wished For

This is not what you

Wished for, but it’s what you got;

Thus it’s meant for you.

 

Excitement

I sit atop the

Mountain, and the world is vast,

Holding all futures.

 

Conflict

Stop the fighting; Stop!

The world is pretty, and nature

Is calling for peace.

 

These Rules

These rules, these rules, These

Rules cannot break us; we will

Stand and live and win.

 

Life Goes On

Sometimes, the world stops.

We feel we don’t know a thing,

But, we keep going.

 

Temporary

Everything in this

World is not everlasting;

Your pain will end soon.

 

Yugen

An awareness of

The universe too deep for

Words; I love Yugen.

 

No Sense

These poems do not

Make any sense, but, who knew

I would like haikus?

 

Editor: Peter Kadel

Dear Music,

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By Renée Vazquez A.

 

Even when you’re falling apart,

you comfort me.

When you’re writhing in anger,

you calm me.

When angst gets in my way,

you support me.

You’re with me always.

When I feel alone,

tell me you are with me, always.

You take my breath away.

You make me smile so much I cry.

You make me cry so much I smile.

I will always need you.

Humanity will always need you.

Editor Charles Schnell

Snyder Case Update: Witness Interview #0125

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Concerning the murder of junior Ben Snyder, we have identified a witness account from a janitor on the site at the time of the murder. Detective Jenkins, one of our best, met with this witness for a brief interview.

 

 

Interview with PVS Nighttime Janitor, 27 September 2017

 

If you have information regarding Case #4501, leave it in the Comment Section! Work with your fellow students to see who did the dastardly deed to Ben.

 

Information verified by Prosecutor Charles Schnell

 

Anxiety

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By Renée Vazquez A.

I can’t breath

when I feel you creep inside.

You make it hurt.

You make me shudder.

Inside, and out.

You make me cry,

first on the inside

and then you spill over.

You push my fears,

my worries,

pressing them into my heart–

you press them into my throat–

you make them fill my entire me–

you are them.

And you’ve consumed me.

And you make me guilty

for serving you;

as you slowly replace me,

time after time.

Editor: AJ Patencio

The Peasant In Heaven–A Fairy Tale Re-Telling

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Illustration by Harlow Berny

Retold by Harlow Berny

Centuries ago, an old religious man of a long forgotten kingdom died of a poor heart and ascended to the pearly gates in the sky. At the same moment, the king of the lands the old man came from died of old age, despite being younger than the peasant. St. Peter came to the gate and unlocked it, rejoiced to see the king, but was so distracted that he did not see the peasant and closed the gate before the old man could walk through and join his king. The peasant sat down before the gate and waited. As he did so, he heard trumpets, drums, and shouts of glee, no doubt for the king that entered heaven. After an hour or so, he could smell freshly baked breads and ripe fruits and warm pies, and the music became quieted as they celebrated the grand arrival. It was around this time that St. Peter came back to the gates and found the old man, and when the peasant walked to the feast, he half expected the music of the angels as well, but all he heard was the chatter of the people as they ate. There were angels that greeted him and were happy to see him, but there were no songs or music. When the peasant asked why there was singing for the king but not for himself, and if heaven had the same favoritism of wealthy over the poor, St. Peter gave him this response:

“Dear old soul, we love all people the same here, and everyone is able to enjoy the riches of the earth in the kingdom. I ask you to forgive us, for poor souls like yourself come many a time, but souls of the rich only ever come a hundred years or so.”

 

Edited by: Renée Vazquez

Re-telling of Grimm’s

Writing Down the Bones–A Review of an Essential Writing Guide

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Author, poet, and painter Natalie Goldberg

By Charles Schnell

Are you having trouble writing a novel? How about a poem? A play? Perhaps, one of the essays Ms. Zachik, Mr. Griffin, or Dr. Carr has ordered? Don’t worry; Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones is just what you need.  This roughly 200-page book is essentially a guidance counselor for writers. Goldberg has written a practical, anti-textbook that tells you what you want to know and inspires you to write. She details various stages of a writer’s mind in development, ranging from philosophical advice (how to tackle doubt), to practical, simple words of wisdom (don’t think and don’t wait — write).

Goldberg applies her spiritual wisdom to the physical world. When reading the book, it’s almost as if she is there in person, teaching you. And, it’s not as if the book is very long. She says what she wants to say, tells the stories she wants to tell, and does it quickly. Each chapter is about two pages.

A few of my favorite chapters are “A Meal You Love,” “Doubt is Torture,” and “Don’t Tell, but Show.” The first is all about detail and making your words come alive on the page. The second, “Doubt is Torture,” is about what might be the biggest struggle of all artists–DOUBT. Doubt can stem from many things: fear, past failures, or lack of money. Goldberg understands this very well: “Every other month I am ready to quit writing….These thoughts are torture….Doubt is torture….It is a constant test of perseverance.” In this chapter, Goldberg shows how you’re not the only dreamer who doubts. You can overcome. Finally, in the chapter “Don’t Tell, but Show,” Goldberg explains why showing feelings through actions, rather than just stating, is deeper and more real than simply telling, and gives her advice on how to show. Her advice has proven to be really useful.

Of course, all of the chapters in this book are helpful and contain much advice that I cannot simply state in this review. To be honest, you’ll probably learn more from reading this book than taking some writing workshops (although, both are recommended). The book could even function as a refreshing daily meditation on writing, to be read over and over, chapter by chapter.

This and much more is why I appreciate this book, and I highly suggest it for anyone who needs help and is stuck in a seemingly permanent writer’s block (remember, it is not permanent), whether that block be in writing a short story, an English essay, or even a book review for your weekly post on thebirdonfire.org….

 

Editor: Claire Jenkins

 

Goldberg is also an accomplished professional painter.

true or false

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By Makena Behnke

i am trapped

today i came to the realization that i am trapped

there are very few days that i feel like this

that statement is false

i feel very small once i think deeply about myself

that statement is true

i know who i am

that statement is both true and false

 

Editor: Peter Kadel