Art of Word Ethan Lattin

   

Copyright © 2016 Charter Press  

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission 

from the publisher.   

For information about this book, write to Charter Press, 9530 Monterey Road, 

Morgan Hill, California 95037.   

ISBN 978­0­547­60838­9   

Printed in The United States of America      

I dedicate this book to my Mom and Dad friends and relatives

for simply supporting me throughout my life.

   

    

Ethan Lattin  This is an autobiographical poem of me and my life. It                     doesn’t tell the whole story of me but it’s a start.  Ethan Child of Karen and Wayne Lattin Who loves basketball, his parents, dirt biking, airsofting, reptiles, and gaming Who hates dull pencils, homework, and veggies Who wants to go to Hawaii Who wishes he could’ve met Michael Jordan Who is scared of spiders Who dreams of getting rich Who is determined to be awesome Who values his friends Who is proud of his art and his gaming Who graduated from single digits Who lives in San Jose  Lattin         

 The Graveyard Book Epitaphs   These are epitaph poems based on characters from the                 Graveyard book. I chose to write about The Man Jack,                   Bod, and Bod’s Mom, Mistress Owens. I chose them                 because I think they will be interesting to write about.   

The Man Jack 1968­2031 

He sleeps in the coils of the Slear, forever aging, forever trapped.

  

Nobody Owens 2004­2067 

Born in a graveyard, raised in a graveyard, died outside

the iron fence of the graveyard    

Mrs. Owens It didn’t only take a graveyard to raise a boy, it also took

a mom to raise a boy.    

Words  This poem is a Cinquain poem which means it has 5                     lines, each line has a different count of words. This                   poem is about words, I chose to write about words                   because there are a lot of people that get offended by                     words, and this hopefully will help them to not get                   offended as much,   Words Simple, complex Talking, shouting, crying What does it even mean Sounds   

   

Estranged  This is a vocabulary poem that I wrote about the word                     estranged. It uses a dictionary definition and some               examples that I came up with. I was inspired to write this                       poem by Kwame Alexander, the author of The               Crossover.   [es-tranged] (of a person) no longer close or affectionate to someone; alienated As in: my dad left my mom and they haven't talked in a year. As in: me and my girlfriend broke up for 3 months As in: I went to another country and haven't talked to my friend since.            

    

Anana Consumus  Anana Consus is the latin word for pineapple, which this                   poem is about. This poem is free verse, which means it                     has no rules. The inspiration for this poem is my love of                       pineapples.  Pineapple Sweet and crisp Yellow, like a sunny day Tropical and beautiful A circle, but not perfect But that’s ok Because the inside is what really matters    

Angel Island   While they waited on Angel Island, some of the chinese                   immigrants decided to channel their feelings of             discouragement, fear, anger and abandonment into           poetry. They carved their words into walls, ceilings and                 floors, desperate for their voices to be heard. Many                 immigrants wrote their poems with five chinese             characters per line. This was an ancient chinese form of                   poetry called wu­yan­li­shi  I wait anxiously To come to new land I’m scared but hopeful A new future is Waiting for me here    

Snakes  This is an animal poem in the style of Ogden Nash. I                       chose to write about snakes because I have five pet                   snakes at home, and they’re really cool.   The Majesstic ssnake Sslithering around Trying to find a friend But it’ss already found Me    

Basketball  This is an idiom poem written in quatrains with a rhyme                     scheme of (AA BB) (CC DD.) Each quatrain contains 2                   idioms. My poem is about basketball, I chose to write                   about basketball because itś my favorite sport.  Out of the blue I came up and flew You got cold feet Because Iḿ elite Give it a shot Try to put it in the pot You better cross your fingers Because when you lose defeat lingers                  

 

The Life of Michael   This is a blues poem written in the style of Langston                     Hughes. Blues is a movement in music and poetry that is                     based on the African American oral tradition. Blues               artists tell stories of sorrow and despair in order to cope                     with their circumstances. My blues poem is written in                 rhyming lines of 3. each line is give or take 10­12                     syllables.  The absence of hope is not absent Yea I say ma absence of hope ain’t absent People don’t take me in cause of my scent The blues is in me, I wish it wasn’t The blues is in me, but Lawd I wish it wasn’t This life is miserable, why is it? My bare feet on the cold wet ground Yes bare feet on the cold wet ground Didn’t have company, so I got me a hound 

   

Progress  Epistle [ih PIS h l] poems from the Latin “epistula” for                     letter, are poems that read like a letter. They can be date                       back to Ancient Romans. As poems of direct address the                   can be a intaminite or funny: free verse or formal. They                     can be addressed to or narrated by anyone or anything. I                     chose to address my poem to basketball because it’s my                   favorite sport. My poem is free verse.  Dear basketball, I’m sort of new to you I wasn’t all that good at you but practice makes perfect and I’m getting better and that’s why I’m writing this letter and never put it in the shredder Every fail I made I’m making up for it I remember when I just started I used to always miss Now since it’s it’s been a while I got new tricks Sweet kicks Making people’s legs all flimsy like small sticks And my shot? It’s on the dot I put it in the pot and leave you to rot I make 3s ripping the net with no regret I’m a threat And all the practice, time Blood, sweat, and tears Add up all these years and that’s why I wrote this letter starting with dear. -Ethan

Grass

 This is a haiku poem which is a Japanese poem that                     Has 17 Syllables and is formatted in 5­7­5 it has 3 lines                       and It's usually about seasons or it has no emotional                   content. Mine is about a blade of grass.... My inspiration                   is the simplicity of a blade of grass.  Green and long is grass Sharp like a sword, but not It doesn't mean any harm    

The Ocean

 Tanka is similar to haiku but they have 5 lines instead of                       3. The rhyme scheme is 5­7­5­7­7. Tankas use               metaphor, similes and personification. The themes are             often emotions like sadness or love, even mystery. My                 tanka is about the ocean.   The ocean is an Expanse of blue, that’s hiding Secrets of the earth It’s like another world Ready to be explored

Alaska  Haibun is a form of Japanese poetry that reads like a                     travel journal. I began with selecting Alaska as my                 location, then I used highly descriptive language to write                 about it in 3 haikus and 3 paragraphs  Alaska, I step off the plane into soothingly cold air. 10:00 and the sun was still brightly showing. The modern city looked cozy, nestled into a small valley that gave into the ocean. It was very much like a bunch of cabins with wood, logs and the warm light of the never dying sun. The ever lasting Sun, fulfilling it’s promise Until midnight comes We get to our hotel, I set my bags down and lay on the bed and rest, looking up at the white ceiling and thinking “What a long plane ride.” I get up and slowly stride towards the balcony, where I look down on the city. Horses clopping down the streets, I look up above the beautiful city, just breathtaking Trees lined up in a Perfect row, placed by god’s hands Mountains towering

Driving through Alaska is amazing, high mountains with trees that sit on top of them cling on tight. Covering the mountain, clothing it, just beautiful. The big round rocks, the cliffs, the green, everything is beautiful. The big rocks clinging To beautiful earth It’s all just perfect                         

        

Alzheimer's  Prose poems are not written in verse but are made up of                       complex and simple sentences that form poetic             paragraphs. Like this. They are often meant to express                 various emotions that are brought forth by the human                 condition and unique life experiences.  “Alzheimer's” A sickness that erases life experiences. Funny I say that because this poem is about life experiences. It rips apart links. Burns bridges. Slowly digesting your mind. Consuming all. Now my grandmother is in a better place.            

       

Momo and His Toe  Limericks originated in the British Isles during the 18th                 century. They were made popular about 100 years later                 by Edward Lear. Limericks are 5 lines with the following                   rhyme scheme:AABBA. The A lines have 8­9 syllables,               the B line have 4­5. My Limerick is about a paralyzed                     man that had very small toes. Why you ask? I had to find                         something that rhymed with “Crows.”  There once was a guy named Momo

Who had a crow as big as his toe

He was oversized

He is paralyzed

So that his big toe would only grow.

        

           

Filthy Mc Nasty  This is an autobiographical poem of a book character that                   I have chosen and his life. It is what we Think the                       character would write in their “I am” poem so it's the same                       format as mine.  Josh Child of Who loves basketball Who strongly dislikes girls taking his brother Who wants to go to the NBA Who wishes he could’ve met LeBron James Who is scared of his brother spending time with girls. Who dreams of the ball in his hands Who is determined to be a basketball player Who values his family Who is proud of his crossover Who graduated from single digits Who lives in a small house in the bad area of town Bell

Writing a Poem  To create a Renga, one poet writes the first stanza,                   which is three lines long with a total of seventeen                   syllables – the same structure as a haiku. The next poet                     adds the second stanza, a couplet with seven syllables                 per line. The third stanza repeats the structure of the first                     (another haiku) and the fourth repeats the second,               alternating in this pattern until the poem is completed.  Stumped. Can’t think at all Feeling like a tree fell On me, while I am Trying to think about life Writing, this poem about How I feel writing This poem, a circular loop Brings me to square one Uno, Ok, what do I do now With only seven lines left I am almost done So how should I wrap this up Voices in my head Trying to make this climax Climactic, at the end, BOOM

My Snake  Two voice poems are meant to be read by two people.                     My two voice poem is from the point of view of Me and                         my pet snake, Boa (Not really a boa and also not the                       singer’s name). I chose to write about it because I like to                       think about what he thinks, and also it’s funny to imagine                     what pets think.   I am bold text Boa is normal text   Hi boa! Finally, I haven’t had food in a long time Where are you going buddy? Where is that mouse? Get out of my shirt! I can’t find it anywhere! Get out boa! Stop tugging on me! There you go Ahh the light! Ok now, let's watch TV! Where is that mouse Hey look there’s a mouse on TV! I can taste it already...

A Sea of Emotions  This poem is an extended metaphor poem written in the                   style of Emily Dickinson. It is written in quatrains which                   means it has four lines every stanza. I chose to compare                     emotions and the sea.  A sea of emotions Vast, with some that hide Some showing in the depths Where you don’t need to look inside Raging, rocking Calm and still Throwing fists of water Easy at will Where anger and content dwell Making the face of the water swell Shaping and forming into emotions And that’s how emotions form oceans

Sadness  Visual poetry uses text, images and symbols to help                 convey the meaning of a poem. With this type of poetry,                     the visual arrangements of the elements of the poem is                   more important that the writing itself. I chose to write one                     about a scene in my novel “Heat”. WARNING!! THIS IS                   A DEPRESSING POEM!! 

 When a hope Falls to the 

Ground  It drops 

The room silent It drops 

It hits the dark ground With a  Thud 

A terrible Thud  That echos 

Around the room  

It ripples Spreading to every corner of the room 

A vast sadness   

A hope A dream 

 All 

gone. 

   

Arlene’s  This Is a sonnet about a nature girl that lives in what                       used to be a small town called “Arlene’s” and she recalls                     how what once used to be a field got transformed into a                       big mall. Sonnets are very hard to write so here’s the list                       of strict rule that I have to follow. First I have to make                         every line ten syllables then the rhyme scheme goes                 ABAB­CDCD­EFEF­GG so yeah… also at the end I               have to put something called a “twist”, you’ll see.  I once looked upon an open field of Wild yellow grass that rose to my knees Rabbits romped and proud eagles soared above In the center of the field were two trees  Weeks later I woke to see big machines Some trucks yellow, men carrying tools The loud machines left the town of Arlene’s The men who left the grey lot are fools  Time passed and the lot turned into a mall The giant building grew and expanded  By the time this happened, it’s fall Now I remember when this place was so dead  A busy place is not what I live for I surely don’t like this place anymore      

 

About the Author

 I am Ethan L I am a humorous and cool kid who loves poetry. I wonder what my life will be like when I am older. I hear the crowd cheering when I score a half court buzzer beater. I see the ball in my hands forever. I want to have teleportation. I am a humorous and cool kid who loves poetry. I pretend to be the best in basketball. I feel the hand of God writing the beautiful story of our lives. I touch the rim of a hoop. I worry about the roads I take. I cry about losing my loved ones. I am a humorous and cool kid who loves poetry. I understand that life will rub you the wrong way. I say no matter how far you go you can always go farther. I dream of becoming rich. I try hard to improve. I hope that I become who I want to be. I am a humorous and cool kid who loves poetry.