Five

This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety. Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes, when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals–sounds that say listen to this, it is important.

Geometry

It is

like a looming rock wall

that you have to climb

by the year's end.

But the wall is so steep,

and so tall,

you wish you'd chose an easier climb.

But now you're stuck here,

and you have to climb so fast

on a such a difficult wall.

And the teacher isn't really helping,

as she watches from above

as you struggle to reach for the next rock.

She tells you where to hold, 

how to climb, 

how to reach, 

how to pull yourself up.

But she goes so fast,

and you can't hear everything, 

and you struggle to learn

as you climb the wall.

And as she talks 

you feel so frustrated

and want her to explain more,

instead of having you learn 

from ways you don't even understand.

So now, you're tired.

And someone has already decided to stop,

and climb an easier wall

and you wish you could join him.

But you stay,

climbing this wall,

and you look up,

and see you're getting closer to the end,

but you're still so far away.

And you wish that

this wall would just be over,

and you could walk away,

only to have co climb another wall.

-Cleo