Solitude

Solitude

By Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;

    Weep, and you weep alone;

For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,

    But has trouble enough of its own.

Sing, and the hills will answer;

    Sigh, it is lost on the air;

The echoes bound to a joyful sound,

    But shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you;

    Grieve, and they turn and go;

They want full measure of all your pleasure,

    But they do not need your woe.

Be glad, and your friends are many;

    Be sad, and you lose them all,

There are none to decline your nectared wine,

    But alone you must drink life's gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded;

    Fast, and the world goes by.

Succeed and give, and it helps you live,

    But no man can help you die.

There is room in the halls of pleasure

    For a large and lordly train,

But one by one we must all file on

    Through the narrow aisles of pain.

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/solitude-by-ella-wheeler-wilcox

Encouraging Writing Quotes

I hate writing, I love having written

-Dorothy Parker

Write what should not be forgotten

-Isabel Allende

If I waited till I felt like writing, I'd never write at all! 

-Anne Tyler

You will fail. It's inevitable. Its what you do with it.

-J.K. Rowling

There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they'll take you.

-Beatrix Potter

Writing is easy. All you have to do is mark out the wrong words.

-Mark Twain

Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.

-Anton Chekhov

If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.

-Martin Luther

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.

-Benjamin Franklin

I write better than I talk.

-GeniusQuotes.org

You can make anything by writing.

C.S. Lewis

The Fastest

She is the fastest.
There's no doubt in my mind.

She is like lightning, 
and beats record time!

She prowls the lone plain, 
The desert heeds her call.
She kills to eat, not in vain.
On sight, animals run, big and small.

She sinks low to the grass,
her prey is oblivious.
The idea of her presence,
would seem preposterous!

Her spots and flecks
hide her at her worst.
Catching her prey,
she easily breaks their necks.

Her speed unmatchable
Competition is impossible.
She eats zebra & gazelle
just look at her eyes and they will tell.

Tiger's Camoflauge

 Tiger's Camouflage
so very cunningly hidden.
fierce and courageous


At our sight,
he is overcome with strife.
The forest is his home
the jungle brings him life.
He roams the unknown.

A loner he will remain.
Stories of him age with time, 
He will never leave his domain. 

His stripes make him,
they protect and provide.
His stripes bring fear and sharpen whim.
They cover his body wide.

He treasures his home.
His paws shake the earth.
His heart remains wild,
his secrets continue unknown

- Adalynn Koch (me)

The Choice

The Choice, by Dorothy Parker

He'd have given me rolling lands,
Houses of marble, and billowing farms,
Pearls, to trickle between my hands,
Smoldering rubies, to circle my arms.
You- you'd only a lilting song,
Only a melody, happy and high,
You were sudden and swift and strong-
Never a thought for another had I.

He'd have given me laces rare,
Dresses that glimmered with frosty sheen,
Shining ribbons to wrap my hair,
Horses to draw me, as fine as a queen.
You- you'd only to whistle low,
Gayly I followed wherever you led.
I took you, and I let him go-
Somebody ought to examine my head! 

Dorothy Parker

Helpless

I rushed angrily from the doors and slightly winced as hey closed shut and clanged monotonously.I stopped breathing for a second to hear the soft patter of his familiar footsteps racing after me with the fury of the wind. He came to a halt behind me.
Tess, he whispered. 
I stopped walking and screamed mentally at myself for not having the strength to ignore his perfection and walk away.

Tess, he repeated. 

I gulped nervously and closed my eyes. No matter what he had done, his voice alone 
could have made me run to him with open arms and wrap myself around him. I touched my right toe to my heel and spun myself around to face him courageously. To my bewilderment, he was closer than I thought. I found myself staring at his chest and I brought my eyes up slowly to meet his.  They were warm inviting blue pools that made me want to drown in them, I honestly wouldn’t care. The smell of him intoxicated me and I lightly swayed on my feet before he gripped my arm tightly and I swallowed thickly as his striking yet dangerous eyes sized me up, analyzing me. I felt
like some kind of new bug species being examined by Bill Nye. Even in that analogy, we weren't
equaled. It would eternally be that way, The prince charming in every girl’s life versus a servant.

Kal, I can’t be with you… you’re too… too…

Before I could speak, he grabbed me firmly and wrapped me in his arms protectively. Tenderly, he

stroked my silky hair and pressed his warm lips to my strawberry blonde hair. He sighed deeply in
contentment and we stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity on earth.