Song Of Solomon
Project
1.Heritage Research Paper
The Great Outdoors
The leaves crunch coolly beneath my feet. Long titanium poles stab the ground, providing support and stability, relieving me of the pain that would be had I not had them. Land stretches for miles and mile, and there is no better way to connect with God than this. Hike his hills, see his creation.
Dear Lord, be with me today. Keep me safe, and remind me how small I am, but that you still have a plan for me. Remind me of your love, your beauty, and your compassion, and speak to me as I'm alone with you. I always pray before I hike. It keeps my relationship with God both fresh and strong. In the wilderness, it's never a bad idea to be a little over-prepared. Because I like being by myself, I can never expect people to be around if I need them. I've always got my hammock with me, because there's nothing quite like being on top of a mountain with no one but God. I walk out the door, hop in my car, and thumb my GPS system. Gotta meet the requirements. At least thirty miles, at least seven thousand feet of vertical elevation change. Not everyone can do that. I can though. It makes me feel good. I'm thinking about North Carolina. Just bought some property up there. Two thousand acres of nothing but land. I've hiked around the hole property. Blue Knob is my favorite peak. Sometimes I'll sit up there for hours. Sometimes I'll even forget how late it's getting... until a text from my wife creeps through. I hike. It's nothing new, but it's still enjoyable. Relaxing. Next week's spring break.
Boys! Let's go backpacking this week! Oh, the look on their faces. The twins have been looking forward to this moment for almost 3 years. I've been looking forward to it a lot longer than that.
Over the next few days, I watched the weather, and it just put butterflies in my stomach. Monday's supposed to be awful, and Sunday isn't looking fabulous either. I prayed and prayed for a solution, I couldn't let this special trip slip us by.
My wife knew I'd been worrying about this a lot, and she told me that the boys and I could just rent a cabin and do day-hikes instead of doing a big backpacking trip that risked being miserable for a couple days. EUREKA! Holy cow! What an awesome idea. I really couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it, but once I've got an idea in my mind, I can't let go of it. I sent a text to Chris and Andy, and told them to play on getting things ready to go from Friday to Monday. We'd be leaving Tuesday for a five day trip.
This spring break vacation was the best I'd ever been on in my 18 years. We, a lot of three guys, planned our breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, shopped for ourselves, cooked, and cleaned, for a whole week. It wasn't just spending time with my father and brother that made it awesome. It was the whole experience. We'd broken ground – done a bunch of stuff we hadn't done together in a long time before. I guess that's why I've just so recently realized the inconceivable brilliance in writing a heritage paper about my father, such a close relative, instead of trying to backtrack through death. Yuck. The great outdoors have truly just become such an important part of my heritage. Why? Because I love being outside, but also, because this is the first time I've ever hiked days in a row with my father, the leading man before me. I relate to him though. He had not started hiking a lot until a very late point in his life, where he realized that he could go out on his own, without his father having done so before him. Grandpa is a very special man. Despite having hemophilia, he has made it into his late 70's, a great accomplishment for a man with that specific disease. Because of the thin blood that courses through his veins, and the ever-present danger that he is put in just by walking, outdoor activity was something he was never able to partake in. It never dawned on me until this past weekend how important it is to my dad to spread a love for the outdoors through our family, and down throughout the next generations. It hit me hard when he said “I don't know why we haven't done this before. Sometimes I just feel like maybe I screwed up.” After a little reassurance, we went back to discussing how awesome our day had been. We had just hiked a 13 mile trail with a warning “Do not attempt as day-hike.” We did it anyways though. Why? Cause we were on a mission to be better than everyone else.
2.Freedom (Precis)
3.Equality (Precis)
4.Compassion (Quality Personified)
5.Flight (Symbol Explored)
6.Thaw (Original Poem)
The Winter came around,
And arrived,
Like the first black baby born in Mercy.
And that baby bird had its wings iced over like an airplane.
That one winter had set him back a while.
He could always fly,
He'd just never learned.
All he needed was wings,
But he'd had them all along.
Jesus Christ!
At the age of thirty-three,
He picked up and left.
He prayed and prayed for Spring.
And here's the truth:
Prayers pay.
There is a God.
And I'll tell you how I know.
Spring came,
And in one heated sweep,
It melted all the frost.
Mister Macon Dead came to life.
Reborn, the moved his boulder aside.
And like a tired morning cat,
He crawled out of his cave,
Stretched,
And flared his wings out wide.
And now he understood
the man he always was,
And the man he'd always be.
He was not a tool.
He was not to be used,
But he was a gift.
Just like the Spring.
And with his power,
he could bring new life.
7.Recipe For Redemption
First you take a broken life,
and pair it with a broken heart.
Find now a solid strife,
Wait. Yes. We can start.
Now find a giant bowl,
And add some hope,
For the soul.
Melt and mix,
And wash with soap.
Let it sit to warm on coals.
8.MultiVoice Poem
Milkman
Animals
They can live by themselves
Or with others.
But in the end,
They will always be hunted
And I will be the one who saves
Because no matter what,
I have that power.
And it doesn't matter if I'm killed,
Because I know that I will always try my hardest.
Compassion is key
As long as I don't give up,
I can never lose.
And sometimes,
Just maybe,
It takes a life to save a life
Salvation is here.
Life is Hell,
And Death is better.
Guitar
Animals
They can live by themselves
Or with others.
But in the end,
They will always be hunted
And I will be the one who kills
Because no matter what,
I have that power.
And it doesn't matter if I'm attacked,
Because I know that I will always win my battles.
Suppression is key.
As long as I have control of my situation,
I can control the outcome.
And sometimes,
Just maybe,
It takes a life to take a life.
There is no savior.
Life is Hell,
But Death is worse.
9.Literary Analysis Response
Index
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This poem shows Milkman's transformation from being a dead frozen man to one who left life in his wake. By comparing him to Jesus, he is seen himself as redemption to those around him, saving them from destruction, and offering instead, salvation.