smcdonough's blog

Loading the bus with my grandmother going to Boston, I think to myself, “I can’t wait until I get there!”

  When we arrive, I’m ready to go see all the fish at the aquarium. We walk one mile to get to the aquarium. The walk was tiring, but right when I get inside I was excited, I hear penguins making a squawking noise . I scamper to the penguins; they are black, white, and with a yellow crown, and they were astonishing!   Read more »

I hop out of the car in Outer Banks, North Carolina.  The twelve hour drive is finally over, and now I’m standing in the humid, warm, evening air in a hotel parking lot. I see the vast Atlantic Ocean, with immense waves crashing against the beach 100 yards away. I know I want to go swimming tomorrow, but now I just want to relax. I leisurely drag my suitcase to the front desk with my mom beside me and my sister, brother, and dad closely following behind. We rapidly check in, and walk into the elevator, slowly raising my arms full of suitcases and pillows. After struggling with the room key, I finally get the hotel room door open and drop my things all at once, flopping on the comfortable bed. After a while of watching T.V, I go to sleep. Read more »

“YAY! I’m SOOO excited” I shout to my mother. She just informed me that we are going on an extravagant vacation! That isn't even the best part. The best part is, I get to choose where we go! Where should we go? I went to the living room and browsed a few sites on my Kindle Fire. I began a list with my top 10 destinations in the world.

• Rio De Janeiro

We paddled into an opening in the cluster of mangrove trees, and I instantly felt like I was in a completely different world.  The branches of the trees reached down towards the shallow water.  I dipped my hand into the crystal clear liquid and felt the still calmness of the room temperature water blanket my hand.  A variety of birds squawked and flew from branch to branch, going about their daily business.  The scent of salt water flooded my nostrils.  The tour guide's voice awakened me from the stillness as he pointed out a jelly fish swimming near the bottom of the water.  I watched, mesmerized, as the jelly slid along the sandy ocean floor. I remember feeling like I was in a magical forest in the ocean, a land unharmed by humans. My vacation to Key West, Florida was unforgettable.

Groups of girls, whispering lies.

I hate the way they generalize.

She’s the new girl, shy and weak.

I don’t think she even speaks. Read more »

The country of Canada has already eliminated this one cent coin. Should we follow in the same pursuit?

I think the United States of America should not eliminate the US penny.Most likely, stores  and restaurants will round their prices up and make them unreasonably high. Their excuse will be that they “couldn't use the old price(s) because the company/organization isn't allowed to use pennies in their prices anymore.” Also, if we lost the penny, we would become more dependent on nickels, costing 10 cents each, which is even worse than the penny costing only 2.14 cents each.This is why the U.S.A. should not eradicate this one cent coin.

After being an American symbol since 1793, the U.S.A is debating eliminating the penny. Sixty seven percent of Americans believe obliterating this one-cent coin is completely unacceptable and pointless. The other 33 percent think differently.

We should not cease minting the penny.

If we abolished the penny, prices in stores would be rounded up to the nearest nickel. Americans will start to rely on nickels, which cost 10 cents to make, when the coin alone is only worth 5 cents.

In 2012, one fourth grade classraised $132.17 for  the Salvation Army Penny Drive . If the U.S.A eliminated the cent, we would be taking money away from soup kitchens, hospitals and other organizations that raise money for the needy.

This 220-year-old coin is worth much more than some realize. 

Scared and wet. Locked outside. Pouring.

Littering spreads. Pollution starts. Oceans ruined.

If littering spreads,

animals will die.

Zipping down the forest lined hill, I feel a rush of joyful sensation. I glance back and see Sam, hair whipping behind her and a smile forming on her face. The sun is blazing through the trees, but we keep going.The thrill, the hope, and the wonder are all we have and need as we ride our bikes over the countryside trail.  

Departure. No hope. Here comes sunlight.

Sweat trickling down her forehead. Victory

He’s right behind me. Now what?

Captive elephant escaped. Reunited with family.

Idea sparks. Word spreads. Fire’s lit.  

Nighttime shadows lead her to adventures.

"Morning sweetheart" I hear a feminine voice coo.
Suddenly,I feel a hand on my shoulder.
"Aaaaaaah! Who said that? Get your hand off me, now! Aaaaaaah!"
I start to wheeze, then I can't even breath, and I panic. Slowly, I start to calm down, trying to take some deep breaths. When I turn my head towards the voice that had startled me, I see a beautiful woman, frozen in place, shocked. I feel myself relax a little. “Well, hi...” I drift from each word with my head in the clouds. I can hear a romance song starting in the back of my mind.   Read more »

Crying to warn her. Too late.

The sound of leaves crunching repeatedly outside awakens me. Still wobbly and tired, I manage to pull myself up and stumble out of bed. I study the room, which is nothing like mine, the bed with neat, red and golden sheets instead of blue and crinkled ones. White curtains drape nicely over the window, unlike my ruffled, teal, polka -dotted ones. Then I start to wonder, “I’m clearly not in my room, so where am I? Why do I feel taller than my normal 4 foot 10 self?”

“No, not honey! I’m no one’s honey. I’m only 10!” I panic.
Read more »

Our last farewell to another world. 

I was wandering around the old, rickety, red barn, wondering why the structure was tilted when I spotted a woodchuck waddling outside in the long grass. I wanted to see where he was going, so I tip-toed behind him making as little sound as possible. I heard a dog bark in the distance so I looked to where the sound was coming from. When I turned around, the woodchuck had vanished. After a couple minutes of searching, I stumbled upon a giant hole, which might have been the woodchuck's home. I poked my head into the hole, looked around and saw a bunch of tunnels. Within ten seconds, I pulled my head from the hole. I didn't want to scare the woodchuck or possibly get scratched. I thought for a few seconds and then realized,"That's probably why the red barn is tilted. The tunnels have made the ground unleveled."

My family had just moved from Rutland to the countryside of Shrewsbury, and I was meandering through my new neighborhood, bored and avoiding unpacking.  I stopped abruptly when my eyes landed on a rickety and slanted house. The house had a front lawn that resembled a junkyard.  I don’t think that there was a single window that wasn’t broken in the whole house.  I was startled when I saw a statue-still beagle perched in front of a sleeping man in tattered clothing in the second floor window.  The beagle just stared at me, not barking, not moving.  I crept forward to make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me.  Once I was sure I was correct, I started to back away from the house.  I stepped backward onto a plastic water bottle that crunched underneath my foot. With a jerk the man in the window awoke.  Suspecting I was not a wanted visitor, I bolted away from the house.  Once the house was out of sight I slowed to a walk and allowed my mind to wander.   I wondered  why the house was so slanted and laughed to myself when I thought about a builder’s left leg being taller than his right, so it looked straight  to him.  I also wondered why the man and his dog were living there. That was a question I could never answer.

balmy sunset

dirt road snaking through

rocks flying, airborne in her wake

withdrawing from everything,

extracting herself from an aggravating life

embracing the light

Evening arriving,

Abandoned path drawing me near.

I need to be first Read more »

Sun rising.

Early dash down track

Scarf flowing, fluttering behind my back

I know I will be victorious, Read more »

“Forgive me?”

Narrow pathway, dark tree line,

Sprinting home, dinner time comes soon.

What will mom do to me if I’m tardy?

Autumn darkening.

Cold morning,

Dirt road, never ending,

Bolting down. “Where will I go?

When will I stop? Will he find me?”

I wonder.

January

frigid, brisk

frosting, chilling, shivering,

so cold, you can't walk outside

blistering,freezing, numbing

eye-watering, brain-freeze

January

As I meander across the beach, a reflection inadvertently catches my eye. When I walk over to examine the cause, I notice a small corked bottle. Not wanting to be a litterbug, I slowly bend down to pick up the flask, surveying the landscape for the nearest recycling bin. A muffled “clunk” from the canteen sends a vibration up my arm. Peering closer, I can identify a cramped piece of thick, brown paper tied in a bow with a thin, unraveled strand of twine. Swallowing a gasp, I pull at the mushroom-shaped stopper to get to the note. Delicately, I shake the contents towards the opening until the browned paper lightly slides into the palm of my hand. An overpowering scent of sea salt and vanilla fills my nostrils. After undoing the loose bow, I slowly unroll the parchment, carefully turning it in between my thumb and forefinger. Read more »