On Wednesday, May 23, 2012, I asked members of the "Teens Write!" group at the Tompkins County Public Library to spend a few minutes writing "If…" sentences, as a warm-up. After sharing these, they spent a few minutes writing down things they did NOT experience during the day. Here are their lists.
If . . . .
If I could know everything in the world, would I have the courage to tap into that knowledge?
If I were a bug, I'd sleep all day.
If we were all bananas, would little kids draw us as moons?
If I cleaned up my room, the world would probably end.
If your hair color changed with your mood, you'd be far less confusing.
If teddy bears could talk, we would have had less damaged childhoods.
If I could have one wish, would I ask for something selfish?
If I stay, will you stay with me?
If there were only circles, then triangle sandwiches wouldn't exist.
If I could stack enough paper clips on top of each other I could hold the paper world together.
If only my hair were the color of the inside of red bell peppers.
If you want, I can write you a song.
If you are reading this message, I will have already left.
If you ever find yourself longing for a place to look at the sky and to make shapes out of drifting clouds, come find me.
If you were here, I would be happy.
If I could fall asleep, I would.
If the telephone rings, ignore it.
If I had a dog, I would dress it up ridiculously.
If a cat comes over and speaks to me, I would assume I'm dreaming.
If a horse is having murderous thoughts, I would never know.
If Pegasus offers to give you a ride home, make sure you give good directions, or else you'll be dropped in the lake.
If I were a cookie, would you eat me?
If only I weren't so tired, I would be able to think of more sentences.
Today I Did Not . . . .
Today I did not
eat candy or ice cream
sing
play my flute
spill that juice
draw weird stuff
like my lunch
remember the names of the planets in the solar system
Today I did not
get up early
think of words with the letter Q in them
change the cat's water bowl
make chocolate chip cookies
do what I should have done
Today I did not
cut my hair
paint a mural
tie red shoelaces
see into the future
work on a story I'm writing
dance
wish the past had been different
Today I did not
walk on a tightrope
forget
cook
go to Canada
steal something
wear a dress
Today I did not
make friends with the class bully
blow something up
make a movie
wear shoes
Today I did not
tell you, because I wasn't sure if I should
cry
have a good excuse when I started laughing in 2nd period
remember my dream
smile in the morning, but I made up for it later
tell the truth, but I didn't necessarily lie
Today I did not
feel like obeying orders
want to see other people, but hiding from them was a futile effort
see the point of another 6 hours of school
Today I did not
walk along the lakeshore barefoot while the sun sizzled into the
water at the horizon
say goodbye to anyone
make any lasting impressions
learn how to waltz, or play cello, or speak Swedish
fly a kite
tell anyone, or anything, "I love you"
Today I did not
notice that my sweater was on inside out
forget the date
run, nor did I skip, I simply went
find the feathery morning drizzle dreary
feel anything when I thought about you, so I guess I've changed
Today I did not
wake up refreshed
have a bagel for breakfast
eat lunch
pay attention
see my friend Victoria
sit in a comfortable chair
Today I did not
feel proud of myself
send a text message
take off my shoes
wear a skirt
speak to you
Today I did not
speak without thinking
do enough
face reality
keep any secrets
hold anyone's hand
do anything against the rules
spend time alone
discover any great meaning to it all
CONTRIBUTORS:
Alana, Amanda, Caroline, Evvie, Josh, Julia, Phoebe S,
Rachel, Rose, Seraphina, Sungmin, WeiWei
