Ururangi Poem
- Author By spsjulior
- Publication date July 25, 2023
- Categories: Hanga | Create
- 5 Comments on Ururangi Poem
Fake Facts
For our reading work, we looked at a story called Fake Facts. The story explains how easy it is for false information to spread across the information. False information is split into three categories: misinformation, malinformation and disinformation. They are explained in the picture above. The story also talks about how easy it is for people to accept false information as truth. In my opinion, social media and politics should enforce stricter policies when it comes to spreading misleading information.
The Green Thumb – (Part of our MoneyTime work)
As part of our MoneyTime work, My class and I had to write a job application to our job of choice. I chose to apply for a gardening job, and I was rejected. We were all rejected which was sad, but to continue with our MoneyTime work, we instead had to make advertisements for businesses. I chose to create a gardening business. Most of my friends chose to create a gardening business as well. As you can see, “The Green Thumb” is my gardening service. At the cheap cost of only 25 dollars an hour, this should be your go-to gardening service. We have a wide variety of plants, vegetables and even trees to add to your wonderful garden. We also do weed/pest control, lawn moving and we are even willing to fertilize your dirt for you. Our services are available 24/6 as Sundays are a rest day. Come down to 34 Cherry Crest road or phone the number as seen on screen.
(Please note that this business is of course hypothetical. Our MoneyTime work will be continuing for another 2 weeks, so expect more money-related blog posts as my class and I delve deeper into the wonderful world of capitalism.)
What Church means to Me and Why?
People who continue Jesus’ work on earth
Anyone in the church could carry on Jesus’ work. Mostly, you see priests and such who preach at mass. To carry on Jesus’ work is more than just preaching and listening. Jesus wouldn’t want his future followers to spend the rest of their lives praying in a church every single hour of the day. No, in my opinion, to carry on Jesus’ work is to explore. Explore the world, explore other people. Obviously, preaching the Word of God is still important, but to truly be someone who could continue the work of Jesus, you need to live life. Live your life with joy and compassion. Help others while going about your day. Use your freedom to live with holiness. With your contributions, the church will grow, and so will you as a person.
The Wishing Fountain
“The bird ruffled its feathers, as the city succumbed to the cold embrace of the moon. The shops begin to dim their lights: the streets are now devoid of life…”
(Sigh), another night, another group of dreamers who think tossing some loose change into a fountain would do anything. Well, lucky for them, this fountain isn’t just some boring old water spout. Down, down below lies the thing that could change everything, the thing that could turn someone’s life around.
I suppose it’s not a “thing”, but more of a stubby little gremlin. As far as I’m concerned, this gremlin has no real name. Its sole purpose is to grant wishes. Amid the many machines lies an operating room. This room is where everything happens, where wishes are fulfilled. I would assume it would get pretty terrible down there. The mindless clicks and clanks of rusted machines, endlessly repeating. The sound would be monotonous, the same unexciting note, slowly blending together into a muddle of seemingly distant mechanical voices. The voices surround you in your lonesome misery. With no one around to help, you are forced to live in isolation. This solitary state is only broken when a measly coin is dropped down the fountain. It most likely isn’t the case, as all this is based on the assumption of a century old fountain dressed in mossy cobble and filled with shiny but not-so-clean water. Besides, I would think a magical creature would’ve anticipated boredom in this line of business.
“ A faint echo in the distance, a man walks through the streets. All alone, illuminated by the few remaining lights. The darkness is approaching its climax. Soon, the light will be snuffed out…”
Ah, here’s one. A man in his late thirties, maybe forty. Loose tie, untidy collar, wine stains on his shirt, is he drunk? Scruffy hair, worn-out boots. Pants that are slightly too long, which oddly infuriates me. His stride is too wide for his compact figure. He seems like a particularly problematic person. “Must be some washed-up drunk” were my first thoughts, but there was something that intrigued me. His gaze was as clear as a blue sky on a summer morning. Despite appearances, he emanated some far-out determination. Like a long-deceased ghost of confidence still haunted him. He had a job to do and he was going to make sure it was completed. Judging from the very expensive suit (ignoring the very unsatisfactory state it’s in), he must work someplace fancy, like a high end Italian restaurant. I also noticed that he was walking towards me, the old city fountain which was in dire need for a cleaning. He put his hands in his pocket, rummaged around for a bit, then pulled out a shiny gold coin. With a kiss goodbye and the flick of the wrist, the coin tumbles through the air and eventually ends its journey with an anti-climactic “ploop”.
“ The fly, wriggles in desperation as a shadowy figure menacingly advances. The spider has built up an appetite and doesn’t plan on leaving leftovers. The spider was flung into the air, saved only by a bundle of string. The web has been torn and the fly escapes in the nick of time. As the spider mourns the loss of its home, it looks up to see the rust monster has opened its jaw…”
The entrance to the tunnel system has been opened, although it’s so rusty you could barely tell it was a tunnel system. The coin floats down, very slowly. When I was first built back in the late 19th century, I used moments like this to guess what the wish was going to be. Was it money, love, happiness? There were so many potential opportunities to choose from, Some wished for a dog, others for a bountiful corn harvest. There was this one boy who I’ll never forget. Timmy or Tommy, something like that. He discovered what I could do and constantly threw coins into me wishing only for the wellbeing of others. If one of his friends tripped and fell over, he would wish for their wound to be healed. If the bakery was low on bread, he’d wish for more bread. He never wished for anything too grand, which had me perplexed. You have this source of infinite opportunities and yet you use it in the most miniscule ways. Was he dumb or did he just not care? It seemed like the latter. Him and his city were faced with an endless stream of adversity. Yet they seemed happy. They didn’t care if they were lacking in funds or food, they were connected and that’s all that mattered to them. It was confusing for me, my whole existence was to fulfill a person’s most outlandish desires. Yet the boy and his people didn’t care if they were faced with a problem, because they knew that together they could overcome this problem. They accepted the fact that life has ups and downs, and they kept pushing on. For a while, I had this thought, Did I even need to exist? What was my purpose on earth if people could manage fine without me? When Timmy (or Tommy) grew up, he stopped making wishes which bothered me as he was the only one in the city who tossed coins into fountains. Money had better uses after all.
“ “Fire!” called the child. “Bombs!” cried the man “Run” screamed the woman. “Blood” said the boy to the man missing an arm. The flames flowed through buildings like a raging river. The explosions orchestrated their cruel rhapsody…”
When World War 1 started, the city was bombed, killing most of its residents. Among those helpless victims was a young man, who was found dead under the rubble of a local bakery. It was Timmy (or Tommy). His body was uncovered after a volunteer, a farmer, found him under a burnt piece of wood. It turned out that the volunteer was his father, who was out on a field when the bombs hit. It was a somber scene. The worst part was that the bakery was in the city center, where I was. I was forced to watch this tragedy unfold against my will. I wish I could’ve closed my eyes then, but I don’t have eyes. The city center took the brunt of the explosions, I of course wasn’t spared from the damage. A chunk of my centerpiece was blown off. It still remains unfixed even today. Like a scar, it never heals and it serves as a constant reminder of that day and the days that followed. The city was more fortunate during World War 2, by then the frontlines had moved. Most people would agree that you shouldn’t dwell on the past, but there’s something about that event that still clings onto me. This powerful feeling of regret that I’ve never been able to shake off. Well actually… It’s not my regret. If Timmy (or Tommy) had just wished for better stuff, would he have lived? would the city have lived? If he wished for loads of money, would that somehow been able to save the city? At the very least, he might’ve been able to save himself, or his family. He could’ve used my powers to save everyone. If only he had dreamed big.
“It was bored, but it didn’t seek excitement. It was part of the job after all. The coin’s descent was nearing its end, as it dropped through the final tube. The coin had gotten its attention. Now all that was left was to analyze the coin and the wish embedded in it. The final result was…”
“Money” is what I assumed, that’s what they all wish for. Judging from his scrappy yet fancy attire, he was someone who lived by the laws of money. Living from paycheck to paycheck, letting money shape their entire lives. What a miserable way to live, but I guess I shouldn’t have a say in discussing money, I’m just some moss covered fountain. The man turns to leave, revealing a second yellow stain. I hope that’s not what I think it is. The wish delivering mechanism is activated; I love it when that happens. Like a comforting heat surging through my body. Such a wonderful feeling. In the end. It all matters what colour the wish is, which Is something only I can see. The wish flies out my top, it’s green. Damn it! More money, another person who can’t think of anything but money. It flies over the man’s head, manifesting into 50 bucks. Really? You could’ve wished for anything and you chose to get a measly 50 bucks. They tell you to dream big — 50 bucks is not dreaming big. What are you going to do with huh? Buy drugs? Cigarettes? Prostitutes? Any other heinous act you can commit with 50 bucks? What’s the point? Use your own money! It’s just 50 bucks. What a waste! A waste of my time, your time, everyone’s time. 50 bucks isn’t going to change anything. You just want to hog all the money huh, you greedy ba–
“The man travels alone. Sitting next to him, the man with headphones is unaware of something. He taps his shoulder,
“Excuse me sir, your headphones aren’t connected properly, I can hear your music”
“Oh! Sorry about that, thanks for telling me”
“You’re welcome”
The bus drives on, the grumpy old driver checks the time – 11:51 PM…”
Honestly, I’m so sick of people also wishing for money. Don’t you have anything better to wish for? Can’t you make my job even slightly interesting? With the man gone, the streets have gone quiet. With lights going out, the city slowly vanishes into darkness. It’s quite an eerie feeling. You’re all alone, no sounds, no lights, just you in an empty city.
The night is weirdly awesome isn’t it. The perfect setting for sadness, guilt, regret. A paradise for people who are filled with negative emotion — false hope.
“The petal floats down to the ground. This petal was an outcast, it had dried up, and no longer deserved a place on the flower. Its connection was severed, any proof of its existence was destroyed. The flower retains its beauty while the outcast is swept away in a broom…”
Surprisingly, the flower shop remained open. It solely lit the city center with a dim light that blended with the moon’s. There was a woman who looked to be around twenty. If I recall correctly, she was the daughter of the shop owner, a florist who has been involved with the community her whole life. I liked that shop. The beautiful flowers with simple but unique patterns, paired with their vibrant colours. It really makes you appreciate nature. I’ve always looked up to nature, most notably flowers and the trees, despite not being as active as humans were still alive. They go through life without worrying about stressful things like money. Take the blades of grass on the prairies. All they do is sway gently, forever at the mercy of the wind. Yet they live together, and you don’t see them complaining. Most plants adapt to their surroundings. Vines can wrap themselves around many types of buildings. Trees can learn to grow around or even through certain objects. If only the human spirit was flexible like that. Material things are only really a secondary priority in life. Things with true value are on a spiritual and mental level. You can be the richest and most famous person on earth but still be… incomplete. Bonds, connections, family and friends — lovers. You can never truly live without these things. As a literal fountain, I will never be able to obtain these things, but I can make others can. So it pains me when people would trade that type of fulfilment for a few measly bucks.
“The kid watches through the window; the man with the headphones gets off the bus, phone in hand. The power was out in the kids house and he was bored. He didn’t know why he chose to stare out the window, but he did. The man with the headphones walked with such a powerful stench of exhaustion. The kid was starting to lose interest in the man, but he noticed something, the man’s shoes were untied…”
Oh goody, another one. This guy looked younger, twenties maybe. He wore a way-oversized red hoodie, and slim denim pants. His hair was much tidier than the last guy, the strands were thinner and they were properly combed. His shoes were newer and cleaner, but his left one was untied. A truly overstuffed bag pulled down on his shoulder. Like seriously, his posture must be horrendous if he’s slugging around that bag all that time. Well, from initial assessments, he might be a college student. Casual clothes. Slightly sleazy look, a backpack probably filled with textbooks and most of all, a thick aura of exhaustion surrounded him like a fog. His tiredness seemed contagious. What stress has befallen this young man? He almost stumbles while he’s walking. Should he be walking? He continues to walk, until enters the city center. That’s when he dramatically trips on his untied shoelaces. Landing flat on his face, he lets out a little cry of pain, not enough to attract anyones attention. I really should be concerned, but the overwhelming dramatisation of his fall makes me want to laugh. Ah… if only I could laugh. Five seconds go by and he still hasn’t gotten up. Is he…okay? He lets out a soft moan. He seems alright, but he continues to lay there. Still in the same position in which he fell. I guess he’s just tired, just absolutely done with life at such a young age. I wonder what’s going on in his head, as he lays motionless on the oddly damp cobble. If only he were just a pretty flower on a hill, with no worries to face. Life is one hell of a package. Consisting of both unbearable hardships and euphoric experiences, it certainly is troublesome for most people — scratch that, for everybody. But you should also keep fighting. Even if there are stressful things like money to pull you down. Luckily, I’m a fountain, I am completely unaffected by those things. Yet somehow I still find a way to make it my problem.
“The city, now conquered by the darkness, is only illuminated by one point. The majestic city center was still lit, unlike the rest of the city. Like a match in a room of pitch black, it serves as a beacon for those who still remain. But, like all matches, it’ll eventually burn out…
The young woman in the shop begins to pack up. A small sign hung on the shop’s entrance. “Closed”.
She hastily sweeps the floor, as she finishes, she goes to turn off the lights. Meanwhile, the man gets on knees. With a light scratch on his face, he looked up with an expression that screamed “ I’m so done with life”. He tied his shoe, albeit very slowly. After cracking his back ( It came with a very loud “pop”), He continued walking. By now, his steps had devolved into a sluggish drag. On the ground where he fell, there was a coin. It must’ve slid out of his pocket during his face-plant. It took him a moment to realise, but he reluctantly turned back to pick it up. “Every dollar counts” I guess. The woman, instead of turning off the lights, had gone outside. She had a tight grip on some small object in her hand. When she stepped out into the open, I noticed that she was very pretty. She was tall, not too tall but just the perfect height to be considered attractive. She wore plain grey clothes and a pink apron, nothing too special. Her face was very symmetrical, with black glasses that reflected the very few remaining lights. She had fair skin, her silky brown hair was done up in a ponytail. The man was approaching me, and so was she. They both revealed shiny gold coins in their hands. They’re making a wish I thought. Somehow, they were in sync. They approached at the same time. First pausing, then flicking their coins into the air. The woman and the man’s coins were flying through the air at the perfect speed. From my very advanced age, and experience in watching coins, I could tell, they were going to enter at the same time. Oooh this is getting exciting. When was the last time something like this had happened? I felt a strange rush of adrenaline, I would giggle if I could. What could their wishes be? Money, God I hope it’s not money, not again. The coins are coming in hot. I could feel the intensity in the air, this sense of anticipation that made me want to jump to the sky.
“ “Come on, it’s almost midnight” said the ant, carrying a breadcrumb. “I know, stop rushing me” replied the second ant, carrying the second breadcrumb. A spray of water splashed the ants, not enough to drown them. The fountain was gushing, like a burst of excitement had amplified its strength. An unknown object was barreling towards the first ant. “Watch out!” cried the second ant. The shiny unknown object bounces off the rim of the fountain, leaving a foul puddle of blood in its wake…”
Oh cr- I mean oh good! That silly little coin had me worried for a second. The man’s coin just barely reached the edge of the fountain. Nonetheless, the two coins enter the water with a dual “ploop”.
After breaking the water surface, tiny ripples start to form, creating a pattern. The ripples, though spreading fast, make a chaotic yet well-formed system of tiny waves, repeating and dissipating. These miniature waves were free, not bound by the forces of those higher up in the world. I wish I could be as free as nature, but life doesn’t bend to your will, especially for a fountain. The tunnel systems are activated. As the coins float down, once again, very slowly, I decide to play my favourite game. That’s right, it’s time for (drumroll please)… Guess That Wish! After quite literally judging a book by its cover, I can safely say that the young man with the headphones needs an overdose or two of pure, unfiltered happiness. Now for the woman… hmm… look this game is hard okay. For the most part, she seems so underwhelmingly normal. I guess it’s either money or love. Preferably love, but from the gloomy, impenetrable darkness to the seemingly abandoned cityscapes, you can’t exactly say that love is in the air. The coins are sucked down the tunnel system. Now it’s time to wait……still waiting……still waiting… What’s going on? The trip to the bottom shouldn’t be this long. Oh wait, I sense something, an almost non-existent feeling. Like a body part you no longer have feeling stimulation. It’s… weird, scary almost. I’ve never felt it before. What is this feeling?
“The fountain was correct. This was a freak encounter, nothing like it has ever happened. It was especially alarmed. After seeing the two coins jammed together, it sprung to action. Panicked, and scrambling around, it had very few options, except one. A fail-safe kit. It wasn’t much but nothing else would work. It clambered out of its chamber. Haste was needed if it wanted to succeed…
Nothing. There was nothing, for the first time, a coin resulted in nothing. What was going on? I went into panic mode. I tried to act calmly but I struggled. Okay, first, I need to assess the situation. Two coins went down at the same time, could it have jammed? No, It can’t be, the tunnel system is at least big enough for two coins right? Maybe there is something wrong with “it”. What if he fell asleep? Oh God, I’m not good in high-pressure situations. The man and the woman begin to walk away. Walk away. They’re going to walk away without a wish! Unacceptable. I’ve had a 100% percent success rate since I was built. This is going to ruin my credibility. My mindless panic is put to an abrupt end when I hear rustling nearby. I look around but it’s too dark. I look up to the buildings. The moonlight bounces off their tops, giving them a cold, bluish glow. That’s when I see the “thing”. What’s it doing up there? It has a pair of binoculars to its face, which appears to be pointed at the man and woman. I honestly have no idea what is going on. It hops across rooftops, with a toolbox in tow. It pops into the woman’s flower shop. The woman goes to close the shop. It hides underneath a table. That’s kind of creepy. It drops a bundle of flowers, I can’t tell what type, on the floor. The woman takes little notice of it. She rushed around back with a bag of trash in her hand. As the windows begin to close, the city center is drowned in shadow. Everything is wrapped in a heavy veil of darkness, giving birth to a truly hopeless atmosphere. The man exits the city center and out of my sight. With no one around, the city is officially dead. Well, It was going to happen eventually, just like every night. It’s okay, I’m just a fountain, I’m used to being alone.
“The wind is roaming, it flows in any direction. The wind is unexpected, it comes and goes. The wind is unpredictable, a gentle breeze or a ravaging gale. The wind has no visible form, who knows if the wind is ugly or beautiful. The wind can make other things beautiful. It gives life to those who can’t move. It sways the trees, blows the fallen leaves. It is purely by chance that the mighty wind chose to blow across the darkened city. It grazed the tops of buildings, and along with it came an unexpected passenger…”
Now in utter darkness, the only source of light was the moon and the stars. Stars are amazing, aren’t they? They’re so far away and yet we still see them clearly. They look like little drops of milk in the sky. Maybe that’s why it’s called the Milky Way. It wasn’t until I noticed a strange looking star. I tried to make sense of it but it was so bizarre. That’s when I saw another one, and then another one, and then another one. There was a whole cluster of weird looking stars. It was then when I realised that they weren’t stars, but flowers. Dandelions to be specific. They were just there, floating around. I admit, I was a bit mesmerized by them. They were the only living things still around. I thought I was finally at peace, ready to sleep for the night, when something came flying through the city center. It was thin, it looked like a single curved bone. It also curved around me. Was it some sort of boomerang? It went back to where it came from, like boomerang should. I heard a small “thump”, followed by a strenuous groan. I honestly couldn’t care less. My reputation as a wish granting fountain was sullied by something I can’t even control. (Sigh) this night was crazy, but not in a good way. Well, there’s always tomorrow.
“Time – 11:58”
When I thought this day couldn’t get any weirder, it did. It’s very hard to miss a neon yellow light streaking across the sky. (Sigh) just when I was about to fall asleep.
“Time – 11:59”
Tap tap tap tap, I hear from the corner of my hypothetical ears. Is that… the thing? It sprinted over to me, leaping at the final stretch. Why was it holding a coin? I thought. Before he flicked it in, he closed his for a moment. Wow, was the famed wish granter of myth wishing from its own fountain. Was it allowed to do that? The coin flipped through the. With astonishing grace, it landed in the water without even the slightest “ploop”. The tunnel system was opened once more and the coin quickly sucked in. The “thing” curled up in the fetal position before rolling across the rough cobble floor. It slammed into me with extreme force. Ouch. As the coin traverses the vastly overcomplicated and rusty tunnel system, I feel a relieving sensation. A burden finally lifted. I wasn’t expecting how cold this feeling was. Like when you eat mints and it freezes your mouth, instead, it’s your whole body (don’t ask how I know what mints taste like, that’s strictly confidential).
Time – 12:00
But that cold didn’t last long, as a wave of heat quickly arose. It was a wish, but not a regular wish. It was more potent, strengthened tenfold. Bursting through my top, I got a good look at the colour. It was pink… The wish split into two, each half going a different direction. The halves moved at impossibly fast speeds. In just ten seconds, the wishes had come back, each carried the man and woman back. They pushed the two really close together before flying up to the sky. The two halves combined into one, exploding into a beautiful scattering of pink flowers. A magical light illuminated the center. The once gloomy area, clouded with darkness and doubt, had been turned into a place filled with magical sunshine and happiness. I was forced to watch this scene and I didn’t care. Wishing for love isn’t dreaming that big, there are so many bigger things you could wish for, but I guess it doesn’t matter in the end. Bonds, connections, family and friends — lovers, they’re not as good as a million dollars or a grand mansion. No, they’re better.
As the flowers fell, the man took hold of a beautiful red flower and gave it to the woman. How sweet
What a poetic ending, it’s almost like this whole scenario was a fairy tale.
“The sun pulled itself over the horizon. The darkness slowly faded. The moon and stars retreat back into the night. Over the city, the sun smiled…”
Stalag Luft III – (Part of our reading work)
This recreation is of the layout of the German POW camp Stalag Luft III. During the second world war, many allied forces were captured and put into these prison camps. This particular prison camp is relevant to the current reading work I’m doing. The story is called “Johnny Pohe and the Great Escape”. In the story, Johnny is one of the first Maori pilots. During the war, he is shot down and captured by German forces. Normally, Johnny would have been put in your average German POW camp, where he would have been subjugated to horrible things. Fortunately, Johnny was an officer and was put into Stalag Luft III, an internment camp for officer airmen. The treatment was better than what a regular soldier would experience – of course the treatment was still terrible but it was a considerable step up. Nonetheless, Johnny and many others wanted to escape. By digging three tunnel systems, some of the men were able to escape. Tunnels Dick and Tom were found by guards, but Harry remained undetected. On the night of the escape, many things went wrong. People were found by guards, the tunnel entrance was frozen shut and part of the tunnel even collapsed. The few men who made it out, Johnny included, met a terrible fate. They were captured and shot by German soldiers. These men risked their lives in war, they are brave and serve as an inspiration for others.
Bomb Gone Decision Card – ANZUS
This is a decision card we filled out for part 3 of our Bomb Gone activities. In this card, we are the NZ people, deciding whether or not to let US nuclear-powered ships into NZ.
Bomb Gone Decision Card – Mururoa
This is a decision card we filled our for part 2 of our Bomb Gone activities. In this card, we are the wider world deciding whether or not to send Navy vessels to Mururoa atoll.
