Angelina's Story Poem #8                                      (meaningful)

 IMAGINE-NATION

 In imagine-nation,

life has a meaning.

A place of analogies,

and of mind cleaning.

In imagine-nation,

there is a hundred flights of stairs.

There are people walking up,

ignoring dark glares.

I was walking up them too.

And so were you!

To the right, I saw someone fall.

To the left, a burden someone did haul.

Stand up, an urge whispered.

And so she did. 

Throw down the burden.

And so he did.

I smiled up at the many stairs.

When suddenly I tripped on a nail.

I scrambled to my feet,

when down came hail.

In imagine-nation,

struggles come.

But we all make it to the top.

Important is how many times you drop.

I saw you step on wet paint,

and grab on to the banisters.

I helped you up,

when I suddenly saw calendars.

No, they weren't! 

They were scrolls.

They read how long we took.

They were on poles.

I looked in front of me,

suddenly,

with much glee,

and saw the stairs end.

You and I reached the platform.

We made it!

We wore golden crowns.

There were pretty sounds.

In imagine-nation,

everyone will drop.

But smile once

you've reached it to the top.

                                 ~Angelina Lambros

Angelina's Story Journal #8

          I wrote "Imagine-Nation" because I wanted to make my whole poem a metaphor. Everyone says you have to use your imagination. I suddenly realized that "imagination" can be separated into two words. "Imagine" and "Nation". I also thought that a nation called "Imagine-Nation" should be a nation of imagination, and use of analogies to represent real things. The stairs in a poem represent life. The falling, wet paint, and nails represent struggles that we face.
         I described how in imagine-nation, aka life, there are those who fall and carry burdens. There are those who slip, need help, and don't ignore lurking dark glares. But these people who might be afraid or doubtful need determination. According to "Imagine-Nation," "Stand up, an urge whispered." This is the urge of determination and self-confidence. When I tripped on a nail, or when you stepped in wet paint, this is actually good. It's like when you predict something incorrect, it's good, since you learned something new. 
        The scrolls, or "calendars" as mentioned in my poem, "read how long we took" along the journey of life. In the poem, when we reach it to the top "platform," it means that we, and everyone else is rid of the fear and wonder of the messed up ways of the world. Everyone, people and animals, can be at peace, a realization, that when everyone else is too low or too high in self esteem, it doesn't matter. It's how you are. The golden crowns and pretty sounds represent tranquility to mind and to the environment. "In imagine-nation, everyone will drop," or (analogically fall), "but smile once you've reached it to the top.", (peace).