US Common Core ELA
— A poem explores the paradox of someone who embodies contradictions — friend and enemy, peaceful yet at war, standing perpetually between opposing states.
— Morning fog lifts as blackbirds sing and a coyote chases a dog, leaving the speaker wondering who cleared the fog away.
— A cast iron staircase in a restored Russian school is the only original element remaining, holding memories of young women who once descended with diplomas and dreams of freedom.
— A young visitor to Sobibór death camp touches the train tracks and imagines herself as a child searching for murdered parents.
— A meditation on trust through two contrasting images: a dog with a chess piece and the persistence of hope despite love's impermanence.
— A former police officer now mows lawns and sells oysters, dreaming of sirens while tending rich people's gardens.
— A young writer celebrates the allure of books, describing how words flow across pages with emotion and wisdom, naming beloved authors.
— A walk on a grey path reveals falling snow alongside violence and grief, prompting wonder at snow's peaceful clarity amid human suffering.
— A young traveler contrasts swimming in the stormy Pacific and touching dead jellyfish with glimpses of urban decay seen from a bus window in a Chilean coastal city.
— On New Year's Eve in Pucón, local teenagers slaughter a lamb for tourists' supper while a volcano erupts, creating a moment of apocalyptic tension.