In your own authentic voice, write a monologue in which you first ask, and then respond to a question that begins, “What if…?” You may select any topic you wish (keeping in mind that this is a public forum!). Perhaps you’ll comment on an issue of importance to you. Or imagine that you’re a superhero. Or consider how you could make a small, positive change in someone’s life…
Be sure your writing truly sounds like you. Your VOICE is most essential here. Use rich, descriptive language that creates strong images in your readers’ minds. Hmmm… What if…?
What if…
I had a third arm growing out of my head?
Just out the top, like a broccoli stalk
I could finally get to reach things up high
And not be held back by my diminutive size!
That’s right, I’d have an increase in stature
People would stare at my third arm in rapture.
And when they made fun of me or held deplore
I would just show off my third arm even more.
My habits however, would go through a change
Atleast when I run, I’d be able to wave!
But sleeping would be a bit of a chore
Because my third arm would surely hit the head board.
When it rains my two hands would be free
Since my third arm would hold up the umbrella for me,
Cooking or baking, stirring or shaking,
My third arm would get to all the things I’d be making.
Speaking of multitasking, that I could do,
So easily because of my third arm, and it’s true.
While brushing my hair, I could do homework or chores
One task at a time? Not anymore!
And of course when doing hand signs
Waving or pointing, some profanity at times?
Just kidding, that I don’t ever do
However, I could have three hands say…
Well nevermind, because I don’t do that.
Anyways…
Having a third arm could be desired
But after awhile, of it I’d get tired
Because even with all the entertainment I’d get
I don’t think I’m ready for a third arm just yet.
what happens when I do creative writing…^
this reminded me of Dr.Seuss! haha great job melodia!!!
When I first saw this option, I knew that I was going to choose it. Immediately after reading it, a question reappeared into my mind that has been lingering there for the last six months of my life. What if I never tore my ACL? I constantly wonder how my life would be different if I hadn’t torn my ACL on October 29 of last year. It was nine days after my birthday and the last game of the regular season, and I remember it like it was yesterday. It is the worst thing that has happened to me so far in my 15 years of existence. However, there are far worse things that could have happened. That’s how I look at this optimistically. There are many worse things out there that can happen to anyone, including myself. I am thankful that these things have not happened to me, or anyone I love. I was able to fix my injury, but some people are not fortunate enough to be able to do this. I can only look back on this situation as a positive experience. It has taught me many valuable lessons that I can use for the rest of my life, and pass on to my friends and family. First, I’ve learned that nothing worth having comes easily. If you want something, then you have to work hard for it. I’ve been going to physical therapy for six months now, and had to endure a painful surgery, along with the pain of sitting on the sidelines as I watch my friends enjoy what I love most: playing sports. I’ve got two more months of rehab until I get cleared to play sports again, and I will continue to work hard to get there. Also, I have learned that even the most negative things in life can have positive effects. From my injury, I have met many new people who have become very important in my life, and I have learned life-lessons that I will apply in the future. Because of this, I look back on October 29, and almost become thankful. If I had the choice, I obviously would not have chosen to tear my ACL during that soccer game, but because I did, I have become a stronger individual. As Frederich Nietzsche says, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
What if a man fell of a cliff?
What if that mans name was Biff?
What if I couldn’t die?
What if I danced in a pie?
What if I met a pirate with a peg?
What if that pirates name was Meg?
What if pigs could fly?
What if Cats and Dogs fell out of the sky?
What if I was Superfast?
What if I joined an all-star cast?
What if this poem ended with Tangerine?
Well that would be mean?
What if I stepped on a frog?
What if I then turned into a dog?
What if there was a cat?
What if he had a hat?
What if I was pretending to be Doctor Sues?
What if I met Zeus?
Well that would be obtuse?
What if you saw a man?
What if that man was in a can?
What if there was a Band?
What if it was made out of sand?
What if something rhymed with orange?
Hi Zach. I don’t mean this in a mean way of any sort but this legitimately reminds me of a poem I wrote i third grade that was “Why is” instead of “What if.” Like Ms. A said, there is so much potential in this poem…I recommend you try writing one that doesn’t rhyme because you’re a good writer and it could definitely work for you.
P.S. ‘Door hinge’ rhymes with ‘orange’
What if…
What if I could be famous?
What if I could end world hunger?
What if I could stay young forever?
What if I could find the right guy?
What if I never did that awful thing?
What if I could go back in time?
What if I could be the person she wants me to be?
What if I could save vanishing species?
Our days are full of what ifs, but what ifs are meaningless. It doesn’t matter what if this could happen or what if that didn’t happen-what matters is what we can do with the plot that we have been given. We may not be able to reverse time, but we sure can change the future. If you want something to happen then make it happen! DO something about it. If you want to be famous then put yourself out there and try! Or, if you want to end world hunger start smaller and help the people in your community- everybody can make a difference it is just your choice whether or not to make one. For the third question, age is inevitable, but with each age comes new experiences so have fun with them! Don’t worry about growing old because it is inevitable, but you’re not alone-everyone is going along with you. Another question that people worry about all of the time is love. Girls struggle all the time about whether or not this is the right guy. However, in the end nobody truly knows. But, if you are afraid of getting your heart broken then you may never find love. You have to be ready to jump and know that even if you fall you will have loved ones behind you to support you and get you back on your feet. But, you have to be brave! If you never try then you may be missing out on the best things in live. Thus, be a rebel! Put yourself out there! Sure, life may knock you down at times, but it can also raise you up. Don’t fixate on things that you have done wrong in the past- focus on what you can accomplish in the future. You may not have control of actions that you have completed in the past, but you do have control on the actions that you will perform next and this time you can do it right, but the question is…will you?
In class I really liked my first essay that I wrote so I was hoping I could incorporate it here. It is in the perspective of a spring leaf.
It is my favorite kind of day. The gentle breeze sways me back and forth as the sunlight makes my sisters and I glisten in the bright light of day. A bird lands on my branch and I listen to its enticing melodies floating all around me. I am so serene and pray for the day to never go away, but of course that is too much to ask for. With night, comes my worst nightmare.
Lightning streaks the sky as thunder and rain pounds above us relentlessly. I watch as my brothers and sisters are wrenched from my mother’s grasp and carried away in the storm of the night without getting a chance to say goodbye. I cling on to my mother’s arm as tight as I can praying for the morning song of my bird; praying that I can hold on; praying for night to be gone.
What if I was able to be anything I wanted? Would I be famous? No, I do not want to be famous. I do want to be famous in a way like not many people are. I want to be known. I want to be known for doing the right thing. Would I have a power? No, but my power already exits. Many people use it. The power I would want is to help people get along. Some people have this power, but do not know how to use it. Would I be nothing? Would I not try? No, I may be nothing to some people, but I will always try. What if I was president? Would I help people or make things worse? I may be making this worse for some people but helping the ones in great need. What if I could go to the Olympics? Would I win? No, probably not but I will always try. What if I stopped bullying in school? I would not care if everybody knew my name. I would care if bullying went away and never came back. I care about those who get bullied. I care about the bullies. Nobody sees the bully’s side because they are focused on helping the bullied. Nobody sees that the bully is struggling inside and bullies because they have nobody to teach them or care about them. They should know that there are people who care. I still care about the people being bullied because they probably didn’t do anything wrong. If I was to be anything I would want to help as many people as I can to get through life no matter what age they are. What if I could make a difference? No, I can make a difference and I will make a difference.
I like always like your writing because it’s so deep and emotional! Great job Erin!
Wow! I really like this Erin! Like Menalie said, it was so deep and emotional. The way you wrote, like Ms. A would say, was fabulous!
What if I just disappeared
Would people wonder why I’m not here
Would people think that I may have died
Would my family be upset and cry
Would people just go on with their day
Would they care if I came back to stay
Would they try to find me
Would they care where I’d be
Would turmoil strike and my family stress
Would my neighbors be concerned and even depressed
Would my face stay in a picture frame
Would all of my past glory always remain
Would I create a void
Would everything I’ve done be destroyed
Would I have my own tombstone
Would I have meant more not living alone
Would my room remain untouched
Would my bike begin to rust
Would my trophies be ever preserved
Would my name be an echo always unheard
Would my teachers ask why I wasn’t there
Would my friends have even cared
What if.
What if you disappeared?
Hi, everyone. Just a quick note to remind you that it would also be lovely to read more narrative pieces in this category. Or perhaps verse that does not rely on rhyme. As we’ve established in class, and as the verse here demonstrates, there is much to enjoy with rhyme. And there is also much to enjoy with diversity, too.
John, I like this piece of writing. Each line was just a bunch of questions. However, you linked all the questions back to the main topic of the poem. Good job.
Normal
What if i could fly?
I would fly into the sky so high.
What if I had wings?
Wings like a bird, among many other things.
What if I could get away?
I would fly away, if only for a day.
What if I could soar?
Need I say more?
What if I could escape?
Escape this world, kept shipshape.
What if i could change that?
Change shipshape, at the drop of a hat.
What if I could change the status-quo?
What if I didn’t go with the flow?
What if I could fly?
Nobody but I, could give it a try.
What if everybody got along?
Maybe so many things wouldn’t go wrong.
What if everyobody took chances?
In new fashions, adventures, and romances.
Everyone is unique, but yet they choose to be bleak, so to speak.
What if I could change the status quo?
What if everyone just let normal go?
What if humans were able to breath underwater? If this were possible, then our whole lives would be different; they’d be completely changed. We would be able to swim with the beautiful fish, dolphins or other creatures in the sea, without ever having to come up for air. We’d be able to discover things that marine biologists and scientists have yet to discover. We’d be able to truly experience what it’s like for those creatures living underwater and experience something new. We could possibly build houses and buildings underwater and essentially live in the ocean. Not only would this be unimaginable, but it would be something that was so different from everything else, we’d be the only ones that could do it! If such task was possible, would be develop everywhere? Where would we develop and how? Our lives today would be changed dramatically. Not only would having the ability to breath underwater affect us humans, but it would also affect the creatures that have lived in the water since the beginning of time. They’d see a new species too, humans. Scientists could discover so many diverse types of creatures that have been kept undiscovered. We could possible go even deeper into the ocean without using an oxygen mask! Imagine how different this could be; using no oxygen and to still have the ability to look for sunken treasures. It is without a doubt probable to say that having the capability to breath underwater would impact our lives completely.
From Ben Wagner:
As I thought about an option to this response, one idea came to my mind that to me would’ve changed my life dramatically. What if my parents never had gotten divorced? What if I lived in one house instead of two? What if I had never met Brian Loose (mom’s spouse) or Patty Bonfoey (dad’s spouse)? What if all the string of events that were created with the separation never happened? My perception of the world would be quite different. The numerous events that have and over time will happen would be altered. I would never have fostered dogs, had an in ground pool, lived in another house, or even touched the extra opportunities that lay ahead. The idea of still living with both my parents together is not even plausible. So much has happened, whether good or bad from the divorce, that I can’t imagine my life any other way. This reminds me how everything around us is linked. Everything around us sparks another chain of events, and in my opinion, everything happens for a reason. The possibilities are endless because anything/everything you do has an effect on the rest of your life, no matter how small it is (seen in the movie the Butterfly Affect). Life is way more complicated if you just take the time to step back and think, what if…?
This is going to sound weird, but I honestly think that this may be one of the best entries I’ve read on the blog this far. You really put your emotions out there in this entry and wrote a truly meaningful and beautiful piece of writing. If I were you, I would continue writing this because it’s only going to get better. Bravo!
I know this is crazy but…what if I was switched at birth? Yes, switched at birth. That would be absolutely insane. It would mean that my whole life has been different than what it should have been. My parents aren’t my real parents, and my brothers aren’t my real brothers. What if I have sisters instead? What if I have no siblings? Everything would be completely flipped upside down. My name wouldn’t even be Mackenzie. I might not even live in this state. I wouldn’t have know any of my friends, and who knows if I would have ever learned how to play tennis! It’s actually interesting to think about having a whole different life you never knew anything about. Would my biological parents look a lot like me? What if I actually met my biological parents? Would they like me? So many things would be running through my head. Would I be able to get to know them better? I think that it might be awkward talking to them since I’ve never met them. We would have so much to talk about I don’t know where I would begin. I would want to know everything about them, their kids, my brothers and sisters. It would take a whole lifetime to catch up.
What if I was an only child? What would it be like? How would the attention shift from five children to just one? How would I handle it? Would I be bored all the time? These are questions that pop into my head everyday, and I can’t help but think what I would do without my four siblings, Emily, Brinley, Molly, and Bryce. Even though we fight all the time and rarely do we see eye to eye (mainly because I tower over all of them), we have that special sibling bond that you can’t really talk about, but you know for sure that its there. So, what if I was an only child, who else would I fight with? Whose clothes would I steel? Who would I laugh, cry, and prosper with? Who would tell me if I look good in the clothes I am wearing, honestly. Who would, brutally tell me the truth, and not sugarcoat it? The relationship between a parent and a sibling is extremely different. So what if I didn’t have that relationship with my four siblings in my life? Who would I tell my deepest secrets to? Who would know exactly what I was thinking, even if no words were said at all? And indeed if I was an only child, would I be the person I am today? Or would I be completely different? If I was an only child, who would pull me out of the clouds and bring me back down to the brutal grounds of reality? In my opinion everything happens for a reason, and this may sound corny, but its fate that my siblings and I are siblings, we understand each other, all five of us. I couldn’t picture my life without them. Through the good times and the bad, we are always there for each other, and we love each other. Our different personality’s and our different demeanors bring us that much closer together. In my opinion, what if questions are not exactly meant to be answered so, what if I was an only child?
What if I couldn’t say what if?
What if I couldn’t say because?
What if I couldn’t say what is?
What if I couldn’t say what was?
What could I do without my words?
What would happen if I couldn’t think
About what could have been?
What would happen if I couldn’t dream
Because it was a sin?
What could I do without my thoughts?
I don’t know what life would be
If I couldn’t think what I want
Perhaps like a barren desert
In the middle of a drought
Or more like a book
With pages half filled
Like a glass of water
That’s always still.
The ripples of thought
Spill out into words
Turning desserts into oceans
And changing the world
To think is to live and to live is to be
I will ask what if
And ask what could be
look at the beautiful spacing the blog destroyed…
What if I could find a way to live forever? I would be young forever and never age or grow old. If I could live forever, then I wouldn’t have to worry about danger or disease. I would be able to take risks, live my life, and have as much fun as I wanted. I’d be the same age forever and people would look at me in shock. If I were to live forever and never die, I would be famous. No one has ever seen anything so amazing. Everywhere I would go, my face would be well-known. As I walk down the streets, people would ask me how I did it, so they could do the same. I would say it’s a secret that cannot be revealed.
It may seem selfish, however, I am actually thinking about other people when saying no. if I were to give everyone my secret to living forever there would be many problems in the world. By keeping my ways a secret, I am preventing many world problems. For example, if everyone were to live forever, there would be over-population if people were to keep having children, which would eventually lead to starvation and food shortages.
It is not necessarily always a good thing to live forever because your whole life could be miserable. If I could find this way, I would live life as best as I could with no regrets of my mistakes. I think that I would be able to make the best out of my life and have second chances every day. Since I have no limits in life when living forever, I would do anything imaginable.
All these reasons just give me more motives to keep my ways a secret. Therefore, no one will know about it. I won’t be bothered or begged to give it up to everyone. I won’t be looked at any different form a normal person.
What if I died today? What would become of me? I constantly ponder this idea, wondering if anyone would care, or more so the amount of people who cared. Would anyone well up in tears? Would I even be spoken about? I worry that few would care, carrying out their day like nothing had happened. My main concern, though, would be if people would only care about my death, or actually miss me? It would be the end of the road for me, but would my legacy carry on?
I also lull over the idea of how I would die. Would it be quick, painless? Or a long, agonizing pain? I live in the fear of death, yet I still carry on. If death took me today, I would leave, not eagerly, but I would have to understand that it was my time. I realize that I would be not happy dying at this moment, because I wouldn’t have been able to fill life’s simple pleasures, like driving, or going to college, getting married. I would have left many things dear to me, like all of my friends, my parents, brother, but most of all, my horse. As corny as it may sound, he is my reason for living at times. Everyone will move on eventually, but my horse’s future is my biggest worry.
If I were to die today, I couldn’t do anything about it. I would hope that my death would not have been in vain, that I had left a powerful impact on just one person. Like they say, though, death is just another part of living.
What if… I wasn’t adopted? I don’t mean to make anyone unhappy, but I legitimately wonder this question a lot, especially in situations where I know for a fact wouldn’t happen if I was still in Colombia. Every time my family sits down to a nice meal, or goes out to eat at a new restaurant, sees the new James Cameron movie or Harry Potter movie, goes shopping or traveling, my mind wanders to that little question . What if I wasn’t adopted? Would I be able to live the way I do today? No, I would not. I know that some of my friends sometimes joke that I wouldn’t survive a day in another life, but truly, I think that if I had another life, that I wouldn’t be like myself today. I’ll be the first to admit it, I’m a bit uptight about how things go, slightly OCD about order, completely OCD on cleaning, possibly wasteful, a little innocent on affairs outside my life, and over all a bit naïve. Be this as it may, I know that if I was never adopted from that orphanage in Medellin, Colombia, that I would probably never be able to experience most of the occasions in my life, and I would definitely never meet any of the wonderful people that have helped me to be where I am today. But would I be a completely different person? Would I look different? Would I sound different? Would I really act that much different? The answers to these questions, and this is what frightens me, I believe are yes, yes, yes, and yes. Another part to the never ending questions is, would another family adopt me? And here another truckload of questions come rolling in. If they did, where would I live? Who would I grow up with? There are so many more questions that go unanswered, so many scary possibilities; it makes me want to shove the confusion out of my mind, and focus on the now, the present, and the future. Jessie McFee says “Our days are full of what ifs, but what ifs are meaningless,” and I fully believe that. This way of looking at situations, be them happy, sad, devastating, or uplifting, can make a person a lot more aware of the current event, and think about the future ones.
What if the world found a cure to cancer? This disease would no longer be a reason for the thousands of deaths each day. This disease would no longer be a reason for the millions of deaths each year. Cancer could not be blamed for the cause of lives ending so suddenly. This horrible disease would fail to rip one’s happiness to shreds. Loved ones around the world would finally receive the treatment they’ve been needing. No more fighting for their lives. No more dreaming of a cure. No more misery. Their prayers would be answered along with their optimistic wishes. Their lives would change. The world would change. We would change. What if?
What if there was no suffering in the world, no world hunger problems, no sickness, and no sadness. Obvioulsly the world would be a much happier place because people wouldnt be mourning the passing of loved ones or worring about their own sadness or illnesses. However I also belive the world would become boring and tedious.What would it be like if you woke up every day with no worries.I think if people had no worries or fear they would become weaker. We become stronger throught advirsity and more immune to the hard times everytime something bad happens. Wouldnt we get lazy if there were no suffering? We would eat tons of junkfood and neglect exercising without the risk of a heart attack or high blood pressure.There would be motivation to better ourselves.In times of suffering people often pull togeather to help each other out.Would we become lonley if there was no suffering? Wouldnt we take all of our relationships with our friends and family for granted? Everyone would live life with disillusionment and think they were immortal.Suffering keeps us in our place or reminds us the tomorrow isnt promised. Nothing in life is promised and without suffering I think we would lose the ability to realize that. Humans would become complacant as a society. Suffering isnt an aspect of life anyone looks forword too but it might be nessicary to keep us in check.Everything we have become acustom to flys out the door without suffering.
Ethan,
I really liked reading this, I had never thought about the negative effects of there being no more suffering. It really made me think in a whole different way, and I completely agree with you. Nice job!