Sitting on a Story

1) Bench:

I chose a bench that I regularly visit on my walks. It’s located at the end of a park called Harbour View. To get to this bench you have to walk about fifteen to twenty minuets along the river until you get to the end. At the end there is a large concrete pier that you can walk out on. The bench is located on the very tip of this pier. I guess it isn’t really your average bench. More like two red metal seats, but it’s where I enjoy sitting so I thought it would count. These seats aren’t terribly comfortable but the view on a nice day is amazing. Directly in front of you shines the Vancouver City skyline. At night it looks amazing. To the left of the pier is one of Vancouver’s many ports, where there is commonly a large ship docked. I like to watch the men working on these ships, I find them fascinating. If you look to the right you can see the beautiful mountains. I think the reason I love this spot so much is that when sitting here you can see so many different things like the city and the mountains. Unfortunately, today there is too much fog to see even fifty feet in front of you, but it still looks pretty cool. Sitting down I looked around and noticed, for the first time, that the pier is covered in graffiti. So many initials. I then noticed all of the different sounds. There were birds squawking, machines from the port running, the dogs panting, and waves crashing down underneath me. After sitting for some time the dogs started to get restless and I realized that I could no longer feel my fingers, so I headed back.

2) A Bench For me:

If a bench were to be dedicated to me I would love it to be the one on the end of the pier. It isn’t currently dedicated to anyone so why not me. I really don’t know what I’d like the inscription to say. I had to ask my mom what she would write for me. Her answer was “In loving memory of Carley Swann, may there be dogs in heaven.” I like it and feel that it suits my bench. I sure do hope that there are dogs in heaven. I’m not too sure what I’d do if there aren’t. It would be a very lonely place without the companionship of dogs.

3) A bench for my Grandma:

If I were to dedicate a bench to someone it would be my Grandma. The bench would be located in a special spot at Dunderave. This is where she would invite the whole family out for picnics in the summer when I was young. She visits this beach quite often and will either walk the Seawall or have lunch with friends. This bench would create a great place where the whole family could gather and feel like she was with us. We could continue to have picnics with her even when she’s gone. The inscription would read “Doris Hall, an exceptional wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. May you and John walk together in heaven.” She really is an amazing woman. She would and has done almost anything for me. My Granddad past away a few years ago after spending years confined to a wheelchair, so I hope that they will be able to walk side by side again someday.

4) My walk with the dogs:

About Two blocks away is usually when the dogs figure out where they are and start to whine. Once we pull into the parking lot it turns into a full out yelling match. I open the car door, they shut up immediately. They know that they aren’t going anywhere until I give them the okay, which doesn’t come until everyone is quiet. The word okay is all it takes and their off running. They love this park. It’s really cold out today and there is a thick fog. I can hardly see anything around me. It feels weird to not be able to see the dogs. Anyways, I start my walk with my English binder in hand. It’s a good thing that I have my boots on, there is mud everywhere. I’m also really glad that I went back into the house while I was leaving to grab my big jacket! I’m freezing already! To make it worse the trees are showering me with raindrops even though it isn’t raining. I notice then,all the birds. They are everywhere and making a lot of noise. They keep flying over my head and I am worried that one of them will poop on me. I would not be very impressed if that happened. After about five minuets I came to this one spot that rocky, one of my dogs, loves. Even though it’s freezing outside he enthusiastically plunges into the water and begins swimming after the terrified ducks. He is a really fast swimmer but to his disappointment the ducks are much faster. Molly, my other dog, stands at the waters edge barking at him. She’s probably cheering him on. After a few minuets there are no more ducks to chase so we move on. The dogs race back and forth up and down the path playing, keeping a close eye on where I am. We finally make it to the pier. I sit on the bench and the dogs lay down next to me. After I’m done writing I notice that the dogs have become very impatient with me just sitting there and are exploring the area. They’re sure happy to see me up and moving again. I’m happy that I am moving again too because I can’t feel my hands or toes. My butt also hurt because I had to sit on the back of the bench, as it was wet. So we head off. As soon as we get close enough to the car that I can see it, Rocky stops. He’s been doing this ever since he was a little pup. He hates leaving. He stands there until I reach the car and open the door. That’s when he comes running full blast, as if he’s going to be left behind. Silly dog. Once in the car the dogs lay down and are quiet the whole way home.

5) Poem:

Old park Bench

By Jim Stewart, c 2008

In a little town
In a little square
Sits a park bench
That looks so bare
But oh the memories
It could share.

People would come
From miles around
Just so they could sit right down
On that "Old Park Bench"

Women's gossip would fly
And kids would play
And old men would pass their time away
On that "Old Park Bench"

Now people come
And people go
Stories and initials were left
On that "Old Park Bench."

I thought that this poem suited my bench. The bench I chose is extremely bare and plain just like the one in the poem. In the poem it talks about how people come from miles away just to sit on it and to get to the bench I chose you have to walk about fifteen or twenty minuets. “Stories and initials were left on that old park bench”, just like all of the graffiti and initials left on mine.

6) personal connection:

I feel that this poem connects to my personal philosophy of life because it is all about how people come and people go. Just like the bench you are always meeting new people. Some people pass right by without even “sitting” on you and others frequently visit. There are also the people that leave their “mark” on you in some way or another. For the bench it’s more literal than for humans. I also really like the part “In a little town, in a little square” because I’m little. Another reason I like that part is because it shows that it doesn’t matter in your little you can still be important.

7) Parks:

The purpose of a park is so that children and people have a place that they can come have fun and feel safe at the same time. All parks are different and have different uses. Some have playgrounds for children to play on. Some have trails to walk on. Others have huge fields to play sports on. Basically they are all designed for humans and their activities. I feel that parks are very useful. They serve so many different people and all of their needs. I use the park by my house to throw the ball for my dogs, as do many other people. I find it weird to think about what it would be like if there were no parks. Where would I have played as a child on hot sunny days? Where would I have played soccer? Where would I walk my dogs? There are so many things that are made easier with parks. I wonder who came up with the idea of a park. What was his purpose behind making it?

8) My poem:

School Days
A little scary back then
Then, its not so bad
There's crayons and snacks
There's puzzles and games
The teacher is nice

And then...
As school goes on
There's friends, sometimes enemies
There's fun times, sometimes hard work
There's playing outside and sometimes skinned knees
There's ceremonies and speeches
There's diplomas and handshakes

And then...
There's high school
There's friends, sometimes enemies
There's parties and hard work
There's dances and dresses
There's driving tests and cars
There's ceremonies and pictures
There's dinners and speeches
There's diplomas and handshakes

And then...
There's the rest of your life