My Room - Sarah Hunt

Jacob Cardinal

My Room
Sarah Hunt

My room is a place only I can get through,
It expresses in clutter what words cannot say.
To my disposition my room will be true.

Try and step in for a special new view.
First sign of trouble: the blocked and shut doorway.
My room is a place only I can get through.

My floor has been seen by so very few:
A show I live life and a carefree fun way.
To my disposition my room will be true.

Looking not hard one may spot some mildew,
Or see last week’s lunch that has begun to decay.
My room is a place that only I can get through.

A glance in the room is to see a review,
Memoirs of life left out for display.
To my disposition my room will be true.

From ten years ago still lies an old shoe,
I can’t find the strength to throw it away.
My room is a place only I can get through.

My room, just like me continually grew.
When asked if I’ll clean I do not obey;
To my disposition my room will be true.
My room is a place only I can get through.

Frankenstein - Ben Harrison

Megan Squire

Frankenstein
Ben Harrison

A monster made a man
No one was a big fan
It tore them up
They ran away
From anger’s cup
They drank each day
Each by his hate was fed
And now they both are dead.

One-Winged Dark Angel - Andrew Peters

Clint Irwin

One-Winged Dark Angel
Andrew Peters

Wing
The single black wing that rises out from behind his right shoulder. Shaped like the wing of an angel, but dark as the night. One beating black wing that allows him to glide through the air with ease. He hovers above all the insignificant people he wants to destroy. He is more powerful than the rest, and he knows it. He is not what you would think of when you hear someone talk about the wing of an angel. His long, silver hair is pushed off to the side to make room for the giant wing. You are nearly pushed flat on your back when he pushes off the ground using all the power of his wing. Once he has taken off, you can never catch him. Nobody has ever tried.

Darkness
He brings darkness with him wherever he goes. You have to rely on all of your other senses to find where he is. You drown in your own fear, and open your eyes as wide as they will go to try to see, but it does you no good. You swing your sword madly around to try to injure your opponent, but he is way too fast for you to even get close. You get frustrated in almost no time, give up all hope, and fall to the ground accepting your fate.

Angel
He is not your typical angel He is a fallen angel, one who has lost his way, one who has become corrupted by the evils of the world and those who created him. The truth of his creation has driven him insane. He blames the whole world for the evil that created him, and he will not stop until he feels justice has been served, and every living thing on the planet has been destroyed. His plan is too good, and he is too powerful to stop. Meteor will destroy the planet, and nobody can stop it.

The Track Meet - Laura Barker

Natasha Dushku


The Track Meet
Laura Barker

My knees were shaking as I stepped down from the school bus into the parking lot of my rival school. Several of its students had been my best friends in Junior High, but now there was an awkward, mile-wide canyon between us.
It was the day of my first track meet. Becca laughed and chatted at my side as we walked to the field. My coach, and brother, Matthew, led us to the throwing ring. My stomach knotted painfully as my heart pounded against my ribcage.
I paced nervously as, one by one, girls much bigger than I hurled their discs into the field.

It was my turn to throw. I stepped into the ring, clinging to the yellow discus in my hands.

"Breathe." I whispered to myself. I stepped into my throwing stance, and turned, extending my left are in front, right arm in back. One deep breath and I twisted, thrusting my arm forward with all of my strength, a loud grunt of effort escaping my lips.

That baby flew forever, it seemed. I laughed when they said it was a 100 foot throw. That couldn't be right.
I sat straight up in bed as my alarm clock screeched at me. Today was the day of my first track meet...

The Beauty of a Swing - Kyler Hodgson

Angie Hansen

The Beauty of a Swing
Kyler Hodgson

The beauty of a swing lies in its fling
Rushing wind, hanging at the edge of care
Catapulted forth, like stone from a sling.
Let go of the chains and fly through the air,
Once a jump is made there is no retreat.
Look around thoughtfully first up then down,
Next appears the ground rushing up to meet,
Sometimes luscious green, often dirty brown,
Landing is tricky, but always thrilling,
Unscathed or bruised, you always rise again
To test again, the flight so fulfilling.
I speak for myself, I’ve seen no other men,
Content to swing, and never leave the seat,
Never seeing heights, accepting defeat.

The Fall of the Great Bandits - Nicholle Peng

Andy Taggart

The Fall of the Great Bandits
Nicholle Peng

"Come on ye lads! That place there is-our first stop!" shouted Grumblehogan. He was the captain of a band of robbers, only seven men large. Despite the rather low numbers for a band of robbers of their time, this set of men looked like devils themselves. Years of not bathing and lack of manners had turned them into a bunch of wild looking, putrid smelling, and: bloodthirsty bandits. They didn't obey anyone, except of course, Captain Grumblehogan.

The raiders looked down upon their target. At the bottom of the valley lay a small, beautiful kingdom. Shepherds could be seen guiding their sheep" toward the pastures, and many field hands were laboring in the hot sun. It was the perfect place to wreak havoc upon. Barely any guards were visible in: the peaceful kingdom. Of course, guards sometimes provided a rather entertaining exercise, but sometimes too many of them could delay the raiders' plans.

Nasticarmic licked his lips, and smacked his hands together. "Perfect," he purred evilly in his roughened voice. "It'll be nice to kick up our feet and have a few unwilling wenches feed us the meat of those lovely white lambs," he laughed harshly with-the rest of the company.

"Yes," agreed Greedevort, "and we can-dress ourselves like gentlemen, with velvets and jewels and the like." He then proceeded to strut around like a prideful peacock. All the men started whistling and' hooting at him. Greedevort made a mocking-bow towards Gmmblehogan. "Tell us when we should commence with the taking over and such, your' Magnificent."

Grumblehogan rolled his eyes, and swiftly; before Greedevort could react, he hit the bowing man on the head, making him tumble to the ground. This caused another riotous outburst from the other bandits. "Well," replied Grumblehogan, "if you’re done making a fool of yourself, methinks we should start now." Cheers erupted from his followers.

At Grumblehogan's commands, the men started running to ambush the small valley, brandishing their large, rusty axes and swords. Panic began to unfold as the robbers approached the kingdom. People were running for the safety of the castle walls. Women screamed in alarm, and men yelled warnings to the guardsmen. Laughing, Grumblehogan's men rampaged on, using their axes, and swords to cut down anything in their path.

Suddenly, the kingdom's guardsmen came running out of the castle in their brightly polished silver armor, brandishing their long swords. "We demand that you leave at once!" cried a man in the center of the guardsmen, who was sitting on a large black horse.

Grumblehogan eyed the man with his beady black eyes and mockingly asked, “And who might you be?”

The king's champion," replied the man, "and it is his wish that you leave at once. Otherwise, you will greatly regret the consequences."

Grumblehogan and his men began to laugh. “I highly doubt that you will be able to beat me and my band,” Grumblehogan declared, “We are undefeated!" With that, Grumblehogan raised-his sword, and his men's swords and axes followed. All of them started yelling profanities and threats to the guardsmen, hoping to strike fear in their hearts.

At first, the robbers seemed to have succeeded. The king's champion was beckoning retreat into the castle. Grumblehogan's men tried to follow, but the entry to the kingdom was quickly closed. Grumblehogan laughed, despite his predicament. "If the king thinks that a wall will stop us, he is gravely mistaken. We shall have this kingdom!" He turned to two of his men who were holding axes. "Go and cut down a tree," he instructed them, 'We are going to make a battering ram and blast these doors open." Nodding, both men complied and went in search of a tree large enough to accomplish such a task.

Grumblehogan turned to talk to the rest of the group when he heard a voice yelling within the castle walls. "Let loose the butterflies!" it bellowed. Grumblehogan and his men turned in disbelief as a cloud of large, pink, sparkly, man-eating butterflies appeared over the high stone walls behind them.

“Run!” cried Grumblehogan, “It’s the pink, sparkly, man-eating butterflies of doom!!!” He started shoving his way through his men, trying to outrun the pink butterflies. Behind him, his men all screamed like small children as they tried to rid themselves of the sparkly attackers. It was no use. Pretty soon, all of Grumblehogan's men, but himself, had been eaten.
Grumblehogan tried hiding behind a large tree, praying that he wouldn't be found. Unfortunately for him, no one can hide from the pink, sparkly, man-eating butterflies of doom. A few moments later, the large cloud of butterflies surrounded Grumblehogan and ate him.¬

Twenty Lines of Acrostic Poetry - Madison Fowler

Ali Lloyd


Twenty Lines of Acrostic Poetry
Madison Fowler

Whistling relentlessly through the nooks and crannies
In my house.
Never tired of its teasing games, it
Drones constantly in my ears

Brilliant baubles of polished splendor, each with its own
Unique swirls of soap. The sunlight
Bends as it passes through these small wonders, creating
Breathtaking rainbows that scurry and flee.
Lifting off my wand, they
Each rise higher and higher, until they burst and
Send their broken fragments back down to earth.

Murky darkness hides the land as its
Inhabitants slumber and
Dream. An eerie silence settles as
Nocturnal creatures pass unnoticed.
It is a time shrouded in mystery and shadows
Growing darker as the fog rolls in. What beasts
Hide in this ebony black covering? Who knows?
Time will tell.

Craving sunlight they lazily snooze absorbing
the warmth.
Aloof to strangers, they arch their backs and
stately walk away.
Trees they conquer, canines they tease, loving
hands caress them,
Such bliss. . .

Imagine - Audrey Fowler

Dane Morgan

Imagine
Audrey Fowler

Imagine . . .

The word shimmers like a calm, cool pool;
Dark, mysterious, and yet it
Glistens with light and color.
Beauty that leaves me breathless

Thrumming with magic,
It quivers with anticipation.
Heedless of the world’s cares,
It beckons to a delicious escape.

Imagine . . .

The mists of time and space roll back,
And I find myself in the blank arena of my mind,
Like an artist’s canvas
Waiting for the first stroke of pigment.

It captures my moods my feelings,
The secret songs of my soul.
Colors, yet uninvented,
Are splashed upon the page.

Imagine . . .

Here, I am the artist,
With brush in hand.
Under my eager fingers
People, places, friends come to life.

My treasure, a glorious gift,
Where will it take me?
I’m not sure.
But I can just

Imagine . . .

First One on the Scene - Jordan Campbell

Sydney Staples

First One on the Scene
Jordan Campbell

First one on the scene, seeing the bloody mess all around the body, that is chewed from the inside out, blood on the wall four feet away from this once live body, a sick mangled part of its hand, thrown across the street at the time of the murder,
hitting an old women picking up her mail, a mangled leg, torn from the torso, lying limp and disabled by the twisted head of the body that once was alive.

Feeling that sick feeling when you eat cold guacamole by itself, nasty, nasty tasting in the back of your throat feeling,the body cannot be identified just yet, for now he is an it, or she is an it, no, I'm seeing brown hair on the cut up forehead of the body I'm looking at now, is it long and dangly, is it short and spiked? I just know I see brown hair on top of a bloody no good head. Here someone finds another part of the body, it looks like its part of, maybe, the foot, a big toe and a small toe together sitting alone, where are its other toes? Did the suspect take them, or are they just scattered about the alley way along with other limbs? We'll find out.

I think I see a person at the end of the alley way, watching us find the remains of this mangled man or woman, seeing if we'll find the hidden toes, or the identity of this body. Who is it, why is that person standing, watching us, someone should go and ask but, I'm the only one paying attention to this random man standing by himself, should I be the one to confront him? Or will he find me later and cut me up into a million unknown pieces like this person next to me on the ground?

I think I'll take my chances, I walk down and see the man drift backwards away from me as I come towards him, my pace quickens. This man doesn't seem to want to speak with me but he will, I'll catch him before he starts turning to get away, he stops.

I take my last three steps and settle my body in front of his, our bodies standing and the victims, laying. We stared for a while, i saw on his face was a little speckle, a speckle of what? It was too dark to tell... I pull myself closer as to see this little dot on the side of his face. The man backs up, he doesn't want me to see what it is.

I pull even closer and call him sir as to address I'm trying to speak to him and to tell him to stay put, I don't remember why but, I feel a sharp pain in my stomach, it feels like,

I just ran into a sword, or got hit by lightning, I've been stabbed. The man who's face I didn't know but was trying to identify, stabbed me and sprinted off, getting away,out of my full vision, me on the ground, though lucky enough not to be cut from every angle, but still hurt and bleeding. No one notices, until the man is gone, gone for now.

I Never Realized - Laura Barker

Brooke Rowley

I Never Realized
Laura Barker

It’s February 1, 2010 and
I never realized
how much I love this world
With its up’s and down’s
We smile and frown
Life is like space
So immense, fast-paced,
Limitless, with jewels of
Friendships that sparkle like
Diamonds

I never realized
How much I love being me
With my big eyes, big grin
Big feet, and big personality.
I never realized
How fantastic my snort is
Until I saw the grins and laughter
It spread to all who heard it.

I never realized
How much I loved my friends
Until we were separated by high school
Now things will never be the same
I never realized
How I held that group together
The kind of glue I was
I never realized how much they needed me
Until it was too late to go back.
Too late to change the past.
I never realized
How much I love hugs
Until there was no one there
to hold me close

I never realized
How much I’ve changed
Since 9th grade with my immaturity
My body has changed
But my mind is the same—twisted, confusing, fantastic

Different.

I never realized
How important it is
To listen
When someone needs your help
When they’re on the edge
Ready to jump.

I know now how much people depend On one another
To survive.

I never realized
How much I loved
And needed
My brother
Until he almost went away
For two years.

Then life happened—he stayed home.

I never realized
How much I love music
Until I learned how it worked
And how to make it work for me
If I just don’t let myself
Give up.

I never knew
How much a book could do
To waste away the unfilled time
Until I only had unfilled
Time.

I never realized
How many ways one could
Perceive space
And time.
Interchangeable
Unchangeable
Unstoppable
My space-time continuum
And destiny are changed
whenever someone
Enters my life
For better or worse.

I never realized
How much I want to travel
Back in time
To correct what I’ve done
Wrong.
Make sure I do things right this time.

I never realized
How words can damage,
Harm, injure,
Kill a person inside
And outside.
I know I need to be more cautious
So I don’t hurt anybody
Ever again.

I never realized
How sick I was of hurting people
Until I looked behind and saw
The damage left by the wake
Of my passing.

I never realized
How much I love
To hold a person close
and feel their warmth in my arms

I never realized
How much I write
When the emotions being
To surge
I never realized
How I can’t hold back
When I get started
Nothing can stop me.
Don’t stop me.

I Am a Steinway - Tanner Gould

Sophronia Putau

I Am a Steinway
Tanner Gould

I am a Steinway,
used solely to play chopsticks.
An artist’s paintbrush,
given to a child.
The capacity is great,
but expectations minute.
I am a runner,
told he can only walk.
An eagle,
bound to flit from tree to tree.
But then again,
maybe chopsticks never sounded so divine,
than when played on strings such as mine.

Mom - Ben Harrison

Cynthia Sharma

Mom
Ben Harrison

She lives and loves, and hopes that we will see
Our lives are jewels to her and we all know
Her all she gives that we may happy be.

She made our breakfast, lunch, and tea
And packed us in the car to school to go
She lived and loved, and hoped that we would see.

When dad was gone she bounced us on her knee;
Our pants, when they did rip, she gladly sew’d
Her all she gave that we may happy be.

When I was young she made it clear to me
That it was good for me to work, to rake and hoe,
She lived and loved and hoped that we would see.

And when I cried from the sting of a bee
She held me, rocked me, whispered “Yes, I know”
Her all she gave that I might happy be.

The years have passed and I have come to be
A man who says to her, “Well, now I know.”
She lives and loves, and hopes that we will see;
Her all she gave that we may happy be.

Huck Finn - Kyler Hodgson

Jacob Cardinal

Huck Finn
Kyler Hodgson

Huck Finn
Could never win
Until he died
And people cried
Because they were fooled
Huck an island ruled
Soon met jim
And river rafted with him
Down the ‘sippi
Twas trippy
They survived
Even thrived
Without society
Its deadly sobriety
Man’s potential
Discovered sequential
Huck and jim
Lived to the rim
Though white and black
Neither went back
Jim free
Huck sorry
Realized color no matter
Call him mad hatter
Race is inconsequential
That’s the differential

The Moment of Life - Aticus Peterson

Josh Behuner

The Moment of Life
Aticus Peterson

Today a moment seems a year,
I long for it to pass me by.
Tomorrow, time will disappear.

I only see that which is here
and all I see I justify.
Today a moment seems a year.

Yet looking back I’m filled with fear,
for all the times I did not try.
Tomorrow, time will disappear

Sometimes the future seems unclear,
what’s now is all I reify—
Today a moment seems a year.

In retrospect it all is clear,
you never know until you try –
Tomorrow, time will disappear.

Live every moment that you’re here
to not look back and wonder why.
Today a moment seems a year,
Tomorrow, time will disappear.

Thunder - Caitlin Hibbert

Sydney Staples

Thunder
Caitlin Hibbert

Thunder
Cracks the dry air.
Its roar shakes and rumbles
the earth right to its molten
core

Voldemort - Joe Leishman

Russ Titensor

Voldemort
Joe Leishman

Of all the wizards who have walked the earth
He who must not be named is worst from birth

Haircut - Becca Harrison

Alex Eiting

Haircut
Becca Harrison


Sometimes we have a change of heart...
it's like a haircut.
Sometimes it takes a while to change.

This is Just to Say - Becca Cole

Scott Thayne

This is Just to Say
Becca Cole

This is just to say that
I really did toilet paper
Your house, that
Night when it snowed.
You probably didn’t
Want to be doorbell
Ditched either.
It was late,
It was mean,
But it was funny
And you deserved it.

School Day - Laura Barker

Taylor Smedley

School Day
Laura Barker

The bell rings
And the hallways
Explode
As students flee from teachers
And teachers flee from students

Laughter
Loud conversations
Love-birds
Losers
And I drifts through the noise
Silently thinking

About what is to come
Of the crazy
Amazing
Wonderful
Days
That I’ve experience
This sophomore year alone

Any Time is a Good Time to Pray - Kyler Hodgson

Zach Wheeler

Any Time is a Good Time to Pray
Kyler Hodgson

Anytime is a good time to pray,
At the dawn of day and the still of night,
Whisper words that you need to say.

Be lifted by forces you don’t understand today,
Like the advance toward heaven of a kite.
Anytime is a good time to pray.

Not only the religious a plea may
Utter when faced with a fright.
Whisper words that you need to say.

Be brave, have hope get into the fray,
Do not despair though odds be slight,
Anytime is a good time to pray.

Bring men together and hatred slay,
Break down differences no matter the height,
Whisper the words that you need to say.

Exploit not, men, your greediness stay,
Exercise compassion, not compellation to make right.
Anytime is a good time to pray,
Whisper words that you need to say.

Not Quite A Bird - Ben Harrison

Matt Billingsley

Not Quite A Bird
Ben Harrison

Through the blue sky I take to wing
Not quite a bird, but on a swing
From my seat I depart
No more bird; now a dart
An ambulance I hear begins to sing.

Got Love? - Tanner Gould

Taeler Short

Got Love?
Tanner Gould

Got Love?
Not I
Go fish.

Light Bulb - Bailey Schmutz

Tony Hsieh

Light Bulb
Bailey Schmutz

Every morning I awake, and every
morning I look around to help and guide
those who I touch. Sometimes during the day
I will take a break, and rest for a while, until I am
summoned again to do what I do best. Sometimes,
I am lonely in my job. Other times, there are many
people around, and every seems to require my
company. Then every night, I go to sleep, waiting
for the next day when I will be needed again.
My life goes on like this for some time. But
sadly, I will eventually grow old and
weary, and will not be able
to carry out my responsibility
any more, and will be
replaced by another
One, who is young,
and spry. No one
will want to be
around me
anymore.

No one
will care about me.
Everyone will be spending
their time with the new guy.
Oh, the life
of a light bulb.

Conquering of Mankind - Kate Kuykendall

Stephen Spencer

Conquering of Mankind
Kate Kuykendall

Why bother with these awful scummy things?
They always seem to make the biggest mess,
Of course disguise of innocence: success.
And we of weakened state and mind start failing.

How can we see the creatures as a blessing?
Good grief, their endless woes may cause distress.
These thins I know will tease and we obsess.
Is there a way for us, ourselves to think?

Let us now take these things to heart and mind!
For girls all over, we will conquer mankind.
And all you do? Ignore the angry male.
This is the only way we may prevail.
Oh wait, they still are acting nonchalant?
Sigh, guess we’ll always be the ones that want.

Word - Melissa Gee

Alysha Evans

Words
Melissa Gee

Empty, broken words fill my head.
Those promises that were never kept are swept up in my dustpan of broken dreams.

Your words mean nothing to me.
Your mouth moves and I can hear the words that come from them but these words that you speak anger and depress me.

So if you please, stop speaking.
Words are meant to compliment,
and to congratulate.

They are meant to offer hope and faith,
love and promises too.
Words are meant to offer the soul peace of mind and to provide unforgettable memories.

Your words do none of these.

I Am the Solo And Ensemble Adjudicator - Anglea Lieber

Kris Pfeiffer

I Am the Solo and Ensemble Adjudicator
Angela Lieber


I am here for one purpose.


Equipped with my blue and golden rod papers

From the director quieting kids outside,

I am here to quench my critiquing thirst for

My next victims of pleasant intimidation.


They may get a one, they may get a two,

It depends on who they are, and even I don’t know who.

My falcon eyes scan their fidgety fingers

And feel their racing pulse through the notes and rhythms played.


I can tell they’ve practiced for months

But that doesn’t matter to me,

I am here for one purpose

And that one purpose only.


I hear a trumpeter miss an accidental,

And though beautiful slurs he makes,

I can not, I will not, let that accident go.

So I give him a one-minus for the show.


I write lovingly to a clarinet,

“If you played louder, you’d sound better I bet.”

And though his face is the coldest blue,

That dynamic just won’t do.


And as a red faced flute flutters right out the door,

I call for the next, I call out for more.

“Bring them in” I say aloud in my mind,

Let me dish what I’ve long wanted to feed my own kind.


I have driven 40 miles to teach these kids right

Because I could not stand my own band’s performance last night.

But through the encouraging words I give to my school,

I can not go on without picking at another.


I am here for one purpose.


Equipped with my pencil and musical mastery

From the work of my hard years that wear on my skin,

I am here to soothe my own troubles,

And to put these kids in the position I was once in.

As A Butterfly - Aisley Oliphant

Wei Wen Chen


As a Butterfly
Aisley Oliphant

A butterfly is a delicate creature,

Though strong and free.

She flies through any skies

Without a care to care for.

Happiness and peace are painted

On her wings, and light, pure light

Is reflected in rainbow beams

Across the midday sun.

She’s hard to catch,

That crafty lady, and so aloof!

She soars where nothing can touch

But cool skies and genteel

Thermal caresses.


I am as the butterfly.

Nothing can hold me down

No matter the strength or tie.

I have mastery of all

Happiness there is to store.

I flit and sip from joy immense,

A golden nectar fit to share.

I can soar above the cares

Of the sorrows below,

And not only this but carry

Sunshine in my wings, to those

Who need the hope.

The skies I claim are that of

Self-created joy, of which

None but I may touch.

I started small, hairy and untamed,

Though in time, I did bloom,

A self made butterfly,

Which glide on painted wings

Filled with the joy I long to share.

I See - Tiele Quist

Clint Irwin

I See
Tiele Quist

I see time.

It passes as a wave over the sand.

Its long awaited wonders arrive suddenly,

But develop into mere memories before they may be enjoyed.


I see thoughts.

I watch them as if watching rain streak down a gleaming window.

No matter how vigorously I try, I can never touch them.

Yet they are seen clearly through your eyes.


I see music.

It transforms its atmosphere as a painter modifies his canvas

A flat, colorless object

Can become a Beautiful, emotional masterpiece.


I see emotions.

They are like colored lenses positioned on my eyes.

While their specific hues are unidentifiable,

They alter the view of my surroundings.

Bailey, My Dog - Rachel Broom

Megan Squire

Bailey my Dog
Rachel Broom

Like the bear she sleeps for long hours,
Camped under kitchen chairs, or on carpets
Unlike the bear she is loving and comforting, different.
She runs. Every morning my mom takes Bailey on her five mile run,
Bailey runs proudly, staying dutifully at her side.
She stands on her back legs,
As she jumps up to greet my arrival from school.
Her favorite sport is to bug the old man.
Boomer is the old man, a dog who knows right from wrong.
She is his playmate, the joy in his life.
She is the joy that exists in my life.

We got Bailey from Tennessee.
The first day of spring, we brought her home.
I whispered in her small ear, “I will always be here.”
Her small jumps and yaps captured my attention.
Her wavy-like hair soon grew to be too long.
One day she got a haircut.
I was heartbroken.
She didn’t feel like the same dog
I once loved.
A few days went by, and I realized something
She will always be my dog
No matter her appearance

Bailey is my friend, I know that
Her brown shaggy body tugs a smile at my mouth
Her grey roots and bleached hair tips make her,
Make her special.
Make her mine.
Her playful moods welcome everyone.
No one is excluded from her love and care.

Her big hazel eyes look at you with care
As she paws at your leg
She wants a stroke or two.
If you give in, she will roll over on her back
And maybe, just maybe, you can find the spot
That makes her leg kick, as she licks your hands.
When you come to Bailey for comfort or love,
A lick and a paw tell you that she knows;
Everyone needs a friend to be there when
you stand by yourself, facing the world.
Bailey will always be there.

Monopoly - Bailey Schmutz

Eli Johnson

Monopoly
Bailey Schmutz

Go around the board
Pay 200 to the railroad
Go directly to jail
Pay 50 dollars for bail
You've landed on a hotel
Might as well have fallen into Hell
You wonder why you play
A game that takes all day!

Great Lover - Andrew Applegate

Casey Bingham

Great Lover
Andrew Applegate

These I have loved;
Calm,
Soft snow silently pattering on the ground;
Morning mist smelling of pine and fir;
The taste of strawberry ice cream caressing my taste buds;
Sunlight shadows falling across my sweat soaked brow,
As the smell of fish wafts off the sea port;
The warmth of a coat at a winter ski resort;
The setting of the sun amidst a world of sorrow,
Signaling the death of day and the birth of night;
Fierce,
The windswept rain shaking my house with its fiery drumming,
As the clouds storm against the heavens above;
The recoil of a rifle against my shoulder,
As I taste burnt gunpowder in the blood soaked air;
The unrelenting dance of Tcharovskeys Tarantella,
As my fingers fly over the keys;
All these have been my love.

The Rising Sun - Brynlee Wanlass

Devin Lujan

The Rising Sun
Brynlee Wanlass

So much depends
On the rising sun
Every single day
The plants and animals too
And the cow and his moo

The Tree - Kaleb Wilson

Bronson Green

The Tree
Kaleb Wilson

The tree begins to sway back and forth to a rhythmic pattern that matches the wind kissing my cheek.

The sun is peering through the leaves to keep me at a comfortable temperature.

It is ever so inviting here, were I am.

I hear the birds and the trees, but that is all.

I am completely deaf to the world in its entirety.

Here I lay, warm, relaxed and oh so comfortable in a bed of grass that holds me in contentment, for as long as I wish.

For an instant in happiness is worth an eternity.

Life On A Wire - Nick Nelson

Joe Pascoe

Life On A Wire
Nick Nelson

Life is no ordinary thing, but we live it that way.
We wake to think it's just another day.
We breathe as if it's just another breath.
We sing as if it's just another song.
And we choose to ignore the beauty within it all.
And I ask myself, Why?

Umbrella - Katie Sexton

Carson Hawkes

Umbrella
Katie Sexton

I have an umbrella in my car the next time it rained
and it is the blackest thing I reached for my umbrella
and it is the smallest thing nothing was amiss
until I opened it
one day it rained
so I grasped the hilt and found one of the arms had been broken
and opened it and I know that this shouldn’t have
and my umbrella kept me dry bothered me so much
because my umbrella still works just fine
the pitter-patter I mean to say it still keeps me dry when it rains
drip-drop but I can’t help thinking about my umbrella
splish-splash on the pavement from time to time
was a harsher pitter-patter I wonder if he loves the sunny days
drip-drop when he can bask in the sun
splish-splash from the passenger seat
than the pitter-drip-splish or if he loves the rainy days
I heard from underneath when he goes to work
my umbrella or if he’s just happy
that he still works
and when I looked up at the sky or if he’s every sad
the gray contrasted sharply with that he’s broken
the black of my umbrella

and the air was cold I guess I’ll never know
but I was warm
under my umbrella can broken-winged birds fly?

We Dance - Rylie Sandorf

Casey Bingham

We Dance
Rylie Sandorf

We dance in the rain
I gaze at your face.
It’s not just the chase,
It keeps me sane.
Dislike is a feign,
You make my heart race.
Through all time and space,
Your eyes are my chain.

As chill settles in,
At me your grin.
Beginning to blush,
A soft kiss in the hush.
With nothing to do,
I will always love you!

Petrarchan Sonnet - Andrew Applegate

Matt Billingsley

Petrarchan Sonnet
Andrew Applegate

The bright summer sun has faded away,
As memories flit like shadows in the cold dawn.
My heart listens to their sound as snow falls on.
The beach, the sand, the feel of ocean spray,
The sweet smell of fresh lilies pass my way.
Looking out the dark window past the curtain drawn.
I hear her soft melody but know that she’s gone.
The song of memories fills my soul today.
But alas! You are gone now across the sea,
And we must forget our summer love.
No longer am I the message, nor you the dove.
Forgetting is painful, but remembering hurts more.
For the good of both we must forget you and me.
And let your love wash quietly away on the shore.

Ode to Fingers - Rachel Broom

Joe Pascoe

Ode to Fingers
Rachel Broom

Fingers are not just something you use to feel. Nor to tap someone on the shoulder
so you can have their attention;
nor selecting a certain someone from a crowd.

It's not just a pencil used to draw lines on a sandy beach's shore.
Not even keys to press down white notes; chords;
a song.
It's not just creating a song,
it creates a song about your deep inner core; letting out rapid emotions.

Their gentle but firm grip as they hold you close.
Their soft velvet touch on your arm.
The holder of a promise,
a promise made between two people
whose
love
is unconditional.

The
holder
of
a
hand.