Poetry Anthology 2011-2012 by Bekah Atkinson

Urban Ocean

A Siena School Poetry and Short Fiction Anthology: 2011-2012 Compiled & Created by The Siena School ÂŠThe Siena School, 2011-2012

Cover by 8th Grade Siena Photography-B & Special thanks to poet-in-residence Elizabeth Rees ©The Siena School, 2012

Table of Contents: Urban Ocean;

Poems about Emotions, 8th, 11th & 12th grades…………………………………Pages 4 – 15 Animal Poems, 8th grade……………………………………………………….Pages 15 – 19 Why? Because Poems, 11th grade………………………………………..………….Pages 19 - 23 Poems on Independent Reading Elementary, 6th, 7th, & 8th grades………...………..Pages 24-45 Surrealist Poems, 11th & 12th grades……………………………………….………Pages 45 – 47 Alliteration Poems, 8th&d 11th grades……………………………………………....Pages 47 – 52 Where I’m From Poems, 11th & 12th grade…………………………………………Pages 52 – 65 To William Carlos Williams Poems, 8th Grade…………………………….………. Pages 65- 68 Independent Voices, Poems from 6th & 8th grade……………………….…………..Pages 68 – 73 Onomatopoeia, Elementary School…………………………………………………Pages 74 – 76 Civil Rights Acrostics, 9th Grade…………………………………………………... Pages 76 - 78 Poems About Family, 8th Grade……………………………………………………. Pages 79- 83 Cinquains, Elementary School………………………………………………….…. Pages 83 - 86 Poems on Biology and Math: 10th & 11th Graders……………………………….. Pages 86 - 88

Spoken Word Poems, 10th Grade…………………............................................... Pages 88 – 93 Short Fiction, 12th grade………………………………………………...…………Pages 93 – 99

Emotion Poems: 8th, 11th, & 12th grade Determination By Liz Mayio Determination looks like a wave because it keeps trying to reach land.

Determination sounds like the ocean crashing against the shore because it never stops.

Determination feels like a pounding heart because it keeps alive what you want.

Determination tastes like spicy food because you can taste it for a long time. Determination smells like pure sweat because you work hard for it. 4

Determination moves like a turtle because it moves slowly but it keeps going forward.

If determination could speak it would say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;you're almost thereâ&#x20AC;? because with determination you will reach your goal.

Hatred By Sasha Gerecht Hatred looks like a rusted Honda Civic because it is ugly. Hatred sounds like a punk band because it is loud and obnoxious.

Hatred feels like a punch to the face because it bruises. Hatred tastes like a bad fruit because its rotten and disgusting

Hatred smells like bus exhaust 5

because it's a cloud of stank.

Hatred moves like a bullet because it goes fast.

If hatred could talk it would say how much it doesn't like you.

Pride By Helena Landron Pride looks like a lion with his cubs because he stands tall and his eyes sparkle Pride sounds like a growling dog because he growls to protect his owner Pride feels like a very rough piece of sand paper because once you've smoothed it out you've accomplished things in life Pride tastes like a very hot jalapeno because pride should be added to your life. Pride should never taste bitter. It should always be spicy and hot. Pride smells like burning tires on a NASCAR track because it will never go too fast. If Pride could speak it would say 6

“I'm not afraid." because pride will never back down at fear.

Regret By Max Klaverkamp Regret looks like a melted ice cream cone because you didn’t eat it fast enough. Regret sounds like a crying baby because you didn’t give it what it wanted.

Regret feels like a frost bitten hand because you didn’t wear a glove. Regret tastes like burnt pizza, because you overcooked it. Regret smells like a soggy book, because you left it out in the rain. Regret moves like a failing student, 7

because he didn’t study for the test. If regret could speak it would say “why?” because you know you made a mistake.

Determination By Ayelet Berkowitz Determination looks like a car accelerating because it will never slow down.

Determination sounds like a baby screaming because it won't stop until it gets what it wants.

Determination feels like a hard rock because it will never give up and turn soft.

Determination tastes like Hot fiery tamales 8

Because they never stop giving flavor.

Determination smells like hot burning bread because it is burning and will never cool until it is ashes.

Determination moves like a vicious lion because it is strong and never backs down on its predator. If determination could speak, it would say "we're almost there" because it would never abandon its job and always finish what it is doing. Apathy By Ryan Salomon Apathy wears gray socks. He understands nothing about society. His face looks like it was made form smoothly polished stone. Never changing emotions, he never does anything. He has never been very popular. His reputation as a robot dates back to Kindergarten. Children never understood how Apathy could not become excited when 9

they get a slice of cake, or frustrated when they get a pop quiz. He seems to glide on thick fog, silently moving through the hallways. Kids will pay no notice to Apathy, but if he draws close to them, the children will lose interest in activities and start to become depressed. Apathy is a philosopher. He can see into the future and knows what it holds in store. He has only had one job, spreading his uncaring feelings to others. Apathy stays in the same place. The other emotions, happiness, anger, and even depression, try their best to avoid Apathy. No matter how good or bad life gets, they do not understand how someone can not care about anything. He knows that nothing in life matters, and that your lives are meaningless. He knows that history repeats itself, and that people repeat their past mistakes. So, Apathy does not care for life, and thus life takes no notice of him, and time moves on. Anxiety By Dean Szollosy Anxiety is seen constantly fidgeting with his button up worn shirt. Twitching his eyes in frustration when asked to go out with people, Anxiety always favored Solitude as a close companion; however, he questioned their friendship constantly. Waking up with Bewilderment and falling asleep with Frustration is a constant occurrence in the life of Anxiety, as well as being faced with the question of whether to go left or right. Anxiety always ends up standing and looking at the two endless paths. Dried out gray hair along with bloodshot eyes was the look Anxiety favored mostly. He never really cared about his complexion, only the work that he faced ahead of him. His room would be completely alphabetized at the beginning of every month but in some manner it always turned into a disorganized wasteland by the end. He never really knows what transpired. This is a man whose palms quiver at the sign of celebrations and whose heart drops at the falling of the sun. No rest is given to Anxiety. If there was, however, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d probably question it anyway. Frustration By Ali Martin

Frustration is an 11 year old boy who is too short to reach for the cookie jaw. He wears all gray clothes. He doesn't have a job because he kept getting fired. He was too young. He tried to paint a mural on his bedroom wall but in the end he painted black lines over it because he thought it was bad. At Thanksgiving, he starts throwing his food 10

because it is not perfect. When his mom tries to help him clean his room, he starts making a bigger mess because he can't get his room to be perfect. His best friend is Anger. Anger always wears a red shirt. Whenever they are together, they always make trouble. They love to draw on the floors and drill holes into the walls. Depression By Jesse Auth Depression won’t come out of his room again. He’s been up there for days. When you try to give him food, he usually rejects it with a polite “thank you”. He’s lost so much weight over the years because of this. His muscles are limp because of little exercise. He goes to school occasionally, but he is not very motivated. He sits in the back of the classroom, usually covered by his long dark hair. When he walks by you can feel cold air emulating off of his gray-tinted skin. Depression had a girlfriend. He now just prefers ot sit and load around at home. I occasionally see him walking in the park. He will stare, hoping for Happiness, his long lost love to walk by. Depression just doesn’t care. He laughs at Fear in the face. When he pops out fro around a corner, Depression walks by like the wind. When Fear won’t stop creeping around Depression’s hose at night, he just sits in his chair, oblivious to Feat’s pathetic attempts to get a rise out of him. Love By Melaku Hawkins Love walks down the street in his pink suit and tie. He has a pink cane with a heart as the handle. His shoes are light pink, with hearts on them. He has a top hat that is red and pink and has the words “Love Is In The Air, Enjoy The Small Things In Life” on it. He stops and smiles at each person and animal and detail, giving them all a sense of care and compassion. Love is a very old man who always puts others before himself. On his weekends, he sits outside gardening and talking to each flower as he cares for them all the same amount. He calls them his children. While he takes care of his garden, he smiles and enjoys their company. There is never a frown on his face when he does this. Love is always happy to have the good things in life and all the opportunities that come along with it. One could never bring him down. He has natural feeling for everyone. When Love gets sick, Happiness is there to help him 11

because Love makes Happiness happy when it comes to people and relationships. Happiness feels as if he is in debt to love forever. Love enjoys all foods. The worst part is when he has to decide what to eat that night for dinner, because he hates to show favoritism towards one thing. After he makes his decisions, he promises to eat the next food for dinner the next night. He talks to them as if they were people. Old Man Love enjoys watching all sports and he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a favorite team. He cheers every person and team equally. Love has one regret and that is when people who are together break up. He hates it when the feelings people have for each other disappear and no longer exist. He tries everything to prevent this. When he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, he feels depressed and this leaves him with determination to not let it happen again. Even though Love is a very old man, this does not stop him from trying to take care of others. He enjoys it. Without this he would not have a life or have anything to do. Love never plans on stopping his job. Fear By Lucas Waight The only thing that Fear has to Fear is Fear himself. As a child, fear was always afraid to slide down the slide. Fear has always admired his older brother Bravery. Fear never sleeps with the lights off for, if he did, the monsters would return. When Fear went to college he was roommates with Depression, and his brother Stupidity. You know why Depression is so depressed now. Late nights, Stupidity would convince Fear and Depression to drink and study at the same time. Fear was too afraid to go home from college and now that he's there in his dorm room and he won't come out. Frustration By Doug Grayson Frustration wears an all black shirt that says "You annoy me even if I don't know you." Frustration likes to hang out with Anger and play darts, laser tag, and any other games that involve getting their anger and frustration out. Their favorite type of music is rock and metal. They work at a demolition company. Frustration regrets nothing and likes to eat spicy foods. He likes The Houston Rockets and the Washington Generals. He acts really well around Anger but is always frustrated by Depression's issues. He thinks Fear's a little scaredy-cat, Happiness won't shut up, and Love is too darn romantic. He never put anybody before him and he has no expression on his face except for his furry eyebrows, angled toward his nose. Whenever Happiness says hi, 12

Frustration just walks by. Whenever Sadness asks, "Can you help?" Frustration says "NO." Bravery By Cameron Heller Bravery is unique. He is very rarely seen; but, when he is, he is surrounded by his friends Curiosity, Outrage, and Excitement. Bravery is often trying a new experience or participating in something with Fear, Courage, and Enthusiasm (while Bravery often seems cool and collected he can quickly become scared when not with Encouragement). He dresses for all situations and is constantly prepared for something, he stays calm and focused. From skydiving to caving, Bravery can conquer those dreams. While Bravery usually starts with one person, being brave can affect everyone around and cause a trend of support. Bravery is the person who is different from everyone else, who can stand out on his own, and still appear to be calm, cool, and collected in any situation. Bravery is the person who does not follow trends or believe what others say, but only cares about how they react in a situation, Bravery is the person who is not afraid to have his personality reflect his school work, art, and life. Bravery is the person who is always and will always be accepting of others, not judging how they feel, act, or look. Bravery is the person who is not scared of emotion. Jealousy By Austin DeFilippo Jealousy lives with us all, but hides behind his friends and shields, whose names are Rage and Confidence. But sometimes Confidence turns against Jealousy. Jealousy is in a constant battle with Depression and, most of all, Vengeance. The longer Jealousy is in a fight with his competitors, the weaker he becomes. Some days Jealousy loses control and Vengeance and Depression takes over. The days Jealousy can rest are the days Confidence is at his strongest. Confidence will help defend Jealousy against Revenge and Depression. But as we all should know, this battle never ends. Depression By Elyssa Sagall I get out of bed in the morning, woken by the bright sunlight through my window. Waiting outside my door is Depression, the twin Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always had. We walk to 13

school together, me and Depression. Through the school day, Depression stays with me, scared of what others might do. Depression is bullied, you see, by Hatred and Anger, a devious team. Then in comes more to bully her. It has been like this since the beginning of school. So we walk hand in hand, trying to avoid the bullies, but in the end, it is impossible to get away. Envy By Zoe Evert-Jacobs Envy walks around looking at all the things everyone else has He wants it all. He is not popular. In fact, most people hate him. He thinks if he gets what he wants, he will be popular. Envy wears all green. He walks around town glaring at everyone. He really hates Happiness. He wants to be like her. He is always hanging around Hate and Vengeance. His sister is Jealousy. Loneliness By Ben Perper Loneliness is best friends with Depression and they often meet up and spend time with each other. When Loneliness was a few years old, he didn’t go out to play with Love and Happiness. Instead, he preferred spending his time with Shyness. Confidence picked on Loneliness in middle school. Hatred picked Loneliness up off the ground. Loneliness’ parents were Shame and Misery. They didn’t really teach him anything useful. Loneliness’ cousin is Fear. They get along at family reunions. The toddlers’ euphoria and surprise intimidate Loneliness as they run and play. Rage By Charles Mendelsohn Rage is blind and mentored by Frustration. He stampedes everywhere, spreading fear into everyone’s soul. Rage only knows destruction and demolishes anything he wants. His only friends are Fear and Agony. When Rage comes out of the dark hole he lives in, he walks beside Agony and together they throw Fear at everyone around them. When the sun sets, Rage is truly alone, for he is blind even to his friends. Apathy By Daniel Chan 14

Apathy wears a white robe and a pair of whit slippers. He is blind and content. He doesn’t care what happens around him. He thinks that Worry is a fool who frets too much. Apathy and I get along rather well, though he really couldn’t care less about what I think about him. Apathy does not walk, he hovers over the ground. His expression never changes. He is never very popular with Happiness but it reached a peak when Happiness asks how Apathy is feeling and Apathy merely responds “Why does it matter?” Apathy is lazy. He is not particularly good at anything because he never cared to study. Apathy is a genius but doesn’t care to show it. Apathy spends most of his time with Depression. After all, Depression can’t see colors and Apathy doesn’t care to see them. They rarely speak; they have nothing they wish to say. Rage By Grier Freedman Rage listens to hardcore death metal. Rage is blind and his house is broken. All the furniture is in pieces. Rage storms about at night and can never sleep. He enjoys spending tie with Anger. Rage enjoys eating extremely spicy food. People almost always left him with his friend Loneliness. In school, he never listens inc lass and constantly complains about the homework, which he never does. Rage takes all the homework and burns it in a bonfire. Rage is the one who destroyed all the san castles on the beach, the one who would throw his food onto the floor. Rage knows no one but Anger and even Anger is not fond of him. Animal Poems: 8th Grade Sloth Babble By Addison Adams I sleep I nap I lay under the canopy I dream of sleeping And I live For sleeping Sleeping is my life What would I do 15

without... Sleep “ YAWN” Though my wife “ YYYAAAWWWNNN” Always keeping me From my glorious sleep With a "get up!" There are poachers I just wish That they Got her Away From my glorious Sleeping “YYYYAAAAWWWWNNNN” Chimpanzee Complaining By Hannah Garelick I am just resting under some trees behind a piece of glass in something called a zoo. And then these little Chimpanzee-like things come up to the glass and start knocking on the wall. They make weird faces and try to make me move. Oh, and do I move, as far away from them as possible. But then there are more of them on the other side and they are just so annoying. I’m in a little box with nowhere to go. 16

Don’t these animals have anything better to do? Why don’t they go back to their cages? Why aren’t they locked up in glass and have other animals bothering them? Hey, I could do that. I think I’m going to knock on their glass. Hopeful Animals By Karlyn McAllister Inside a sad and lonely place. Lies animals looking for a family. A family which they can trust with their heart. There is hope for these animal. To find a better home.

Cat Song By Mark Work-Sosnick Finally itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s night, Now I can sing my song. Meow! Meow! Meow! Why are you yelling? Are you jealous of me? Are you jealous of my song? What are you doing? Where'd you get that pillow? Oooof, thud! What did you do that for? Lazy Panda By Matt Hazelett I lay there In a forest of bamboo Tired yes I always am I lay barely moving Only slightly chewing On my favorite thing In the whole world Bamboo If I had one wish 18

It would be To live forever So I can enjoy The great taste of bamboo Forever. Why Because Poems: 11th Grade Why The Cat Owns You By Zoe Evert-Jacobs Because she does what she wants, sleeping half the day, then ordering you to scratch behind her ears. Because she is cute and fluffy, brainwashing you to do all she wants. Because she can Because she thinks your purpose in life is to serve her. Because she will never acknowledge you as her equal. Because she needs a servant with opposable thumbs to open the door, feed her, and scratch her back. Because she could live by her self in the wild, but chooses to grace you with her company. Because she knows all, and you know nothing. Because she thinks your lap is a nice place to take a nap. Because if you mess up, she will not hesitate to tell you. Because she thinks you are a living heater. Because she can give an order with out saying any thing. Because she knows that all she has to do to keep you entertained is do something cute. Because she finds you convenient. 19

Because when you are sick, she will take it upon herself to make you get better, so that you can get back to serving her. Because whatever she wants she gets. Because everything she sees is hers. Because she can make any old quilt look cute. Because she can sleep almost any where. Because her voice can enchant you to fall in love with her. Because you are her chair. Because she brings you gifts from hunting expeditions. Because she warms your clean clothes. Because you are an easy pet for her to take care of. Because she defends the home from invaders. Because she allows you to serve under her. Because when she gives you a vacation, you feel guilty leaving her. Because you are one of the few people she can tolerate. Because she sleeps with you to keep the monsters away. Because, while you may not be her equal, you are her best friend. Because, whether you like it or not, your life revolves around her. Because if she did not like you she would have left already. Because you are her favorite underling. Because no matter what she says you are her favorite person. Why So Serious? By Charles Mendelsohn Because the clown king of crime said so, Because the sun falls out of the sky each night, 20

The evil and doom spreads every night, Because the darkness will consume you. Because green and purple are the perfect match, The hysterical laughter of insanity echoes within. Because crime washes over Gotham, There is only anarchy and chaos. Why I Want to Become a Ninja By Elyssa Sagall Because I want to sneak around at night, while no one’s looking, spying on my family, and take notes on what they are doing. Because I want to learn the ways of a ninja, using chakra and different types of jujitsu. Because I want to be at a high rank of being a ninja, so no one will suspect me and I can get away with small deeds like learning what my parent’s password is on the computer. Because of all the advantages you can get in a game. Because I’d be the queen at hiding from my parents when they want me to do something I don’t want to do. Because if I was in trouble, I could easily take down my opponent with own strength and skill. Because I feel inspired by what they do. Because I want to. 21

Why Religion Exists By Daniel Chan Because humans are weak minded fools, and they need icons to follow or to hate; Because humans donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have Their own moral compass, and They need something to set one for them; Because we feel the need to explain the inexplicable; Because the mystical and strange Cannot keep their iridescent anonymity or their radiant mysteriousness; Because pariahs need a stained glass front for their plans; Because life and death must be personified, in all their vile greatness. Because man must have differences to wage war and butcher his brothers; Because zealots do not cower from drinking blood or from letting their blades do the same; Because punishment must be meted out among the people; Because good and evil must be distinct; Because pain must be ignored single mindedly; Because the fear of death must be overwhelmed. Because humans are weak minded fools, and they need icons to follow or to hate; 22

Because humans don’t have their own moral compass. Oh, and because people like Fred Phelps need an outlet for their homophobic bigotry, discrimination, and hatred. Why Does The Mayan Calendar Stop at 12/12/12 at 12:12 By Cameron Heller Because they wanted to scare and convince people that the world would end after they died. Because they were too lazy to continue the math. They didn’t feel like getting a new “ink” Because, they, kind of, sort of, ran out of rock! Because they had their fortune read, and it said that if they didn’t stop doing math, they wouldn’t have any friends left Their world ended in a fiery explosion, They just didn’t realize that day was 12/12/12 The Mayans didn’t care about the calendar, Only the credit they would receive from it. They forgot how to count half way through... They were called nerds by everyone else, So they decided to stop and try to be cool They escaped from the prison they were stuck in, Endlessly writing numbers Someone finally invented the computer. After that many years of work, They forgot what they were doing.

Poems About Books: Elementary, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade The Wheel of Time By Addison Adams Rand al'thor The dragon reborn Destined to fight leaf blighter The dark one With crystal sword in hand Madness is destined To befall Though the cleanser Of the source. Paren a baraRand The golden eyes Lord of the two rivers Fights the shido With ax in hand. Mat coffin The trickster The gambler With bladed spear in hand Fox pendant holds off The source Hanged to leave Serpents and foxes Answer all questions. elayne trakand 24

Queen of Andor Wife of rand Behind the walls She does defend Holding off The stronger heir Aliana the unworthy. Min the sear She Sees Catching Fire By Ryland Staples President Snow wanted Katniss to Marry Peeta. Katniss protects Prim and her mom. She catches wild game for them. Some People think that Prim is weak.

Chasing Redbird By Tati Klinkenbergh Grief Aunt Jessie goes to heaven. Return Jake Bosen returns to bybanks. Crush Jake has feelings for Zinny. Jealousy May is jealous of Zinny. 25

Explorer. Zinny finds a trail. Different Jake and Zinny have changed from kindergarten.

The Hunger Games By Leah Hadfield Katniss and Prim at the reaping. Prim is ervous and scared, it’s her first time. “Primrose Everdeen”. Katniss is terrified. She volunteers with love.

They say goodbye, Katniss goes off, To fight districts.

Catching Fire Zoe Siegal Katniss is in the interview Showing off her wedding dress Going to marry Peeta.

The audience is bored 26

Until they see her The flames come out And she turns into a mockingjay.

The Hunger Games By Liz Mayio

While Katniss is singing She is aching Because she knew that Rue Wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t last with that spear Here in her stomach Because she got shot in this spot With a spear She caught the boy from District 1 eyes You could tell That heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d died Kantniss decorated Rue with all her love

The Help By Emma Cummins Black maids in Jackson 27

Dressed up in white Taking strict orders Dealing with small kids Treating kids like their own A thousand laws in the house Their own bathrooms Live in their own neighborhood They come at six oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock

Catching Fire John Fair Katniss is wondering why her mother is so pale. There is a man behind her waiting to escort her through the hall. With an awkward song in her step she opens the door. To see a man dressed in white.

War Horse By Ayelet Berkowitz My legs Are badly hurt I think they might Be broken Yet I must 28

Keep going I have To try to find A way out Of this Barbed wire fence Surrounding no manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s land

The Hunger Games By Grace Fenton Katniss is brave. When she was young Her Dad died in a cave. During the reaping this year Katniss volunteered.

Katniss is leaving for the Hunger Games She hopes in the arena she doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t burst into flames. Her family wants her to stay safe and come home So she can once again roam.

The Things They Carried By Hannah Garelick 29

Necessities or almost necessities Jungle of Vietnam

Can openers, Pocket knives

Heavy backpacks, Booby-trapped ground

Heat tabs, Dog tags

Camping everywhere.

Chewing gum, Cigarettes.

No matter how far.

Lighters, Salt tablets, Kool-aid.

Everywhere, Every war zone.

The Mysterious Benedict Society III By Caelan Campbell Mister Benedict has narcolepsy. He slept by laughter Until it was cured By friends and anger With mind games fixed With tears and crying

I Am the Great Horse By Helena Landron Alexander and his Horse Bucphalas Went into attle In Egypt. When in Battle Cham and Bucphalas favorite mare Aura were Captured and served As slaves. In the End of the battle 31

Alexander was Pharaoh and won/got An Illiad.

Mockingjay By Danielle Wassertzug Katniss takes her walk Stumbles upon what she thought Was a rock. It was a skull Of a friend from school. As she starts to weep, She remembers she needs to eat. She gets in the plane But the memory is vague.

Whirlwind By Suki Blandwitt Jaz tries to make Shadow More social. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still a pony But heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still Very shy. 32

Jaz tries to Socialize Shadow With other horses In the big ring. But Jaz has to Stay on the farm. She canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take Him anywhere else.

They got him From an auction. Jaz sometimes Puts him in the Field, while she Plants new flowers.

Jaz has to stick To her time schedule But wants to spend more time with Shadow. She has to stay Near the phone 33

With her bracelet.

If she doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Stay near the phone Then sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to Go to court. Sometimes The fat cat that lives On the farm, sits On her lap while she waits From 4 to 6.

The Hunger Games By Max Klaverkamp She opens the glass And throws flowers on the grass With thought of flashback.

In the cold dark cave Where no sunlight can be seen Bits and pieces lay. The Hot Zone By Robby Scalet Charles Mandel wanted to go on a date with his girlfriend today. 34

He drove in his jeep. It started to creep up the mountain. He went into the forest while at home there was a florist. After the date with the chick he got very sick. On the airplane he threw up and got a stain. In the hospital in Sydney he lost his kidney. The doctor made him throw up in a cup. The blood looked like mud on the ground. While he was in intensive care the doctors were feeling very square. He took his last breath and then came death.

The Hunger Games By Keegan Freedman Katniss in a tree Peeta with the Careers Rue telling Katniss to cut down the tracker jackers wth a knife. When katniss is cutting she gets stung by the tracker jackers then down comes the nest killing one then another. 35

The Pearles of Lutra By Brandon Butsavage -

The shiny pearls of the tribe of Lutra were found by the polite shrews of Mossflower the searats attacked with the hope of finding the pearls but alas the abbot of Redwall has found the pearls the last otter of the Lutra tribe makes a deadly path towards Redwall to find her pearls

The Hunger Games By Satchel Johnson Katniss Sneaky fast, brave Protective, quiet, Victorious

Mockingjay By Jacob Mintz Attack! There was an evacuation then a bomb. They go to the bunker where they hunker. There was a missile so fast that it could whistle. Later it left a crater. They had to hurry through the debris. 36

There was hysteria in the disaster area.

The Hunger Games By Laura Heckel Katniss hunts for food in the meadow and the woods. Gale is next to her.

Mockingjay (Saving Peeta) By Jacob Rosenzweig They have gone to save Peeta Gale has gone too Katniss is worrying She feels she must help too

Coin says “We shall start a propo. This will distract the capital.”

“Sounds good to me” Says Katniss. “When we finish we shall broadcast it.”

Thank gosh they’re back But Peeta is crazy. He doesn’t remember Katniss. She hopes he’ll get better But it’s not very likely.

Camile McPhee Fell Under the Bus By Lauren Taragin Camille goes to school. Her energy is very low. Her Mom is kind.

Warriors By Nate Crystal We run off to the side

He is sleeping now

I talk to blue star

Wake up to sounds of noises

Ravenpaw is not dead

It’s time for hearing

Young Samurai – Way of the Dragon By Andrew Honn Whispering to friends 38

Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s caught by the garden In trouble again

Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix By Noah Morris Harry holding prophecy Running away from death eaters Almost about to die When the Order of the Phoenix Arrive. Blasting spells with Their wands out, Attacked the death eaters When Bellatrix killed Sirius.

I Am Number Four By Cameron Bailey Huge Blacky white Scary, Fast, Drooling Transform, teeth, paws Protector

Into the Labyrinth 39

By Meribor Matusow Squishy, brown, black, blue Small areas, messed up words Rossetta accused Thought to be a criminal Silvie found ds in the room.

Tornado By Grace Sierra In the storm we found a dog. We found him in a doghouse in a tree. He became ours. We watched him. He was a good dog. I loved the dog I found in that tree.

James and the Giant Peach By Zev Namrow Aunt Striker, Aunt Sponge got caught under the peach 40

Because the peach started to go, so James and the insects celebrated by running over them each.

When the peach fell into the water and sharks came to eat James caught seagulls and tied them to the stem of the peach.

It soon became dark so the spider used her webs By helping James and the insects make some beds.

They saw the cloud-men making marbles While in the peach carried by seagulls.

Stormbreaker By John Paul Libanati Alex is sad mad. His uncle is very dead. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s patriotic.

There is a pale male. He has artificial skin. He is Mister Blunt.

Suspicious Alex; 41

His uncle was quite discrete. Banker or agent?

Alex is awesome. His uncle was very calm. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very fearless.

His uncle was safe. He would put on his seatbelt. How could he have died?

The Red Pyramid By Jason Harriot A rchitecture in a small form M ystery to be solved U ltimate powers L eft behind E tched in the metal T urning in a golden glare.

Arctic Tale By Leora Fishman Seela 42

S imilar to her Mom E ating fish

B est walrus in town A mazing in every way

E xcited to catch fish

R acing your friend

L ovely in a way

K eep holding Momâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s flipper

A re you faster than Seela?

Mets By Noah Pettiford M oney

B rave

E xercise

A wesome

T eam

L ittle

S port

L eague

Wonderstruck By Anna Courtney J anet A wesome at things N ice to people E xcellent at being sneaky T all

Diary of a Wimpy Kid By Alison Weinberger 43

G reat at watching T.V. R akes leaves at his Nana’s E xcellent at sleeping G ossip with his friends

Double Fudge By Eric Quam Fudge is cool and he’s smart in school. He’s in mixed group which kind of rules.

I think of what’s happening in my mind. We do that in reading all of the time.

Fudge made his own Fudge Bucks And you might need him for good luck.

Fudge has a brother names Peter And Peter is Fudge’s leader.

The Hunger Games By Grace Fenton

Katniss is brave. When she was young her dad died in a cave. During the reaping this year Katniss volunteered Katniss is leaving for the Hunger Games. She hopes in the arena she doesn’t burst into flames. Her family wants her to stay safe and come home so she can once again roam. Surrealist Poems: 11thgrade Attack by Anna Wickenden There once was a girl. She loved school, her friends, and family. One day her friend Sasha came over. They went shopping and when they got home they went swimming. Suddenly, they were attacked by an angry mob of penguins that jumped into the pool after them. So, they ran into the house where they were cornered by one hundred cats. They couldn’t get away. The cats started jumping on them, then the girl blinked and everything disappeared. After swimming, they went into the house and drank lemonade and ate chocolate chip cookies. Hummus By Grier Freedman I was sitting in my room eating hummus when suddenly there was scratching at the door. It was clear that the dog needed to use the litter box, so I grabbed the shoelaces and brought the dog to the orange. At that moment I had realized that orange was actually tangerine and it started to glow and float into the air. My bird then growled at it ferociously as it started to spin. It exploded and then we were teleported back into the house as was tradition. I continued to eat the hummus when I noticed that it tasted loud. I looked down at it and it turned out that I was eating crayons. The house then suddenly disappeared and everything exploded. Then I was sitting in my room eating hummus…..

Kool-Aid By Charles Mendelsohn One day I was very thirsty and just saw a commercial for Kool Aid. I was craving it so badly. I said out loud “I want Kool Aid!” The next thing I know a giant pitcher of Kool Aid smashes through my wall and yells “Oh yeah.” He did not realize the strength of the wall and cracked his glass. When he took a step forward he shattered and yelled “Oh no!” I did not know what to do and just sat there in shock holding back laughter while I watched the Kool Aid man spill Kool Aid everywhere. Out of nowhere thousands of bugs showed up to drink the liquid goodness. I ran as far as I could and never went back.

Strange Gifts By Elyssa Sagall I come home one day after school and I find a package on the front door. Inside the package is a crown with jewels and I have no idea where it came from. The next day after school I find another package at the front door. Inside is a black gown with a big red rose on it. I try on the gown, put the crown on my head, and find it all fits together perfectly. Suddenly I'm not home anymore. I am in front of a castle deep in the woods. I slowly approach the castle door but am scared. The door gradually opens before me creaking ever so slightly. I step inside and the door slams shut. Inside a handsome prince approaches me and invites me to the ball that is going on before my eyes. He invites me to dance with him to a beautiful waltz. After the dance, he brings me out onto the balcony. The night has fallen but a full moon brightens up the forest surrounding me. The prince leans down and kisses my neck but a searing pain runs through my body. I pull myself away and see blood dripping from fangs in his mouth. The sight of him makes me pass out... The Bubbles By Cameron Heller One morning a man was washing dishes in his kitchen. He realized he needed more soap and within seconds bubbles began rising from the floor. They were huge, perfectly round, glossy and shiny. After a few more seconds, one began to encapsulate him. He banged and banged on the bubble but it would not pop. The bubble rose to the ceiling, broke through the wall and roof and he floated away up into the sky, past 46

the moon and into the stars. But, unfortunately, after banging on the bubble for hours, it burst! He fell and fell and fell, but luckily for him hit a cozy and dense cloud. After looking around dazed and confused, he stood up and began to walk. To him it was like walking on water, except without gravity. But surrounding him was pieces of his kitchen, floating past him in different sized bubbles. He dodged his toaster and a few dishes. He peered down off the cloud but did not see earth, only one massive bubble surrounding the earth and everything and everyone in it. Sock Puppet by Zoe Evert-Jacobs I tie my shoe. The laces turn into snakes and slither away beneath my bed. There they are eaten by the strange sock puppet creature. The sock puppet thing starts scooting along the floor towards me. He turns and starts going towards my closet where I keep all my shoes. Chewing on an expensive pair of boots, he cackles madly in between bites. He starts eating the other shoes. All of the sudden he starts smoking. There is a fuse wired to him. After about a minute he explodes. Shoes rain down everywhere. .

Alliteration Poems: 11th and 8th grades Radical By Grier Freedman Roger rode a rusted red roller coaster In Rhode island. It raddled randomly on the track Roger was rambling to the person next to him about Using a rust rake and tripping on a root. The rollercoaster continued to rattle And roll in the rain

Knight By Austin DeFilippo The nice knight was unknown The knight would love to knit in Nigeria He would face the noobs and finish them in the Nile River The knight never hit a nerd with the noodle Why did he have nappy hair? We will never know Some myths say the gnomes undo his hair Then toss it into the Netherlands Nukes then cover the world Turns out the nerd’s neck was in a noose with the nuke Garfield And His Goofy Adventure By Cameron Heller Gunther’s godmother was a gloomy gambler She often bet with gumballs and garbanzo beans But, when she lost would become gruesome She would often graffiti the town with ghoulish images But, after attending Gamblers Anonymous She became obsessed with God and waited for her Golem However, she did not find him She said “What about I go Ghana” After the gregarious fight She gallivanted in the wildlife But then, saw her god The gorilla Unlike the glue, he was graceful and gorgeous 48

But, he was goofy and gassy on the flight home And was given only goldfish for dinner Gunther and his godmother now had a new family member Garfield Ted and Ten Tin Tics By Zoe Evert-Jacobs Two sets of tiger twins Tom and Ted lived in Taiwan. They trade titanium teapots. One time, Ted got an infestation of tics It was terrible. Ten tin ticks told him to take his brother's teapot. He had a tantrum Robby Scalet By Robby Scalet One day Robby went to the amusement park Rolling up in his Rolls Royce. After getting out of the car he saw a Red Roof inn. After watching the author of radical honesty, Brad Blanton, yell at Mitt Romney. When Robby saw rioters yelling random things, a riot-control man rammed into the rioters.

People were playing Russian Roulette with a long range rifle. When I went on a roller coaster, it started to race down. Then a random rainfall came down and gave me radiation poisoning. Crazy Food By Jacob Rosenzweig Once upon a time Patrick and Peter were at Penn State.

Patrick brought some perfect food, a pickle, a pepper and a potato. Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food was plump and very precious to him. But Patrick put his precious food in a puddle of perfume. The perfume puddle poisoned 50

the pickle, pepper and potato and made them perilously pointy. They were no longer plain. I told Patrick to pick a piece of the pointy pickle and eat it. Patrick pondered this idea and decided to bite the pointy pickle. â&#x20AC;&#x153;P.U. that stinks,â&#x20AC;? went Peter. The pickle made Patrick pass gas. Well I learned my lesson. Do not put perfume on a pickle. Timmy and The Tree By Suki Blandwitt Tiny Timmy and his twin, Tall Texas, threw a tantrum. They threw the tantrum because they had a test the next day. While they were screaming, their mom was making tea in her new tin teapot. When she tried it, she burnt her tongue. After Tiny Timmy and 51

Tall Texas were done crying, Tiny Timmy rode his tricycle down to the park. On the way back he ran into a tree, and got a tick. His bike was so beaten up, he decided to get a tune up. His tummy started to hurt when he got home because there was a tiger in his room.

Where I’m From Poems: 11th and 12th grade Where I’m From By Lucas Waight I’m from corn And potatoes, from Mountain Dew, And waffles. I am from a red Zebra with rings Around its neck, And from the Wheelchair I used To take from Dad. I am from Dad’s broken Harley, to Mom’s laughing 52

At him, and from running In the street unaware of Any danger I am from “Lucas, don’t Touch the stove,” and “You’re grades suck, you’re Grounded.” Where I’m From by Melaku Hawkins I am from competitive basketball games. I am from echoing temple drums. I am from walking to the bus in bone-biting cold. I am from the baby brother Who hovers over me Casting a shadow I am from bickering with Bruke And my father saying two wrongs Don’t make a Right I am from, “Clean your room.” I am from, “I’ll do it later.” I am from “Stop being a procrastinator” I am from the connection with people From all nations and races, I am from the belief in a divine power, I am from veggie burgers, waffles. 53

I am from the Saturday morning gathering With hot buttery pancakes in syrup. I am from pizza Sundays and Chipotle Mondays. I am from movies with my sister and gym with Akil I am from the dishwasher’s association. I am from balling with friends. I am from “Come in, it’s time to do your homework.” I am from the weekend trips to Seven Eleven. Where I’m From By Ryan Salomon I am from deer meats, Cooling cups of wine, Messy candy wrappers, and Half-eaten cans of soup. I am from stale bread, And fluffy cotton candy. I am from my blue blanket Much like Linus in Charlie Brown, Short, messy, and cuddly, For it lies upon beds, Beds as hard as cave stalagmites In a room unkept Like Oscar’s. I am from the bottom of a well Wet, dark, lonely, and depressing. The candy shop in Glen Echo, Full of Life, Happy, cheerful, popular, and uplifting. 54

I am from Mother Earth, Robin, Sarah, Tim, Tory, And Mrs. Brown. I am from, “Life’s unfair,” And “Life is full of possibilities,” And “Don’t give up,” And “Nothing is impossible,” And “You decide your fate.” Where I’m From By Dean Szollosy I am from where the sky turns black I am from the city of disrespect and disloyalty. I am from ungrateful friends, And unwanted memories I am from the tainted chicken and fish, whose origin is Unknown. OI am from the ice-cream and lollipop Which melts to the touch and The smallest chocolate that falls to the ground. I am from the black truck animals and The forest As well as distant friends And unwanted memories I am from dust, logic and Happenings. Truth 55

And nothing more. I am from “How?” and “Why?” I am from “Don’t ask that” And “Who cares?” I am from “Work hard, or you’re nothing,” And “He’s real.” (Which I never believed). Where I’m From By Ali Martin I am from turkey tacos, barbeque chicken, And chocolate chip pancakes. I am from my huggie and blankie Stuffed Barney, my Winnie-the-Pooh trashcan, and My Barbie dolls. I am from huge homes, a golf course, a brown Brick House, and traffic circle. I am from Tara, Lisa, Julia, Shuan, Lauryn, and Kevin I am from “Get your grades up!” And “He’s not worth it” I am from “You’re a baby.”

Where I Am From By Jesse Auth 56

I am from home, From peanut butter and jelly, From baloney, From Apple Juice From home-mad ebread My mom’s secret recipe. She cooked it when she could. I am from sticks and dirt From ripped pants, and cloud of bug spray. I am from matches and marshmallows From melted toys and broken promises I am from the one place that made sense When the rest of the world seemed corrupted and distant. I am from poverty, running along the rich scene I am from a little neighborhood Not far from the most powerful place in the world. I am from the guidance of spirits, From my Indian ancestors, From Mom, from Grandad, Grandma, Travis Teresa, and Thomas. I am from, “Don’t worry, things will turn out okay” and “I’ll always be there, no matter what.” I am from “Never tell a lie” and “Violence only creates war, and war only creates death.” I am from, “You could help change the world one day.” Where I’m From By Doug Grayson 57

I am from French toast in the morning, And chicken tenders at night. I am from turkey sandwiches for lunch, And 7 meals a day. I am from the house with the lazy dog, And the two annoying sisters. I am from the dad that does nothing but work And the mother that hates dirt. I am from the house on the left side of the court, And the brick house I am from the place where storms always seem to hit And the house where the lights always go out. I am from “Hey! It’s my turn!” And “That’s not fair!” I am from “DJ! Clean up your room!” And “Mommy! DJ broke your favorite picture!”

Where I’m From By Ben Perper I am from bagel and lox, Homebrewed beer, Freshly baked corn-bread, And pancakes with chocolate chips I am from my little Dragonball-Z action figure I am from Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat Watching Space Jam a million times I am from very baggy jeans and over-sized shirts And matching sports jerseys 58

I am from the unnecessarily long driveway I am from Mountain Quail Road I am from Kinsman Farm I am from Dragonball-Z Sonic the Hedgehog and Lord of the Rings I am from Tenacious D and Roy Haynes I am from “Eat your vegetables!” And “If you’re not ready in 10 you’re going to be walking” I am from “Walk the dog!” and “Do the dishes” I am from “Did you get all your homework done?” And “Clean up your room!” Where I’m From By Cameron Heller I am from Chinese Food, Movies, Trips, Friends, Games, and Adventures I am from Christmas Trees, With dazzling lights, Shiny ornaments, And a gold star I am from the yellow house With the orange door and pink tulips. I am from all the furry, Soft, and old stuffed animals I am from the dogs. Although hungry And mischievous Still cuddly Who sleep next to me, And demand attention 59

I am from my mom, dad and sister I am from busy schedules, Long nights, and few Arguments. Where I’m From… By Austin DeFilippo I’m from Perogies, Coca-Cola, Lasagna, Apple Pie and Beer I am from a green stuffed dog Baseball Bloody knees from learning how to ride a bike And getting beat up by the brothers I am from Holy Cross Hospital A creek down the street Friends and Family I am from Pat, Joyce, Mary, Charlie And My Conscience I am from “I’m going to kill you!” And “Go outside and play” I am from “Stop making him cry” And “Go clean yourself up” And “Do it yourself. I don’t care anymore.”

Where I’m From By Grier Freedman 60

I am from French Toast Cinnamon sugar bagels Macaroni and Cheese And a lot of pizza I am from cities of Legos, Videogames, mountain biking And the woods I am from the middle of nowhere From a place whose name would unknowingly Have a massive influence on me And from the goats in the backyard I am from Master Chief, Chuck Norris, Jimi Hendrix Jimmy Page, and Eric Clapton I am from :No running in the house” and “Turn off the TV” I am from “Put the controller down” and “2:00 in the morning is too late to be practicing.”

Where I’m From By Daniel Chan I am from Pho, Lobster tails in butter sauce, Spatzele, and Dim Sum I am from Lego contraptions Finger paintings, and Homemade Halloween Costumes I am from the top of the hill, 61

The cookie-cutter house next to All the others And the “Capital Of the World.” I am from Mom, Dad, Freya, Nico, Eike, And Burt. I am from “Go to your room!” and “Because I said so!” I am from “Nana na nana.” And “God sees you and cares for you” (Which I stopped believing ages ago.) Where I’m From By Charles Mendelsohn I am from Chala, Wacky Mac, Orange Juice, and Peanut Butter Sandwiches. I am from Sharky, My burnt blue blanket, Lion King, Legos, Hot Wheels, Connect the dots, Power Rangers, and Superheroes I am from the tree I climbed, Georgetown, and Going to Museums I am from my parents And my Grandma 62

I am from “Don’t touch that,” “What’s on TV?” and “I need more Legos.” Where I’m From by Elyssa Sagall I am from pizza, macaroni and Cheese, chocolate coins, latkes, Hamantaschen, ice cream cake, And matzo brie. I am from my blue blanky, pink Pig, Sushi and Ginger (my dogs), Bangs, and a big smile I am fro the water, TV, Gameboy Wii, and Computer. I am from Pokemon, Mario, Dragonball, Smurfs, and Powerpuff Girls I am from the house with columns Forsythia bushes, rhododendron Bushes and the Bonifant Cemetery I am from Shady Grove, Washing DC, Silver Spring, And Florida. I am from Judy, Myron, Sheri, and Ruth. I am from Harry, Alex, and Barker. I am from “Owned, Pawned, and Sticky feeted” and “I don’t care” And “Grow up”. I am from “Kinderlachen” and “Elchewawa” And “You did not just hear that. Where I'm From 63

By Anna Wickenden I am from zebra cakes, Amazing pasta and salad, That are always delicious And a lot of chicken. I am from my leopard print blanket, The baby lamb and giraffe, Socks that would never fit my tiny feet, And playing dress up in the basement. I am from the last house on the left, The house with the swimming pool, I was brought here from Russia. I am from God, Bubbie and Grandpa Katie, Dan, and Sasha. I am from "You'll understand when you're older, "No, don't eat that!" "Go to sleep, you have to wake up soon, And "Everything happens for a reason" Where I'm From By Zoe Evert-Jacobs I am from pumpkin pies, Really tasty root-beer, double icing cakes That always sink in the middle And lots of grilled meat. I am from my little polar bear, My yellow duckey, Lots and lots of penguins And playing dress-up. I am from the periwinkle house 64

With the dead oak tree (that's not there any more) The one with lots of flowers And trees I am from people I don't know And people I do Bob, Debbie, Abuela and Abuel, Misi, La Grita, Shasta, Mango and Kiwi. I am from "I'm tired" and "Life's not fair" I am from "Empty the dishwasher" and "Cold hearted orb that rules the night" (My dad always says that at the weirdest times). To William Carlos Williams Poems: 8th Grade The Cake By Brandon Butsavage Please forgive me

but I could not resist

the magnet-like smell

of the ice-cream cake

which lay on the balcony telling me to eat it 65

please forgive me but the vanilla cake was so moist. This Is Just To Say By Karlyn McAllister

Before you left I took the money back.

The money you took from me to hang out with your friends.

You put it in your bag before you left.

And I used it to buy some snacks.

I’m really sorry that you didn’t have a good time.

But I’m just a kid that wants to have fun. This is just to say By Leora Cherry

I have filled your shoes with shaving cream

and you probably felt a strange feeling all day.

I’m sorry but I couldn't resist the delightful 67

squish-squish of your shoes. Inside the Alley By Leora Cherry the trash cans stand

and darkness fills every space.

In the middle of it all

cats eyes gleam. Their meows filling the empty space around them. Independent Voices: 6th and 8th Grade Sisters By Grace Sierra sisters scary, playful clowning, fighting, laughing but we are family 68

siblings

family happy, cool caring, laughing, loving we care Sierra

Untitled By Cameron Bailey Everything has meaning even a fly on a web, it feeds the spider

Seasons By Keegan Freedman A snowflake falls In a pile of snow outside Below the trees Flowers blossoming Beside the sidewalk Where itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hot In the grass below us Having fun Mosquitoes biting us All day long 69

Trees are bare When itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s getting colder Leaves are falling Seasons By Laura Heckel

white snow falling day by day catching snowflakes on your tongue hot chocolate so so good

blowing breezes flowers blooming and trees blooming getting warmer

swimming pools no homework for all kids ice cream

leaves falling going back to school to learn new things weather cooling

Winter and Spring By Nathaniel Crystal

Winter and Spring

A white coat outside flakes of snow are falling now we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have school - YEAH!

On my walk to school I see Cherry Blossoms - PINK! itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spring, take it in.

Untitled By Noah Morris

Clock Loud, shocking Small, longhand, shorthand Makes a lot of noise Timer

Haiku By Satchel Jacobson Winter, snow silently pours down, kids wildly sledding down the snowy hills, when snow falls, peace hits

Yay Spring, things are blooming, 71

families and friends are peacefully enjoying outside, things are quickly changing

Summer, hot and dry weather, thunderstorms are corrupting, rain is pouring everywhere, down hits the water onto the ground

Fall fall, things are falling, animals are migrating and retiring for winter, and climate is alternating

Untitled By Meribor Matusow

hair long, silky brushing, cleaning, braiding I love my hair. Brunette

Untitled By Andrew Honn

a sad snake slithers endlessly starving for the dead of winter extinguishes all food and those that hunt them he will search endlessly as if on a treadmill of life 72

Untitled By Mark Worth-Sosnick I had lost my pen next day I found a pencil That made me feel glad The day after that my brother broke his ankle walking He felt very depressed. Im sad, my cat died My mom got us some kittens We were ecstatic

Writer’s Block By Leora Cherry Homework stinks somewhat My poem wouldn’t come then Constance can rhyme island? The door to my mind is barred. My mind is charred. There are cinders underfoot. Why this you ask? Well this is the result of Writer’s block. 73

Onomatopoeia: Elementary School Rock Climber By: Alison Weinberger Clink Clink Goes the harness Bang Bang Goes the rope Swish Swish Down we come Pop Pop Goes the soda can

Stealthy By: Jason Harriot Creak! Click! Goes the door Quick! Hide! Clink! Click! Goes the lock Knows the code? Snatch! Zip! Goes the thief Has the diamond! 74

Screee! Go the sirens Catch the thief! Schools Out by John Paul Libanati Tick Tock Goes the clock Ring! Ring! Goes the bell Hooray! Goes the class Clink! Slam! Goes the door Woohoo! Goes the teacher SCHOOLS OUT! Buzz Buzz Goes The Bee By Jacob Mintz Buzz Buzz Goes the bee Woosh Woosh Goes the cowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tail Bam Bam 75

Cow is stung Wack Wack Bee is dead

Flying Burger Eric Quam Swoop! Swoop! Goes the flying burger Zoom! Zoom! Flies so fast Bash! Bash! Into a guys hands Crunch! Crunch! Eats the burger Yikes! Yikes! Swallows the wings

Civil Rights Acrostics: 9th Grade Bravery by Ari Cottman Bright future Revolution Activits Volunteers Experts 76

Righteous You will never forget what they've done.

Freedom By Saria Walia Fight Rosa Parks for Education, Equality. Dream of Opportunity Martin Luther King

Protest By Chase Miles Progress Rights Open-minded Tense Equality Strong Turbulence

Freedom By Jessie Gillman Fabulous Rosa Parks Refused to get up from her seat. Even though a white man asked her to move. Each day for a year, all African Americans boycotted. Day after day no African American rode the bus. Overall, there were no busses on the street which caused the company to fall. Most days of walking got the law changed. Fight By Rael Griffin Fire versus Ice Guns Hate Time Freedom By Jacob O'Hara Free speech Respect Equality Equal Rights Domination Oppressed Music 78

Poems About Family: 8th Grade Family Poem By Danielle Wassertzug My Madre is the star in my burst. She watches every hockey game I play in She always says to me, “Don’t worry, you did fine.” She holds my family together, like glue.

My Padre is like a kid inside a man's body and not only is he my padre but my coach too. He loves to scream, “Not in my kitchen,” while I’m playing hockey. My dad loves eating apricots. My dad’s a giant Caps fan. My brother is the comedian and he loves to place a bet especially when it comes to cars. You hear him say “Called it.” He loves his hat collection. My twin sister Elle is the most amazing friend I have and she teaches me things from candy tasting to talking closely. Ellaphante is the sister I love. She always says “You suck, I love you.” 79

Elle loves pickles, makeup, and her clothes. As for me I’m the athletic one and I bring joy to any party. I’m a redhead member too I love Ice hockey, pickles, and art. I am found saying “That's my jam” or “Ohhh feisty.” Family By Lauren Taragin

My mom is a nice person that never stops. She always smiles when she sees me and has been teaching me new things since I was a baby. She loves me, carvel ice cream, reading, exercising, eating healthy and helping people. She always says, “I LOVE YOU”. My mom will always be my mom and friend. My dad is smart as a fox. He likes to run and read and he loves his family. He always says “Read, Lauren." My dad is just like his dad. My dad brings information to discuss at the sabbath table. We know he loves it, but it's always so boring. My brother is nice to me, sometimes. 80

He sometimes annoys me. He loves BASEBALL. He always says “ please get out of my room”. My brother is like the Annoying Orange. My grandparents are sweet. They always laugh and make jokes. They love to read and spend time with their grandchildren They always say “I LOVE YOU” My grandmother makes amazing sweet and sour meatballs. My grandparents are my sunshine. I am sweet (that’s what my mom says). I smile most of the time. I love basketball, playing, and having fun. I always say, “ I LOVE YOU, MOM.” I am a Tweety Bird. My Buzurk Life By Emma Cummins My mom is like a speeding car that never wants to stop. She pushes herself way too much when she is working out. She loves to knit, listen to alternative rock, and play the violin. She always says, “you don’t need that Emma” My mother is a big teddy bear because she is so comfy and cuddly. 81

My Step Dad is like an old ripped teddy bear that you still love. He wears cowboy boots to work and his hair is spiky. He loves to go to music festivals, listen to music, and make cocktails. He always says “Go to bed Emma!” My Step Dad is an old book that you will never stop reading.

My Brother is a tech geek that never stops calling you. He loves Bill Gates and hates to clean his room. He loves to play video games, collect computers, and play with his friends. He always says “Emma you don’t know anything”. My brother is like a song that you can never get out of your head.

I am a bright lamp that never burns out. I like to run with my dad and go to the mall with my mom. I like to sing, 82

dance, and act. I always say “Ugh” when I can’t do something. I am like a dog that never stops barking because I sing all day. Cinquains: Elementary School Sport Zev Namrow Sport Fun, awesome Exciting, adrenalin pumping, jumping Only on snow Skiing!

Underground By: John Paul Libanati Underground Musty, Scary Exploring, caving, deadly Deep down in the ground Mines!

Sword 83

Jacob Mintz Sword Fast, Scary Winning, buzzing, timing Fun weekend training Epee!

Gadget Jason Harriot Gadget Sneaky, Compact Flipping, whipping, exciting Everything you need Multi-tool! School Evan Hall School Long, sleepy Boring, changing, tiring People learning Language Arts Class

Swim By Leora Fishman 84

Swim Float, dive Jumping, swimming, splashing Nice and cool Water

Running By Noah Pettiford Running Fast, hot Breathing, sweating, drinking Running miles and miles 5K

Horses By Anna Courtney Horses Big, cute Riding, running, jumping Pony

Doughnuts By Eric Quam Doughnuts 85

Yummy, tasty Eating, drooling, licking A messy face Boston Cream

Bunny By Alison Weinberger Bunny White, small Eating, playing, hopping My favorite animal Rabbit

Poems on Biology and Math: 10th and 11th Graders Chemistry By Ben Perper Chemistry is hard I enjoyed Biology No offense Ms. V. Jellyfish By Zoe Evert-Jacobs Watch out or they'll sting The ocean swim if painful Get out now or else 86

Lions By Elyssa Sagall Just for your knowledge Leo the lion says grrr In a funny way

Binary By Daniel Chan 01000010 01101001 01101110 01100001 01110010 01111001 00001101 00001010 01001111 01101110 01100101 01110011 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01111010 01100101 01110010 01101111 01110011 00100000 01101001 01101110 00100000 01101100 01101001 01101110 01100101 01110011 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01100011 01101111 01100100 01100101 00111011 00001101 00001010 01110011 01101000 01101111 01110111 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110010 01101111 01100001 01100100 00101110 00001101 00001010 01101100 01100101 01110100 00100111 01110011 00100000 01110100 01110010 01100001 01110110 01100101 01101100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101001 01101110 01110100 01100101 01110010 01101110 01100101 01110100 00101100 00001101 00001010 01100110 01100001 01110011 01110100 01100101 01110010 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100001 01101110 00100000 01100001 00100000 01100110 01101001 01100111 01101000 01110100 01100101 01110010 00100000 01101010 01100101 01110100 00101110 00001101 00001010 01010011 01101111 00100000 01110011 01110100 01100001 01110010 01110100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100111 01100001 01101101 01100101 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01101100 01100101 01110100 00100000 01101001 01110100 00100000 01101100 01101111 01100001 01100100 00101110

Translation: Ones and zeros in lines of code; show you the road. let's travel the internet, faster than a fighter jet. So start the game and let it load.

Math Poem By Meklit Solomon Oh, Hi! Why I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see you there? The Sky, oh itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so beautiful, As beautiful as that apple pie. My, it will be hard to find the area of that pie! No, that is just a foolish lie.

By the way, you find the area of a circle using: A=r2 times Triangles By Anna Wickenden They have 3 sides A number you can roll on dice 3 angles at each corner All of them are in order To form a border This is a triangle Geometric Shapes By Sonia Gerstenfield Circles are round Lines are straight Circles have no sides Octagons have eight Squares are made up of equal sides 90 degree angles and parallel lines Unlike circles Squares have angles Just like pentagons and Triangles But when it comes to lines Curves will never be found For lines are straight And circles are round

Spoken Word Poems: 10th Grade Unexpected Attack By Meklit Solomon You know when a person used to mean the world to you But then The coin flipped over. It was just like those people in the plane That were in a plane ride and it has been 3 hours. They count down with 2 hours left. Then the unexpected happens. The plane, the plane it starts shaking a little Then the plane starts to fall DOWN with ALL the SPEED and WEIGHT it has Just like that 6 Flags Superman ride I went on during Spring Break Oh, let me tell you Your stomach DROPS all the way to your toes And you're screaming Louder, and LOUDER, and LOUDER, and LOUDER You just don't know what ot do But scream and cry your eyes out You want it to end But expect the unexpected It was just like that moment when The person you like, likes you back BUT Ends up crushing you SO SO hard Just like those 8 legged spiders I make my dad crush When they're crawling closer and closer to me My first thought was why did I fall into this mess Minutes and Minutes later The plane just explodes

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Flames surround the plane And my last thought was Life might give lemons But honey you have to Expect the unexpected Pumpkin By Maria Nwanze The family crowded around the table. Little ones eyeing greedily the desert. The pumpkin pie aroma filling the already intoxicating air. The smell bum rushed my nostrils, widening my senses. My eyes darted to my one and only, the love of my life, my pumpkin pie. You see, pumpkin has always been there for me, whether it be a heartbreak and I needed something to fill and comfort me, or whether it was to surprise e on my birthday, pumpkin has always been there for me. I remember when I met him. It was a bright Thanksgiving evening. You see, pumpkin caught my eye one day. His bright gold brown creamy color sitting among the other pumpkins. His majestic metal frame shone as bright as the heavens. Pumpkin was calling my name! Who am I to be worthy enough to be called by such a food product. I ran to my pumpkin, dashing through obstacles, flying over shoppers. I ran like a mother to her injured son, and a princess to her prince! I gathered my pumpkin into my arms, kissed its plastic protector. I brought him home, laid him unto the table slowly, and, with great love and respect, ate him. The Piano By Sonia Gerstenfield When I play the piano, I feel alive. The feeling of making music in such a selfexpressing way relieves me of my troubles. When I play, memories of my youth pay a visit. I see things. I see the sunny landscapes. I see the bright blue ocean and the feeling of relaxing summer at the beach. I see the flowing eaves pass and smack the shore only to once again retreat. I see the memorable view out the window of our old minivan, passing by the endless number of green trees. I revisit the strong feeling of invincibility that children tend to have. I forget about the bad and remember the good. I feel the feelings of trust and love towards my family. I feel at peace and that anything is possible. When I finish, I remember things. I remember that pain and suffering is part of life. I remember that every obstacle that stops us in our paths is meant to teach us something, and no matter how many times we run away or try to escape, that obstacle 90

will never vanish until we face it and learn from it. I remember that nothing lasts forever, and all good things must come to an end eventually only so that new good things can form. There will always be bad times that may even last years, but they too will not last forever. I stumble off that piano bench seeing things clearly, feeling as though all my problems, or at least most of them, are resolved. Because when I play the piano, I feel alive. My Emotions By Katherine Raiche These emotions always seem to get to me I always tell myself to never over-think things Combining school, friends, and family It's too much for me One emotion takes over another There's always that one point where I feel like I am going to blow up It's like a balloon that's about to burst into tiny pieces, because it has too Much tension My mom always told me to live life to the fullest But sometimes the "fullest" seems like a lot of work I feel that I can't concentrate on anything if I have stress in my hands So when I know I need to do something really important, I need to put all that stress in a little box and close it Then open that box up when the time is right My dad said don't let stress overtake your personality Because he said stress can turn me into a real dip wad My dad told me not to let anyone turn me into something I'm not. I feel when I'm angry and upset, it's like a demon has taken over my body Because overall I'm a really happy person I don't like it at all But I overtake that demon and try to think positive over the negative As easy as it is to be negative Always think positive, because that gets you through life a lot easier than You think Imagine a brick falling down a 100 foot building and hitting the ground, Smashing into tiny pieces, all that stress built up and got to you Now imagine a light feather just floating through the air softly, try to Think positively, that feather is all your emotions not build up and 91

Keeping calm. What To Expect By Shayan Afsharzanjani When I was young, my mom told me that she was point B or something similar. She told me that I could always find her in times of need "Keep going," the words would go through my mind. Change is the only constant in life and if it gets you down These bring back images of my mother every time There is hurt that can't be fixed by a band-aid or poetry. Although my family loves me, it isn't easy to communicate Life with them is being in High School They only know gossip like it was imprinted on their DNA Only lacking the effect of change My voice is small but I must keep singing until it is heard I may be timid now. Just don't abuse it because a force of a lion backs me. And then we will see who is timid. It is I who believed in me, not you who spurned me And it is I who will shine through the clouds Then make something of myself The tools given to me at birth will coincide with my life Giving e a future full of wealth and prosperity But only to find myself in the same position of my parent Telling what my mother told me to my children. What Life Is By Tommy McGinnis Life. It's Hard It's not always easy It can sometimes be too hard for some people But if You think about it the bad times get more attention than the good Life is like a roller coaster and we all have ticks and we all gonna get a ride You are going up and up Then you get to the top and you feel great Then you start to fall And fall 92

And fall Then You hit bottom And you take some turns Some loops And you go up, but not as high as before Then you go down Then up Then you come around the going up part You feel great You feel amazing once again Then you peak Then you fall Life is just like this if you think about it. Short Fiction: 12th Grade The Monk By Jesse Auth He sat there alone under a large oak tree, eyes violently fixed on the atmosphere ahead. He didn’t move. He sat cross legged with both hands gently placed on his knees. His elbows bent upward to form a sot of “L” shape leading to his broad shoulders. The setting sun that glimmered in front of him gave his face a pinkish orange look. Only the black bandanna blew freely in the wind on his bald head. His face was rough with bony jagged edged cheeks. The prickled of his poorly shaved beard was like sand paper. And he has there like a statue, only focused on the setting sun. Suddenly the ground started to shake. Rocks, pebbles, and twigs scatter energetically along the high up edge of a grassy plain. It was as if the cliff was a giant cell phone set on vibrate, and someone was calling. But it didn't phase him at all. He sat, eyes fixed on the sun. Branches of the tree started to break and leaves angrily rushed about quickly scraping the sides of his face. He didn’t even seem to notice and as quick as it happened, he was gone, vanished into the sun rays and a never ending abyss. Impression By Melaku Hawkins

He sat there in the corner wearing the red jersey with the number 3 and black shorts on with lettering going down the side vertically. A purple cloud covered his feet. On the left side of his shirt there was a small yogurt stain; it was shaped like the state of Texas. In the small beige room with dim yellow light, he was looking around. First at the white book shelves, then the white and black window, lastly the black and thin television. He had a bright diamond earring in his left ear and his complexion was light chocolate brown. He had small skinny fingers that looked like tooth picks. His face seemed small with big brown eyes, staring off into the lighted room and the darkness that awaited him outside the windows as if he was a hunter waiting for his prey. He had bags under his eyes, making it look seem like he hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t slept in days. His eye brows were thin as if some of the hairs had jumped off his face. His cheeks were skinny and thin like a leaf that had just fallen from a tree and landed on the ground, and had been dried up by the sun. His eye lashes were thin and came to a curl just like a femalesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Below his eyes, he had three scars on both sides of his face, one being vertical and the others being horizontal. His face felt rough like a rock due to all the hair on it. Under his chin he had peach fuzz that was forming into a beard. It was kind of thick it was noticeable but at the same time, though thin and small. It looked like a little black cloud that was taking over his chin. Underneath the peach fuzz was a light line as if he had been in an accident and had gotten stitches. His body was bony like a thin tree. His arms were skinny and surprising long for his height, looking like skinny tree branches with multiple scars and burns on them. Whenever he would move his arms it would make a cracking sound due to him being so thin. His feet looked like they belonged to little midgets. His nose was small and flared with every breath he took. He had broad shoulders as if he carried the world on them at one point. When he would laugh he would squint his eyes. It would look like he would stop breathing he would use all his energy gasping for air; it was an unique laugh. The ears he had were gaunt and pointed as if he were one of Santaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s little helpers. His legs were long and thin with hair and a lot of scars on them. They looked like a chicken's legs. The Aging Soldier By Ryan Salomon He sat there, in the early afternoon of a hot summer day on the terrace of the retirement home. He was partially bald, with gray hair covering all but the middle of his head. His skin was tan and wrinkly, and veins were bulging out in places. His hands were bony, and they looked as though they had been in constant use. He was wearing khaki shorts and a blue button down oxford shirt. Here sat a man who had been a belly gunner during World War II, now a veteran. Sometimes he could still 94

hear the sounds of the plane engines as they flew over the hump of India. There were small black stains on the right side of his chest, on the front of his shirt. Chocolate? No, they were cigarette burns. He was holding a cigarette at this moment in his right hand. In his other hand, he was holding a hose. It was on, and he was using it to water the garden he so cared about. To his left was a cup of coffee that he would regularly drink from, (when he wasn’t smoking cigarettes). To his right was an oxygen canister that he needed because he had mild emphysema from his years of smoking. He had to turn the oxygen canister off whenever he was smoking. Resting on his right knee was a cane he used to help him walk. He was unsteady on his feet and sometimes he would scratch his legs until they bled. Even though he couldn’t walk on the uneven grounds of his garden, he still did his best to care for the plants. He knew that he was no longer a tough soldier, but he could still sit on a chair and water the plants with his coffee, cigarettes, and oxygen. He was having a good time.

Father By Doug Grayson As he slowly rose from the snug and commodious bed you could hear a small “errr..” from his bed. He walked with a gate of an old man as his feet never left the ground and his face covered with the five o’clock shadow, and hair messy as a bird’s nest. He maneuvered his lazily way around the house to finally reach the all stone and granite kitchen, where his wife all dressed up as if she was headed out with her friends had a warm and mouth-watering plate of eggs, bacon, sausage, and bagels ready for her famished husband to dig in. He slowly moved his ashy and flaky hand towards the glistening fork that was located inconveniently across the table. Once he got a grasp of the clean and shiny fork he got a smirk of joy on his face. He inserted the fork into the yellow scrambled eggs, smoke rose from the eggs revealing a scent of pleasure and satisfaction. As he took his first bit into the succulent eggs his mouth watered like a joyous river over - flowing with joy. Once he finished his plate was cleaned and his he said, “I feel like my belly is going to explode!” he sluggishly maneuvered his way back up stairs, back slouched and feet still dragging, to go get ready for the tiring on coming day that awaited him. He got back upstairs and heard his lovely kids, ages 17, 15, and 8,sluggishly moving around the house. And as he looked at his offspring with joy, he got a smile of much joy on his face. He then went to his 17 year old that looked exactly like him, the spitting image, and let out a joyful, “Good Morning, D.J!” As his son looked up at him, one eye open the other eye closed, his mouth gaped open and he 95

let out a horrible snarl, saying “hphtitoihsiuhfuhe...” As the dad was confused as to what just happened with his eyebrow raised he ask, “What? You know what? Forget it. I will see you downstairs.” Once all his children reached the bottom of the steps, they saw their father frantically running throughout the house since he was in a rush. After the frantic sprinting throughout the house, he ran out the white door into the ice cold, cruel, and brutal air for another tiring day of work. The Word of God By Lucas Waight She closed the book, set in on the table and finally decided to walk through the door. Mary had realized that this was now her calling; her whole life she had been raised Catholic. So, now she had decided that it would be best if she were to become a nun. Mary's mother, Charlotte was a devout Catholic, and her father, Phil was a fallen Priest. Her mother and father would drag her to church on Sundays, and when she was a child she hated to go. But somewhere along the line she started to understand what The Bible was really all about. Mary was 23 now and she did not know what she wanted to do with her life. Mary knew nothing about becoming a nun. She decided that she would visit a monastery where she could find out what it really took. When she arrived at the monastery Mary took a long look at the structure. The building was very tall, three or four stories tall. It was made of stones that looked a bit worn out, the walls on the back had faded graffiti on them. But every brick was perfectly in place. There was a bell tower right in the middle with a cross on top of it, and as Mary looked up at the tower, she saw what looked to be a tiny little penguin at the top getting ready to ring the bell. The monastery was obviously old, but it was assembled in such a way that it would last for many more years. Mary went to open the doors of the monastery; the doors were made of thick solid oak. It took much effort to open the door for she was not a tall or strong woman. She was met by an older woman she looked to be in her late sixties. Her face was sagging and wrinkled she had grey eyes that looked sunken. The nun had no expression on her face as Mary greeted her. “Hello, my name is Mary and I would like to inquire about becoming a Nun,” said Mary. 96

“I am Sister Josephine, And why do you want to become a part of the sisterhood?” asked sister Josephine. When she spoke she used no emotion and still showed no expression on her face. “Well I was raised Catholic, I did not have much interest in it growing up but now I would like to study the word of God,” “Do you even know what it takes to become a Nun?” sister Josephine voice started to rise. “Not at all, but could you tell me what it does takes?” “As a Nun you can never have children, drink or do drugs, you must remain chaste, and you must give up all pleasures to keep yourself working for God.” As Sister Josephine turned around took look at Mary, she was gone just as fast as she had come. Sister Josephine walked to the door and looked out, watching Mary get into her car and drive off as fast as she could. Sister Josephine put her hands together, leaned up against the wall and smiled.

Closing The Book By Ali Martin She closed the book, placed it on the table, and finally decided to walk through the door. Sophie was in her friend Tara’s room waiting for her to come back from making them snacks for their sleepover. While waiting, Sophie had decided to take a look around. And her eyes fell on Tara’s pink journal with the words “KEEP OUT” scrawled on the cover. Sophie’s hand moved toward the journal, then she pulled it away as if the book were hot. At last, her hand had moved toward the book and knocked it off the dresser. Bending down, she started to read the pages. What she found there was horrible, hurtful, and mean. She had sat there, on the floor, thinking about what to do. Her eyes were watering and she felt the slick tears roll down her cheeks. She then heard Tara’s phone get a text. Sophie then got up and briefly looked down at the phone’s screen to see 97

what the text said. She couldn’t believe what she just read. She decided to confront Tara about the journal and the text message. Sophie opened the door and went downstairs to confront Tara. When Sophie got downstairs, Tara was cooking up a storm. She wasn’t sure how to get the courage to ask Tara about the journal and the text message but she knew she had to. So Sophie went up to Tara and just asked her: “Hey so I saw your journal and I saw what you wrote about me in it. Do you want to explain?” “What journal? Oh the journal. I didn’t write anything about you or say anything about you.” “Don’t lie because I saw what you wrote so just admit it!” “I didn’t write anything about you in the journal I promise!” “You’re lying! What you said about me really hurt and I don’t think I can ever forgive you.” “Well you didn’t have any right to look in my journal. That is personal. Did you even see the keep out written on it?” “I did but when I got up my hand accidentally hit it off the dresser and it fell open to where you wrote about me.” Sophie began to leave but then remembered that her and Tara had charm bracelets to mark their friendship. Sophie took the charm bracelet off and left it on the kitchen table. She went back up to Tara’s room to get her backpack. While she was getting her stuff, she saw the journal on the dresser just sitting there. Sophie felt like it was haunting her, so she took it. Sophie knew that Tara would find out about her journal when she went back into her room. She knew it was the right thing to do. She left Tara’s house without saying goodbye and went home to throw the journal away in the dumpster behind her house. The Woman in The Wife By Dean Szollosy She closed the book, placed it on the table and finally decided to walk through the door. As she did she remembered… Lisa, a short woman with jet black hair, massaged her calloused hands as she mulled over the day. A pile of food stained dishes still lined the sink. Dust clusters by the side of the mop still hovered over the ground. No matter how much cleaning was done the house seemed to work against Lisa. The one object that stayed spotless throughout the day was a golden laced bible in the middle of a table. It lay openly in the living room, well displayed and pampered by the husband. Lisa knew that it is 98

forbidden for her to read what lay inside; however, she ever desperately wanted to know what secrets it held. Lisa’s husband would inspect the house every day after work, coming through the house with a latex glove. Every day was the same mindnumbing task. Sweep the floor, dust the house, clean the leftover dishes and then prepare dinner for the coming evening. Periodically, Lisa would look out the window to see her neighbor, inside as well, roaming around the house sweeping the dust off the mantelpiece. The woman would sometimes lock eyes with Lisa for a moment, but those moments were always broken swiftly. She then resumed her usual rounds around the house, purposely turning her back to the window. Never knowing what the woman's name was, this was Lisa only real contact with another woman. She longed for interaction and connection, but she knew the rules and the punishments that followed. Outside the window lay a world conformed and regulated. The houses aligned in even distances. Even the grass had been trimmed to all the same lengths displaying pure perfection. Lisa would turn the T.V on once a day, and watch the news briefly. Images of smiling families consisting of a white couple, each having a boy and a girl as children, would be plastered on today's topic of living a happier life. Lisa desired more than anything to see and feel what a true happy life was like. Not what society said life should be; but what it really consisted of. Tired and sick of pretending, Lisa knew her time was coming. Looking upon her husband's perfectly ironed shirts, organized by day, with matching ties laced over the hooks, Lisa wondered, “Who was the one to make the shirt? Do they know that it would be owned by this man? Do they know what life is outside that of closed barriers? Do they know what other possibilities lay outside the tie wearing man's fist? They do not, for I do not.” Walking back downstairs, Lisa pushed over the broomstick and pushed the dishes aside. Reaching forward to grab the golden laced book, she started to read what little she could comprehend. Lisa looked upon page after page, heart pounding faster and faster with every phrase she read. Her eyes now were wide and blue as the sky. A sharp metallic click echoed as the door swung open. She closed the book, placed it on the table and finally decided to walk through the door. In front of Lisa stood her husband, a tall stout man with a blank expression. He looked upon the wrecked house then back at Lisa. His hand then turned to a fist. As it did, Lisa quickly grasped his wrist and pushed him aside, looking at the vast world that lay in front of her.

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