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CONCRETE POMEGRANATES

Poetry and prose by writers grades 3-5 from Amplify Summer Camp in conjunction with 916 Ink

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CONCRETE POMEGRANATES Poetry and prose by writers grades 3-5 from Amplify Summer Camp in conjunction with 916 Ink

About 916 Ink 916 Ink is the only arts-based literacy nonprofit in the greater Sacramento region dedicated to providing creative writing workshops for youth, ages 5-25, to transform them into confident writers. We empower students to become the authors of their own lives, one published story at a time. Since 2011, we have served over 3,000 kids in the Sacramento Region, and published more than 100 publications. Our mission is to empower children and youth through creative writing. We envision a Sacramento region where every child and teen is given access to a creative writing program that leads them to believe in themselves and to understand the power of the written word. Learn more about us at www.916ink.org, or send an email to info@916ink.org to learn how to become involved.

DISCLAIMER

This is a work of fiction and poetry. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author and publisher hold exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Copyright 2020.Â 4

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Dear Reader, What you hold in your hands is the hard work and dedication of a community of youth and adult writers working together to tell stories that inspire, entertain, and heal. At 916 Ink, we teach young people how to write, listen, and support each other in the pursuit of creating literary art. The words in these pages are carefully chosen and crafted to reflect their unique voice. This book is a celebration of “taking the yes,” which is a motto of 916 Ink students. “Taking the yes” means that students are unafraid to collaborate with each other and themselves. It might sound weird—how does one “collaborate” with his or her own self? By shutting down the inner critics in our head that tell us that we aren’t good enough, our stories don’t matter, or what we might say is stupid or unnecessary. Stories are how we create meaning and make sense of the world. What’s better than to teach young people how to tell stories, create meaning out of their lives, and understand the world? Creative writing carves a path to a better life. Writers know this, but maybe the rest of the world doesn’t. A writer is someone who truly gets to live twice—once through their senses and once through the page. Everyone needs writers. Favorite television shows? Go thank a writer. News articles? Thank a writer. Education? Writers wrote the curriculum. Business? Can’t happen without writers creating marketing tools and business plans. Writers make the world go around. By reading this book you’ve supported the growth of a writer. Thanks. Please consider making a donation to this great cause on our website at www.916ink.org if you’d like to further our mission of populating the planet with youth who can “take the yes,” and lead a happy life. Ink-tastically yours, The 916 Ink staff, the Board of Dreamers, volunteers, and youth writers

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Acknowledgments Brenda Nguyen

Wordslinger

Damon Plant

Wordslinger

Jay Oatis

Wordslinger

Taylor Garcia

Wordslinger

Jordan Dahlen

Inspirator

Katie McCleary

Founding Executive Director

Michael Spurgeon

Founding Board President

Kathy Flynn

Board of Dreamers, President

DJ Waldow

Board of Dreamers, Vice President

Shelley Blanton-Stroud

Board of Dreamers, Secretary

Stacey Powell

Board of Dreamers, Treasurer

Beatrice Tetteh

Board of Dreamers

Chris Worden

Board of Dreamers

Daniel Kaufman

Board of Dreamers

Lynn Lizarraga

Board of Dreamers

Rekha Tejpal

Board of Dreamers

Shelley Blanton-Stroud

Board of Dreamers

Vince Wong

Board of Dreamers

Xenia Schutt

Board of Dreamers

Ian Hadley

Executive Director

Angela Tannehill

Creative Director

Nikki Cardoza

Director of Programming

Allison Stelly

Development Manager

Paulette Greenhouse

Program Manager

Emma Hoppough

Production Coordinator

Maria Gavia

Office Manager

Christina Teed

Outreach and Development Associate,

AmeriCorps VISTA

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Morning Session

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The Tale of Khana and the Dark Fighter Group Story Maleficent once taught her son, the Dark Fighter, how to shape-shift into a mouse with horns. The Dark Fighter had magical powers, like black puddles and ambient chaos magic. They could destroy a person with those powers. Dark Fighter wanted to give up his dark, evil past. He wanted to leave it behind and become a normal human. The underworld had a secret power that transformed him into whatever he wanted to be, BUT—he had to find it! Dark Fighter and his mom, Maleficent, moved to a new castle. In the old castle, where they used to live, there was a portal that threatened their world. Dark Fighter had to break into that castle and find their way through it to get to the portal to the underworld to find the object that would make him human. Dark Fighter made it to the wild, where some people tried to kidnap him. He fought them and won their trust. He befriended them to help him get to the underworld. They were a headless ghost knight with a crossbow and two swords. And a woman who kicked butt whose name was Khana. Poisonous thorns surrounded the castle. Dark Fighter and his jolly folk had to figure out how to get in. Khana had protective gloves to pull the thorns out of the way. A word puzzle appeared in front of the Dark Fighter and his jolly folk. He used his dark magic to push the letters upward to rearrange the order. They rearranged the letters to create a word. It said, “Down The Stairs... Behind The Bookshelf.” There was a beast guarding the portal along with skeleton guards. Dark Fighter fought his final battle against a giant dragon in a gladiator pit. Dark Fighter was mortally wounded by the giant dragon. Dark

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Fighter fought back, and eventually the dragon was defeated. A gem was taken from the dragonâ€™s forehead. Maleficent arrived and healed the Dark Fighter with her powers. Then they came across a series of goblets with magical potions. The goblets had different shapes. Dark Fighter put the gem up to the goblets to try and find the right match. The gem leapt out of Dark Fighterâ€™s hand with a magnetic force and fit into the right goblet. Dark Fighter found the right goblet and drank the potion. He got his humanity back. But then there was a fire. The Headless Ghost Knight used his horse to jump over the fire and save his friends on his back. In the process of saving his friends, his armor melted, and the only thing keeping his protoplasm in place was now gone. They all moved to Los Angeles and became very rich. Khana became the first female president. The Dark Fighter moved into the brand-new Governorâ€™s Mansion.

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Story Race- Group One Evelyn Avey, Jack Loverich, Yu-Tai Leung, and Jay Oatis

Jack is cool. There once was a mouse named Jerry who beat up a cat named Tom. Tom was very sad that he got beat up. â€œOh no! Look out!â€? said Tom. Jerry got hit in the face with a giant mallet made of stale Twizzlers. There once was a noob who met a guest and fought a guest. The guest fought back! KO. The guest was coooool like Jack, stylish like Evie, and imaginative like Yu Tai. There once was a runner who beat a runner, then went against a snail. The snail was the last one to the come to the race. Boo, ha ha. The snail was slow and steady. The snail was big and was slower than a limo. The snail got on the limo! The snail laughed and laughed, and his face foamed up. He me. The snail went to a gym to be faster than anyone. He trained on the treadmill.

Inspired by the film series Tom and Jerry

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Story Race- Group Two Lucas Rogerio-Bonato, Damon Plant, and Jordan Dahlen

Once upon a time, Captain America worked at a bakery. Captain America couldn’t eat bread or baked goods, though. So he was always hungry. So he ate a big chunk of meat and became really fat. While it did not make him a better fighter, it did make him more relaxed. In his relaxed state, Captain America realized that fighting wasn’t for him, but neither was baking. So he was very confused about his personal identity and direction in life. So he baked a good cake and ate it and blew up. As a cloud of floating bits, Captain America thought about what his new job should be. So he went to the ocean to try his bits as shark food, but no sharks wanted to eat his bits because the sharks said that Americans tasted too much like macaroni and cheese. So he tried his bits for Thanos, and then Thanos put him back together, but he still didn’t have a job. So he thought very long and hard about what his job would be with his new body. Captain America’s mom saw that her son was getting depressed because of his prolonged unemployment, so she suggested he go to therapy and maybe find a hobby to pass the time. He went to the military and met a man named Tom Cruise. They became best friends and fought together in a jet they won and became famous.

Inspired by Marvel Comics’ Captain America

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My Desk Evelyn Avey

My writing place is at home at my desk. It was March 26, 3:45 p.m. today. My mom got a call from my school saying it got shut down because of COVID-19. I was upset about it, but I tried to be calm. March 28, 8:10 p.m. Today was our first day of distance learning. It sucked. I wanted to run away. I tried to do my work fast today, but we had to do other things. March 30, 8:50 p.m. Today was rainy. I wanted to go outside and play in the rain, but of course I have to stay inside of my house. The weekend was rainy. It was a long week. I was in a good mood when I went to go get breakfast, and then I felt good that we could do anything fun.

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My Bed Evelyn Avey

My writing space today is my bed. Hi, I am Evie, and I am writing from my bed today. And yesterday was really crazy. I got bit by a dog. Here is how the story goes. A Bite I am playing with the dog and pick him up, and he is doing fine, but he bites me. Second Bite We are outside playing. My friend throws this toy, and he likes it. I get to throw it, and long story short, he bites me again.

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Coffee Evelyn Avey

My favorite thing to get at Starbucks is a birthday cake pop and a latte with half and half milk and some cinnamon with one pump of vanilla and one pump of caramel.

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Gimme Your Money Jack Loverich

Robin Hood fell into a different dimension, and then he said, “That was a great fall.” Then he went to Applebee’s. “Gimme your money or you shall die,” he said. “I need it for the poor.” The cashier said, “I’m not giving you money. You’re a fox. I’m calling 911.” Robin Hood said, “What’s this 911 you speak of? Some silly bears? I will take them out.” The police came and put him in handcuffs. “You won’t get away with this,” Robin Hood said. And then Robin Hood went into a cell, and the police said, “Wait for your court or you might not have one.” No one really wanted to defend a fox. Robin Hood said, “I will save the poor!” The police walked away. Robin Hood forced his jailmate Tom to give him money for the poor. Only Robin Hood was an animal in this world. Everyone else was a human. Robin Hood hit one of the cops. One of the cops said, “Your trial is here.” There was no one in court except for Robin Hood and the judge. “You’re under arrest, no doubt,” said the judge. “No one to defend you.” No one was there to defend him because he was a fox. “You won’t get away with this. Not today or ever!” said Robin Hood. “Well, you’re going to jail” said the judge. “Oh! Good news! I’m slick as a fox because I am a fox. I can slide right through the bars.” Robin Hood escaped from the prison. The cops realized he had escaped. Robin Hood stole money from the bank and said, “This is for the poor!” He went to the forest and threw money on all the animals that were there. He threw money on a bear. “Give money to the poor!” Robin Hood said. “I need to rob the rich and feed the poor.” Then Robin Hood got mauled by a bear. He went to the hospital. He had a lot of broken bones. Continued on next page C O N C R E T E P O M E G R A N AT E S

“Give me your money!” Robin said to the nurse. The nurse handed him a bill. It was for $999,999,992.00. Robin Hood ripped up the bill and said “No! You give me your money!” The nurse kicked him in the private parts. “Oh! Looks like my life is here.” The nurse apologized and walked away. Then Robin Hood rolled to the window in a wheelchair and jumped out. He broke every bone in his body. He used his neck to climb into the car. He started driving all over the place. Then he crashed the car and died.

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Alien Apocalypse Jack Loverich

Yesterday, my mother was turned into a rock. Yes, a rock! The kind that’s small enough to put in my pocket and carry around. In fact, that’s where she is right now. I walked outside and realized it was the Alien Apocalypse. Then I said to my rock mom, “I’ll be able to eat more than you.” The Xenomorphs wouldn’t kill my rock mom because she’s just a rock. I got my dad’s shotgun out and I shot a Xenomorph in the head. The Xenomorph was blocking my front door. The Xenomorphs got into my massive house. They walked into the living room. To my fright, I saw my whole family dead. I saw the aliens from Independence Day. I shot one in the head and it died. My rock mom can’t talk because she’s just a rock. Then I walked outside and saw these giant, giant aliens covering the cities. I felt a slight tap on my back and saw E.T. Then I kicked him because I don’t like him. I fired a bullet into his side, and he fell down. “E.T. needs to go home,” he said. I punched him in the face. It was the Alien Apocalypse. Wouldn’t you kill any alien you saw? Then I saw Gigan. If that sees me, I’m dead, I thought. He had chainsaws for hands! A lightning bolt came down, and it was yellow. It was stronger than most lightning bolts, and bigger. King Ghidorah came up. Wow, I thought. He’s a lot bigger than Gigan. Then there was a Xenomorph outside my house. They kill everything except their own species. I started running and throwing rocks at it, but that didn’t do much. It didn’t see me yet. I hid behind it, and it walked by me but didn’t see me. Then I started worrying about King Ghidorah. Once the Xenomorph walked past, I looked outside, and then a droid landed on the ground. For some reason, the alien invasion was happening on our planet and all the aliens were trying to destroy each other. King Ghidorah was definitely going to win. Space Godzilla Continued on next page C O N C R E T E P O M E G R A N AT E S

appeared and began to fight King Ghidorah. I got into a car (even though I don’t know how to drive). “I’ll figure it out,” I said. I turned because a spaceship was falling from the sky. I was at the edge, but it still hit me. I had about two miles to go, and I kept driving.

Inspired by the movies Alien, Independence Day, E.T., and the Godzilla franchise

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DJ Save The Day Lucas Rogerio-Bonato aka Save The Day

Captain America with his shield Blocking the shot the enemies wield Iron Man protecting his peeps with his steel Hawkeye with his skill getting so many kills Doctor Strange with his portal, being immortal with his magic, making enemies tragic Thanos with his stones, under he has weak bones Avengers assemble, let’s protect the temple is home Ant-Man, big man, small man, that’s the way he likes it He talks to ants like a psychic Hulk is freaky but not very sneaky Thor with his hammer but with low grammar Spiderman webs are strong but not wrong Wasp can do cool things with her wings Falcon glides through the air like nobody cares Captain Marvel the pilot start riots Scarlet Witch with her magic making everything static Black Widow never complaining because she’s training

Inspired by Marvel Comics characters

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Decaf Coffee Lucas Rogerio-Bonato

My writerly space is in Starbucks drinking my decaf white mocha with caramel and whipped cream. The sugar inside makes your taste buds shoot like fireworks. You can drink it at any time of day. No other coffee will beat a white mocha.

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DJ Knowbody Yu-Tai Leung

Totally Yu-Tai’s rap lit Rapper name: Knowbody Other rapper name: Nooby Guy 321 When I find some land I can have some space I start mining and create my country place I am so sneaky, me and friends create a secret word for our house and it’s inside a cave and there is a party don’t misbehave When I see a flying thing, it reminds me of birds they breed, eat, and fly and that’s my word they remind me of pie When I see a book, it belongs in our class, but I don’t have space why not party instead, then read with a trace of rhyme When I lift some weights, I am strong as steel and I reel some fish to eat, dinner makes me as strong as steel, time to eat another meal

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Noobs Yu-Tai Leung

Once there was a guy named Nooby guy 321 Version 00001, the advanced one. He found a magic wand. It told him a quest to defeat Nooby Guy 321 Version 00002, the evil one, and his butler, King Noob. They were holding slaves, and they were in a locked palace called Go Away Nothing Here. As he began, a trooper named Nooby Guy 311 Version 00003 tried to stop him. As Nooby Guy 321 Version 00001 wielded its wand power, he gave himself admin to kick the Nooby Guy 321 Version 00003. Now he was kicked from world Nooby Guy 321. Now there were rocks. He used the admin to move his boat. After that, the admin spell wore off. There were supporters named Knowbody and Nobody. They gave him spell potion, “Noob Army,” to spawn armies of Noobs. There was a wand of evil in the plains. An evil knight wielded its great power. The knight was planning and attack. The Noob potion had dissapeared! But he arrived at the palace. He used the wand’s power to unlock the door. As soon as he saw the evil Nooby Guy 321, he blasted him. He had missed. That was the last of the magic. “Good thing I learned Judo,” said the advanced one. He attacked him, but the evil knight was a meat shield. Nooby Guy 321, the good one, got hurt.

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Earth 2 Yu-Tai Leung

Once there was a human with a brain—a big brain. His brain figured out how to develop future technology. He created a switch about no gravity and glass breaking. One of his creations changed the world. It was called Super Glass Criminal’s Punch It. The Super Glass did not break. He created a planet called Earth 2. Modern houses were there. And that’s the story of his big brain that holds a one million IQ. It was me the whole time!

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Afternoon Session

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The Cursed Demon Who Wanted to Be Human Group Story Once there was a dude demon named Devin that wanted to be human. He worked in a pizza place on the beach in pre-pandemic times. He was so tall that he had to crawl on all fours inside so he did not hit his head on the ceiling. Devin used to be human but was cursed long ago to become a demon by a mysterious figure who also gave him the pizza virus, which gave him pepperoni for eyes. The virus slowly spread to pizza customers and the rest of the town. He decided to find the laboratory where he was infected to try to find the cure. However, he had already promised his parents he would take care of the dog while they went off on a vacation. The dog’s name was Woofwoofscruff. After he was done taking care of the dog, he took his parents’ car. The car quickly ran out of gas. Devin stepped out of the car to check the map on his phone, but he had no Wi-Fi. Now he was stuck in the middle of nowhere. He wandered around in circles to find a Wi-Fi windmill. Devin walked and walked until he found a huge windmill with a long antenna. Kshhhhh! Pshhhhhh! Devin looked to see where the static sound was coming from. On the horizon, he saw somebody yelling into a radio. “ATTENTION ATTENTION. There are infected pizza rolls attacking the WiFi windmill area. Please leave the area immediately.” A tribe of natives rushed through the field on foot past Devin. Some of them grabbed Devin and led him to safety. He made friends with them and asked them if they’d seen a strange-looking laboratory. They pointed him in the right direction. At the laboratory, Devin opened the door, and this triggered the security alarm. All the lights turned red, and loud beeping echoed throughout the building.

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“INTRUDER ALERT. INTRUDER ALERT.” Strangely, the laboratory seemed empty. Then, Devin heard soft footsteps. It was the mysterious figure who revealed themself to be an evil dark magician lady. She had red and orange robes and skin the color of fresh mozzarella. “Who are you?” Devin asked. “Why did you do this to me?” “I was trying to become a demon, but you have taken that from me,” she said accusingly. “I tried to use my magic to change myself, but it didn’t work. I’m just a human with no special features.” Devin moved his hands magically to summon his dragon. It was a red, orange, and yellow Chinese dragon with big teeth. It took up the whole room and breathed out fire toward the evil dark magician lady. She used a spell to summon a dark purple and black Chinese dragon. The dragons fought. They clawed, they bit, and they shot out fire. Finally, Devin’s dragon headbutted its enemy and shot out a mighty plume of flame, killing it. The sorceress was defeated and threw herself on the floor. “All I wanted to do was become a demon like you,” she said. “Cast the spell on me again, and it will bounce back off to you.”

Everyone was cured of the pizza virus. Since he saved the town, Devin left the pizza place and found a job on the 39th floor of the business building. Never trust an old lady that says she can tell your future.

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Pizza vs Tacos Group Poem

Pizza Pizza is chewy Cheesy, pepperoni mushroom pizza Cheese, pepperoni, sausage, I love it A good pizza is pillowy and sprinkled with delicious roasted garlic A bread bed with a cheese blanket Pizza is yummy!

Tacos Tacos are spicy Tacos, tacos, theyâ€™re too spicy Crunchy, spicy, delicious tacos One is not enough, neither is two Sour cream, guac, and salsa delight Tacos are tasty!

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Fancy Angie Fancy Angie

Hey, I’m Fancy Angie, I love my dad He bought me a trampoline, I’m so glad He got me a park, and I can have fun Can go in the shade because there’s too much sun When I am alone, I like to sing Fly without my wings

Anna and Elsa Went on a Hike Angelina Lobato

Anna and Elsa went on a hike, but something happened. They both said, “What’s up danger,” and there was a big brown bear, and they were a little scared. Then the bear tried to bite Anna, and then the bear tried to bite Elsa. Then Elsa sprayed pepper spray.

To be continued...

Inspired by Disney’s Frozen

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IN916INK Angelina Lobato

I am in a place, but someone called me that was important, and it happened yesterday. My brother was frustrated, but after the phone call he went outside, and then he was calm.

A Cinderella Story Angelina Lobato

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Cinderella. Her dad had a wife, but she did not like Cinderella at all, but when she found out that her dad died, she was so sad. The mother was so rude that she told her to do everything, but Cinderella did it in “ew.” Then the mail came. It said there was a ball at the castle, but they didn’t let Cinderella go. She cried, but something happened. The fairy godmother appeared. Cinderella was surprised.

Untitled Angelina Lobato

I feel glad because I am happy, so much happy. I feel good. I am happy that I’m here making fun.

To be continued... 30

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All About My House Amelia Healy

I like my house because it’s nice to stay at home to me a lot. And also, inside my house, my favorite room is the family room. We also call it the TV room and the kitchen. And that’s all. I love it.

Untitled Amelia Healy

One day there was a very strange weather report on the news! The reporter said someone or something was making it snow in summer. All of the buildings, schools, apartments, and roads were covered in snow. But two superheroes flew and melted all of the snow with red, white, and yellow heat guns. One of the superheroes was a girl. She had a pink suit and a white cape with long blonde hair in a ponytail. The other hero was a boy. He had a blue suit and white cape. He had short blonde hair. But then they saw a man with a black suit and a black mask that said “EVIL” on it. He was holding a whole bunch of snow in a big sack. The superheroes grabbed the bad guy, and the superheroes brought the bad guy to jail, and the superheroes left, and no more bad guys bothered the city ever again.

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The Princess Who Loved to Sing Amelia Healy

Once upon a time, there was a princess who loved to sing. She was in her bedroom all alone, and she was listening to happy music.

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Untitled Jayden Tien

Plants vs zombies grow like flowers Plants are cool with superpowers Plants need water, dirt, and sun to get stronger To makes the zombies run

Untitled Jayden Tien

I’m alive. I’m at a room. Lights and vents are on the blue roof. The room is a classroom. I sit on a red chair. The books are organized on shelves, There are two brown trees that are not real.

Traffic Jayden Tien

Once upon a time, there were a lot of cars and a lot of traffic noises. That’s because the power went off. Some people were fixing power lines, so people had to wait before the power lines were fixed.

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Untitled Jayden Tien

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In a Red World Madeline Healy

I love flowers. That’s why I am in a red world with tons of flowers and red plants. This place has everything red. Mostly it has red fruit, red flowers, and a red sun, sky, grass, stems, and leaves and the plants and clouds. I love red because it’s so bold and bright, like red fireworks. I like the red strawberries, cherries, and watermelon. Red is such a wonderful color.

Random Stuff Madeline Healy

The dragon keeps the tickets And the clock keeps ticking White owl sits in a tree Right next to me There’s a clever mouse with glasses and a book Some people say he’s the best cook, he once found a lamp in 916 Ink He rubbed it so fast, almost as fast as a wink There is also an octopus on a water jug He even sleeps with it snug and as bug

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The Terrifying Plant in the Forest Madeline Healy

In a dark, creepy forest, there lies a plant that will eat anything it sees. It feeds off of fear, and every time it sees a scared child, it will gobble it up until their bones remain. A boy and his brother decided to go in this very forest. Their names were Tim and Sam. Tim said to Sam, “Sam, are you sure this plant won’t eat us alive?” Sam said, “Tim, that’s just old sayings. Nobody believes them anymore...” Tim turned around and saw pitch-black darkness except for the notso-bright moon. He still walked forward, but Sam wasn’t there. “Sam! SAAAAM! Are you anywhere?” yelled Tim. He heard no response except for a faint yell saying, “Tim, Tim!!” and then there was a scream. Tim knew only one thing: his brother was gone. He had to get out of there. Good thing I brought my flashlight, thought Tim. He found his way home, but the lights weren’t on... Maybe Mom and Dad went to sleep, thought Tim. He opened the door, and he found a note. It said, “Dear Tim or Sam, Mom and Dad have gone away. We will back soon.” After reading the note, he decided to just go to his comfortable, soft bed to forget about it, and maybe it was just a nightmare. When he opened the door, there were two creepy zombies that came after Tim. Was that Mom and Dad? Tim asked himself. Then he opened the door and attacked the zombies and went to bed. He woke up startled. It was night. He started to get out of bed, but something had killed him.

To be continued...

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The Clink Madeline Healy

Definition: a clock that shoots the amount of ink the hour is on. Ex: 12:00 The clink is a silly prank Three squirts of its ink Could fill up a fish tank This is perfect for April Fool’s Day Just one spray of ink and you’ll wish this away

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Piggy! Noah Saldana

I like playing Roblox. I try to find keys to open up locks, then I escape and it makes me feel great No infection and wearing a mask over my face. Now I’m moving to the next place Unfortunately, I’m being chased!

I Made Up a Word Noah Saldana

I made up a word; it is called Watie. Watie is where you hit the water’s surface tension and you get hurt.

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Wordslingers

and Inspirators

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Charmer Jay Oatis

It’s been a real bummer not to really enjoy summer Wearing a mask in class is such a task I always take it off too fast I think about all the fighting in my writing People, places, stopping, faces Going to the market with all the farmers I like that I can relax and take off all my armor My grandma always said that I was a charmer I could never do anything to harm her Plus, she’s dead, but she’s always in my head Always on my arm away from harm Tornado tat, cool as a cat, Cool like Jack, hangin’ in the back Gimme that cheese, gimme that cheddar Gimme anything to get through this weather Whether or not we weather the storm We’ll make it out alive in some kinda form Even if we’re wired, we’ll be worn Even if we’re tired, we’ll be reborn Even if we’re liars and end up scorned It was all worth it knowing I work it Always give tens running miles like a circuit Always give ends like I said I can work it Always in the Benz like I earns on purpose Find life and force in the circus Connect Fours ‘cause we know it’s worth it L’oreal said “Because you’re worth it” The real, the steal, the deal, the earth, it’s Grounded, dumbfounded at its gravity A movement, a body, a force like me

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THIS BOOK WAS PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

WITH MAJOR SUPPORT FROM

AND FUNDED IN PART BY

The Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation

The Sacramento Office of Arts and Culture, with support from the City of Sacramento.