From Gemini Ink and The San Antonio River Foundation
Quarantine
River Zine
Table of Contents
Session One: The River Dancers
River Defender Pledge...........................................................................................................................................................................3 Acayia E. Johnson........................................................................................................................................................................................5 AnahĂ Gonzalez...............................................................................................................................................................................................8 Annie Ellis...........................................................................................................................................................................................................11 Audrey Walk....................................................................................................................................................................................................13 Brendan Tompkins...................................................................................................................................................................................15 Joshua Windrider Flores...................................................................................................................................................................17 KK Graham.......................................................................................................................................................................................................19 Luz Victoria Noriega.............................................................................................................................................................................21 Moriah Saenz-Trevino........................................................................................................................................................................23 Octavia Xol Garza Danweber....................................................................................................................................................25 Sienna Chairez.............................................................................................................................................................................................27 Sofia Isabella Gonzales.....................................................................................................................................................................29 Sofia Haynes...................................................................................................................................................................................................31 Sophia Isabel Raga.................................................................................................................................................................................32 Confluence Kids..........................................................................................................................................................................................33
Session Two: The Aquadoggos
Adeline Cooper..................................................................................................................................................................................................35 Adrianna Hardin.............................................................................................................................................................................................36 A.W. Hudak.............................................................................................................................................................................................................38 Bennett Childs...................................................................................................................................................................................................39 Charlotte Germeroth................................................................................................................................................................................40 Charlotte Welchman.................................................................................................................................................................................42 Gaby Gonzalez...................................................................................................................................................................................................44 Harper Jack Baggett.................................................................................................................................................................................45 IlĂĄn Brown................................................................................................................................................................................................................46 Ileana Walk.............................................................................................................................................................................................................47 Sophia Isabel Raga......................................................................................................................................................................................48 Wyatt Schmidt...................................................................................................................................................................................................49
Foreword Each morning, while the sun was still pushing back clouds and evaporating dew, us Gemini Ink writer-instructors rose to greet a Zoom meeting of fresh faces ready to explore. We found that this little world of river legends and comical virtual backgrounds provided a blank canvas on which to reverence Confluence Park and the great San Antonio River that runs through it. Thank you to the San Antonio River Foundation for partnering with Gemini Ink to empower our students to be activists who pledge to respect our environment and who recognize their vital role in keeping our rivers clean and our earth healthy for the generations after them. To the poets and short story writers of our In Response to the River workshop, thank you for sharing your voices. Know that your words have an impact, even at your young age. By using your voice, you can clean the world—both from pollution and negativity. Keep smiling, keep writing, and keep using laser cats and “aquadoggos” as your Zoom backgrounds. Gemini Ink
Session One The River Dancers
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River Defender Pledge I will protect the river from trash and anything that will interrupt the beautiful flow of nature. We don’t pollute the rain. When I look upon the river, I realize polluting the river is just the same. I will make sure there is no trash in the river. I will watch out for people who litter. If I look over the river, I look for litter! I will protect the river by having people visit that don't throw trash in the river. If they throw trash in the river the fish will die because the trash. They may accidentally eat it because it looks like food. Not taking care of the river is rude. I will watch out for hurt fish. I will take out the trash that people throw in the water to protect the sea life. I pledge to not pollute and to recycle. When you pollute the earth you pollute your mind.
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When the river is free from pollution, it can run free, just like your mind—creatively. I choose to protect the river because I choose to protect me. Treat the river as though it were your child, cleaning it up after play and letting it flow creatively. One promise that I will make and keep is that I will walk along the river and see it at least ten times a year. Don’t use a car. Using a bike will go far. I visit the river and visit the fish to make sure they are healthy. It is the land that we have that I promise to keep wealthy. Clean up doesn’t need a crew; keeping clean starts with you. By: Sophia, KK, Luz, Joshua, Sienna, Moriah, Annie, Sofie, Moriah, Octavia, Sofia, Brendan, Audrey, Anahi, Acayia, Carol, and Vocab
Holes
Acayia E. Johnson
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Painting Lesson I would be pink in color with a little blue. I am a shield for all the animals. I am wild and wiggly across the earth. I see pretty fish. I feel calm and soft. I hear kids playing.
Acayia E. Johnson
Acayia E. Johnson
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AnahĂ Gonzalez
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Anahí Gonzalez Mystery on the Riverwalk One day, the Gonzalez Family was walking on the river. They were walking to Fiesta, but they heard a noise in the bushes. They looked behind them, but nothing was there, so they kept going. They heard it again, but once more, nothing was there. The family kept walking, but when they reached a curvy part of the river, their daughter stayed behind. She stopped to talk to a man who was painting by the river. She saw beautiful paintings and asked him about the one she really liked. It was a painting of the Riverwalk at sunset with little kids playing on the side. He told her that she could buy it for only $100, but she didn't have any money. "Let me ask my parents if they'll give me the money," she said. "I'll be right back."
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Anahí Gonzalez "Wait, don't go," he said. "You can have it for free, only because you seem like a nice girl." She took it happily and asked his name. He said his name was Franco Ruiz and told her to enjoy her painting. The girl ran to catch up with her parents, who hadn't even noticed that she wasn't with them, and told them that she had a painting for her room. "You can't take things without paying for them," her mom said. "Let's go back and pay for that painting." They walked back to the spot where she had met the man. To their surprise, there was no one there but there was a statue. The plaque said "Painting on San Antonio River," the favorite spot of local artist Franco Ruiz 1955-2010. Mr. Ruiz had been dead since 2010. A chill ran down their backs when they saw that the man who gave her the painting was a ghost.
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Annie E is Gathering Rain I gather the rain, the river, the creeks the streams, the oceans Oh how the clouds weep. I gather the rain, like a bucket filled with joy my hat that is sopping, my shirt corduroy. I gather the rain, it comes in many forms, then all of it's over, goodbye thunderstorms.
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The Quiltmaker One afternoon, the Ellis and Chowning family were walking down the Riverwalk. They saw many places and restaurants and even tiny animals like fish and squirrels. They came to a bench and sat down on it. In front of them were many colored umbrellas, each one different than the other. The umbrellas were placed in a pattern. A man came from under one of the blue umbrellas, and before they could even get up, he changed the color of the umbrellas. The Ellis and Chowning family were shocked, and each time they blinked, the umbrellas would change again. Soon the family decided to head back home. The next day, a package arrived in the mail. It felt like socks but inside of it was the same fabric as the umbrellas down on the Riverwalk. Hundreds of patches were sewn together to make a beautiful quilt. It may only be seen as one color to some, but each time I blink I see many colors swirling around.
Annie Ellis
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The Ghost of Fiesta It was a fun and festive night as June and her best friend July
were celebrating Fiesta on the Riverwalk. They went to go grab a
delicious funnel cake, but halfway there, they saw a little dog.
When they tried to approach it, it started running. They followed
the dog all the way to the shops at La Cantera.
All of a sudden, they saw the dog stop running and just sit
down. A shadowy figure approached. It was a ghost! They started
running. June's mind was going wild. What if it was La Llorona?
The ghost went after them. Then, finally, June and July got tired
of running. The ghost caught up, and let's just say they were
going to see a lot more of her.
Audrey Walk
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If I Were a River If I were a river I would feel a sense of calmness While I flow calmly until I reach the ocean on I would see all the fish and insects using me as refuge in this lonely world I would hear the animals drifting through the sea to see where the wind takes them I would feel the water rushing through my veins As I sit as a calm body of water wading in the earth
Audrey Walk
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The Tallest Tree There was once a tree. It was the tallest in the whole forest. How was it so tall? It was grown from the waters of the San Antonio River. It had lived for hundreds of years. One day, the Alamo was under construction and they needed large amounts of wood and stone to build it. Some people went to the quarry to get stone. Others went searching for trees for wood. One of the lumberjacks discovered the large tree. He tried to chop it down to get wood, but the tree was too strong. He decided to get the other workers to help cut down the tree. After a long time of searching, he finally found the other workers. He told them about the tree and how it could provide all the wood they needed. They found their way back to the tree and with all their strength combined, they chopped down the tree. They carried the logs back toward the Alamo but they couldn’t find their way. The other trees seemed to be moving around them and nothing looked familiar. The lumberjacks were never seen again.
Brendan Tompkins
The Gathering of the Rain I gather the rain like a river carrying it with me as I go giving water to the trees and grass feeding the ocean and giving life to all
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Brendan Tompkins
Joshua Windrider Flores If I Were a River If I were a river, I would move calmly in the night. I would see beautiful trees and birds. I would feel as if I were laying in a field of grass. I would hear the chirps of birds and the sound of wind. I would look like a shining blue stone that is really smooth. 17
Joshua Windrider Flores The Riverwalk Creature One day, a male photographer named Michael was walking by the Riverwalk. While he was walking, the beautiful river caught his eye. He walked to the calming river, or so he thought. When he was there, he took some photos, and he just stared at the water, but after a bit, he noticed something moving in the water. He took a closer look and he saw a gure, and it de nitely was not human. It just stared at Michael, not moving a muscle. Then it jumped out of the water and charged at Michael. 18
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If I Were A River If I were a river I would flow through the parks And hear all the sounds of the children I would go and see the sights Feel my rocky bottoms. Feel like I belong. In the parks I will relax With warmth and happiness around me. I would be a proud river. What would I do? I would allow children to wade In my waters At my park With warmth and happiness around me. And I'd feel good. Knowing that I had provided it. Protecting the people from the horrors of me.
KK Graham
I Gather the Rain
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I'm just a child, But I gather the rain. With my small, soft hands, I gather the rain. You can call me a river, ‘cause I gather the rain. Just like a bucket, I gather the rain.
When I gather the rain, I smell the salty air. I feel the hard rain, Pitter-patter pitter-patter I hear the rain against the window. Pitter-patter pitter-patter I taste the rain, softly, hitting hard against my tongue. Pitter-patter pitter-patter I see the rain, hitting the floor. Pitter-patter pitter-patter And when I gather the rain, I also provide it. To the soft ground. I grow the nature. Tis I who gathers the rain.
KK Graham
Let me Flow If I were a river, I would flow through the forest. I would trickle down the rocks, only a small creek in a thicket of trees, but providing the water through the land. A green patch of calm in a world of grey chaos, where birds would come to sing their sweet song and the deer would prance along the horizon. All nurtured by the father, son, and river, small but mighty. So let my river, small but mighty flow. Let its current take and give. Let my river flow into the horizon.
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Luz Victoria NoriegaÂ
Luz Victoria Noriega Into the Rain I gather the rain in my ears, and my eyes, with my skin, with my mind. I smell it. I feel it wet, moisturized with nature and beauty and feeling. I try to catch a droplet on my tongue, it tastes like gathering the rain. 22
Moriah SaenzTrevino
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If I Were a River Observe the river as it flows I would see fish, birds, and bears I would feel the cold water flowing in my hands I will hear birds chirping and water splashing on the rocks I would feel, that the river is connected to me I would look like‌
Moriah SaenzTrevino
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If I Were a River
If I were a river, I would drift along, Watching the clouds go by, I would feel happy, I would listen to the sounds of the animals, I would help the thirsty, I would help the boats, If I were a river.
Octavia Xol Garza Danweber
I Gather the Rain I gather the rain like a bucket when it's pouring I gather the rain like hole in the ceiling I gather the rain like a leaf from a plant I gather the rain when it falls in my hands I drink the rain and it flows through me I gather the rain but it will never belong to me
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Octavia Xol Garza Danweber
Sienna Chairez
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Sienna Chairez
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San Antonio River Butter ies It was a nice beautiful day on the San Antonio Riverwalk. The San Antonio Riverwalk runs along the San Antonio River. My dad and I were walking along the river and he told me a legend about butterflies. Butterflies have a special connection with nature and water. Butterflies are a symbol of joy and happiness and purity. My dad said butterflies also bring good sleep and good dreams. But what is really special to my dad is that he believes that butterflies represent the spirits of people who have passed away. He told me that every time he sees a butterfly it is his grandparents looking out for him. I think this is a beautiful legend. If you walk along the river by the Pearl, you will see many different types of Beautiful Butterflies. Â
Sofia Isabella Gonzales
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So a Isabella Gonzales
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Sofia Haynes River I, a river, always inviting full and rushing with life. Never damned. I am water.
If I Were a River
If I ewre a river, If I were a river, I could help the people in need for If I were a river, I could help the water. people in need for water. I could be a place to live for fish. I could be a place to live for fish. I could be a place to swim in. I could be a place to swim in. I could be a place for when people are I could be a place where, when sad, they could come. people are sad, they could come. For I am the river. For I am the river. I protect the fish in the sea and give I protect the fish in the sea and give water to the people on the land. water to the people on the land. For I am the river. For I am the river.
Sophia Isabel Raga I Asked the River
I asked the river “Do you recognize me?� The flows and ripples deep within coursing to currents of beauty gurgling with inseparable droplets full, rushing with life
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Con uence Kids
We are con uence kids. We are from Yanguana and the Alamo. We like to paint with watercolors, river dance, and play volleyball. We have hopes of helping the community and becoming famous writers. We are con uence kids. We meet up with beautiful tree canopies and big crashing waterfalls. When we gather, we read realistic ction and write about the river. We are con uence kids. Our hair is tree branch brown and our eyes are stormy grey. We love to hear running water and squawking birds. We love to see pretty green leaves, geodes, and animal clouds. We are a community of kids from The Tower of the Americas and winding trails, growing like the San Antonio River, reaching through the land.
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Session Two The Aquadoggos!
Adeline Cooper
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The River When Mia walked out toward the water, she was overwhelmed with the full rushing form of the river. She could smell the freshness in the water before her as she listened to the birds chirp from above. She felt the cool, crisp water wash over her feet. It was as if the water washed all of her troubles from her, freeing her from life.
 Haiku Rocks, smooth and shiny  Turtles basking in the sun
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Ducks, guiding their family
Adrianna Harden The Chase
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River Poem by Adrianna Harden
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Flow Acrostic
River Creatures
A.W. Hudak
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What do rivers mean to you?
Bennett Childs
Rivers to me are ways that people and animals can travel around and a safe place where animals can live and migrate. Rivers are also always owing forward and moving which to me resembles that life is always moving forward.
The River Flowing down a bed of rocks never stopping Laying on the bed but never stops moving Over waterfalls and traveling miles Waiting to get to the nal destination 39
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Why are rivers important?
What do rivers mean to you? When you see a river it could mean anything, but to me, the river means freedom and creativity because the river flows where it wants to flow and the types of animals that live in it decide to live there. One time when I went to Confluence Park there were water moccasins and they decided that the river is where they would like to place their home. Another time I saw egrets and they decided to hunt at the river. A river flows where it wants to flow. If the river is going right, the water in the river will go right. If the river heads to the left, then the water will go left. This is what the river means to me.
Charlotte Germeroth
Charlotte Germeroth 41
Charlotte Welchman
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Charlotte Welchman
Le tte r to t he R i v er
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To: San Antonio River At: San Antonio River SA, TX, USA, North America, Earth, Solar System, Milky Way Dear River, How are you doing? (Have you noticed that there are less people around than usual? That’s because there’s a pandemic! Can you believe that? I hope it’ll be over soon so I can visit you!) Anyway, I was thinking: would you like any changes to the area around you? Di erent plants? More rocks for the turtles? Let me know what you need. Talk to you soon! Love, Charlotte
Stream of Consciousness The river is swishing and babbling. The harsh smell of wet moss mixes with the mild sweetness of the owers. A boat glides by with people chatting and laughing. An egret stands, motionless and silent. Trash oats throughout it all: a plastic bottle in the river, broken sunglasses in the landscaping, a plastic bag drifting in the wind.
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Faithful River
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Gaby Gonzalez
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Nature
Nameless birds soar around the river As its calming sounds put sleep to the turtle basking in the sun Turning right and left, owing fast, then slow to a melodic beat. Unfazed by the destruction that destroys its visitors Redemption will not come to those who break Easier thing will come, to those a ride the river
Harper Jack Baggett
Animals in the Water Birds singing melodies with the sounds of the river, Otters feeling the warmth of their young on their bellies, Softly chirping, knowing they are protected. Trees casting shadows through the depths of the water, Their branches swaying making a soft woosh, The river, providing a haven for lost souls Whose homes depend on it.
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Once upon a time there was a wild river, lled with aquadoggos and murrkitties and sh and ducks. Then the humans came along and destroyed the trees and built cities on the river. The aquadoggos and murrkitties went into hiding, but the ducks, the sh, and the rest of the animals weren’t so lucky. Soon the humans realized what they had done and decided to try and protect and preserve the river, but it was too late. The aquadoggos and murrkitties were long gone.
Ploosh acrostic
Ilán Brown
Pennies buried in the sand Lovely sounds all around Oliver hates the river Oak trees leaning over the river Slow ripples Hawks searching for sh above
The Safe River
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The river, a nice blue hue. The river, calling to you. The river, with its sweet smell of salt. The river, it’s free of asphalt. The river has managed to escape corporate greed. The river, by doing this, is free. The river with its sense of petrichor makes you drowsy. Keep your secret, it implores.
Ekphrasis
Ileana Walk
The river, with its fantastical colors and unnatural rocks. Its strong blue color draws you in to swim. This phenomenon is proven by a certain avocado, pear, and banana. As the civilized and classy mustached avocado calmly oats down the river for his monocle, a sacreligious banana races down the river with a perilous pear.
So a Isabel Raga The Sounds of the River and the Fountain
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Splash Solemn swirling, Pounds of relaxation, Loads of water rushes, And sounds are not overwhelming Sounds are not overwhelming, Home is where health is
Wyatt Schmidt
Quarantine River Zine
