One day I went to the juggle place and on a shelf sat the juggle man. He said to me you took a juggle now give it back to me. The owner of the juggle place said to go home and then she called the police. The police said outside there is young poor Sally with balls in hand but cannot juggle. Then the police said on a Monday you took a suitcase on Tuesday you took a toothbrush and on Friday you poured milk. What a bad girl you have been. Analise Braddock, 7 Katonah, NY Adhi Sukhdial, 7 Stillwater, OK
Poem
Moonlight
Ashley Xu, 13 Lexington, MA
Moonlight
Ashley Xu, 13 Lexington, MA
Octopus
Marco Lu, 12 Champaign, IL
Some Days
Some days I am a girl. On these days I like to giggle and play with toys. I wear bright blue clothes and shirts with cats on them. When I feel like a girl, my feelings change. I feel kind and happy. I like being a girl. But . . . There is a downside. My heart is bigger than on other days. It becomes too big for my body. This causes my feelings to mix together, and that results in emotional drama. This doesn’t make me want to be a girl. So . . . Some days I am a boy. On these days I like to be silly and play rough. I wear darker clothes, like blue, black, or red. When I’m a boy, I feel like my body fits me better. Sometimes it’s as if God intended me to physically be a boy, but changed his mind at the last second. I like being a boy. But . . . Sometimes I feel like I’m too awkward to be a boy. I’m not a very sporty person, and I don’t like jokes. This causes me to appear abnormal and too “sensitive.” This doesn’t make me want to be a boy. So . . . Some days I am a dragon. On these days I like to stomp through the hallways and growl under my breath. I wear light clothing on these days so, being a Dutch Angel Dragon, my fur doesn’t overheat. When I’m a dragon, I like to use pronouns like it, they, them, and their. But . . . Dragging around invisible wings, horns, and a tail all day gets exhausting really fast. I get agitated, and sometimes chirp swears (or something rude) in my language. Even though no one can understand, it is not a good feeling to be cursing, even if it’s an accident. This doesn’t make me want to be a dragon. So . . . It’s really quite simple. I make another choice . . . to be Olivia, who is currently a dragon (roar!!!). Olivia Cadham, 11 Ontario, Canada
Steam
Sabrina Guo, 13 Oyster Bay, NY
The Seasons (A Poetry Cycle)
Winter Birch trees so brown and white Glowing in the moonlight Shaking trees In the howling breeze The tall trees Have falling leaves There is a bird’s nest Where it will rest It is so tall So do not fall Sleds sliding the snow Santa comes with a ho Frozen ice starts melting into water As it gets hotter The ski Was near the tree From the top of the tree You can see the sea The beautiful stream Is like a dream Frozen toes Are standing in the winter snows The snowman so tall He may fall The horse trudging through the snow Farmers do not need the hoe While bears go into hibernation The beautiful carnation blooms Santa’s hat Fell on a cat Rudolph’s nose Lit a hose That is how winter goes * * * Spring In the months of spring flowers bloom No more cold winter doom The melted ice turns into water Because it got hotter Blossoming trees In the cool breeze No more ice and snow So farmers need their hoe Birds are back Don’t say ack No more heavy rain for flowers Only April showers Baby animals are born Some have horns While bears wake from hibernation The beautiful carnation has bloomed Growing leaves On trees You need to use a hose Even when the spring wind blows That is how spring goes * * * Summer In the season of summer There is almost no bummer It is bright and sunny It is nice and funny Whisper in others’ ears Summer is here The holidays make everyone happy Don’t be snappy The summer breeze goes here and there It does not give a blast of air On July 4 it is Independence Day So watch the beautiful fireworks and say hey The leaves Stay on trees Everything is ripe People type Watch the beautiful sunset As you eat baguette Water the seeds with a hose And put the fertilizer that I chose This is how summer goes * * * Autumn Falling leaves In the howling breeze Trees are so tall Leaves still fall Birds flying south Turkey in your mouth Cold weather here and there Running and jumping mare Yellow, red, and orange falling leaves While the farmer heaves Piles of leaves on the road Being a heavy load Everyone is jumping Nobody is bumping Thanksgiving and Halloween are there Families having fun here and there The harvest is coming Farmers are humming The icy wind blows Mighty fine big boughs That is how autumn goes Vidhat Kartik, 9 Saratoga, CA Avery Multer, 12 Chicago, IL
Night
The stars stood gleaming Like sequins On a black cloth The moon came to rest On the surface Of a pond The grass swayed From side to side Like a rocking horse The night was as quiet As an empty page. Mae Gesser, 9 Brooklyn, NY
Snow
drifting falling a small voice calling through the wind through the clouds snowman made on the ground a snowball fight begins a cold ball hits me on the chin Eliza Wagner, 8 West Hartford, CT
Snow
drifting falling a small voice calling through the wind through the clouds snowman made on the ground a snowball fight begins a cold ball hits me on the chin Eliza Wagner, 8 West Hartford, CT
In the Mirror
It’s not surprising I look like a monochrome: The only colors are pink laces on my shoes And purple bags beneath my eyes. Like an old-fashioned photograph— “Subject stares beyond the camera. Subject seems so sad.” The people in the pictures never smile. Their faces stay stony and unreadable Even though they see everything, Forever watching, like me. Smiling is hard when it looks so wrong. My best face is my frown. So I wear my frown as I walk away And the monochrome behind the mirror disappears. Anna Calegari, 12 Chicago, IL
Silence/Ages
Silence shine When the silence goes over the mountains And when it goes down into the sea We never know how far it’s going to go In the sea or in the trees And the silence spreads so far away That no one can say When you look over and around You’ll see a rainbow that shines with silence And you’ll see everywhere this thing wherever you go Then think about it in your mind If you look at the sky in your silence Why does the silence shine all over ’Cause silence is so beautiful and fun And silence goes all over the world where you can see Silence trees Trees have silence in them Trees spread the silence and the wind all over In perfect silence Of the leaves in the trees You know why Well, you’ll see How cool is this world with these trees These trees bring everything to you These trees shed you from the sun If it’s so sunny That’s right Do you want to see more with me? Shining rainbow Rainbows spread across the world Even with a bit of silence And you know that already ’Cause silence is everywhere ’Cause everybody sings songs of silence You already know that Yes, that’s true Would you like to come with me To see a bit more? You would? Then just come with me to see more And more and more and more The leaves and the trees When the leaves go in the trees They make a cradle They make a sound like a lullaby They make the cool wind And the air for us to breathe And they make you sing a song That’s what everybody says And so that’s true While they whisper in the breeze And while they sing songs That’s the truth Oh yes, you say The ages While you grow and grow and grow While you continue growing forever But one day you’ll die Yes, that’s true All of that is true Yes, yes, yes Okay, okay Let’s continue This fabulous day Let’s continue traveling past this song Quietly Like silence You know that already Now that is true Oh yes, oh yes Yes, yes, yes Okay, okay That’s the song That we are done with today Eleonore Lecue, 6 Asheville, NC
