The icy November breeze Chilled my neck, as muggy Gray clouds hid the brilliant sun. Laying my rake down, giving it a rest From clawing the leaves into a pile, When the desperate cries of wood thrushes came to my ears. The enormous amount of birds made me suck in the crisp air. I exclaimed, “Wow. You don’t see that every day!” The birds made dips and circular movements, that were fluent and organized. As the huge swarm flew towards their destination, one small speck of a bird left the pack and flew in the opposite direction. The caws and cries of the huge group echoed off into the early morning sky. The shrieks and hisses of the hawks greeted them as they flew into Costa Rica and pierced through every heart of the wood thrushes. A living nightmare for the inky black-eared wood thrushes, A temporary amusement for the hungry hawks. Hawks dived down on their prey like hail on ants. Wood thrushes scattered frantically beating their wings up and down searching for any means of escape. Razor-sharp talons and hooked beaks glinted in dawn’s early light. The wood thrushes scrambled to and fro—”Where to go!” One small speck of a bird led the others out of the jungle, making swerves and dips as the hawks stopped their vicious assault. They had a joyful reunion with the one daring bird that made a solo flight—and eventually led the others out of the hawk’s sharp grasp. Benjamin Firsick, 11South Windsor, Connecticut
Poetry-Animals
The Redwing Blackbird Sings
In the morning I wake up At six-fifteen Much too early Hair is combed Teeth are brushed Breakfast is had One day being like another But On my way to the bus stop A redwing blackbird sings Doo-Dee-oo! Time stops But my feet still move It is March The air has a fresh rainy smell The redwing blackbird Sings again Doo-Dee-oo! I am at the bus stop The bus pulls up And time starts again Nina Wilson, 10Grayslake, Illinois
The Wolf
I sit on the porch The dark woods around me Insects chirping And listen To the distant sounds of the party Inside. It is a party thrown for me, By my parents. A party I didn’t want— Strangers crowding into our little house People I don’t know Pinching my cheeks Muttering lies about “How she’s grown!” I escape to the woods Fleeing the lights And the cheerful, pointless chatter And crouch in a dark clearing Reveling in the silence And the dark. A flash of movement And a wolf creeps into the clearing I freeze in fear Breath making tiny white puffs in the air Terrified to move Terrified to stay still. The slim, strong, deadly animal Looks at me Dark, intelligent eyes. Like my own. We stare in silence Caught in the spell of the winter woods. Then I whisper, “You’re alone, too?” The beautiful, elegant head Seems to dip in a nod And then the wolf Proud, fierce, and yet gentle, Turns and vanishes into the shadows. I walk slowly back to the house Returning to my party Where I wasn’t missed. Before I go inside I turn For one last look. Hoping somehow She had come to say goodbye. The trees are still and empty. Disappointed, I reach for the door And then stop— A sound from the forest. A long, lonely howl. It starts out rough But spirals up into a sweet, sorrowful note That sounds like tears And ends. I think of the wolf Alone in the forest. I face the trees and whisper, “Me too.” Coley Scheppegrell, 13Charlotte, North Carolina
