We go to the airport looking for him The day he got back from that God Awful Place I see people most of them soldiers talking and crying but none of them him Finally I stop I see green and brown I see him smile He puts out his arms Then I knew This was […]
Leprechaun Rain
By Hannah Ogden Illustrated by Isabella Ronchetti Emma O’Malley was alone. Up in her attic room of her grandmother Josephine’s farm, she could hear the rain hammering on the roof. She shivered. The lights had gone out twenty minutes ago, and the only light in the room came from a flickering candle on her dresser. […]
Having a Mother
The sky glittered above, a blue canvas sprinkled with glittering stars Tears filled my eyes as I stared back at my mother. I turned and fled out the door, not caring that it was the middle of the night. The yard was filled with deep shadows, and leaves crackled beneath my feet as I ran […]
Stage Fright
I am bold but I still have fear Small as a bug on a leaf Step by step to center stage Spiders up my spine Shoulders back Lump in my throat Swallow hard Cloud in my head Think straight Words in a cocoon Make their way out Start to fly In the bright lights I […]
Judah
“No, it can’t be.” Slowly my hands caressed the sweetsmelling leather of his bridle, and my fingers traced the small letters engraved on the tiny brass nameplate. J-U-D-A-H. Judah. My gaze dropped from my friend’s sympathetic face to the bridle in my hands to hide the tears welling up in my eyes. The only thing […]
My Rope Swing
Threads of twine twisted together Working to keep me up As I swing into the air My hair trailing behind me. Crashing my legs into the bushes I get scratched all over But I don’t care Holding onto the rope with all my might. Wind slashes against my cheeks Bark and twigs fall in my […]
No Regrets
My sneakers pounded the red turf as I circled the track. Sweat ran down my neck and I wiped my stinging eyes. Beside me ran Rhonda Monroe, her braids flying out behind her. “You’re slow, Bailey. You shouldn’t be on the track team. Bye bye,” she jeered as she shot away from me. I gritted […]
Willow
Willow, by Tonya Cherie Hegamin; Candlewick Press: Somerville, Massachusetts, 2014; $16.99 The first thing I noticed about this book was the fact that Willow is both the main character’s name and the title. I liked this because I sometimes refer to a book by the protagonist’s name and not the title. Willow is about a […]
2014, Fog
The world is full of fog that people put out to hide the wrongs that they have done (or are about to do) The world is full of deceitfulness and lies that is the fog of the world But there is another kind and that is of the countryside of my home where fog is […]
The Crystal River
Everything in the village was brown. The small, squat huts were brown. The narrow dirt road was brown. The marketplace was crowded and filthy and brown. The grass and fields, which always seemed withered and tired, were brown. And most of all, day after day, the twisting, murky river was brown. Keisha trudged along the […]
Lane Seven
Legs, they’re trembling with nervous excitement. Muffled voices pulse through your head. You’re moving now Perched Tense at the edge. You grip the lip of the block. Your body shakes with the sound of the start, But You’re already gone. You slip into the water Like it’s meant to be. It is. The rush pulls […]
Carrot’s Home
I used to own real bunnies in Shanghai, China. My grandpa always bought some for me. But my only distinct memory of owning a pet rabbit was in my grandparents’ apartment. It was 2011, so I was seven years old and as obsessed with bunnies as some girls are obsessed with “Let It Go.” My […]
