Covid-19 by Audrey Chuang, 11 The news rings in my head The anger and negativity swirling around me I can’t settle My heart won’t settle Everyone’s hearts won’t settle Every pair of anxious eyes Waiting for the image For the image Of crime Death The old book that I have read millions of times by now Is wrinkled And words are faded I can’t go outside to play I can’t imagine without going to the library I can’t imagine without reading a new book I can feel my heart beating every time Something bad happens like the stock Rising up and down Like the heartbeat of a patient Waiting for the doctor I can feel the pain that the world is facing It feels like its pulse is in my hands Ready like a flying fish Out in the sky Open to the new Open wide world That used to be Full of people Now nothing But a mere ghost town Waiting to swallow you up And make you face the crime And the pain people are talking about in the news You know it You have it You feel the pain of who you are Until you fall into the jaws Of the people Who recovered And died You don’t know who is next But it may be you Watch out for the coronavirus Doctors and nurses Are waiting to See how to stop the jaws Of the Covid-19. Every time I turn on the TV, I see the Covid-19 update, just like when my mom turns on her phone, all she sees is the updates of more face masks, homemade food or some sort of thing that relates to Covid-19. I wrote the poem ‘Covid-19’ because it mattered to me and the rest of the world. When I started to write this poem, I felt this was very important to me as there was something behind it and I wouldn’t know until I finished it. I knew that on the day I started writing this poem it gave me inspiration to rethink the people and the world around me. What I want to express in this poem is that the Covid-19 is very dangerous and still, some people are not taking it seriously and this is risking doctors, nurses, and others’ lives. Just like a flying fish wanting to fly and see the world and see what it feels to be out of the water, and to watch out for the sky and waters above and beneath, people need to be careful of Covid-19 and keep social distance before we defeat this virus. Always, there is a lantern of hope in my heart, and for that, my poem has the shape of a lantern to let people see it as a kindle of hope. Audrey Chuang, 11 Portland, OR
COVID-19
Book Club Report: Our First Meeting!
An update from our first Stone Soup Book Club Meeting! The Stone Soup Book Club is open to all Stone Soup contributors and subscribers during the COVID-19-related school closures and shelter-in-place arrangements. We meet every Wednesday for one hour via Zoom to discuss our chosen book. Wednesday, April 15th was our first meeting. The aim of this meeting was to introduce ourselves to one another, share our book ideas, and to choose our first book! This was no easy task with all the interesting and varied suggestions offered by participants. After much discussion, we narrowed it down to two favorites and decided that these would be the first and second books we would discuss. All of the suggestions were such great choices that we’ve listed them below, to serve as a reading list should anyone be looking for their next book, as recommended by a fellow Stone Soup fan! The Books: Our chosen books to read in Book Club are: 1st Book – The End of the Wild, by Nicole Helget 2nd Book – The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or the Three Magical Children and their Holy Dog, by Adam Gidwitz How the Book Club will work: We agreed that we would read 3-5 chapters of our first book before the next meeting. So, at next week’s book club, we will discuss the section of the book that we have all read. We’ll then agree how much more we will read during the following week. The Participants: Enni (13), Rachel (9), Jewels (12), Reha (11), Abhi (12), Anya (13), Lucy (12), Georgia (11), Lena (11), Mehr (12), Simar (6, and Mehr’s sister!), Vivian (11, who could not attend this week but offered some great book choices). Note that the Book Club got started with the fantastic group on this week’s call, but it is still open to new members if anyone couldn’t make it this time, but wants to join and read with us. Next meeting: Wednesday April 22, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST, via Zoom. To receive full meeting details and reminders, please sign up for the COVID-19 mailing list here. Join us! The Book List: other great suggestions included… Longbow Girl, by Linda Davies Out of My Mind, by Sharon M. Draper Bubble, by Stewart Foster The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green Storm Breaker, by Anthony Horowitz Animal Farm, by George Orwell They Both Die at the End, by Adam Silvera East of Eden, by John Steinbeck If This Were a Story, by Beth Turley Someone named Eva, by Joan M. Wolf
Tough Times, a poem by Aarush Iyengar, 12
Tough Times by Aarush Iyengar, 12 Tough times are here, So keep your loved ones near. Be happy and sing a song, When you feel the days are long. Keep your spirits up in different ways, Work and play inside, eat a bag of LaysⓇ Don’t freak out, don’t go crazy, Do what everyone does best, just be lazy. Sleep longer, watch TV, Do anything you want, you are free! Play video games and exercise, Stop worrying, like other guys. Use this time as a break from life, Get away from all of its stress and strife. Read a book, become smart, Maybe even do some art. Instead of being nervous, enjoy these days, And remember, this won’t last forever, it is just a phase! Aarush Iyengar, 12 Schenectady, NY
