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Mélange<br />
2007
Melange Editorial Staff- Alex Amaral, Anna Balliet, Jamie Becker, Austin Fernandez, Gabby Farquhar,<br />
Kyle Fisher, Sarah Garman, Ashley Hutchinson, Katie Harwood, Rachel Moss, Harry Okun, Sam Stathis,<br />
and Sarah Tuchman<br />
Faculty Advisor- Mrs. Thomas<br />
<strong>Art</strong> Advisor- Mrs. Hamilton<br />
Mélange<br />
Writing and art from<br />
<strong>Morristown</strong>-<strong>Beard</strong> Middle <strong>School</strong><br />
2006-2007<br />
“Mélange mine own, the unseen and the seen, mysterious ocean<br />
where the streams empty” - Walt Whitman<br />
Lucy Donnally<br />
Special thanks to Mrs. Bonner and Mr. Teasdale for their proofreading, Miss Trought and Mr. Finn for their technical<br />
advice, Mr. Burns for his support, and Mr. Tom Grant for his generosity in producing this magazine.
Literature<br />
Stephanie Ironson 3<br />
Lucy Donnally 3<br />
Melissa Rodriguez 4<br />
Alex Amaral 4<br />
Katie Harwood 5<br />
Dana DiGiacinto 6<br />
Alec Wells 6<br />
Thomas DePoalo 6<br />
Kyle Fisher 7<br />
Callie Smith 8<br />
Whitley Horn 9<br />
Nina Cammarata 10<br />
Thomas DePoalo 10<br />
Stephanie Ironson 11<br />
Connor McFadden 12<br />
Alex Amaral 12<br />
Katelyn Stover 13<br />
Alyssa Bufis 13<br />
Beck Tabor 14<br />
Dana DiGiacinto 15<br />
Clarence Williams 15<br />
Zach Blumenkehl 16<br />
Katy Hentenaar 16<br />
Ethan Riback 17<br />
Joshua Schramm 17<br />
Callie Smith 18<br />
Jill Raia 19<br />
Joshua Schramm 19<br />
Rob Orazietti 20<br />
Harry Okun 21<br />
Austin Fernandez 21<br />
Alex D’urso 22<br />
Katelyn Stover 22<br />
Jeff Carter 23<br />
Ethan Goldstein 24<br />
Zach Blumenkehl 24<br />
Lucy Donnally 25<br />
Jamie Becker 25<br />
Caroline Hollander 26<br />
Katy Hentenaar 27<br />
Alec Wells 28<br />
Melissa Rodriguez 28<br />
Jackson Kramer 29<br />
Olivia Sprau 29<br />
Thomas DePoalo 29<br />
Sarah Garman 30<br />
Alec Wells 31<br />
Thomas DePoalo 31<br />
Kyle Fisher 32<br />
Will Politan 33<br />
Harry Okun 34<br />
Cynthia Tremonte 34<br />
Cerea Steficek 35<br />
Alyssa Bufis 35<br />
Melissa Rodriguez 36<br />
Brandon Szapiro 36<br />
Zach Blumenkehl 37<br />
Ethan Goldstein 37<br />
Elisabeth Maranca 38<br />
Max Schmidt 39<br />
Freddie Wynne 39<br />
Jared Bernstein 40<br />
Stephanie Ironson 41<br />
Dana DiGiacinto 42<br />
Cerea Steficek 43<br />
Hannah Leahy 43<br />
Drew Hagerstrom 44<br />
Table of Contents <strong>Art</strong><br />
Kyle Fisher photograph cover<br />
Lucy Donnally acrylic 1<br />
Kyle Fisher photograph 3<br />
Katie Murry water color/ink 3<br />
Callie Smith 45<br />
Joshua Schramm 46<br />
Julia McBride 46<br />
Catherine Wachtell 47<br />
Clarence Williams 48<br />
Austin Fernandez 49<br />
Lindsay Walker 49<br />
Eliza Kagan 50<br />
Cody Shemesh 50<br />
Cerea Steficek acrylic 4<br />
Kyle Fisher photograph 5<br />
Hannah Sundman acrylic 6<br />
Caroline Hollander charcoal 7<br />
Catherine Wachtell oil pastel/watercolor 8<br />
Elisabeth Pellicane watercolor 9<br />
Stephanie Ironson colored pencil 10<br />
Lucy Donnally charcoal 11<br />
Cody Shemesh ink print 12<br />
Austin Fernandez ink print 12<br />
Ellie Smith ink print 13<br />
Alyssa Bufis acrylic 14<br />
Mihikaa Naik oil pastel/watercolor 15<br />
Dana DiGiacinto acrylic 16<br />
Jade Gardener pencil 17<br />
Mihikaa Niak charcoal 18<br />
Patrick Lai marker 19<br />
Julia McBride paper mola 20<br />
Alyssa Bufis charcoal 21<br />
Sharon Zelnick colored pencil 22<br />
Will Politan watercolor 22<br />
Jill Raia watercolor 23<br />
Brette Brier oil pastel/watercolor 24<br />
Cynthia Tremonte colored pencil 24<br />
Lizzie O’Neill colored pencil 25<br />
Katie Murray colored pencil 25<br />
Samantha Stathis charcoal 26<br />
Dana DiGiacinto charcoal 26<br />
Stephanie Ironson watercolor 27<br />
Jamie Becker colored pencil 28<br />
Rachel Moss oil pastel/watercolor 28<br />
Lydia Novalis paper mola 29<br />
Rachel Donahue watercolor 29<br />
Sarah Garman acrylic 30<br />
Dusty Pribor acrylic 31<br />
Melissa Rodriguez colored pencil 32<br />
Kyle Fisher photograph 34<br />
Jamie Becker acrylic 34<br />
Samantha Stathis pencil 35<br />
Nina Cammarata ink print 35<br />
Anna Balliet colored pencil 36<br />
Emily Aguas colored pencil 36<br />
Emily Aguas watercolor/ink 37<br />
Stephanie Ironson paper/foil 38<br />
Spencer Steficek marker 39<br />
Mike Koslov marker 39<br />
Annie Cha ink stamp 41<br />
Brandon Szapiro ink stamp 42<br />
Jaynie Seigel ink stamp 42<br />
Emily Aguas colored pencil 43<br />
Annie Cha colored pencil 43<br />
Ethan Riback charcoal 45<br />
Matt Kleinberg charcoal 45<br />
Cerea Steficek watercolor 46<br />
Hannah Sundman watercolor 46<br />
Lindsay Walker watercolor 47<br />
Sarah Bayersdorfer acrylic 48<br />
Kyle Fisher oil pastel 49<br />
Stephanie Ironson acrylic 49<br />
Caroline Hollander acrylic 50<br />
Special thanks to Mr. Teasdale and the nature<br />
walk club for their photos.
A Wilting Rose<br />
A wilting rose,<br />
Reveals no pain,<br />
For only time knows,<br />
The soul’s desire is in vain.<br />
A weathered heart is the only sign,<br />
That drives me to anguish,<br />
Never to be lessened by the passage of time,<br />
My body’s flesh, left to languish.<br />
A fading dusty hue of a mellowed love,<br />
For you, softly dozes,<br />
Oh so similar,<br />
To yellow wilting roses.<br />
The pause of the wave, the frost dew,<br />
It’s not you . . . my love . . . but love itself,<br />
I pursue.<br />
?<br />
Stephanie Ironson<br />
Katie Murray<br />
3<br />
Kyle Fisher<br />
Another Young Cycle<br />
High-school lovers walk hand in hand,<br />
Too young to realize what’s happening,<br />
Another break-up, another boy, another girl,<br />
Another relationship, another simple cycle of<br />
What they so call “Love”<br />
Why waste your time with love?<br />
It all ends up the same way,<br />
Another break-up, another boy, another girl,<br />
Another relationship, another simple cycle,<br />
People fall in love to fill<br />
an empty space in their hearts,<br />
And try to keep that space filled<br />
for as long as they can,<br />
But it all ends up the same way,<br />
Another young cycle.<br />
Lucy Donnally
Wishes and Dreams<br />
Just a big yellow envelope,<br />
that’s what you see,<br />
but what’s more important is<br />
what lies inside.<br />
It might just look like<br />
crimpled, old paper,<br />
What’s on those papers are<br />
wishes and dreams.<br />
Those are writing from my soul,<br />
With my life written on them.<br />
They make me want to sing,<br />
lots of rhythm and beats,<br />
Those are songs of my life<br />
that will sweep you off your feet.<br />
Yes, it’s just some<br />
crimpled and old paper in a yellow envelope,<br />
but wishes and dreams . . .<br />
I have such a beautiful talent<br />
and that’s important to me.<br />
Melissa Rodriguez<br />
4<br />
Unconditional<br />
What does it mean when someone shares their thoughts?<br />
Are they open to ideas of all kinds?<br />
Can they choose from everything<br />
that they have been taught?<br />
They may be the rare one with a wide open mind<br />
What if they didn’t question the who, how, or why?<br />
And aspired for time to learn how to make life<br />
alive and real<br />
Just think of the appeal to open up people’s eyes<br />
The energy would be running strong for all to feel.<br />
So when I ask you, “What do you think?”<br />
Your step should have more pizzazz<br />
And your mind should be on the blink<br />
with the chance to wow me with jazz<br />
My days turn into nights, and dreams keep me awake<br />
to remind me to be real, be true, not fake.<br />
Cerea Steficek<br />
Alex Amaral
On the Edge of it All<br />
Me, the last to stand on this edge.<br />
The brink of life, the threshold of death,<br />
The border of an endless, eternal, ever growing pit.<br />
Staring at the world before me. My future.<br />
Could this possibly be the destiny that was meant for me?<br />
A vast sea of corpses. Only time will tell.<br />
The moment it takes to fire a shot, bare a fall, and say farewell.<br />
Is this just? Did the enemy give anyone a fighting chance?<br />
Gypsies, injured, weak, young?<br />
Human bodies staring back at me.<br />
For some, spirits gone, others barely hold on.<br />
To their most cherished possession, life.<br />
Our own kind, flesh and blood, going against us.<br />
All because of a small difference.<br />
The faint barrier but between us.<br />
5<br />
What could we have done to receive this?<br />
Worship a scared text that we call our own?<br />
Follow traditions of many generations past?<br />
Take part in a legacy?<br />
If only I had listened to the others,<br />
The outcasts, the clues, myself.<br />
Maybe I would not be here.<br />
Me, the last to stand on this edge,<br />
On the edge of a story’s ending, my grave.<br />
Just to be murdered by a uniform.<br />
No heart, no soul, just orders.<br />
To extinguish all faults of life.<br />
This world, my friend, is not the perfect place<br />
That ruler of those soldiers dreamt it to be.<br />
Katie Harwood<br />
Kyle Fisher
I Think and I Know<br />
It seems I never know what to say<br />
Or when I think I do, I never do<br />
And sometimes, I think you feel the same way<br />
But then you throw me off, and I don’t have a<br />
clue<br />
When you come near me, I try to act real calm<br />
But honestly the truth is I turn to panic<br />
Moisture builds up in my palms<br />
But you don’t seem too confident either . . .<br />
I know this isn’t love<br />
And I know I don’t know what love is<br />
But I do know that I stare at the ceiling above<br />
Thinking about some rare possibilities<br />
And every day you always have to throw me off<br />
But don’t worry, soon I’ll be gone,<br />
and starting today,<br />
I am moving on.<br />
Myself<br />
What can I say?<br />
About myself<br />
I am,<br />
more than a friend<br />
Although a friend<br />
is what I am to many<br />
A son,<br />
Is what I am to one loving father.<br />
A brother,<br />
Dana DiGiacinto<br />
Is what I am to the loveliest of sisters.<br />
A playmate,<br />
to the prettiest boxer in the world<br />
A goalie,<br />
for hockey teams everywhere.<br />
And most of all,<br />
I am Me Alec Wells<br />
6<br />
Cold, white, beautiful<br />
falling down from the heavens<br />
floating in the air<br />
Hannah Sundman<br />
Thomas DePoalo
August 15, 1914 A.D.<br />
The first ship sailed through the new canal across Panama today. It was an amazing sight to see the canal<br />
we’d been working on for the last ten years finally put into commission. I spent most of the time working as<br />
an engineer on the six locks of the canal. I have not been here the whole time of construction, and can only<br />
imagine what it must have felt like to see the ship sail by for the full -ime workers.<br />
June 28, 1915 A.D.<br />
Landslides have caused closures of the Panama Canal, and I wish the opening would not have to wait. I<br />
wanted to see the work we have all worked on for the past ten years finally opened, and now we just have<br />
to dig out all the dirt and rocks from the landslide. This isn’t the first one the canal has had recently, either.<br />
The canal is unstable, and I worry that it will collapse completely and all our hard work would have been for<br />
nothing. I can’t imagine how hard that would be on the people who worked there for ten full years, spending<br />
time risking their lives for the first two years when disease was spreading rapidly, not knowing if they would<br />
see their families again. I had it relatively easy compared to them during all those days of work.<br />
February 18, 1916 A.D.<br />
A war has begun that has ensnared the entire world. The canal opening has been postponed. I do not know<br />
how long it will be before this war ends, or if it will end at all. I just hope I will live through this war to see<br />
the opening of the canal, and that my son will not be drafted. This war will certainly change the world as we<br />
know it, no matter how it turns out. I just hope that it doesn’t also destroy it.<br />
July 12, 1920<br />
The war, now dubbed The Great War, has ended, the Germans have lost, and I have survived. The canal was<br />
officially opened today, as announced by President Woodrow Wilson. It was a moment of joy to me, and I<br />
can imagine the cheer of the still-surviving workers who worked on the canal, through all its hardships and<br />
pain, suffering and uncertainty. It was so joyous to me, and I can only imagine how they felt.<br />
Kyle Fisher<br />
7<br />
Caroline Hollander
Epitaph<br />
August 2,1993-August 21,2015<br />
Here Lies a Girl...<br />
A girl with compassion,<br />
Enough to last a lifetime.<br />
A girl with fear and bravery,<br />
At the same time.<br />
A girl who had her heart broken,<br />
More times than one.<br />
A girl who loved her horses.<br />
Even when times were rough she could turn to them.<br />
A girl who slacked off in school at times,<br />
Then ended up making up for it<br />
A girl whose smile lit up a room,<br />
Especially when everyone was dull<br />
8<br />
A girl who loved her friends,<br />
Even when they betrayed her.<br />
A girl whose anger never got the best of her,<br />
Although it tried.<br />
A girl who cared a little too much<br />
of what people thought of her,<br />
In every single way.<br />
A girl who loved her own ways.<br />
A girl who loved the spotlight,<br />
Sometimes a little too much<br />
A girl who was a little crazy at times,<br />
But always seemed to have the good times,<br />
to make up for it<br />
A girl whose name was Callie Smith.<br />
And here she lies.<br />
Catherine Wachtell<br />
Callie Smith
Hi! I’m Sarah, more commonly known as the Sahara Desert. I am going to tell you a little bit about my [ahem]<br />
interesting life as a desert!<br />
The first thing I can remember as a desert is way back in 3000 B.C., when a great civilization began to grow along<br />
the Nile River and its delta. These Egyptians adapted surprisingly well! They built a series of kingdoms, and built many<br />
pyramids and other monuments, many of which are still marveled at today. They were really skilled architects! Along with<br />
these well-built pyramids, these people also had innovations which led to Earth’s civilization being the complex society it is<br />
today. They created the 365-day calendar, and were skilled astronomers. Later, in 1570 B.C. to 1085 B.C., Egypt expanded<br />
its society to what is now known as Syria, Israel, and Libya.<br />
As with most civilizations, eventually the luck of the Egyptians began to plummet. The Egyptian power eventually<br />
lessened, and foreigners began to control much of North Africa. In 332 B.C., a Greek army began to invade, led by Alexander<br />
the Great, and founded the city of Alexandria in Egypt. The Roman Empire became a great North African power, and<br />
when they began to weaken, other invaders would begin to take over.<br />
In the 600’s and early 700’s, Arab armies from Southwest Asia conquered much of North Africa. As a result, many<br />
North Africans became Muslims, and Arabic became their main language. This can still be seen today in the people around<br />
me.<br />
Later, between the 1830s and 1912, the Europeans “hopped on the bandwagon” and conquered North Africa. This<br />
was the last straw for my fellow North Africans! They had enough of being pushed around! So, they began to fight for<br />
independence. To start this revolt, Egypt fought for independence from Great Britain, which was granted to them in 1922.<br />
But this did not motivate the rest of North Africa enough to fight for their freedom. But after World War II ended in 1945,<br />
the fight for freedom became stronger. In 1952, a group of Egyptian military officers led a revolution against British rule.<br />
France granted Tunisia and Morocco independence in 1956. But the French still clung on to Algeria, resulting in a bloody<br />
war. But you know those Frenchmen, anyway the wind blows, and in 1962 they granted Algeria its independence. Finally,<br />
to put violent icing on the government cake, Mu’ammar Gadhafi led military officers to overthrow the monarchy.<br />
Well, there you have it! My long life as those around me rise and fall.<br />
Whitley Horn<br />
9<br />
Elizabeth Pellicane
Cherry Blossom Tree<br />
Blossoms flying in the sky<br />
Shining pink flowers<br />
Nina Cammarata<br />
Pretty short petals<br />
Their smell is so beautiful<br />
Swaying in the air<br />
Cold, white, beautiful<br />
Falling down<br />
from the heavens<br />
Floating in the air<br />
Thomas DePoalo<br />
10<br />
Stephanie Ironson<br />
Beautiful Blossom<br />
Cherry tree, daisy, and rose<br />
Windblown in the grass<br />
Nina Cammarata
Through the twisted branches and up the steep hill<br />
Lay the tired town of Hornlone Ville<br />
As darkness rose and twilight fell<br />
All stray creatures rose from hell<br />
Groping the silence of the night<br />
pouncing and prancing without the least contrite<br />
In the sky above a single bat did soar<br />
Hallows Eve had come once more . . .<br />
A lonely gentleman -- his eyes to heaven above<br />
For the memory of his departed love<br />
“I grieve on the anniversary of my lost bride<br />
Three Hallows eve past is when she died.<br />
Oh, that night, three years ago<br />
the chilling wind from the east did blow<br />
The trees in unison embraced my house<br />
That dreadful night, I lost my spouse”<br />
Devoid of emotion, he trudged graveyard bound<br />
Shuffling through darkened streets nary a sound<br />
11<br />
Reaching the site in which his love lay<br />
Who died three years ago on this very day<br />
The young man knelt beside the dust covered stone<br />
Talking to his departed, thinking he was alone<br />
“My love has only grown with another year gone by,<br />
I wish to be with you,” he whispered with a sigh<br />
“Until next year, we must say our goodbyes.”<br />
But, lurking amidst the bushes was a pair of yellow<br />
eyes<br />
As he bent to kiss her name<br />
A shaft of fire from the bushes aflame<br />
The smoke cleared in the tired village of Hornlone<br />
Another name appeared on that very graveyard stone.<br />
Eternal love he did achieve<br />
At last on Hallows Eve<br />
Lucy Donnally<br />
Stephanie Ironson
Dark<br />
The trees sway gently<br />
the temperature drops<br />
the night is dark<br />
and the fog grows thick<br />
the air is gloomy<br />
there is a deep silence<br />
These nights- in this palce- not too welcoming<br />
For people cower in fear<br />
for an apparition to be seen<br />
and a secret would be hidden<br />
a scream inaudible<br />
a jurisdiction broken<br />
and the world would never know.<br />
Ethics don’t exist anymore<br />
Any innocent can become volatile<br />
You can’t trust anyone<br />
because no lie would be plausible<br />
even if they look so true<br />
But if you enter this place<br />
you must watch your back; be assertive when cornered<br />
If not, your story will have no sequel<br />
Nor an epitaph on your grave<br />
Connor McFadden<br />
Austin Fernandez 12<br />
The Night<br />
The night was filled with antics<br />
by all those who roamed the streets<br />
We collaborated on highjinx<br />
the bloodiness was not for the meek.<br />
We roamed congested alleys and lanes,<br />
encountering churlish rebels<br />
The dreary and dark streets were<br />
mobbed with demons and devils<br />
Cody Shemesh<br />
To home we roamed and wandered,<br />
past the judges of the Halloween scene<br />
To our amazement<br />
we received plaudits beyond our wildest dreams.<br />
Alex Amaral
Words Cannot Describe<br />
Why?<br />
One word<br />
Infinite meaning<br />
Yet no answer<br />
Our lives were taken<br />
Unjustly.<br />
Our bodies burned<br />
To hide us forever?<br />
You stole<br />
Everything dear.<br />
You crushed<br />
The dreams of all.<br />
In the flames<br />
Our ashes fell.<br />
In the blaze<br />
We burned.<br />
What<br />
was this reason<br />
that made murder just?<br />
We don’t know.<br />
Death of millions,<br />
For benefit of none.<br />
What is madness,<br />
Until you see it.<br />
We saw<br />
We heard,<br />
We suffered<br />
Nobody cared.<br />
Who are you?<br />
To do this<br />
So vile must you be<br />
Pure cruelty.<br />
The blood that runs<br />
Through your veins<br />
Fresh with evil.<br />
A monster.<br />
Our blood<br />
Has been shed.<br />
Nobody cared,<br />
Why?<br />
We are buried here,<br />
In the rubble<br />
Why?<br />
Again,<br />
An echo<br />
With<br />
No<br />
Reply.<br />
Katelyn Stover<br />
Do You See What They Have Done?<br />
I am skin over bones.<br />
Don’t know what I am, don’t know who I am.<br />
Taken my pride, taken my soul<br />
Do you see what they have done?<br />
Was from Germany,<br />
Now ashamed.<br />
Taken my country.<br />
Now I am just plain<br />
Do you see what they have done?<br />
13<br />
Still have my faith.<br />
But just want to go home.<br />
Do you see what they have done?<br />
Miss my family, miss my home.<br />
Still have my faith.<br />
But just want to go home.<br />
Do you see what they have done?<br />
Ellie Smith<br />
Alyssa Bufis
(Inspired by The Red Badge of Courage)<br />
As I walked among wounded men, I was ashamed of deserting. I felt as though it was written all over me. That<br />
people could see I was different.<br />
“Was that him?” I thought. It was! It’s Jim Conklin. Surprise, yet horror, rushed through me. I had found my<br />
friend, but he was mortally wounded. It didn’t look like he had long to live.<br />
I tried to help, but he resisted. He didn’t want to die, but he was tough about it. He kept looking into<br />
space . . . wondering. I wondered too, how he felt being shot and all, not knowing if you were going to live or die. He<br />
got pale, and I knew he was dying when I could hear his heart pounding. You could see his eyes were burning in pain.<br />
The poor man was afraid of getting trampled and just wanted to get off the road. He kept begging me and it was<br />
becoming very hard to say no.<br />
Jim was saying, “Leave me be.” I am not sure why he would want to be alone. A tattered soldier was behind me.<br />
He was saying to take him off the road and into the fields. I ran up to Jim and begged him to say with me. He looked<br />
at me blankly. His fiery eyes burned me.<br />
He was up, running! I couldn’t believe where he was getting his strength. The tattered man and I ran afer him.<br />
What else could we do? We caught him in a clump of bushes. “What are you doing!?” I asked him. He just replied to<br />
leave him be . . . not to touch him. I am not so sure he even heard me because his face was full of fear and hate . . . hat-<br />
ing the world . . . I saw pain and love . . . love for his family . . . grief . . . knowing he would never see his family again.<br />
Jim wandered away while we followed close behind. Suddenly he stopped right in front of us. He was standing tall<br />
and felt he had come to the spot he had wanted to be. He started heaving, struggling for air. It stopped, and Jim stiff-<br />
ened. I knew that had been his last breath, for he had fallen to the ground.<br />
Jim Conklin was dead. No doubt about it. I knew I had to move on, but I couldn’t accept that just yet. It sort of<br />
cheered me up as I looked at his face. Jim was smiling. Jim Conklin finally looked happy.<br />
14<br />
Alyssa Bufis<br />
Beck Tabor
The ZiggerZagger<br />
Beware the ZiggerZagger<br />
He’ll eat you in one piece<br />
He’ll claw out both your eyes<br />
It happened to my niece<br />
He doesn’t make friends<br />
So all of you watch out<br />
For he has only me<br />
I am his only, no doubt<br />
We laugh, we giggle, and we joke,<br />
We have fun every day<br />
The only time we have to stop<br />
Is when someone else has come our way<br />
Mihikaa Naik<br />
He has bad breath and an ugly face<br />
And all the children let him know<br />
So they make mean jokes<br />
And on their way they go<br />
Now he hates them all<br />
And he has only me<br />
I like him for who he is<br />
And for who he’ll always be<br />
No one seems to look beyond<br />
What their eyes will see<br />
And they will never realize<br />
How nice the ZiggerZagger can be.<br />
15<br />
The Pink Elephant<br />
At the foot of my bed it gawks at me, and I<br />
gawk back. Given to me by my beloved auntie<br />
when I was only two, I cherish C.J., my pink<br />
elephant. Its smooth, fluffy pink exterior is soft<br />
and elegant, despite its blue eyes conjoined at<br />
the middle, and its green feet with yellow toe-<br />
nails. I confide in C.J., and he listens with open<br />
ears. We indulge in conversations of all types,<br />
even though he himself is quite inaudible.<br />
I still love and admire him, because he is the<br />
memory of my auntie. And even though she is<br />
no longer living, I will keep C.J. and pass him<br />
down from generation to generation so my kids,<br />
and their kids will be obliged to share the same<br />
compassion, love, and respect for him, as I , too,<br />
always will.<br />
Dana DiGiacinto<br />
Clarence Williams
Mysterious Figure<br />
A face in the window<br />
A thing of the past<br />
A reflection of a mirror<br />
Will the visions last?<br />
A mind has been scrambled<br />
A smile has lit<br />
With confusion and happiness<br />
Has my place just been fit?<br />
These Wires<br />
These wires block us out<br />
We can hardly look about<br />
Zach Blumekehl<br />
They shield us from the outside world<br />
We were whirled into this new world.<br />
What are they so afraid of?<br />
These wires are our boundaries<br />
It’s a prison like working at a foundry<br />
We work into the night<br />
We tell ourselves it will be all right<br />
But we don’t believe it<br />
We are all so naïve<br />
16<br />
These wires finally give in<br />
The allies have come<br />
We are finally freed<br />
Dana DiGiacinto<br />
We can leave these wires we were forced to call home<br />
You see the excitement in our faces<br />
We can finally leave these wires<br />
These wires that have restrained us<br />
But now they have broken apart<br />
and we have<br />
trampled them<br />
Katy Hentenaar
I Hate Her<br />
I hate her<br />
I never want to see her again<br />
She broke up with me<br />
I had nothing to gain<br />
We were in love<br />
But it was all fake<br />
She pretended to love<br />
We had nothing to make<br />
I am happy she is gone<br />
And that I am alone<br />
She is with only her ugly self<br />
Told me to go home<br />
But yet I am confused<br />
Why do I care about her departure?<br />
Ethan Riback<br />
17<br />
The Other Side<br />
I took a wrong turn,<br />
To the other side,<br />
Never looking back.<br />
Committed lots of sins,<br />
Gossiping, fighting, cheating, hurting,<br />
Never looking back.<br />
But I found my way,<br />
And I was forgiven,<br />
Never looking back.<br />
Jade Gardener<br />
Joshua Schramm
When I was born I had a dog named “Teddy.” He was a dog like Lassie from Lassie, Come Home. Teddy and I<br />
used to chase the mailman, and Teddy would usually rip his pants. This used to be my morning entertainment. On<br />
Sundays we annoyed the little girl down the street.<br />
One day my parents told me that we were moving away and Teddy couldn’t come with us. They told me he would<br />
go with my loving babysitter. I hated that woman with every bone in my body. She was a vile person. So when he<br />
had to move to my disgusting babysitter’s house, my parents bought me a bear. I named it “Teddy” so I would al-<br />
ways remember him. The bear was so soft and plush. It was light brown with deep chocolate eyes. To me, the bear<br />
always smiled.<br />
Two years later Teddy died and then the bear seemed to frown. Teddy the bear still sits in my closet, in his arms<br />
a picture of me and Teddy rests.<br />
18<br />
Mihikaa Niak<br />
Callie Smith
The Big Game<br />
It was the championship game,<br />
And almost the whole town came.<br />
We were playing our archenemy,<br />
The Lincoln Park Lenape.<br />
It was the bottom of the ninth inning,<br />
And we weren’t winning.<br />
We were down by one,<br />
And knew what had to be done.<br />
There were two outs,<br />
But never any doubts.<br />
First up was Lindsay,<br />
And then it was me.<br />
Third was Jenny,<br />
And then it was Kelsey.<br />
Lindsay got a single,<br />
And heard the crowd jingle.<br />
A smile appeared on her face,<br />
As she stole second base.<br />
A tingle went down my spine,<br />
As I hit it down the right field line.<br />
Lindsay came around to score.<br />
And it sure wasn’t a bore.<br />
Then without any trouble,<br />
Jenny hit a double.<br />
She moved me to third,<br />
Where I was as alert as a bird.<br />
All this suspense,<br />
Was making me tense.<br />
For, I knew that I was the winning run,<br />
That would start all the fun.<br />
Staying nice and tall,<br />
The pitcher released the ball.<br />
It was low,<br />
And bounced off the catcher’s toe.<br />
I broke from third base,<br />
Like a detective who just found the answer to a case.<br />
Without a care,<br />
I flung my body into the air.<br />
And the Lenape coach threw a fit,<br />
As I slid under the catcher’s mitt.<br />
Jill Raia<br />
19<br />
Gum<br />
Chewy, sticky, pink<br />
Tasty in your mouth, now chew!<br />
Blow and it will . . . POP!<br />
Patrick Lai<br />
Joshua Schramm
Dear Journal,<br />
I am writing from my hotel room in the western beach coasts of South America. I am volun-<br />
teering my vacation as a turtle protector. I work for “TXZC-Got-Cha” and I don’t mean to brag, but<br />
I am the best turtle protector on the beach. I have been hired to protect them during the two days<br />
that they migrate from the hatching ground to the ocean.<br />
Day One was very hard for me. I saw the turtle hunter, J.J. Holmes, who was one of the<br />
meanest turtle hunters in the world. It was illegal to hunt, so I called the cops on him. Then I gath-<br />
ered all the turtles making it to the shore, and put them in a safe bucket in my car. After, I realeased<br />
them into the sea when I was sure J.J. Holmes was no where to be seen.<br />
Day Two was a little easier for me. I didn’t see as many turtles. This had been a great project for<br />
me. Robert Oreizetti<br />
20<br />
Julia McBride
Who Teaches a Spider<br />
Who teaches a spider<br />
How to eat and how to spin<br />
They never see their parents<br />
How do they make threads so thin?<br />
Their webs are things of beauty<br />
They shimmer in the sun<br />
Spiders know so many things<br />
Yet have not been taught one<br />
Spiders, amazing creatures<br />
Who we cannot understand<br />
They spin their webs<br />
Catching flies<br />
And live all across the land<br />
Harry Okun<br />
21<br />
Indian Chant<br />
Alyssa Bufis<br />
The trees are dying and there is nothing to eat<br />
Time goes on<br />
The earth is barren and all too hot<br />
Time goes on<br />
Nothing but prayer to heal us<br />
Time goes on<br />
The end is near for all that are here<br />
Time goes on<br />
We are riding into the fields<br />
The hot dry wind pursued us<br />
The winter is gone it turned to spring<br />
The hot dry wind pursued us<br />
The children can come out and play<br />
The hot dry wind pursued us<br />
Birds are chirping and squirrels are playing<br />
The hot dry wind pursued us<br />
Austin Fernandez
Love<br />
The conversations when we talk,<br />
The secrets we share,<br />
Would you come with me on a long walk?<br />
That would show me how much you really care.<br />
The feelings we have for one another,<br />
They are simply amazing,<br />
I want you to be with me forever,<br />
Live up to the truth and stop the praising.<br />
My love is in your trust,<br />
Is it my fault that I care too much?<br />
You and me together is a must,<br />
Don’t leave me, otherwise my life will forever be<br />
crushed.<br />
You with me equal two,<br />
My life is now completed because of you.<br />
Alex D’urso<br />
Will Politan<br />
22<br />
Dear Romeo,<br />
Where art thou?<br />
How I long for thee.<br />
One whose love they can avow,<br />
A love, so pure, for me.<br />
What is love?<br />
But a passion<br />
That I am tossed off of<br />
Into the abyss, lacking compassion.<br />
Romeo, your love is but an act,<br />
It is easily seen you’re untrue.<br />
A soul, it seems, you always lacked,<br />
And now I must bid thee adieu.<br />
How I thought you were the one,<br />
But was plainly seen that we were done.<br />
Sharon Zelnick<br />
Katelyn Stover
Moi et Nutmeg<br />
Je m’appelle Gilles et elle s’appelle Nutmeg. Je suis une personne et Nutmeg est un chien. Je<br />
cours mais elle est plus rapide que moi. Je suis plus grand qu’ elle mais elle est moins grosse que moi.<br />
photo courtesy of author<br />
Je suis plus intelligent qu’ elle mais elle ne va pas ā l’ecole. Elle<br />
est jaune et je suis blanc et rouge. Je joue avec les ordinators<br />
et elle joue avecles balles de tennis. Je vais dormeir ā dix-onze<br />
heures elle va dormer quand elle veut. Je parle un petit peu le<br />
francais et beacoup d’anglais mais elle parle “chien”. Je parle<br />
plus qu’ elle mais quand elle parle c’est tres tres penible. Elle<br />
Tres ecoute plus que moi.<br />
23<br />
Jeff “Gilles” Carter<br />
Jill Raia
The Great Wave of Kanagawa<br />
The great wall of concrete<br />
Comes closer. It gets bigger<br />
Every second. You are just<br />
Waiting for the rogue to hit<br />
It takes the boat up<br />
Into its curl. Your heart<br />
Beats as fast as a frog jumps<br />
It comes down on us<br />
Like getting smacked<br />
with a cement block.<br />
It pulls me<br />
Down,<br />
Death<br />
Ethan Goldstein<br />
Cynthia Tremonte<br />
24<br />
Mona Lisa<br />
I look into her eyes<br />
And what do I see?<br />
A straight up girl<br />
Not as happy as can be<br />
There is something mysterious<br />
There is something just strange<br />
Her eyes seem to follow<br />
I should keep out of range<br />
I feel a little strange<br />
I’m very afraid<br />
There is something coming<br />
Brette Brier<br />
Like the mischief of a night raid<br />
Zach Blumenkehl
One by one, lives are ended<br />
My eyes are blinded by the sight below me<br />
Tears run down strangers’ faces<br />
Right now, here, I wish I were blind<br />
The line shorter<br />
My faith grows smaller<br />
Bullet after bullet<br />
Body after body falls into the pit<br />
Soldiers laugh<br />
If only they were in our place<br />
Three more lives are before me<br />
Two<br />
One<br />
I sit down, my back to the soldiers<br />
My legs resting over the pit<br />
Empty bodies below me<br />
I stare at the camera<br />
Trigger pulled.<br />
Lucy Donnally<br />
Katie Murray<br />
25<br />
No<br />
Peering over<br />
Peeking through<br />
Calmly waiting.<br />
No, no I will not go.<br />
Running, running, running<br />
Collapsed, distorted people<br />
No food, no water<br />
No mercy.<br />
No, no I will not go.<br />
Through the gates<br />
Into line<br />
Pointed right<br />
... Death.<br />
No<br />
no, I will not go.<br />
Lizzie O’Neill<br />
Jamie Becker
A Million Little Pieces<br />
Love is an illusion;<br />
Love is, face it, pretend.<br />
Love is there to make us feel<br />
like the princess in a fairytale,<br />
Love isn’t pickin’ or chosin’<br />
You just fall<br />
And every time you fall, it just becomes<br />
harder to get back up;<br />
Because love is a risk we take, a sacrifice,<br />
When people put their whole heart into things,<br />
like love,<br />
all it means is another easy way to get broken;<br />
When a heart breaks,<br />
it shatters into a million pieces,<br />
just like glass<br />
Samantha Stathis<br />
26<br />
Once a heart has shattered,<br />
it’s not easy putting the pieces back together;<br />
Mending a broken heart isn’t as simple as<br />
sticking a band-aid on your chest,<br />
Like a jigsaw puzzle,<br />
it’s hard.<br />
Sometimes it even takes<br />
forever;<br />
And after a heart is finished mending<br />
you just move along,<br />
Like the clouds in the sky on a brilliant summer day,<br />
you move along;<br />
You’re independent now,<br />
your heart drums the beat to its own song.<br />
Caroline Hollander<br />
Dana DiGiacinto
Monster<br />
I would like to tell you about a friend of mine<br />
He is green and he can be mean<br />
He is not very clean<br />
He is nice, once you talk to him<br />
Though not very slim<br />
We are good friends<br />
Not because he wears the latest trends<br />
He is just like us<br />
He does not make a fuss<br />
But only when he’s chased by a bus<br />
His home is in the forest<br />
So you would think he would smell of a florist<br />
But you are wrong my friend<br />
He tries to be clean, but we have to pretend<br />
He likes to swim, and run<br />
He is a load of fun<br />
Wouldn’t you like to know my friend?<br />
I’m sorry to tell you that this has a bitter end<br />
He is only pretend.<br />
But he is my best friend<br />
He has yet to betray me<br />
We still meet under the willow tree<br />
And play different games, you see<br />
“I WIN!” he exclaims<br />
Our time has ended<br />
But it has been splendid<br />
Wouldn’t you like to learn his name?<br />
It has been like a waiting game<br />
I will not reveal to you his name<br />
It is for me to know and for you to wonder<br />
Oh no! Here comes Thunder!<br />
27<br />
Katy Hentenaar<br />
Stephanie Ironson
The Friend<br />
The warm smile,<br />
Always looks my way.<br />
The funny laugh,<br />
I hear everyday.<br />
The snort,<br />
That makes me chuckle.<br />
The heartache and pain,<br />
We go through together.<br />
You are a friend,<br />
You are a buddy.<br />
You are my blood,<br />
You are my sister.<br />
Alec Wells<br />
Rachel Moss<br />
28<br />
Jamie Becker<br />
Liz<br />
Big mouth, big smile<br />
Obnoxious laugh for no reason<br />
Nothing to bring you down<br />
And never on time<br />
You still and forever will be a friend of mine.<br />
Melissa Rodriguez
Great big splashing waves<br />
Hit the shore thunderously<br />
And crawl up the beach<br />
Jackson Kramer The Ocean<br />
Big salty and blue<br />
Pretty on the horizon<br />
A breathtaking sight<br />
Sitting there watching<br />
It is a great green carpet<br />
Blades of grass, stomped on<br />
Thomas DePoalo<br />
Waves from the ocean<br />
Swaying back and forth<br />
Shells washing up to shore<br />
Blue and high blanket<br />
29<br />
Olivia Sprau<br />
A great big sky above us<br />
Watching over us<br />
Lydia Novalis<br />
Jackson Kramer<br />
Rachel Donahue
Deep Within the Forest<br />
“Wake up, wake up, Star.<br />
The sun is shining and the birds singing.<br />
Come, come now.<br />
Walk with your horn high.”<br />
“We unicorns are proud,<br />
So let’s go, time’s a wastin’”.<br />
“But Sky, I don’t want to,<br />
I don’t want to save the Majesty’s son.”<br />
Sky was aghast at what her friend had just said.<br />
Her Majesty’s son was captured by the werewolves,<br />
And a reward was being offered:<br />
Marriage to whoever brought back her son.<br />
Sky was a persuasive talker,<br />
So soon Star was following her like an obedient dog.<br />
Through the forest they trotted,<br />
Until the werewolf was spotted.<br />
“Oh my!” said Star.<br />
“Good Golly!” said Sky.<br />
Before their eyes was the werewolf.<br />
Its bulging eyes staring back at them.<br />
What did we get ourselves into? murmured Sky,<br />
Who was having second thoughts.<br />
But then she looked into the eyes of the captive.<br />
They were so hopeful, how could she not help him?<br />
She told Star to stand back.<br />
With a swish of her mane,<br />
And a ferocious buck,<br />
She summoned all the power inside of her.<br />
A sudden scream pierced through the dense forest<br />
growth.<br />
Before Sky’s eyes was the werewolf,<br />
Its breaths becoming shallower by the minute.<br />
Up arose the son, who galloped to Sky’s side.<br />
Then they leisurely walked back toward the palace.<br />
Her Majesty greeted them with a grateful whinny.<br />
A big feast soon followed for Star and Sky.<br />
And the next day, Sky and the son were married.<br />
30<br />
Sarah Garman<br />
Sarah Garman
The Hot Dry Wind Pursued Us<br />
Walking on the beach<br />
Completely thoughtless<br />
The hot dry wind pursued us<br />
Our feet in the sand<br />
Tickling our toes<br />
The hot dry wind pursued us<br />
Swimming in the ocean<br />
Floating on our backs<br />
The hot dry wind pursued us<br />
Dusty Pribor<br />
31<br />
Dust<br />
The love I see is dust<br />
It crumbles away and nothing is left<br />
Although love I must<br />
Loving is to sell your heart away<br />
Your life you must thrust,<br />
To the devil,<br />
If you do not trust,<br />
The one you love<br />
There was a lust,<br />
For you my darling<br />
It just turned to rust<br />
As I saw you leaving<br />
Loving someone is for nothing,<br />
only to be wasted.<br />
Love is for the poor soul,<br />
for love, we all have tasted.<br />
On the boat rocking back and forth<br />
The hot dry wind pursued us<br />
Laying down<br />
Tanning on a blanket<br />
The hot dry wind pursued us<br />
Running down the beach<br />
Jumping on your skim board<br />
The hot dry wind pursued us<br />
Thomas DePoalo<br />
Alec Wells
Seasons<br />
Seasons<br />
Winter comes<br />
In banks of white<br />
Nice warm homes<br />
and toasty nights<br />
Every year, it comes around<br />
Really, really bright<br />
Spring soon follows<br />
Plenty of grass to go around<br />
Rich in animals<br />
It comes to melt the snow<br />
Never stopping, always going<br />
Giving room for plants to grow<br />
Summer comes to take a turn<br />
Until fall does return<br />
Making heat and summer waves,<br />
Many vacation memories to save<br />
32<br />
Easy going, no need to rush<br />
Ready to run<br />
through the summer brush<br />
Fall is last on our list<br />
Although it’s not the least<br />
Leaves falling, twirling down<br />
Leaving the trees to hit the ground<br />
So now it all repeats again<br />
Every year it is the same<br />
All your life and still ongoing<br />
Seasons just keep spinning, turning<br />
On and on, with the sun<br />
Never stopping til time is done<br />
Spinning, spinning, on and on<br />
Melissa Rodriguez<br />
Kyle Fisher
33<br />
Will Politan
The Winds of the Seasons<br />
Rushing, blowing through the trees<br />
Hissing, whooshing, autumn’s breeze<br />
Dry and cold, like the touch of death<br />
A frozen chill, winter’s breath<br />
Brimming with life, a golden hue<br />
Away with the old,<br />
spring’s wind comes anew<br />
Strong and stormy, hot and pale<br />
The fiercest of all, summer’s gale<br />
Harry Okun<br />
Kyle Fisher<br />
34<br />
Fluttering, soft wings<br />
Colored with yellow and black<br />
Silently flying<br />
Soft, felt-like petals<br />
Gleaming with purple and green<br />
Swaying quietly<br />
Cynthia Tremonte<br />
Jamie Becker
Grandma: What You’re About<br />
Full of joy<br />
That came right out<br />
You had a twinkle<br />
That would never run out<br />
Sometimes mad<br />
But that’s not what you’re about<br />
Taught everyone something new<br />
Everyone listened<br />
No doubt<br />
You are my Grandma, my friend, and my pal<br />
Now, that’s what you’re about<br />
Samantha Stathis<br />
Alyssa Bufis<br />
35<br />
Grandma<br />
You always made me feel important<br />
You always had an emergency piece of candy<br />
in your purse and<br />
you always tried to be friends with us.<br />
You knew how to cheer us up<br />
and had ideas on how to have fun<br />
when we were stuck inside.<br />
Whenever we needed<br />
a babysitter for the weekend<br />
you would come<br />
and we always had a blast.<br />
I hope your journey brought you as much fun<br />
as you brought us<br />
Cerea Steficek<br />
Nina Cammarata
Cried Out<br />
Standing here in the cold<br />
Close to evening time<br />
Screams and prayers being mumbled<br />
Is all I can hear coming from the front of the line,<br />
Is this the end?<br />
That’s it?<br />
Nothing else left for me to see?<br />
It is like I have only seen the worst that can be,<br />
People being killed,<br />
Forced to do work and fighting over just a bit to eat<br />
I look towards the sky asking,<br />
“Lord please tell me why me?”<br />
When will this be over and done?<br />
But I think we have all known there is no good to<br />
come,<br />
My dreams of happiness and good<br />
have all faded away,<br />
Knowing no one can help me one inch of the way<br />
The line seemed to shorten,<br />
I, next to die,<br />
I waited, tears to fall one at a time,<br />
But I’m all cried out,<br />
I won’t waste my strength,<br />
There are no more tears to cry,<br />
I say my last prayers just to get by<br />
But there is one thing I won’ t do<br />
And that is to say<br />
Goodbye<br />
Melissa Rodriguez<br />
Emily Aguas<br />
36<br />
Summer is a relaxing time.<br />
Winter is time to rejoice and drink.<br />
Spring is time to rest.<br />
Fall, the time to jump.<br />
Sunny weather lets the clean air come.<br />
Crisp clean air comes through.<br />
Anna Balliet<br />
Brandon Szapiro
El Greco-View of Toledo<br />
A view so high<br />
As wonderful as can be<br />
From way up here,<br />
I see an old resemblance of me<br />
From way down below<br />
You may seem so poor<br />
You look straight up<br />
And only desire for more<br />
I wonder how it can be<br />
Two completely different sides<br />
Straight up to straight down<br />
What happens when they collide<br />
Zach Blumenkehl<br />
37<br />
View of Toledo<br />
The city of dreams, Toledo.<br />
It’s walls made of stone,<br />
It’s on the river side,<br />
Toledo the city of dreams.<br />
On the hill buildings so tall,<br />
Grasslands everywhere,<br />
As far as the eye can see,<br />
Toledo, the city of dreams.<br />
It’s skies, different shades of blue,<br />
The people, so kind,<br />
It’s the city you will never forget,<br />
Toledo, the city of dreams.<br />
Ethan Goldstein<br />
Emily Aguas
Hope and Love<br />
I see them sitting there. The boy and his older brother. The brother is kind and gentle, and has had it rough,<br />
while the young one is just sitting there, starving, not knowing what to think.<br />
They are sitting there, wanting and waiting for something to happen. Maybe the boy is waiting for his mother,<br />
not realizing she has been taken away, forever. And maybe the older brother is praying in his mind that they<br />
will get through this, they will live.<br />
What I see is love. They are both just sitting there, together. Trying to keep close. Trying to keep warm. The<br />
older brother is even giving some of his meal to his brother, when he is starving himself.<br />
I also see hope. Hope in their eyes, hope in their love, and hope in each other. When they are sitting there they<br />
are hoping and loving each other, more now than ever because they don’t know what to think of these cruel-<br />
hearted people, these soldiers. Hope and love are keeping them together.<br />
When I see this, I think of my sisters, and what we would do. I would love them. Hold them close to me and<br />
never let go. I would love them and pray that we would get out of there alive. Staying alive, with love and hope.<br />
38<br />
Stephanie Ironson<br />
Elisabeth Maranca
Soccer<br />
Soccer is played everywhere<br />
From the United States to Tokyo<br />
I care so much for this sport<br />
It really can give a good show<br />
Soccer is so much fun<br />
Some of my friends say it’s lame<br />
But I won’t regret or stop them<br />
They just don’t know how to play the game<br />
Soccer is my life<br />
I play it day and night<br />
I will always play the game<br />
And when I do, I play it right<br />
Spencer Steficek<br />
Freddie Wynne<br />
39<br />
Tennis<br />
Tennis, oh tennis<br />
I love you, you’re sweet<br />
Except for the blisters you put on my feet<br />
Tennis, oh tennis<br />
You’re first on my list<br />
I simply can’t see why other sports exist<br />
Agassi, Federer, Roddick, and Blake<br />
They all love tennis, for goodness sake!<br />
Baseball, soccer, and lacrosse are fun, too<br />
But tennis, oh tennis no one can beat you.<br />
Tennis, oh tennis<br />
You’re simply the best!<br />
Max Schmidt<br />
Mike Koslov
Hey y’all,<br />
How y’all doing today? My name is Henry. I’m gonna tell y’all bout my growin’ up during the Civil<br />
War. About 30 years ago they wrote a book called The Red Badge of Courage bout me. I was called th’ youth.<br />
I thought goin to war would let me look good witth’ pretty ladies and I would come back a hero, well I eventu-<br />
ally came back a hero but all that dirty stuff I saw, I had to do a little growin’ up first. My mom did always<br />
tell me to fight honestly and squarely even if it means sacrificing my life. Well I wasn’t really in the war, I<br />
waas something called a flag bearer. So this war was between the blue guys, the Union Army. That was me.<br />
And the gray guys, the Confederates.<br />
I’ll just skippity to the best part. We had just finished a battle, we had fought th’ battle hard but we<br />
didn’t get to where we wanted to be. When we met up with th’ other regiment, they all harassed us cause we<br />
didn’t get to Whiterside. All of us felt a little bad and a tiny bit uppity, but then some of th’ men came back<br />
and said who was that little lad what wuz carryin’ the flag. He was right in th’ front where he was suppose<br />
to be. He and his friend Wilson were doin’ a great job. I can’t believe that the lieutenant said good job to me.<br />
I was some jimhickey lad helping out and I’m getting noticed by the lieutenant. So we trudged on and on and<br />
soon enough I saw men ducking and dodging past shells that were bein thrown in buckets. The shots of the<br />
rifles were so loud I felt like I was just sittin’ in between two gunmen. I saw two regiments fightin’ in a separate<br />
battle with two other regiments. In a different direction, I saw a big brigade trying to drive the enemy<br />
from some woods. After a little while I saw that same brigade marching out with its English style formation.<br />
As I was standin’ away from the battle the rifles stopped. I heard men shouting, it came from the blue men,<br />
and I could see our flags raised in the air. Everything was quiet for a while, but then all of a sudden rifles<br />
started goin’ off an’ over the hill I saw bunches men a swarmin. Two big waves of gray and blue were goin’<br />
at each other. The advantage was goin back and forth, but both sides were goin’ at it while screamin’ and<br />
yelling. Men fought over positions to be behind trees and fences. Men were being assaulted left and right. An<br />
enemy’s line was comin’ within range. All our men suddenly froze, they all started firing their rifles without<br />
command. The enemy took great position on th’ fence that was separating the two regiments. Th’ blue started<br />
to bleed badly and bodies began to drop. The blue regiment was told to charge ‘em, they had to go farther.<br />
Soldiers began to leap forward and blue started to feel a bit of success. A big cloud of smoke was over the<br />
fence and behind it lay bloody soldiers and rifles on the ground. Everything was going through my head, my<br />
thoughts were crazy. But then I saw their flag waving and I just knew that I had to get it. Getting that flag<br />
meant everything to me. My friend went towards the flag and wrenched it from the color bearer as he died.<br />
We finally got the flag, we all threw our caps in the air and we had four prisoners.<br />
It was probably the best feeling in my whole entire life when my friend and I rested in the grass with<br />
our treasures.<br />
(ispired by The Red Badge of Courage)<br />
40<br />
Jared Bernstein
Arlington Cemetery<br />
I am one of the lucky visitors to Arlington Cemetery. I am not there to visit a relative; I am<br />
not there to lay a rose, or to weep at the sight of a cold stone, which marks the familiar name<br />
of someone I know personally or a family member that I heard stories about. I am there only<br />
to pay respect to those who gave their lives fighting so that I can live in freedom. I do not hold<br />
only one name in my heart.<br />
There are so many names on stones, and yet, so many stones without name. For all of<br />
the 2,111 unknown soldiers who fought during the Civil War, WWII, and the Korean Conflict I<br />
would like lay a wreath. And for all of these soldiers unnamed who died with pride, I would like<br />
to lay a wreath. For all the men and women whose graves are marked with a single cross, and<br />
for all those markers with no names. I stand for them. I would be honored to lay a wreath in<br />
their memory.<br />
41<br />
Annie Cha<br />
Stephanie Ironson
Brandon Szapiro<br />
Jaynie Seigel<br />
For All of Us<br />
They laugh at me<br />
With no guilt in their eye<br />
They laugh at me<br />
As the belief in God begins to die<br />
I pray for them<br />
For I know somewhere they have a heart<br />
I pray for them<br />
I am the board, his gun is the dart.<br />
They beat us<br />
Like we are nothing at all<br />
They beat us<br />
As we lie with our faces to the floor<br />
I pray for us<br />
God is trying to save us from death<br />
I pray for us<br />
I see my people taking their last breath<br />
They hurt us<br />
With each beating, another soul dies<br />
They hurt us<br />
As they ignore the screaming and the cries<br />
God is here<br />
It is just taking him some time<br />
But God is here<br />
Trying to stop the devil from committing this crime<br />
So here I pray<br />
For us and even them too<br />
So here I pray<br />
May God be always with you.<br />
Amen.<br />
42<br />
Dana DiGiacinto
Sonnet<br />
We thought we were meant to be<br />
We never fought<br />
We loved each other, everyone could see<br />
We would be together forever,<br />
that’s what we thought.<br />
Our love started to wane<br />
We thought it would pass<br />
Our love didn’t gain<br />
That day was our last<br />
I missed the days we were together<br />
But I got over him<br />
I knew it was over forever<br />
But the first few days were grim<br />
It will go by again, and it went by fast<br />
But my love has already passed.<br />
Cerea Steficek Emily Aguas<br />
Annie Cha<br />
43<br />
Bedroom at Arles<br />
Sitting in my bedroom<br />
confined in a cell<br />
one window, four walls<br />
surrounding<br />
Looking out the window<br />
the city cries below<br />
one window, four walls<br />
surround me<br />
Four pictures, two chairs<br />
one window, four walls<br />
surround me<br />
Hannah Leahy
(President Calderone in a Press Conference)<br />
Problem: Population Causes Environmental Problems<br />
Stage Worker: Have a seat Mr. Calderone. Good to have you here.<br />
Calderone: My pleasure. (President Calderone sits down)<br />
Camera man: Okay... you’re on in 3...2...1... go!<br />
Anchor: Hello and welcome to Mexican News Today. Our top story today is President Calderone talking about our<br />
population and environmental problems. Now we’ll hand it over to our interviewer, Bob.<br />
Interviewer: Thank you John. Here I have a live press conference with President Calderone. So President, why do<br />
you think our population is a problem?<br />
Calderone: Well Bob, our population is causing a very big environmental problem. We have about 4.5 million cars<br />
and many factories polluting our air quality. This will give us bad air that we breathe every second.<br />
Interviewer: Wow President, is that your only problem with our population?<br />
Calderone: Oh no Bob, another problem is that wells in our city are causing the buildings to sink!<br />
Interviewer: No way!<br />
Calderone: Yes really! And, since 1900, some buildings in downtown have sunk 29 meters!<br />
Interviewer: Oh my!<br />
Calderone: It’s horrible!<br />
Interviewer: It is! Do you have any suggestions to help all of these problems?<br />
Calderone: Yes, in fact I do. People should buy hybrids, but I can’t convince the whole city to buy one, can I?<br />
Interviewer: No, that would be difficult.<br />
Calderone: we could also ride bikes if we don’t need to go very far.<br />
Interviewer: That’s a very good idea Mr. Calderone!<br />
Calderone: Thank you Bob.<br />
Interviewer: What about the flooding problem?<br />
Calderone: Hmm... I was thinking we could stop using wells and have our water imported from somewhere else. Our<br />
water isn’t very good any way, if you haven’t noticed.<br />
Interviewer: Hmm... that might take a while though...<br />
Calderone: Better late than never!<br />
Interviewer: Well, that is true... Our time is over so I’ll send it back to you John.<br />
Anchor: Thank you Bob, maybe I’ll buy a hybrid now. Well our session is over so we’ll see you tomorrow at 7:30 PM.<br />
From all of us on Mexican News Today, goodbye!<br />
(crowd claps)<br />
44<br />
Drew Hagerstrom
Love, The Never-Ending Battle<br />
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the heart<br />
I believe love is a mystery<br />
It is but a mastered art<br />
Much has entertained us in love’s history<br />
Celebrities and people just like you and me<br />
All have been cast under the spell<br />
We see it on TV<br />
Only soon did they realize love is no fantasy,<br />
Love is hell<br />
A test put upon us by the gods<br />
Or so some seem to think<br />
Most have to fight the odds<br />
Love is all gone in a blink<br />
Of our blind eyes<br />
I would hope us all to think more wisely<br />
For this game, love is a battle,<br />
Love is nothing but trouble<br />
Love is here, love is gone, love is pain<br />
Love is all we have forgotten,<br />
Traveled far away in a bubble<br />
Love is over, love is past,<br />
Love is an undying chain<br />
Yet to be broken<br />
Soon to end<br />
And possibly I have outspoken<br />
Please forgive me, I am only trying to defend<br />
All those who were hurt by four simple words, we need to<br />
Talk<br />
This is a battle of hate and balk<br />
But sometimes when you meet the one<br />
All the pain, all the hurt, seems worth it,<br />
And with that I am done<br />
Callie Smith<br />
Matt Kleinberg<br />
45<br />
Ethan Riback<br />
How can I tell you what I feel for you?<br />
When I think of you my feelings twist inside<br />
As if someone’s fist reached in and grabbed a few,<br />
and turned and turned them tight and tangled.<br />
I’ve tried<br />
Somehow to say,<br />
You’re the sun in my sky,<br />
The wind that takes me where I want to go,<br />
the sweet incense that makes me feel so high<br />
But it all sticks in my throat!<br />
It sounds too cute,<br />
Empty as a wrinkled paper bag.<br />
You won’t believe it! Better I stay mute<br />
than offer you expressions that make you gag.<br />
And yet I wish to tell you of my love,<br />
If only love its own locks would remove!<br />
Hannah Sundman
Starry Night<br />
The stars were shining<br />
no cloud in the sky with a silver lining<br />
the moon so bright<br />
like a candle light<br />
The town below<br />
with lights that glow<br />
The hills that glide<br />
ar along the side<br />
The church steeple<br />
empty of people<br />
The bells that ring<br />
and the echo of the choir that sings<br />
What a starry night.<br />
Julia McBride<br />
Cerea Steficek<br />
46<br />
Sounds Like . . .<br />
Pitter, patter, pant<br />
Ploop, plop, pebble, pleez, phat, ploog<br />
Phew, wow! That was hard.<br />
Joshua Schramm<br />
Hannah Sundman
47<br />
Lindsay Walker<br />
Catherine Wachtell
Back in the Day<br />
You basked in the admiration of your peers when you wore your stylish bell-bottoms<br />
and “dyn-o-mite” platform shoes<br />
Your pubescent attributes penetrated the fact that<br />
you couldn’t take your eyes off those certain girls flaunting their attractiveness in their rainbow halter-tops.<br />
During school, your main priority was to focus and get good grades,<br />
and not speak the same juvenile venacular<br />
as the kids who talked back and came late to class.<br />
Swish went the bright orange basketball that flew in the sky to a netless hoop.<br />
Smiling and yelping, your good deeds were acknowledged by your teammates<br />
who treated you to three 10-cent burgers at the local White Castle.<br />
At your crib, once your homewowrk was finished, your strict, but loving, parents<br />
firmly checked what you did and eventually gave you the “okay” to listen to music.<br />
You boogied and gyrated to the funk, as you danced around and felt the soul<br />
coming from your favorite group, Earth Wind and Fire.<br />
After dancing, you were obligated to primp in the mirror and make sure your Afro<br />
was still as proportional as it was before you started to groove.<br />
I guess the 70’s have passed and the sweet memory of what was, is gone.<br />
But don’t worry Pops; I assure you that your psychedelic legacy will live on.<br />
48<br />
Clarence Williams<br />
Sarah Bayersdorfer
Spring is Here<br />
We lay in the sunshine<br />
And springtime is near.<br />
The weather is fine,<br />
The blue skies so clear.<br />
We watched time pass,<br />
So Young and so unaware<br />
Of the world beyond the grass<br />
We escaped from a world of despair<br />
We see the clouds become the stars,<br />
At this time of year,<br />
The days and nights are ours,<br />
Because spring is here.<br />
Lindsay Walker<br />
Kyle Fisher<br />
Spring<br />
Animals are out<br />
Birds are about<br />
Flowers and trees are thriving<br />
Bunnies are hopping<br />
Cats are stalking<br />
The wind and rain are driving<br />
The sky is blue<br />
the grass is blue<br />
bees are busy buzzing<br />
Bulbs sprout<br />
Without a doubt<br />
Spring is here and abounding<br />
Austin Fernandez<br />
49 Stephanie Ironson
Winter Joys<br />
Up on top of the mountain<br />
Kids go shouting down, having a ball<br />
Snow shoots in the air, like a foundation<br />
Everyone hopes they don’t fall<br />
The trees and branches are covered in ice<br />
Snowballs are flying all around<br />
The sky is blue and just so nice<br />
Kids are laughing and tumbling to the ground<br />
Cody Shemesh<br />
50<br />
Eliza Kagan<br />
Caroline Hollander