week 28

What's your Deal?
By Katie Clark
Leland and Gray School, Grade 12

People watch as I walk by
They stare and scoff
My clothes are different
My accent is southern
So what?
Why should I be held in a different regard?
Where is your heritage?
What do your parents do for work?
Who cares?
I’m a person
With my own opinions

New Life Born
By Liz Dion
Hartford Memorial Middle School, Grade 8

Eyeliner in my pocket
using it has made my vision blurry
Now I am near-sighted
with no money for glasses,
or a New Baby

The cold wind on my cheek
Blowing through my hair,
I stand
Waiting, on a park bench
I’m not sure for what

Just waiting.
Waiting

How I Met Your Mother
By Natasha Wood
Hartford High School, Grade 10

Tom: OK, kids, here is the story of how I met your mother …

Kids: [groan in unison]

Gay is not a Disease
By Michelle Coburn
Oxbow High School, Grade 10

It really ticks me off
When people try to act like god
The hurtful things they say
All because this boy is gay
They have no right to judge
They have no reason to hold a grudge
He is sweet and he is kind
How can everyone be so blind

Boxed In
By Emma Redden
Leland and Gray Union High School, Grade 9

My vocabulary consists of
Five words from the time
I step into my plastic casket
Until it is time for me to
Reincarnate myself.

My one sided conversations consist of
Four syllable sentences.
The first few words a kindergartener
Learns when playing store.

Mad at the Weather
By Thomas J. Purdy
Rochester High School, Grade 9

I’m angry at Mother Nature,
It’s too chilly and too cold,
Spring better come early,
Just as the groundhog told.

I can’t go swimming on ice,
Can’t kick a soccer ball on snow,
I pray spring will arrive soon,
But all signs point to no.

The Unforgettable Wake
By Ali Whitman
Leland Gray High School, Grade 9

Here we are at the Brattleboro funeral home. I’ve never been to one of these things before, I’m not quite sure what to expect. Will the casket be closed? Will the casket be open? Will there be music? Will it be silent?

Anger's Transformation
By Zion Keck
Main Street Middle School, Grade 8

I see a boy, anger in his eyes.
It haunts my soul so I can hear his silent cries.
I want to reach out to him, tell him I care.
But his rage is so strong it rips my soul bare.
What went wrong, for he loved to laugh and smile?

Water For My Imagination
By Sandra Markowitz
Main Street Middle School, Grade 8

Anger is red. Red hot as the spiciest salsa on an august day.
Anger tastes like blood, bitten from my tongue to cut back sword sharp remarks.
Anger is like tears, rising up in my chest until I can only just confine it, a dam full to burst.

Killing My Insides
By Stephanie Larson
Leland Gray High School, Grade 12