Charlotte Central School

The Mansion at MLK and Pearl
Noa Urbaitel - Grade 6 Charlotte Central School

It was dark. Small cottony clouds flitted over the full moon and the wind whistled through the trees. My friends and I giggled as we walked down the street in our costumes. Our footsteps made a squelching noise on the wet pavement. “Ooooh. There it is!” my friend Mary teased. We laughed some more and scurried past the big creepy mansion on the corner of Pearl Avenue and MLK Boulevard.
“Trick or treat!” we yelled at the next house. We each got a candy bar and we went to the next house.

Using the feelings,
knowing all the words,
thinking the thoughts,
this is the poetry of our lives.

Little moments
make a memory,
keeping the living in life.

I am sorry.
I'm sorry I lied
to you.
I'm sorry that I hurt you
I never meant to.
I tried to spare your feelings
When I lied the other day.
Will you forgive me?
Please forgive me.

Do you remember sharing a samosa?
Or the time we ran to meet each other,
Bounding over fences
Over picnics?
Do you remember
Cross Country?
Our little hemp patch?
We laughed
For hours
And then we ran
For more.
Do you remember
Being nervous together
As we waited for the cast list?
Do you remember
How proud I was of you?
Do you remember
When mom and dad split up
And I cried on the playground
And you said "group hug."
Do you remember
When you called me shiny?
And I smiled,
And I laughed.
I am sorry,
For I never meant to hurt you.

Song

By Ellie Blake
Charlotte Central School, Grade 6

I am song,
the song that flies
through hills
over valleys
spiraling over mountainous bumps
the song you will sing
in the hot, sweaty music room
for I am song
where happiness roams
never release my hand
for I am song
song of the past
song of the future
I am song
of your life

Money
By Ellie Blake
Charlotte Central grade 6
Teacher- Molly McClaskey

I’m money,
I’m quite popular
but ever day my value seems
to go down
less people seem
to have me
Is my future in jeopardy?
Is yours?

You help me
I help you
one day we will both win this
hard game of the economy
I will not give up until
I walk out with a victory
For the economy plays a hard game
but we play harder

Fear Awaken
Kate Raszka grade 8
Teacher Molly McClaskey

It creeps at the edges of the wood
My nostrils burn from the essence of its smell
I look for an escape
And yet
I cannot find one
I am not alone
The cat cries in anguish from the loft
Its screeches awaken my own fear
And I struggle to find a way
But it has me cornered
A fly caught in a spider’s web
It threatens me from every turn
The lids of my eyes slide shut
Keep the nightmare of reality out
The moistness of my body is gone
I am nothing but a charred ember now
For one last time I struggle feebly to lift them
I just want a peek
One last
Of my own demise

Winter

By Carolyn Woodruff
Charlotte Central School, Grade 8

You love winter.
The way the snow falls
drifting down.
You want me to
dance
with you forever
and into eternity
never stopping for air.
But it's cold out here,
it's cold.

Yes, I will dance with you.
Yes, I will let you spin me.
Yes, I will let you sweep me up,
whirl me around.
But don't you feel the cold?
Creeping under our collars,
and into our bones?
Into our hearts?
It's cold out here,
it's cold.

So I may have to leave you.
Leave you to warm myself,
from the chill of the winter.
And yes,
I may feel bitter,
as I watch you dance with
another girl.
As I watch you sweep her up towards the sky,
but it's cold out here.
It's cold.

The Heart of the Wolf

By Adelaide Toensing
Charlotte Central School, Grade 3

The creature of the night will call you with his howl.

You feel a rage of energy through your body and shiver as a
cool breeze flows through the peaceful howl of the moon howler.
He howls peaceful music.
Soon, you fall into the magic from the moon caller.

After the alpha male howls they all come running to him.
I catch sight of the moonlight show -
It brings joy to every person to see this beautiful show of moon dancers perform
and sing with pride as I listen to them sing me a lullaby.

I fall asleep from the music.
I wake up the next morning and see a new pup with its mother,
licking her baby pup -
it makes a cute squeak.

I go outside to see a little closer.

Ode To Snow

Dylan Rocheleau - Grade 6

Swish, crunch
Swish, crunch
Swish, crunch
The sound is the only sound
That my ears take in.
The sound that means
That snow is under my feet.
Holding my feet
Above the summer memories
Buried in the grass.

Yes, the snow that makes
My sled slide.
The snow that catches me
When I fall.
The snow that lands
On my tongue
And dissolves before my eyes!

The snow that I pack and squeeze
An uncountable number of times.
The snow that catches me
After I hit a jump.
The snow that makes Christmas Day
Come alive!
The snow that I have been
Taking for granted.

The End Of Summer
By Haleigh

One year, at the end of an extraordinary summer, I sat on my porch and watched the last few moments of summer slip away. Earlier than the day before, the sun disappeared behind the green trees that now had a tinge of red and yellow. I patted my dog and noticed how her coat was thicker to prepare her for colder weather. From these signs, I knew autumn was on its way. This moment was bittersweet.

It’s Halloween time.
Not summertime.
Carving pumpkins left and right,
Hope this doesn’t end in a fight!
Putting up the decorations,
Wait for all the celebrations!
Candy, Candy, Candy Galore!
Look at all this gore, gore, gore.
Ghosts and goblins,
Witches and warlocks,
These will be some fun memories.
Little kids dressed up bumble bees,
Older kids dressed up like go-go girls.
Halloween, Halloween,
Don’t you just love this Halloween?

I run through the woods
Afraid
Will they come after me?
I stumble over rocks
And branches scratch my face
Abruptly
I stop
No noise except my heart beating
And the wind howling through the trees
It seems to be calling
Calling
Calling
Run, run
I shiver
And break into a full sprint
I can hear them coming
I want to scream
But no
I can’t breathe
And I fall
I scramble behind a boulder
And hide
Praying for my life
That it won’t end like this
Not like this
So soon

I ran through the woods one day
Because I was trying to get away
I had been napping under a tree
When something came up and bit me
It was big and it was scary
And I was pretty sure it was hairy
On each foot it had 10 really sharp claws
And each tooth was like jagged chainsaws
It snarled and it growled
And when I tripped I howled
Because this monster I didn’t want to see
Was finally going to catch me
I looked up and tried to be brave
Hey wait a minute it was just my kitten Dave
I can’t believe it was just in my head
I’m so relieved that I’m not dead

Ode To My iPod
Chloe Hotaling - Grade 6

Whenever I can
When I feel like I need
To be by myself
I put in my earphones
And zone out.

288 songs
On shuffle
I'm in my own world
Away from everyone
And everything.

Small, thin, fits in my pocket
Red, smooth, shines like
New leather shoes.

A few scratches
Makes it mine
Mine forever
Until it breaks...

Ode To My Yard
Maggie Haesler - Grade 6

In the summer
With its long uncut grass
Crowded together
Swaying silently in the breeze.

In the autumn
Crisp apple red, pumpkin orange
And lemon yellow leaves
Going crunch, crunch, crunch
Underneath my sneakers.

In the winter
Frozen and shiviering underneath
The white blanket of snow
With my footprints from early morning
Stnading quietly in the cold.

In the spring
The sprouts of life
Climbing out of the earth
And the sunshine yellow dandelions
Getting ready for summer
Once again.

Ode To Homework
Brandon Tieso - Grade 6

Piling up, sheet by sheet
Page by page
Until it reaches the sun
This is homework
Hated by all.

Teachers give it all day
Everyday
It is an addiction
One they can't quit.

Every detail really counts
Can't let a mistake pass
This wicked contraption
Chops down trees
And wastes ink.

Time consuming
Horrible
Awful
This is homework
Hated by all.

Ode To My Converse
Alissa Stone - Grade 6

Every morning
They look at me
As if they want me
To wear them
I slip them
On.

As I walk down
The driveway
The grass stained and
Dirt brown patches
Look up at me
From the puddle
I'm about to step in.

The cloth all torn up and faded
Looks dull
Against the freshly paved road
The sound of a
Trotting horse
Arrives when

Ode to the Laundry Room
Bea Woodruff - Grade 6

In the basement
Muffled whirring
Standing within shadows
Musty, moldy walls enclose
The laundry room
Go in dirty
Come out clean
Spins and spins and spins
Dank, old smells
Fill the room
Must be dirty socks
Grass stains and dirt
Splotched heaps of clothes
Laundry baskets always get in the way
Yet it's comfortable
Laundry coming down the shoot
Makes the sound
Of a cash register

Ode to Lake Champlain

Katie Bedell - Grade 6
Charlotte Central School

Those cold, blue waters, we call Lake Champlain
Where Champ, the lake monster, calls his home.
I'd swim there every day, if I could, trying to avoid
the zebra mussels at the bottom
When the wind picks up,
the waves come crashing to the shore,
Where I look for rocks, worn down from the water
On hot summer days, I dive off the dock into the lake
And keep my eye out for fish.
My mom tells me I'm crazy
for jumping in on a day she calls cold
I look over at New York
I wonder exactly how far across (wide??) is the lake
I watch the sun set over the Adirondacks

Ode to My Window

Maddie Turnau - Grade 6
Charlotte Central School

My window
Waits just above my bed
Lets the cool breeze drift into the room.
Watches me as I play,
Waits for me to come home.

I run into my room,
Settle on my bed,
And gaze out my window
As the stars come out.

Morning comes and sunlight streams
In golden rays
I roll up the curtain
Open the window, my window,
It gives me a friendly
Squeak!

Ode to My Bike

William Hodgson-Walker - Grade 6
Charlotte Central School

Greasy chain
Pumped up wheels
Dirty mud guards
Flick-switch gears
Made by Raleigh
An English company
Shiny disc brakes
Rubbery handle bars
Tires wide, both dark and black
21 gears, three on the front, seven on the back
Ridden hundreds of times
My bike is always there.

Ode to My Soccer Ball

Audrey Allegretta - Grade 6
Charlotte Central School

My soccer ball
Wet and slippery
I launch it over my head
High into the sky
It soars through the air
Like a bird
Not knowing what’s coming at it
Then all of a sudden
KABOOM!
Straight past the goalie
Into the orange net.
It sits on the ground
Waiting to be put into action.

Ode To My Tractor

Nicholas Jackson - Grade 6
Charlotte Central School

My tractor sits in my barn
As red as an apple
As slow as a snail.

It pulls a sled down the road
With my sister and I
Rocks come flying off the tires and sting us.

It goes hmmmmmmmmmm….
Smells like dry grass and motor oil
Vibrates, vibrates and vibrates.

It has a little problem with turning
I drove it into clover
And it got stuck.

I love my tractor so much
I hope it runs until
I’m older.

Grandpa
Rachel Baginski
6th Grade
Charlotte Central School

Grandpa died recently,
dreams have come to me about him.
Last night I dreamed he came back to Grandma’s house,
that he was missing, gone fishing, before and we only thought he was dead.
I hope that means he is fishing in heaven but I have no way of knowing.
I hope he is dancing in heaven.
People used to call him “fleetfoot “ he was such a good Polish dancer.
He was 100 percent Polish, and he taught me
Yachshimash means welcome, and Jen Dobre means hello.
He was a big guy, and I remember being so happy
when I could finally wrap my arms around him to hug him.
During winter and Fall he would sit around and watch too much TV,
But when spring came you would never see him inside.
Always growing tomatoes, cucumbers and beautiful flowers.
He worked as a meat cutter at a store called Butcher Block,
And he would send us home with delicious steaks.
Still my favorite Grandfather, I miss him very much.

Fitting In

What Will Tomorrow Bring
By Ivy Elizabeth Arnold

Just A Thought...

Charlotte Central School 6th grade by Haliana Burhans
Mr. Baird General

As the rain plastered my hair to my face,
I thought about
all the people in Iraq
and how they would never have this beautiful feeling
of
joy,
freedom,
peace,
and the wetness
not of
tears, blood, and sweat
but of the sweet smelling rain
that will bring

The Move
By Anna Schenker
Charlotte Central School
6th grade
Mr.Baird
Prompt: General, Deadline 1/9/08

“I don’t want to move” my little brother squealed.

Laughter Town
By, Noah Kiernan 6th grade Mrs. Raabe