Leland and Gray Union High School

The leaves are changing color all around
Before they fall to the ground
Our whole world is turned upside-down
Climb to the top of the sky
Look down and all around
You will see a sea of colors
Yellow, red, orange, and brown
As I look around
With my face turned to the ground
There is no sound
Not a rustle of leaves
Or the snap of a twig on the ground
I look up hoping for sound
But there is no wind to be found
I turn towards home
With my face turned to the ground
And behind me there is a rustle of leaves
and a snap of a twig on the ground
the wind picks me up in its silent embrace
the whole world suddenly quiets down
except for a cry of joy from a little boy
“hooray its fall a time of joy for all”

The leaves are changing color all around
Before they fall to the ground
Our whole world is turned upside-down
Climb to the top of the sky
Look down and all around
You will see a sea of colors
Yellow, red, orange, and brown
As I look around
With my face turned to the ground
There is no sound
Not a rustle of leaves
Or the snap of a twig on the ground
I look up hoping for sound
But there is no wind to be found
I turn towards home
With my face turned to the ground
And behind me there is a rustle of leaves
and a snap of a twig on the ground
the wind picks me up in its silent embrace
the whole world suddenly quiets down
except for a cry of joy from a little boy
“hooray its fall a time of joy for all”

Converse

By Karlie Kauffeld
Leland and Gray Union High School, Grade 11

Normally, I despise bragging, boasting, swaggering, crowing, and gloating...
However, I want the world to know that I am swell. From years of experience, I have learned that the world tends to close its mind to the possibility that instruments may have personalities. Now, pardon me, there a few believers. Such as my girl,she is a believer, clearly, or else she wouldn’t be typing this as I narrate it to her. My girl and... hmm, maybe her music teachers, I’m sure at least one of them is a believer. My girl is nodding and saying, “definitely,” so apparently it must be so.
My girl, knows everything. I’ve heard her say that sometimes people who love their
instruments, start to remind her of instruments, she laughed and nodded again. She says, “Yes, like one of my music teachers reminds me of a saxophone, the other, a tuba. That’s just how it works.” My girl... can be strange. I know that she doesn’t remind herself of a flute. She scoffs and says, “definitely not.”

Code Hero

By Kerry Johnson
Leland and Gray Union High School, Grade 10

The way a story can change a life
A heart
And opinion.
How a child’s eyes
His smile
His little fingers
Capture and ignorance
And innocence.
One would never know
What those eyes have seen
What that mouth has uttered
What those fingers have felt.

But I do….

Those dark brown eyes
Have seen the horror
Of a rifle barrel pointed
To his family’s heads.
They have seen
The fear
Within his mother’s eyes,
The silent surrender
Of his father’s honor.

That chiseled mouth
Has strained to scream
Yet remained still.
It has whispered the words
“Guerillas” and “Nos matan”
(“Guerillas” and “They’ll kill us”)
It has slept for weeks,
Silently obeying
The beatings
And starvation,
Protesting not an option
If life becomes
The desired outcome.

Those smudged brown fingers
Fidgeting to steel the
Guns and claim their freedom
Slowly rub the back of his

The way a story can change a life
A heart
And opinion.
How a child’s eyes
His smile
His little fingers
Capture and ignorance
And innocence.
One would never know
What those eyes have seen
What that mouth has uttered
What those fingers have felt.

But I do….

Those dark brown eyes
Have seen the horror
Of a rifle barrel pointed
To his family’s heads.
They have seen
The fear
Within his mother’s eyes,
The silent surrender
Of his father’s honor.

That chiseled mouth
Has strained to scream
Yet remained still.
It has whispered the words
“Guerillas” and “Nos matan”
(“Guerillas” and “They’ll kill us”)
It has slept for weeks,
Silently obeying
The beatings
And starvation,
Protesting not an option
If life becomes
The desired outcome.

Those smudged brown fingers
Fidgeting to steel the
Guns and claim their freedom
Slowly rub the back of his
Baby sister to ease her wails.
They have stroked the
Bloody coat of their murdered horse
The mane of his favorite canine
And been dragged for miles
Across slicing gravel
And thorns.
They have wiped the blood
From the mouth of his older brother
After trying to protect his family.

That was years ago,
But nightmares
And memories like those
Are carved forever
Etched
Into his identity
Leaving scars
Beneath the joyous face
That smiles back at me.

We try to forgive and forget
The mistakes of the past,
To move on
To learn and grow from them.
We try to become
Heroes
Placid on our shells
Contrasting
Battling anger and suffering
Within.
I have met one hero in my life.
He is seventeen
Yet appears a ten year old.
He battles no anger.
The pain is gone.
He smiles,
Yet this is his story.

Here without you
My hearts been broken in two
In this endless pit of misery
It’s un-believable
The way I feel about you
After my hearts been broken in two
I knew you were the one
The moment I saw you
I knew we could make it through
Without a doubt in my mind
Who knew we would climb so high
To the top of the sky
You and I
I never knew you could be so cruel
Those bright blue eyes
Will never look at me
The way they used to.

I looked at you
You looked at me
At that moment
I knew we were meant to be
You took my breathe away
But then you turned away
When you come around
I act like a clown
You look at me
Like there’s nothing to see
I look at you with my heart in agony.

In this world I find so divine
I cannot find a place in my mind
To tell you the way I feel about you
But let me tell you
You don’t even have a clue
But that’s ok
Maybe if I look deep enough
I can find a way
To let you know
The way I feel about you.
She’s just a friend
Nothing more
What more could I ask for
She has no time to lend
But thank god
I’m still her friend
She thought I was mad
So she stayed away
Until she found I was glad
There is no need to pout
Or be sad.

I just want to say
Goodbye
Because you looked at me
Like we were meant to be
But then you turned away
After you took my breath away
So goodbye
To all my dreams
And the girl I’ll never have
With those bright blue eyes
And face so sad.

Would Have . . .

By Karlie Kauffeld
Leland and Gray Union High School, Grade 11

“Your Grandmother would have loved you”
they tell me
When I come dancing out of my room,
in a teal feather boa.
When I clip enormous flashy earrings
onto my tiny earlobes.
When I belt out Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog”
for my chuckling family.
When I insist that dressing up in my nice Easter dress
is, in fact, wearing a fairy skirt with spotted pink tights.
When I beg to buy a shirt
spattered with magentas and greens.
When I carry the silver, sequin-covered prom dress
into the tiny dressing room
remarking, “Gee, this does look good!”
always,
“Your Grandmother would have loved you”

When I hear the word Grandpa several words come into my mind, here are just some of the words, strong, hard working, and loving man. Before my Grandpa died he did every thing that he could to make life enjoyable and fun for his wife Janice and five kids. He was funny and selfless and he would think of others before himself, he was a magnificent role model. My Grandpa drove a truck for a lumber company for several no for many, many years and received awards for being a courteous driver my Grandpa Leonard Bills will always be apart of our lives and is still living in our hearts. Me and my family will always remember him as the great man he always was and nothing less I love my Grandpa and hope he is happy.
Here is the story: The day before April vacation April sixteenth 2004 I was half way through washing my face when I heard my mom crying so I dried my face and went upstairs. My mom and dad were sitting at the coffee table when I came up and sure enough she was crying. I asked why she was crying and that made her cry even more so I felt bad because I made her cry. My dad said that Grandpa (Leonard Merrile Bills) had died around one, o clock in the morning. My Grandpa had died of a heart attack and my uncle Joe tried to revive him but my Grandpas heart couldn’t handle another heart attack so he died. Two days later we went to the funeral home to "talk" to my Grandpa and then we went to the grave yard and I watched as they buried him. My mom and grandma were both crying really hard except a few people and I was one of them but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t sad I was but I told my self not to cry. After the funeral everybody came over to our house to talk to each other. My Grandpas death was a real shock to me after he died i felt empty as if there’s a part of me missing that can never be replaced I know he will always be with me were ever I go he is watching over the family spent his life raising GRANDPA I WILL FOREVER MISS YOU REST IN PIECE GRAMPS

When I hear the word Grandpa several words come into my mind, here are just some of the words, strong, hard working, loving man. Before my Grandpa died he did every thing that he could to make life enjoyable and fun for his wife Janice and five kids. He was funny and selfless and he would think of others before himself, he was a magnificent role model. My Grandpa drove a truck for a lumber companie for several no for many, many years and received awards for being a courteous driver my Grandpa Leonard Bills will always be apart of our lives and is still living in our hearts. Me and my family will always remember him as the great man he always was and nothing less I love my Grandpa and hope he is happy.
heres the story: The day before april vacation april sixteenth 2004 i was half way through washing my face when I heard my mom crying so i dried my face and went upstairs. My mom and dad were sitting at the coffee table when i came up and sure enough she was crying. I asked why she was crying and that made her cry even more so I felt bad because I made her cry. My dad said that Grandpa (Leonard Merrile Bills) had died around one, o clock in the morning. My Grandpa had died of a heart attack and my uncle joe tried to revive him but my Granpas heart couldnt handle another heart attack so he died. Two days later we went to the funeral home to "talk" to my Grandpa and then we went to the grave yard and i wached as they buried him. My mom and grandma were both crying really hard except a few poeple and I was one of them but that doent mean I wasnt sad i was but I told my self not to cry. After the funeral everybody came over to our house to talk to eachother My Grandpas death was a real shock to me after he died i felt empty as if theres a part of me missing that can never be replaced I know he will always be with me werever I go he is watching over the family spent his life raising GRANDPA I WILL FOREVER MISS YOU REST IN PIECE GRAMPS

When I hear the word Grandpa several words come into my mind, here are just some of the words, strong, hard working, loving man. Before my Grandpa died he did every thing that he could to make life enjoyable and fun for his wife Janice and five kids. He was funny and selfless and he would think of others before himself, he was a magnificent role model. My Grandpa drove a truck for a lumber companie for several no for many, many years and received awards for a courteose driver my Grandpa Leonard Bills will always be apart of our lives and is still living in our hearts. Me and my family will always remember him as the great man he always was and nothing less I love my Grandpa and hope he is happy.

There’s a spot in my yard were I feel so secure. That place is in the woods, a secret spot by a big oak tree. In the summer when I’m all alone, I sit under its shade. In the fall I sit and watch its leaves fall to the ground. In the winter I sit beneath its bare branches, looking at the cold vast snowy woods I call my secret spot. I go there when I’m mad just to get away from it all. I go there when I’m sad. When I go and sit beneath its branches I think and I ponder and try to solve my problems. That’s why I love my oak! I can climb its mighty branches for my oak is the strongest oak. When I climb its branches to the very top I can see a sea of color as I look at all the trees, and I wonder why can’t we all have an oak as divine as mine. A mighty iridescent giant in the sky, when the moon light hits it just right, it glows with a fiery white light. So mighty, so strong, my big oak it’s a marvel and its all mine. It’s my little hideaway.

Here without you
My hearts been broken in two
In this endless pit of misery
It’s un-believable
The way I feel about you
After my hearts been broken in two
I knew you were the one
The moment I saw you
I knew we could make it through
Without a doubt in my mind
Who knew we would climb so high
To the top of the sky
You and I
I never knew you could be so cruel
Those bright blue eyes
Will never look at me
The way they used to.

I looked at you
You looked at me
At that moment
I knew we were meant to be
You took my breathe away
But then you turned away
When you come around
I act like a clown
You look at me
Like there’s nothing to see
I look at you with my heart in agony.

In this world I find so divine
I cannot find a place in my mind
To tell you the way I feel about you
But let me tell you
You don’t even have a clue
But that’s ok
Maybe if I look deep enough
I can find a way
To let you know
The way I feel about you.
She’s just a friend
Nothing more
What more could I ask for
She has no time to lend
But thank god
I’m still her friend
She thought I was mad
So she stayed away
Until she found I was glad
There is no need to pout
Or be sad.

I just want to say
Goodbye
Because you looked at me
Like we were meant to be
But then you turned away
After you took my breath away
So goodbye
To all my dreams
And the girl I’ll never have
With those bright blue eyes
And face so sad.

A poem for her

By Ken McFadden
Leland and Gray Union High School, Grade 8

Here without you
My heart's been broken in two
In this endless pit of misery
It’s unbelievable
The way I feel about you
After my heart's been broken in two
I knew you were the one
The moment I saw you
I knew we could make it through
Without a doubt in my mind
Who knew we would climb so high
To the top of the sky
You and I
I never knew you could be so cruel
Those bright blue eyes
Will never look at me
The way they used to.

I looked at you
You looked at me
At that moment
I knew we were meant to be
You took my breath away
But then you turned away
When you come around
I act like a clown
You look at me
Like there’s nothing to see
I look at you with my heart in agony.

In this world I find so divine
I cannot find a place in my mind
To tell you the way I feel about you
But let me tell you
You don’t even have a clue
But that’s OK
Maybe if I look deep enough