week36-08

The four seasons

By Riley Westling
Richmond Middle School, Grade 7

Spring is loud; all you hear are birds
The squish-squashing of boots in mud
The wind blowing in the trees
Children laughing as they look for Easter eggs.
But what I love most of all are the plants
The little green buds sprouting out of branches
Tulips and daffodils jumping out of the ground
Little blades of green grass
cutting through the snow
as the snow melts
creating mud
fun for the children and disaster for adults.
What fun!
Summer is my favorite season.
The warm sun beating down on you
the river bubbling down the hill
the splashing of the pond
flowers and vegetables galore
and no school!
Autumn is very brown
the leaves are turning colors
the air is getting cooler.
You can start to smell that warm smell of smoke
from the chimneys of the houses, see
children dressing up and saying “trick or treat!”
warm squash soup fresh from the garden
harvest moon.
Winter is exciting!

Dear Friend

By Lydia Ducharme
Hazen Union High School, Grade 10

It's funny how things change
How people seem to change.
The once convincing façade falls.
The true you reveals itself
Or, perchance
The true me.

No matter, you nor me
We know it's different now.
We've changed
Wait- not changed- grew.
Grew into our true selves
Farther and farther from each other.

It's funny how people change.

Redemption

By Erin Trzcinski
Rutland High School, Grade 11

I know I'm beyond your forgiveness
I know that I've scarred you.
But, please, at least hear me out
Listen to what I know is true.

You don't really understand
I do love you, more than anything.
You were the first to treat me like a person
And, in return, I destroyed your everything.

I've hurt you more than I'll ever know
Strangled your heart and broken it, too.
Ripped the wings off the back of my angel
Shattered the very essence that is you.

But you can't leave me, I need you!
Without you, I'll go even more insane!
You're the one person that I've ever loved
That can pierce the madness of my brain.

You are the light to my darkness,
The beautiful angel of my life.
Being with you can bring me some peace
Put at bay all of the pain and strife.

I can never express how sorry I am
I wish I could take everything back.
I want to redeem myself in your eyes

Into The Ocean

By Hailey J. Ward
Brown's River Middle School, Grade 5

I'm underwater, in the clear blue liquid
that fills up the earth with its pureness
I feel like a fish when I let go of my breath
And the bubbles start to flow to the surface
It cradles me
My hair is like its own sea urchin
as it spikes when I'm exploring the bottom
Glints of silver and gold reflect with the sun
and cause me to blink
I surface
A wind hits me and I shudder
I submerge because it's warmer
I look down and see a crab scuttling between my legs
I giggle and a huge bubble floats to the top
I come up for air
I hear my mom calling
I wade through the water
Toward the shore
And sneak under one more time
I pop up and run towards the outstretched towel my mom is holding
It's pink, fluffy and warm
I guess that's just how things are
when I go........
Into the ocean

Something Missing

By Maddie Gilbert
Woodstock Union High School, Grade 10

There’s something missing
In your life
Although you can’t
Distinguish it
Among the many
Changes that have
Occurred within
Such a short time.
But as intangible as it is
You know something’s
Not right
So you search
And experiment
With the differences
Until finally
One day
One of the old things
Comes back
And you realize
Exactly what’s
Been missing.

Where I'm From

By Brittney Crawford
Rutland Middle School, Grade 8

I am from a woman
from a man that once were in love

I am from a true love
from a broken heart

I am from a thousand memories
from the many to come

I am from a first kiss
from a last good bye

I am from laughter
from my family

I am from the heart
from me

The Future

By Rory Tafuto
Woodstock Union Middle School, Grade 8

What does the future hold for us?
Smog filled skies and poison cars
And broken land with useless dust
And nature’s beauty behind bars?

Can I ever show my kids
(if they ever come my way)
The beauty of a sunset
At the end of the day?

Can I walk into a forest
And surround myself with trees
Yet know that it will remain
For me to visit as I please?

I know that I can today
Do all the things I’ve said
But when today is yesterday
Will all these things be dead?

Is every little thing
We care about so much
Not worth it in the end
Since we’re making such a big fuss?

Can I walk outside my house
On any average day
And breathe in the cool, fresh air
Safe for me to stay?

Will the earth come crumbling down
Just from our own race
And all the creatures suffer
Because we didn’t solve this case?

What luxury is worth this damage
Including your own car?
When every thing suffers

Awkward Love

By Rebecca White
Hartford Memorial Middle School, Grade 8

I sit here swinging
My feet back
And forth over the
Concrete barrier.

The sweating summer air
Kissing my tanned
Hot skin.

As the fireflies buzz by
In a bright flurry
Of translucent wings.

Zipping past my knees
As I throw dandelion petals
Into the deep river water.

The contrast of the thoughtful
Wise water
And
The anxious passionate
Air
Seems to mix at the surface
Pooling my emotions
At its face.

I hear the crunch of sandals
On twigs as
I move my hair behind
My ears.

The noise gets closer
And I turn
Around To see
Him.

Mathew is standing over me
smiling.

His hands in his pockets
Trying to look casual.
His blond hair is shaggier than
During school months.
He has sun freckles on his nose
Like a little wingspan
Over his cheeks.
“Hey.”

“Hey.”

He sits beside me looking
Out over the river.

He looks at me and smiles again.

The Last Straw

By Tommy Bowen
Benson Village School, Grade 7

The last straw
I tell you to stop
You don’t listen
You agitate me
I try to shake it off
Like a wet dog
I can’t walk it off
It feels as if my legs
Are glued to the floor
I face you
We are face to face
I yell like an animal
Taken down
The last straw

Night after Day

By Daniel Wyman
Montpelier High School, Grade 12

Let the sun set on this final day.
The day we all wait for.
But don’t let me know, as the sun descends
Don’t let me know I won’t see it again.

Just stare at the black; the giants and dwarves
In dazzling supernovas, all suns will set
And everything known comes crashing down
And the air halts its flow, so particles hold still.
Dust balls become comets until the burnout
Of most brilliant colors

And what color will there be when black does not exist?
I will wonder as the sun sets.
Just don’t let me know.

Luna

By Katherine Scalia
Green Mountain Valley School, Grade 10

Luna…
was my
brother's first
word. It must
have been the
Spanish nanny
who would point at
the dimpled fluorescent
sphere lighting up the sky
and brightly say, “Look
little Nicolás! They hung
it there for you! It shines
that big for you!...
la luna, la luna,
shines like that
for you…”
Luna…

Ants

By Briana Patten
Mount St. Joseph Academy, Grade 9

"ANTS!!" I shriek.
My patience level has reached its peak.
Where do they come from?! Can't they just go??
How do we get rid of them? I just do not know.
They're on the counters, inside the sink,
I even found one in my Mom's drink.
This is the last straw, I can’t take it any more!
I'm gonna have to call the exterminator.
"Hi. Yes, I'm in need of your service.
What do you mean, your a Nervous Purvis?!
You don’t like ants? You silly fool!
But you went to the exterminating school!!
I just want them gone! Is that too much to ask?"
To calm my nerves, I took a swig from my flask.
"Com'on buddy, suck it up, be a man.
If I can do it, anyone can."
And with that, I hung up, ready to start.
My blood pressure was off the chart.
I took my vacuum and plugged it in.
And now it was time for the process to begin.
Like a mad man I scurried throughout the room
the place soon to be the ant's new tomb.

Summer Night

By Jeff Bak
Green Mountain Valley School, Grade 12

Warm air envelopes the body
Everyone anxious for the rare gem
of a cool breeze
Sweet, icy drink in hand
Glass sweating profusely with condensation
The chorus of crickets and frogs
Play their never-ending tune of elevator music
The night is filled with sighs
Everything is finally content
The mountain tops are free from winter bondage
The rivers no longer gushing with spring waters
The ground not yet dreading the fall's frost
I sit on the creaky, green rocker
Adding to the chorus
Time seems to take a break from ticking
No need to end this perfect night
My eyelids begin to droop like the wilting garden next door
Everything is perfect
Nothing could be better