Art á Loan

Author: Hanna Uphaus
Poem: Winter’s Lullaby
Grade: 3
School: Homeschool

Delicate flake, so fluffy and small
Down from the sky you’ll quietly fall.
Softly landing with your friends nearby
Straight from the heavens you all will fly.
Laying down a crisp sheet of pure white
Gently tuck in the earth, warm and tight.

Author: Elexus Meredith
Poem: Ten Red Roses
Grade: 12
School: Pioneers Homeschool Co-op

Everyday that I wake up a new bouquet is given
Ten red roses wrapped with ribbon exciting me each day.
Every rose is 10% of my daily joy.

I get dressed in all black and out my door I go.
Into the kitchen the scent of pancakes send me; Here I go.

My mom is by the coffee pot weeping over a fight.
I approach her slowly until I reach her sight.
I see that she’s exhausted as she’s startled by my presence.
Her eyes are no longer happy; only filled with remorse.

I look down at my bouquet and then I hand her a rose.
Her hug was the tightest ever.

I silently sit down to eat and soon I am done.
I head to the bus stop where I see a little girl sitting all alone.
I look softly at her and let out a hello.
Her head lifts up from her gaze and she seems to be amazed.
I ask her where her parents are and then the tears start running.

I walk over to her with a rose in my hand.
I stretch out my arm and she takes the rose.
Her smile shines as bright as day.

Not too soon after the bus I need arrives.
Headed to the back my friends’ eyes grazed mine.
I look at our other friend, his eyes puffy and red.
He has been crying then I notice his black eye.

I sit down and ask what’s wrong and neither say a word.
I look back at my bouquet and hand them both a rose.
Their eyes say how thankful they really are.

Once at school I noticed my cousin sitting alone.
I ask to sit next to him but he just shrugs and says no.

I look down at my bouquet and decide that it is worth it.
I pull another flower out and then I hand it to him.
It sparkles in his eyes.

While walking away I stared at my bouquet,
Only five roses left I tell myself.
Don’t let it fade.

Soon the bell rings loud and clear.
RRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG!

I wait until the courtyard is empty before heading to my locker.
I quickly start to grab my stuff when all I hear is screaming.
I look over towards the racket just to be in shock.
A group of boys is beating up a little kid; all he said was no.

I briskly walk up to them and break apart the fight.
I walk to boy to the bathroom so that we are out of sight.
He slowly gets himself cleaned up; blood all over his shirt.

I handed him a bright red rose almost the same color.
He nods his head ever so slightly but I know he’s thankful.

At lunch the same boy is sitting all alone.
In the corner his head was down only looking at the ground.

I walk over without drawing his attention and lay a rose on his lunch box.
A smile comes across his face as he looks around.
He’s looking for the one that laid it there; surely a surprise.

The day went by seemingly fast for very soon we had the last class.
We had a substitute teacher full of life that others did not accept.
They used, they pushed and argued until all she did was cry.
I walked around the classroom and up to her desk.
Her eyes were darker than before; she was broken and in pain.

I laid a rose across her keyboard and simply walked away.

When school was over I walked home to surprise my mom.
When I got there though she was sitting at the dining room table.
Rivers of tears streamed down her face as I walked over pace by pace.
I read the note that she was holding and it broke my heart.

I turned around and gathered my tears before turning back around.
I greeted her with a smile and handed her a rose.

My sister walked into the room with sadness on her face.
I asked her what was wrong and she responded with sobbing.

I only have one rose left but tomorrow I will get more.
I walked over to my sister and gave her the last rose that I adored.

I give them both a hug before walking out the door.
Tears welled up in my eyes as the door slammed tight.
I wish to say I’m coming home but that will not be true.

To the woods I briskly walk without a second thought.
If the branch would not have broken I wouldn’t be writing now.

The problem is I give and give until there is not enough for me to live.

Author: Dovelynn Riley
Poem: River
Grade: 2
School: Queen of the Miraculous Medal

River, river
Fish glide
Through you,
Tired river
So beautiful
Never stopping.
Tired, tired
Plants flow
Through you,
Tired river
Craw crawl through you.
You’re so beautiful.

Author: Ava Manchester
Poem: The Mulberry Tree
Grade: 5
School: Homeschool

Once there was a Mulberry tree,
so tall and big and green,
and it was there because long ago
someone planted its seed.

The Mulberry tree grew and grew,
reaching up for the sky so blue,
it had lived before World War Two,
and for quite a while after.
Then one day my family came along,
me, my mom and my three sisters,
and as we passed it I asked, “What is it?”
she said it was a mulberry tree.
“I wonder how old it is.”

I didn’t think we’d ever say good-bye,
to the Mulberry tree so high,
until one day with a sigh,
he was being quite cut over.

The tree workers came and cut down what they said
were “too close to the power lines,”
or “could fall on your head.”
They cut down a maple,
they cut down a birch,
they cut down every good place to perch,
and cut down the Mulberry tree.

We counted the rings on the Mulberry tree,
all one hundred and seventy-three,
on that old Mulberry tree.
So if you ask me my favorite tree,
it isn’t pine, maple, or birch,
because, you see,
my favorite was the Mulberry tree.

Author: Melia Steller
Poem: Love Is A Feeling Everyone Has
Grade: 8
School: Northwest Kidder Middle School

Love.
Love can be like the lights of a thousand stars you see in the sky
But other love though, could be as dark as the depths of space
Some love is beautiful and warm, like sunlight
That is what true love is
Some is platonic
Or some of it’s romantic
but the truth is,
It’s still love.

My parents have found true love within each other.
From the first time their eyes first meet,
To them looking at each other before they go to sleep
The way to describe my parents love in the least
Is a big, soft blanket.
A big, soft blanket that makes you feel comfortable,
Like you can tell them your innermost secrets
And they will just support you,
And care for you.
Those are the people that my parents are.
Their love has shown me that love can fly.
Their love, like a dove flies high in the sky
It’s full of bliss, and happiness
It’s full of what we call love.

Love, like a song, has a story.
Families start with love.
With love that they have for each other.
With love that connects them
That warm feeling humans get,
But another truth is
That animals feel it too.

Butterflies in their stomach,
Or happiness when they see each other,
The memories that they see when they are together.
Those are feelings that makes us alive,
That makes us sure that we can still feel things, sure some of those feelings will hurt,
But they’re still feelings, maybe they can be bittersweet,
Or maybe the feeling is just sweet
But what I’m saying to you is
Feelings are feelings
And we will feel them,
But the one that humans, and animals feel the most, without even knowing it
Is Love

Author: Adam Hall
Poem: Wrestling
Grade: 1
School: George Long Elementary

I see the trophies waiting for me
I hear the ref slapping the mat when I get a pin
I taste the refreshing water
I feel the ref’s hand lifting mine when I win
I smell victory

Author: Elizabeth Mitchell
Poem: Mother
Grade: 9
School: Springport High School

If my tears were a river
You would let them flow

If my heart was a flower
You would let it grow

If my life was the sun
You would let it shine through

If my world was collapsing
You’d know just what to do

If I fell like an apple
So far from a tree
You would always be there
To help lift up me

When stress comes crashing down
Like a large ocean wave

You can calm me down
Remind me to be brave

When your life is hard
And so is mine

You help me through it
You always make time

With all of life’s struggles
I forget to be human

You remind me: I’m not perfect
And you’d do it all again

I know what you’re thinking
And you know that I do, too

I will say it every day
How much I love you

Author: Samantha Allen
Poem: Wonderful, Volatile World
Grade: 6
School: Northwest Kidder Middle School

You can’t be rude
Or you’ll get called a bully.
You can’t be too nice
Or you’ll get deemed a ‘pick me’.
You can’t talk too much about your issues
Or you’re the self pity party.
You can’t withdraw from opening up, either.
Or you get called ‘distant’.

You can’t have dated too many people
Because they’ll call you a player.
But you can’t have never dated
For they will say it’s “for a reason.”
You can’t speak out against plans
For that is modern-day treason.
And you have to dress for the season
But if you’re caught in bikinis
You get called ‘disgusting’.
And if you stay in hoodies, you’re insecure.

If you’re thin, you’re trying too hard.
If you’re not, you’re known as ugly.
And if you dare say anything about it
You’re unrealistic,
Perfectionistic, and idealistic
And no matter what you do
The unspoken,
Overwhelming pressure that comes from society never disappears.
Society.
What a thing.
It’s soul-crushing.
And it’s beautiful.
It destroys people
And it’s where we call ‘home’

It’s our beautiful, depressing, lovely, corrupted;
Our wonderful, volatile world.

Author: Alexavia Mosurak
Poem: Older
Grade: 6
School: Northwest Kidder Middle School

I wish I could be young again.
I watch little kids giggle, laugh, and round around;
Wishing I was in their position.
I miss taking naps in preschool,
having recess, and snacks
Not having to worry about grades and things.
Now that I’m older, I feel I have to have every A,
And be perfect in every class I walk into.

I watch my little sisters grow up,
And it gives me memories.
When I was young,
I wasn’t embarrassed to cry in front of people.
Now that I’m older, it’s different.
Like I can’t cry or even shed a tear.
Or, I didn’t have to worry about being made fun of
For the way I dressed, talked, or anything.

I feel like I can’t be myself in public.
I get nervous and anxious, but when I was young,
I didn’t even know what those words meant!
I wanted to be friends with everyone,
But now that I’m older, I don’t really care anymore.

I just miss the old days.
When there wasn’t any drama, or bullying,
And everything else that happens these days.
Being little was fun, and I remember wanting to grow up,
Be older, and have sleepovers.
Sure, it’s fun, but sometimes it’s not.
And now that I’m older, I just wish to be 5 again,
Relive that era.
It would be a dream.

Author: Kaitlyn Walsh
Poem: Nature’s Sorrow
Grade:12
School: Homeschool

I wonder
Why nature is so full of sorrow,
Why there are weeping willows, and mourning doves.
Even the moon begs light from the sun to borrow,
Ancient trees engraved with past hopes,
And lost loves.

I wonder
Why tear-filled eyes resemble stormy seas,
Or why there’s an eye in every storm;
A calm before the tempest, when daylight flees,
As if it’s all been seen by someone before.

I wonder
What makes the wolf cry,
Or the dove mourn, or the willow weep
I wonder how storms can be seen in a person’s eye,
Or why people, like the earth, have secrets to keep.

I wonder
Why seasons change so faithfully,
Why the vibrant leaves soon die and fall,
Why change, though painful, is so necessary;
People hate it, yet nature doesn’t seem to mind at all.

I wonder
Why rainbows only appear after clouds of gray,
As if color is born out of sadness and pain,
I wonder why night always surrenders to the dawn of day,
Or why flowers refuse to grow without first enduring rain.

I wonder
Why the sea is most lovely after a storm,
And why eyes that have most wept, hold the most beauty,
I wonder why doves sing melodiously as they mourn,
And why the most charming branches cascade
from a weeping willow tree.

Author: Astrid Bade
Poem: Where Life Shall End, Where Life Shall Begin
Grade: 10
School: Michigan Connections Academy

Where life shall end, where life shall begin
Stars are born of particles and dust
Stop and feel the history within

Soil, a stone, the marks on your skin
The Universe see all turn to rust
Where life shall end, where life shall begin

A life, a death – it knows now when
A rich story told within the Earth’s crust
Stop and feel the history within

A star lives an eon, but time will grow thin
Reaching the end the star will combust
Where life shall end, where life shall begin

Clouds of particles and dust, life shall renew again
New life from death, one can always trust
Stop and feel the history within

Look up to the stars, see your kin
The familiarity – understand it, you must
Where life shall end, where life shall begin
Stop and feel the history within

Author: Emma Uphaus
Poem: Thought Bubbles: Reflections of a Fish
Grade: 2
School: Homeschool

There was a little fish who was bright cherry red
With shiny yellow fins and a pink spot on his head.

He awoke every morning by the light of the sun
And swam across the reef in search of some fun.

He looked pretty happy with a smile that shone like gold,
But deep in his heart, a secret he did hold.

“I can’t ‘buzz’ like a bee, or ‘moo’ like a cow,
‘Baa’ like a sheep, or ‘oink’ like a sow.

“Every other animal on earth can talk about their troubles,
But I’m stuck in the sea and can only blow bubbles!”

Author: Mia Chase
Poem: The Night
Grade: 5
School: Sharp Park Academy

The day is always bright,
The night always dark.
But, there’s something more, something of a spark.

The stars illuminate,
The moon reflects the sun,
The moon goes through its phases,
And light is always shone.

The day it is the brightest, with play and lots of fun.
Then, of course, the dance of the sun.
And, as you should know, the dance is never done.

The wolves they frolic with their pack,
Tigers hunt their prey,
The moths they follow light,
As they fly astray.

These are the dances of the night,
The beauty all in one.
Oh, the night is beautiful,
And the dances they go on.

Author: Lainey Griffis
Poem: Narcissus
Grade: 10
School: Hanover-Horton High School
Narcissus
The most misunderstood myth
A boy that looked at himself
And took the time to learn how to say
“I am beautiful”
But the gods could not have their creation
Begin to accept himself
Because if we did
We would realize humanity can do anything
So they change Narcissus to a flower
And silenced his voice

Author: Morgan Reed
Poem: Snow White Hair
Grade: 12
School: Hanover-Horton High School

Walk in the house, you in your chair
Green leather behind snow white hair
Flannel shirt too big for me to wear
Black coffee too strong for me to bear
Funny jokes and stories that you tell
All of them for which I fell
Soon enough you got sick
And away the time started to tick
Suddenly you were gone
And I hoped that it was wrong
You were my first best friend
Time with you was a godsend

Now a year later, it never gets easy
When I see your grave, my stomach gets queasy
What I would give for another day
Trade myself so you could stay
The grass is blue and the sky is green
The picture of you as Mom’s lock screen
Your fingerprint necklace I always wear
Feelings I have that are hard to share
Now I walk in the house, no one in your chair
Constantly missing your snow white hair.

Author: Lauren Geinapp
Poem: All in a Week
Grade: 3
School: Paragon Charter Academy

On Monday, I met a panda- her name was Amanda
On Tuesday, she wanted to go to the shore
But on Wednesday, Amanda was such a bore
On Thursday, we flew away
On Friday, we went the wrong way
On Saturday, we slid on a rainbow
On Sunday, we looked out the window
How did I do that in a whole week?
Easy, I read a book by the beach.

Author: Riley Chevalier
Poem: Through Words and Whiskers
Grade: 6
School: Michigan International Prep School

In a world of thoughts, swirling and vast,
There lived a girl, her heart beating fast.
At twelve summers old, her spirit alive,
She found solace in stories, music, and a cat, so wise.

Her name was Riley, a girl full of dreams,
With every passing day, her imagination gleams.
Tales of dragons and knights filled her shelves,
Books were her companions, her truest of delves.

Alongside her on this magical ride,
Was a cat named Duey, always by her side.
With fur as black as the midnight sky,
He purred and played, bringing joy, oh so high.

At night, when the world would go to sleep,
Riley’s fingers danced, melodies to keep.
She strummed her guitar, her voice sweet and true,
Songs rang through the air, emotions anew.

In her mind, worries would occasionally stir,
Anxiety like a beast, trying to concur.
But with her pen, she fought the dark haze,
Writing poems and stories, setting her spirit ablaze.

Imagery painted by her young hand,
A vibrant world, like castles of sand.
Metaphors danced, bringing tales alive,
In her words, a world to dive.

Readers could feel her heart’s desire,
A twelve-year-old’s soul, full of fire.
Through books and music, she found her release,
And with Duey by her side, her worries would cease.

To the rhythm of melodies, her spirit soared,
Her confidence grew, fears slowly ignored.
For in her passions, she found her voice,
A place where she belonged, her soul’s rejoice.

No questions and guidelines to be defined,
Just the journey of a girl, truly genuine.
Written by a sixth grader, young and free,
With music, books, and Duey, she found her harmony.

Author: Isabella Bertke
Poem: Ode to Music
Grade: 7
School: Grass Lake Middle School

Oh, music, you are the rhythm that dances through my soul,
You lift me up when I’m down, and make me feel whole.
From the gentle melodies that soothe my weary mind,
To the powerful beats that make my heart unwind.

You are the language that transcends all barriers,
Uniting people from different cultures and carriers.
Your harmonies can bring tears to my eyes.
As your melodies take me to the highest skies.

Whether it’s rock, pop, or classical tunes,
You have the power to make me forget all my glooms.
You’re like a best friend, always there by my side,
Through every moment, you’re my ultimate guide.

With every note, you paint the picture in my mind,
Creating emotions that are one of a kind.
You make me laugh, you make me cry,
You make me feel like I can touch the sky.

So here’s to you, music, my eternal muse,
For all the joy and inspiration you infuse.
You are the soundtrack of my life, my dear friend,
And with you, my love for music will never end.

Author: Katie Stroede
Poem: Oblivious
Grade: 12
School: Hanover-Horton High School

Family meeting that broke me,
Never again to be “we.”
To go unnoticed for so long,
How could my life go so wrong?

So many signs that were lost.
Splitting up comes at a cost.
Broken hearts never to be mended,
Gatherings now to become unattended.

Pictures and events grow awkward.
My feelings go deep and unheard.
Hurting so bad and alone,
Never talked about, never known.

Now “together” will be just a thought,
Stuck in rooms where silence is fought.
“Always and forever” to be just a dream,
Never to be what it once seemed.

Author: Ella Bulgrien
Poem: To a Close
Grade: 11
School: Hanover-Horton High School
Footsteps patter on the gravelly stone
two women, walking side by side
worry and hope trail in their wakes
mother and daughter
hand in hand

A waiting room
a name is called
double hearts beating, awaiting what’s to come
good news
or something worse

The daughter remembers what life was like before
a dancer trained in grace
a fighter trained in movement
building up her skill through years of work
only to end up here

The mother ponders a memory
a memory of joy
watching her daughter dance in her satin pointe shoes
everything she worked for came to that moment
only to end up here

Weight on a scale
diagrams shown
a doctor draws circles on the metatarsal and joint
“Is this where the pain is?”
“Yes.”

Shoes are kicked on the ground
socks pulled off
blue light flickers on black screens
images shown
problems known

An ending statement that no athlete wants to hear
the doctor’s mouth, a pressed line
the mother nods
all the daughter sees is tears
this chapter of her life closes in this moment

She returns to her favorite place
the studio
she shows her family the blue and black news
they apologize and comfort
none of it computes

The next day
she watches left and right, side by side at the barre
all them, their feet stretched in the perfect achievement of any
dancer
balancing on their personalized hard work
her hard work isn’t there anymore

Melancholy sadness
dripping water
she tries to tell herself
this doesn’t define me
but it does

No more lifting and standing on her toes
no more pointing and flexing
all of the work through the years
all of the sweat and tears and progress
to a close.

Author: Brooks Hampton
Poem: Dinos
Grade: Kindergarten
School: Homeschool

This is my dinosaur
He has a dino roar
Dinosaurs are chomping
Dinosaurs are stomping
Dinosaurs are big and small
I love them all
I want to explore
Lots and lots more

Author: Gabrielle Freysinger
Poem: Night Lights
Grade: 7
School: Northwest Kidder Middle School

As the sunset looms in the distance before me,
I see the smallest blink of light.
It stays for barely a second
Before disappearing once more.

Then another, and another start to dot the pink and red sky,
And then the thought hits me.
They’re fireflies!

The sky grows darker but still seems to stay light,
As more and more tiny lights fill the night.
Stars add to the mix of purple and gold,
Making it seem as if I’m not so alone.

The moon shines through, illuminating the sky.
The mixes of blinks and small shines is a beautiful sight,
While lying in the moonlight.

And then I start to think,
What wondrous…. night lights.

Author: Ava Tucholski
Poem: Aspiration
Grade: 7
School: Northwest Kidder middle School

A child’s imagination is a precious gift
It can be almost anything.
It can be an adventure across seas
With you being a captain,
As brave as Ares
It can have you hunting down a villain,
Like a predator hunting its prey.
It can be so much.

This precious gift is priceless
It is hard to renew
Because it can glow like a star
And light the night.
However, this gift can be shattered
Shattered so fast
That you feel like you’ve been hit like a ninja
In the dead of night.

I looked up
Feeling like only a fly compared to them.
It happened in a flash
Feeling as if I had just been stabbed straight through the heart
All the things they said,
Felt as if I was being slashed with knives
Cutting deeper with every word.

All of it
My hopes and dreams
Shattered like glass
Like it fell from a cliff.
Reality it hard
And my heart felt stiff.

Author: Lainey Smith
Poem: Baby Brother
Grade: 1
School: Warner Elementary

I have a baby brother
he is cuddly and sweet.
And I like the way he
sneezes and I like the
way he eats. I like when
he stands up and sits down
and goes all over the ground.
I like it when he laughs
and plays all day.
I like it when he crawls like
a baby bear and when he
sounds like a pig.
I love when he plays with
me and does lots of things with me.
And we are best friends forever.

Author: Elodine Clark
Poem: What I see
Grade: 3
School: Bean Elementary

Lights and streets get illuminated, then I see it
The beautiful sunset
Which looks like a fair tale
But they don’t exist.
It looks like
A painting that never ends
It looks like
My imagination
It looks like…
Then the goddess Nyx brings her cloak across the sky
The night begins
That’s what I see

Author: Emma Dailey
Poem: Me and my Brother
Grade: Kindergarten
School: Bean Elementary

I play with my brother as the days go by.
It makes me feel like a cloud in the sky.

I feel happy when I have no school.
A day with my brother totally rules.

I feel so silly when my brother laughs out loud.
It makes me feel so very proud.

I feel sad when my brother takes my toy.
But I get it back, and back comes my joy.

Even though he is still a tot,
he would even bang a pot.

I like to learn, he likes to eat.
Us together is very sweet.

Author: Silvia Baker
Poem: Home
Grade: 10
School: Western High School

I have never been a small town girl
But there’s something about the way every
Ancient,
Gnarled
Oak
Reaches for the dawn with
Knotted,
Twisting
Fingers
Their branches like cracks in a summer blue sky
That makes my soul sing.

There’s something about the way the world sounds at night,
Every
Singing
Cricket
A chorus in my ears,
Every
Star
Alive,
Their winking eyes illuminating my walk down an asphalt road
That makes my soul sing.

There’s something about the way I know
Every
Winding
Road,
Each path a different memory,
Every
Trail
Explored
A hundred times marked with footprints made long before mine
That makes my soul sing.
There’s something about the way the sky looks
At
Exactly
7:22 am
A new dawn, hope incarnated
Promising
New
Beginnings
And a life worth living because it’s mine
That makes my soul sing.

Author: Mercedes Lusby
Poem: Your Favorite Color
Grade: 6
School: Townsend Elementary

Your favorite color was forever blue
so ill gaze upon the sky and forever remember you
Those last two voicemails
hearing your soft warm voice call me
“baby” on repeat
as i continue to weep

The cold and empty bed
my shattered heart yet to be fixed
the last “i love you” i really do miss

the silent room used to be filled
with the sound of the comforter crinkling and the soft snores
yet to be filled ever since you left home
And now I no longer remember your voice
or the sound of your laughs and snores
Praying that this day it will be filled

So therefore i’ll hold you close and wear you day after day
Close to my heart you won’t ever get cold
so please know ill never let you go

If i could i would sell my own soul so you could’ve stayed a little bit longer
then you could gaze upon the sky for me
instead of me searching for you
That big round diamond shining in the sky
making the sky ever so beautiful
staying forever in that big blue sky
that your going to forever miss

It has been 51 days
I’m not sure how but it has
i know longer know how i can stand this fight
weeping and angry every night
i knew your time was soon but i never know how soon
because its been 51 days and now i’m left with an empty heart
and tears left to be wiped
I Gaze upon myself in my mirror
wishing you were still here
wiping away my tears with those soft warm hands of yours

Praying one day ill see you again
chasing people round and round like a carousel
and hoping you’ll wake out of your forever sleep.

Author: Elijah Hopp
Poem: Miss Life
Grade: 4
School: Townsend Elementary

Life can be beautiful or ugly
skinny or fat
strong or weak
fast or slow
big or small
bumpy or smooth
old or young
But her eyes look like peppermint.
She smells like a forest fire at night.
Her shoes are covered in mud but
Her dress is colorful.
Her hair is brown with a pinch of color.
Her touch is cold and hot
She says, “I’m fun but, I end.
In the end I end. How is life for you?”

Author: Kana Shackelford
Poem: War
Grade: 9
School: Chesterton Academy of St. George

Peace is a fragile image,
Made from bits of colored glass.
It needs only a touch of sound,
And then, like that, it’s passed.

It takes but a little time,
For the scene to fall away,
And leave you standing by yourself,
In chaos and decay.

Then there’s darkness surging in.
Fearful shadows passing through.
Many turn their eyes.
Some are friends you thought you knew.

Shards of peace lie at their feet,
Ground with every step they take.
But people keep on moving by,
Leaving ruin in their wake.

The time before it happened,
Seems a dream from long ago,
Like the surface of the water,
When you’ve fallen far below.

There’s something in you, longing,
Something heavy on your heart.
You wish you were a child now,
Guided by some rule or chart.

But finally the crowds will gather,
At some point the fighting must cease.
They will find the shattered fragments,
And restore the image of peace.

Author: Serenity Fowler
Poem: Davaisha Carlshay-Nyree Jenkins
Grade: 5
School: Townsend Elementary

I see her in sunsets and sunrises
she is so pretty
I think of her all the time
She was only 16
her birthday two days before mine
She was nice and funny
in my six year old eyes she was taken away too soon
She died from getting shot in her head in her sleep

Author: Kendall Braman
Poem: In the chaos of high school halls
Grade: 10
School: Springport High School

In the chaos of high school halls, im the eldest sis,
Trying hard to measure up, but always miss.
Stuck in a loop of “never good enough,”
Feeling like im drowning in a sea so rough.

My brain’s fried from the pressure,
Why can’t I be the perfect sister.
I try each day to make it all seem so great.
But im stuck in this mindset that everything I do,
He’ll hate

Every step forward feels like two steps back,
Caught up in a game where im constantly being
The one attacked.

But hey, im flawed, everyone else is too.

But im also fierce and strong, pushing through.
Through this life of childhood lies, im learning
To find beauty in this imperfect life of mine.

So let the beat of my heart drown out the noise,
Embracing the real me, even with flaws and joys.
Realizing now perfection is not all that it seems,
All I need to do is try to be the true me.

Author: Benjamin Vasaris
Poem: My Farm
Grade: Kindergarten
School: Homeschool

I want to buy a farm.
A red farm.
I hope to get a goat.
And a pony.
And a horse.
I will give the horse
A big brown shed.
I will give the pony
A little white shed.
The goats will be in the
Yard eating hay and corn.
Someday I want to buy a farm.

Author: Natalia Earnest
Poem: Heed
Grade: 8
School: Northwest Kidder Middle School

Quiet.
You’ll be surprised at the things you miss
Even if it’s just something you’ll hear.
I’ve always been told that if I don’t have anything good to
say, don’t say anything at all. But sometimes I have the urge
to spit my words at people and prove myself right
But I notice that when I don’t speak, I notice a whole lot more,
I see things that I’ve never realized were there
Even in the midst of chaos, I saw peace.
Sometimes it’s easier to sit
Sit and watch
Sit and listen
Sit and think
It’s a whole lot easier than running my mouth faster than I ever
have in my life; talking so much, but having nothing at all to say
Sitting in a sandstorm of salty spoken words sinking deeper than
quicksand
Trying my best not to send back a storm of my own.
Talking creates stress and unnecessary problems
Emptying my head letting my senses take control letting myself
hear the things I can’t hear, see the things that I just can’t
Noticing the things that are invisible to me and to ever other busy bee
this city has
Calming down just a little bit just to notice a single withered petal
falling from a lively flower
Noticing is peace and peace cannot show through violence but only
through understanding
Understanding that everything and everyone comes with a package of conflict
Understanding that all you need is a moment to notice what you need and to
observe what there already is and has always been.
Everyone needs some peace
So just be
Quiet.