this poem is my poem (1986-1987)

7/30/2019 This Poem is My Poem (1986-1987)

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ArkansasPoetry in the Schools

1987


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Fred AlsbergDixon BoylesDarrend Brownt'-1ark BurghHolly ClarkBi l l CoffmanDonna Curd

VISITING WRITERS

Maureen Fi t zge ra ldEl izabe th FordNancy FrancoeurBuffa HanseDaniel HumphreySam Karna tzSara KingMary Kol le rWalter Kreeger

Rick MadiganAl MaginnesMargare t McMullinEar l McMurrayGarnet te Mul l i s

Dale Ph i l l i p sGai l RegierJudy RuizCindy Sander l inBob SchoenbergYoung SmithRusty Standr idgeDave VandenbergCar r ie WellmanLex Wil l i fordChun- j ian Xue


5/75

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS

Arkansas City SchoolsAsbe l l ElementaryBeachcres t ElementaryBearden HighBoston Mtn. Learning CenterBurke S t. ElementaryBut t e r f i e ld T r a i lCal ico Rock ElementaryCedar Park ElementaryCent ra l MiddleConcord ElementaryEas t ElementaryEdgewood Elementary

El len Smith ElementaryElmdale ElementaryEmerson ElementaryEureka Spr ings HighFarmington ElementaryFlorence Mat t i son SchoolFountain Hi l l SchoolGrace Hi l l ElementaryGreen Fores t HighGreenland ElementaryHamburg HighHast ings ElementaryIda Burn ElementaryJ e s s i e v i l l e High

Moore ElementaryLee ElementaryLevere t t ElementaryMarion MiddleMt. Pleasan t HighMcRae SchoolNewark ElementaryOzark ElementaryParson Hi l l s ElementaryRamay Jun io r HighRet ta Brown ElementaryRichland ElementarySalem ElementarySa l ly Cone ElementaryShannon ElementarySouthwest ElementaryStephens In te rmed ia teTaylor HighSmith ElementaryTruman ElementaryTyson ElementaryVal ley Spr ings ElementaryWalker HighWedlock ElementaryWest Fork ElementaryWhit ten ElementaryYel lv i l le -Summit Schools


6/75

THIS POEM IS MY POEM

Edited byGail Regier

Cover Art: Daniel HumphreyCover Concept : Gail Regier


7/75

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ARKANSAS CITY SCHOOLSMY CIRCUSIn my circus there arelions, monkeys , snakes and cooki eswith milk . 'In my circus there aremice that dance ,apples that sing.In my circus there aresharks and worms that talkthat is what's in my c i r c u ~ .

-Lea Hogg

HOW TO SEE THE WINOFirst l isten for i ts voicethat ' s soft and melodicbut sometimes is harshThen look for i ts noteshigh in the treetopsBut when the peace isdisturbed all music stopsOnce i t starts up againlook with your eyesAnd you can see the windfloating in the sky

-Allison Hooks

TREES

zJ.M tJLDe ~ r r MSTlt.L;:-A.ST./

Trees sway in t he ai rl ikebal letdancers .

-Andrea Anderson

THE POSTER ON MY WALLMy room has postersOf people on the wa l l .A large poster of Rob LoweIs on the wall.He has deep blue eyesLike water with .Food co l oring in i t .

-Lisa Watson

HOW TO PUT CREAM IN A TWINKlEYou can ' t .I t was born there .

- Jason Fletcher


8/75

ASBELL ELEMENTARYBLUEfeels like soggy tears from crying,tastes like a waterfall from a mountain,looks like a blankets for the earth,sounds like a seashell at the ocean.

- Jason SachsA SODA BOTTLELike a rocketWith a different color engineAnd l i t t le drivers coming to the topand bursting.With a clear window at the top .With a billboard s- t - r - e- t-c - h- e-d across the middle.

- Ira Wimer

KILLING WASPS

REDAn apple in the sunWith deep rays stingingLike a needle .

-Jason C.

I kill them with my baseball batlike a nuclear bombI step on them like Statue of LibertyFa 11ingDo wn !I knock down the wasp nests with stickslike lightning slashing a tree.- Anon .

HAPPINESSA bobcat purringThe florescent warm sunA seagull soaringA grassy mountain top.-Ira Wimer


9/75

THE SKYThe sky flies, raises.Everyday in the morning, evening.The sky is the bluest whale.

-Brook Humpries

ANGRY

MADtouches like me being servant.Noses like fire candy, raw .Tastes like meat scraps .Looks like red liquid.Sounds like a SNAKE !

-John Garrett

smells like a fish coming out of the oven.-Robyn Bilderback

THE BOBCAT 11 o o o II 0The bobcat looks mild and tenderWith combed back hair,A brisk fast look.With brown eyes that really frighten me .

-Andrew Jackson

PINE TREEIt ' s as big as a tower.

SWIMMINGLeaping like a frog .Slivering like a snake .Falling like a bird.Swimming like a fish .

- Kevin Regier

And smells like sparkling mint .Its long antennae are as fuzzy as a teddy bearAnd i t drinks air .-David Farwell

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10/75

FEARThe mayonnaise blob is going to get meI t ' s not a beautiful sightI t leaves a trail of mushy slimeHe gallops around like a headless CheetahThen the Super Cheetah saves the dayby eating the mushy blob

-Group Poem, Mrs. Kimbrough's Fifth Grade ClassSCARED ISrunning through a forestpulling your hair and throwingrocks at a lion

-Stephen YoungTHE BOMB I MADEMatt an--

-Terry GarriottSURPRISEDSurprised feels like holding hot sandFor the first time;Smells like magnolia;Tastes like hot butter.Looks like a jack-in-the-box;Sounds like a mad Bird.

-Marty StampsFRIDAYOn Friday I ride bikes.I t feels like light filling the room.I t sounds like bees hovering above a row.I t feels like snow blowing in your face.I t smells like a register blowing in your face.I t tastes like Kool-aid running down yourthroat

veryfast .But best of all you'reFree.-Cole ?

...


11/75

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BEACHCREST ELEMENTARY

SCARY MONSTER

Slime for legs.Eyes like rattan apricots.His arms are trash cans.He breathes mud.He feels good in his own way.-Andee Hambrick

THE TRASH MONSTER

PINKPink smells like crayons.Pink looks like bright light.Pink tastes like rubber.Pink feels like jello.Pink sounds like a baby rattle .

-LaToya Hunt

His feet are garbage turned hard.His arms are like a man's shirt .His ears are like wet peaches.His feet are like l i t t le chicken legs.His eyes are rotten strawberries .His heart is like hot mu stard .

-Renee PerkinsTRASH MONSTERHe has eyes like nasty carrots .He has a nose like a glass bottle.He has arms like a witchAnd an extra arm like bycycle chain.He has breath like wine.He has a girlfriend named Sloppy Joe!He thinks he is great,But I think he is a slob!He wears a garbage suit.He has legs like poles.He has love with Sloppy Joe!

-LaToya Hunt


12/75

BEARDEN HIGH SCHOOLHIGH CHAIRSitting in the brown monstertray trapping mepeas on traysilver spoon like a knucklejabbing peas down my throatMy arm flying helplesslyno use the peas were indownand goneThey had meNo escaping the pea's firm grip ..-Clay Knox . . . -

THIS POEM IS MY POEMHaving a new l ife

. r ,....,"!.>' heclt.Wiry b " ~ f

. . r ~ c " ' ~ r e

is like having a new pair of shoesfor the first , f irst time.

A TRIP TO THE REHEARSAL HALL

Having a new l ifeis like having someone make youyour f irst prom dress.Now i t s timeto wait fo r a new l ifeand wish for the best.When new l ife comes

into the world i t ' s timefo r happiness and sorrow,but best of allthe new l ife is there.Before new l ife

i t ' s like the biggest waterwaves in the inside ofa balloon.-Paulette Rideout

Strange faces in mass confusionLost on sidewalks laying as spokes in wheelsMany doors to open hiding scenes from viewDim hallways descending into depths of darknessAn opague winodw lonely and coldStrange Noises emanating from behind partitionsbidding me once again to join the sonata of Lost Souls-Scott Lindsey


13/75

A DOG'S POEMA dog's bone covered by antssat in the hot sun all daypicking and breaking into the bonethe ant family forces their wayinto the marrowand dip their faces into thewarm taste of chicken bone .

-David WilkinsTHIS POEMwears a pair of old torn Tony Lama cowboy bootsand a pair of Wrangler jeanshe stands leaning up on a corral fencewith his big brown cowboy hat pulled downtalking to a couple of fellow cowboys As a lizard runs down the board fencehe recalls some memories of riding bullssaying to his friend he mumbled "17 years .I've been riding bulls for 17 years . "and compares i t to hunting and said"You win some and you lose some"as the hot sun finally goes downhe walks slowly toward the bunkhouse.

-Ronnie SmithOUTER SPACE

Out there where the stars are shininngUtterly without airToo wide for us to see i ts entiretyEating up all timeReaching around all the planetsSpending centuries just standing s t i l lPeeking through the clouds every once in a whileAfter the earth is gone i t will st i l l be thereCandy can't be made out thereEven i f we tried real hard

-John Lambert

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14/75

BOSTON MOUNTAIN CO-OPSALLY ROSE--caught the bus to North Dakotawith 50 and a dirty facebecause her very blonde Mohawk,her hazel eyes, all her strongwhite teeth caused trouble,because she was small and slender.She gets off at the bus stationand buys a red satin dress and fishnet hoseand writes a bouncy check.

-Group PoemTHE LOST BRAINHe's got 3 brains.One of them is in his head.One of them is lost.The last one is looking for i t .

-John Leyva

D b6 d 66

FIERO d bThere are 6 in a field of springtime.

-Sean ?PROSE POEM

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Ace and Miss Death are in this story. Ace has black hair & green & bluehands . Miss Death has blond hair & light blue eyes that sometimes turngreen. Ace is mud-dogging on a 4-wheeler and laughing like a bag ofwind. Mary comes along on a black stallion & Michael rides up on awhite & red flash. Everyone changes his or her mind. Mary rides awayto call an ambulance & gets knocked in the head by a Bodark tree.Miss Death l i f ts the 4-wheeler & everything stops. Everybody's fine.-Larry Smith


15/75

BURKE STREET ELEMENTARYTHE BUTTERFLY &MEButterflies are prettywhen they flutter in the skyThey look like dandelionssitting in the treetopsThey looks like dancing flowerswhen they flutter in the sky

-April Ritter

MY COUSIN, OR . . .

POEMCorey came to townOn Halloween morningRiding in a ThunderbirdEating lemon pieyelling Happy Halloween

- Justin Verser

When I play baseball and hit the ballWith the bat i t flies away .And when I step on a base i t walks awayLike a turtle .-Donald Richard Troup

POEMI woke up one morningAnd I looked on the wallI saw the teacherPlaying basketballShe was bigHer feet were small

- Jerry Threats

C a bobcat's tunnel with kits in i tA a steeple .with a crack in i tR a woman with long hairL a pole on the wet groundA a Japanese swing swinging-Carla Pierce

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16/75

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BUTTERFIELD ELEMENTARYTURTLE IN MY SHOEI was runningbehind squelabecause I couldn'tfind my shoeI thought I saw i tmooing butthat ' s impossiblethen I lookedunder my bedI put i t on but myfoot wouldn't fi tall of a sudden Ifelta hand, heardthe voice of a TURTLE!who said Spare MeSo I didn't wearmy shoeI woremy dress shoesMy mother got madbut she lived through i t .

-Carrie Jones

THE PENCILWhen I get sharpenedIt sounds likeA lion roaring.Deep dark linesthey draware my pain.

-Sara Giles

WARNINGWhen I'm a teenager I'm goingto dress in extremelyweird shirts andspiked boots and bracelets.

s

-Jennie Wells

8A mishapen pineapplejelly bean.A pair of wings in midair flight.A mask for a handsomeprince on Halloween.A hand grip for a gym-nast about to go on bars.A peacock's feathers standingproud and straight.Can you see them?

-Sarah Mulligan

is a snake slitering acrossthe ground at nightwith i ts powerful muscles.The river flows over the banks.A deformed potatohunches in the grass.Someone's arm moving up anddown with the wind.

-Ericka Ferguson


17/75

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CALICO ROCK ELEMENTARY

ACROSTICBuzzingEverywhereElegantlyStriped

-Brent ?

MY MOONPale yellow moonShoneBlack night skyShadows dance On black waterThe shadows moveAs i f to captureA distant silentBeat.Always seemingOne key off.

-Amy Gibson

THE RGSEThere's a rose beyondthe gate.I t ' s soft as velvet,Red as red gets.People stop to look,But that 's all they do.They don't water i t .Or touch i t .There's a rosebeyond the gate.But i t ' s too late.I t 's withered to dust .There was a rose beyondthe gate.

-Shonte Wilson

THE FARM

On the Farm, the birds in the distancelook like flies flying .The grass is bull frog green .The house is as quietas a mouse not squeaking .The wind blowsand the trees surge/saglike sheets playing in the wind.The stream runs over rocksWith a sound like kids splashingin a tub . And She laughs.-Travis Achline

MY CATFISH & MEWe walk .We talk .We do all kinds of things .But the thing we enjoy the mostIs just a quiet evening of fishingOn a summer day.

\STAR

-Mark Blankenship

ACROSTICcraWl

On thegRoundMostare Slimy- Jennette Dockins

I am an odd-shaped thingHanging by a string in theAt night I glit terLike unusual eyes .-Stephanie Sanders

sky . (


18/75

CENTRAL MIDDLE SCHOOLI DIDN ' T TELL ANYBODYthat I saw an eagle like a ball of fireand a ghost in a rockerthat I head hollow like a rotten orangethat I touched soft like a pillowand I how I SCREAMED - - -

-Akilah HardenMEXICAN POODLEHair as soft and curly as spaghettiI t smells like green chile rosesAfter he does flips and prances

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He whimpers like a train coming to a stopHe thinks I taste like a hand.-Group Poem

WHAT I SAWWhen I lived on the Belaire farmI saw a sunset like an explosionIn a flower shop.The sun hit the cloudsTo make a pink princess I COULDN 'T TELL YABeing chased by a lavender wizard. how I saw the bad manheard him breathing

behind the househen I told Demetria aboutShe just laughed as i f to say"You're out of your mind."But I don ' t careBecause that ' s what I saw .

-Daniella KirkwoodSKUNK

how I touchedthe bad man's neartwith my hand .-Alexander Perry

Fur as slick as the top of my desk.They both have clawsSharp as a lawn mower blade in May.I painted the back of the chairto disguise my desk like a skunk.Now at night my desk squeaks.-Wendy ?


19/75

SWORDSSwords are sharp and smooth.They can cut through skinLike a razor through tracing paper .When the sword swings through the airI t sounds like windGoing through a tree.When being made the burning of steelSmells like blood offered to God.The banging of steel against steelIs like a bursting light bulb .

-Dentye Tims

HAWKsoars through the windlike a glider,catches fish like afishing pole

THE WALRUS IN LAKE CHICOTThe Walrus in Lake ChicotLooks like a tractor t ireFloating across the water .He ' s as big as King KongWith carpet hair 14' long .He walks into your houseAnd eats your soap boxesTo clean his teeth.The fish play with his toesTo wash the algae off.

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with claw hooks.-Chris Chase

In the hot lake of the temperate zone,He feels like an island drifting away.His girlfriend dumped himBecause he couldn't swim.All he could doWas float on his fat .-Group Poem, Mrs . Barnes 6th grade

THE TOASTERA silver-scaled dragon with jaws flaming red .Sits on my table and toasts my bread.I hand him slices, then one by oneHe hands them back when they are done.

-Scottie Earnest UNICORNBlack beast with blue eyesAnd steel horseshoes on his feet.Silk-skin wings and this beastIs veryBeautiful .- Michael Cooper


20/75

CONCORD ELEMENTARY

SUNSETThe sun shines with brightnessAs her eyes begin to spark.She grabs the reins of her growling horsesAnd rides into the sunsetFar far and beyond my reach.

- Ji l l AshleyPOEMBlue like a light in a t iger's eye.

CACTUS

Red dripping from the tiger 's teethLike a cave that never ends.A very cold winding hole.With a lot of dying peopleand screaming wind that singsA song of danger.-Laura MartainTommy TatePenny TurneyJason LasterRusty Thompson

The cactus is a hairy pickleIt isn ' t very tastyIt isn ' t easy to pick upI t isn ' t easy to put downA cactus is like an armwithout a handreaching out to get you

STRANGE STRANGE ), I

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\Wet like the bottom of a frog's bellyAll slimy and slippery and rawWith eyes so that you can scaryMouth big like a ball but rounderLegs as long as a toothpickMouth big as an open cupIt was very large and obese

-Shelby JamesRusty thompsonPenny TunneyJason Laster


21/75

BATSHanging in the day. Flying at night.Biting, and eating, and sucking, and more .Almost human. Look at their facesClosely .Racing the owls, devouring the bugs .But when the day has come,They squeak and they hum,Patiently waiting for night to come.

-Casey Sibley

THE DEERis as swift as a jet .As quiet as the wind .As pretty as a flower garden.The deer can seeAs far as you can look.

-Chris Case

THE WILD MUSTANGbroke out and ran

THE BIG CAThas black pretty furbut you can't look into his eyesbecause he will give you bad luck .When you scare him his big black fursticks straight up in the airlike a porcupine in dangeror the tongues of an explosion .

- Raymond Emerson

SNAPPER TURTLEIts green head with red eyeshadowLike my mother's .A neck like plastic pipe.It swims like a frogAnd floats like a rock.It shows off and breakdancesBy spinning on i ts back,And rubs the hexagons off i ts shell .

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like a dove in flight:his hooves hit the sandlike jackhammershitting cement,-Group Poem, Mrs . Barnes 2nd grade

his back muslcesstretched like rubber,his mane wavedlike his own victory flag- Wayne Felts

MY MOTHERworks at a cafeteria withbig pots , pans , boilerswhen she comes home from workshe will lie down and drift o f f& dream about big potspansboilersswarming after her--

- Mare l la Williams


22/75

CONWAY MIDOLEPOEMPuddles made from waterOn the deck of woodOn people who are bathing closeLittle splashes

-Craig Wright

fl 1 FriendMy friend Christyhas brown eyeslike my eat 'sbrown hair--She has freckleslike millions of tinyorange suns--I wouldn't carei f she has purpleeyes of green hairor silver freckles,She's st i l lmy friend.

-Jessica Adkisson

THE AMAZING BALL POEMI am a ballBouncing down the streetAnd I pass a childWho smells like fishHe plays with me .He loses the gameAnd throws meInto the marching bandAnd into the tuba.The tuba blasts me outHe trips over meI wonder how muchA tuba costs?Here comes a crowThe crow likes meIt puts i ts claws in meI am no more .

-Melissa WilliamsHOW TO MAKE YOUR NOSE GLOWSwallow a light bulbAnd a flashlightFifteen packs of batteriesAnd a pack of talcum powderAdd some pepper andA touch of saltAnd swallow some dynamiteDo fifteen somersaultsJump up and downSwallow a box of matches, thenSneeze, sneeze, sneeze.

-Cherish Hoggard

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23/75

EAST ELEMENTARY3:31At 3:31 all the children ran out of the school.They a ll played gaily .The air smelled beautiful . The sun danced on the water .The wind blew like a beautiful girl in a silk dress .

-Marshall PriceWHITE HAIRWinter is the color of my hair when I was l i t t le .

WINTERI prayed last nightFor the snow to go away,But when I got up (arose ! )Snow was there, and overhere, and there.I t was above the hil lAnd below the hillAnd on top of (atop ! )the house .And i t was on the window .

-Marla Wilcox

- Mike TurnerFRIDAYis the best day of the week.I can go to the movies .On Friday i t ' s like our teacherhas more than one heart .

- Micki Greer

IMAGINATIONTouch a baby .

- Ben Johnson

DECEMBERThe only person who knows this is me ,But I'm going to tel l you .Under my bed, i t ' s just like December .I can go there and slide on the iceOr get in the truck with my dadAnd slide on the glazed road .I t 's great, but keep i t a secret .

-Chad Thompson

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24/75

EDGEWOOD ELEMENTARYGRANDMOTHER'S KITCHENSun hot stove crackling chickenIn a black skillet heavy as a twenty pound weightPeach pie perfumeGrandma guards the stove in her red dressand purple high heel shoes sparkling like dinosaur eyesUntil she gives meA watermelon sweet as roses

DEVIL DINOSAURRed as a firetruck

-Ms. Goodbar's ClassPOEMI'm a purple wormEating ants and green beansLiving in a red roseCrawling down the thorny stemTo visi t Mr. Bumble BeeMean as a gorillaBut who is my friendI crawl slow as slimeHumming jingle bells

-Ms. Sullivant's Class

Eats poisonous green rattlesnakesLives in a gray steel cageBig as the sky in Pine BluffPut there by a cowboy with a chainFat airplane dinosaur wingsRed hot fork of a tai l-Ms. Johnson's Class

THE CIRCUS IN MY MINDA pink elephant in a blue jean jacketClowning around with his large friendsThe tiger roared like a trainWhen his shirt danced awayFox jumps rope while Horse plays freeze-Monkey drives motorcycles--Swinging peopmake shapes in air, fall in orange wIf i t ' s in the imagination--It's real

-Ms. Tate's Class


25/75

ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARYMY IMAGINARY HORSEMy imaginary horse has a name like fireHe runs like lightning and comes to my signHe really isn ' t alive but he isn ' t dead eitherI like the wind in my face when I runSo i f you see my horse te l l him to run like fireTo his best friend

GLASSIf I were a window shade

-Amanda WilliamsLASAGNA WARI am so lasagnaMe and macaroniFight like nachosAnd a coneyI wear orange skirtsAnd white pantsI ' m telling you the truthI ' m not a phony

-Carolyn Oliver

DEERAs we jump every fenceGlide through the airEvery deer has a ruleTo keep from getting shot-Chad Robinson

I would know the sun betterI would know dead insects tooI would have broken glassAnd blood all over meIf the window got broken

-Allen McFadden

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26/75

ELMDALE ELEMENTARYHAPPYShe plays in the yard.On her bike she rides down the street .Laughing happily, she falls on the ground.Loving her doll she hugs i t .Yapping and yapping she suddenly fal ls asleep .

-Holly SmithPOEMRain barks when I get home.He barks at the house.He runs in circles.In the night he barks.Rain is a dog.No one does not like him.

-Josh PhillipsMAY

MarchAprilYou know the next one

AN APPLEAn apple is like a big red ballBouncing up and down.An apple is like a big snowballFalling into the darkness.An apple is like a snowmanMelting in the heat.

-Dan Mles

An apple is like a handmade pillowSomeone hides away.-Kim Henderson

POEM

I I ~ Y V ' d j ' !.I k


27/75

MY DREAMI had a dreamthat I don't like to explain to people .I t ' s hard like a rockand so hard to explain like a bell .My so-hard dream.

-Angie Cox

THE ROAD IS LIKE

SNOWMANA snowman is like two big cookiesHeld together by eggs,Like a cricket losing i ts legs .A snowman is like a Christmas treewith the edges rounded off.

-Kim Henderson

a snake. I t is long and curvy .Whenever you crash that meansthe snake got you.But do you dareBuckle your seatbelt?-Anon.

CATS ARE BEASTS!

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The tongue is like a piece of sandpaper .The fur is like a shred of silk .

RIBBONSare blue and maroon .

The paw is like a dirt roadWhen the first raindrops soften i t .The eat ' s eyeball is like a grape .The ears are like an old lady ' s wrinkles.-Scott Weber

They are satin fluffy like a purry frisky cat.Or maybe i t ' s the other way around, who knows?They are beautiful for your hair .They are satin and cotton mixedLike gold and silver mixed to make white gold ."Beautiful! ! ! ! Beautiful! ! ! ! ! "They should!-Anon.


28/75

EMERSON ELEMENTARY

THE SOUND OF THE BASKET BALLSThe basketball soars through the air like a roaring train.It sounds like a sigh of relief as i t rips the net.Hits the floor like a hammer pounding a nail.Running down the court like a flock of birds.Now playing defense like a scared man.

- Timmy AndersonPAPER BOYI see a young paper boy , maybe trying to say Extra, Extra(Huggies with new elastic waist bands)Going around corner to cornerPulling his l i t t le wagon with flourescent green stripsStruggling hard to pull i t full of papers

- Melissa WatsonDOLPHIN PARTYGray swimmersWith sad eyes,Encircling a cake.A salmon galore.With striped hats on,TheyKiss.

-Misty WardTHE EXERCISE MACHINEThe muscles in her arms sayUSE ME NO LONGER !The Exercise Machine says HOW MUCH CAN SHE TAKE?Sweat says WHEN WILL YOU WIPE ME OFF?Muscles in her legs creak like a broken door hinge.She pushes until she can last no longer.

- Timmy AndersonTHE MYSTERIOUS LADYThis lady has a bad night all night long tossing & turningWoke with tears in her eyesShe took a bath and put on her clothesBut her eyes have water in them abd they burn soShe goes to the mirror and looksShe is shockedIn the mirror is a large red catMy hair is shrill red . . . My eyes are blue

- Anon.

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29/75

MY GRANDMOTHERMy grandmother is kind as a lamb :She's always running :The mill she works in smells bitter :The winding of machinesSounds like the beating of brooms :Her heart is a bloom of a flower.

-Mia P.BOOTSThere is a cat, sleeping, sleeping ,Lying in my lap .I t ' s gray like smoke .I t smells like i t just had a bathBut it didn t .I t doesn ' t taste good.But i t ' s fuzzy and knowsPurring in i ts sleep .

-Audrey Vines

She looks like a sack full of roses .She is sweeter than the orange.And her skin looks like a dark Hershey bar.-Angela ?

DRUMS

DADDYRiding his bike,Going huff , huff , huff .Lifting weights,Going 1 - 2- 3 - 4 .Carving the wood,Hearing scratch , scratch , scratch .

-Dana Pry

Big round ones like trash barrelsCymbals like trash can lidsSmall ones like the bottoms of coffee cansAnd he brews the coffeeWith two slender sticks-Jason Hines

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30/75

EUREKA SPRINGSGRANDMA'S DOGThe dog gets to s i t on her lap.I never did.The dog gets a treat every day,Unlike me.She doesn't care i f the dog makes a mess,But I can't.The dog gets all the loveThat I never got.

-Korri BaseleyFORD BUS

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They have taken control of his l ife.They are how he makes his living.But he is obsessed with them.

BEING TIREDBeing tiredBeing tiredBeing tiredBeing tired

No matter where we goWhen he sees a bus he stopsAnd looks at i t .He is always with them.As i f they were his children.-Kristin Kimball

gives you an edge on the rest of the world.is the right to cancel an appointment.is the right to miss school. is a sense of security.Being tired is a disadvantage.Being tired means you didn't do your best.Being tired gets you yelled at.

-Matt Barton \ ) I T;,-


31/75

SUSIE DOLLPlastic hair matted around her faceThe slime of greasy makeup covers her eyes and cheeksThe phony plastic body reminds me of her personalityHer shape is easily changed by othersLike children play with their dollsSusie plays with people's lives

- KatieA WALK ON THE EDGEWarm rays cast a soft glow on the gulfAs the sun begins the last leg of i ts journey,The finish line, the horizon's edge .Sounds of young excited laughter ceaseAs weary children t ire of splashing in the wavesAnd relax in the cool sand.Under a canopy of towering palmsStopping to si f t through a pile of broken shellsI spot a scallop and place i t in my pocket .I pull myself onto the pierLet the breeze ripple through my hair .Gulls cry overhead while old men and young boysFish and feed the pelicans .Together we watch the sun slip from the sky's embrace .

- Heidi BottomleyTHE TRUCKA truck sat in a field .It was rusted and broken with age and disuse.I t was hard to see in the tal l grass and biers .The engine had been wrenched out of i ts ravaged body .It sat with twisted axles on pillars of worn bricks .To leave i t could break a farmer ' s heart .

-Eric GrulkeyRAINRain drips from an old wire fence .I t leaves swollen puddles .

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The memories of those tears on my face.They leave only hurt feelings.These puddles hold many thoughts .- Amanda Williams


32/75

GINA'S CHURCH IN THE SUMMERThe noisy fans ratt le above Gina,But do not cool the air .Tourists fill the church .Old ladies scowl at her shorts.The muffled sermon f i l ls the air.Sweat sticks her legs to the pew.

-Danielle Tatro

FARMINGTON ELEMENTARYWATERFALLSWaterfalls look like flutteringblue butterfliesthat have just taken a plunge.

-Missy OsburnCATSCats are special.They look at youas i f they did nothingand then look backfor forgiveness.

- Amy Niccum

CANNONS & THE CARDINALBalls shot outof a cannon in battle.A cardinal got shotin the head,and blood startedto come outlike fire .

-Timmy Bryant

EAGLE EYE HUNTERThere ' s a guythat has a facelike a microscopeand an eagle's eyethat looks like a pincher.A mouth like a rattlesnake,bones like a ladybug's.He hunts with a knifelike bear teeth.

- Monty Rollins

THE MYSTERIES OF BREAKFASTOutside, the raindrops drop .Inside, the smell of waffles,strawberries, watermelons,

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and the grease of a double-yolkedegg frying.The heart of a butterflypounds while a cape flashesby the window, while they hearan oboe playing.

-Brandi Samuels


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THE MINERAs I ride the bucket outof the mine with the tasteof fine dust in my mouthand the smell of oil and gasfrom the dril lwith my muscles so tightthey're like cables,and hear the bucketscratch on the rock wall,all I can see is lightat the top, i t gets closerand closer, i t is the endof the day.

-Matt DiCamilloTHE BEACHA motorcyclist going down

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the highway with a helmet on his headwith his hair flowing .

THE OLD MAN

Here is the beach now . Look atthe waves flowing on the sand .Half a wagon wheellying by sea shells . Peoplelying under umbrellasand people in the water swimming .-Jessie

The old man earns his money shining shoes,fifty cents a person,yet he buys aloaf of bread, andsits in the park, and feeds almostall of i t to the birds.They gather around him like peoplein shopping malls at Christmas.

-Jennifer HendersonLIKE LIGHTNING ACROSS THE SKYAcross the road runs the white catLike lightning in the sky,Across the road she runs,Disappearing in the ta l l , green grass.

-Brett Lacy


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ANIMALS DO SOMETHINGOnce there was a dachshundhanging on a clothesline,like a sheet.A bear came and bitthe dog with his teeth.A duck was eating a steakat that time in the house,and a saber-tooth tigerPlaying a harp.

-Meg McDonald

STARS

All KINOS OF SWIRL THINGSA slide is like rollingdown a lollipop . But thebest things are driving throughthe eye of a curved road.And a rattlesnake is likeeating a swirlcake.

-Cory Trent Ashworth

Stars look like black holesSprinkled with glit ter.Missy Osburn

FIDDLEBACK SPIDER

PLANTSPlants look likeUnder-the-ocean starfishesThat have rotted.

-Mi ssy Osburn

The fiddleback spider lives in old barns,Attics, haunted fallen-down houses.He doesn't like people, hates to be disturbed,Hates big rock 'n roll parties.He loves to eat pepperoni flies, antcakes,Cricket juice, chocolate-covered roaches, and anchovies.Overdosed on dessert, he reaches for Pepto-Bismol,Feels like an inner tube with too much air.Before he goes to bed,He plays "The Arkansas Traveller" on his electric,Green-grass fiddle.-Anon.


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HAIR &TEETHThe hairon his head stands uplike grass growing

on an anthill.He biteshis nails with his gumslike he is eatingsoggy bread.His veinslook like wormsin cement.His neck ispractically goneBUT

I s t i l l like hisS T 0 R I E S-Jodie Brown

WORMSWorms are slimy as slugs .You can always trust a wormBecause i f i t liesYou can step on i t .

-Darryl Hayes

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SHAPESA fountain is like a rattlesnakeTrying to get out.A hat is l ike the sunRising or setting. A boatis like a jellyfishTrying to swim away.

-Brenda Bonds

SNAKESare surprising.They moveall over.They hisslike an opened coke.They climb all over,up your neck.

-Anon.


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FLORENCE MATTISON ELEMENTARYDIGDark when you do thisIn a burial ceremonialGot to have a shovel

-Maria Allen

COLOR ME POETRYComing homeOn a Sunday morning andLate this afternoonOn the porch somethingRoared down the roof onMe

I AM A PIECE OF PAPERI t hurts when sharp pencilsPress down on me.I t ' s kind of scary when peopleMake you fly in the airThen hit the trash can real hard.

-Ashley Aldridge

Elves had thrown paint on mePoems are funnyOn a Tuesday andElves are having funTry to stay away becauseRoaring might comeYour way so watch outDad and Mom night find youA man will helpYou and say! Be good!

-Suzanne Pratt

RUBYRough andUnbearableBut a baby andYoung

-Jeremy HighfillPLANEPilotLandingAirportNeglected to landEveryone's MAD!

-Forrest Payne


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GRACE HILL ELEMENTARYI AM A SATURDAYI am Saturday.People always like methey go out and have funon my nightbut do they thinkhow much fun I havewatching?

-Eugene Mitchell

SINGING OCEANS

POEMGarbage men have to use theirRight hands as much as their -left hands .Everyone has to use both hands .Sometimes they get blisters on their hands .Even when they get the kind that stays,Ice cream heals that kind of b l i s t ~ r .Not all people have aGiant blister like me.

-Greg King

Poor people sitting by theSinging Oceans the wind is briskly

-Ken Phasey

POEMRope from Uranusto l i f t or pulltheir blocks of stoneover rocky terrain.

-Ryan SchubertPOETRY

HALLSThe dark hallshave orchards of palm trees .

-Eric Baker

SNAILSThe snails feelFrom the tree topsTo the pale windows.

-Shonta HarrelsonThe batter is very complicated to mix.

-Will Nowak


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THE OCEANThe ocean swallows in waves .I t splashes on shore ,Tumbling sandcastles down when i t comes.

- Michelle Casper

DANDELIONSOver the winding meadowsUnder the open sky ,

A FLYbangbamsmashboombongwhamboondrums

These are the small gold buttonsOn earth ' s green windy coat .- Michelle Casper

ACROSTICMy brothermakesmy silly bone go incirclesso Istand s t i l l and waitfor i t to calm

-MelissaTHE FRAGRANT CANDLEThe waxy sides fold up like walls around a kingdom.The wick is the king .

..n ..

The peasants scurry around and about, enjoying the fragrant breezesAs the walls melt away and the king burns with words,The peasants return to their homes and listen to the fragrant birds-Jena McClure


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GREEN FOREST HIGH

TIMETime is a cruel master whipping an innocent slave.Time is the force of a crazed comet .Time is the candy that you can't have.Time is the infinity of numbers.Time is the message you can't decipher.

-Johna Maue EllerNO TITLEThe world is like the maelstrom.Man, is i t spinning.The walls are melting, the floor a marshmellow .People's faces are like boiling syrup, always changing.Why can't they stop?I've had too much .

-Matt M BrickDECEMBERDecember is a bell ringing all the time.Lights shine and listen all night long.Snow bites you.

-Jodi EvansTIME AGAINTime is a mousecreeping along when nobody knows i t ' s there.But when you disturb i tI t races away.

-Sherri Waldrop

MY DOGS

STRUT

Arms swinging by your side,Head bobbing with every step.People laughing behind you .You don't care.-Matt McBride

One of my dogs tr ies to be a speed bump .He l ies in the middle of the roadAnd watches cars swerve around him.My other dogs knows better than that.She is old and graceful as a dancer.

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REDlooks like fire in an ice cubesmells like a scorched appletastes like a sour cherrysounds like a snare drum beatingfeels like a hot torch

-Jasper O'BannonALL MY THINGS

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My screaming books are hollering at me!

BULLET

And my hot chocolate is boiling over Oh nMy merry-go-round is going round-Kelly Brancenberg

A hugebird flowing through purple starsHad big tears rolling down i ts beak.-Tanya Biley

~ U &11 i ~ Z > ~

~ ~ ~ o ~ ~ k eV one flowerin an empty fieldA treewith no leaves.Sadness is like markerswith no colors.

-Apri l Moore

is like an orange that did not want to ripen.-Matthew Tucker

POEMM is like a man getting falled in love.

-Jennica


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GREENLAND ELEMENTARY

STORMSA storm is like a black banket.The lightning is like a ray of light .Thunder is like God bowling and hitting a strike.The clear is like a black banketBeing washed in bleach .

-Clay Ellis

ACROSTICPullingAnd stripping the treeNaked

ACROSTICSwimmingAlong in the seaLunging into the airMomentarilyOn top of the water he showsNothing in his way .

-J.R . Ross

Down ~ DARKNESSAnd down to the ground The darkness is a dragon,-Brian Cassidy And the house lightsAre i ts burning eyes .He is guarding i ts treasure,The golden moon.-Patrick Frizzell

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HAMBURG HIGH

ME, MY CAR AND MY TROMBONEWhen I play the tromboneI feel like a new carStarting my enginePrepared to go farReady to go fastOver the limitAlways being carefulAfraid of a dentWhen I come to the endOf my journey or songI'm afraid to stopFearing something is wrongIf we could come togetherMe, my car, and my tromboneWe could go farFind our own l i t t le song

-Mary SivilsHIDDEN IN A CLOSETJealousy is a tight yellow slipperSet in the back of the closet .No one wants to admit i t .No one wants to wear i t .I t rubs big red blistersOn the back of heels. Anyone that wears i t is in constant pain .There is nothing to loseAnd nothing to gain .

-Wendy PriestLIFELife is the crystal glass at a table's edge .

-Doris VaughnsTHE SOUNDThe piano constructed of cherry bark oakWith the sound of a 1000 piece symphonyRings out loudly to break the dull silenceOf the service.

-T ony Kellog


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ROAD SIGNAlone, standing placidly,Rusted at the corners,A 30 MPH road sign.People in roaring vehiclesChallenge i ts authority,Its black & white threat .Marksmen eye i tIn the long afternoonAnd make i t ring .But i t remains erectIn i ts never-ending questTo give notice.

-Pollyana Burt

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ALGEBRAAlgebra smells like stagnant water.I t looks like regurgitated baby food .I t feels like being hit by a truck .

CONFUSION

I t sounds like a cat too close to the fire .I t tastes like raw meat .-Keith Hicks

The curtains fell just above the floor .The carpet was soiled and didn't match .The bookshelf interfered with the chair.The girl stared at them all in amazement.-Mary Sivils

IN YOUR LETTERYour letter was a storm of wordsswirling lights of greyEach word a silver pellethitting my skin.Red welts and goosebumpsI had no shelterBut to read on .

-Alison Hedgecock


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HASTINGS ELEMENTARY

I AM THEI am the shine of the sunI am the dark of the nightI am the lust of a starI am suspension of anotherI am the dreams beyond the

-Ami

WHO I AM

worldimage

SCARY HALLOWEENThe wolves are howling,the dogs are growlingto scare the ghosts away .Down in the deep valleyback in the backyard alleywhere the ghosts stay.They eat old garbagestale potato chipsEverything we throw away.

-Bryson BrooksI am a wolf looking for his prey.I am a penny so bright.I am a hurrying deer.I am smelling as a just-made shoe.I am a herbivore eating flowers.I am a white dot.I am the person,Scott A. Seymore .

I AM EVERYTHINGI am robin gliding through the air.I am a doberman hunting for deer.I am a cow grazing in the river.

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I am a cat climbing a bolt of lightning.I am a yellow leaf falling to the ground .-Brandon Stevens


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IDA BURNS ELEMENTARYPURPLE!Purple sounds like a kitten rubbing.Purple smells like a plate full of cake .Purple feels like a scarf wrapped around your neck.Purple tastes like a large fruit,Purple looks like a big bunny rabbit.

-Blake DayGUM MONSTERHis hair is like big leagueHis eyes are gumballs.His ears are like petrified

chew .gum.His mouth is like rolled up gum.His fingers are like the gumunder restaurant tablesAnd when he gets hungry he chews

- Jace ElrodUNTITLEDMy twenty dollars won't buymy way to Californiaand back.Arizona is just a sole anda shoe lace away .I could make i t to Malibubut my obligationsrefuse to bid meThe bus departs without my

So much dependson the chase :The dog streakinglike a javelinafter the rabbit.The ears swingingBackLike streamers,So much dependson the swifter.

-Jasper Ballen

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himself.


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LEE ELEMENTARYPOEMThat short pompousman has no rightTo te l l me to

Drink PepsiAnd that airheadsexpot has noRight to tel l me toBuy my car atGwatney Chevrolet.I ' l l eat what Iwant and ~Pray to God that I'm starting something /NewAnd not picking up /

on somethingold.-Ashley

PRIMARY

THE FUNNY SUNA pumpkin is a big orange sunSmiling all over the earthMaking a spooky shadowOn the earth and makingThe trees The flowersGrow and blow upWith petals and bees-Brandon Braudrick

Yellow sounds like an exploding stick of dynamite .Yellow feels like being under an electric blanket in winter.Yellow tastes like a cool drink of Dr. Pepper in summer .Yellow looks like a full moon rising in the nightsky .Yellow smells like the scent of freshly mowed grass .- Jason

MONDAY MORNINGSare like a shattered stain glass window that cuts you in 2.

-Virgie Priest

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LEVERETT ELEMENTARY

MY HANDSMy hands like to throw away their fingers .They like to polish the fingernailsOf lizards and the lizards allCrawl away like babies.

THE CAT'S EYEThe eat 's eyeBurst outOf i ts socketWith blackPaws.

-Jennifer Davis

ROSE

- Jeremiah Mitchell

THE MOVING SCALEThe grading scale creptand slithered across thefloor. And grabbed me.

-Jerome Underwood

A rose is like a red ruby on the ground.-ChristopherBOATS IN THE HARBOROil tankers look likebig bullies coming to smash l i t t leships to pieces . You can see yachtssailing far out in the ocean . You cansmell burnt oil and gas in the air .You can feel splinters stickingyour feet .

-Chris Word


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MARION MIDDLE SCHOOL

A ROSEtastes like a candlelight dinner in a 2 story house.I t looks like a mountain with blood dripping off i t .A rose feels like the soft silky clouds in the sky.I t smells like the fresh honey dew in the the early morning.A rose sounds like the birds whispering to themselves.

-Tammy CrouchTHE KUMQUATThe Kumquat can be an Indian tribe.The Kumquat can be an ancient city.The Kumquat can be what your sister eats inThe Kumquat can be a new cartoon animal.The Kumquat can be anything.

- Thomas MillicanSHANGHAI, CHINA (LIE)When I walk along the port of planksI see moonlit outlinesOf tal l , fat motionless people.

the morning.

I smell the mixture of salty air, fish, and cooked rice.I feel the breeze of giant fansStitched to tree shapes with a giant needle.

NEW YORK (LIE)New York looks like a ladyTrying to push throughA mass of cold water.

-Paul Baughman

NY smells like a beautiful pink roseAfter a good hard rain.NY feels like the weight of tons of cementSurrounding you.NY sounds like millions of peopleBlowing whistles at all different times.NY tastes like a big red appleComing down a long, long tree .

-tina Sears

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II

III{

\

JULIA MOORE ELEMENlARYPOEMThe bey's flat-top haircutWas like the dresser's top .His eyes were like the knobsAnd his pockets were like drawers .

-David RossFOOTBALL

TheTheAhh

NIGHTfireplace is similar to hell.The burning flamesdark roomkinda romanticnow I see a snake .- Jennifer Renee Corriwear

There's an eyeball in the gumball machineRight there between the red and the greenLooking at me as i f to sayYou don't need anymore gum today- Phillip

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McRae ElementaryPOEMThe pine trees around Mt. Holly are like the green meadowsLike a lake with a star shiningLike a waving handLike a dog howling in the night

POEMGod is like a giant heartLying in the hayOn a big hil l .Resting his mind,Yelling out his love to us,His sons and daughters.

-Andi Nelson

-Patrick Henderson

POEMA rainstorm is like dragon scales,musical chimes,a grandfather clock ticking,Mr. Storm shooting a muzzle loader,like a light footstep,a dripping faucet,water bombs dropping,

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Shannon and Pam having a fight about TV-the sweat pouring off them,God moving his heavy furniture,the angels bowling.

-Group Poem, 4th GradePOEMGod is like a lion or clouds in the sunshine,strong as aLitre of Coke, He sparkles in your throatand when he answers your prayer you getso full you burp. He's anOctopus because he has a lot of arms. He's forReal, quick as a rat, he roars like a dog or a tiger or bear.Yearly or weekly or daily, worship him!

-Class Poem, 4th Grade


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NEWARK ELEMENTARY

POEMSliding down this stone bannister is like a raindropSliding down a levee,A piece of wood tumbling over a waterfall ,A flat rock skipping along the water ,Climbing up again is like climbing up the side of a hill ,Climbing up to share the fun with your friendsThat you have shared before .

-Allen BurrowK is an arrow going into the wall.I are 2 cars crashed into each other .M is a bird flying.E two buildings side by side with no roofR is a head and shouldersL is a stickman's footY is a tree in the fall with no leaves

-Kimberly JarrettTHE GUILTY DENTIST

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His hair looks like a greased car motor .His nose is like a smashed tomato .

A MONSTER POEM

His ears are like 2 people having a war .His smile is like a guilty robberWho just got caught in the act .His eyes are like the moonCovering the sun.His arms are like a bucketWith 100 pounds of iron .His legs are like two bullsGetting ready to charge .His clothes are like a detectiveJust finishing a case .His fingers are like 2 worms fighting .

- Jennifer AndersonHis hair is like broomstraw that has been dragged through oil .His scarf looks like a snake skin .His ears look like some gel with a tadpole in i t .His eyes are like a spooked horse ' s eyes .His jacket looks like the body of a deer with i t s neck cut off.His tie looks like the night sky with stars in i t .His nose looks like three mountains cl ose to each other.His mouth looks like a snake hole .

-Jodi Henderson


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PARSON HILLS ELEMENTARY

BEWARE OF THE DANGEROUS POEMYou insist on reading i t , don't you? Well now you're stuck. Youcan ' t put i t down now. Your mind does not want to leave this paper.Your senses are translated, your feeling are embroidered into i t .The more you read, the more intense you get. You feel cold sweatdripping down your spine, your throat feels like i t ' s running withblood. Time is slowly passing . The seconds slow down. The more youread, you are trembling with fear, but only time can prevail, nofuture seems to exist . Numbers and letters flash in your mindalong with odd languages that seem to turn your stomach. But nowyour destiny is completed. You are free again, but the hoarse memoriesremain.

-Paul DelanyAT NIGHT

At night is bug's fling.Songs sing.People doing.Crows yelling, yell, yell.Scared things at night .Ugly bugs fling.-Brandy Michelle Adams

ENVIRONMENTArrest and beer cans and broken bottlesand swearing and wet slimy pavementand teddy bears with stuffing coming outand snotty kids and moving cars and dirty guys and flat t iresand bad vibes and skinned knees and skateboarders that suckand old men and cops on motorcycles and skateboarders that are goodand kids on Huffys and Chinese touristsand handicapped people in dark alleysand watered-down cokes and lame brakes and sweat and dumb girls andcigarette smoke and gas station air pumps and car fumes and shore gotmuscles and grip-tape cuts and flannel skirts and one runs and bentrims and lying kids and hassels and traffic lights and dangerousthings and cheap candy stuck to your shoes and honking horns andaggressive gesturesand delicious smellsand loose change and ripped shorts and feeling scaredand high speeds and head rushes and blinding sunlightand sand in the road and cool winds and stinging eyes and hurt fingersand shin guards and 7-ll 's and rap music and t iresslowly wearing down

-Ca sey Lee


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MOUNT PLEASANTTHE OSTRICHThe ostrich has long legsLike the st i l ts a tal l man uses in the circus.He has soft wingsLike fluffy pillows on my bed.The end of his beak isLike a big sewing needle my mother usedto mend clothes.His long neci is like a poleTrying to catch a fish.

-Susan Kielhorn

THE GETAWAY

ANTI-POETRYTo write i tMake your mindRaw as boiled okraI t cracks your nailsAnd gives your pencilPoetry-pan tips.Poetry is a cellar 's boilerIn a bad horror movie.

-Class Poem

Going over, under through the grassAn innocent snakeis moving, running, hopingTo avoid the playful childThrough his innocent,innocent handsHe slips away.

-Lisa Moxley

IMAGEThe young mechanicWhistling as he walksTowards the jetGlances with prideAt the dark, heavyTechnological mass .His tools areNeatly arrangedAround him.A cord hangs heavilyOn the ground.After skillfully handlingThe parts of the engineHe leavesWhistling again as he left.

-Be cky Jones

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PINE BLUFF

RECESSRecess is a war.Stick missles and rock grenadesThrown by kid soldiers.

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Monkey bar forts and spider web tents .Escape exit slides--Over the playgroundFly airplanes with see-saw wingsUntil the bells ring-- Retreat!

-Group Poem

WHEN I GO TO THE ZOO IN MY MINDI feed reach size peanuts to the snakelike snout of the purple elephant.His yellow alligator friend wears pink plastic shoesWhile he roars for a peanut.Chimpanzees in all colors: peach, peppermint and orange .Mr. Skink stews the air with his smell.I skateboard away to hear the goldfishSay "Na Noonie."

-Group Poem


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RAMAY JR . HIGHHOW TO JUMP ROPEwell first youno you get thewait you jump overwell you kickno you grab both endshang on you go aroundhelp!

-Ryan Brooks

POEM

POEMDandelion, Dandelion,soldier boy with arms of greenface of yellow rollings,you ' re on alert at all times,roaring with your proudness .

- Victor Hollingworth

This is a picture of a cow in a pasture .The grass is not here . The cow ate i t all .The cow is not here . What kind of a cowis gonna hang around a place with no grass .

POEMButterflies flyingin the sky wishingthey were notgoing to die .

-Ricky Hester

-Schelie SchmutzLATE SEASON HUNTERA bitter chill stings your skinCockle- burrs aggravate yourankelsThe cold steel numbs your palmsThe moist ground is your comfort

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The wind wheezes, i t teases your conscienceAlas , the moment ' s pleasure is soon to end.-Marla Yates


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ACROSTICWind is blowingIn theNorth.Does i t ever stop?

- Franklin H.

THE PONDI am ebony in the dark,Crystal in the sun,Silver in the moonlight .I am the home of dragonsWho don ' t breathe fire.

-Laura Lieber

A DRUM IS IN MEMy heart is likeA drum all over me.I t drums wherever I go.

-Kasey Chandler

CLOCKI ' m big and roundHung on the wallThere are twelve numbersAnd three needlesOn my white face.I speak 24 hours a day.And I don't have to say a word.

-Kai Sheng

THE HEART IN MY SHOEI keep a heart in my shoeI t 's my friendI t even talks to meI t 's very friendlyWhen I need something i t tells me.When I need an answer at schoolI ask i t .I t tells me this:I'm the answer.

-Jennifer Morris


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WALKS AND ANIMALSI was walkinghome when I saw my brownhorse fly by . The animaldid not have to run .There was no fear,only rain .I look down at the rain.I t had lef t puddles to walkin. They were all brown .Soaked with dirt. I imagined they were animals.I ran.I was pretending I was in fear.I felt fearas the rainfell . I walked .I saw a fur of brownI knew i t was an animal .My first instinct was to run!As I run,My fear goes. The rainis cold, as I walknow . My brownanimalstays close beside me .The animalsees me as i t runsaway in fear .The raindoes not stop me from my walk .The brownanimal is gone now . I wish i t wasAs I look at the brownforest, I wish I had some animalthat I could run with . I fearthe forest alone, in the rain .I walk cautiouslyalone.I picked the brown animalup . I t feared me and the rain .

back . ~I walked slowly back so I could give care to i t .

-Ramona Cawood

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a G Gcf3aG Qa I

_.,.~


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RICHLAND ELEMENTARY

WHAT DO TREES SOUND LIKETrees sound like the writingof your pencil. If I werea tree I would sound likean elephant swinging i ts trunk.If I was a palm tree /1would sound like a personwhispering

-Emily D. Garrott

/

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~ ~ ;s the ~ o n green? The stars sound;like a piece of candy c r u n c h i n g ~Do the stars ask questions?

IN THE BEGINNING . . .We, the Giant Trees, are old,Older than any living thingOn earth.

Does the moon cook the stars Jnd eat them? I 'Is-the moon tough enough Ito whip all the starsand the clouds too?

Do the stars eat the moonor does the moon eat the stars?Does the moon wear shoes?And do the stars or the clouds wear shoes?""\. -Eric Perry""--/

Long, long before the Cave ManMade his stone arrowsIn the darkness of his cave,Long, long before then,Our fathers lived .They lived all over the world.I came from them.A seed,A seedling,A GiantFrom a forgotten time, rFrom the morning of the world.

-Jamie Tackett


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SALEM ELEMENTARYPOEMThe test was like riding a pig bare back .Like a racoons looking for trouble .The test was like falling off a pole1,000 feet tal land one inch thick.As dull as the dark sky . The wordswere like stars flying across the pages .Like a brick getting smaller and smaller every day .

THE DEW

-Tony MaverickChris ClarkBrian Allen SandersonJennifer LaFeversMelissa Saucier

The dew driooing on a dandelionis like a lion drooling over his steak .

THE ALPSThe Alps are like a blanketOf mashed potatos.When the sun shines

-Chris Cowbreath

They look like buttered mashed potatos.-Kendra NelsonSEASONSWinter is like a foxBeing chased around the world.Summer is like an elephant

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Storming through and smothering people .


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SHANNON ELEMENTARY

FOGFog is like a wet sweaterup in the sky. When i t goesi t does not come backthe next night.

-Chris Shirley

ACROSTICDigging a very deep holeOf mud and clay

Raindrops like tears falling from your eyHitting the ground like your feetSounds like a clock tickingSmells so fresh like hot cinnamon rollsLooks like water hitting the sinkFeels like someone poking you-Kristen Earney

Going to the center of the earth.-Wes Thompson

BUBBLESBubbles are like elevatorswith glass on all sides, ~They go up and come downLike a bouncy kangaroo,But they are very fragile.They are like Momma's good glasses.Bubbles dies very fast, like an ant.Enjoy them when you see them,You can pop them.When you pop them they look likewater in a bathtub.

-Erin Smith


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SOUTHWEST ELEMENTARYLOTS OF SHOESMy father keeps themin a closet .Some are blackand some are brown .Some are boots,some are moccasins .He wears someto work and someto funerals .

-Delta Legate

HOW STRINGS ARE LIKE POEMSStrings are like poemsBecause they t ie thingsThey can choke peoplethey can take any shape

UNTITLED BUT . . .A babyIs wrigglingI t is on a carpetStaring at a camera \I t is probably thinking

.t

J

of what ' s going to h a p p e n - - - ~ ~ ~to i t .-Ashley Burton

They are as long as you want them to be-Tony Ryken

POEMFriday is a swim suitLying on the floor .Yellow, red, andMore .It smells like a pumpkin5 days after Halloween .I t is veryUnusualAnd more . ItIs not one , two, or three,But more .A moment ago she stripped i t offAnd stepped to the shower.Her mother wonders what she wants .

- Viki Kostecky

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STEVENS INTERMEDIATE

IMAGEThe tiger would gallopThrough the fresh morningDew. He would s i t downAnd hear the birds chirpingAs loudly as a fire bell.He would smell the new-grownCarnations. Later he would layHis head down in the thicket toSleep .

- Kathryn Newsum

IMAGE

UNTITLEDI t 's exciting,To go to the beachWhere you can l ie downBeneath a palm treeAnd watch the wavesOf a blue oceanCaress alongThe shore . As you watch a windsurfer,A warm breeze blows your hair,And you hear the leaves rustlingAgainst the wind .

-Carrie S.

Going fast. Casting a shadow over the earth.

IMAGEMy teeth concealedThe jewel tightlyTo keep i t in place.

-Susan Brown

-David Hollingsworth

IMAGESThe woman sparkled with happinessWhen she wore her jewels .She looked like a big, expensiveDiamond .Her lipstick looks like a blazingFire.

-Carolin Schallham


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TAYLOR HIGHCROCODILEA crocodilehas a great smilehis teeth are brightand shinybut when he picks his preyhe goes cry miny miney

/1 :r:+'s- ~ T e .. ryI 6 t t / ~ f t . ~ "'-'"o"'. /He slithers across the waterlike a torpedo headed for a shipAfter he catches you in his jawsyou can't be put back togethereven with paper clips

-Corey BonnerPOEMI am the moon

/ - - - ~

shini ng down on ParisI make the cityof RomanceRomantic-Corey Bonner

THE RACCOONSitting at the edge of a streamHe snares an unsuspecting fish .The woods ring with his laughter .The water mirros his masked reflectionAs he sits waiting for his next victim .With the swipe of his pawAnother fish is airborn .Quickly he eats his mealAnd steals away through the wood .

-Lisa UmphriesREDRed has left the nail polishand come to the blood .The blood i s now red ,as of a l i t t le girl ' s facewho has been out in the sun .Red takes over blue ,and the sky now looks like a blood bank .People now look at a world of Red .

-Wayne Kennener


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TRUMANN ELEMENTARY

SPEEDSpeed is like being a bullet in a race.When the gun goes off there's no stopping.Speed feels like control,Being ahead of everything, everybody.Speed tastes like fine food, only the best.Speed looks like a blur.Speed sounds like a huge machine assembling cheers.Speed smells like fire,The fire you leave on the wayTo your target.

-Mike MartinPOEMMy grandmother sewslike a spider weaving a weblike a wolf tearing at deer meat

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like a bear waking up from a long winter'slike a cat trying to catch a bird .Hard-to-believe but true .

-Kim YeakeyTHE MOUSE THAT PLAYED THE GUITARThe mouse played the guitarThe other mouse played the drums stomplyand the other mice played the singingand the piano and the slug played the saxophoneand a pig's heart played the beat.

-Justin CarterTHE SEAThe sea sounds like a manBlowing a horn softly.The sea is like a waving tree,Ripples like a ruffle chip.Feels like a cold silk sheet.

-Anon.


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I'M A COBRAI have vanes like fish bonesMy neck flares out like paperMy scale is slick with oilI sneak in high grassLike a needle in a haystackI strike as fast as a personFalling a piano lake

-Clinton Russell

THE NATURAL WIND

THE WOLFI had a wolf.I touched i t .

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I t sounded like a leaf when i tI t smelled like dirt and mudAnd i t felt like yarn .Its ears were pointedAnd i ts legs were long.He was grey as smokeAnd his tai l was like wire.-John Thompson

The wind is as calm as the universeThe wind is wild as a mad boarThe wind-Anon.

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I A VAMPIREI a vampire . My points of teeth are sharpand long like knives . My skinis rough and cold as I walk throughthe midnight breezes and my nailspointy and sharp long needlesthey screams in fear and down runsthe street and as I laugh and screamsTransylvania's the perfect placeto live with bloodiesrolling down my chin. Up at midnightDown at dawn.

-Melissa Morrison


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MY DADMy dad works on a farm.He drives the tractor very well.A tractor is like a giantRoaring like he's mad at someone.When a tractor is going,I t looks like the giantIs coming right at you.My mother makes woolI t looks like she's makingA stuffed animalCome alive.

-Sonya MattMY MOMMy mom makes dough like aMonkey fighting a lion.

-MatthewTHE PLUMBERWhen my cousin plumbs,I t 's like a fish sucking food off the ocean floor.I t sounds like the noise of an old car.When he's finished, i t looks like a perfect pie.

-Jennifer Renea SmithMY DADMy dad works on carsLike a spiderFixing a nest for a bird.

MY DADMy dad works at the post officeAnd puts letters in mail boxes

-Chad

And sometimes he gets hit on the head with a pan.-Russell I;

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T. G. SMITH ELEMENTARYTHE RAINBOWThe rainbow is a colorful diamond in the sky .The rainbow shows the sign of truth in the ocean- blue sky .The rain is like a unicorn .Rainbows are one of my needs.

-Tanya MartinMY DADDYMy daddy is a carpenter.He uses his saws and sandersLike a waspPatiently doing what i t does .He builds dog houses for our dogs.He works like he is building the earth .I love my daddy.

-Lisa Wiley

MY HEARTMy heart is like thunder .

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I t pounds and crashes when the blood flows .When i t rains, thunder crashes and

SHADES

the dark night blacks.My heart is like a vegetable.I need i t to live .My hear is like a car purring,Like a clock ticking,Like a diamond . I t is very valuable.My heart helps me to stay alive .-Tanya Martin

Sunglasses are black holes that lead to your eyesThey suck in light but do not reach the other sideThey are delicate as dry cookiesBut taste as bad as an old shoesIf you scratch them i t ' s like looking through an old camera-Danny H.


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POEMBlack is like a dark holeThat screams deeper and deeoer .You will screech like an owlYou will kill like a panther.

- Jennifer Chastain

LEAVESLeaves drift upon the windLike butterflies in the sun .Falling off the treesMaking crackling soundsWhen stepped on.Just like fire burninga house to the ground.

-Jennifer Chastain

THE UNKNOWN KITTENThere was a small kittenon the road to Chicago.I t was a dusty, dirt road.The day felt like an apple pieCooking in the oven.The kitten's meowwas as soft as the springcrisp growing grass. I t ' s eyesshaped like diamonds, andits fur as slick and shinyas a silk pillow in the ocean-blue sky.The eat 's eyeswere pretty as the seasons.The cat walks on that road.

-Tanya Martin

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JOHN TYSON ELEMENTARYPOEMThe snake will take the packagesUpstairs and get paid for them .He ' s done this for 26 years.

-Stacy S. ~ - - - - -

POEMJust beautiful,

MY ANGERMy anger smells like rotten fish.It looks like a flaming fireWith hot needles sticking out.I t tastes like rotten milkAnd i t feels like a bed of needlesSticking through my back.

-Brook Dandy

She understands when you like a boyAnd like to talk about i tAnd she feels everything !-Julie Westlund

CHICAGO

DAWNDawn has hair like the dark bark of a treeHer eyes are like the sky:When she's mad they cloud over.Her nose is like doughWith cinnamon sprinkled across i t .Her mouth is like a light pink ribbon.Her skin is like a bar of ivory .

-Gwyn Duncan

The lights are dimming older and olderThe porch lights are glooming in the nightAnd when I see, cars are busyAll over the road . And when the dark goes away,The people are all on the run !-Julie Westlund


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MY GRIEF IS . . .My grief sounds like a low but clear moan.My grief looks like an uncovered grave waiting to be filled .I t tastes like sour pickles .I t smells like the smell of smog & fogThat has been here for days .I t feels like a great blob of emptiness inside me.I t feels like touching a cold tombstone .

-Gwyn Duncan

TVTV is a book

THIN POEMSheCountsOlful it/ Tastes likeTamperedYoke.Ret aEatsYokeNow01 ful itLooksDoesShe exist?

-Scotty Reynolds

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that you s i t and watchYour eyes are waterand your face is red HOW I LOVE TO WATCH THE SUNSET OVER THE SEA-Rana Drisler

CRAYON

All the beautiful colorstogether like a cluttered rainbowThe sun getting lower and lower,like a ball being droppedin slow motion.-Shane Gresham

I am touching and wearing down,down, down. HAND WRAPPED tightlyaround you .-James McMillan


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WALKER HIGH

THE LEOPARDThe leopard sounds like the wind when i t hisses.And when he licks his paws i t sounds likethe water in the river flowing.And when he runs i t ' s like the speed of light.His muscles are as hard as steel .His teeth and claws are as sharp as a knife.His legs are as bold as a tree .

-Jason Bramlett

USA

In Mid AirNothing but air

now a balljust a few leavesmaybe just maybea platformThere he is !.Arms fa r and wideLegs are too .

He was waiting forno onehe's just there witha ball over one handa platform under his feeta few leaves at his side-Ronald Hooper

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WEDLOCK ELEMENTARY

BALANCINGWhen you finally learned how to balanceYou had trouble skating.The wheels wouldn't go where you wanted them to.When you were trying to go straight,You went left or right.

-Carrie WaltonGOODBYEGoodbye is like loosing your nese.

-Stacy Malone

WEST FORK ELEMENTARYPOEMA beehive by the road,like stairs wearing bootsand shooting bullets.

-Leo Palmer

HURRICANES

SCARY THINGSThe eye looks like dull light.The crown like a dying king.The stomach like pistilsBlowing in the air .The Chinese cookis like messagesComing through telephones .The moon shines on the wolvesAnd stays thereLike the sun and the stars .

-Glen MooreA hurrican moves through the sea like a mop across the floor,Pulling up water that builds i t up .And when i t gets to shoreThewater breaks through doors.It cuts cables like scissors cutting string.It tears up the town like an atom bomb in the high.And I turn for a moment and then i t is gone.

-Breezer Winn

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THE CLUMSY SWANThe clumsy swan swam through the waterWith i ts head cocked in the sky,Honking like a drunk driverWith his hand on the horn.

-Keith CaudleTHE HURRICANEThe hurricane is a scorpion.Like hornets near their nest,

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The hurricane circles around and around .When i t reaches the shore,I t stings the beach.

TRUCKEN -Jamie SheppardTrucken on to Tennessee, Oregon,Doing some pun fun.Volcanos exploding inside our hearts.Spending every minute,Never wasting a thing.Shipping from the seacoast.

-Catrina Guthrie

POEMEyes of a combin a tornado box,playing a harpon some doorknobs,listening to the doorsand windowsplay a tune .

-Misty Tucker

MY CAT MOONMy cat mooneats raw eggs out ofa wooden spoon.He licks his pawsand his jawsand then sits in mywindow s i l l .He stars at the moonand the reflectionin his eyes. ~

-Courtney Collyge ~"\fo1-lf/TtHE

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DISCOVERIES IN WST FORKI am afraid of copperheads,big black rats in closets and on the lo ose,blue-green horseflies,hornets, scorpions, wasps.Last year and the year beforea tornado like a broom sweeping the sky,like a spinning top,crashed through the townwhile we were at school .We crouched in a ball and stuckour heads against the wall.The last one lef t the t ra i l of a copperhead ,ripped Barry Bartholomew's houseoff i ts foundation,then shattered a glass house on a hil llike a rock hitting a whiskey bottle.i t ate my cat muffin.After trashing the town,i t shrunk into a hole in the sky.

-Group Poem, 5th grade

YELLVILLE - SUMMIT ELEMENTARYPOEMMy spirit is like a horser unning through the woodsfinding i ts way home.My heart is like a boxer hittinga tree, is hard as a truck hittinga car. I t is like a hammer hittinga nail to the ground.

-Jason MaxwellPOEM

Snails cats reach treetop5 They can reach pale wi ndowsBlack heavenly bells are in a circle with gol dr imsSometimes your heart sparkles l ike rain I t feels like cottonI like hot chocolate on the merry-go-round and I read screaming booksI squint when I see a crow in thunderWindshield wipers are washed with Vit am i n Cwhen t hey get frozen toes . . .-Jacob Auman

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this poem is my poem (1986-1987)

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