FOR ALL THOSE WHO WANT TO VISIT UNION COUNTY
I live in El Dorado, Ark., born and raised.
I own a couple of acres of land,
hunt hogs, deer, squirrels, four-wheelers,
mud, anything. Really ain’t much to
do in a little backwoods boomtown.
Prettiest parts of Union County is
the country, you got friends, family to finds stuff to do.
That’s my little town, El Dorado, Ark.
Kevin Woodle
To a Stranger Born in Some Distant Country Hundreds of Years From Now
The smell of trees, the oaks and pine may be
gone now. The familiar, smooth touch may not
be there. But the concept still exists. The words
from the books, from the poems, remain. The stories have
been re-made — re-named. Now its called Long Ago and Bite Me.
Every year you see the long lines of crowds lining
up to see, and read, the same stories. The stories of
the vampires, of the Hunger Games. The Games are
becoming more real each year. The people now must
protect themselves. They can never let their beloved
freedom, their beloved food, their technology get used
against them. Years from now the legend of the Games,
of Twilight, the books still remain. The games, the hurt,
the spikes, the hammer, the thunder, the crash, the rebellion.
The love, the sadness, the blood, the child, the eternity, the vampires,
the forever.
Kaitlin Jones
Inner Galatic History of Sound Systems
People don’t sing songs about
responsibility — by doing your chores
like taking the trash out, doing your homework,
washing dishes, or sweeping the floors.
People sing of having cute girls,
getting lots of money and spending lots
of hundreds. They sing about their love affairs or the
finest cars with nice paint jobs and their
awesome rims.
I love to sing about
the hard times when I
am down and out without a doubt,
when I just wanted to
scream, shout. And about all
the hard pain in my heart,
felt as a bullet pressed into my heart.
DJ Lewis
Core Shaft Echoes
My dad goes to work today.
He’s on the top of the oil rig.
He tells me all he hears up there is nothing
but poles rattling.
Kyle Mills
Confused
Confused is like trying to figure out what 2+2 is.
Why the sky is blue while space is black.
Why the grass is green while soil is brown.
Confused whether you’re happy or depressed.
Wheter you love or hate someone.
Or confused ont eh lyrics of your favorite song.
Confused on whether you should follow the crowd,
or whether you should turn the other way.
Fruits growing on trees.
White or gray clouds.
Red being red.
A person confused about giving up her
should to be with the person she loves.
Priscila Espinosa
Duck Hunting
Early in the cold December morning,
not even daybreak yet. The sun is
slowly rising, it hits our icy water
like a light snow. Beams of light
on our decoys, making them shine like
lighters. One of the most beautiful
scenes is to see a mallard looking
at your decoys.
Oil, gas, gun powder, muddy water, coffee.
I don’t remember how many
we killed, and who all killed
them.
Daniel Thomas Simpson
Fear
Fear is like your first time jumping
off the high board at a water
park. Fear is like getting ran over
and seeing your bone sticking out
of your bloody arm. Not knowing if you’re
going to die or not. There, in your
final moment of your conscious state
you think of your family, your dog,
your life, and your friends. Then, you
come back to reality and see
a stranger. Your emotions are no
fear anymore, for it is hope
that kept you alive.
John Henry Knight
Norphlet High School
Norphlet, AR
Date of Visit: December 12 – 13, 2012
Faculty Sponsor: Clare Heffner
Grade Levels: 7, 8
Appx. Number Students Served: 75
Visiting Writers: Katie Nichol and Diana Reaves