THOMAS EDISON
At my messy desk with tools and papers scattered,
Head leaning on my left hand,
My right hand writing away and changing the
blueprints,
A bucket of tools beside me,
my workers encouraging me from behind,
and me sighing hoping to get it right next
time.
Emmanuel Puello
Foolish Attorney
I have lost every case.
I have let the innocent be convicted
and the guilty walk free.
I have never made a good point.
I have destroyed my career.
Chris Bateman
Untitled
spring neither hot nor cold,
cheese colored sun flowers grow from dirt
chewy hot air balloons float across the
sky with pink stripes and rips golden
treasure buried in the sky biscuits and
gravy sun rays float like swords towards
a baby cradle
Jacob Blake
Howling Janitor
They call me a howling janitor
Even though I just simply sing
Nothing beats a good tune while cleaning the toilets
I try not to sing during my work…
but the kids always beat me
And they make fun of me
Next year I’m going to American Idol
So they can deal with my practice singing.
Justin Montgomery
Orange
A round ball, preferably orange.
tear the skin and eat the spider legs.
Vanessa Johnston
Abe Lincoln
I have not had as much success
as I would like for ending slavery. Also
earlier today I jammed my toe on a bucket But
i’m glad tomorrow I’m going to the theatre
to watch a play.
Austin March
Branches
A father is a tree branch.
He holds his family together
as branches hold leaves.
If the branch dies, the leaves fall,
but with time, the old leaves are carried
away, and fresh leaves sprout anew.
Andrea Johnson
The Calendar
The pink calendar hung on the wall—
lifeless, almost fake. It seems to be there
for one purpose, but what if, oh what if
it’s there for more than what we could imagine?
The calendar seems to be in a state that me
myself does not understand, but what if
itself does not understand either? What then?
Natalie Haney
Him
His eyes are brown as dirt, oh luscious dirt.
He lives in a shoe right outside of Arkansas.
He does have a flaw, believe it or not; he has no toes.
He has been approved by the most important
member of the family, me.
He may sleep like a bear through the winter,
but he is still perfect.
McKenzie White
Playing Games
This unending game,
how it crushes your heart
like a grinder.
I know she’s out there
I know there’s a part of me
missing. Did she take it with her?
Luke Atwill
Golden Wheat
My favorite color is gold; Arkansas is famous
for its golden wheat. Usually, wheat is harvested
in the spring; this was harvested in the summer.
I’ve almost lost my arms harvesting that wheat;
my father is who saved me that fateful day.
Layton Olsen
Changes
I used to play Cowboys vs. Indians until I
learned that the Indians had been the good guys.
I used to go to the skating rink with my family
until we couldn’t afford it anymore.
I used to feed our cat, Cody, macaroni and
cheese until he disappeared.
I used to be afraid of ghosts and monsters
until they began to fascinate me.
Cassandra Pirtle
Greene County Tech Junior High School
Paragould, AR
Date of Visit: November 6 – 7, 2013
Faculty Sponsor: John Baldwin
Grade Level: 9
Appx. Number Students Served: 200
Visiting Writers: Kevin Dougherty, Hank Pate, Scott Ray, and John Scott