MY THOUGHTS ARE A SOLAR SYSTEM
My thoughts wander around my galaxy. Sometimes
they’re like a shooting star, not sticking to my mind.
Other times a meteorite hits, and I cannot stop thinking
about it. Once in a while my thoughts revolve around
the sun: I forget on one side, then it comes back to the other.
Ariana Parker
Romance?
You’re that special person
that is not a hard decision.
You’re not as sweet
as an apple, but I dig it.
Your hair is about four yards
long, but I can’t see
your somewhat sweet face?
When I crack a joke,
you crack my table
on your leg. Your laugh
is like a grown man’s voice,
but I can’t dig that.
I ask when you sit down
on my couch, you break it
every time. Move south –
your shores are as big
as Mars. I don’t dig
your eyes. Your glacier-like
car wheels are neon.
Who did this to your
concrete car? I ask you –
you break it, you buy it.
Max Marconi
My Dearest Darling,
I hope you will make the best decisions.
You cling to my heart like concrete.
We shine brighter than the brightest neon sign.
The four apple trees outside my window remind me
of your eyes, carefully crafted.
I hope we never melt away as a fate of many
glaciers.
If the wheel of life heads south, I know we will
always be together.
The face of Mars will fill with water and create
every detail of your beautiful face.
My dearest darling.
Alex Killgore
Camel
I trek in the desert for days.
I have not tasted water in weeks.
I carry heavy burdens too, risks.
All that I see is sand.
My hooves touch melting sand all day,
and cold sand at night.
I hear scorpions hustle in the night
and snakes hiss.
my life is easy and relaxing, but
hectic as sandstorms lash
at me like a lightning bolt.
Michael Skjefte
Dear Me,
When you were born you looked like a screaming ocean wave
running in the distance. You sounded like the roar
of a lion on a summer day. When you started baseball
you loved it. But football wasn’t that fun.
Your friends Matthew and Clayton turn out
to be good people. Soon you will get a wife and kids.
And don’t forget to stay in touch with me.
Sincerely,
Your future self.
Landon Brossett
Black Gorilla
I wake to the sound of clumsy chimps
nearby. As I glide across the ground,
my knuckles push the dirt underneath.
I smell the aroma of fresh bananas nearby.
I see the orange sun and quickly look away
as it burns my eyes. After tasting a mango
from my den, I see a strange creature
looking at me. I walk to it and stop.
I press my huge black fingertip to it
and before it reaches the creature, it is stopped
by a strange force also known as glass.
My life is a cage with no open doors.
Lauren Miller
Richland Elementary School
West Memphis, AR
Date of Visit: April 16 – 17, 2013
Faculty Sponsor: Gwendolyn Looney
Grade Levels: 5, 6
Appx. Number Students Served: 100
Visiting Writers: Aran Donovan and Corrie Williamson