Persephone’s Choice
She fell down the hole, and consequently fell in love
The matte black of the River Styx
The rolling hills whose grass died, trampled under the dead
The faint whispers of lost souls,
The unearthly beauty of Hades’ realm
She had heard the stories of the pomegranate tree
And she only wanted a peek
But on first sight of Hades, she swore she would eat the seeds
As the pulp broke between her teeth, as the taste flowed down her tongue
She became not the princess of spring,
But the eternal queen of the dead
Fiona Eggleston
Ode to My Guitar
I remember it still
the smell of thin copper
and laminated wood
encased in its hollow body
the wonders and joy of my creations
crystalized riffs, harmonies, scales
all kept tight in my mind, like treasure
its metallic rings the cause
of my leather fingertips
for I would rather take blisters
than no music
oh, how my creativity may flow
when I pick up this 6-stringed canvas
the color palette of brown, darker brown, and beige
it’s beautiful song
my greatest passion.
Marco Wimer
cancer and the heart
when cancer met the heart
it was love at first sight or so the heart believed
the cancer was beautiful
seemingly perfect
the heart thought
they spent all day together
day and night
but soon the love spread to cancer
the cancer began to love the heart
its warmth and rhythm
they talked about their hopes and dreams
their love so blinding
they did not see the heart’s sickness
their love so exciting
they did not feel the loss of heat
until it was too late
the cancer noticed the slow rhythm
heard the life slip away
the heart was not all that died
the cancer was broken
crying day and night
for he knew he was the reason
for the destruction of his love
Jessica Lobb
A waterfall and a tv
In the jungle where vines thrust along and animals
compete for survival and to be top dog. Take a
trip down a river with a tv in it. A man confined
to technology unable to process life, so all he does
is watch tv. How did he get here? Who knows? All
he knows is knowing not to know and only to let go.
A stupid tv program that allows him to never think at all.
As the vibrant water rushes and the beauty is
miraculous, all he can do is watch tv. As the
stream keeps on going and the world keeps spinning,
he begins to wonder why he can no longer hear. The
sound of water pouring and the beauty of death
that beholds him. Swoop — — — SPLASH
Who’s watching tv now?
Ellis Maurer
Untitled
A little dock hidden in the woods. A place that
always smells like fish and the lake. Little silver
scales sometimes litter it. It’s always quiet, other
than the wind and water. The calmness of it
all seems to slow down my exaggerated heartbeat.
There’s memories of laughter and fun, heartbreak
and loss. A little dock has seen so much life. Puppy
dogs jump off to swim, a splash or a here and
about. There’s nothing more comforting than a hidden
forbidden place.
Abby Boyd
Fall?
A petal falls from a flower
like a leaf falls from a tree
like an angel falls from grace—no
like light falls from the sun?—no
like pollen falls from a flower
warm colors fill the city
bright colors—no festive colors
the smell of pumpkins on the street
is it fall—no
it is fall
Mary Claire Ridgeway
When I Think Violet, I See:
- Lace around the edges of a dress I’ll never wear again
- The plum she left up on the counter with a peach
- Bright spiked up hair, hands dancing across guitar strings
- Candy spilling out onto the concrete
- Decorations, streamers and balloons for a birthday he won’t make it to
- Paint stains you can still see, faintly on my pocket
- Fireworks that thunder, make you clap your hands over your ears
- Dark stormy skies, a whispered goodbye.
Evan Fernando
Little Mermaid
Her red hair flowing, engulfed by a net
dark shadows float above head
muffled voices shout around her
her tail in a trap
her thoughts of land scattered
a desire for water and the obedience of her father
her expectations demolished
Ella Cooper
Carefree 2-Year-Old Girl
To my favorite childhood toy
A well-worn, black, limp cat
Forgive me for my 2-year-old ways
Of carrying you by the paw
Dropping you on the concrete and hardwood floor
Accidentally becoming victim of a mischievous schnauzer
But when you look past the matted fur
And absent eye
And dirty white face
You can see the seal of approval
From a carefree yet loving 2-year-old girl
Hallie Hanby
Counting Specks
My mother sits in a chair on our patio
My father is holding me on his shoulders
We look up into the black void
With speckles of white
My father tells me their names
However I’m not listening
Because I am trying to count all the little specks
Olivia Banks
Serenity
Serenity surrounds the lily pad infested pond
A small green toad croaks loudly
He is as unknowing as I am
Anna Delap
My Mom Hides
A camera flashes.
She covers her face,
a face of beauty and sadness.
A crash that not only changed
her face, but it took her confidence.
Her self-love vanished as quick
as the drugged driver’s ability
to not consider her actions.
Forever missing from pictures
because they took away her presence.
Kelly Tran
Fayetteville High School
Fayetteville, AR
Dates of Visit: November 13-14, 2018
Faculty Sponsor: Angela Clark
Grade Levels: 9
Appx. Number Students Served: 270
Visiting Writers: Josh Luckenbach, Peter Mason, Landon McGee, Steven Rybnicek