Vandergriff Elementary

I am Blue

I remind you of the almost
endless sky and the wide ocean that
spreads across the eternity of the Earth
I am the color of sadness and the same
as the tears that sometimes float gloriously
down your face and the color of that
T-shirt you used to wear every Monday
for 2 years and I’m the color of ice
cold water you yearn for after a hard-working
practice of non-stop movement and exercise.

Cash Kramer


Ghost Town in Alaska

The place where
not a footprint is
left.  It’s cold and
just train tracks are
left. After all
the gold is gone, abandoned
forever. Maybe some ghosts
still run around but for
sure it’s abandoned.

Patrick Jiang


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You are in Rock Country
rocks are flying, drop down
in the sewer then run
But the rocks are pounding
on the steel you should
run faster then faster till
you reach the end, twist
the knob and you
are in home, home of safe
Now take a nap and
breathe.  Breathe and dream that
you are a queen, a queen
of the world. Now you are
fast asleep. And just sleep.

Ellie Schach


Viridian

Forest-like; trees, grass
nature; surrounded by civilization
or structures made by dead or
living members of a species; a
viridian forest would hold wildlife.
Where would you splash,
dash and crash?  Maybe the beach,
an ocean, or a lake. I even ate
a peach near the beach. I would
go to the ocean and run or play
all day. And that’s why they
call me Eat Peach Beach.

Wesley


Untitled

Where did you come from?  The lake of
the town. The sharks under the lake. I know I
am lying. There are no sharks in the lake.
Maybe the lake comes from the sky. That’s
why they call me creative.

Chloe Barnes


Be pitied grass

Grass, why do you grow so tall?
Now I mush mow and then
soon you shall grow even taller.
You give spots, oh pity you, for
the obnoxious snakes to hide
in! And in wintertime the cold
brisk air tells you to turn
brown and shrivel up into the
ground and you obey! You are
like a slave to his master
during the wintertime.

Madi Brill


My friend, Charlie

What do you do?
How do you help me?
How were you formed?
How do you become a liquid?

Jeremy Wang


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I’m not a normal sloth.
Yesterday, I was in the
jungle and just crawled out
of my home and saw
a light so I slowly went
toward that light and bam
there I was it was a
whole different world! It
was snowing, literally snowing.
I started running! Running so
fast that I could not
even see where I was
going! I started eating coconuts,
and had a weird sensation
that I had hot sauce in
my veins!

Caylee Hamilton


My Friend Dying Koala

One day on my vacation in Brazil
I saw a koala.  It was dying.
Why are you dying, I asked.
Because, said the koala, my food that
I adapt to is dying.  Why I asked.
Cause, said the animal.  Adapt!  Adapt!
Adapt!  To something else, dumbo!  I exclaimed,
Why why why why why why why why why!

Elly Hill


My friend Flora

Walking down the cold day of winter
no snow but cold. Well I see a flower
that’s about to die. I ask the flower why
do you die when winter arrives?  It doesn’t
answer me. I asked another question a little
bit louder. Did your child leave you
because if every flower dies in the
winter, and new ones arrive in spring
did your kids already go off to hibernation?
It doesn’t answer me so how would I
know my answer. I yell at the plant. How
do your kids survive the cold winter?

Grace Li


Corn on a Cob

The long gold spine of goodness. We eat
the bones one at a time till the spine is
boneless.

Leah


What’s Shiny?

A diamond in the sun, a newborn baby’s eyes, untouched
snow on a winter day, the wishing star
as you make a wish.

Wanda Bater


loneliness is like a squid

squids are always alone,
when something comes near.
they always squirt some ink
and say goodbye,
loneliness is a terrible thing,
but squids can’t help it
because that’s the way
they are and they don’t care

Janie Kramer


Not safe!

You are in quicksand country where it
looks like mud, sounds like absolutely
nothing, tastes like rocks, and feels
like a trap, where you are not
safe; run home if your parents
take you here     stay safe.

Macy Phillips


I am Red

I’m the color of leaves you see in fall.  I’m on
covers of books. I might be on your shoe.
I don’t like the color I am. You can mix
it with white to make pink. I’m the color
of an apple. I’m on some of your shirts.
I am a color of paint. I’m on one side
of the card if you have everybody or missing
some for emergencies. If you like cherries I’m that
color. I might smell good. You can feel me. I don’t
talk. I’m the color red.

Emma Shew


Once I was a rabbit but now I am a human

Once I was a handsome rabbit
who always ate and ate carrots that were
orange.  One day I was hopping by a cabin
and eating the cabin owner’s carrots. I heard
a loud “bang!” then I looked at my leg
and it was bleeding. The next thing I knew
I was a human living a happy life
and I am writing this poem while
I’m in fourth grade.  That is the
story before I was a human.

Awade Lisson


Definitions

Lucid – something that is like
water. Nascent – a scent that
is very weak. Melange – a
type of hard fruit
like watermelon. Canticle a
very long article.

Yang


Vandergriff Elementary School
Fayetteville, AR
Dates of Visit: November 13-14, 2017
Faculty Sponsor: Marci Tate
Grade Levels: 3, 4
Appx. Number Students Served: 270
Visiting Writers: JT Mahany, David Priest, Sara Ramey, Zach Schwab, Rachel Thomas, Madeline Vardell