Red Hair is Recessive
When the sun sets at a certain angle
you are able to see a slight red tint in my hair
Almost like my mom’s bright red curls
that shine as bright as auburn flames
sometimes I wish the red tint shined
as bright as my mom’s.
But red is a recessive trait
that happens every few years
And when it comes again, I hope it
won’t shine any less bright.
Mary Mayo
[Untitled]
Long, short
Black, brown
curly, straight
1 bun, 2 buns
cornrow, afro
singles, all-natural
unbraid, rebraid
wash it, dry it
oil it, straighten it
pin it, pony it
leave it, part it
comb it,
brush it
divide it
rubber band
add your hair
choose a color
braid it
style it
go to sleep
messy, nappy
unbraid
comb it
wash it
dry it
afro
oil
pony
1 bun, 2 bun
Moname M
[Untitled]
friday night lights
crimson tide rolling into
Bryant Denny stadium
early morning sunrise
red fills the stands
Itatí Harris
The Leaf that falls
No easy thing to bear is to let a
leaf fall and not be there when it
touches the ground. A tree can’t be if it
doesn’t have soil there to catch it from
falling same as a kitchen can’t be
good without a stove. The love you have
for someone is hard to give up even
when you have no choice to let them
go.
Pierce Starling
My South
crispness of sweet tea
and dewy melons.
Long summers and melancholy winters.
The sensation of freshly plowed dirt
as it cascades down your fingers.
Church bells ringing while
children toss a ball and laugh.
Where “family time” is all the time.
This is my south.
Miriam Harper
Becoming a Grain of Sand
Sand is often seen as immeasurable and dull
Countless as the stars
Colorful as a slice of toast
“Such a pesk” they say
Gets in your shoes
Your hair
Your eyes
Follows you around like a lost puppy
Crunches every time you step
It is also, however, a beauty once blown
Marvelous crystal like structure, towering above all
Intricate church doors, shining at every angle
Simplistic, ordinary things, ready to be filled
with juice or tea
So maybe we are like sand
Bland, countless, annoying
Until we are heated under life’s furnace
Burned by misfortunes and molded by experience
To become unique works of art
As different as different can be.
Beatrice Nkunga
Mount St. Mary Academy
Little Rock, AR
Dates of Visit: February 3-6, 2020
Faculty Sponsor: Monica Madey
Grade Level: 9
Appx. Number Students Served: 114
Visiting Writers: Romie Hernández Morgan, Audrey Scrafford, Sidney Thomas, Hannah Bradley