She Prays to the Trees
She prays to the trees
bows down to the river and
the mossy stones and murky
puddles
the rickety old house near the
curvy train tracks, the crisp
cold wind and now her rosy
cheeks
she wants a Dr. Pepper
Keely Blanchard
I Punched a Deer
I punched a deer, I wrestled an alligator, I’m so quick I handcuffed lightning and threw thunder in sail.
Jeronimo Fernandez
Crusty Mornings
The sun came up over the
school early in the morning,
students rushed in to get to class on
time, hair unbrushed, shoes not
tied, the smell of body odor in
the halls as I walked by. First
class we had partners, paired
with a 7th grader, all I could
think of was the gooey crust
substance in his eye, like
grime off a toilet or the
food in the drain after the
dishes, the smell of old slime you
made in science class from
9th grade, feeling the granola
bar you are making its way
up your body instead of down,
failing your assignment because
all you can think about is
the 7th graders eye boogers blocking
his vision on this crusty morning.
Cassie Duffy
Lie Poem
One day I fell awake and cut a dragon’s toe
the dragon got mad and breathed cats all over me
the cats were actually goats but without hooves
they had chicken legs
the dragon spread his wings and swam away
I collected all 23 goats and sacked ’em up
I went home to my dog
he was actually an imposter and turned into a horse man
he gave me a sword
then I woke sleep
Dalton Trivitt
Eddie
It’s been two years since you left us.
I can’t look at an empty beer car
or the road without seeing you
the deer and gun on my wall
show how good of a hunter you were
the big trucks in town remind me of
how you had the best truck in town and
us riding around listening to Key Glock.
Layne Scalf
Ode to Ceiling Fan
The dark brown ceiling fan
has cooled many but harmed some
Dusty as a worn out coo-coo clock in your grandmother’s
basement
light dimmer than a candle
spinning faster than a merry-go-round
it’s beauty never appreciated
but for some it might just undo it and hit
it never will be gone
as if it were 300 years old
seen more than many
could tell 100s of stories
as if it used to be a pirate
sailing a wicked sea
hiding the treasure
from everyone
windy stinky moldy old ship
wrecked at the bottom of the Pacific
deep deep deep down
and no one will ever know
because it’s a ceiling fan!
Logan Beard
Preston Calmly Explains to the River
how it is worthless and powerless
in the face of the night of
humanity. He explains to the river
that he will be constructing a
hydroelectric dam to exploit the
river for profit. The river knows
its place. It is not a force of
nature, but a lowly stream to be
exploited for material gain.
Preston Seay
Eclair
Beginning to pull out ingredients from the
cupboard I looked back on how you once were.
I pulled out an empty dish and reaching into
a fond memory.
As I place a layer of graham crackers and remember your
words, sweet and gentle, giving the history of our
dish.
Another layer, pudding this time, completely engulfing
the last one as a new memory floods in. This time it’s
less calming. You had thrown the dish, but I
kept on adding layers in hopes of covering up bad
memories like the layer before had been covered.
I alternated the layers until the dish was
full, and I gave away the dessert in hopes
to rid myself of all the negative emotions you
draw up.
If you been there, the old you, we
wouldn’t dined on the concoction of sugar. Yet,
that you was gone.
Harmony Buck
Autumn Leaves
You remind me of the Autumn leaves; you
show yourself so brightly only to be
shaken down by a cool breeze. You fall
silently to the ground, the only place where
I can touch you, feeling the breaks and
cracks against my cold hands. Your stems and points
are the only things keeping you close to me,
and the only things keeping me away from you.
By Spring, no one will see your bright colors
anymore, down and trodden on the ground.
Ginny Markell
Ducky
A companion was
needed for my lonely heart. Something
soft. Grandma offered me a pet. A cat.
An orange one. But when I got you,
you were so many colors. Orange, white,
black and brown. I light up with joy
when you wait at my door for me. When
you watch TV with me. When you sleep
in my arms.
A companion was needed for
my lonely heart. Something soft. So
I got you. My love, Ducky.
Zula Louque
The Worm
Lying on the ground
all shriveled and burned
lays a little dead worm
It wasn’t plucked
by the bluest of birds
it wasn’t eaten
by the fattest of frog
It wasn’t seared
by the moisture of rain
so now it knows
the terrible pain
Now it lies
on the pavement
not making sound
Nathan Hall
Seasonal Soup
A cold chill runs over the old lady as she sits
on her front porch with her black cat. Together they watch
as the crescent moon rises resembling a grand smile of a
very peculiar feline. Together they watch as ghouls
and goblins run amuck. Uncaged and untamed. One
approaches them and this ghoul enters her ramshackle
domain. The next morning the lady passes out soup
to all the children, who, hours earlier, were terrorizing
the lawns. The little ghoul was forever lost.
Harmony Buck
Men, oh how they strut
strust by, whispering rude comments
Oh, the charming men
men, the way they grin
grin, as they be silent as night
I wish they would stay that way
Oh, the way men talk,
grin, strut, their rude, sexual comments
men make me feel icky
Elizabeth Goldstein
Albert Einstein
walked into a Petco, it was after hours but a
worker was still cleaning. Albert Einstein
states that time was irrelevant and convinced
the worker to let him, he had never
seen lights so bright or such a wide
variety of different dish. He had felt
as if he was walking through the
ocean itself.
Kyler Rand
Deforestation
Through the bristle on damp worn ground, an insect
crawls
Compared to a towering redwood, how could an insect
not be scared
Thousands of years old, I stand silent, ancient
and worn, I see and know all
A cool salt tainted breeze rustles my leaves
A young man approaches nervous but destined,
I shake and scream but he cannot hear me
My limbs break and tear but inevitably I fall
But I am silent, and must not make a sound
Lincoln Havner
Headstone
I sit here all day, all night, watching
people weep over another. Someone used to
come to me, not anymore. It’s felt like
an Eternity here waiting for her to come
back and sit with me and cry. Sometimes
she would talk to me like we were old friends.
Others she’d just lay flowers down and
cry, but why, why did I make her so
sad?
Why am I stuck in this cemetery with
black gates that seem to hold all
the sadness in the world
with rivers of tears poured here.
Am I the evil that hurts people?
Rylan Mutchler
I remember you, once and for all
I remember you, father, I say to the
grass. I remember you father, I say to
the trees. I remember you, father, I
say to myself. As it gains closer,
the thought of it. As you come into my
memories, as though you are here. . .
The haunting feelings of the one I once
knew, the pitter patter of rain on my
head. The sound of screams in my ears,
the empty feeling in my heart. I remember
you, father, once and for all.
Riley Stover
Norfork High School
Norfork, Arkansas
Dates of Visit: October 24-25
Faculty Sponsor: Stacy Havner
Grade Level: 8th-12th
Appx. Number Students Served: 175
Visiting Writers: Elizabeth Muscari, Caitlin Plante, Erin Pinkham, Sarah Barch, Dylan Hopper, Kate Stoltzfus