Seventh grade is a wild time – a time of emotional intensity and increasing awareness. Polished, rumpled, plodding, exploring, changing – young lives crash forward. At the end of the year we write poetry.
We study old poems in our battered lit books and learn about poetic techniques. They (finally) get to play their favorite songs in class and we look for poetic examples in the lyrics. We play around with line spacing and format. They always whine about the difficulty of using poetic meter. At the end of last week, each student had written twelve original, deliberate poems. I asked them to choose one poem and the Sounder kindly offered to share them.
You will find poems in here that reflect the zany and the serious. Subjects include hats, zombies, beauty, spirituality, and the Great Distraction. They are all shared with the permission of their creators, although some of the very best poems have been nervously hidden away. (Often despite my impassioned objections.)
Please enjoy: these poems are a small, clear window into the minds of our youth.
To my students: Well done. Keep your hearts open to the beauty and joy of life.
– Phil Carter
Hate
You’re not drowning me
In you’re bubbling writhing sea
You’re not drowning me
In your dirty looks and mean words
I am what I am
And I love what I am
so you not drowning me
in your ocean in hate.
I will not trade myself for anger.
I am not going to be swept up
In your ignorance
Left in the depths of your self loathing
So I’m not listening to your words any more any more.
I’m not letting them into my soul because
My soul is light and I’m not letting
Your darkness in.
Because
I am a candle glowing strong and
You’re not blowing me out
Because
I am the wind blowing up up
Over the sea.
Because you’re not drowning me
By Devon Mann
Forgotten And Remembered
Piles and stacks of crumpled paper are cluttered on my desk,
From all the mishaps of my chaotic writing,
Sitting helplessly like a frightened mouse,
Unable to protect itself from my frustrated hands,
Waiting for the day when I will rediscover it,
In days when I am curious about my scribblings,
And there will sit the runts of my writing,
But this time they will be greeted with laughing hands and accepting
hearts.
By Maddy Hance
Refiner’s Fire
Sitting at the wheel to throw
Round and round the wheel will go
From the earth the clay did come
Forming, shaping, to become
Vessel sculpted, movement slow
Up and up the wall they grow
Off the wheel it will inspire
Left behind the muck and mire
Dipped in glass, the colors flow
In the fire glazes glow
Melting, shifting, fate seems dire
Burnt, perfected, Refiner’s Fire
By Luke Bronn
‘Crystal’
Crystal clear and silent stillness
Calm
quiet and soothing
like liquid wind the water ripples
Crystal clear and silent stillness
Follow the shining water
The trail
the trail of shining water
Crystal clear and silent stillness
Air shimmers with droplets
Not rain
they are not rain droplets
Crystal tears and sorrowful slumbers
By Maggie Paige
Life is like a tree
Starting small, staring up at the older giants
Growing as the years pass
Changing into a shape that not one tree has seen
As the years go on you will see other trees grow old
Until it is finally your turn
Your limbs will start drooping
Your leaves will fall out
You will shrivel up and eventually die
But think, at least the last word you heard wasn’t
“Timber!”
By Charlie Holmes
Summer!
Sunglasses are shining bright.
Go outside and fly a kite.
I like the blue-grey clouds,
little children are playing loud.
At least it’s summer!
Winter’s a bummer
By Hailee Stevens
There once was a bee
He lived in a tree
He looked all around
There was nothing to be found
Then he found the sea.
By Keith Light
I arrive to my station,
ready to fight.
Slaying those lifeless demons,
all day and night.
I go around,
unlocking doors.
Discovering new weapons,
to fight off the horde.
Finally I turn on the power,
with seconds to spare.
But I turn to find my doom,
zombies, everywhere.
By Evan Tidrington
How Cool I Am
I’m the greatest at being first
You’re the best at being worst
I’m so sick ask the nurse
I get carried like a purse
I’m so bright I could burst
I’m so cool it’s a curse
I’m so hot I’m filled with thirst
I’m so cool I can’t finish my verse
By Miles Harlow
Life is a Road.
This road will have jagged and rough parts.
And many twists and turns.
Education is a pair of shoes.
You need not cut your feet.
Because life start’s in school
Get a good pair of shoes.
And use them.
By Owen Thurmon
falling
falling to floor every thing goes silent, knowing that death is coming.
hitting the floor pain rushes to my chest, because its coming.
sirens fill my ears my heart slows, seeing death coming.
darkness fills my eyes my head feels lighter then air.
because death is here and I’m coming.
By Kai McGregor
Bright Colors
The bright blue ocean paints a picture of the sky,
As I creep among the small buildings.
The sun sets high above like a fresh ripe orange, seconds being
torn from a tree.
The tree droops from the tug of the orange
As if being taken from a best friend.
The sun sets so bright as it hides behind the mountains.
Light gleams toward me to blur my sight, but in minutes the
sun has disappeared.
By Amy Albright
Summer Night
I look at the moon in the evening light.
The stars all twinkle in the clear night.
Black-blue color all around.
Children lay nestled, safe, sound.
Fresh air everywhere, sweet and calm.
Summer air, free and warm.
The starlight sparkles off darkened pools.
Light wind ripples through deep green leaves.
Along with the wind comes a light sea breeze.
Now it’s time to go to bed.
Let us rest our sleepy heads.
Good night.
By Pearl Mudd
Rain and Snow
The cloud’s cries of rain soon
Transforms into snow
That is a blanket.
It is a screen for the Earth’s hard, dense hide.
It stays through the winter’s cold
Until the sun breaks out for spring.
The sun is like an oven.
Dissolving the show into nothing.
The gloomy, glassy green grass is now visible
Making it like a green apple.
Ready for the first bite of summer.
By Ryan Flint
Season Poem
White snow slowly melts,
As winter melts away
And spring arises.
Flowers bloom,
With colors of the rainbows.
Trees awake
From their winter slumber.
Slowly animals arise,
From their long hibernation.
When these things happen you know spring has awoken.
By Michael Chesher
Life as a Nobody
Walking
Like a bird with no wings
Waiting
For Someone
Something
To change
Like a caterpillar into a butterfly
Waiting for change
To
Happen
By Grayson White
I like Eagles
I was driving down the street when it flew past my car
Its wings beat the air
It flew far away
Far far away
Its eyes gleam as they flash with the sunlight
It flies by me still beating the air, beating beating forward
I see his nest ahead and wave goodbye
As he flies away into the endless forest.
I drive on and on for hours
Then I see him again flying proud in the sky and happiness arrives.
By Jordan Randolph
I don’t know how to write a limerick
It must be some elaborate trick
I hope this is okay
So I can just go out and play
So I can watch a chick flick
By Henry McMurray
Spring
A cool breeze blows through the trees.
As the spring sun peaks over the mountains.
The birds sing to the grass growing.
The rabbits hopping, the children playing.
From the cold depths of winter to the warm breeze of spring.
To the hibernating animals waking up from slumber.
Spring is the flowers blooming, and bees buzzing, grass growing.
Spring is the whole world waking up from winter.
By Jasmine Baird
The feather departed from the bird
The feather departed in the night
running away from the owner
that once ruled none of his land.
He drifted past the barn yard
the barn had been his saviour
from the long melancholy days.
Then the feather drifted away,
away, away, away.
Drifting in the summer day.
Drifting, drifting, drifting.
By Axel Greening
Camp Orkila
Horses run in the fields.
People laugh and run around.
You can hear the clicks of the horse’s hooves,
Then the scream of a child.
You see the swing drop.
Then the scream dies and turns into laughter.
You look to your left and see a horse trotting on the beach.
People run in the fields playing frisbee
Then you hear the counselor’s whistle.
Your free time is over.
By Kali Toombs
Let it go
A butterfly in my hand
Let it go Let it go
With a cat in my arms
Let it go Let it go
With the roses blooming around
the garden pick one
out from beneath my fingers
Let it go Let it go
With a child from afar saying
Let it go Let it go.
By Aidan Kruse
Summer is my Season
When the wind blows
and its about to snow
you wear layers and layers on
because all the warmth is gone
drinking hot cocoa
and no where to go
waiting for summer
is a bummer!
just waiting and waiting
for birds to sing
and when you hear it
this, you will get
because this warm season
is super duper fun
and the heat
is very neat
and the warm air
feels so rare
this is why, I love summer!
By Bethany Hansen
Sally Mae was very nice
But she ran and slipped on ice.
Sally Mae hurt her back.
Hurt as if it was a smack.
Had to ice it thrice a day.
That was sad for Sally Mae.
Friends and family made her meals.
Now she has a pair of wheels.
Sally Mae is feeling swell.
She can do a cartwheel well.
By Enzo Thixton
the man in the mirror always staring at me
always showing disapproval constantly
never pleased, never happy
but when I ask why, he just stares at me
like a picture always staring, always judging
when it seems the world is staring at me with gleaming eyes
but the man in the mirror just stares at me
knowing I don’t deserve it
By Brother Murphy
‘The Sky is Alight’
The sky is full of gems a-shine
It blazes so like healthy fire
A blazing spark shoots through the darkness
Goodbye, goodbye, my racing gem
Goodbye, goodbye, my long-gone friend
By Olivia Smith
Snow means Winter, Winter means joy
The snow
It is so white
It gleams as the sun shines
It covers the trees and the mountains high
Winter means joy
You can relax
Read a book
Or play with you’re friends in the snow
Snow means winter
Winter means joy
By Gunnar Sandwith
Live life to the fullest,
No matter how bad the pain,
You can either bend or break,
You lose people and you gain,
Be strong and bold, don’t ever break.
By Caitlin Fowler
War
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Hear the sound of cannon fire.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Hear the barrels turn and fire.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Enemy has returned fire!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
There is the cannon fire.
Out to sea you sail.
One fleet shall remain, one will despair.
This is the terrible fate of war.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Will you have Victory or Defeat?
By Emily Toombs
Life is hard
Life is tough
Life is really, really buff
Life is bad when you have to go to school
And you don’t feel cool.
Life sucks when you’re poor
And you can’t afford a door
Life is weird when you have a beard
Life is cruel when you have a mule.
Life is sad when you’re mad.
By Zane Angeles
Darkness Strikes
Outside I stand
Flashlight in hand
Waiting for darkness to come.
When it gets here
I will tremble in fear
Until someone gets home.
It comes as thick mist
And grabs me in its fist.
Trapped and I can’t escape
So day after day
I sit and pray
Waiting for someone
To lead the way.
By Christian Bailey
The wolf
there once was a wolf in the west,
he really was quite the pest,
he bickered and nagged,
he sickened and sagged,
and i dare not tell you the rest
By Rowan Lister
