What I Like, What I Don’t

By Ajelica Lois Benitez (grade 2)

Raindrops and snowflakes,
Books, nursery rhymes,

Dolphins and whales,
Blowing wind chimes.

Candles and flowers,
Popcorn and pizzas,

Bicycles and swans,
and fast moving cheetahs.

Beds, shining gemstones,
Bunnies by trees,

Parents and angels
and free flying bees.

Haircuts too short,
Beaches and horses,

Planets with moons,
and white sparkly dresses.

"An Original"

By Douglas Connolly (grade 4)


I am a kid of metal.
I am a kid of glass.
Part of me is strong,
upright and rigid,
unbreakable, like nothing can go wrong.
Part of me is fragile.
Wind can tilt and roll me.
I.m sensitive and easily crack,
Bump, clash, mash.
There are people in my
Smooth, yet somehow rocky
life who can polish me
gently, swiftly and gracefully,
and shine me up.

That does make me feel better.

I am a boy with a strong,
solid, stone, rock will to win,
but still, I do not handle
defeat easily.

I am a lover of nature.

I like to be outside in
the fresh air; it sings to me.

I need to run freely every day.

In some ways I am like
every other kid, but in a
lot more ways, I am
an original Douglas Connolly.

"Autumn is Orange"

By Andrew Lefebvre (grade 3)


Autumn is orange,
like a smooth pencil that is being sharpened,
a crunchy leaf drifting with the cold breeze,
and a sharp-colored pencil coloring a picture.

Autumn is white,
like a dark night.s moon making light,
a pumpkin just waiting to be picked,
and a bag waiting to be filled with candy.

Autumn is red,
like a B on a Red Sox shirt,
a stripe on a flag waving in the wind,
and a crunchy red leaf that crumbles into pieces.

Autumn is yellow,
like a bright star in the night.s sky,
a tree with beautiful swaying leaves,
and a stack of hay on a big red tractor.

“Good Bye 2nd Grade”

By Cameron Ouellette (grade 2 )

I knew this day would come.
Today is June 19th 2006.
Today is not a good day.

Good-bye books
Good-bye desk
Good-bye pencil
Good-bye eraser
Good-bye room
Good-bye stool
Good-bye teacher
Good-bye school.

And most of all,
Good-bye 2nd grade.

My Heart is Gone

By Olivia Van Amsterdam (grade 4)

All gone
Bye
Courage
Damage done
Everything disappeared
Failed to fight
Gone
Hate has taken over
Inside, heart is withered
Juvenile joke
Killer of love
Love=gone
My love is gone
No loss of hate
Optimistic horror
Plain NOT fair
Question quizzical
Ruffle my feathers
Smell of hate
Too much hustle
Useless coal of warm
Very much gone
Without
X-tremely forgotten
You are forgotten
Zaniness gone

The Things I Miss in Utah

By Duncan Birrell (grade 5)

Last year in Provo, Utah
At Kendall’s house
(my Hawaiian friend),
we climbed on the pipes,
walked to the park,
played basketball.
That great time
has disappeared.
All that spending time together
is gone.
No more
going to the movie theater
on Friday nights.
No more going to the rock canyon
finding three caves
(I found a rock that looked like a bear once).
All that is gone.
No more
jumping on his in-ground trampoline.
Utah is gone.

Silver Moon Dreams

By Naina Sahrawat (grade 1)

Oh moon,
Give me all the dreams
That you hold.

White dreams,
Gray dreams,
And of course,
Silver dreams!

Dreams that hold
Starry nights with
Happiness and Joy.

Oh moon,
You're just a glowing, floating pearl
In the sky.

But when day
Comes,
To you I'll say
Bye-bye,
Bye-bye,
Bye-bye.

This Is Where You Will Find Me

By Aaron Boehlert (grade 3)

Walking my dog Lucy
Alone
On the flat blacktop
By myself
Having a fabulous time
Thinking, I love my dog Lucy more than
Anything
The sun shining so bright
I feel free
No one to tell me that I can't do
Something I want to
The red leather leash I hold in my hand
So nice to know that I
Have a companion -
Lucy as black as the midnight sky
Lucy amazingly playful
As cute as a newborn baby
Loyal as the President
is to America
Her tail and ears puffy as a powder puff

This Is Where You Will Find Me

By Caroline Hopland (grade 3)

Out on the open road
Riding over bumps.
Going fast as the wind
Hearing my tires going trit-trot.
Feeling my feet pedaling outside in the open.
I smell the fresh air of spring.
I see nothing but nature and outside.
Looking at the gray firm cold road
My hand gripping on rubber
The heat touching my face.
I know I'm riding my bike.
Every chance I get I ride my bike.
My blue shirt all wet under the warm blazing sun.
My purple bike as shiny as a mirror,
Out on the open road.

Shin Pond Camp

The Rice Bags in My Basement

By Melissa Phan (grade 10)

The cans of food stacked like dominoes, pasta boxes, cup of noodles,
Overflowing in my cellar cabinet, like a freshman L.L.Bean® bag.
The soda cases, jars of sauce and peanut butter.
Bags of preserved foods, chips, and popcorn.
Shampoo bottles and bars of discontinued brand soap,
Most of which are outdated.
My mother, the shopaholic,
Must buy in bulk.
Double what we have, purchase what we do not need.
It is time to dispose
Of the items that are rotten to our noses.
Twenty sacs full of rice
Piled high to the ceiling.
Out with the bag one month before expiration,
In with ten new bags.
To the lawn, it is spread.
Hungry birds come to feast
On to the antediluvian grains of rice -
An open buffet to the hungry.

The New War