Category: 2017-18 Submissions

My pencil slips out of my grip
It clinks against the desk
It rolls and strolls across the room before coming to a rest
But my teacher is still talking and I feel I cannot move
I watch it as it sits there until it’s broken by a shoe

---

Gorzycki

6

Mama and I started walking
And we were talking too
We went to see the big white ships
Their horns, the sound so blue
She lifts me up to see
The big one and how it soars
And then I hear it loud and clear
The horn that sounds like roars
Mama sets me down
And we start to walk
And then we see lots of birds
As they fly in a flock
We go to the ships to see Papa
I smell the ocean blue
It’s been so nice living here
And Papa’s hat looks new
I turn around to hug Papa
And see his old, rusty, ship
I look around and see the spot
Where Mama broke her hip
I run outside to hug her
But she’s no longer there
I turn around to tell Papa
But all that’s left is air
I look around in the dark
And wonder, Where is Mama?
I wake up startled and notice
I’m just in my pajama
There are no boats, no fresh air breeze
Just me in my bed
I look around and then recall
That Papa has been dead
His ship has sank down, down deep
Somewhere in the tide
I feel my face once wet with tears
That now have finally dried
I go to Mama for comfort
And she is there for me
Once we wake from our slumber
I want to go to sea
She takes me there
And we pack our snacks
So we can eat
Down by our shack
We get there fast hand and hand
Our walking is in sync
When we get to the sea
I have to stop and think
Mama and me are okay
No matter what’s the case
We have each other’s love and care
And we’re in the right place.

---

Fulmore Middle School

7th

the lightest galaxy known to man
rippled waves of blue green and grey
dark along the end
true and trusting blue, a reef on the ocean floor
knowing where to swim avoiding sharpened edges
the care of the green penciled in swirls
seaweed of the souls, watching over the creatures
beautiful and compassionate grey, fading the colours in a light pastel of the water
tinting the view of the picture with beauty and grace
the dark black of the deep sea curls
embodies love, telling the stories of the past
past their time, full of knowledge
the center of all

---

Gonzalo Garza High School

11

My Family is the Universe
My mom is the Sun, keeps everything going

My grandparents are the Moons
Always providing more light and love

My big sister is the Stars
Not always visible, but still giving love and beauty

My little sister is the flares on the sun
Beautiful, yet dangerous

My cats and dog are the shooting stars
Comforting and calming

I am the Earth
Friend to many and lover of all

---

Gorzycki Middle School

6

It clenches one,
Like a prisoner trying to break free of tight bindings.
But not in an evil or malicious way.
More like a mother holding a child,
Gently, yet tightly, with warmth,
And the water seems to hold one captive,
Not wavering until one requires air,
And they see the liquid,
It’s great drowning force parting to thin skin.
And as one draws breath, the water becomes cold on soft flesh,
As if to spite one for abandonment.

---

Casis Elementary

5th

Sometimes I wonder what the world will be like,
one hundred years from now.
Will people have computer chips,
Implanted above the brow?
Will newly found aliens,
To us, perform and bow?
Or will they pen us,
As if we were all cows?
With all these silly thoughts,
I realize how pointless it is to think,
of what the world will be like,
One Hundred Years From Now.

---

Casis Elementary

5th

Going to school is fun
but it also can be a bum.
Seeing all my friends play
makes my day.
Learning the stuff
makes me ruff.
But with the help of teachers
there’s always a way.

---

Gorzycki

7th

This is the worst feeling ever,
The uncertainty is throbbing.

What is going on?
Where is she?

This never happens,
I must know.

I am lost at sea, one-million miles off course,
I am scared for her,
I am scared for me.

I need her.

---

William B. Travis Early College High School

10

We are born on an untaken path,
We start walking.
We walk and walk,
Suddenly on the sides,
We see things.

We see faces and other people,
We see art,
We hear music,
We taste food,
We start to grow.

We keep walking the path,
We hit obstacles and road blocks.
We push through.

We learn to solve problems,
We continue.

We meet others walking on paths of their own,
We create friendships,
We discover love and companionship,
We construct families.

We carry a blanket stick of accomplishments,
And memories,
And deeds.

The path begins to fade and become worn,
We lose friends,
We lose loves,
We find the path hard to follow.

We reach the end of the path,
Alone, worn, tired, and broken.

Finally, there’s the cliff,
No bottom in sight.

We plunge into the untaken path.
And nothing.

---

William B. Travis Early College High School

10