Category: 2018-19 Submissions

I am,
so determined,
with nothing in my way,
this game I shall forever play.
It’s Life.

---

Round Rock Opportunity Center

10

I live on a farm, and I have something to say.
Something sad happened, even though I live so far away
From construction, Coyotes, Raccoons, rabbits,and birds too,
they all lose their homes, and come running to you,
My poor 8 year old dog was wandering away
To the back of our yard, 2 acres away
His favorite thing is food; he really likes to eat
We called him inside; he usually listens
But he never came inside, or even pawed at the door
My mom had a feeling that something wasn’t right
She shook some food, thought he’d come racing, almost breaking
through the floor; but we heard and saw nothing
But blank empty air “Look mommy it’s not bright no more” my sister
Says. My father went outside with his flashlight,
Looking for some hair, or something
To show my dog was there
He went into the back of the yard,
And out comes my dog, looking for a guard
My dad took him back to the deck
My mom started inspecting his neck
They said there was lots of blood,
My sister asked, did he slip in the mud?
No. My mom said. Papa’s taking him to the Emergency Vet!
My sister and me cried
We’ve had that dog so long
Yeah, and this is not the first time he’s gone to the Emergency Room
We hardly slept that night, scared to death
I trembled in bed waiting to hear back
My mom came in and sat
She said I shouldn’t worry too much, and she had to clean off the mat
She said it was most likely a raccoon
That we’d go pick him up tomorrow afternoon
Little bit later, we got a call from the vet
Said that it was probably a coyote,
The doc was even willing to bet
But coyotes aren’t BAD, and farm life isn’t MISERABLE
In fact, I have just 1 more thing to say, well, actually 1 more story to tell
One night, we went out to run some errands.
We were getting home late; we had no tight schedule
We hadn’t fed the goats or horse,either
But the Goats always find a way
They were hungry, so…
Anyway, we stopped to check the mail
Maaaaaa! Maaaaaaaaaa!
Wow the goats sure are hungry; you can hear them from here
Yeah,WAIT!!!!!!! THE GOATS ARE OUT!!!!!!!!!!
We jumped out of the car,
I grab 1 of the goats; my dad grabs the other
We run, lock them up on the deck,
Fix their pen, bring them back to it
THIS is my farm life!

---

Austin Jewish Academy

5

The moment the queso touches my lips
I feel happy
eating chips and queso with my family
it brings us together.
My favorite chips and queso place
Polvos.
I LOVE polvos
the chips are always hot,
right out of the oven
the cheese is always so gooey and delicious.
Shoo
the steam rising from the hot cheese placed right in front of me.
A moment of joy is going to ACL.
We felt the inspiration of saul paul
that inspired me to rise up and shine.
Sounds boomed through the air while me and my mom danced our bodies out. I was so excited that he was performing at our own poetry slam. Happiness is going to the movies with my uncle. The theaters were packed. Step,step everyone was trying to find the seats they were assigned. We finally found our seats and sat down. The trailers for other movies went on FOREVER but the movie FINALLY started. The movie went on for two hours. It started off a little scary but then it got to the real good stuff. The best scene was a car chase. It was a really good movie. I don’t see my uncle that much so it was a really good time for us both. Happiness to me is: chips and queso, ACL dancing with my mom, and movies with my uncle. Happiness to me…

---

Austin Jewish Academy

5

Planes are insane .
Whenever I think of being in the air, I jump on my feet,
ecstatic.
Ready to start the journey.
I love flying.
Being on a plane, I am a bird flying to its home.
it makes me feel like I’m in paradise.
I’m on the plane,
I push my chest up so I can see as much as possible.
I grip my hands to the armrests,
hold on tight.
We’re in the air!
All I can see is corn fields
dancing to the song playing in in my head.
Da da da da da da da da da da da da da denaaa.
39,600.
39,600 seconds till we arrive.
Ahhhh.
My mom taps me on the shoulder …
I’m trying to sleep… she says.
sorry and I try to get some sleep.
she taps me again.
Look,
I look out the window
I see the most beautiful sunrise in the world.
It looks like a red, orange and yellow blend of joy…

then I fall asleep.
Later…
I wake up and hear the intercom

we’re preparing our landing.please fasten your seatbelts and raise seats back and tray tables to the upright positions.

This is my favorite part.

I feel like I’m in a tall skyscraper looking down out of a window.

I know EVerything about landing.

I know the flaps,slats,ailerons,rudder,altimedor,flight director,speed

brakes,brakes,spoilers,yoke,throttle,And the autopilot,heading,

Speed,altitude,navigation.

I know the lights,

the landing lights, strobe lights, taxi lights, and navigation lights.

Again

I know Everything about planes.

TO me planes are the best thing in world.

---

Austin Jewish Academy

5

I HIT the ball.. I launch it… I see it swimming through the AIR…OUT
I’m frustrated… I could scream…I suppress my feelings and say to myself…I’ll get’ em next time…At night I watch baseball with my dad I watch the batters stance and catchers stance and take into my stance.

I put away my baseball in my drawer and save it for later…

During family time at my favorite restaurant the waiters are family, like baseball I’m home.

When I am on the field people on the other team bragging saying they’ll win…no I don’t say nothin’…
I let my GAME SPEAK for me…people don’t need to like baseball…it is mine…

I AM A PLAYER, I AM A HITTER, I AM A CATCHER.
When you are playing catcher the pitcher leaves the ball… releases it towards me … bases loaded … palms sweaty… he HITS it high in the air…Foul towards me… I eye the ball about to catch it JUST like I eye my dish of food at Elizabeth St…ready to attack.
REACHING… REACHING… REACHING… got it…out…YES I exclaim to myself YES…
I love baseball… it fills me, like the plates of my favorite family spots,with love, with
passion, with excitement of the unknown. Baseball…good food…family…
THAT is the key to my life and will always be the keys to my life. —

---

Austin Jewish Academy

5

Everybody knows their basic 5 senses
But I have a sixth sense
I have something special
I have something rare
I have something unique
I have siblings
My siblings are different, though
They’re all younger, but the youngest is 1
Then there’s my 4 year old sibling
And there’s my 8 year old sibling
And guess what?
They’re all GIRLS!!!
They are my sixth sense
They know me better than I know myself
I know my sisters better than they know themselves
We are close in age
Whenever I am upset with one sister,
I have the other 2
Always someone to play with
It’s never boring….It’s never quiet ….
We’re always there for each other …that’s how sisters are…

---

Austin Jewish Academy

5

WHY I LOVE SOCCER

We are in Houston

It is the final game of our soccer tournament we WANT to win

The other team looks tough

now its kickoff time

they are dribbling, passing and take a great shot into the top corner

I leap thru the air hands extended I catch it

Nice job I say to myself Stay focused

The first half comes to an end Tied 0-0

Second half starts

They get an early goal

We don’t give up We keep fighting

We have the ball, we move up the field

we set up a perfect cross and then the shot GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tie Game 1-1

We hear the ref blow the whistle Game over Now it is time for penalty kicks

First PK a miss then a goal next shot annndddd it is a miss,

It’s our last shot and GOALLLL!!!!!!!!!!
All we have to do is block their last shot and we will win,

we see the shot then we see the keeper jump for the ball anddddddd his fingers knock it out, WE WIN WE WIN everybody is going is so happy we all celebrate like crazy but then we have to drive back to Austin because school starts tomorrow.

Soccer to me is like playing with my mom
I love soccer because it is back and forth and fast pace like when I make my mom laugh. I love soccer because it helps to make friends and it challenges me

that’s why I love soccer

---

Austin Jewish Academy

5

Why I love sports.
Have you ever been to a game where you are watching your favorite team and they are just getting CRUSHED or a game where you are the ones CRUSHING…
The reason I love sports is because I love running, being competitive, being athletic….
Some of the memories i have about sports…
I’m 5 years old…my sports-loving uncle asked me who will win Packers or Chicago Bears and well where are they playing he answered Lambo field then I say….well than the Packers for sure…
My select baseball team…we were losing 2-1 there were 2 outs. I was up to bat. First pitch I swang as fast as I could, hoping my arms would n’t fall off….I hit the ball to center field …i am hoping the ball sails over the fence….and……it drops…
It drops just short….i forget to keep running … I am rounding 2nd…i eye the coach seeing him waving his arms screaming like a man at wu ]….SCORE, SCORE, SCORE.
I say to myself no way no way……just keep running…my teammates screaming at me faster faster i say I am going to score…i slide home… my team crowds the field…joy springing through the air!
Let me bring you on the field of my championship game…football… third-grade year…We are losing 45-51…the coach tells us they are giving the ball to me…. and I say, “no give it to Alex because he is by far the fastest on the team” Alex gets the “ball sprinting up the field, he is jolting, bolting down the sideline…
The crowd is going wild 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 touchdown…the crowd is jumping up and down like Pop Rocks in your mouth.
The next play…coach comes over and asks us, ”do you want to go for the win or the tie?” We all scream win the ref comes over crying….saying miracles can happen…2 points to win, my legs shaking…nerves shooting thru my body as fast as bullets….
The play starts, I go out for the pass, the quarterback eyes me and mouths to me catch it he throws the ball to me …
I jump up for the ball, hoping I catch it … I reach out and grasp the ball, make sure to put my feet back in bounds… manage to do it…touchdown. A ton of sweaty players crowd around me saying…you did it…some of the other players are crying…I am so happy that we actually won!

I love sports because I am on a team, with friends, sharing something I love….Sports are fun, exciting…challenging….full of giving and getting respect….I am an athlete, I am a baseball player, I am a football player…this is what makes me ME.

---

Austin Jewish Academy

5

Music. You probably think of music from like a year ago or now. You know, like pop and hip hop and rap. But do you ever think back in the day when there were music legends? I, personally got inspired by some legends like Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, Stevie Ray Vaughn. Moving their hands up the fret board faster than you can talk, hear, see! I wish I could be playing alongside them. It is AMAZING!! I share music with everyone in my family including… well, everyone! Even my grandfather and my dad played keyboard and drums in a band. Imagine, sweat dripping down their faces, so much pride in the music they make. My mom even put together a playlist for me when I was only 1! When you hit that one note. Not just any note. THE PERFECT NOTE. It makes you feel all tingly inside like when you’re exited about something you have been waiting for. Music is something you should share. Music is something you should love… and THAT is music to my ears.

---

Austin Jewish Academy

5

I love pizza ALMOST as much as I love football…
I have been playing for 5 years….Almost every year I have been on a team with friends from school…
Football is how I bond with people…and I play football as much as I sleep, as I breathe, as I eat..

I use to play on a football team that won a lot of championships….I loved the feeling of being part of a winning team…

This year I won only one game, and I am about to describe that game to you….It’s pouring and I am soaked I am shivering …it’s cold, and my arms are stiff and my legs are already sore.

It’s the last game of the football season and the last play before halftime… the other team is about to score a touchdown… I am on the sideline and begging to myself that they will not score and that the rain stops as quick as lightning strikes.
The other team starts their play and it is an incomplete pass….
I am relieved that they did not score. We skip halftime and I am back on the field. This possession we do not score it is the other teams ball now.
We stop them like a cheetah stops a dear and we get the ball back…. Near the end. We are up by seven and they have the ball with a few plays to go.
They run the ball….my teammates go for the flag but they miss but the player running the ball still stops and looks as confused as me….
I pull his flag and his coach yells at him to never stop running. We get the ball back and cooper the QB for my team throws the football swifter than an arrow and one of our WR receivers catches the ball as easily as standing but he gets his flag pulled before he can score.
A few plays later the game ends and we won the game. I am as happy as someone that won the lottery.
Football makes me happy like spending time with my dad….. on Sunday eating chocolate donuts with sprinkles…sweet treats like a football victory…
That is football to me.

---

Austin Jewish Academy

5