poems from poetry in the schools (1977-1978)

7/29/2019 Poems from Poetry in the Schools (1977-1978)

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POEMS ______..fromPoetry in the SchoolsArkansas78

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POEMS

Poetry in the Schools, Arkansas

edited by:James WhiteheadRosetta RadtkeRobert Ricker t

Poetry in the Schools is a jo in t project of theNational Endowment for the Arts and the Officeof Arkansas State Arts and Humanities in coopera-t ion with the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

cover design: Eric Morris

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THE VISITING POETS

Michael BrowningMichael BurnsMargaret BuchananCraig ButcherJack ButlerJust in CaldwellDwain CromwellDan GarverJim HensonJohn Clellan HolmesCharlotte MearsLinda MizejewskiBuddy NordanKatie PauleyRosetta Radtke

Jim ReedRobert RickertDavid ReichOtto SalassiTom SauretCamilla SemelsbergerScott SimmerLeon StokesburyJohn StossJeff TaylorCraig WeedenPaulette WeinstockJames WhiteheadMiller WilliamsCarolyn Wright

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The Poetry-in-the-Schools Anthology i s a g a t h e ~ i n g ofwrit ing done in the classrooms of public schools in Arkansas .

The Poetry-in-the-Schools program i s s taffed by morethan a dozen professional wri ters who are also dedicated teachers of writ ing. During the past school year they vis i ted theclassrooms and encouraged the students to write poems and briefprose works. What happened was an experience in the possibi l i -t i es , uses, and powers of language. For many students , th is wasthe i r f i r s t attempt a t creat ive writ ing .

Although many of the poems are surpris ing, strange, andbeautiful , they should not be viewed as the end resul t of thePoetry-in-the-Schools program. Poetry-in-the-Schools i s anattempt to supplement the classroom teacher 's di f f icu l t task ofintroducing poetry to young people. We hope the combined effor tsof the classroom teachers and the Poetry-in-the-Schools s ta f f wil lmake students aware of writ ing as an accessible creat ive out le tand the reading of good poetry as important and pleasurable .

On behalf of the Poetry-in-the-Schools s ta f f , I would l ike tothank Dr. Sandra Perry, Ms. Carol Gaddy and Ms. Kay Kelley of theOffice of Arkansas State Arts and Humanities for the i r encouragement and guidance as well as Mrs. Carol Albert, Research Accountant , University of Arkansas, Fayettevil le . I would also l ike tothank the National Endowment of the Arts and the University ofArkansas for the i r generous f inancia l support.

Rosetta Radtke

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ATKINS HIGH SCHOOL

FINDING THE DARK

I searched for i t for days,months, years, centuries. Isent Sandi to look under thebed, I sent an opera singerto search for i t in her microphone. I sent an operatorto look inside the raindrops,I sent Raymond to lookunder his elephant,I thought I found i t inmy junk-drawer, butas I switched on the l ightto take a bet ter spy, i t. . . . disappeared . . .

-Jeannie Millikin

THE LEGEND OF HURRICANESOnce there was a man whonever saw a hurricane. Hewas gathering firewood. Hel ived on an island. He heardwind s ta r t moving and watercoming up on the i s land. Helooked up into the sk y andsaw a giant woman mixing thewater with her mop.

-Johnny Skelton

MR.. & MRS. TORNADOWell honey are we going out for a spin tonight? I don' tknow babe. There is a low suppose to h it the s tate tonightand I would l ike to take out that l i t t l e ole t o ~ ~ up North.We have been holding it down on the s tate this spring. Thosedarned ole humans think they have it made. Lets real ly t ieone on tonight le ts take out two towns. What i f we spin intoa strong high? We could be wiped out. Thats a chance youhave to take when you l ive l ike us, for that i s l i fe . Let ' sgo s t i r up a thunderstorm babe. O.K. honey I can see thel ightning flashing now.

-Doug Moore

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2HELL FOR AN ENGLISH TEACHER

Ain' ts flew about lashing her withi t ' s apostrophe.Bad grammar rang l ike thunder.Double negatives crawled on their

bel l ies , striking out l ike angry cobra'sEnglish book burned.-Anonymous

MR. & MRS. CANARY DINNERHeels clicking, a dwarf makes his appearance a t our lunchroom a t school.Under his arm i s a cage made of breadsticks, which his canary was peckingaway a t , dropping sesame seeds on our greasy f loor . We were expectinghim, and we led him to the kitchen chamber where he proceeded to undressthe canary (by the way whose name was Eunice) and inquired whether wehad a frying pan large enough for him. We did, obviously, for we had tofeed 400 midgets. We l e f t him to go to work, f i l ing out of the chamberwith the sounds of hot grease crackling, and jars opening with l idsclanging. "By the way, I don' t do windows, not a t $4.00 and hour, anyway,"he cackled, seeming quite sat is f ied .

-Anonymous

POEMNotify someone of authori ty i f you see thischild. He carries a sack of bubble gumfor any chairs he may s i t in .He wears the kind of tenny shoes withholes in the soles for easy mudtracking. He has two teeth missingin front from the time he t r ied to bitehis s i s t e r ' s finger off and accidentallybent her ring.

ISIs a good dreamIs a nightmare

-Brenda Talley

Is a lumberjack sawing gracefullyIs an executive working ski l l fu l lyIs a flower growingIs a balloon floating highIs a fish swimming byIs a grocery car tIs a broken heartIs an af ter noon t e s tIs a bird in a purple nest

-Sandra McClure


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BENTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

POEMroses are red, violets are bluethat ' s what they told mebut i t a in ' t truethey said l i t t l e gir ls grow upto be momsand black alley cats were

always named Tomi heard funerals were okayas long as you criedbut those that you lovednever, ever diedthey said "join the army andf ight l ike a man,you ' l l be a hero, I knowyou can"now the roses are rusted, and your

violets are browni waited here for you, butyou'd been cut downthey said you had ' t r ~ a l l y diedbut a l l the same i cried--i knew they had l ied

-mlf

WARLORD

The sun beats down on the concreteas the smell of burning rubber l ingers,a noise as i f a l ion had roared f i l l sthe ai r!snake!!Yes i t is the Warlord af te r i t s prey.

-Doug Sarish

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4THE TOBACCO USERS

Grandpa spits and never missesGranny chews and so does Pa,They're the best tobacco usersGood o l ' Dixie ever saw.Brown teeth are awful handsome

Tobacco stains on every l ip ,Just a pinch relieves a l l tensionEven acts as denture grip.Juices running down the i r chinsLips and cheeks a l l swelled out,Their hip pockets have been fadedFrom si t t ing on a Red-Man pouch.Nobody chews l ike Granny Casey

No one aims l ike my Grandpa,They're the best tobacco chewersDown in Wayton, Arkansas

-Dawnene Casey

TRIANGLE DREAM

Triangle people on a school yard playing football ,Talk to me as i f I am on e of them.But I know that I don' t belong, we are different .The bel l r ings , recess is over.They must go back to the i r school; the i r l i fe .When I am near them they are small thingsBut a t a distance they are larger; the more, the more.One is behind the others , he turns to me"Goodbye!" he yel ls , he turns and runs.He grows larger , larger , larger .Suddenly he runs into a goal post , he cannot go underneath"Come closer!" he yel ls , "or I'll be la te ."I run to him, he gets smaller, smaller, smaller.He goes under the goalpost, "Goodbye," he yel lsThe tr iangle people are gone.

-Mark Eilzen


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BERRYVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

DIRECTIONS FOR NY PARTYThe people should bring f ish .This party i s to celebrate the deathof my cat .The decorations should be terr ib lepictures of dogs.The party favors are june bugson a str ing.Fly them so they wil l get a l ltangled.You should have hotdogs for legs.

-Bertha Tutt le

POEMA th ief i s bal l of fr ightRolling away from himself,Tumbling over people in the wayBreaking down a l l he ownsJust to be los t in the woods

POEMSmall towns are voicesBacking up a lead singerNot being able to say their own thingFollowing someone else 's leadCarrying thei r tune

-AnonymousPOEM

Cloud fe l l to earthCloud wanted to r i seCloud couldn'tCloud t r ied to paintCloud couldn'tCloud t r ied to changeCloud couldn ' tCloud t r ied to becomeCloud couldn't

-Anonymous

himself grayhimself to aa balloon and

kiter ise

Cloud t r ied to become a plane and r iseCloud couldn'tCloud t r ied to become a cloudCloud couldand Cloud rose, rose, rose-Lisa Boggs

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Mark EdwardsMitchell TrimbleNathan WaiteTerry WilkersonClarence JonesMark DeclerkLisa BryantTara HrightDebby EllisonEllen BardRobby Sheridan

BRYANT HIGH SCHOOL RESOURCE CENTER:Pre-Career in occupational t ra iningTit le IV-C, ESEA, a Federal developmental program to be used in highschools for children with learningdisab i l i t i es

Darryl TurleyJohn BurlieChantay ReedKen SmithRicky HavinearCharles StarkSteve WatsonTerry WineSharon PaterDebby Hunt

UNDER THE WATERFALLA crazy mountainmy foot slipped offthe i t ty , bi t ty ledge.And I slipped intothe cold pool of waterI t was l ike a heavy ra in .Some one's hat blew awayI t wouldn't qui t ro l l ing .

Toni McCloud - SecretaryElizabeth McAllister - DirectorCarol Verser - TeacherPat White - Artist in Schools

Orlean Earl Whitmire, J r . , the cat ,s lept on top of my head,stuck i t s nose in my ear,And I slapped i t st ra ight upAs opposed to on the rocks-and i t never landed, can s t i l l be seenorbit ing the crazy mountain


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DO WHAT?Say a l ine.To be a plantin a pot wouldcertainly be better than not.Knot what-I 'm doing the su n r ight here.Half of i t i s on the page,the other half is :in the mind,in your body,in the sk y between your toes,on the wallin the knots on the wall,in your sp i r i t ,in your eyes buti t ' s real ly a bald headed egg.Do what.No. The other ha l f ' s in the wind,Wind chimes. Looks l ikeDummies hangingon a str ing. Dead dummies.Like the Empire State BuildingSounds l ike a cowbellbones clanking in the windsmells l ike mouldy mudand spider webs in a caveand rotten monkeys.The spools on the wallare machine gunspointing a t me,A pineapple?a blowfisha j e l ly f isha squida hat with turkey feathersa warning Indianwith a headdress onYou can hear the appler a t t l eListen to i t !A baby ra t t le rJohnny Appleseed's visiontrying to get out.the hawk and the mousethey 're not friendsthey have no b i l l of r ightsI t makes my head poundhard as a jack hammerAnd th is is a poem?

(continued)

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8 DO WHAT? (continued)Do what?What next?We're getting more spaced out.What does a twee tas te l ike?Bowls of blueberriespeanut butter and bananas

Imagine a tur t le .Mr. tur t le l ives in the forestin an old boxcarOne day Mr. tur t le decidedto go exploring.He walked and he walkedand f inal ly he came to something.he had never seen before.I t looked l ike a river, buti t was hard and hot,not anything.

THE GLOBE OF THE WORLD SITS BENEATH HIS CHINBrazil s i ts on top of Africa and there ' s a dirty notein the inside:" If you're dumb enoughto open the world, andyou're smart enoughto read the note,You're dumb enoughnot to understand i t . "

POEMChewing Gum is l ike:Mopping pottery,bubbles,

sweet sal iva,a green dead tonguea cowtyping out a storyhoof af te r hoof,pi le af ter pi le .Get up your gumption (Boo-o-o)and buy you somegreen dead bubble gum.


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THE RABBITHis head i s l ike a football .His ears are l ike pointedquestion marks. His eyesare l ike golf bal ls .His fur is l ike a warm gentleevening fu l l of cotton.He sees vegetableswhich are l ike different coloredparrots. They tempt the rabbit .

-Clarence Jones

POEMI was out at Mt. Magazinea t a forestry campand this gi r l walkedup to me and said,"You look l ike Winnie The Pooh."So that ' s what everyonecalled me.and I flipped out .

-Pooh BearRobby Sheridan

I REMEMBERDogprints in the cementthat same dog jumped upon my new red coat, and I criedI get older every summer,but only in numbers.My dad dropped me on a barbwire fence,and I cut my armmy f i r s t drive-in movieI fe l t l ike tearing a l l the wiresout from under the dashWhats-her-name and whats-his-namenever got out of the car.the only thing that toppled overwas the popcorn boxes.

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10HERE

I can remember when herewas a l l one big roomwe did a lo t of things in Here.When we were new, we sa t rea l s t i l l .Robby even had straight hair , straightAs his back in the chair .Lisa was quiet, shy, sweet, and innocentAnd now she's everyone's mother.Chantay was sweet and kind.Now she's a Foxy Lady.Darryl was Here.Now he's gone.Tara--she's nice--yeah--Charlotte and Rosetta were HereNow they 're gone.They l e f t thei r names to carry on.(I wrote that on the bathroom wall)Ken was baffled one day--C&R certainlymade him that way. He snorted and pawedunt i l he was awed and then we sent himaway--todayKen made a turnand we suddenly learnedthat today was the daythat continued to circle

For:HERE AGAINTestimonies

(gone tomorrow) Miss ConnerMiss MacMiss White

Help!How we used to beAnd how we are now:Miss Conner helped us a lo t - She star ted the programand sh e would be proud to knowWhat we've done.

Lisa: When I f i r s t came here.I was scared. Almost three years ago.the f i r s t day, you'd lookout and everybody could see in ,Watching me as i f I were in aglass bubble.All of them are gone now,the ones that were here that day.(continued)


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HERE AGAIN (continued)I was here a whole yearbefore this became anything,before i t became a program.They worked hard for th is .The walls went upAnd i t looked l ike a big maze.I fe l t los t .More people cameI fe l t tha t I would beupset about them--buti t doesn' t bother me now.Because now I feel a part of i t .A big part of i t .I keep the boys together (most of them)I go jus t about everywherewith them (except to the John to smoke)I 'm going to help Mike pass, f inish school.He's going to be so oldwhen he graduatesAnd I 'm happy about that even so.

Robby: I fe l t kinda l ike thatI feJ t that th is was a big hospital ,when they were giving you t es t s ,They were studying you.taking your brain out.And trying to find my problem.Did you ever find i t? (Kidding to M i s ~ White)They brought a l l th is good s tuffin here; they made this a home.

Lisa: Does i t want to make you cry?Robby: No, i t don' t make me cry.

Miss White: I t ' s because we haven't found your problem yet . (laughter)Robby: I t makes me love my teachers.In th is place I 've got about five moms.

Miss Conner's gone, but she's s t i l l my mom.etc.Debby: When I f i r s t came in as a tu tor ,i t was a French class , I had to

walk around a l l the French booksand words and s tuff . You had to find your own space.Mike had his own off ice ,with a calendar, and he wanteda carpet.(continued)

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12HERE AGAIN (continued)

Miss Mac: He asked i f he could have a telephone in there (laughter)Ellen: All I ca n remember i s that on e thing:All those people standing around the sink and the yellow door.that was th is before i t grew up.

Everybody used to say thatthis place was the s trangest place of a l l .the image has rea l ly changed.What Do Ya Have??Now almost everyone in the schoolhas a friend from here andnow they understand.People didn ' t even know what we were.They thought we were part of the l ibrary! !Daryl Turley put yellow paint on me the f i r s t day!

Debby: Mark Croy dusted me with erasers the f i r s t day!Lisa: I dread the l a s t day here.

Miss White: We are writing about our f i r s t days here (to Nathan)Nathan: I don' t want to put that down on paper (laughter)

But now i t ' s a l l thingsTo a l l people.

LONELINESSMany timesMy hearthas fal lenin darknessl ike a leafWhich has fallenIn the shadowof grass.There it layin the grassalone, l ikea valleybelow the mountainthere sad i t remains

-Clarence Jones


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POEMA clown with a window in h is headhas a person standing behind the curtain.The person, a young boy 1 peeks out.He sees and looks a t the funny worldwhich i sn ' t funny a t a l lSo what we have here i s a clownwith a sad spot in his head.

BEGINNINGS AND ENDSMotorcycle helmetBrain Bucket.Macrame LionA l ion without a roar.Three clay headsBetter than one.Out HouseTwenty foot in the bushes--

-Terry Wilkerson

POEMA pink pig in a green girdleher name was Myrtle.and her friend was Mr. Turtle .What did they do one day?They met a worm named Wortle.And what did they do?The tur t le and the pig ate the worm.What a hurdle--Their stomachs curdled.Green girdlesGreen girdlesGreen girdles

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14 LIFEThere are timeswhen tears run downmy face l ike water.Sand in an hour glass;people are steady movingl ike grains of sand in an hour glass .The wrinkles in my grandmother'shands are l ike long curly rootstha t show her ages in time.The roots burn l ike coals in a furnace.I remember my childhood.No longer am I strong.My body is wrinkledl ike the roots of an old oak t ree .My eyes are as dimas amber-colored l ights .There are timeswhen sorrow comes overmy heart l ike the shadowsof clouds that come overthe dark blue sea.You come to mewith a broken heartl ike great wavescoming to the shore.My eyes focus on the wetplanes in the mountainrange l ike the sunlooking on the sea.

POEM

They were rappelling.I was watching themfrom way up in the sky.

-Clarence Jones

I fe l t that they were l i t t l e bitty--yeah-Because I was a big bird , I could seeeverything, and nobody could hurt me.I could fa l l and could catch myself;I could attack and I fe l t pretty good.Something was moving more than those otherpeople. My eyes were always on them. ButI could feel something else moving--watching me.



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GREY DREAM

How did i t start?I was in a big town, grey town, everything wasgrey except for me. I didn ' thave anything on ei ther .The people stopped and kept watching me.I didn' t think aboutputting any clothes on .I was worried about whatthe people would think of mebecause they a l l stopped and watched.I t r ied to get outof this place,but everywhere I went,people kept watching,the grey people.I stood out because Iwas in color.Maybe tha t was one of the reasonsthey kept watching.They never touched me,never talked to methey just stared.


DEAD LIKE JELLYA motorcycle was going 105passing a bus.He h it the car head on.His helmet was in piecesl ike a cracked pot,thrown on the ground.The engine was shovedup in the front seat .When they picked him up,his legs were l ike j e l ly .

-Anonymous

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16 BRYANT HIGH SCHOOL

A DESKA workable object to a mind.A one arm cripple to a soldier .A masterpiece to a school day ar t i s t .Obscenity to a dirty mind with a pencil.A challenge to a builder.A garbage can to a l i t t e re r .An object to destroy to a puppy.A place to s i t for the runner.

-Wilma Edwards

I AM THE SNAKEI feel the grass sl ide by my bodyI hear the lowness of i t s bendingI see a warty, delic ious , fat frogI see him jump . . . trying to elude meI feel an emptiness in my stomach. . .An emptiness which must be f i l ledI s t r ike, swallow whole, then forcedown . . . my fu l l f i l l ing prize.

-Bri t t Boswell

POEMI walked into the l ibrary; no one saw me come in .I could not see the far wall .The shelves loomed up higher than I could see;All the people looked so small, and eachavoided a l l the others, as i f afraid to speak.I went to the elevator, and i t hummed coldly andeff ic ient ly to the third f loor where .the s tee l doorsopened to reveal another level of shelves, walls,and quiet , separated people.

-Karen Wallace


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MR. AND MRS. SOFTBALL DINNERStewed Softball GlovesFried Bat SlicesSoftballs in Cheese SauceAfter cooking, a l l of th is --Needs to be broiled on hot sof tba l ldiamond under red hot sunlight.Stew gloves l ike they are (wash f i r s t ) .Slice bats thinly and spread onopen gr i l l .Firs t boi l Softballs and preparecheese sauce in another dish-then add softbal ls to cheese sauceand cook over low flame for five minutes

-Pa t t i Minton

A LETTER TO MY REFRIGERATORWhy do you open your doors l ikewings flapping on a bird. Each timeyou swing open your door, I end upwith something new in my mouth.Can't you see the weight you'reputt ing on me. And besides, you'rerunning up my electr ic b i l l .I get indigestion jus t thinking aboutyou.

- Linda Bivens

THE LEGEND OF CHALKOne day before the beginningof time, two cave men were f ighting.

Firs t they star ted out hi t t ingeach other with clubs. Then theydecided to use rocks. When theyh it each other with the rockstwo white round pieces of chalkf e l l out ; they were so fascina.tedby th is that they quit fightingand star ted writing.

-Kevin Leveri t t

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18THE LEGEND OF BRACES

One day an old ogre was walkingthrough the woods. Now that forest waspolluted with trash, and bob-wire was evenhanging from the t ree limbs. This uglysight made the ogre very angry and a l l ofa sudden he went berserk and s t a r t ~ d runningeverywhere and beating his head on the t rees.He h i t his head so hard that a l l histeeth fe l l out. Well he was so ashamed ofhis toothless mouth that he gathered upa l l of his teeth and wired them back togetherwith bob-wire. Then he became a dentistand made a fortune.

-Cheryl Aston &Kari Utley


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20CROSSETT HIGH SCHOOL

DISMANTLING PATIENCELook into i t s eyes and say youdon ' t understand, for the eighty

seventh time.Tug on i t s arm and ask for adrink of water.Awaken it a t three a.m. andask to go to the bathroom.Stick candied apples in i t shair .Pour grapefrui t juice on i t sclothes, and then smearHershey bar on i t s face.

Rip open i t s chest andtake out the heart .-Martha

DISMANTLING HATETear off i t s mask.

Love what's beneath.

-Martha


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DARDANELLE MIDDLE SCHOOL

HANDS1. The thumb is l ike a Bulldog, i t is the main

one in the crowd.2. The index finger is l ike a Doberman pinscher,

it helps the Bulldog.

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3. The middle is l ike an Ir ish Setter , i t is alwaysready to fight the others.4. The ring finger is l ike a Beagle, i t is niceand always looks pretty.5. The pinky is l ike a Chihuahua, i t is l i t t l e

and needs protection from e l l of themean ones.

-Sheila Smith

POEMMy thumb is l ike a puppy fa tand plump; a thumb is l ike a pencil sharpener;i t ' s always moving.My index finger i s l ike a mother dog neverleaving i t ' s young. An index finger is l ike asun, i t is always moving.My middle finger is l ike a flag pole,Big and strong. A middle finger i s l ike aFrench fry, long and slender.My ring finger is l ike a teacher, alwaysclose to her pupils.My pinky is l ike a baby duck,so l i t t l e and shy.

-Larry Williams


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UNOFFICIAL REPORT ON THE PERSON OF CHRIS WEBBWhen I come up missingMy cat wil l say " I never should have clawed him."My mom wil l say "Where could he be?"My s is te r will say "He must have got my message . "

UNOFFICIAL REPORT ON THE PERSON OF DAVID KINGMy mother will say "Where i s my l i t t l e Plum?"My dad wil l say " I ' l l skin him alive."My dog wil l say, "He did i t ! He did i t ! "

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EL DORADO HIGH SCHOOL

JOYS OF MOTHERHOODThe joys of motherhood;I'll know them alone

-Suzette Scott

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FAYETTEVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Butterfield--second grade

I DREAMEDI dreamed that I was eating a l ive pig with mud.I was walking down the sta irs and I fe l l in glue.I dreamed there were witches in my room.I dreamed that there were snakes on skates a l l over my room.I dreamed that Godzilla was my teddy bear and King Kong was mystuffed monkey.I dreamed that freckles were dancing on my nose.I dreamed that I a te myself one day.I dreamed that I was a witch with a green skin a l l over and fangs

instead of teeth.I dreamed there was a dead g i r l under my mom's bed.There was blood, i t was real scary.I dream of a gooey monster in my house that chopped my mother'sfoot offAnd my mom did not l ike i t .Help! Help! The l ion is not here.I had a big elephant on my nose and i t hurt!I dreamed I was eaten by the dinosaur on the plenty scarey movie.-second graders a t Butterf ield School

THE ROCKETSHIPI t ' s pointed l ikea s i lo . it roarsl ike thunder. i t soundsl ike a volcano.and i t ' s colorful.

-Anonymous

FINGERNAILI t ' s shaped l ike a l i t t l ebucket. i t ' s hard andshiny. you cl ip them withscissors.

-Stacy Lynn Brit ton


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JILL AND THE CLOUDJ i l l and the cloud were verygood fr iends. One day J i l l wastrying to think of a namefor the cloud. She promised shewould go to school and ask herteacher to t e l l her a name.The next day af ter schoolshe came running in and saidyour name is Bil l .

-Anonymous

POEM

A turt le l ikesto play footballwith a midget.-Anonymous

"THE BEAUTIFUL DRESS"Once there was a g i r lnamed Bonnie.She l ived with her motherand father .Her father worked a t ashoe store .She always swept thefloor of the shoe store .She kept her money tha tshe got in jars .Every day she would walkto school.She always passed a dressshop.She would look a t a l lthe pret ty dresses insidethe dress shop.She wanted a dress but avery special dress. i t hada rose in the middleof i t and some whitelace.

(continued)

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COLOR (continued)There's yellow. (he 's a nice young fellow)Then copper, s i lver and gold.None of them are very old,But they a l l stand up big and bold.

-Jul ie Klingele

WHERE IS SPRING?Where is Spring? I don't know.I t has to get here for our flowers to grow.We a l l hope Winter wil l come to a close.But where is Spring? Nobody knows.

-Ricky Harris

NIGHT SPOOKSl ight changing fromdark to l ight aroundyour doorpeerstareglare

dripping faucetsdripdropdripdrop

washers, dryers, refrigeratorsplop

PEERDRIPBANG

sneerbangpop

STAREDROPSNEERNIGHT SPOOKS!

-Jamie Hil l

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30Pitstop School

POEMI dreamed I was a snake wrapping myselfaround a panther 's neck.I dreamed I was a ra t hiding in the trash

from the black cat .I dreamed I saw a pink elephant flyingon dark wings.I dreamed the people were ants and Iwas a piece of food.I dreamed the sun exploded and parts of

it burned the clouds.I dreamed the world was a speck ofdust c l inging to a rock.I dreamed that I was me and you were

you and everything was normal.-Sara Goodart

POEMI dreamed of warm coats withbuttons that wouldn't stay onI dreamed of r ivers running up

h i l lI dreamed of cows eating the greengrass and giving green milkI dreamed of pigs running throughmy l iving roomI dreamed of mushrooms growingunder the darknessI dreamed of eye bal ls in apinball machineI dreamed of dreaming a dreamin a dream

-Chris Roberts


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Washington Elementary School

FEARFear is a blood sandwich.

-Jack Butler

SCHOOL

School i s a jai lhouseA sack lunch forgotten for a week.School i s that nervous feel ing in your stomachDuring a te s t .I t i s steam coming from a radiator on a cold day.

-Margaret York

BIRTHDAYA birthday i s somebody warm kissing me.

-Tonya Spencer

BIRTHDAYA birthday sounds l ike , "Heeeeeeee!"

-Jennifer Meisch

SADNESSSadness is being a l l aloneAnd having nothing to doAnd nobody to talk to .I t ' s l ike coming home from schoolAnd finding no one there.

-Rene S.

CHRISTMASChristmas is HEE HAW!

-David Priest

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FORDYCE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

THE CREATION OF THE SUN

The sun is real ly a big bal lof mud. One day a boy namedChris made a big mud bal l .He threw i t as hard as hecould. I t h i t the side of theouthouse. I t bounced offand fe l l in a can of gas.Then Chris kicked the ca nof gas and the mud flewout and went high in thesky and i t h it a s tarand the gas started to burnthen i t got hung in aspider web and has beenthere ever since.

-Chris Garrett

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34

HARRISON HIGH SCHOOL

POEMThe e lec t r ica l outletIn study hal lSure looksInteresting.Firs t period.Fi rs t day of school.(I'm t e r r i f i ed . )

-Thelma Biscoe

POEMSit t ing in study hal lI can hearVoicesFrom the nextClass.Feels niceTo recognizeFriendsThat areIn there.

-Thelma Biscoe

POEMSomethingBetween usHas grownWithout my beingConscious of i t s presence.I t ' s nice to suddenlyNotice how ITrust you.

-Thelma Biscoe


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36POEM

The l i t t l e oldLady who doesn'tSeem to knowHer shoes areOut of dateEven if theyHaven't been wornEnough in thePast ten yearsTo smear theirNew shine.

-Thelma BiscoePOEM

Wonder whetherMy a r t teacherWill noticeMy page i sFil l ing withWords instead ofImages .. . . a close cal l .As he movesNearer, ICross the roomFor morePaper.Think I'llBeginA sketch.

-Thelma BiscoeTHE SPIRIT'S FUNERAL SONG

I dreamed he looked l ike an old schooner,ta t tered, half sunk in the sand.I dreamed he lay there, even when the shadowof the brown saguaro mopped his brow.I dreamed with open eyes he watched the coyotesand the grey owls sang.I dreamed the wind gently f i l led his black

mouth with sand.I dreamed the su n came again and l i f ted i t swhite hot blanket to shield his face fromthe icy s tars .I dreamed the dry breeze finally buriedhis f iery brain with the cool earth.I dreamed my mother cried when he didn ' tcome home.

-s. Bartlow


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MOTHERI dreamed the man was becoming rest less ,hands scratching, brushing, sweating,The a i r thickened around his nost r i l s .I dreamed the sun painted the west windows,

Mother would be waltzing through thecold doorway soon.She would melt the sheets of ice that heldmy feet steadfast .I dreamed the man's pupils pounced on myhead, pounding, pounding.I dreamed his shoes, blackwhips, crackeda t the f loor, and each time the t i l e sscreamed , "She's not coming! She'snever coming!"I dreamed blackened coals began f i l l ingthe room, l ike winter slush melting andfal l ing.

I dreamed my l ips adhered to my teeth.I t r ied to explain--she'd be here soon.I dreamed I laughed unt i l tears f e l l , l iketoy soldiers marching home from bat t le ,and the man scratched his head,grumbled his throat and saidmother wasn't coming home.

-AnonymousMOTHER

I dreamed chocolate cake, moist, and sosweet, melting in my mouth.I dreamed the water so blue you thoughtit would color your skin.I dreamed my mama's rose perfumel ike a hundred American Beauties.I dreamed my dead horse was s t i l ll iving and I was riding her softcoat bareback.I dreamed we were playing in the smokehouse,and my brother whipped Charlie.I dreamed I was wrapped in f i f teenyards of blue sat in, s l ick and seductive.I dreamed of sleep in Granny's feather bed--softer than cotton.I dreamed my Daddy went to war andwrote us le t ters , and we were scared.I dreamed I fe l l off a c l i f f and h itthe bottom f i l led with jagged rocksthat ripped my skin.

-Kathy Parker

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HEBER SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL

FROZEN TEACHER

Ingredients: one well-fattened teacherpreferably a high school teacher sinceelementary teachers are not yet r ipe.I t wil l take a lo t of tenderizer though,since the high school teachers are harder.Take one teacher 's handbook.Grind well and sprinkle over teacher.Add one s l ice of insanity , two partsimpatience. Refrigerate.When completely frozen, remove and hide inbathroom to await smokers.

-Stel la McCaslin

BAKED TOMBSTONES

Tombstones should be chosen with care.Choose one off a fresh grave,preferably off a young chi ld ' s .Sprinkle generously with dir tgathered a t midnight from a civi lwar cemetery.Place in oven and baste often withcobweb juice.Serve with cold lamb's blood wine.Delicious with refried tarantulas.

-Stel la McCaslin


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40

Cheerios--Donut seeds-Anonymous

Death--The f ina l Victorian-Stan Harris

IN THE DAYS OF MY CHILDHOODThinking back to the days of my childhoodI remember a l l the l i t t l e insignificant things.My daddy murdered my pet wasp andki l led Molly's puppies, or so I thought.Now I 've grown up and real ize thatBig people aren ' t big, trucks don' t eatLi t t le kids; hut Daddy did k i l lMolly's puppies.And so i t was in the days of my childhood.

-Carol Dillard

SANTA CLAUS'S CONFESSIONBut tha t ' s what they told me to do, i sn ' t i t? Slide downthe chimney with a bag fu l l of worms. Christmas i s a time forgiving, you know.The children, weren't they excited when they woke up Christmas

day to find a l l their l i t t l e stockings crawling with the l i t t l epets; and the t ree was surrounded.Why tha t ' s jus t what you ordered; the l i s t said just bringthem something to shut them up . Worms . tha t ought to do i t .-G. Parks


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HOT SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL

MIRRORS

He dances with me nightlyAnd sometimes I get to lead.I f only he would l i s tenI 'd t e l l him what he needs.

-Anonymous

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NEW JEANSBought already used to the shape of a machinebody. The blue people ru n out in the washand the whites take over.They f ight against me and tear a t the knees.The different terr i tor ies are divided by smallorange t rees microscopic to the human eye.

-Anonymous


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MABELVALE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

A BULLETI am a bul le tI was owned by a robberOne night I was put into a gunI knew something was going to happenMy owner carried me into a s toreHe held me out toward a manI looked out through the endof the barrelThe man was very scaredI heard a loud noiseI fe l t a pain as I was torn frommy shel lI moved very fas tI h it the man an d broke the skinThe blood inside of him movedout of my wayI h it h is heart andI t kept pumping for jus t a few secondsThen it quitI did not l ike where I was a tI t smelled and I could only see redI wish I was s t i l l attached to my shel lA doctor f ina l ly took me outI was the only witness to the murderbut they would not ask me soI didn ' t t e l l them

-John Kerr

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OSCEOLA WEST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

FROGMr. Frog why do you l ive inthe water? Why do you eatpoor and helpless fl ies?Do you want to know whyI l ive in the water. BecauseI can ' t get in a t ree .I eat poor and helpless f l iesbecause I can ' t eat poor andhelpless pecan pie.

-Donna

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PARAGOULD EAST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

A POEMOne time i was a Babyand I was l i t t l e and i gotbig and bigger and I wasjus t s tar t ing to school and i twas easy easy easy

-Tina Gail Rogers


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RISON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

POEMgraveyard--People thats had a bath that got dirty again

-Ronda Herrington

SAM-THE-MONSTERMy name is Sam. I am a hairymonster. I am ten feet t a l l . Peopledon't l ike me. They think I ammean, But I'm nice, I get verylonesome because nobodyever plays with me. I eat bushes.When I get hungry enough I eat atree or two. In winter I l ike togo where children are playingand try to play too, but a l lthe children run away. So I goback and get my own sled andplay a l l by myself.

-Sarah Doss

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soSPRINGDALE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Central Junior High School

WHAT IS A RAINBOW?A rainbow can be many dif ferent th ings .I t can be what used to be a white ribbontha t was dipped in a bowlfu l l of dif ferent colors .A rainbow can be a piece of glasswith the sun shining through i t .A rainbow can be the l e t t e r "C"made from dif ferent kinds of material .Or a rainbow can be jus t what it i s - A beaut i fu l work of nature.

-Mary K. Davis

POEM

Me and th is boy were r iding big wheelsan d we rode to a corner where we foundtwo gas s ta t ions . He went to the oneacross the s t r ee t and I went to the onenear me. I t was a two story gas s ta t ion.This lady came out and said "would youl ike to buy some gas?" and I said " Idon ' t th ink so ." She said "please buysome gas, we are trying to save a cat . "I said "where's the cat?" She pointedto the second f loor, and there was abeaut i fu l , white, f luffy cat . She wentand got i t . She said i t s got a diseasecalled Dicker n Dicker. About tha t timeshe squeezed the ea t ' s neck and it stuckout i t s tongue and worms were on it .

-Dawn Lawless


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Southwest Junior High School

JERRYJerry,Oh, my Jerry,What am I to do?- yeahI 'm losing you,I don' t know what to do ,I fe l t you sl ippin ' away,I 'm a losing my way with you.Oh, what could i t be?You know i t ' s jus t l ike meTo say something wrong.Was I away to long?What did I do?Whoa- Jerry, Jerry, Jerry,What am I to do?Jerry, Jerry, Jerry,I'm in love with you.Ah, you know I need you badly,Why, - I love you madly,Oh, I got ot have you, darling;Don't take your love away,Tell me that you're gonna s tay.I Don't know when-Don't think I 've ever been;so los t before,Now you're closein ' the store- on me.How ca n I see why you're avoiding meI f you don' t l e t me out.Tell me what 's i t a l l about,What did I do?Whoa- Jerry, Jerry, Jerry,What am I to do?Jerry, Jerry, Jerry, Jerry, Jerry,Ain ' t i t the truth?Ain' t i t the truth?Ain' t i t the TRUTH?Ah, you know I need you?Why?- Because I love you,Oh, I got to have you, darl ing,Yea, yeah, yeah, yeah,FADE YEAH TWICE

-To. Bongo

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52FISHY

Fishy, Fishy in the brook daddy caught youby a hook,Mama fried you in a panand baby a te you l ike a man.-Anonymous

MY DREAM

Once I dreamed that I was playingwith my l i t t l e brother . He waspretending that he was a cowboy onmy knee. Then a l l of a suddenhestar ted melting. I thoughtthat i t was my faul t .-June Myklebust


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HOLMAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL--STUTTGART

POEMI saw a shadow. i t looked

l ike a spider . i t had t rees forlegs, leaves for hair , owls foreyes.

-Bruce Madsen

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poems from poetry in the schools (1977-1978)

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