WORD: The Official Blog of READ and WRITING magazines

Friday, April 07, 2006

The following poem was received as part of Writing's Take Five Contest. Although it did not win, we enjoyed it very much and wanted to share it with you. Check back throughout the rest of April and May to read more excellent poems and stories from Take Five.

Untitled
Poem by Alina Ott, Grade 11

Chicken noodle soup on a cloudy April day
Wayward leaves are recklessly twisted by gusts
Shoving umbrellas and newspapers inside out.

Suddenly on the wind raindrops appear
Moodily defying upward glances and muttered prayers
Spreading shadows and pinning helpless litter.

Dark figures hurry by, heads down, collars up
Grumpy, caught wet and unaware
Buffeted by puddles from the street

Wheels creak as a small unlucky man
Rides precariously by on a red bicycle
Weaving through raindrops.

The rain slowls to a constant patter
An orchestra of drumming rooftops
Dripping pipes and spattering lakes.

Only I cross the slick pavement
Eyelashes working like windshield wipers
Braving the wind and rain.

The way sparkles with shattering droplets
Though the beauty is lost in the battle
Fighting a lock with curses and keys.

Posted by
StudentWriter
on 4/7/2006
10:13 AM

Thursday, April 06, 2006

For the Love of Dogs

Poem by Mitchell Krasney, Grade 8

Between twilight and dawn my two dogs rest in their kennel dreaming of adventures to come.
With the sounds of the morning, they eagerly awake to start their daily routine.
By my side in the bathroom they wag their tails against my legs and lick my toes until they're numb.

After a while, they bark at the back door to announce their need to be part of the exterior scene.
Outside the house, they escape from the porch to explore our expansive grounds.
Without a care, they chase a butterfly with speed too great that they run into a window screen.

Through the newly planted garden they trudge over the petunias and marigolds while my mom frowns.
Beyond the white picket fence they see a deer frolicking in front of an old rock wall.
Despite their stumpy paws, they race with all their might to catch their prey like typical hunting hounds.

Near the woods, they stop beneath a weeping willow finding more interest in a slimy tennis ball.
Above their heads a bright red cardinal swiftly flies by and gracefully lands on a wooden bird feeder.
Up the steep hill in an attempt to slip behind the unaware bird the two mutts crawl.

Past a thorny rose bush and a patch of daylillies, they finally freeze underneath a northern white cedar.
Toward the feeder they dart without delay, but soon the bird simply soars away into the afternoon sky.
Before sunset with their tails tucked under their bodies they return home neither one wanting to be the leader.

Posted by
StudentWriter
on 4/6/2006
10:10 AM

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

"The Great Gatsby" is a truly great book

I just finished reading this book (for the third time) for my American Literature class, and it is one of those rare gems that gets better with each reading. Fitzgerald's classic tale of love, loss, isolation and disillusionment in the "Roaring 20s" is a masterpiece for writers to study and readers to revel in. I know some of you have probably read this book before -- I read it for class my junior year of high school, then last summer for fun, and now again in college. But even if you have read it before, I encourage you to do so again. You might be surprised what new meanings are uncovered for you, since you are most likely at a different point in your life than you were when you last read it. If you haven't read The Great Gatsby, you’re missing out! Oh, and here’s an extra piece of random trivia for you (courtesy of my Grandpa, the Jeopardy Wizard): F. Scott Fitzgerald’s full name was Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald.

Posted by
Dallas
on 4/5/2006
2:10 AM

Friday, March 31, 2006

The Emperor's New Digs

Tomorrow is April Fool's Day. Woo Hoo! In honor of this silly day, I've written a story for you. It's not exactly an original. Have you ever heard the story of The Emperor's New Clothes? Well, this is just an updated version of that. Hope you enjoy! Happy April Fools!

The Emperor's New Digs
- Short story by Bryon Cahill

Many, many years ago there lived a dude. The dude’s name was Calvin but everyone called him the Emperor. He obtained his self-proclaimed royal nickname when he won the lottery. But it wasn’t just any lottery. Calvin won the largest prize money in the history of legalized gambling. After taxes, he took home a little over $14 billion.

"Dude," his best friend Roy said upon hearing the news. "Did you say billion? Like, with a B?"

"Totally man, billion! Fourteen of ‘em!" Calvin was in awe of himself. "Oh, and don’t call me Dude anymore. Call me… The Emperor."

"OK dude… I mean, The Emperor." Roy didn’t care if it was ridiculous. His friend was a billionaire! He’d address him as the Pope if that’s what he wanted to be called. "Well what do you want to do with the money first?"

"Roy," the Emperor said as he looked around his cramped and ugly studio apartment, "I gots ta get me some new digs."

"Right on, man. Definitely!" Roy said and high-fived The Emperor.

After a brief, idiotic display of air guitar and head-banging, The Emperor came back to his senses and dug the phone book out from under a pile of garbage on the floor. He flipped through the yellow pages and looked under H for House Builders. "Wait, house builders? No, man, look under C for contractors!" Roy stated proudly, as if it was the first three syllable word he had ever uttered.

The Emperor called up three contractors before he realized that first he needed an architect to draw up a design. He then called up three architects before he realized that he first needed to know what kind of a house he wanted. "A big one." He shouted into the phone, "A really really big one!" But the architects he was dealing with were not professionals. They needed more to go on. They needed ideas and The Emperor had none. "What are we going to do?" The Emperor asked Roy. "Who would have thought that winning the lottery would be such a bummer!"

"What you need is someone to make your decisions for you," Roy said. "That way, you could just sit back and chill and not worry about a thing."

"That would be sweet!" The Emperor said. "Roy, I appoint you as my royal decision maker." Calvin certainly wasn’t royalty, but Roy didn’t split hairs. He saw his opportunity and he seized it. His eyes were hazed over with the green green of money money.

"All right then, The Emperor, leave everything to me." Roy spoke with a sinister grin on his face but the Emperor did not notice. He was too busy not having a thought in his head.

Posted by
Bryon
on 3/31/2006
4:04 PM