-by Alex Graves

I climb onto the small
yellow back of a dragon.
Its wings stroke through
thick air as we take off.
We glide weightlessly
over the lake.
When a gust of wind flips us over,
I fall into warm water.
Underneath,
I release from the dragon's embrace.
I swim upside down
and break through the surface.
I breathe,
grab hold of its wings,
and climb back on.

Editor's Note: Alex's poem, Kayak, was one of six winners in this year's Ann Arlys Bowler poetry contest. It was published in issue 17 of READ magazine, however, we regrettably printed an error in the poem. Here, on WORD, we present Kayak in its true form. Once again, sorry Alex.

Really? That's too bad. Why?

We are currently putting together an issue of Writing magazine and we need your help. If you are one of those students who absolutely hates to write, we want to hear from you! Only, you're going to have to write to us. Kind of a Catch 22, huh?

Send us an email at word@weeklyreader.com. Put "I Hate Writing" in the subject line and tell us all about it. What is it about writing that you dislike so much? Is it too hard? Is it boring? Let us know. We want to publish your thoughts in our magazine but more importantly, we want to help you. We want, more than anything, to crush this plague of hatred. We want to pound it into oblivion and make great writers out of the unwilling. Can we do it? Heh. Honestly, I don't know. We're certainly going to try though.

Write to us now. Feel free to vent.

-Poem by Taylor Doaty, Grade 8

As I stroll down the park,
I see an abandoned riverbank.
As I approach it,
I decide to slow down.
The shadows from the trees
make the bank look more filthy and dark.
Through the dirt and filth,
I can see the history of the riverbank.
Through the empty bottles and smashed glass,
I see people fishing and laughing
and smiling.
Without notice,
I bend down, pick up the trash
and put it in its proper place.
Soon, another lady comes to help.
Before you know it,
the riverbank is trash-free and clean.

Yesterday was Earth Day. Everyone continue to do your part. After all, this is home.

The following blog entry was written by Meredith Matthews, the editor of Current Health magazine.

April is National Poetry Month! It's time to reread your favorite poems, share them with others, and maybe write some while you're at it. One person who has taken that sentiment to heart is Stephanie Hemphill.

She recently published a book called Your Own, Sylvia. It is a biography of the highly acclaimed poet Sylvia Plath. But interestingly, it's told in poetry, adopting the voices of people who knew Plath, and pondering what might have been going on in the poet's head at various points in her life. Hemphill offers a series of poems that take the reader from Plath's birth in 1932, through her life and writing, and all the way to her suicide in 1963.

The poems are sometimes amusing, sometimes striking, but they all attempt to communicate what Plath was like at various points in her life. The reading of each poem, as well as the biographical note that explains it, gives the reader immediate and poignant insight. It makes Plath's life story more vivid and accessible than a full-length biography could.

If you're a fan of Plath, try this book on for size and see if you want to add it to your collection. (You'll also want to pick up The Bell Jar, her semi-autobiographical novel.) If you've never read any of Plath's poetry before, National Poetry Month is a great time to start!

Much of her work is edgy, marked by anger and violence, but she also wrote poems of immense and simple beauty, that anyone can appreciate. A good example is the poem “Morning Song,” essentially a love note to a child. Even if you don't usually like poetry, you'll probably be smitten by these lovely lyrics.