Monday, May 20, 2013

Springtime Sonnet #2

What is it about Spring turning freshmen into sonneteers? It's the last one for a while, we promise! What is your favorite line?  Tell us in the comments.


Artwork by Alexa M., Grade 8


Spring

The wind massages flowers on the trees.
The early morning light awakens Spring.
The snows of winter melt; the grass is free.
Resounding in the woods the birds calls ring,

Awakening the world from its slumber.
The midday sun awakens wildflowers,

Gold is the hour, mighty as thunder,

All things shine brightest in their early hours.


The gently trick’ling creek quenches thirst.
The laughs of children break the silent dawn .
The water always flows fastest at first .

It is a hopeful time of year for all.


Summer’l come, school’l end, their best days will come.
They’ll still cherish those spring days in the sun .
 
by Jared J., Grade 9

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Ever Feel This Way?

Sticking with our Tuesdays With Morrie theme, here is a sonnet, written by a ninth grader, about the exhaustion we sometimes impose upon ourselves, always trying to keep up.  So sit down, take a deep breath, and enjoy sipping this sonnet to the last drop.


The Race

Everyone runs for their entire life,
Chasing that which we truly desire.
And though the pace may bring all of us strife,
We never stop, despite how we tire.

For the very objects of our pursuit
Are our suns, our centers, our brightest dreams.
And if one denies it, the point is moot;
The prize is one for which every soul screams.

And although countless people choose to run,
Very few manage to claim their reward.
Some will fall, or by pressure be undone,
But all will finish by their own accord.

The finish line crossed, when all has been done,
But few will catch the object of their run.
 
by Sydney L., Grade 9
 
 
If you're interested, here is an op-ed article from the New York Times, an excellent link to the poem : The Busy Trap
 

Artwork by Riley H., grade 8
 
 

Monday, May 13, 2013

Chalkboard Aphorisms

In honor of Tuesdays With Morrie, eighth grade students had a challenge:  In only three words create and visually design an aphorism for a chalkboard desktop.  Here are the best ones!



Another Sonnet

Let's be honest -- sonnets are always in season, so here is another!

Artwork by Claire A. Grade 8
 
 
 
The River Styx
Upon its murky darkness heroes swear.
An honor-bound promise no man dare break,
An avowed oath made out to ladies fair,
Assertion of loyalty with high stakes
The legacy of vast Titans befell ,
Fashioned by pacts of the Gods during war,
A thin line crossing, the gateway to hell,
Honorable mentions in quests and lore.
A great blessing unknown, power  bestowed,
From its water the bold Achillies shaped,
A coin beneath tounges to be allowed.
The ferry of Styx no man can escape
 
An everlasting flow, a constant stream,
Bittersweet remanants of broken dreams
 
by Torin L, Grade 9

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

A Sonnet for Spring

 
artwork by Andrea G.
 
After a long, lugubrious winter, everyone is basking in this nearly perfect springtime (well, except for the torrents unleashed from the sky today!)  Yeri, a ninth grader, captures the season in a well-crafted sonnet, chosen by students on the sevenatenine staff.


Spring Rain

Love comes to me like a spring rain in May;
My frozen heart is melting in silence.
I'm drenched in the rain on a sunny day;
Your warming hand is my only guidance.
 
When the spring rain is falling, I miss you;
Your scent is everywhere, I feel your love.
This heartwarming love, do you feel it, too?
Oh, you are the only one I think of.
 
I have never felt this way before,
I don't know what this is, it just might be love.
This flutter, I want to feel more and more;
This is the love from the heaven above.
 
My love takes a journey backwards through time,
And the rain keeps falling, can you be mine?
 
 
By Yeri H., Grade 9

Monday, May 6, 2013

Joy

Every now and then, we need a little snow in all of this sunny weather!  Enjoy this vignette by an seventh grade writer . . .
 
Joy

I put my goggles down and look at the ski lift; the only thing standing between me and the lift is the biggest hill I have ever seen. With that, I am off - soaring down the hill. I feel like a model with wind blowing in my hair and people taking millions of pictures of me.  I'm a STAR! 

I go around the first corner and the snow flies up like hundreds of bees buzzing around me.  I slow myself down because I'm about to go off a ramp, but I don't.  I'm scared, so I go the easy way down.

I turn the corner and whiz off of the next jump and I land face first in the snow.  The stinging, white crystals burn my face, and I think that it will be so much easier if I just give up.  But I won't. 

I get up and push on to the next jump.  For a second, I feel like an angel, floating over all the other people, looking down on the white blanket of snow.  I see other people flashing by, and that gives me strength.  I soar down the hill, much like an eagle chasing a snake. I was chasing my dream to make it to the bottom of the hill.

My dream comes true as I turn the last corner and see the lift, which I will soon ride over and over again.  I ask myself why is this all worth it, and the answer is simple:  JOY.  It's the feeling when you are going faster and faster down the hill. It gives you joy.  Isn't that why you should do everything?  Not because your friend likes to do it, or your parents are making you.  It's because of those few seconds that feel like magic when you are free, and you know that everything is going to be okay.

 
By Elizabeth G., Grade 7
(No, she is not Kenny G's daughter!)