Shakespearean Sonneteers

Each year, after studying Shakespeare, Miss Levin's students try to craft that most beautiful and challenging type of poem: the sonnet.

In just fourteen formally rhymed lines, they aim to capture some profound observation about life to share. Here are two of the top sonnets from the current freshman class. 

Flare

I can feel a coming conflagration
That will destroy everything in its way.
Burning with righteous determination.
Coming sans delay.
To divine justice it’s obedient.
To evil it’s an awful scurge.
It will soon sweep in upon the deviant and have many others caught in the purge.
Its mercy is nothing to be feared
It is a spark for enlightening.
Many will soon find it endeared,
Not some wicked spell that is frightening.
We will not be stuck in evil’s mire!
Heaven will cleanse us with this great fire!

by Jack H., Grade 9




Yesterday


Yesterday I was staring at the stars,
Thinking and wondering of the future.
I thought of how I have come oh so far.
My parents strive to take care and nurture.
Just today I was watching the sun set,
I was looking back and thought of my past.
I realized I have so much to learn yet.
My mom always said I was growing fast.
Tomorrow I will think of what I own
And remember all that I once possessed.
Every morning I miss the bubbles blown.
I think of the day I cut my own lawn,
and know some day all I have will be gone

by Amanda K., Grade 9

Nature Poetry

Spring is in the air, but this poem was too good to miss.  We found it lost in a folder of submissions, and we thought, "The time for the world to see this poem has arrived!"  We hope you agree!

artwork by Alyssa Gibson
Grade 8

My Tree


When I pull on my old brown
boots
As I pile the thick laces into
messy double knots

Before I slide into my worn,
thin jacket,

While I breathe in the
lavender smell of my house

I relish in the warmth of the crackling fire before
stepping outside into the bitter cold and the icy wind.



As I walk into the woods,

Before I even enter them,

While me shoes crunch over dead leaves,

Though the cold wind sears into my skin, a biting
blanket of a nearing winter

I allow the thick darkness of the forest to close
around me as I push deeper into thick trees
and thorny brush


When I reach my tree,
My beautiful tree,
As I lay my eyes upon it,

My heart stops.


While hundreds of leaves fly around me,
obscuring my vision,

Though the forest is dark

I can see my tree

Fallen

Laying on its side

Gone

Heart shattered like jagged glass,
I sit down next to my tree

And grieve for my fallen friend


by M. K. Maclean, Grade 8

Injustice and Pelicans

In this poem, the writer uses a frame of sentence structure created by another poet to craft an original poem about injustice and silence.  This copy-change technique allows writers to capture big ideas in captivating rhythms modeled after the masters of the craft.

And in other news, we have a delightful painting of a pelican :)  Enjoy the spring!


First they banned books, and I
could not speak out --
Because I could no longer know what to say.

Then they banned communication, and I
could not speak out --
Because I no longer heard other voices.

Then they banned writing, and I
could not speak out --
Because I did not have a voice.

Then they banned opinions -- and
there was nothing more my voice could speak for. 

by Michael S., Grade 7

artwork by Adam G., Grade 7