Somehow, the winter never seems to leave us this year.  Today we bring you a follow-up to our series of darkness poems from Miss Levin's ninth graders.  And we hereby commission you, our readers, to write us some bright spring poems so we can share them next week. 

With her wonderful poem, Maggie M. reminds us that out of darkness, there can still be goodness and love.

 

dancing in the dark

standing, swaying

the dark lit only by the stars

a whirl of air keeping us together

dancing, laughing

the furl of my dress swirling around us

a space big enough for our complex steps

doting, knowing

the warmth of your hand against mine fills my heart

a feeling of contentedness, looms between and within us

knowing, whispering

the day will break, and with it the one thing in which we can trust

a promise kept to only us, that the stars, will bring us home once more

Maggie M., Grade 9

Caity M. takes us back in time to a place where our toys can become some of our darkest fears, and shows how we grow to realize that there is nothing to be afraid of.

 

 

Good Night, Strange Dark Corner

Breathing in the frigid air in my room

Under the covers I look all about
Cold and stuffy like in a pharaoh’s tomb
Holding in my fear trying not to shout

 

The dark is concealing and hides a strange being

And in it my eyes cannot see
The fear in my heart tells me I should be fleeing
But the curiosity in my head asks me what it could be

 

I stare at the corner across from my bed

Reassuring myself it’s only my imagination
Searching all of the weird creatures I used to picture in my head
Or maybe a demon saying a weird incantation

 

And then the dark wasn’t as scary

It wasn’t evil or bad
There was nothing in my strange dark corner that was hairy
And all of a sudden my thoughts were glad

 

That dark corner was a place to be still

A place that I could dream sweet dreams
Sure, my imagination can give me a chill
But not everything is as it seems

 

So there I lay in my dark room

Under the covers as I look about
My dreams were in full bloom
And my fear has never had more doubt

Caity M., Grade 9

 

 

Many people can get lost in darkness, and fall to its desires.  However, Christian H. demonstrates that it is possible to escape the darkness unscathed.

 

The Darkness Around Me

 

As the darkness descends upon my skin,

I refuse to let it fill me; I refuse to let in in.

I sit in the room all alone,

Trying to cope with the dark which has set the tone.

After the light has gone, darkness will embrace,

Anyone in the room who has accepted its place.

The dark hides all, the dark is concealing,

I know in my heart that I should be fleeing.

But as I sit alone, in the dark,

I realize that it has not left its mark.

The darkness has not scarred me; it has not changed me,

I am free from it like the sea.

As I sit alone, in the dark,

I ponder how darkness eats at you, like a shark.

How I refused to let it overtake,

And how I just wouldn’t break.

Now I can finally cope with

Being in the darkness.

 

Christian H, Grade 9

 

 

Last but not least, we have Shania B., who brings into her poem a real-life struggle about being lost in the darkness, unable to find a way out.

Into The Dark

In the dark I was alone

By myself with my ghost.

No one to turn to;

No one would help.

 

That feeling of lost

That feeling of being alone

I kept struggling for truth,

Struggling for a friend.

 

I wanted help, but didn’t know how to get it

I wanted a friend; I wanted the truth

No one would let me in

 

I wanted the best for myself

I wanted to protect me

I didn’t know how kids could be so mean

 

I went into the dark

No, not just that year

Not just the next

But years after

And the worst part:

The worst part is I’m still there

 Shaina B., Grade 9

 

We hope you enjoyed this selection of poetry from Miss Levin’s ninth grade classes!  Remember to keep checking back for more literature, and e-mail Mr. Vogelsinger at bvogelsinger@cbsd.org if you have anything you would like to submit to the blog!

As we head into the cold, dark winter months, Ms. Levin’s ninth grade classes have inspired us with poetry about a time they have been “In the Dark.”

First, we have a poem by Savannah B., who writes about evil, hidden in the darkness of the night.

Pitch Black

 

Of the darkness, night will come,

‘Til the day that I am done.

The starlit sky so dim as

the burnt-out sun.

 

Why so the clouds be red,

Their haze as fiery as the devil’s head.

Yet a sky so blue, it lights the way,

To sing me softly to slumber.

 

The wind, it takes me to and fro,

To swiftly to softly as I go.

I am met by the eyes aglow,

Of my worst nightmare.

 

A blaze, it stands not far from me,

Drowning me in the Bering sea.

Held heavy by the waters capturing,

Empty as breath would be.

 

Flocked by swarms of heron,

The demon’s children,

Gouging and rapping at my body,

That lies like the Titanic, sunken.

 

No escape is ever found,

What I remember is all that’s bound.

Of the darkness, night will come,

‘Til the day that I am done.

Savannah B, Grade 9

 

Next, we have Owen R. poetically describing a simple walk through the darkness of dawn.

Feeling like

An intruder as I walk

Slowly, quietly,

Not wanting to interrupt

The fragile dawn.

Every footstep, a cannon blast-

Every breath, a roar.

 

Windows watch,

Uncaring,

As I make my way

up the street.

 

Feeling unnatural,

Out of place,

As if

Even the sky was caught

off guard

And didn’t know, or didn’t care

That I am awake

That my day begins now

And I walk.

 

Trudging past sleeping houses,

Bleary streetlamps,

Drowsy streets.

 

Breathing in the sharp, still air

Around me

Resignedly watching the horizon

As the sun finally begins

To rise

 

But before light peeks over

The horizon, I

Wait.

In the dark.

Owen R., Grade 9





Carly W. explains the feeling that even when you are in the light, you can be in the dark when you do not trust what is going on around you.


 

“In the Dark”

 

I see nothing, but hear and feel everything.

 Thinking of so many things

 Step by step I am closer, closer

 A rustle in the bush here,

 Whispering voices over there,

 A queer shiver rushes down my spine

 I feel so alone,

 But at the same time I don’t

 Like a million eyes are on me

 A body to every voice,

 And to every lurking shadow

 And when you start noticing them

 They will notice you

 

 

Carly W., Grade 9

 

 

Stay tuned for another set of "In the Dark" poems from ninth graders next time on sevenatenine!

And We're Back . . .

Welcome back to sevenatenine for the start of a new school year at Holicong, a year that heralds two new principals (welcome!), newly renovated student bathrooms (farewell forever to the tinfoil walls!), and a whole new crop of student poetry and art.

To begin our year, we bring you a poem from ninth grader, Sydney E., a poem that reminds us that happiness is within our grasp despite the challenges.  It is inspired by the painting The Journey by Selma Bortner. 

The Descent

“The descent into hell is easy.”

~Virgil, The Aeneid

 

To my right I see the beasts

The beasts of grief and misery
To my left I see the beasts
The beasts of hope and happiness

 The beasts of grief and misery beckon

The wolf’s growl is seducing
The snake’s hiss is mesmerizing

But the beasts of hope and happiness call
The zebra with his kindly eyes
The duck squirming in the zebra’s grasp
Trying to pull me away from the darkness

My boat is floating closer
Floating closer to the darkness
I want to reach out to the beasts

 As I reach out to the beasts

The beasts of grief and misery
A bolt of lightning strikes the boat
The boat of hope and happiness

I know the end is near
I am drifting closer to darkness
The beasts are calling my name

I hear a woman’s voice

A woman is calling my name
I hear a man’s voice
A man is calling my name

 A man clothed all in red

A woman in the nude
Are on the boat of hope and happiness

They want me to join them

On the boat of Hope and happiness
They want me to leave my boat
The boat of grief and misery

I turn back to the beasts
The beasts of grief and misery
I do not want to join them

I reach out my hand to the beasts

The beasts of hope and happiness
I reach out my hand to the man
I reach out my hand to the woman

I do not want to join the beasts

The beasts of grief and misery
I want to join the boat
The boat of hope and happiness


-- Sydney E., grade nine

Time to Say Goodbye!

It's been a great year at Sevenatenine, but all good things must come to a close.  Enjoy this beautiful day, and let's allow eighth-grader (soon-to-be-ninth-grader) Victoria V. sing us out with one last "What's In My Journal" poem.

artwork by Tori V, grade 8



What’s in My Journal?

Flights of wonder soaring across the pages.

Ideas that burn brightly for only a moment, then fizzle out.

Words as plain as bread.

Thoughts that flutter down on the page, with no place or purpose.

Only when I rake them up do they make sense.

Victoria V. , grade 8

Spiral Poem

This poem is meant to be read in a spiral.  It began with a pattern in the middle, and a line written across the top of the picture.  Keep sprialing to find out where a simple pattern led this eighth grade writer.

by Trent H., grade 8



A Reflective Poem

After a year of working in a Writer's Notebook, students in Mr. Vogelsinger's eighth grade English class are asked to reflect on their work, much in the manner of William Stafford in his poem, "What's In My Journal."  Nolan approaches this reflective work with a keen eye and a coy wit that is characteristic of his creative work. 

artwork by Gabrielle S., grade 9





What’s In My Notebook

Torn pages, and scribbled-out words,

A book in a foreign language

Known only by me.

It is a code, waiting to be cracked,

For if someone cracked the code

They would know everything about me

The things I love, hate, and fear.

But until that day. . .

I write in this language of lines and circles

Where the words only mean something to me.

I still write.

I write because I know no one knows my language,

For no one has found and cracked this code -- yet.

The only door to my mind still remains closed,

The way I want it.

Nolan C, grade 8

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