A Brand New Year

Typing this title, I feel like I can hear Sting (does anybody know who this is?) singing "turn the clock to zero" in the back of my head.  And that is kind of what the start of each school year feels like to all of us: new faces, spaces, great expectations (the kind you get signed on the first day of school, not the Dickensian sort).  Soon, though, we'll all settle in to a routine, a rhythm that life assumes, the turning open of notebooks, the tides of tests.  Some might call it boring, but to those with the right frame of mind and attitude, every waking moment is an adventure, even the predictable ones.

So take a moment to connect to the little things around you with this poem to open our year, written by eighth-grader Maggie M.  After all, what defines an adventure is all in the eye of the beholder.

Little Things

The red scarf

Slid slowly down

The brown banister

Past the puffing fan,

The barking dog,

The open refrigerator door.

 

The ruby scarf

Gazed at the generations

That lived on the walls.

Dipped its frayed edges to the

Coat hanger,

The hats shivering at the wind,

Blasting from the open door.

The scarlet scarf

Jumped up the shoes

That lay scattered

Across the floor.

The scarf rested on the cushioning

Of the upholstered
Green bench,
And waited for the next
Adventure.


Maggie M. -- Grade 8

Farewell to the Seven Viewers

To the devout (seven) subscribers to Sevenatenine:

Our faithful viewers, we fare thee well

As summer draws us near

And to the ocean, we see the swells

And ice cream men we hear

Alas, with summer comes the end

Of another lengthy school year

And with its conclusion, too we see

A scarce few will shed their tears

A fond goodbye we send

As they depart the halls with glee

Thus, Sevenatenine has reached another end

To freedom now we flee

Have a great July, and August, too

Of popsicles, pandemonium, pools

Poetry, prose, something new

Read a book and please stay cool

Capture the Painting

To honor the work of the creative artists of Holicong, Sevenatenine has chosen to publish a drawing as a prompt for writers with the unavoidable writers' block. The following sketch was made by Maddy G., eight grader, entitled The Willow. Use the vivacious colors and delicate shading to be inspired in any form of writing - enjoy! Also, for all of our dedicated viewers, please consider visiting this week's Spring Arts Festival, full of promising artwork just like Maddy's. We hope to see you there!

Literary Inspiration

Sevenatenine has found yet another set of poems inspired by famous works of literature, featuring a wide range of genres and topics. Enjoy the writers' interpretations of the novels in their own forms of poetry!

Oblivious

I’ve fallen in love

I’ve fallen into dreamland

He’s magnetic

He’s dangerous

He makes me forget

I miss my life

It’s tough

It’s compelling

Some things I see clearly

While others a misunderstanding

I’m screaming

Trying to wake up

I’m sorry

This is real

This is making me oblivious

It’s made me withdrawn

It’s made me different

With or without is a problem

Stay; go

Love; hate

Which way?

By Claire A., 7th grade

Based on Dreamland

Imperfect Utopia

High expectations

Always striving to be perfect.

You are a model of perfection,

A shining example.  It’s a disguise.

But no one knows,

You are controlled.

Nothing can stop the exposure.

Trying, trying, trying,

Fighting, fighting, fighting

To stop.

You cannot stop loved ones,

They are forever gone.

There is no disobeying.

A terrible life you are forced

To enjoy.

By Ana P., 7th grade

Based on Candor

Allusions to Literature

One of the most beautiful things about literature is the ability to inspire and be inspired by other works. Ms. Schmitt's class has taken this initiative to heart, creating poems based on popular literary works, including The Hunger Games and Out of My Mind, which are available in the library to enjoy.

War

A poem based on The Hunger Games

Districts fight to the death

Starvation, hunting, killing

Fear and panic

To be in is thrilling

Want to escape, but not able to

Dying and dying and dying

You want to win

For fame, fortune, and glory

It is WAR.

By Alex L., 7th grade

Trapped

A poem based on Out of My Mind

No one knows

Just how smart she is

She can’t tell them

She’s trapped in her head

Can’t talk

Can’t walk

Can’t write

She wished she could just speak up

Mountains of words

Surround her

She remembers everything

There’s no delete button

She wishes she could just escape.

By Jacky W., 7th grade

Spring Sonnets

While reading the classics of Shakespeare, the ninth grade class was inspired to compose sonnets of their own. To celebrate the literary idol, sevenatenine has decided to share a few of their creations.

Lying in bed with these buds in my ears,

From ambient silence, to rhythmic beat

The loud pulsations drowning out any fears

Digitalism’s “Pogo” blasting on repeat

Music evokes powerful emotions

It is simple to get lost in its tones

Seduced by its timeless musical motions

These rhythmic sounds can chill to the bones

Music is in your soul, even from the start

Filling the museum that is your mind

I would sacrifice all to hear this art

Even prefer to go utterly blind

Music is what adds color to this realm

And it grows larger as a great old elm

Brendan P., 9th grade

Pencil Marks

I do remember we discussed it,

Once, how memory is like pencil mark

How over time it starts to fade a bit.

Memories overlap as they grow dark.

When I recall the halls of those old haunts,

They swarm with pigment that was never there,

Sometimes, the bleedings of some other thoughts

Infect reality they snare and tear.

Piano playing fingers tinged with my

Pre-school impressions of dinosaur skin,

Plus a white smile like a summer sky

With black of crumbling sooty coal inked in,

All these things feel like dreams when I think back.

It scares me that so many dreams go black.

Tessa K., 9th grade

Forest

With warm weather approaching, we thought it would be appropriate to share a poem that highlights the beauty and mystique of nature.

Forest

An ethereal mist shrouds pristine nature.
Mellifluous birds call in a graceful harmony.
Abnormal creatures gallantly stride;
They advance through intricate foliage.

Crystalline lagoons beam with life,
A plethora of aquatic life forms habituate it.
Sun rays produce littered glints of life,
Blinding fauna that are nearby.

An eerie shriek silences all evidence of movement.
A full, baritone growl follows with a suppressed crack.
Frantic feet squabble over fallen leaves,
Disappearing into the nocturnal woods.

Gianna R., 9th grade