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the middleSpring 2015/Volume 1
a magazine of original poetry by the middle school students of Princeton Montessori School
Table of Contents
Welcome 3
Why Poetry? 4
Once Upon a Summer's Day by Ellie O'Brian 5
Best Birthday Party by Jack Moskowitz 6
The Moon by Alexander Huang 7
Spring Comes and Goes by Adam Schnitzer 7
Of Leaves by Ishrith Bidkar 8
The Land I Call Home by Michael Jacob 9
Starlight by Ellie O'Brian 9
Herald of the Night by Lydia McGrath-Maniulskiy 10
Only What You Need by Sean Shmulevich 11
A Sweet Haiku by Madeline O'Brian 12
Haiku Aboiut Kevin Durant by Gavin Aker 12
The Tulip by LIam May 12
All About the Rain by Liam Mendham 12
Spring Pantoum by Lucas Rizo-Patron 13
The Land of Ends by Sean Shmulevich 14
Pantoum Poem by Elizabeth Taber 15
Pantoum Poem by Emma Byrne 15
The Bodybuilder by Ben Amon 16
The Woods by Alexander Huang 17
Thievery by Christian Huang 18
Science by Christian Huang 19
Birds by Maheep Singh 20
2
WELCOMEThis magazine contains original writing by the students of
the 2014-2015 middle school class of Princeton Montessori
Contributors:
Gavin AkerBen Amon
Ishrith BidkarEmma Byrne
Alexander HuangChristian HuangMichael Jacob
Liam MayLydia McGrath-Maniulskiy
Liam MendhamJack Moskowitz
Ellie O'BrianMaddie O'Brian
Lucas Rizo-PatronAdam Schnitzer
Sean ShmulevichMaheep Singh
Elizabeth Taber
3
In this day and age, when we necessarily value the learning of practical skil ls needed for
students to succeed in life, we might ask ourselves the question,
?Why poetry?? Poetry is often viewed as an ?extra,? f lowery stuff
that we don?t really need to see us through life. For
pre-adolescents--who are working hard on issues of personal identity
development--poetry can be a much needed conduit for ideas that
they are beginning to understand about themselves. The poet Audre
Lorde wrote, ?...it is through poetry that we give name to those ideas
which are--until the poem--nameless and formless, about to be
birthed, but already felt.? Poetry offers young people an important
way of expressing their nascent values, their emerging selfhood, and
the potential of their dreams.
The poems featured in this magazine are both formal and informal.
They can deal with ideas that can be light of heart, or heavy with life
experience. All of them are the voices of young people learning who
they really are.
Lisa Stolzer
Princeton Montessori Middle School English Teacher
Why poetry?
4
Upon a Summer's Day
I am from a laid back, loving, and weird kind of world.
When I got bored, tractors, laughter, and family games kept me company.
Three to a team, pitch, umpire, bat, and outf ield f il led.
No scores, just fun!
Sounds of the grass eater f il led my ears.
That meant today was a pool day.
The hot sun blazed my skin and it was stil l early morning.
Game is over and everyone won, now what to do?
Take an adventure to our secret tree house?
Or drive our tractors to Italy and back?
Too many choices.
I hear silence while bugs start swarming me as I stand stil l.
No more weed whacker or grass eaters.
Time to swim.
Fresh water splashes and laughter f il l my ears.
This is my favorite part.
Games of waves, rafts, and dives are our afternoon
activity.
Just heard word, we have company for dinner.
The gril l purrs to life as I hear hamburgers and hotdogs
sizzle in excitement.
Salad and condiments are brought out to the heat.
Laughter and jokes are tossed carelessly across the table
while laughter bounces off the surface of it.
Sun hits the horizon, darkness seeping in.
Glow sticks get brought out.
Mysteries as to it?s location f il l our minds.
It turns into a hunt.
Night greets us as yawns bloom.
Goodbye to guests and hello to slumber.
A perfect summers day comes to an end.
~Ellie O'Brian, April 2015
5
Best Birthday Party!
Today is the day
of my birthday
Everyone says "Hip hip, hooray!"
So for my party
I?ll have a perfect cake
Not too sweet, not too tarty
My parents will bake the cake
My friends come at around one o'clock
When they come, my door gets a knock
My family hires a bounce house
For all of us to jump
So we get exercise
And don?t get too plump
I will accessorize
My own bike
Or maybe take a private hike 1,2,3,4,5,...35 presents!
We?ll get a tent
To go outside and camp
I will be the Birthday champ!
Once we get home after our litt le break
We will get home and won?t fake
That we aren?t excited for presents and leftover cake!
~Jack Moskowitz, April 2015
6
The Moon
The Moon is a nocturnal creature,and wakes up at night The Moon is a white circle on black paperThe Moon is a baseball f loating in spaceThe Moon is the home of silence
~Alexander Huang, April 2015
Spring Comes and Goes
Spring, Spring what a magical thing,
Spring is l ike a cool ring that dings in the chimney winds,
If spring lasts it could be a blast in the fast spring skies the lizard says ?O my?.
When winter comes I say good bye to the f inal days of the warm haze,
By now it 's the cold snowy days and I was amazed by the warm summer days.
~Adam Schnitzer, April 2015
7
Of Leaves
The leaves fall,
They are blown away,
Placed in dif ferent places,
Every single day,
They are blown away,
While the branches are strong,
Every single day,
The wind sings a song,
While the branches are strong,
Placed in dif ferent places,
The wind sings a song,
The leaves fall
~Ishrith Bidkar, April 2015
8
The Land I Cal l Home
I am from Jacob and Mistretta lane.
The land of Italian food, pasta, pizza and gelato.
Where you dive into a pool, where water surrounds you. Where you play at the small creek and explore the woods. The rough bark and the sharp thorns.
Where the seven kids on the street yell "MAN HUNT" and "Ready or not here I come!"
The only place where you can hear Counting Crows and Matchbox 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
A land of Mickey Mouse, Kermit the Frog and Snoopy and Charlie Brown.
The place where I hear ?The captain has turned on the fasten seat belt sign as we begin our descent? at least twice a year.
This is the land I call home.
~Michael Jacob, April 2015
Starl ight
Bright golds f il l the sky.
Dancing starlight f il ls my eye.
Dots of beauty pebbles the world
Like a grain of sand already pearled.
Connecting dots f il l my spare time,
making f igures glow and shine,
Rumors and riddles sprinkle above
Solving and discovering what to be proud of.
Stars shine brightly
Dressed in pure white
Dancing the sky deep in the night.
All else is jealous of it?s rare beauty
Causing these feelings is the starlight?s prime duty
~Ellie O'Brian, April 2015
9
Herald of the Night
Did you see it?
The wind, whispering in your ears.
Did you feel it?
The step of a bird?s call
The f lowerbeds sleep in their blankets of snow
and the trees bend S?s as the sun falls.
Can you taste it, the crunching of leaves?
Midway between toast and maple syrup
And fresh-baked cookies.
Can you hear it?
The voice of the rain
The clouds are darkening
Night is running before us, its velvet-black cape
Spread across the sky
The smell of the stars
Is cold and icy
And ice cream cannot compare.
~Lydia McGrath Maniulskiy, April 2015
10
Only What You Need
The graceful giant pandas of the bamboo forests
Sleep in their grace.
As I walk past I wonder why,
Why are we here?
Why do we deserve such beauty?
I hear I see I smell I experience
The graceful pandas of the bamboo forest
They eat, and sleep and take only what they need
They have no need for surplus, they take only what they need
As I walk past I wonder why.
The towering shoots of bamboo cloud my vision.
I hear I see I smell I experience.
The graceful pandas of the Chinese forests
They eat, and sleep, and take only what they need.
~Sean Shmulevich, April 2015
11
A Sweet Haiku
May the cream drip down
Off the cone down to your hand
This icy cold sweet treat.
~Madeline O?Brian, April 2015
Haiku about Kevin Durant
Hard work beats talent
When talent fails to work hard
A living legend
~Gavin Aker, April 2015
This is two haikus combined for one poem about the tulip.
The Tul ip
It grows in the spring,
It shows off its colors in the sun,
Blooming in sunlight,
Everything nice,
will not stay forever, but
goes away in the end.
~Liam May, April 2015
Al l About the Rain
Rain
Rain is vain
Rain will never go away
Oh rain.
~Liam Mendham, April 2015
12
Spring Pantoum
As I walk right through the forest
Fish leap and litt le birds sing
Crickets chirp and leaves go crunch
As I walk along a pond
Fish leap and litt le birds sing
Upon a rock I look and see a litt le pond as clear can be
As I walk a long a pond
Many creatures I see throughout
Upon a rock I look and see a litt le pond as clear can be
Crickets chirp and leaves go crunch
Many creatures I see throughout
As I walk right through the forest
~Lucas Rizo-Patron, April 2015
13
The Land of Ends
A land of suffering
Ruled by an evil king
The people have nothing
The king has all
Ruled by an evil king
The people live in poverty
The king has all
The people believe he is a god
The people live in poverty
He does not care
The people believe he is a god
Power changes us.
~Sean Shmulevich, April 2015
14
Pantoum Poem
As I walk through the woods,
Motor boats disturb the water,
Birds call from up above,
Pine cones fall to the ground.
Motor boats disturb the water,
Squirrels gather for the winter,
Pine cones fall to the ground,
As I walk through the woods.
~Elizabeth Taber, April 2015
Pantoum Poem
As I walk through the park
Birds play in the trees.
People walk by
Enjoying the outdoors.
Birds play in the trees
Chasing each other while in f l ight.
Enjoying the outdoors
In the beautiful park.
Chasing each other while in f l ight,
People walk by
Looking at all of the f lowers
As I walk through the park.
~Emma Byrne, April 2015
15
The Body Builder
B
BO
BOD
BODY
BODYB
BODYBU
BODYBUI
BODYBUIL
BODYBUILD
BODYBUILDE
BODYBUILDER
BODYBUILDER V
BODYBUILDER VS.
BODYBUILDER VS. T
BODYBUILDER VS. TH
BODYBUILDER VS. THE
BODYBUILDER VS. THE D
BODYBUILDER VS. THE DO
BODYBUILDER VS. THE DOO
BODYBUILDER VS. THE DOOR
BODYBUILDER VS. THE DOOR T
BODYBUILDER VS. THE DOOR TH
BODYBUILDER VS. THE DOOR THA
BODYBUILDER VS. THE DOOR THAT
BODYBUILDER VS. THE DOOR THAT W
BODYBUILDER VS. THE DOOR THAT WO
BODYBUILDER VS. THE DOOR THAT WON
BODYBUILDER VS. THE DOOR THAT WON?T
BODYBUILDER VS. THE DOOR THAT WON?T O
BODYBUILDER VS. THE DOOR THAT WON?T OP
BODYBUILDER VS. THE DOOR THAT WON?T OPE
BODYBUILDER VS. THE DOOR THAT WON?T OPEN ~Ben Amon, April 2015
16
The Woods
From winter to spring
The start of the woods
Looked like a looming fortress
At the edge of the f ield.
It was the place
Where the remnants of Winter
Remained
Until Spring's warriors came.
~Alexander Huang, April 2015
17
Thievery
I couldn?t wait any longer
for a big old rule to break,
the satisfaction of the pride,
this opportunity to take,
something big, l ike
the golden f leece,
maybe that?s why I?m
pulled over by the police.
~Christian Huang
18
Science
Everything has gravity
We learned that in class
Acceleration equals net force
Divided by mass.
Momentum is confusing.
Velocity is key.
I learned some of this stuff
Back in elementary.
Movement is just physics,
Working at its best.
Sometimes it seems like homework,
A real disgusting pest.
Friction also has to do
With anything at all.
Rolling friction
a.k.a. pushing
A red ball
Fluid friction
Static friction
Sliding friction and more
So much to learn
If you are will ing
To open the door
To your knowledge and your brain
A wonderful appliance
Make sure to learn all there is
To the wonderful world of science.
~Christian Huang, April 2015
19
Birds
Birds are the signal of a new season
Birds are the voice of mother nature
Birds represent peace and harmony
the chirping of birds releases all of my stress from the day
No wonder I love birds
~Maheep Singh, April 2015
20