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Green Apple on Black Plate
--inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe
Sitting on the plate,
the plate dark as the night sky,
apple makes life abundant
Sam Forbes, Middle School
The Steward School
Richmond, VA
Donna Jackson, teacher
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Jim Bill
--a persona poem, inspired by a piece of sculpture
I am Jim Bill.
I caught a ten-pound catfish.
I caught a rainbow fish, swordfish,
a shark, whale, puffer fish,
and a rockfish.
I love the turquoise sea.
I love my gray fishing rod.
I like the sea, royal blue, and the sun
rising.
I love the rainbow and the sky.
I love America.
I love because I live on the earth.
Class poem, kindergarten
The Steward School
Richmond, VA
Kate Strickland, teacher
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Jim Bill
--a persona poem, inspired by a piece of sculpture
I am Jim Bill.
May I come over and fish with you?
We’ll go fishing in the Cowpasture River,
and then we’ll go fishing in
the sea.
I love fishing for salmon, croaker, and
catfish.
If we don’t catch anything, we’ll buy
fish
at the country store.
We’ll go home, clean, cook, and eat our
catch,
and later we’ll have a snack.
Class poem, kindergarten
The Steward School
Richmond, VA
Jennifer Haar, teacher
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Jim Bill
--a persona poem, inspired by a piece of sculpture
I am Jim Bill.
I fish in a pond and also
in the Atlantic Ocean.
I catch a medium-sized tuna.
I’m in a white wooden boat
with decorations
on the sides
and glowing stars
on the bottom.
There’s someone standing
on the boat and fishing.
The sun is shining.
We catch a lot of fish.
--Class poem, kindergarten
The Steward School
Richmond, VA
Catherine Hathaway
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If Not, Not
--inspired by
R.B. Kitaj’s If Not, Not
You, building
What have you done? And why so
foreboding?
In the midst of the fire and shadows
You stand unshaken
Your weapon smolders in an ominous cloud
around you
You stand unfazed
Dead bodies are not even the blink of an
eye
Do you not care about despair laid at you
feet?
The black ink spills from your body
But it does not hide you
You do not care to be hidden.
The ink spills
It cannot be erased, the damage is done
The stagnant pool spreads at your feet
over your destruction
Your rubble
It will consume the land, the plague
reaching from field to field
But you stand firm, admiring your work
Your battle is won
You are your king.
Sherwood Elder
Henrico High School, IB
Program
Richmond, VA
Priscilla Biddle, teacher
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Bandit
--inspired by Dime Piece’s
Step Up
Bandit in the dark of night
One fashion diva taking flight
A cape around that perfect neck
She hums melodies of cash and checks
Look, look! At this fashion vandal
Turning her back on every fashion scandal
Creeping alone, making a plight
Thump thump thump, in the dark of night.
One step higher than the others
Idol to all fashion lovers.
She is the light, when all is dark
In blackness she is the only spark
Hero or criminal, is her design?
We’ll know as soon as she crosses the
line.
Sheila Palmer
Henrico High School, IB Program
Richmond, VA
Priscilla Biddle, teacher
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Life, Just
One
--inspired by Dogs
Playing Poker by C.M. Coolidge
You only get one life
And it is what you make it,
So if you see something you want in life,
You should reach out and take it
They say you can only play the cards you’re dealt
But want happens when I take the deck and deal the cards myself
I could deal myself a straight or maybe a flush
Life would be calm, no need to fight, yell, or fuss
I could help out a friend
Maybe make our hands the same
We could split the pot and share the fame
Hey, life’s not fair we’re just playing the game
Or maybe I’d just get the deck back and let life run its course
And let the cards fall by the true Dealer’s force
Because having too much can change one’s true face
And make them only want to cheat to win the race
Hey, I know it’s not right, but just to be safe
And make my life more stable
I may still keep a few aces under the table
Marquis Massenburg
Henrico High School, IB
Program
Richmond, VA
Priscilla Biddle, teacher
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Unafraid
--after Henri Rousseau’s The
Sleeping Gypsy
After an unending day, of walking alone I
seek rest in my solitude.
I have so long to go, but I find beauty
in nature- peace and tranquility.
The river moves slowly as the sun beats
down my back so I pause in awe
From what it is.
They ostracize me for walking alone, but
those in nature live this way.
My music and the river move two in one,
but no one seems to understand me
For who I am.
I wish I could strum the strings all
night, but the costal breeze slows my heart beat
And sends me dreaming; I am alone and
unafraid. I understand that nature and I are one.
The sound of the river
soothes me, and in my peace I still am afraid,
Not of those who live, but of those like
me who walk on two legs, but still I must sleep
I have so long to go.
I dreamt of walking in a slight breeze,
strumming my guitar and moving unnoticed, and I
felt no fear as I slept alone because
someone was there. He was a part of nature, beautiful
in his relationship with nature, unlike
those like me. I understand him
For who he is.
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Carolyn
Kreiter-Foronda