Another Kind of Leaving*
May 28, 2012
2012 Walk Award
By Judy Orvik
Another Kind of Leaving
(remembering Nancy)
We read stories about the first women adventurers
to each other in your tent above the Arctic circle,
at the end of each day’s trek.
We followed ancient caribou trails
deeper into the country while
carrying the weight of our bounty on our backs.
Mornings held the retelling close
as we picked our course carefully, listening
as wolves sang old songs from memory.
We talked of leaving this country
on a day like today between migrations
without knowing you would be the first to depart.
That plane of yours is still
stuck in the tundra somewhere.
They say your wings fell off.
I imagine the moss growing over your skeleton
softening you into an otherwise hostile terrain.
*Copyright 2012 by Judy Orvik. Placard design by Egress Studio.
Like this:
Friends*
February 1, 2011
By Ashlyn Wade, 1st grade
2006 Merit Award
Friends are nice
Nice like bugs in the sky
Always together.
*Copyright 2006 by Ashlyn Wade. This poem appears in POETRY WALK: Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest – The First Five Years. Info: Book! Placard design by Egress Studio.
Community of Friends*
January 13, 2011
By Kaiya Hammond, 4th grade
2006 Merit Award
We play soccer every day.
I’m the goalie
but it’s still fun because
I’m playing with my friends,
and that’s what counts.
We run to the field
hoping we’re on the same team.
Even if we aren’t
we still have fun.
People scream if they make a goal.
That’s the community of friends.
*Copyright 2006 by Kaiya Hammond. This poem appears in POETRY WALK: Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest – The First Five Years. Info: Book! Placard design by Egress Studio.
A Community*
December 29, 2010
By Dylan Bruce, 5th grade
2006 Merit Award
A community is a place were you can feel absolutely safe,
where friendly filled friends care about you more than the world.
Also in a community there are marvelous mothers and dazzling dads
Which have the most love for you.
A community sticks together like a shoe and a piece of gum.
A community is something fantastic.
*Copyright 2006 by Dylan Bruce. This poem is included in POETRY WALK: Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest – The First Five Years. Info: Book! Placard design by Egress Studio.
From the Same Flour*
December 28, 2010
By Diane Barrera Turner
2007 Merit Award
The smell of the flour, the kneading of the dough
Memories embedded of my “abuela” long ago
I ate tortillas, my friend ate bread
My hair was dark and curly, her hair was red
Together we grew like intertwined leaves
We were tossed and tumbled by the insistent breeze
Sometimes we reflect on the lives that we led
For I ate tortillas and she ate bread
*Copyright 2007 by Diane Barrera Turner. This poem appears in POETRY WALK: Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest – The First Five Years. Info: Book! Placard design by Egress Studio.
Happiness*
December 1, 2010
By Bella Mallett, 5th grade
2010 Merit Award
*Copyright 2010 by Bella Mallett. This poem, which can also be read here, appears in POETRY WALK: Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest – The First Five Years. Info: Book! Placard design by Egress Studio.
For what was*
November 26, 2010
2007 Merit Award
By Paige Kulm, 8th Grade
I am a fierce lion of the flower fields,
My color shines brightly,
But then hidden among my many friends,
Thankful for their protection,
Spring now bursts out in every color,
As many of us just wait to be tickled,
By the busy bee.
Soon the bugs pop out,
Gnawing, at our precious,
Delicate, green hands.
Then comes our time to go,
The greedy people just plucking me and my,
Colored friends, almost as if they can’t hear us,
With our loud shrieks.
The sense of belonging fades away,
Just as our color will,
Within hours our days of glory together,
Will be no more.
Now as I pity in my near death,
I appreciate the difference,
Of my life.
Things around me seem the same,
As I wish for what was,
Me and my field of wild flowers.
*Copyright 2007 by Paige Kulm. This poem appears in POETRY WALK: Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest – The First Five Years. Info: Book! Placard design by Egress Studio.
Community*
November 15, 2010
2006 Merit Award
By Brickell Dotson, 5th grade
Coming together people and all
Octopuses too
Many friends
Many family members also
United as one
No one is left out…
In a community
Together, together…
You and me
*Copyright 2006 by Brickell Dotson. This poem is included in POETRY WALK: Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest – The First Five Years. Info: Book! Placard design by Egress Studio.
People Watching*
October 31, 2010
2006 Walk Award
By Danika Lauderdale, 10th grade
Friends, family, neighbors, strangers
All in our circle
The circle of our community
The momma with the babies
The old woman who lives with cats
36 exactly
the man who smells funny
the little boys playing baseball
the girls playing house
teachers at our school getting us through
friends to talk to when we need it most
parents to love us
to raise us
so many different faces
so many different places
I couldn’t live without my community
*Copyright 2006 by Danika Lauderdale. This poem appears in POETRY WALK: Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest – The First Five Years. Info: Book! Placard design by Egress Studio.
Kivulana (Boy)*
October 29, 2010
2008 Merit Award
By Misun Bishop, 11th grade
Habari ya asubuhi! The boy says
He’s speaking Swahili or something
I don’t understand, so I just say hello
Jina lako nani? The boy asks
He’s trying to start conversation or something
I don’t understand, so I just introduce myself
Unatoka nchi gani? The boy asks
He probably wants to know me or something
I don’t understand, so I tell him where I’m from
Ni muhimu, the boy says
He’s probably trying to say something important
I don’t understand, but I nod and listen
Ninataka rafiki, the boy says, smiling
He probably wants to be my friend
I think I understand, so I smile back
*Copyright 2008 by Misun Bishop. This poem is included in POETRY WALK: Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest – The First Five Years. Info: Book! Placard design by Egress Studio.
