Spring 2015/ Vol ume 1
the middle a magazine of original poet ry by t he middl e school st udent s of Princet on Mont essori School
Table of Contents
Welcome
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Why Poetry?
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Once Upon a Summer's Day by Ellie O'Brian
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Best Birthday Party by Jack Moskowitz
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The Moon by Alexander Huang
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Spring Comes and Goes by Adam Schnitzer
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Of Leaves by Ishrith Bidkar
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The Land I Call Home by Michael Jacob
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Starlight by Ellie O'Brian
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Herald of the Night by Lydia McGrath-Maniulskiy
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Only What You Need by Sean Shmulevich
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A Sweet Haiku by Madeline O'Brian
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Haiku Aboiut Kevin Durant by Gavin Aker
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The Tulip by LIam May
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All About the Rain by Liam Mendham
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Spring Pantoum by Lucas Rizo-Patron
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The Land of Ends by Sean Shmulevich
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Pantoum Poem by Elizabeth Taber
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Pantoum Poem by Emma Byrne
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The Bodybuilder by Ben Amon
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The Woods by Alexander Huang
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Thievery by Christian Huang
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Science by Christian Huang
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Birds by Maheep Singh
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WELCOME This magazine contains original writing by the students of the 2014-2015 middle school class of Princeton Montessori
Cont ribut ors: Gavin Aker Ben Amon Ishrith Bidkar Emma Byrne Alexander Huang Christian Huang Michael Jacob Liam May Lydia McGrath-Maniulskiy Liam Mendham Jack Moskowitz Ellie O'Brian Maddie O'Brian Lucas Rizo-Patron Adam Schnitzer Sean Shmulevich Maheep Singh Elizabeth Taber
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Why poet ry? In t his day and age, when we necessarily value the learning of practical skills needed for students to succeed in life, we might ask ourselves the question, ?Why poetry?? Poetry is often viewed as an ?extra,? flowery 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
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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 outfield filled. No scores, just fun! Sounds of the grass eater filled my ears. That meant today was a pool day. The hot sun blazed my skin and it was still 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 still. No more weed whacker or grass eaters. Time to swim. Fresh water splashes and laughter fill 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 grill 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 fill 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
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Best Birt hday Part y!
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 little break We will get home and won?t fake That we aren?t excited for presents and leftover cake!
~Jack Moskowitz, April 2015
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The Moon The Moon is a nocturnal creature, and wakes up at night The Moon is a white circle on black paper The Moon is a baseball floating in space The Moon is the home of silence ~Alexander Huang, April 2015
Spring Comes and Goes Spring, Spring what a magical thing, Spring is like 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 final 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
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Of Leaves The leaves fall, They are blown away, Placed in different 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 different places, The wind sings a song, The leaves fall
~Ishrith Bidkar, April 2015
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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 St arl ight
Bright golds fill the sky. Dancing starlight fills my eye. Dots of beauty pebbles the world Like a grain of sand already pearled. Connecting dots fill my spare time, making figures 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
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Heral d of t he Night
Did you see it? The wind, whispering in your ears. Did you feel it? The step of a bird?s call The flowerbeds 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
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Onl y 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
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A Sweet Haiku
Haiku about Kevin Durant
May the cream drip down
Hard work beats talent
Off the cone down to your hand
When talent fails to work hard
This icy cold sweet treat.
A living legend
~Madeline O?Brian, April 2015
~Gavin Aker, April 2015
This is two haikus combined for one poem about the tulip.
Al l About t he Rain
Rain The Tul ip Rain is vain Rain will never go away It grows in the spring, Oh rain. It shows off its colors in the sun, Blooming in sunlight, ~Liam Mendham, April 2015 Everything nice, will not stay forever, but goes away in the end.
~Liam May, April 2015
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Spring Pant oum
As I walk right through the forest Fish leap and little birds sing Crickets chirp and leaves go crunch As I walk along a pond
Fish leap and little birds sing Upon a rock I look and see a little 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 little 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
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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
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Pant oum 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,
Pant oum Poem
As I walk through the woods. As I walk through the park ~Elizabeth Taber, April 2015
Birds play in the trees. People walk by Enjoying the outdoors.
Birds play in the trees Chasing each other while in flight. Enjoying the outdoors In the beautiful park.
Chasing each other while in flight, People walk by Looking at all of the flowers As I walk through the park.
~Emma Byrne, April 2015
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The Body Buil der
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
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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
The Woods
From winter to spring The start of the woods Looked like a looming fortress At the edge of the field. It was the place Where the remnants of Winter Remained Until Spring's warriors came.
~Alexander Huang, April 2015
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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, like the golden fleece, maybe that?s why I?m pulled over by the police.
~Christian Huang
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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 willing 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
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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
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