2018 Anthology Book

51

Benton Bryan
Ms. Guerrero

Woden High School - Woden ISD

Boy on a Scooter

I saw the sun
Chase clouds across the sky
While a chubby-cheeked boy
Road a silver scooter-chariot
Pulled by a chocolate Labrador steed
The boy held on for his life
Like the scooter was the only barrier
Between him and the Reaper
But as the Lab came to a stop
The boy launched from his scooter
Becoming the rocket of the neighborhood

He soared like a bird
Then landed on the pavement

Hot in the summer sun
And he stood back up
With a smile gracing his face

Eleventh Grade Third Place

52

Kayla Josey
Mrs. Johnson

Gilmer High School - Gilmer ISD

Shoes

I live everyday like my shoes are untied.
I trip and I fall, I’m scared to walk outside.
The bruises I wear, and the scars that you see,
Is just one illustration of what’s truly me.

Some call it recklessness, a vision of youth.
But only one could understand mistakes are my muse.

Inspiration you could say, or words from above.
Like careless dreams, pure as a dove.

I lived like this, all through my dreams.
All second-hand, like passed down memories.

What I should do, I still can’t decide
To face my fears, and truly step outside.

But as I predicted, my shoes have betrayed me.
They kept me safe indoors, so I don’t risk dangerously.

My safety let me fall and add another bruise
To my body which has been marred, purples and blues.

Then I decide to slip off these shoes,
to live my life freely and light another fuse.

My bare feet walk, until I begin to fly
And let the past of my shoes and chains die.

Eleventh Grade Second Place

53

Kelsie Marcantel
Ms. Ware

Elysian Fields High School - Elysian Fields ISD

Through Glass

A girl and glass
Alone they stand
Through her eyes
Through the glass
Her pain, her decay
Reflect back to her soul
Cracks complete composition
And obscure all view
But it is not the looking glass
Broken and composed of shards

It is the girl
She is made of glass
She has glass veins
She has a fragile heart
But still she stands
Broken but together
And shining in the light
Of new days to come
Shards align like stars
That once twinkled in her eyes
And create a masterpiece

Eleventh Grade First Place

54

Jaelan Linville
Mrs. Lee

Mount Enterprise High School - Mount Enterprise ISD

The Forgotten

I am the tallest tree in the most beautiful forest,
And I am despised by all the earth except myself.
Even when the morning Sun’s brilliant light gilds my every crevasse,
He will no longer give me the strength to grow.
I am left to survive on the jealous stare of those vulgar saplings,

And to breed the stench of haughtiness.
So in my hatred for the Sun,

I spread my leaves woven of the finest artistry,
And I choke out His precious rays from the saplings below.

Their nostalgic wails resound throughout the darkness,
They constantly claw for relief.
But my bark is an iron casket,

And is strong as the love I have for myself.
But deep beneath my bark,

A lost soul cries out the desperate song of a thousand heartbreaks.
A melody that haunts my every dream,
Reminding me of a passed life,

A life that saw the rise of the tallest tree of the most beautiful forest,
A life that heard the mournful echo of the tree that was left to rot,
A life,
That lies forgotten in my roots.

Rusk County Poetry Society
Scholarship Winner
2018

Twelfth Grade First Place

YOUNG AUDIENCES OF NORTHEAST TEXAS

Young Audiences of Northeast Texas is honored to be able to
continue the great tradition of Northeast Poetry in Schools.
The literary arts are critical to the development of students and
provide the opportunity for them to find their voice.

Young Audiences is committed to using all art forms to enrich
the lives of children and enhance their education. We believe
in a three part approach to a comprehensive education in and
through the arts; Arts Education - the pure teaching of the arts;
Arts Integration - using the arts to reinforce non-arts content;
and Arts Exposure - helping students to see that art is all around
them. Our experienced teaching artists partner with teachers and
administrators to bring the arts directly to the students - right in
their schools and classrooms. Our artists bring arts instruction
to schools where not all forms are taught. They also work with
teachers to integrate arts learning with other content, expanding
understanding in both the art form and the paired content.
Additionally, we pair with other arts organizations to expose
students to all forms of art in their communities.

Research has proven that investment in arts education results in
improved academic, social, and civic outcomes. In addition to those
outcomes, access to the arts is invaluable in helping students gain
the life skills necessary to find their passions.

The poems presented here are a vivid testament to this.

We join you in celebrating these talented students.

DESIGNS CREATED & PRINTED BY

© 2018 REGION 7 EDUCATION SERVICE CENTER

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED