Spring
“Spring is finally here!”
“Ah yes, the sundress’s.”
“…and the flowers are blooming!”
“The sandals are on sale!”
“Birds are chirping…”
“The new sunglasses and the tans.”
“Rivers and growing trees!”
“Oh yes its spring.”
Bailie Severson
“Spring is finally here!”
“Ah yes, the sundress’s.”
“…and the flowers are blooming!”
“The sandals are on sale!”
“Birds are chirping…”
“The new sunglasses and the tans.”
“Rivers and growing trees!”
“Oh yes its spring.”
Bailie Severson
Before I came
Before I came to California,
I remember waking up at my house,
Walking through the sala
And going in the kitchen with the arch entrance.
I remember walking out of my house
And seeing that big pretty house,
I remember the spot when I felt sick
I remember passing that cemetery
And him scaring me,
Making him carry me all the way home.
I remember the smell of wet dirt which reminds me of home,
Seeing all the family,
Playing on top of my grandparents’ home,
Seeing everything clearly from up there
Before I came to California,
I remember having fun and smiling
While my grandpa tied our ponytails together.
I remember how we couldn’t go far without pulling our hair,
I remember it like it were yesterday.
Jennifer Bolanos, 11th grade
Before I came to California,
I remember waking up at my house,
Walking through the sala
And going in the kitchen with the arch entrance.
I remember walking out of my house
And seeing that big pretty house,
I remember the spot when I felt sick
I remember passing that cemetery
And him scaring me,
Making him carry me all the way home.
I remember the smell of wet dirt which reminds me of home,
Seeing all the family,
Playing on top of my grandparents’ home,
Seeing everything clearly from up there
Before I came to California,
I remember having fun and smiling
While my grandpa tied our ponytails together.
I remember how we couldn’t go far without pulling our hair,
I remember it like it were yesterday.
Jennifer Bolanos, 11th grade
A long, long time ago, there was a small swan.
This swan wanted to dance with the prince that was in her dream.
She wanted to feel her own feet against the water,
And watch him float at his tip-toes.
Though, she could not dance with him,
For,
She was just a swan.
She couldn't say a word,
Nor dance and touch the prince's hands.
A small embellishment of a blue teardrop lay in the center of her head,
And thou,
It will grant her three wishes.
One day,
A man came along fishing,
And a sorrowful tear dripped down his cheek.
The simple, lovely swan saw this man,
And swam up to him.
She looked at him,
And he looked back.
Her eyes looked as if she was saying,
"What seems to be the matter,
Noble man to shed a tear?"
The man spoke a couple words to himself and to the swan.
"My wife died of a sickness yesterday."
"And my daughter has been missing for a year."
The swan thought and thought that day,
And when the man returned,
The swan greeted him by giving him a necklace.
The man gasped at the simple jewel.
"This is what my daughter would wear!"
The man stroked the swan,
Thanking her many times.
Though,
She had now used one of her wishes.
A striking pain filled one-third of the swan's heart.
The following day,
A young woman stepped next to the lake where the swan lived,
And the woman sighed angrily at herself.
The swan swam up to the young woman,
And, her eyes asked, "What could be the problem?"
"My beloved husband has gone to fight, and my son is sick."
The woman replied.
The white, feathered, angel animal swam away once the woman had started to cry.
Then,
Out of the mist,
Came the swan.
And strapped to her back,
Was a bottle of medicine,
Big enough for five doses.
And then,
Inside her beak was a piece of paper.
The woman held out her hand and took the medicine,
And smiled greatly.
"This is enough to heal my son!"
The swan nudged at her leg,
Telling the woman that she had forgotten the note.
The woman picked up the piece of paper,
And read it.
"This…This is a note from my husband! Where could have you gotten it?"
The woman's eyes filled up with tears of joy,
And kneeled down to the swan.
The young woman cupped the swan's head in her own hands,
And touched their foreheads together.
The women then waved goodbye,
And ran back to her house.
The swan then felt her heart again,
Fill another 1/3 up with sorrowful,
And somehow,
Regretful pain.
Then,
That following day,
Came a young man.
The swan finally noticed him,
And recognized the boy.
It was the prince from her dreams.
The one she had wanted to dance with.
The young man gave out a frustrated sigh.
"I don't want to get married tomorrow!"
He yelled to the forest behind the lake.
"Why can't Father understand?!"
He screamed again,
Sitting down on a rock,
Cupping his face in his own hands.
"I want to have my own love…
Somebody that I will be happy with!
A commoner if you must!"
The swan felt as if a striking match had been lit up inside her mind.
All of a sudden,
A beautiful,
Young,
Sad woman stepped out of the mist.
The young man looked up.
He was only a year older than her,
So it seemed.
The man stood up,
Looking deep within the woman's eyes,
As she looked into his.
"Prince",
The woman spoke.
The man didn't reply.
He just stood and stared.
"Prince",
She repeated again.
"Will you dance with me?"
She stepped onto the water,
Floating at her tip-toes.
He stepped out with her,
And held her hand and her waist.
She held his hand back and his shoulder.
The two young people danced in silence.
The young woman suddenly had a feeling she had to leave him.
She stepped back,
Slowly tripping over her skirt.
"Wait!"
The prince called after her.
"I am truly sorry my prince.
But I must go."
Those words stained the prince's brain.
The woman sprinted at top speed,
Feeling regret.
A small swan stepped out of the darkness,
Facing the prince.
"Beautiful swan,
Do you know where the woman had run off too?
I wanted to know her name.
Dance with her more.
Know more about her.
I had wanted to take her hand in marriage!"
The man confessed.
The swan shook its head no.
The swan swam away, feeling all of her heart filled with regret and sorrow.
She had used all of her three wishes.
She felt a strong feeling stab her heart,
She tried to cry out,
But she didn't have a song to sing at the end.
All swan's have a beautiful song to sing for their goodbye,
This swan…
Was silent.
Hannah Encarnacion, 9th
This swan wanted to dance with the prince that was in her dream.
She wanted to feel her own feet against the water,
And watch him float at his tip-toes.
Though, she could not dance with him,
For,
She was just a swan.
She couldn't say a word,
Nor dance and touch the prince's hands.
A small embellishment of a blue teardrop lay in the center of her head,
And thou,
It will grant her three wishes.
One day,
A man came along fishing,
And a sorrowful tear dripped down his cheek.
The simple, lovely swan saw this man,
And swam up to him.
She looked at him,
And he looked back.
Her eyes looked as if she was saying,
"What seems to be the matter,
Noble man to shed a tear?"
The man spoke a couple words to himself and to the swan.
"My wife died of a sickness yesterday."
"And my daughter has been missing for a year."
The swan thought and thought that day,
And when the man returned,
The swan greeted him by giving him a necklace.
The man gasped at the simple jewel.
"This is what my daughter would wear!"
The man stroked the swan,
Thanking her many times.
Though,
She had now used one of her wishes.
A striking pain filled one-third of the swan's heart.
The following day,
A young woman stepped next to the lake where the swan lived,
And the woman sighed angrily at herself.
The swan swam up to the young woman,
And, her eyes asked, "What could be the problem?"
"My beloved husband has gone to fight, and my son is sick."
The woman replied.
The white, feathered, angel animal swam away once the woman had started to cry.
Then,
Out of the mist,
Came the swan.
And strapped to her back,
Was a bottle of medicine,
Big enough for five doses.
And then,
Inside her beak was a piece of paper.
The woman held out her hand and took the medicine,
And smiled greatly.
"This is enough to heal my son!"
The swan nudged at her leg,
Telling the woman that she had forgotten the note.
The woman picked up the piece of paper,
And read it.
"This…This is a note from my husband! Where could have you gotten it?"
The woman's eyes filled up with tears of joy,
And kneeled down to the swan.
The young woman cupped the swan's head in her own hands,
And touched their foreheads together.
The women then waved goodbye,
And ran back to her house.
The swan then felt her heart again,
Fill another 1/3 up with sorrowful,
And somehow,
Regretful pain.
Then,
That following day,
Came a young man.
The swan finally noticed him,
And recognized the boy.
It was the prince from her dreams.
The one she had wanted to dance with.
The young man gave out a frustrated sigh.
"I don't want to get married tomorrow!"
He yelled to the forest behind the lake.
"Why can't Father understand?!"
He screamed again,
Sitting down on a rock,
Cupping his face in his own hands.
"I want to have my own love…
Somebody that I will be happy with!
A commoner if you must!"
The swan felt as if a striking match had been lit up inside her mind.
All of a sudden,
A beautiful,
Young,
Sad woman stepped out of the mist.
The young man looked up.
He was only a year older than her,
So it seemed.
The man stood up,
Looking deep within the woman's eyes,
As she looked into his.
"Prince",
The woman spoke.
The man didn't reply.
He just stood and stared.
"Prince",
She repeated again.
"Will you dance with me?"
She stepped onto the water,
Floating at her tip-toes.
He stepped out with her,
And held her hand and her waist.
She held his hand back and his shoulder.
The two young people danced in silence.
The young woman suddenly had a feeling she had to leave him.
She stepped back,
Slowly tripping over her skirt.
"Wait!"
The prince called after her.
"I am truly sorry my prince.
But I must go."
Those words stained the prince's brain.
The woman sprinted at top speed,
Feeling regret.
A small swan stepped out of the darkness,
Facing the prince.
"Beautiful swan,
Do you know where the woman had run off too?
I wanted to know her name.
Dance with her more.
Know more about her.
I had wanted to take her hand in marriage!"
The man confessed.
The swan shook its head no.
The swan swam away, feeling all of her heart filled with regret and sorrow.
She had used all of her three wishes.
She felt a strong feeling stab her heart,
She tried to cry out,
But she didn't have a song to sing at the end.
All swan's have a beautiful song to sing for their goodbye,
This swan…
Was silent.
Hannah Encarnacion, 9th
Images of Reality
The sight of fresh green tall trees
The smell of pure water and smoke from campfires
The chilling air at night and the itching of my skin from hungry mosquitoes
The sound of leaves dancing through the air the waves rushing to the shore
The thought of ferocious bears devouring the sweets left out on the table
The clear view of stars
The delicious taste of hot marshmallows melting chocolate and crackers
All these pictures lingered in my head as I imagined my first experience camping
Maria Ayala, 11th
The sight of fresh green tall trees
The smell of pure water and smoke from campfires
The chilling air at night and the itching of my skin from hungry mosquitoes
The sound of leaves dancing through the air the waves rushing to the shore
The thought of ferocious bears devouring the sweets left out on the table
The clear view of stars
The delicious taste of hot marshmallows melting chocolate and crackers
All these pictures lingered in my head as I imagined my first experience camping
Maria Ayala, 11th
Did you Really Care?
All those times I tried to contact you,
You were never there
All those nights I cried for you
You just didn’t seem to care
I used to blame myself for all that
But now that I am older and wiser
I see the truth behind your departure
In a blink of an eye, you disappeared from my life
But now I know I’m not the reason you said good bye.
Every night I cry
Thinking of how it would be if you were here
That could be the cure to drying all my tears
But sadly I know that will never be true.
So now I know that all my love
Shouldn’t be wasted on someone who left me behind.
You said that you would never leave me
But if that were true then why don’t you ever look for me anymore.
You call your niece your daughter
But where does that leave me?
Don’t you know I’m your daughter too.
So now that I am older and wiser,
I realized that I don’t need you.
Janeth Silva, 11th
All those times I tried to contact you,
You were never there
All those nights I cried for you
You just didn’t seem to care
I used to blame myself for all that
But now that I am older and wiser
I see the truth behind your departure
In a blink of an eye, you disappeared from my life
But now I know I’m not the reason you said good bye.
Every night I cry
Thinking of how it would be if you were here
That could be the cure to drying all my tears
But sadly I know that will never be true.
So now I know that all my love
Shouldn’t be wasted on someone who left me behind.
You said that you would never leave me
But if that were true then why don’t you ever look for me anymore.
You call your niece your daughter
But where does that leave me?
Don’t you know I’m your daughter too.
So now that I am older and wiser,
I realized that I don’t need you.
Janeth Silva, 11th
I tell myself
I will be successful
I will follow instructions
I will always say the right thing
Always be noted for what I do right
What I become if I do
I will live a well intentioned life
I will watch the nightly news
And I will believe all they tell me
I will be respected for my lack of personality
I will go so far
But then I do wrong
And I am not successful
And I do not follow instructions
And I am judged for what I do wrong
Because when I saw wrong
I saw how right wrong was
And how wrong right was
I wondered if I was trying to find a way out of my work now
Or if I really did not believe in the life so many others have lived
Then realized I was not alone in my perception
And I was inspired
By the likes of Patti and Thoreau and Kerouac
By the characters like Holden and Alaska and Alice
And through experience I learned that reality is better than this world we live in
This is but a figment
Until I find the reality I thrive for
I must make my moments more dense
And maybe do more wrong
And live the life I never dreamed of
Lindsey Rocha, 11th
I will be successful
I will follow instructions
I will always say the right thing
Always be noted for what I do right
What I become if I do
I will live a well intentioned life
I will watch the nightly news
And I will believe all they tell me
I will be respected for my lack of personality
I will go so far
But then I do wrong
And I am not successful
And I do not follow instructions
And I am judged for what I do wrong
Because when I saw wrong
I saw how right wrong was
And how wrong right was
I wondered if I was trying to find a way out of my work now
Or if I really did not believe in the life so many others have lived
Then realized I was not alone in my perception
And I was inspired
By the likes of Patti and Thoreau and Kerouac
By the characters like Holden and Alaska and Alice
And through experience I learned that reality is better than this world we live in
This is but a figment
Until I find the reality I thrive for
I must make my moments more dense
And maybe do more wrong
And live the life I never dreamed of
Lindsey Rocha, 11th
I remember the death of summer,
and with her many of life’s illusions.
Replaced by rapturous revelations
That burned away the fog of ideology.
Ironic that I was consciously deciding to live
As the world around me died.
Seamus Swendson, 11th
and with her many of life’s illusions.
Replaced by rapturous revelations
That burned away the fog of ideology.
Ironic that I was consciously deciding to live
As the world around me died.
Seamus Swendson, 11th
I Remember
I remember jumping in the creek and running through the pasture.
I remember having plenty of space and freedom to do whatever I felt.
I remember how the overcast would cover the sky at nightfall.
I remember those cool spring mornings with the smell of cows and grass in the air.
I remember hearing the cows off in the distance.
I remember my dad telling me he wanted to move.
I remember being transfixed in the thought of starting new.
I remember being completely willing to up and leave everything I was used to.
I remember liking anything that was a new idea.
I remember being so excited to come closer to family.
I remember moving to the valley of the moon, with its vineyards engulfing the hillsides.
I remember coming to school in this new town for the first time.
I remember beginning to plant new roots in this new town.
Then, I remembered my old home.
Then I remembered my old friends.
Then I remembered my old life on the dairy and how much more different it was than living in town.
Then, I remembered that everything happens for a reason.
Dylan Ferreira, 11th
A boy and his dog
we journeyed all the way to ukiah to get my sweet puppy
roscoe was so small then
his cries leaked from are car the whole way home
he missed his mommy
he was scared of this new home
but the new smells were too exciting to ignore
after a long day of people fussing over him he was still awake
one hard game of chase took care of that
roscoe crawled into his sleeping crate
but he couldn’t fall asleep
I slept next to him the whole first night
years after that he runs the household
Gabe Evkhanian, 11th
Two days before
The crisp smell of pine trees was in the air
The yellow sun was rising up
Our not yet golden skin was soaking in the warmth
One day before
The beachy breeze was flowing in the wind
Enjoying every microscopic aspect of life
Letting our hair dance in the wind
Just one day was all I had
Ava Gonzales, 11th
The crisp smell of pine trees was in the air
The yellow sun was rising up
Our not yet golden skin was soaking in the warmth
One day before
The beachy breeze was flowing in the wind
Enjoying every microscopic aspect of life
Letting our hair dance in the wind
Just one day was all I had
Ava Gonzales, 11th