Badgerblog

There is a wilderness that
no one can access, except for
a select few, and even then
they cannot imagine how far
and wide it stretches or how
different it is from their own world.
They assume what the rest of
the wilderness is based on
is what little they’ve seen,
but they have no idea.
With snakes ready to poison,
vultures waiting for death,
and lizards hiding in the sand.
No one understands this place.
Not even those who live in it.
This wilderness is my mind.

Stewart, middle school, downtown summer camp

In the very beginning, God created animals and placed them where he thought they’d go best. He also picked a ruler or a “king” of each habitat, like Tiger: Ruler of the Amazon. He made special privileges and responsibilities for them. All was well for a certain amount of time. That was before King of the Pond started taking advantage. God had put Toad as the pond ruler, or Toad: King of the Pond.

“Everyone look at me! I can stand on one leg and hop up and down,” said Toad. Everyone ignored the toad. It was true and clear that God had given Toad very strong legs to hop on. When he saw that no one was paying attention, he said “I am the best song singer of all of you, listen: “la de mi sooo.” Indeed, God had given him a beautiful voice. But no one liked him bragging. “Why does no one respect me anymore?” Toad wondered. Well, the question should have been re-phrased but the simple answer was—you brag too much.

“Look at me, I’m slick and green, I am beautiful. I catch food by the mouthfuls with my tongue.” God had given Toad a slick beautiful body and a huge tongue to catch food to share with his fellow animal friends, not to brag about. God saw that Toad was bragging too much, so he gave Toad a consequence.

“You will grow a bump each time you brag.”

And so each time the Toad bragged, he grew an ugly bump on his slick body. Toad still was too boastful to stop bragging. God added, “Your legs will now be weaker so you have to hop on two legs.” This didn’t stop Toad from bragging. Now God saw that all of this was still not stopping Toad from bragging, so he did one last thing. He gave him a small, skinny, catching-one-fly-at-a-time tongue. Toad did not care, he could still sing and brag just the same with his mouth. So God gave him an ugly voice. Finally, Toad stopped bragging. He was too ashamed. He had nothing else. This saddened and embarrassed him so much that he ran to the nearby marsh and hid under the moss.

Toad finally learned his lesson. That’s why you rarely see toads in ponds now and why they hide in dark green marshes.

Gloria, sixth grade, Austin Waldorf summer camp

The sound of snarling pit bulls rings in my ears as clear as a bell, a rigid, cold bell. I get chills up my spine. “Bang!” I hear a shot like a firecracker. Within the next few moments a bloodcurdling screech of pain and agony cuts through the air, through my head, stabbing my soul like a knife slashed in water.

“Ari, get inside!” my grandmother bellows with a terrified edge to her ancient voice.

Later, I am followed down the street like prey. Defenseless prey. It doesn’t connect in my mind, to know why he stalks, but I know he is there. The bass from the speakers shake the earth greater than any earthquake. And the profane rap leaks from the piece of rusted metal called a car stereo. Among the sewer water, cans of Budweiser and candy wrappers float carelessly. . . . A civil war begins. . . . Riots and incomprehensible Spanish is the only thing I hear then.

Yet, it’s not all bad. Down the cluttered street, Shakayla and Jariah talk loudly about nonsense, and my house is being invaded by pregnant felines. This war between the adults, between ethnicity, will not affect me. I will not say that I’m color blind, but I do not take notice. I’m the outsider. I’m unable to fit in. What?! Is it because I’m Mexican?!

Ariana, sixth grade, Ojeda Middle School

Standing in Rio Verde you can feel energy

The people so full of life
if a hurricane were to hit Mexico
it would pass right by

Driving down the dirt roads
you can see tall bushy trees
that look like humongous broccoli

Driving with the windows down
you can feel the hot dry wind
like a heater blowing on your face

Sebu cows walk on the road
like skinny skeletons
with humps like mountains on their backs.

Hector, eleventh grade, Manor Accelerated Academic Recovery Center

’Tis people writing ’round you insouciantly
not knowing you strive to kill them
with a detrimental Ebola strand
’Tis people thinking you’re kidding
when you say you’re their demise
’Tis torturing the remnants of a
once human soul, ’til all compassion
is bled out
’Tis the hypocrisy of
conspiring against your own kind
’Tis hating everyone impartially
Like the wanton and greedy
Parasites that they are

Jorge, tenth grade, Travis High School