Badgerblog

We’ve all stumbled upon traces of those who’ve come before us—in photographs, letters, artifacts. Such things leave us with proof that someone else has passed this way, but they rarely explain who and why and what those moments were made of. This week’s featured poem, “Footprints,” beautifully embraces those ruminations and the reality that we can only find the answers sometimes.

Footprints

I am curious about the footprints
They make me think—
Whose are those?
Who was riding the bike?
Was it a woman?
A man? A child?
The little pond reflects the Earth’s
Living things and living creatures,
Its trees and plants.
I wonder what kind
Of car it was? A truck?
A minivan?
I guess I will never know.

Brenda, fourth grade, Hillcrest Elementary

Click here to see the M. C. Escher image that inspired Brenda’s poem.

Photo courtesy of Lanie Anderson.

Fairy tales are always liberating to a young mind—the colorful, distant lands and clear principles of valor and courage open the imagination to magical, alternative universes. But as time and age force our attention toward “real world” concerns, we lose sight of these fantastical possibilities. This week’s selection, a poem by KayCee from Del Valle High School, reminds us that the world of fairy tales is not merely a place of fiction, but that the people and places we encounter every day are just as full of wonder and romance as the imaginary kingdoms where our young imaginations so often sought escape. Congratulations KayCee for composing such an insightful poem!

Princess

Every girl’s dream is to be a princess,
A princess of a distant country,
Wishing for her prince to come rescue her.

It’s the same in high school.
Everyone wants to be the most popular,
Wants the handsome quarterback boyfriend.

But the truth is:
Being popular is not that important.
(Don’t look at me like I’m stupid!)

Not all guys are quarterbacks,
And you really are the popular princess
In the country of your friends.

KayCee, ninth grade, Del Valle High School

Burgers tend to sell themselves, but the idea of becoming a burger is a little harder to buy into (or bite into). Maria from Bluebonnet Trail Elementary, however, offers this excellent sales pitch on the perks of leaving behind your human life and moving into the realm of burger. Congratulations to Maria on her surprising and delightful piece. Maria clearly has imagination to spare!

Being a Burger

Being a burger is fun because you get to have a spirit. When someone takes his first bite of you, your spirit comes out. You can also take a bite of yourself, and the person who’s going to eat you won’t know. They won’t know because the burger is still visible to them, so when they try eating you they’ll be confused. Being a burger is also fun because you don’t have to go right back to being a burger, you can do whatever you want.

I hope if you ever get the chance to be a burger, you take it and have lots of fun.

Maria, fourth grade, Bluebonnet Trail Elementary School

Alongside last week’s aberrant snow storm, we also get those reminder days—the days with just enough sunshine and warmth to signal the coming spring (which only means summer is closer than we’d like). This week’s Badgerblog selection by Aned from Smith Elementary reminds us what’s ahead as we leave behind the rain and snow to usher in blue skies and green leaves. In this poem, Aned has populated a park with an assortment of sunbathers and fun-seekers. Her lines “The sun is so hot” and “The grass is so green” very simply capture the nostalgia for those days when the world seems almost cinematic. Congratulations to Aned on an excellent poem!

The Park

There are people in the park.

Women with skirts and their mini umbrellas,
Sailors sailing their sailboats,
Dogs and children playing,
Men laying down in the sun.

The sun is so hot.

Dogs are running around,
The children are chasing the dogs,
Picking flowers, swimming,
A lady staring at the sea.

The grass is so green.

A grandma and grandpa dancing in the park,
Tall trees the children can climb on,
Ducks in the pond,
People on their picnic blankets.

Families walking, families running.

Hats with flowers, little animals,
Children with little hats, grass in the pond,
Colorful flowers and beautiful dresses,
Children playing tag and hide-and-go-seek.

There are people in the park

Aned, third grade, Smith Elementary School

The cutting board that never lost its smell
The cast iron pans that gave my world flavor
Those rough hands that made my eggs so perfect

My dog days and scraped knees
My mud pies and dirty feet
My broken legs or future fears
She sat me down with open ears

Jared, eleventh grade, Del Valle High School

Dear Umbrella,

You are so wonderful.
Will you marry me?
You are so cute.
I know you are a girl.
You smell like a strawberry.
Your hair is so cute.
Your body smells like a jasmine flower—
A flower called jasmine.
Can you kiss me?
You are my little star.
You are so nice.
I am going to see you next time.
I am going to bring you a wonderful thing.
You are my cute girlfriend.
I know you’re my friend.

Love,
Pancakes

Jasmine, fourth grade, Barrington Elementary School

It was boiling outside one day when I decided to take a drive. I got in the car, and I turned it on and put on the air conditioner. It made my hair flow. I started to drive, and at first I went a little slow, then a little faster.

When I went faster, I rolled down the window. The air outside made my hair go wild like when you sleep on an ant pile.

As I went faster, my hair got crazier than ever. I went so fast I had to drive in a zigzag because of the other cars.

When I came to an empty road, I went faster than a jackrabbit on a rollercoaster.

Magdalena, fourth grade, Creedmoor Elementary School

On the planet Naboo, Clone Trooper George of the 501st was on an important mission and armed with a rifle. But he aborted the mission. As he ran, he had no memory of anything that had happened, and yet he saw the future. He had a plan. He started his plan. It looked like this: Sixfivefourthreetwoone. That was the plan. So, he began. But he tripped and was badly hurt.

The leader said, “Ha ha ha ha ha.”

George said, “I’m . . . I’m in danger.” And he was.

* * * * *

To be continued immediately: Fox heard his calls for help and so did Rex and Gree.

George wasn’t in the ship for three hours after the battle on Naboo. It is a mystery where he went.

Logan, fourth grade Wooldridge Elementary School

My cousin Lauren has a heart because she is always nice. She is always like, “You want water?” She is only three years old, I think.

When someone falls or cries, she goes and says they hurt themselves. I love my cousin so much. She is like my little hero. We always play together.

When my cousin first wakes up, she is grumpy. When I go get her, I ask, “You want to come with me?” She always says yes. I love her so much. I want her to always be my cousin. She likes to dance and go outside.

When my cousin goes outside, she likes to play tag and do cheers. My sister and I bend our knees and my cousin Lauren gets on top of our knees and stands up. She also says, “Go! Go!” She has brown hair. She is short, and most of the time I see her she has new shoes.

Zianne, fourth grade, Bluebonnet Trail Elementary School

My aunt has hair as curly as two waves atop each other. It is as short as a cat’s tail. It is black like a crow’s feather. It smells like earth, just like her. When you smell it, you can also smell the cocoa butter on her neck. It is sweet.

I love to play with the many curls in it. It feels like silk bunched together. It reminds me of a lion’s mane, short and curly, just like hers. It moves like a palm tree in the wind—slow, steady, and beautiful.

Rylie, fifth grade, Popham Elementary School