Worn, Dry & Dull

Gray faded walls

So worn, dry and dull

And the smell of strong coffee

That once used to dance

But now decides to stay limp

And tired as it hangs in the air

A bowl at the reception

So worn, dry and dull

Still has the stale toffee

With old wrappers and names

Given up on the feeling

Of being touched by hands
Workers at their desks

So worn, dry and dull

Routinely glance at tedious clocks

That mock them with the time

As they lean faces into fists

And free exasperated sighs

On occasion there is a yawn

Among the muted clicks of keys

The only thing that is bright

Is the glowing computer screen

Glared at by the same faces

So worn, dry and dull

by Aiman Naeem

Grade 11, Westwood Community High School

Where She Lies

Eyes round and wide

Brimming red with defeat

There on the street

She lies on her side

Coat covered with dust

She watches them pass

Busy affluent strangers

That eye with disgust

Warm tear on a cold cheek

Is possibly the only sign

That shows she is alive

Albeit worn and weak

Hunger is the greatest bane

Of her unvalued existence

It eats away the patience

As she hopes but in vain

She dreams of her demise

With every taken breathe

On the inhospitable stone

Of the street where she lies

by Aiman Naeem Grade 11, 
Westwood Community High School

Into the Forest

Society is a winged monsterThat maliciously perches uponFragile, insecure branchesWhich belong to abundant trees. It mocks their diversityAnd ridicules those who denyThe rather sharp whispersThat encourage conforming.   It snubs those whose crownsAppear to touch the sky aboveBut laughs at the ones that standMuch closer to the ground. The creature possessesSuch high expectations thatThose who let it make its nestTurn into rotting wood.

by Aiman Naeem

Grade 11, Westwood Community High School

Riverton Bay

There was an old river

Far from this house

Many people call it

The mysterious day

But we like to call it Riverton Bay

Because of the day when

Riverton Bay started to

Mysteriously  swiver away

We once went ice skating

On Riverton Bay

But that was before the day

When Riverton Bay swivered away

So back to business

With no delay and I’ll tell you

The story when Riverton Bay

Started to swiver away

Riverton Bay was sick

One day so he

Wivered and quivered

Itched and twitched

And so he

Wivered

Quivered

Itched and twitched

Until Riverton Bay

Swivered away so

To this day nobody talks

About Riverton Bay

And the day

When Riverton Bay

Mysteriously swivered away

by Jordin Kolmel

Grade 6, Good Shepherd School

Sisters

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 . . .

Then just count 1 more. . .  sister, I am one of six.

You better believe, it is quite the mix,

Of sisters!

One apartment, two bathrooms, four bedrooms, 6 girls. Mornings can be quite a whirl!

Ready for school, off to work,

Many sisters, not many perks!

Home just in time to for a quick treat.

Everything starts off, quite sweet.
Imagine supper all of us, sit down, to eat.

Quarrelling, fighting, all of us out of our seats.

Dessert, is cake,

That mom did bake,

Cut in too many small pieces, perhaps a mistake?

Who gets the biggest? Who gets the best?

We fight, we yell, we scream! Dad finishes the rest!

Now its time to tidy up, number 2 gets plates and cups, Number 1 gets floors and mops, I clean the walls, on top, Number 6 gets underneath my chair,  and never does hershare.

Just before we say goodnight,

Daddy tucks us in real tight!

11, 9, 8, 6, 4, and 1,

So many women in one apartment, so much FUN!

by Amer Gol Jiir

Grade 3, Father Turcotte School

My Dad Brings Home Strange Pets

My dad brings home strange pets…

In the past, he has brought home a tiger from Tibet.

The tiger loved rice,

And chased the mice.   

But he wasn’t very friend or nice.                         

               

Once I asked for a puppy

But he brought home a guppy

Who did not swim?

He died before we could name him Jim.

I remember as a child,

Some of the animals were very wild.

(My dad has been doing this since I was 8,                         

Sometimes we used some strange fish pets

as bait.)

Sometimes I wonder if he’s sane?

None of the animals seemed very tame.

  

I believe my dad became quite famous…

My mom on the other hand, didn’t like all the muss,

But made a home for ALL of US!

My dad brings home strange pets. . .  I wonder what is next?

by Rodney Musanje

Grade 3, Father Turcotte School

My Brother’s Snake

My brother and I went to zoo,

You can’t believe the all thing we could do.

The zoo was having a REALLY BIG sale,

My brother bought a snake, instead of a whale.

I was kind of glad,

Bathing with a whale would get my dad so mad. My mom said, “Take that icky snake away, before there’s an unfortunate attack.”

My brother said, “I’ll send him back”

But he actually put him into a sack.

First my brother put him under his bed,

But he got loose, so my brother hid him in the shed.

Then the snake got a big break,

And HE ESCAPED!

The hungry snake searched the yard for a mouse,

He ended up in our house.

That night, as I read my book on my bed.

Something was crawling near my head,

Then I heard a sharp, “HISSSSSSSS!”

That snake, tried to bite me, luckily, he missed!

I was astounded,

My brother, didn’t even get grounded!

Yet, we never got another PET.

by Lucas Skanes
Grade 3, Father Turcotte School