Group Poem by Our Speller's Bookclub

  

Miller: Trees blowing in the sun and soft wind                                                             

Brynn: Blazing stars have me mesmerized

Brielle: Devon, I send you the image of a mother manatee swimming with her baby quietly. They are quiet like us.

Nadia: Water rolling over rocks. Rolling rolling

Sasha: Calming beach. Worry-free white sand with tall palm trees and a stunning look of the ocean.

Luke: like the tree of life because it has deep roots and the birds in my backyard - they r resilient and beautiful

Thomas: A beautiful sunset bringing hope for a new day. 

Aulton: I will picture a beautiful tree standing so tall and firm in nature. It's mycelium is a secret, but its power. The bark looks plain, but is its protection and is shielding nutrients. The branches search out the sun and drink the rays. I find it and lie beneath its shade for a rest and peace. The leaves rustle softly and I notice dimension and countless shades of green in the perfect structure of a grand tree. 

Fox: Best one is in the forest, it's green everywhere. Petals of bright colours are sprinkled in the green. The wind is blowing so everything is moving. 

 Aiden: Think of grass swaying 

Moritz: My image is of some lovely rurus  (owls) sitting in a tree at night, they are calling out you so that you are feeling safe 

Luke: cardinals and blue birds and woodpeckers! 

Pablo: I would think of the pond (from the book). So much hard work , so many problems , but she had a goal.  Maybe it was not perfect, understanding came with time, feelings changed. It was hard, then it was peaceful and she did the work with love

          

Unwanted Visitor at the Red Light by Aiden Levy

 

 

His putrid stench fills my nose and makes my eyes water.

He grabs my intestines, squeezes my lungs. 

Inescapable, unavoidable, his reek robs me of my appetite. 

I long for the light to turn. 

Loathsome sulfur knows no boundaries, shows no mercy.

How do the farmers tolerate his repulsion?

I wish for the pleasant banality of an odorless voyage, but the road trip has just begun.

Time crawls in his foul presence, seconds stretch into centuries, the red light showing no pity. 

Finally, sweet merciful green. 

We speed off, leaving him to hijack another victim.

Hours left to go. 

Star So Bright by Miller Laffoon

 

Dusky Feeling by Ruhi Khanna

 

Close the door

Cross the floor

Map the room 

Hone the broom

Water the flowers 

Plan the shower

Study the sky 

bring the sly

Create the dream

Please the team

Sing the song

Tune the prong

Cherish the day 

Trust the play

Gone is the clock

Restock your thoughts

Sun comes to inspire

Start new desires

Lose the dusky feeling

Embrace the clean living

Sophia Kapoor

 

I like to play hide and seek
With myself
As I gaze into the mirror
My dreams seem more real to me
Than the life I live
In dreams I can be me
Not pretend
To be perfect
No judgments
I close my eyes and open them again
And create a whole new world

 

Sophia loves this quote by the scholar and poet Rumi.
“Maybe you are searching among the branches for what only appears in the roots”… Rumi

Speaking Is Overrated by Jack Haynes

 

Communication is the cornerstone to autonomy and participation in life. It is a human right. It is the humane thing to listen and allow all to have a voice. I suppose the word choice of voice is more metaphorical for us nonspeakers but that doesn’t make our words any less valuable.

As a society, there is so much value placed on speech. It is used as proof of intelligence. It is a priority for many in this fast paced world. Rushing through stories with phrases like “long story short”, while the listener is too busy thinking of their response to truly listen to the speaker.

Spelling to communicate may be a long and arduous process but it forces those around us to slow down to hear our words. It allows us to be extremely intentional in our word choice and message. It allows us to communicate effectively without a  need to just fill the silence with unnecessary noise.

This is not to say that speech lacks value but it is overrated. It isn’t a requirement for communication or intelligence. Our words hold value even if they are spelled out one letter at a time. Hear us and value us even without the use of our mouths.

Living the Life I Want to Live

 By Pablo Hernandez

      My birthday is coming in November.  Finally, I will be 18. The adult world is almost at my door, and I want to be ready.  I will be getting some money and I want to open an ABLE account. Time to do things I want to do with my own money.

      I finish my high school this year too. This is an accomplishment that I am proud of when I think of all I have learned. Having my high school education was not for me, it seemed, when I was little. Learning was limited to preschool level, and I felt angry and frustrated. My mind is understanding life with more learning. 

      It hurts me to think I can't go to college,  but it is not going to be for me right now. Hungry to learn, I must get my learning food in other ways. My mom can help me work on college classes that are online and I can read about anything I want to know.

      What will life have to show me? I want to see my work help non-speakers in some way. I'll make this my new goal.