Nature

I haven't decided whether or not this poem is done yet:

Water drips down
Being wrung from
The cottony clouds
Backed by the soft blue
Reflected through the prism
By sunlight

The mulch
And the rocks
Lend their perfume
To the air
Mixing with the rain's
Soap that's been cleaning
The tree leaves

I inhale
Taking in the scents
From the mixing pot
It smells like spring

The sky is of the purest blue
Filled with clouds, fluffy and white
There are flowers of many colors
All around me, birds are taking flight

A stream is gurgling perpetually
A tree stands over it proudly
The wind blows gently through
Softly, but always surely

The critters of the land
Are playing amongst the grass
The don't have a care in the world
No vexing thoughts through their minds pass

This is my sanctuary
Here, I can be at peace
This is where I can learn
Because the troubles of my mind cease

Nature is constant
She will always be there
All around all of us
Taking us into her care

Nature can be kind and cruel
She grows and gives life
But she can also take it away
And cause quite a bit of strife

She knows how to care for herself
Knows when to clean house
And when to create new life
From the blue whale to the mouse

Here in my sanctuary, I realize this
Nature is like a mother to all
She takes us under her wings
Our mistakes, she must haul

She provides for everyone
And gives us a chance to live
But when we overstep our boundaries
A punishment, she's not afraid to give

Nature has always existed
And will always continue to be
Here, in my sanctuary
This is what I've come to see

The sweet smell
Of the air
Out here, all alone
In these woods
Surrounded by
A myriad of colors
And uncountable lives
Every step brings
Something new
To my senses
The sound of a bird
Calling to its mate
A bug climbing
Up the trunk of a tree
The sound of
A nearby stream
Where the fish
Are swimming freely
Going wherever
The current takes them
The bear lying in wait

This is my world
This is my forrest
This is my river
And this is me pretending
This is all I'll ever need
And I truly believe that
Or at least I want to
Some may call my life freedom
But I am imprisioned by this forest
Tied by my bonds
Cut off from my kind
I'll never be able to
Find the one I love
Or even talk to anyone
I can view them at a distance
But that of all

He walks in through the front door, no one notices him at first. But then slowly conversation stops, and heads begin to turn. Who is he? This newcomer whose scent they do not recognize. He does not belong in their group, he is not welcome here. Warily, they begin to circle him, round and round. Waiting for him to make his first move. They snarl at him, but do not yet advance for the kill. He looks up at them, and emits his attack call "Hey guys! My names Rob, I'm the new kid! I like Nintendo. Reading, too."

Three Haiku

By Allison Getz
Oxbow High School, Grade 10

Nature:

It is Winter now
It is getting much colder
Soon, the world will rest

School:

Noisy, loud, boring
Noisy is the loudness that
bores me to my death

Vermont:

Beautiful nature
Green mountains high above us
Alone in the world

"--Friendly with earth. And sit there, quiet, breathing...."
~~"Eleven." Archibald MacLeish.

Make friends with the yard, seen
Small through square orifice
Of old wood. Shed walls
Splinter like tree flesh, like dry skin.
Eyes blink in the dust,
Surrounded by slender stalks
With metal heads
Half hidden in the dark.

Flee,
Kiss the dirt under the peach tree,
Peonies fit to burst,