Williston Central School

Waiting to be Found

By Becca Daniels
Williston Central School, Grade 8

I stand there, barely moving
Feeling lost and confused
Waiting to be found
Standing there
While the rest of the world continues to move around me
Moving more quickly than usual
They’ve all found themselves
They know who they are
And who they want to become
But what about me
As I stand there
Still not sure exactly who I am
Not really sure what I want to be
Waiting…
To be found.

looking through perspective of someones eyes
as minutes pass and the years go by
seeing something creating
right before your eyes
you see your reflection
in a mirror
as you right this poem
looking through the glass
letters form then words
but all jumbled up in your mind
trying to think but nothing
you put your pen down then walk away
taking a break from
your life

I don't know what's missing.
I'm looking and looking and looking again.
But what is it?
It's a part that's important.
A thing you can't go without.
I think... I know... it's....
Darn. I lost it.
I truly don't know what it is...

Oh.
I know now.
for all this writing
I forgot
to put down
a surprisingly important symbol.

A tiny part of my ABCs

E

YWP

By Gregory Meyer
Williston Central School, Grade 8

If you write something that's really great
or even something that you hate
you can put it up for all to see
by posting it on YWP.

You will get comments to help you improve
so when you write new things, people will say, "Whoa! Dude!"
Whether you write about life, a tree, your pup
with comments, quality can only go up.

By signing up for YWP,
you can create a new ID.
Writers only look at the username,
so a back country kid can grow into fame!

With luck and skill
there's a chance your piece will
be printed in the news
for thousands of views.

So now you see
that YWP
is really great
to express love and hate.

So,
you see what I say?
It was born
to convey.

Anger strikes your heart
Look what they've done!
They've destroyed our country!
They have taken the family that I love
And I will never see them again.
You look out onto the big gold covered field
Many soldiers
Lie on the ground
Dying right in front of your eyes
It's sad
It's sick
You watch a man ducking down in the grass
He is struck by a bullet
The pain in his eyes
Is very powerful He can’t help it but lie there in gony He leans over
And says something to one of his friends
This is your chance!
You can fire at the soldier that he's talking to
You see the man
Also pain in his eyes
His friend is dying
Lying on the ground
And he can't do anything about it
He probably has a family
That was taken away
Or something really special
That he has lost
And then you remember
That he's just like you
A strong man that has had his downs in war too.
You take your eyes off the scope
You won't kill him
He is as helpless as you are
You are at war
The reason why we are dying.

It never happened
That’s what I say to myself
I don’t want to admit to it
I just don’t want to know that it ever happen
Just to forget about it

Maybe if we pretend that it didn’t happen it will go away
But no
It's always there
It never goes away
Even if we want it to

It might not affect my body
but it will affect my heart
a person I love
I wish it never happened

Everybody
everyone
infact
every person
every living thing
in this world
is out there
living their lives
having the best time

Alone and away
from that everybody
is a nobody
a loner
stuck on the farm
working and hacking
and milking.
The job
so rough
yet so fulfilling
even to know that everyone
in the whole world
is out there living their lives.
What a great feeling.

My dream
I can tell you
it was not this.
I wanted to
go everywhere
go anywhere
climb the tallest mountain
and finally have something to be proud of.
I wanted to be the first woman
president
and on top of that
the first African American president.
But no
I'm stuck on the farm
with dozens
and dozens
of cows to milk
weeds to hack
things to do
that I do not
want to.

I wish
I just wish that in a poof
my life could be turned around
and I wish that all of that
wonderfully
fantastic
day dreaming
I just experience
was me
and that the person that makes me have to do
all of this
will have to do it
and they can see what it feels like.
When EVERYBODY but you is out having fun!
But then again
day dreams....
are just day dreams.
Right?

Your thoughts on my thoughts

By Ellie Laukaitis
Williston Central School, Grade 8

Have you had a time
when you imagine every conversation,
every last word,
and then
they never get said?
When something's planned to go one way,
but then it backfires
and the getaway car turns left
instead of right.
And that's when you realize windows are two-way.
and maybe every feeling
is two-way also...
so you look at it the other way
and imagine speaking about that
Like with the archery target...
and the sharks and minnows
and the fact that
you didn't drown
on your 200 breaststroke.
Did you even watch me?
I'm sorry, but I believe I'm at the point
where you can't remember where conversations end
and thoughts and emails
begin.
Did I ever tell you about that day?
Did you know
being spontaneous
is actually planning,
then forgetting
(or forgetting to forget
and actually remembering,
and then you're not spontaneous at all but you have to still make it look like you haven't been planning this conversation for the past week or so, which of course you haven't, so maybe really
the people who are good at being spontaneous
are actually just really good actors).
Did you read
everything I said? Everything I wrote?
Can you hear all the unsaid words
I hung in the air
with fishing line
last August?
Maybe I underestimated you,
my great rambling friend
Maybe, by some freak chance,
you understand
and you can read this
even though you'll never read this
and you feel the same way
and maybe you could hear the whole time

and now you're left standing there
wondering where
all those unsaid words
go.

The Test

By Jonathan Slimovitch
Williston Central School, Grade 8

I walked into the half filled classroom, passing under the teacher’s scrutinizing glare that seemed to stare straight into my soul. I blinked, reminding myself of the long ordeal ahead. There would be no time for hesitation or panic.
The classroom in front of me was filled with desks. Each desk was empty save for a yellow number 2 pencil and a thick packet of creamy, white paper. There were two large groups of shiny wooden desks, with a thin open space that ran down the middle. Most of the desks on the right side had already been taken by students. I strode confidently towards the group of desks on the left, determined not to let others see my fear. I finally chose a desk near the front of the room. A girl sat down in the seat next to me. She flashed me a nervous smile as her eyes darted to the clock above the blackboard. We were all nervous.
The door slammed shut, making each of us jump. The teacher walked carefully to the front of the room, her cold piercing stare making those who made eye contact shudder in their seats. She stopped at the front of the room, turning to face us. Her words rang strong and clear in the otherwise silent room.
“You may begin.”
I quickly flipped over my test, ignoring the big black letters S-A-T on the top of the packet. I signed my name quickly with the number 2 pencil in the space provided, my eyes already darting down to the first question.
‘Name 4 of the main themes involved in Mark Twain’s book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.’ The question gave four possible answers; a, b, c, or d. I circled a, and moved onto the next problem. I moved through the first 10 pages of the test relatively easily, struggling slightly on the essay questions. We worked in silence for over an hour, scribbling away at our test packets under the teacher’s baleful glare.

Eighth Grade Speech: Soaring Through Challenges

By Chloe Trifilio
Williston Central School, Grade 7

Four score and seven years ago . . . Just kidding, it was only eight years ago that’s when it all started for us. We were like little birds getting ready to take the flight of a life. First grade, first steps being little kids in a big school. Then time goes on and it flips. We are the big kids in a seemingly little school. And in a couple more months you’ll be the little kids again. It seems like whenever you face a challenge an even bigger challenge comes up. It feels like your wings need a rest but you've got to keep flapping along. But no matter how many challenges we face, I believe that we can get through the challenges and hard times even with a little help from our peers, our teachers, and our parents. They’ve all helped in some way in our arrival to these great challenge-bringing seats and for that I thank you.

When tests come to mind, I think of long scary pages of writing that I have to solve. I always worry if I will flunk a test or if I will have to retake it. I don’t usually flunk tests, but that thought pops into my mind when I’m taking one. There are many scary things in school, but test taking is my least favorite of all.

Everybody
everyone
in fact
every person
every living thing
in this world
is out there
living their lives
having the best time

Alone and away
from that everybody
is a nobody
a loner
stuck on the farm
working and hacking
and milking.
The job
so rough
yet so fulfilling
even to know that everyone
in the whole world
is out there living their lives.
What a great feeling.

Welcome to now,
Where war,
Is a plague,
Where death,
Lurks around every corner,
Welcome,
To the problematic system,
Where we have locked ourselves in,
But can not find the key,
It is a world,
Where we hurt ourselves,
Just as much as we hurt others,
Where we play games,
In our minds,
Just to forget the painful day,
Welcome back,
To where the sinners,
Rejoice,

Emotion

By Anne Spector
Williston Central School, Grade 7

Emotion,
not just a facial expression,
a feeling,
something on the inside,
is it happiness,
sadness,
confusion,
anger,
should you let all of your emotions bottle up?
or let them all out every time you feel it?
maybe just some emotions or is that not right,
should you let them all out?

Seeking

By Lida Lutton
Williston Central School, Grade 8

Seeking out the words,
that trouble us,
the words that make us feel,
like we're in a sea,
of confusion.
We all try to understand,
and comprehend,
the things,
that don't make sense.
We study them,
until each word fits,
like a top,
to a bottle.
We all look,
within,
the letters.
We find,
the real meanings.