Crossett Brook Middle School

There once was a time when my family was happy,
but now everything has gone a little bit crappy.
My sister use to be an amazing chick.
Now she’s in the hospital because she’s sick.

My sister is crazy.
It’s made my family sad and lazy.
I hate her for going mad,
but then I really think about it, and I kind of feel bad.

To get to school my friends and I would walk.
The whole time there we would talk.
Then I told them my sister was mental,
and then they dumped me like an old used rental.

It’s hard for us that she’s not here.
Sometimes thinking about it makes us shed a tear.
But our lives still go on.
I met this wonderful boy named John.

My sister in her head is lost.
We all have to pay the cost.
I try to help and care,
but she really is quite a scare.

I miss her very much.
I just want to feel her touch.
But it’s going to be alright.
Things are starting to look bright.

Whispers
What’s this on my head?
It’s the weight of the world,
My world.
Whispers so old,
So unspoken, never told,
I can’t speak,
Because I am so weak,
With the weight of the world on my head.

Now it is on my shoulders,
I can hardly breathe,
I can’t speak,
But I must.
It hurts to, but I must.

I opened my mouth,
And spoke the words,
Of the whispers that grew old,
And were never told,
And the weight was lifted.

Now I am free,
Free to be,
Me.

I wish I were There

I wish I were there,
in her arms.
one last time.
Before she forgot.
Forgot me,
and all we used to be.
I wish I were there.
In her arms,
one last time.
before she forgot,
and moved on.

- Jake Rand

Away

We have to talk.
I'm sorry.
We really need to take
Some time.
away.
How many times do I have
To say...?
Time away.

Just pack up your things and get
gone today.
Need I say... away...
Please,
stay away
just go
Please.

Do I need to repeat?
Just go away.
Letting you go was okay.
but
Need I say...
AWAY.
AWAY...
away...
Just go, today.

Winter Fun
Every winter I snowboard at Sugarbush. I love watching the cotton like snowflakes fall. Everything feels like a winter wonderland. I put my snow gear and walk out the lodge doors. When I ride the ski lift up the mountain the cold air brushes my face. It gives me chills and excitement that winter is here. As i get higher up the mountain i see the beautiful sight behind me. I felt like i was on top of the world.
Once i got on top to the mountain I glided off the ski lift. I quickly pushed myself to the beginning of my fun. I clipped in my bindings and i was off. I was faster then the wind riding along the powdery snow. happiness ran through me, life could not get better than this. When i reached the the ski lift again i felt disappointed. I guess i just wished that one time going down the mountain was everlasting. Gliding through the cold air with the snowflakes forever.

How Come

How come?
How come it all has to happen so fast?
You come into my life,
and out so fast
I can still feel you in my arms.
You left me,
for family and friends.
You left me,
with nothing to hold.
How come me?
How come,
you had to leave?

- Jake Rand

Sweet Little Lies

Everyone always says how
beautiful she is.
I tend to look down in
sorrow.
I look up
and act like I'm happy.
I say "I know."
I look down in sorrow again,
just to remember her
beautiful face.

- Jake Rand

I Am The One

I am the one who will see you for who you are.
I am the one who will be there for you when you fall, always helping you stand tall.
I am the one who will make you laugh when nothing else works.
I am the one that will be there for your cry from pain, emotionally and physically.
I am the one who will make you feel confident and strong.
I am the one who will see your dreams as possibilities, and not something unrealistic.
I am the one that doesn’t care about your abilities, disabilities, race , gender, or anything that people will not accept.
I am the one person who is your best friend.

A Winter Wonderland

As one piece falls gently on your skin,
You get shivers all through your body.
The children's crusty footprints mark it.
Rosy cheeked children eat it as it melts on their tongues.
The white, fluffy flakes float all around in the air,
Glittering and sparkling everywhere.
It really makes the holidays come alive!

The Greatest Time of Year

By Kayla O'Toole
Crossett Brook Middle School, Grade 8

I walk out onto my front porch,
with a big cup of hot chocolate.
I watch the flakes of sugar falling gently on the ground.
I close my eyes and inhale the powerful smell of evergreen.
A cold gust of wind hits my skin as shivers run through my body.

My brother and I jump into the huge piles of snow
laughing so hard we can’t breath.
We take a huge handful of snow and eat it as fast as we can,
hoping to finish our handful of snow before the other one does.
We jump up and run to the big evergreen tree in our front yard exploring it.
It is a cave with the snow covered branches draped over our heads.
We grab as much snow as we can fit in our hands and make a snowman
with all of our clothes on it.

After a long day I put on my warm, fuzzy pajamas and curl up in my bed.
I look out my window watching the snow be blown off the roof.

Lifetime

Do you ever wonder why things happen?
Like when you first meet someone,
and you feel like you've known them for years.
That's a once in a lifetime opportunity.
One that you will regret if you don't act.
The opportunity you should cherish.
Cherish what's right in front you,
before it's out of reach.

- Jake Rand

Love is Wonderful

By Kayla O'Toole
Crossett Brook Middle School, Grade 8

If love is so wonderful
Then why do we fear it?
We wait our whole lives to find it,
But can so easily lose it.

We really don't know what we have until it's gone.
It only takes the power of one person to change your life for the better
Or even for the worse
One single moment can change the rest of your life forever

Life is a winding road that can end quickly.
We walk as far as we can
To find one thing
How wonderful love is.

Memories

The sound of the whistling tree
outside my window.
My racing thoughts turning into memories.
Memories of us.
All that we were
and all we ever will be.
The memories of
us watching the sunset,
holding hands.
The memory of the hug
that makes me miss you so much.
The memories of your amazing smile,
the laughs we had,
the jokes that made no sense
but we still laughed.
The memory of you,
that keeps coming into my memory,
the memory I never want to get rid of.
The memories that make us,
us.

- Jake Rand

First and Last

Even though it was the first time,
it was also the last.
The first time we talked like
we were an old couple.
The last time we’ll ever talk
to each other in a way
we can’t explain.
The first time we’ll
admit to everything.
The last time
we’ll ever cuddle as a couple.

- Jake Rand

Falling

By Jake Rand
Crossett Brook Middle School, Grade 8

I’ll See You later

It was the first time,
and the last.
The first time you hugged me
with compassion.
You hugged me like you wanted
to stay or for me to tag along.
That night I will always
look upon with joy,
but it is the night I will always dread upon.
That night was filled with grace
and joy.
The night I will never forget,
the memories we made.
I felt wanted for the first time.
Don’t think of it as goodbye,
think of it as
I’ll see you later.

- Jake Rand

One Word

How do we manage to do it?
Like someone who’s so far away,
and only get to hold them in your thoughts.
The person who you think of
when you say one word.
The one word that brought you together.
The one word that you can only say
to that one person.
That very person you get picked on,
and cry yourself to sleep over.
The one person you can’t get out of your head
no matter how hard you try.
The one person you will only say,
“I love you” to.

- Jake Rand

The Big Game

We would wait to be called out.
When we were, we would skate around.
Then the big game would start.
The first line would go,
than the other lines would go too.
Oh, we scored!
We would yell and cheer.
Our fans would go wild.
And than when we think we were going to win,
They score.
The game is tied and our hearts are pounding.
Then it goes silent.
Yes! We scored!
Guess that’s the game of hockey.

~Erik Bertalan

I Hope for More

I remember… we made snow huts,
and drank hot chocolate when we came in.
We made cupcakes everyday I came over,
and gave them to Cody for his “birthday”.
We played cards and watched movies.
It was you who taught me go fish.
We rode on the snowmobile and
jumped on the trampoline.
We went for walks and bike rides
and made snow angles in the snow.
I just wanted to let you know, I love you so.

Out of all the things we did before,
all the fun, and all the laughs.
We haven’t stopped yet, and I hope for more.

~Michaela O’Brien

Non-Stop Fun

Happiness is…
in a hammock,
swinging to the peaceful sounds of the lake,
snuggled with a blanket,
on cold winter days.
Happiness is…
crying when needed,
eating a huge piece of pumpkin pie,
with a glass of milk to wash it down,
basking in the sun.
Happiness is…
acting silly,
having non-stop fun,
with no interruptions,
funny memories we will never forget.

~Sarah Bodell

Flying with Ease

I am a hummingbird,
full of abundant energy
Delicately I fly with ease
through the wide open blue.
I am petite and graceful,
making me quick and steady.
My colorful hues and
determination create me!

~Cecilia Baker

Letting the Breezes Run Free.

My family is an umbrella,
Dad is the cloth protecting us
from the sun but being caring so
he makes sure his work is done.
My mom are the metal bars
placed in the middle, holding
everything up, always in tack but
lets the cool breezes run free.
Michael is the handle,
quiet yet funny, always there
to hold on to. Dan is the button
ready to pop any second,
wanting to work, but very
close to his home. And me I am
the colors that shine underneath
the sun. Can’t wait to explore
everything and everyone being
careful just to watch my family grow

~Grace Chmielewski

Fear

Fear is light slipping away,
and darkness converging all around.
It is like something creeping up behind you,
but you never know what it is.
Fear is air becoming cold,
when no one is around.
It is a scary movie,
or just your mind playing tricks.
You can never stop fear,
or even hide from it.
It will always creep up behind you.

~Eli Kravitz

The Deep of the Night

Late at night I lie in my bed.
Tossing and turning, I can’t fall asleep.
I hear all different sounds like
the wind howling to the big bright moon,
crickets chirping their sweet lullaby,
the river moving over, under, and around the rocks.
The many wind chimes in my room play throughout the night.
I shut my eyes and count to fifty.
But I can’t fall asleep, not just yet.
I open my eyes, everything’s dark.
Then I look out my window,
and the moon’s shining shadows fall everywhere.
The stars glisten in the light of the moon,
not moving just staying still.
Then I close my eyes one last time
and I fall into a deep sleep.

~Emily Reagan~

Soft Silk and Creamy Milk

There’s no animal that’s more special than Bailey.
He begs and pleads for your milk,
he’d love a blanket made from silk.
He’ll run and run,
he never stops having fun.
Climbing in plastic bags,
he loves when dog tails wag.
Bailey is very proud,
most of the time his head is stuck in the clouds.
He’s very sweet,
but he’ll never admit defeat.
Bailey is orange and tan,
he loves his food that comes from a can,
He hates his crunchy food,
but he’s always in a delightful mood.
Bailey’s not very smart,
but he sure does love tearing homework apart.
He’s very fat,
but over all he’s still the best cat!

~Hannah Luce

Crazy Ski Seats

Happiness is…
running down the ocean shore,
leaving my footprints,
to get lost by the waves,
being with my friends.
Scoring the winning goal,
as the buzzer sounds.
Happiness is
Picking that once was delicious corn,
out of my teeth,
after dinner,
being on the mountain,
with Emily and grace,
on those crazy ski seats.
Happiness is
laughing when nothing is funny,
playing field hockey,
being with the ones I love and care for.
Now that’s what happiness really is.

~Ashley Nelson~

Autumn comes
and the warm blankets are taken out.
The crisp apples
are ready to be picked.
The temperature starts dropping,
dropping
and dropping.
All of the silly costumes
are taken out for Halloween.
The glow of
Jack-o-lanterns
reflect off the pitch-black atmosphere.
The day becomes black at five
and all of the animals prepare for a
long
cold
winter.

~Cecilia Baker

Free Woman

I’d rather be a butterfly.
I would fly like I’m a free woman.
I’d rather be a cheetah,
running like the speed of lightning.
I’d rather be a tree,
swaying back and forth in the wind.
I’d rather be a mama lion.
I would watch out for my young cubs.
I’d rather be a dolphin,
swimming in the deep blue sea.
I’d rather be a sparrow,
flying high in the blue sky.
I’d rather be a daffodil,
growing up to be a beautiful flower.
I’d rather be a dictionary.
I would know all the words to say.
I’d rather be something else,
but I’ll always be me.

~Marlena Baker

Van Family

My family is a van:
My dad is the tires keeping us firm
and on track.
Mom is the gears
and parts
that keep us going strong.

My brother is the sludge that builds up,
which isn’t always helpful.
My sister is the loud horn that alarms
us sometimes too often.
I am the brakes,
making sure
we don’t hit any bumps along the way.

~Zach Miles

That Not So Great Afternoon

Sorrow is on a late afternoon on July 16,
not knowing what was going on,
asking if he was okay as he shook his head I ponder,
what could have happened.
Getting back to camp and seeing tears in his eyes I ask,
“what is wrong?”
As he stutters and mumbles,
he finally got it out.
“Roca died last night in her sleep.”
I cannot believe what I just heard.
Now, I am crying.
I never thought this would happen.
I never got to tell her how much I loved her,
never got to give her a hug,
or a kiss.
I never got to say good-bye.
I always have a clip in my head of when I last saw her,
Going to work with Rob,
what she loved to do.

~Darby Rutledge