Homegrown Verse - Page 3 
Learning to squat right can be real tricky.
The umpire has to have her way and is picky.
The batter is threatening me with her practice swing.
My coach is yelling "Do the right thing"
The pitcher is demanding I throw down my mask.
She says it as if it were that easy of a task.
Then the pitcher gets in her tossing stance
and I look at the batter for a second glance.
I muffle a laugh as I look at the outfielders' faces
They have all stepped too far back in the wrong places
The opposing teams' dugout is filled with loud chants
I get ready to catch the ball as I rearrange my pants
I see the ball in slow motion and watch it come near.
and watch as it about hits the batter in her rear.
I can't help but laugh at this strange sight
I am glad I played catcher.
If only for a night.
- Meredith Stegall, age 14
Mad
I love to make my teacher mad.
I think it's so much fun.
The others in my class agree.
I'm not the only one!
When it starts
Her eyes bug out,
Soon after that
She starts to shout.
Her face turns red.
Her lips turn white,
Her hair sticks out,
She's quite a sight!
Her voice gets louder with each word,
And then she starts to screech.
She screams at levels I don't think
A human voice should reach!
If she has something in her hand
She throws it on the floor.
If she is standing near the hall,
She slams the classroom door.
She bangs her books upon her desk.
We try hard not to laugh.
She writes so hard upon the board
The chalk snaps right in half.
I know just what will happen
When it's MY turn to go wild.
She'll likely say, "Oh grow up!
Don't act like such a child!!"
- by Genevieve Petrillo, teacher
My Friend
God gave us loving families
to help us on our way,
to dry the tears, and chase the fears,
and brighten up each day.
Aunts and Uncles, Gramps and Gramms,
Little brothers, too!
Moms and Dads and sisters dear,
Can keep us safely through.
He also gave us special friends,
kindred spirits, faithful, true,
with hearts alike and minds the same,
we walk together, two by two.
Of all the friends that God has made,
I like the ones the best
who're always cheerful, helpful, kind:
They stand out from the rest!
And so my friend, I thank the Lord,
with grateful heart, on bended knee,
that in His wisdom, great and good,
He sent you here to me.
- R.R. Reames, adult
Cries of the Children
(a Shakespearean sonnet)
Small children fearfully cried in terror
Forcefully dragged away from their parents
All this because Hitler made an error
Horrid testing and the experiments
Starving children longing for any chance
Sadly unable to grow up at all
Just given a hateful and dirty glance
How could this happen to someone so small?
Innocent children not allowed to live
Instead made to die a meaningless death
Germans took their youth, and back, cannot give
Children now gasping for one final breath
Hatred of a different race of manWas not what God had written in his plan- Amy I. Reames
My shadow is such a bother to me
Is yours the same to you?
Mine mimics my every move,
He's involved in everything I do!
I told him to stop following me
but he stays hooked to my shoes
I've tried to run away from him
but he's Oh so hard to lose
He's right with me when I wake up
and my shadow loves to play in the sun,
he leaves for lunch around 12:00
but he's back in full view at 1:00
He follows me to my baseball games,
he follows me to the mall
and though he'll walk with me in the park
he doesn't go swimming at all
he'll go to the edge of the pool,
yet when I jump in,
he's nowhere to be seen
maybe he doesn't have a bathing suit
or he probably don't like the chlorine
All in all; I really like my shadow
and Mom says he'll be with me to the end,
we have so much in common
I guess my shadow is my best friend
- Theodor Capitani Von Kurnatowski
Age 16, 7/1/96
Panic Attack
(Dedicated to Patrick Brady)
Gasping,
Can't breath.
Shaking,
Can't stop.
Stomach hurts,
Won't go away.
Because you're in the room.
- Erin S. Crowley, Age 13
Slipping into the Darkness
(Dedicated to Patrick Brady)
Don't you see?
Are you to naive?
You have to be blind
To not know.
People I don't even know,
Strangers can see
What you can't.
Your hurting me,
Literally.
My stomach aches when you come near,
I can't breath,
I burst into tears,
And slip away.
My hands lose there hold
On a rock I'm clinging to.
That rock is love.
I see it slip away.
I watch in horror
As it tumbles and smashes
At the bottom
Of my self-created tunnel of darkness.
I know soon,
That will be me.
DON'T LOOK INTO THE DARKNESS!
I don't want you to see me there.
- Erin S. Crowley, age 13
On the Pond
Wind is making whitecaps on the pond,
Cattails waving gently on the pond,
Swallows dive, blackbirds sing,
Blue sky over everything.
Sunlight scatters diamonds on the pond.
Dragonflies are dancing, on the pond.
Playing tag and hopscotch on the pond.
Wings of silver, black and white,
Weave and dart in graceful flight,
Sparkle in the sun, out on the pond.
Catfish are a feedin' on the pond.
Moving at the bottom of the pond.
Whiskers long and bellies white,
Swimming in the gray-green light,
Hunting for the crawdads, on the pond.
I think I'll go a fishin' on the pond.
Take my cane pole, chair, and bait
out on the pond.The mulberry tree will shelter me,
And the frogs will sing my song,
And I'll find some peace of mind,
out on the pond.- R.R. Reames, adult
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Critter ABCs
Ogden Nash