AppleSauce Publications

Melbin, Timony Grammar School

Dad’s from ’61

Dad’s from ’61
47 years to learn
Experience and knowledge reign
Knowledge of 1500 leaves
French Larousse
Webster’s English
The Arabic’s source
Algebraic, scientific tutor
Sit beside him
Information enters the mind
Books overrule
House, office, van
Flip his pages
Pay attention
Learn on the way
My walking encyclopedia
Keep in sight
Feel the urge for knowledge
Pull him off the shelf
He’s my combo source
Dad’s from ’61.

Shareef Kotb
Bruce School

A Remarkable Adventure

I was in my living room,
Studying for a test,
When I saw a troll thinking
“I’ll eat this tiny pest!”
I tried to sneak away,
Thinking the troll is not too bright,
But the troll had clearly seen me,
He had me in his sight!

I ran for the window,
For I was on the first floor.
But when I saw that it was locked,
I ran right for the door.
Luckily the door was open,
I ran out on the driveway.
Fortunately to open the door,
The troll had found no way.

I was planning on alerting
The authorities at their station,
When I saw a pack of wolves,
Growling in frustration.
The wolves were approaching,
And began to walk faster,
But I held my ground strong,
To prove I was their master!

The wolves had me surrounded,
So I began to spin around.
But that was when a falcon
Swept me right off the ground!
It dropped me in a forest,
Which was many miles away.
That’s the reason why my homework
Isn’t here with me today.

Tim
Timony Grammar School

listen to Tim read his piece

New Beginnings

One’s hair is symbolic,
Long hair can represent much.
It symbolizes long friendships,
Long regrets,
Something with which you stay with
For a length of time.
But in the end it is cut…
To sprout New Beginnings.

poem and artwork by Madelaine
Marsh Grammar School

listen to Madelaine talk about her poem and her art

Carmen, Tenny Grammar School

listen to Carmen talk about her art

Reptiles

One normal day in the Parthum School, our teacher was in her usual mood. “You have been flunking every single exam!” she screamed. “Why can’t you ever behave yourself?” she always hollered.

But then one day the principal came to talk with her. “So why did you bring me here?” she asked.

“Well, you see, I have been getting complaints about you.”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re not teaching! You don’t give examples to help them. You are yelling at them. Parents are complaining about kids not learning. They misbehave because they are telling you to actually teach!”

“Well, what to do propose that I do?”

“Nothing!”

“What?”

‘That’s right, nothing! You know why?” He didn’t give her time to reply. “For strange matters I’m afraid I have to tell you. You are dismissed.” Mrs. Hamel was now extremely demented.

“I will get my revenge!” she shouted with wicked glee. “In the Halloween dance coming up in a few weeks.” She started laughing maniacally in her car.

In a week she planned her revenge. It was ingenious. She went all over the internet to buy or order some snakes. She captured dragons, cobras, vipers and more, even the world’s most poisonous snake, the black twelve foot taipan that has the venom to kill two hundred thirty men in one bite. She needed a place to store the reptiles so she hid them in metal containers that were super locked. She helped deliver them to school by telling them they were donated from an anonymous person, and told the school not to open the containers because they were a surprise. Then she sneaked right into the school, opened the containers and ran right out. Then she sat down and watched the disturbing magic. “They won’t slither away with this one!” she cackled, and once again laughed maniacally.

She did everything as planned. At the dance, everyone was starting to sign on. “Hey, I’ll meet you guys in a minute. I’ve got to use the bathroom,” proclaimed John. He was entering the bathroom and finished his business. To his horror, when he was exiting, there was a reticulated python blocking the exit. It was a thirty-five foot snake, the longest in the world! What are the chances?

“What the heck is that?”

It was slithering towards him. The closer it got, the more he stepped back. The python was extremely hungry. It went into striking position and did the attack. It was a perfect shot. It constricted him and ate him.

Another teacher remembered that John was missing. She went to look for him. She heard John screaming in the bathroom. She ran as fast as she could. She opened the door and said, “What in the name of Parthum is going on! Oh my gosh!” She saw John getting swallowed whole. She ran to the nearest window and jumped out of it. Unfortunately there was a Gila monster there. It was so shocked that it bit and poisoned her. What a rotten lunch she got-- cuts and broken bones. Plus, she got bit by one of the world’s most poisonous reptiles. Meanwhile, everyone was dancing to Soldier Boy and 50 Cent, except three sixth grade girls. Emily, Kasandra, and Alexa went for a walk around the school. Little did they know, it would be their last.

“Oh man, this really stinks!” said Kasandra.

“Everyone is having a good time!” replied Emily.

“Well, Emily, it’s because you have to go off and dis other people!” said Alexis.

“Well I can’t help it!”

“Will you just be quiet! I heard something coming from the broom closet.”

They opened the broom closet. Inside were black taipans, the world’s most poisonous snake.

“OMG! What are those things doing here?” screamed Kasandra. “I don’t know and I don’t care. Let’s just get out of here!”

As soon as they ran they got bitten by each of them. The venom causes tissue breaking and paralyzation. They were doomed.

Everything went downhill from there. Isaiah was bitten by a diamondback rattlesnake. Another poor teacher was eaten by an emerald tree boa. Rubin and Edwin were attacked by the speedy and dangerous black mamba. Joshua confused the deadly and aggressive bushmaster for a harmless grass snake. Poor guy! The principal went to the office and had an unfriendly meeting with a king cobra. Adrian was merely walking when he was hustled, strangled, and eaten by an African rock python. Alexis got herself in trouble by provoking a komodo dragon and was ripped to shreds for a satisfying meal. Will this teacher get away with it?

Well, let’s see her.

“Ha, ha ha, ha, ha. This is so rich!” She was watching the victims on her camera. “This is too good! Take that!” she proclaimed.

“I have to see the magic myself.” She said to herself happily. She drove from Boston to Lawrence to see the damage with her own eyes.

“Oh my, this is insane. Too bad!” she started to cackle. “About half the students are poisoned and the other half is ripped to shreds,” she said to herself. She went to check for more damage until she came across a salt water crocodile, the biggest and probably the most dangerous crocodilian. It ran towards her. She tried to run but she tripped over a corpse and she was eaten.

The entire city had to evacuate because the reptiles were on the loose. Over two hundred fifty kids died in those three hours, or were in critical condition. The reign of terror continues all over the city and is spreading.

The End

Or is it?

Samson, Parthum Middle School
listen to Samson read his piece

Hypothetical Questions

One of the most common questions I tend to hear coming out of people’s mouths is, “If your house caught fire and you could only save one item, what would it be?” Think about the question for a moment. Does it really make sense at all? It certainly doesn’t from my point of view. Isn’t the house on fire? If it’s on fire then why are you still in the house? Prioritize.

Step 1: Get out of the burning building.
Step 2: Call 911 and ask for the fire department.
Step 3: Wait in a safe place for the officials to arrive.

Have you done any of these things yet in the hypothetical situation? Why not? Stop deciding what item you are going to save and get out of there! Do you want to die? Do you? I hope not. If you do you should seek help immediately. Besides, how do you expect to get this chosen item of yours out of the house in the first place? What if you pick, hypothetically, something along the lines of a refrigerator, a washing machine, or a heavy stone fireplace? How do you expect to get that out of the house? How? It’s completely illogical.

I try my best to stay out of burning houses, but think about the situation. What are the odds that something like that would actually happen? If your house catches fire, isn’t it logical to follow my helpful guide conveniently located on the lines above? You, under no circumstances, should try to save something. It doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. That is why I have decided to start a committee to make hypothetical questions illegal.

Hypothetical questions are the clear cause for the worst conflict our nation has ever witnessed. They cause our nation’s youth to think. It is one of the worst things that can happen. The complicated chain reaction begins with the exercising of our children’s minds. Once the children have exercised their minds they are on the road to becoming literate and well-educated. Well-educated children will age into well-educated adults. These adults will then work at high paying occupations in our economy. This will make the economy better, lower the unemployment rate, and, worst of all, improve the value of the American dollar. Don’t we want our current depression to be as great as the last one? This is what hypothetical questions are doing at this very minute. These questions, or as I like to call them, leeches of society, have created educated individuals within our civilization, and, consequently, we are on the way to removing ourselves from the depression. It will be disastrous if we do not find a way to stop it.

There are so many of these questions being asked each day, and they must be stopped. They waste precious time. What if there was an agnostic baboon with diabetes? What if you were handcuffed to a zebra? What if a giant hole tore through the universe? Why do we care? Seriously? I repeat, why do we care? Please consider it. Join the Aidan Olsen Committee to Ban Hypothetical Questions From Common and Complex Society For the Rest of Eternity.

Aidan, North Andover Middle School

listen to Aidan read his piece

Sunrise

Girl on roof
Watches
Waiting,
Sunrise
It gradually
Peeks up
Like a child
Trying to
Figure out
If the game has started.
They stare at each other for hours
Sun sprouts
Over the ocean
Like a whale
Except the whale is
Deep red
Burgundy
Cardinal
Coral red
Crimson
Golden yellow
Lavender rose
Orange red
Pumpkin
Ruby
Scarlet
The colors fill her eyes
But
Importantly
Fills an empty spot in her
Heart.

Katie
Doherty Middle School
listen to Katie read her piece

Casey, Wood Hill M.S.

Sword and Shield

Winter’s time is up.
It taunts us as it dies
with cold winds and quick flurries.
It doesn’t want Spring to win
so it digs its heels into the ground,
stands tall and proud,
and refuses to be pushed away.
Winter won’t back down.
Then a blinding light appears,
and Spring comes to save us.
Sword and shield in hand,
it strikes and parries.
It came to win.
It cuts Winter
and sunlight bursts through the clouds.
It cuts again and it rains.
It cuts again and all the snow melts.
Again and flowers pop up.
Again and the temperature rises.
Again and again until there is Winter
no more
and Spring has won
with its sword and shield.

Nikki
North Andover Middle School
listen to Nikki's teacher read the poem

Like a Storm

She stamps her feet as loud as thunder,
Storm clouds sending the sunshine under,
Her warmth turns to bitter cold,
As we watch her storm unfold.
Snow speeding, spiraling, frantically flinging,
Every angry word stinging,
Huddled under an umbrella,
We watch as the sky begins to clear overhead,
At last, every angry word had been said.
We relaxed as the last cloud slipped away,
And saw a smile brighter than a sunshine ray.
We watched as her happiness began to thaw like the ground in spring,
Life never has perfect weather to bring,
But all storms eventually relent.

Alexis
Parthum School

Alexis, Parthum School
listen to Alexis talk about her art and read her poem

Gladys
South Lawrence East Middle School

I’m a Baseball

I’ve been batted far and wide,
Thrown around from side to side,
Over fences, short and tall,
And backyards, I’ve seen them all.
Cherished by big and small,
Even babies who still can’t crawl.
Unlike my brothers who easily tear,
Never will I show any wear.
America’s pastime is where I stand,
After over two hundred years, no one
thinks I’m bland.
My partner in crime is made of wood,
And does his job just like he should.
Knocked around from game to game,
My job has very little fame..
With my nice white coat and big red seam,
I’m a baseball, that’s what I mean.

Mark
Comprehensive Grammar School

Stapler

Waiting in the open sunlight, a statue
Prepares his fangs.
All of a sudden, clamped,
Onto his paper-thin enemy,
He sends his strong, metallic bicuspids
Gliding into his prey, realizing
He has killed two birds with one stone.
This particular carnivore’s fangs
are strong,
Pronounced tools.
The sleek silhouetted figure contains a metallic pad protecting
His teeth from going into his lower lip.
This gun-like tool retains ammo
For the real prize,
One staple for two sheets.

Robert
West Middle School

,.

Jessica
West Middle School

Gina
Doherty Middle School

Petrified Grey Face

Petrified Grey Face
You are weaker than you look
Inside great sadness

Ashley
Wetherbee School

Waiting for the Moving Truck

Sitting on the hot pavement,
Hands sizzling on the burning gravel,
Waiting and waiting.
Time passes, hands spinning on the clock,
Minute by minute going by.
Bare legs hot under the blinding sun,
Tears trickling down my warm cheeks.
The truck pulls up.
Saying our good-byes,
One last picture to remind me
Of what I lost.

Mackenzie
North Andover Middle School

Yearly Tears

Day
pass
by and
all I think
about is you.
Nothing feels the
same when you’re not
around. Days at the park
and eating ice-cream together,
you and me, father and daughter.
Those were the days, before you went
to Iraq. Just the sight of you causes me to
spring up and down with excitement.
My heart filled with comfort and warmth.
But inevitably, the moment arises when
we too must part and my yearly
tears appear once
more.

Rosanna
Wetherbee School

Cover photo by Abby
Tenney Grammar School

Gladys
South Lawrence East Middle School

Ashly
South Lawrence East Middle School

Sorrow

Sorrow is black like a day without my dad
in this world
Like a week with my dad on a business
trip, and no one around.
It hurts my mind.
It reminds me of the time my dad left
My mom was working, so no one was in
the house,
I was all alone.
It makes me feel sad and depressed
because I lost something I loved.
It makes me want to be alone all the time,
without anyone,
until my dad gets home.

Querube
Wetherbee School

Envy

Envy is jealousy’s best friend
It despises all you do
It hates and dislikes
It shows its spiteful pride
Unreasonable and undesirable
Yet, it both satisfies and is unsatisfied
Intrusive, manipulative and emerging
Until it creates
The hideous monster within its victim.

Tanairi
Wetherbee School