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Service AlertsART Alert - Holiday Service: In observance of the Veterans' Day holiday, ART 41, 42, 45, 51, 55, 77 & 87 will operate on Saturday schedules. All other ART routes will not be operated. View all ART Alerts

Service AlertsSouth Four Mile Run Drive Complete Street Project: The South Four Mile Run Drive Project is advancing to begin work on the north side of the intersection with Shirlington Rd. Work will begin the week of October 28 and will last for 4-6 weeks. The west bound bus stop will be closed. Customers can board ART service (Route 75) at the next nearest bus stop. View all ART Alerts

Moving Words 2005-06 Student Poems

Shoelaces

Catie Leigh
Kindergarten, McKinley Elementary School

Shoelaces look like snakes
that fight too much
that they get tangled
into a bow!

Clotee—A Slave Girl

Danielle Frye
Grade 5, Drew Model Elementary School

My inside self is much different than my outside self
A torn up brown hat and dark brown rags
I try to work hard and never look sad
But somehow the master always gets mad

My outside self is nothing like my inside self
I am writing in my diary, hoping no one sees
Hoping to get to freedom so I can pray on my knees
I see my picture of freedom

The Majestic Bird

Travis Snider
Grade 8, Swanson Middle School

It soars high as the clouds
It soars swiftly as the wind
Its majestic wings spread like the wings of a plane
It takes off like a jet and flies high as the stars
It spots its prey with exact precision
It dives from its perch like a bullet from the sky
Its powerful grip like crazy glue
Its bone-crushing beak like a nutcracker
It soars up swiftly as the wind
Into the majestic sky

Pigeons

Christine Stoddard,
Grade 10, Yorktown High School

The city created pigeons
Spitting them from skyscraper windows onto cold cement
Once, they were doves
Brandishing plumage whiter than snow
Plucking worms from the soil
Now they are dusty and gray
Tearing the park for seed
With eggs less than golden
And eyes burnt by the urban heat

Ocean Dreams

Rachel Duffy
Grade 8, Swanson Middle School

At the edges of the ocean I stand.
I clench the cold clammy sand in my hand.
On the slippery shore I breathe the air.
My dress dips in the deep without a care.

My frigid feet are sinking fast from tides.
The wicked wind whips at my back and sides.
The salty sea’s scent gathers around me.
The mystical moon reflects on the sea.

Parentless

Leslie
Grade 8, Kenmore Middle School

The absence of my mother
Is an empty hole in my heart
That can be filled by no other.
She’s been gone since I was seven
But she watches over me from heaven.
I would trade the whole world
For one ice-thin memory, even one word
To hold on to
And get me through
My life.

Carnival

Audrey Bowler
Grade 5, Ashlawn Elementary School

I walk
Along the beach,
Watching the seagulls
Wheel and turn,
White kites against the blue
Sky.

A whirling carnival of
Birds.

Cheerful Night

Tommy Muir
Grade 3, Ashlawn Elementary School

The moth flies past the candle
with the flickering light.
The heat cannot melt its wings.
Boy, they must be glued on tight!

Water Fountain

Connor Browne
Grade 3, Key Elementary School

I push the button, open my mouth,
and lean over as she reaches inside and spurts out her water.

I wonder why she throws it so high.
I get my drink and walk away, leaving her lonely again.

Slip

Kalina Newman
Grade 2, McKinley Elementary School

When you slip, you fall, and you can't get up. But when you try you can do anything anywhere.

La Vida

Clare Canavan
Grade 3, Key Elementary School

La vida es una pista, recuérdala
La vida es aire fresco, respírala
La vida es una cara feliz,
Sonríela
La vida es una aventura,
Expiriméntala.

Mitad Chiguagua Mitad Salchicha

Joshua Ruiz
Grade 3, Key Elementary School

Mi dos hermanos tienen este perro.
Es muy bonito.
Mitad chiguagua, mitad salchicha.
Anda ligerito moviendo su colita.
A él le gusta jugar.
Como a mí también.