Skip to Main Content

Moving Words 2010 Student Poems

2010 Student Moving Words Winning Poems
Arturo Amaya, 4th Grade, Claremont Immersion School
Rosa Benavides, 5th Grade, Key Elementary School
Jack Dobbins, 8th Grade, Gunston Middle School
Alexander Eng, 4th Grade, Claremont Elementary School
Susana Elizabeth Hendrix, 8th Grade, Gunston Middle School
Jennifer Yoselín Hernandez-Lucero, 8th Grade, Kenmore Middle School
Forrest Jacobs, 8th Grade, Gunston Middle School
Andrea Merida, 8th Grade, Kenmore Middle School
Andrés Penovi Orjales, 8th Grade , Gunston Middle School
Elena Parcell, 8th Grade, Gunston Middle School
Sarah Coyner Sears, 8th Grade, Gunston Middle School
Mark Varner, 8th Grade, Kenmore Middle School

2010 Student Moving Words Honorable Mention Awardees
Ariana DeCastro, 8th Grade, Gunston Middle School
Erin Ingram, 5th Grade, Drew Model Elementary School
Mikayla Jones-Vincent, 3rd Grade, Long Branch Elementary
Miles Kolmstetter, 4th Grade, Nottingham Elementary
Alexandra Kotliarov, Kindergarten, Drew Model School
Talia O’Brien, 2nd Grade, Claremont Elementary
Callie Randall, 6th Grade, Kenmore Middle School
Michael Rinn, 4th Grade, Nottingham Elementary
Emma Stowell, 2nd Grade, McKinley Elementary
Aida Villalta, 8th Grade, Kenmore Middle School


Hypocrites & Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness

When Thomas Jefferson declared independence
He mentioned Life, Liberty,
And the pursuit of Happiness.
He, George Mason and others supported
Abolishment of slavery,
But when asked to release
Their own slaves they said
NO, NO, NO!!!
Since our founding fathers were hypocrites,
I guess I’ll be one too!!

Arturo Amaya
4th Grade
Claremont Immersion School

Rosita

Rosita esta cansadita
debajo de la mesita
y esta tristecita
porque su mamacita
no le dejo su comidita calientita
en su mesita
esta mañanita.

Rosa Benavides
5th Grade
Key Elementary School

Fast

We go fast every day
just so we can get our pay.
When have we stopped to play?
Where are the childhood days?
What made fast fun?
So tell me the truth
fast is annoying and hard to mend
need to make deals
spin words like wheels
how much is fast really a friend?

Jack Dobbins
8th Grade
Gunston Middle School


(untitled)

My hair is like the pitch black night sky. My eyes are like a ring of dark wood. My hands are like tools for a workman. My heart is like the battery for a machine. My heart holds energy that’s as blue as pure electricity. I live in a glove and eat long fingers.

Alexander Eng
4th Grade
Claremont Elementary School

Metro

The way it sounds
The rattle of the underground jet,
the purr.
Slowly sounding me to sleep.
I sit there.
I try to keep my eyelids from falling so fast
Like the pitter patter of the rain or the falling leaves outside.
Suddenly my eyes flash open, my brain wakes up.
The doors slide open and I walk out towards a new day.

Susana Elizabeth Hendrix
8th Grade
Gunston Middle School

Life goes on!

You realize, he was never worth your time and tears.

You made yourself look so weak when you should have known, life goes on.

You need to be strong and defeat all those obstacles that hold you back in your life,

But always remember;

There comes a point in your life when you realize, who matters, who never did, who won’t anymore and who always will. So don’t worry about the people from the past, there’s a reason why they didn’t make it to your future.

Jennifer Yoselín Hernandez-Lucero
8th Grade
Kenmore Middle School


(untitled)

White and yellow spots all around his face
He goes down big hills like he’s in a race
Man I love a sweet and juicy taco
I also love to kick my friend Paco

Forrest Jacobs
8th Grade
Gunston Middle School

Walking Down the Seashore

I like to walk with Grandma
Her steps are short, like mine!
She doesn’t say, “Now, hurry up”
She always takes her time.
Her eyes see things like mine do:
Wee pebble bright, a funny cloud,
Half-hidden drops of dew, and
Most people have to hurry, don’t stop & see
I’m glad that God made Grandma,
Unrushed and young, like me.

Andrea Merida
8th Grade
Kenmore Middle School

For You People

For you people I write this poem.
You sit there quietly,
thinking about work and its dreadful dullness.
First stop Rosslyn,
You won’t get scorned by your boss.
Second Foggy Bottom, just think about autumn.
Last Metro Center,
where everything will get better.
Don’t worry about a thing, you’ll find a way out,
Have a great day, for there is nothing to doubt.

Andrés Penovi Orjales
8th Grade
Gunston Middle School

Magic Mirror

They’re privileged and powerful
They see all with the click of a button
They never forget
But help others remember
They never judge nor lie
They show people
For exactly who they are
A modern magic mirror
I should ask the evil queen
Did she own a camera?

Elena Parcell
8th Grade
Gunston Middle School


(untitled)

Miniscule moments, slivers of delight,
Sticky notes passed in a roaring classroom.
Doodles on a page,
Notes shoved into the slits of a locker,
Inside jokes, painfully concealed laughter,
Absurd dates, shared grins,
Countdowns to when we’ll find ourselves free,
Home, soaking up independence, away from stress,
Worries, responsibilities,
Friends, plotting excitement, speeding up the day.

Sarah Coyner Sears
8th Grade
Gunston Middle School

Cigarette Break

Look around quick, it will only take a minute, time to feed this hunger.

A flash and a string of smoke whispers up,

a heavy suck swallows the smoke and spits it back out for the world to take care of

As he finishes his meal, the bullet falls to the ground,

a heavy heel falls down and grounds it deep into the crevices of the concrete, as the casing shreds across the surface of the floor,

all traces of ignition extinguished,

as the footsteps die away. The bullet is flattened,

spilling its cheap powder to be smeared across the ground.

No need to hide the evidence, a murder doesn’t matter if you pull the trigger slowly

Mark Varner
8th Grade
Kenmore Middle School

HONORABLE MENTION AWARDEES


(untitled)

The world around me
People, Places, My life
Here I am, not knowing what’s next.
Gravity - dragged my tears to the Earth
Wind - swallowed my laughter
Walls - endured my screams
I know it’s not over.
Gravity, Wind, and Walls hold on to me.
But not in this place, for I am done.
The marked door is closed.

Ariana DeCastro
8th Grade
Gunston Middle School

Ride

the remaining bloodstained clouds
form a ring around the deep hues of blue
the fluorescent street lights flicker on making a path to follow
the Hondas, the Toyotas, the Saturns staring with unseen eyes
the jogger and her dog out at this hour
my bike bell makes a crisp clear sound

Ring
Ring
in the night

Erin Ingram
5th Grade
Drew Model Elementary School

Enjoyable Number Nine

Number nine really rocks,
It is on analog clocks.
Number nine is a backwards P,
It makes me bang on my knee.
Number nine is also my age,
Who told me this was my sage
I love the number nine,
It is so very fine.
Number nine is the best,
But now my pen needs a rest.

Mikayla Jones-Vincent
3rd Grade,
Long Branch Elementary

10 O Hamburger

Ten O hamburger is a wham burger
if you slam burger then a fall burger
then a wall burger then a slide burger
then a floor burger.

Miles Kolmstetter
4th Grade
Nottingham Elementary


(untitled)

The
water falls
on the
dry
land
the animals were hungry
the were drinking water
The hamster farted
the end

Alexandra Kotliarov
Kindergarten
Drew Model School

Dog

My name is Coco.
I am very loco.
I like to poco people.
My favorite game is soco.
My best friend is Roco.
I like to play jokes on people.

Talia O’Brien
2nd Grade
Claremont Elementary

Fridays

Fridays, oh Fridays, oh how I love Fridays.
It’s my daddy’s payday and
My singing concert is today
My mom is taking me shopping tomorrow
My weekend will be filled with joy, not sorrow.
Oh…
“Callie, Time for school.”
Monday, already?!

Callie Randall
6th Grade
Kenmore Middle School

World Peace

I wish people would have world peace.
I wish we would be respectful to the people of the world.
I wish there would be no more wars.
I wish people would play games fairly.
I wish people had the same amount of rights.

Michael Rinn
4th Grade
Nottingham Elementary

Keep Earth Clean!!!

Trash, trash, all over the place,
Oh yuck! It’s such a stinky disgrace.
People, oh could you just stop?
Oh no! It’s covering the mountain top!
No! No! It’s filling up my Arlington street,
I even get trash when I go trick-or-treat.
So people, could you give Earth some help?
So little animals won’t cry and yelp.
To make sure Earth is oh-so-clean,
Oh please, could we just go green?

Emma Stowell
2nd Grade
McKinley Elementary

Hurt Inside

Looking through your eyes,
Makes me feel like I’m in heaven!
Walking down the hall, looking back, seeing you with someone else
hurts me.
It makes me feel like there is someone else blocking our love.
I’m lost inside,
I don’t know where I am inside.
My life feels like there is one part of it missing.
One part of my heart, that wanders around.

Aida Villalta
8th Grade
Kenmore Middle School