Bloomington High School North, Nikean, 1984, Page 166

Description:	POEMS/READINGA kingdom of playIn which to stay.A priceles skillUsed to fillTime.AloneOn a large warm stone,Or in a roomWhere voices boomLike thunder from the sky,I wonder whySo manyHavent anyBooks.Cheryl SwinsonBABY SHOWERThe pink paper flutterson the white-speckedformica counter-top.I look at mother fora reaction.passively she looks upwith coffee mug in her hand.The baby-shower invitationfalls to the floor.Shes a little young,dont you think?With my head tilted to myshoulder,a half-smile on my lips,an eyebrow arched upward,About the age you had me,I reply.Annette LehmanBy Ben Sieber, Annette Lehman, Cheryl SwinsonACROSS THE EXPANSE OF KANSASAncient pine wood wallsGlow orange in the half-light,the sun setting through skeletonsOf naked winter oaks.Tall Victorian windows shineSide by side, dazzlingEyes with reflected fire.Cornhusks, abandoned,Twirl and dance and rattle across the woodenporch floor, worn smooth byEndless summers of bared feet tappingTo a carefree tune.These boards creak outTheir history like a lonely old manRotting in a Brooklyn apartment,The wind his breath suckingAn empty pipe.Inside is nothing but blackness divided;orange beams of light pourThrough tall windows,piercing musty air, revealing cornersEmpty of all but mouse droppings.Finally the attic coughs upIts treasure, an ancient cracked photograph,Dulled with age, buried in dust:Portrait of a farmer standing on a porch blowingSmoke rings clouds across the expanse of Kansas.Ben SieberSteve Porter166
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomnorth/id/1862
Collection:	Bloomington High School North

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