Sunday, May 15, 2016

What am I? and Frozen

What am I? by Katherine Teele

Open.
I fill your scorching months with serenity
I am the highlight to your all American Summer
On grounds made of crystals, I tug at your feet breathlessly
Alluring you respectively
Whimsical, wise, wholesome.
Captivating.
Bodies are sung asleep cooly to my rhythm
I will greet you with open arms in the unbordered mornings
The peace found in my own collision
White clouds of matter fill your vision
Evocative.
Azure, ambient, alluring.
The moon dances with me
Dragging me in exaggerated, extraterrestrial patterns
Impermanence is fact, but I will never leave
Find me active from noon to midsummer’s eve
Animated.
Vital, velvety, vast.
Blue like sky because the sky is in me
Green like grass because the grass is in me
White like the moon because the moon is in me
Some try to paint me with a price, but I’ll always be free
Natural.
Ethereal, earnest, enchanting
Nature can make me powerful many miles ahead
I am as dangerous or as safe as one dares me to be
Some decide not to risk it instead
I am breathtakingly dead
Scary, sacred, safe.

Frozen by Sophie Rodosky

Thursday, May 12, 2016

You and I and Indelible Winter

Indelible Winter by Elizabeth Kauma

You and I
by Jordyn Koontz

You are like the Moon
Pure and Glowing
Nothing can snuff out your light
Not even the clouds can hold back your shimmer.

You say I am like the Sun
Fierce and Brave
You say no one can out shine me
That I have a powerful yet beautiful presence.

I see things differently than you.

You are too innocent for me,
Just like the Moon is for the Sun.

I destroy everything I touch,
Just like the Sun is for the Moon.

No matter how dark everything is,
You illuminate the good.

No matter how bright everything seems,
I cast shadows everywhere I go.

If you are the Moon and I the Sun,
How can we ever see eye to eye?

We can’t.

You and I aren’t fated to be together,
Just like the Sun and the Moon are always destined

To be apart

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

The Target, Tiger on Film, and Flustered


The Target
by Margot Savin

I ventured into the wilderness, one goal on my mind,
My target: the fox, I needed to find.
As I clutched my gun tightly, the frozen air was still,
This sly, cunning creature, I was out to kill.

Tiger on Film by Nina Stumpf
My focus was locked in a mad concentration,
as I set foot through the icicles, no hesitation.
To battle this tundra, I’m told I’m insane,
But I was set on my mission, my motive deranged.

The November air was sharp on my skin,
My veins felt icy, my blood running thin.
The thick winter wasteland hindered my sight,
The woods that engulfed me, a blizzard of white.

An eerie howl echoed through the amber sky,
As I glimpsed the creature, its head nobly held high
There my target lurked amongst the dead winter trees,
The conniving fox standing proud, taunting me.

My soul filled with rage upon seeing the creature,
Its stature was intimidating in every feature.
I saw my reflection in its beady black eyes,
Before it swiftly darted toward the hazy skyline.

Fire streaked across the powdery snow,
Defying everything that science knows.
In its menacing trot, I beheld its demise,
But it disappeared into the yellow pines.

I felt my body overwhelm with unease,
As I crept through the somber, winter breeze.
Then, I spotted its pawprints in the snow covered floor,
The villainous, shrewd fox could outsmart me no more.

My gun was pointed as I followed the path,
My hand on the trigger, my mind filled with wrath.
I was destined to rid the world of such evil,
The deceitful pest that filled my soul with upheaval.


Chills surged through my body as once again I spot
The root of my wretchedness, the mischievous fox.
Its blazing red fur in a fiery rage,
My inner beast was let uncaged.

Its fluffy tail swayed in an arrogant trail,
As I pounced toward the creature, but to no avail.
It was quick and clever, thus easily escaped,
From my arms of frustration, my body of hate.

So I raised my gun for a deadly blow,
As my target prowled through the pure, milky snow.
With a vibrant explosion, a bullet was shot,
Toward the artful creature, the despicable fox.

Flustered by Anna Paviglianiti
I found myself on the cold, wooded ground,
And as I scanned all around me, no fox could be found.
The sparkling snow turned a bright scarlet red,
As I noticed the blood pouring from my own head.

A pillow of Earth held me in my last breath,
In this unforgiving wilderness, I found my own death.
The fox I sought after, the creature I despised,
Remained a mystery, to no surprise.

The bleak winter evening turned electrically bright
My mission was complete, a demented plight.
For no tangible fox was the pursuit of my gun,
I was my own target, and it seems I have won.

Apple Picking and Peace, Love, and Graffiti

Apple Picking
In the style of Galway Kinnell’s “Blackberry Eating”
By Gabrielle Young

I love to get lost in mid-September,
in the giant, organized orchard seas,
to pick apples for my lunches,
the outer skins waxy, a punishment
earned for harboring poisoned seeds
within their cores; and as I stand among them
plucking fruits off of the trees, the ripest apples
descend into my woven basket,
as words sometimes do, certain youthful words
like plop or jewel,
few lettered, single-syllable drops
which I rub, chomp on, and carefully savor
in the hugged, sugary, grandmother tongue
of apple -- picking in mid-September.

 
Peace, Love, and Graffiti by Joey Desmone

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Expanse of Nothing and A Really Big Bowl



A Really Big Bowl by Izzy Acevedo

Expanse of Nothing
By Allison Gould

Coasting along black ripples
in an expanse of nothingness
Searching for a destination
or for nothing at all
Reminiscing the past
Projecting the future
Realizing the present
Everything is a speck
in this expansive universe
Everyone is a minuscule grain of sand
in the hourglass of existence
Whipping winds, persistent all around
and lashing at your feet
Wondering how Mother Nature
could be so cruel
Yet, still reminiscing the past
Projecting the future
Realizing the present
Everything is connected
in this unforgiving universe
Everyone is a fundamental cog
in the machine of existence
Watching the stars and
constellations being formed
Trudging forward in search
of wonder or of liberation
Reminiscing the past
Projecting the future
Realizing the present
Everything is on a unique path
in this extraordinary universe
Everyone is a spark of light
in the perpetuity of existence
Witnessing the starkness of destruction
before our time came
Questioning the forces that tore apart
the land piece by piece
Now, deeply reminiscing the past
Projecting the future
Realizing the present
Everything is weak and bends
and conforms to this constricting universe
Everyone is going to live and change
and disappear from existence
Reaching havens after hours
of anticipation and longing
Meeting a disappointment you  
never thought was possible
Forgetting the past
Overlooking the future
Living in the present
Nothing is what it seems
in this universe
No one is going to live up
to our expectations of existence

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Tapestry Publication

Hi, everyone!
We accepted an overwhelming number of great art and writing submissions this year at Tapestry. As a result, we are extending our publication of these stellar pieces to the Tapestry blog! Make sure to visit often over the next few weeks to see which pieces have been published!

The authors and artists who will be featured are (alphabetical by last name):
  • Izzy Acevedo
  • Hansen Bursic
  • Alexis Buzzato
  • Joseph Desmone
  • Joseph Desmone
  • Madeline Doerr
  • Allison Gould
  • David Han
  • Elizabeth Kauma
  • Jordyn Koontz
  • Julia Lynch
  • Hannah Mueller
  • Mary Clare O'Connor
  • Anna Paviglianiti
  • Sophie Rodosky
  • Margot Savin
  • Nina Stumpf
  • Katherine Teele
  • Gabrielle Young

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Publication

Hello Artists and Writers!


Thank you to all who submitted to the Tapestry magazine this year.  There were a large number of submissions, and we enjoyed reviewing each and every piece.


We are pleased to announce the students whose work will be published in the 
2015-16 Tapestry Literary Arts Magazine:


Izzy Acevedo
Eli Berman
Lydia Beyer
Maria Burns
Hansen Bursic
Alexis Buzzatto
Sally Dean
Joseph Desmone
Madeleine Doerr
Anaȉs Foss
Shahmir Ghafoor
David Han
Jess Hertzberg
Annie Hirsch
Elizabeth Kauma
Julia Lynch
Josh Manuel
Hannah Mueller
Nina Mulroy
Mary Clare O’Connor
Jasmine Pabla
Emma Paulini
Helen Paulini
Anna Paviglianiti
Kristen Rabbitt
Sophie Rodosky
Iris Schaitkin
Sarah Schanwald
Heather Snowball
Thomas Swigon
Paris Szalla
Maya Weis
Chloe Yofan
Gabi Young
Bailey Yousem


Congratulations!


We would also like to invite ALL students --whether or not your work was accepted this year-- to the Tapestry Publication Party on Tuesday, May 17 from 3:30-5 pm at the Hartwood Cafe (3400 Harts Run Rd, Glenshaw, PA 15116).


Join us for a casual open mic, light refreshments, and a fun atmosphere as we celebrate the publication of the book.


Everyone is welcome -- students, teachers, family, friends...
Hope to see you there :)


Thank you again!
Tapestry Senior Staff