#BirdvilleVoices
vol.1, edition:3 January 2017
Welcome to #BirdvilleVoices Digital Literary Magazine!
North Ridge MS: Sofia C.
The time I got a concussion
I was in fifth grade, and we were hiking down a mountain at Camp Grady Spruce. I was having fun and chatting with my friends, so I wasn’t really looking carefully at where I was stepping. There was a long, slippery rock ahead of me that I didn’t see. My foot landed on the rock and I slipped. I rolled down the rocky hill in slow motion. In the process, my head hit a rock. Slowly, I sat up and immediately asked where my mom was. Once she caught up with me, she asked what happened. “I tripped..” I replied. My fingers reached to my head. There was a cut.
Fifteen minutes later, my head started throbbing. I got in a car and my parents drove me to the nearest hospital. The hospital wasn’t very close since we were camping. When we finally got to the hospital room the doctors gave me a brain scan. They told me I had a concussion and I could not do anything mentally stimulating for a week. I couldn’t do any physical activities, such as PE, either.
A week later I was back to normal. I was glad that I could play during recess and PE again. Now I will pay more attention to where I step so I don't get another concussion.
North Oaks MS: Charles L.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963
The book Watsons Go to Birmingham, written by Christopher Paul Curtis, displays the experiences of a family who are traveling to Birmingham, Alabama. Even though there are a few important similarities, there are still quite noticeable differences.
One of the main differences is that Kenny had a few cousins who were protesters against the racism and prejudice. Another one is that when Kenny and Byron go to town they go into a restaurant that is for whites only. When they go inside, they get in trouble with a waitress and are kicked out. This contributes to the overall message of racism.
The first major similarity is that Byron got his lips stuck in the window of the Brown Bomber. Another similarity is that when Grandma tells them about the Wool Pooh at Colliers Landing, Kenny goes alone and is rescued by his brother Byron.
In conclusion, there are similarities between the book and the movie version, but there are still a few recognizable differences.
Richland MS: Marisol D.
Snowy Winter
I hold up my favorite Barbie doll to the window as I press my cheeks on the cold glass of the car window while I watch houses go by. “Mommy where are we going?” I asked her not making eye contact just staring outside to watch the glistening white snow go by. Mother clears her throat to talk. “We’re just going for a small drive, honey,” she responded with some cracks here in there in her sweet kind voice. I move my eyes away from the pure white snow outside and look at mother who now had tears streaming down her light pink cheeks. I look at mother with worry. “Mommy, why are you crying?” I said with concern laced in my high pitched small voice. A few seconds later the car starts slowing down and mommy pulls over on the side of the road. Mommy then gets out of the car taking the keys out of the keyhole which makes the engine stop. I unbuckle my seatbelt as mommy goes over to my door and picks me up in her warm arms. She then closes the door with her foot and starts walking towards a park that was almost right next to our small mini van. I looked at mommy with my light brown eyes and notice that just a few tears fell from her chocolate brown eyes. Her tears looked like shining crystals when it snowed. “Mommy, please tell me what’s wrong!” I said worriedly as I gripped tighter on my favorite Barbie dolls plastic body. Mommy looked down at me with a small warming smile. “Honey, this is the day your brother died, so I would give birth to you,” she said with a shaky voice. Suddenly, tiny little snowflakes began to fall like rain but much smaller, shinier.
Haltom MS: Kristlyn G.
The Plant Upon the Window Sill
One morning as I lay in bed, I wonder things inside my head.
I wonder what tomorrow brings,
I wonder about the songs the birds sing.
I look upon the far East wall, and see something quite so small.
A silhouette of a dying tree, but it wasn’t dead at all.
Instead I see a little plant upon my window sill.
Confused, I just stood very still.
It wasn’t much to look at so I left that plant to die.
Weeks after weeks, months over months,
but still it stood there tall and strong, just the plant and I.
My efforts clearly weren't working ,so I tried to’’up my game’’,
thought that some weed killer would make that pest start choking.
I dumped in the whole poison bottle,
but the next day it still was green and growing full throttle.
My patience was waring, and my temper was growing ,
yet still that little plant kept going.
The more I tried the bigger it grew ,
and soon it seemed as big as the moon!
Eventually I just gave up ,
and let that shrub take over.
It seemed so sad to go without his neighbor.
Its melancholy feeling spread throughout the Earth,
and soon I thought my little plant couldn’t go without rebirth.
I got a flight to Florida where I here the weathers nice.
So I Set it free in a cozy paradise.
The next morning as i lay in bed I wonder of all the tragic things I may have done , but i also wonder “How is my little plant doing in the sun?”
North Ridge MS: Brooklyn D.
Daily Bugle
Spiderman is Real
Reports confirm that Spiderman is real! Reporters saw Spiderman fight the Vulture for the right of the skies. The Vulture had been targeting one person, Norman Osborn. No one knows why all these attacks target Osborn alone but we may have one idea, the Vulture said that Norman Osborn stole his idea for tech flight and demands that everyone knows who created tech flight, pay him all the money he is owed, and for Norman to publicly apologize. But because Norman refuses, the Vulture drops Osborn down to his doom, but just as Norman Osborn was about to meet his fate, he was rescued by Spiderman and a fight went off between the Vulture and Spiderman. It took place in the air as they both battled endlessly. We figured out that Spiderman is a restless joker taking down the Vulture and locking him up. But all this answers one question, that Spiderman is real and ready to help.
Watauga MS: Kassandra R.
Army Brother Lost Sister
A day of sorrow approached
Missing a second day of school
Heading to the airport
My brother in army clothes
Tears running down; looking out the window
At my brother getting on the plane
It took off into the sky
Six months passed
A three hour trip to Georgia
Sleeping on a crowded plane
Driving to 3rd Platoon
Alpha class I see my brother standing there
A hug could never wait
A cold graduation
Time to go home
Different planes one sky
North Oaks MS: Joslyn F.
Wilderness of Peace
I look out the window by as
Rain
Pitter patters
On
My bedroom window
Beautiful
Rain falls
I
Walk outside and
Stand
Outside in the
Beautiful
Wilderness of peace
The peace that saves my mind from
Despair
Rain drops drip from my face
The beautiful
Wilderness of peace
Richland MS: Angela A.
Let your light shine bright,
Where I can see it at night.
Just face your fears,
Come on, no tears.
I will be glad,
Let’s not be sad.
Don’t you feel relieved,
It’s because you believed.
North Richland MS: Ali B.
I chose Snow Leopards as my topic because i studied other big wild cats except Snow Leopards. I love how their majestic and beautiful and I hope you learned a lot once reading this article!
Harmful,Enemies,Diet,Abilities:
Can Snow Leopards be harmful to humans? They can be known to attack humans but it is very rare. They will only really attack (or be harmful) if they feel threatened in any way. Or if they are scared and with their cubs. If whoever is passing through their territory, if they mind their own business they’ll be fine! Does Snow Leopards have any enemies? Yes they do have enemies, wolves,tigers,cheetahs, and humans. What is Snow Leopards Diet? There diet is very various: blue sheep,Argali wild sheep, ibex, marmots, pikas, deer, and other small mammals. So in other words, wild sheep, goats, rodents, hares, and game birds! Do Snow Leopards have any Special Abilities? Yes they do, Snow Leopards can climb trees and mountains. They can do those risky things because of their tail. Their tail helps them have great balance. They also have a special tool called “Camouflage!” They can also jump long distances sometimes even longer than themselves!
Human Features,Sounds,Feel,Look:
Does Snow Leopards have any human features? Yes they do. Such has:They’re both considered mammals, they have eyes, noses, legs, tongues, teeth! Does Snow Leopards make any particular sounds? Yes they do. People describe their sounds by “Chuffing” almost like a meow and a roar mixed together. Because Snow Leopards do not roar like other big cats. They chuff to communicate with other S.Leopards in the wild when looking for mates. What do Snow Leopards look like? They are mostly white, gray, black. To blend in with the snow. They have a lot of hair (fur). Brownish-orangish nose also sometimes pink, red. They have a beautiful pattern.How do Snow Leopards feel? They would feel very soft and fluffy!
Originated From,Habitat,Other Creatures Around:
Where did Snow Leopards originate from? Their historic range or where they originally came from is Mongolia! What is Snow Leopards habitat range? Central Asia-mountain ranges, cold and dry habitats. Some live in the Himalayan mountains. They can spread out from Afghanistan,Kazakhstan,Russia, in the north to India to the east in China! Snowy regions and difficult terrain! Do Other Creatures live around the Snow Leopard? Yes. They are mostly sheep and other small mammals!
Other Cool Facts:
Snow Leopards are a neutral type of animal. They aren’t the very type of good animal cause they kill but they can’t help it that’s what they have to do. Snow Leopards have been featured in movies and t.v. shows.Like, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty the Snow Leopard was an object that the photographer chose to study on. Planet Earth The narrator (the person on the journey) was studying the Snow Leopard. Kung Fu Panda a Snow Leopard was Tai Lung a bad guy trying to steal the Ancient scroll from Master Shifu! There are many more movies and t.v. shows that Snow Leopards were featured. Snow Leopards were featured in literature like a book called “Kung Fu Panda.” Also a newspaper on New York Times by: Natalie Angier over Snow Leopards. There are many more things in literature that Snow Leopard’s were featured or mentioned!
Hopefully you enjoyed my report about one of my favorite animals: Snow Leopards about enemies, harmful, diets, abilities, human features, sounds, how they look, feel,where they originated from, their habitat,where they are featured online, also in literature!
Smithfield MS: Hannah S.
Snow Day
The touch of snow feels the softness of baking flour.
Footprints left behind show scurrying of playful children.
The frosty cold brings chills to feet and toes.
Falling flakes glitter like diamonds.
Fireplaces arise with flames and smoke.
Snow days are unique in every way.
Haltom MS: Natalie R.
LOVE
Love is like a butterfly.
A butterfly has beautiful colors
as love is the most
Graceful color of all.
A butterfly will glide thousands of miles
to get to their destination
as love will travel anywhere
to find their true love.
Love is like a butterfly
because a butterfly will spread its wings
as love spreads through out everyone.
North Ridge MS: Jayda S.
Name I Love
Jayda
A name that no one spells correctly
And is constantly spelled J-a-d-a.
A name only I hold in my family.
A name I love.
Jayda
Nani
A Korean name that means orchid
And my grandfather’s last name Yi.
Only to be pronounced Nani.
A name I love.
Nani
Shaw
A name that went through slavery,
Picking cotton and being maids.
My grandpa left that world behind
And now I hold his name.
A name I love.
Shaw
Watauga MS: Vinh C.
Waves of air carried ashes across the smoky buildings, fire lighting up what used to be a bright shiny civilization, now dull dark cars roam across the streets.
Crunch.
"Be quiet Amy nobody needs to know we're here!" whispered James harshly.
James is my older brother and after our parents died from "The Plague" he has always been so overprotective.
"Are you sure anybody is here? It's like this world is empty," I replied.
"You know there are buggies still out there," said James. I rolled my eyes at him. Buggies were people who steal resources from other people and could keep you as slaves, just thinking about it makes me shudder.
"Lets keep moving," I replied with a tinge of fear. Boom! No doubt that was a gun fire. James and I hid in a shed, I heard mumbling so I decided to peek in a short hole.
"Hurry up and round up them slaves!" barked a man.
"Alright! We get it Nabs you don't need to repeat it!" shouted another man.
"We need to do something James!" I whispered harshly.
"And get caught? No way," whispered James.
"Dad would've done something!" I whispered back.
"Well dad isn't here!" shouted James.
"Hey! who's there in that shed Nabs?"said the man. We heard footsteps closing in. Creak, the door swung right open and I pulled out my pistol.
"Here we go." I thought.
North Oaks MS: Daylei O.
“ Love “
Explain what true love is.
Love is something you can’t explain. It’s an overwhelming emotion that takes over and consumes you over desire and it enhances over time once you need more and more of it. It’s like you lose your breath and are beneath water. But breathe where no one will ever see. You feel intoxicated and fall to the knees, but still keep living. You feel like you are dying, but you love that feeling and it’s what makes you feel alive. Like a feeling of swallowing a pound of salt but washing it down. But to you in the end all the pain and suffering will never ever please you.
Smithfield MS: Rylee B.
Facing My Fears
As I walked onto the still boat, I could tell I was nervous. I didn't know how to wakeboard and I was worried I would mess up. I got the wakeboard on. Then I got into the water I held on to the rope as hard as I could. I started telling myself be confident and don't worry.
So I held onto the rope, but let go of it multiple times. I could not hold onto that rope! At last, I got a good grip of the rope that went straight to the boat, but my hands would not stop shaking. As I laid there in the water, it was obvious to everyone I was scared.
“Be confident in yourself and don't give up,” I said to myself as I almost lost grip of the rope again. Holding on for dear life.
When I yelled to everyone I was ready, they started the boat. I had worked up enough courage to get the wakeboard on top of the water. While my right hand held tightly onto the rope, my left hand was jerking up and down trying to help me keep my balance. I was starting to lose confidence, but I kept repeating to myself “ Be confident and don't give up.” After a while my left arm stopped jerking up and down. Now my right arm was the one jerking up and down with the motion of the waves. I was ready to try wakeboarding on the waves now. “ Be confident, don't give up,” I said to myself with confidence. I made it up onto the wave without falling! I learned that day to be confident and you can do almost anything.
Richland MS: Dalilah C.
Dream
I knocked on the door again. No one answered, but I knew the house wasn’t empty. They were expecting me to give up and go away, but I had other plans. I climbed the tree next to the window to see what they were doing. I saw the four of them sitting in a circle inside a room, there was nothing in there but them trying to think. Soon they got up and went towards the door, they knocked.
“Why would someone knock on a door in a room if they are in it?” I thought out loud.
Then I heard footsteps, they were heading up to the room where the children were. Then when they opened the door the only thing I saw was three eyes, and then I fell off the tree. When I woke up I was still lying on the ground, but it was exactly the same as earlier. When I fell, I saw a little girl singing in midair but she was frozen. So was the dog trying to fetch the frizbee. I wondered if the whole world was frozen, so I climbed the tree again. When I got there, I saw nobody.
Soon after I tried opening the door to the house but it was locked. I went to the backyard and tried opening the door. It was open, I saw no traps or anything, it was so curious to where the kids went, it’s like they wanted me to go inside the house and look for them. But something told me that nobody was inside. I still checked just in case. I looked in every room but nobody was there.
Then I remembered that there was a van at the parking lot and when I woke up it was gone! I thought about where the children could’ve gone but I couldn’t think of anything. The only thing I could think of were three eyes. I kept on thinking about the three eyes I saw and I felt like I had seen those eyes before, then I remembered that I had dreamt about them yesterday! Then I heard a voice. It sounded like my sister, then suddenly I entered another dimension, it was like I was sleeping.
Then my sister was next to me and told me I was sleep talking and had said, “Why would someone knock on a door in a room if they are in it?” I realized it had all been a dream.
The next thing I did was get ready for breakfast but while I was in the bathroom doing my hair, the house in front of mine suddenly made me feel scared. It was exactly like the one in my dream! Inside the house I could see a human but the head somehow seemed bigger, then I saw that it had three eyes! I also saw a white van in the parking lot. What if my dream predicted the future of my life?
Maybe I had a chance to save the children.
Watauga MS: Diego L.
The professor had sealed the fate of humanity.
Once upon a time, he had created monsters in the laboratory, monsters too small to see, monsters that invade the human mind and body. The little virus was far too potent, and they had to destroy it. But the professor ran off, knowing this was right.
Humanity was the cancerous spore on the planet.
It would only be a matter of time before he had arrived at his personal lab, where his brother slept. During that moment, the virus flooded his bloodstream and began its work. The next day, the brother woke up, unaffected. He then flew to work, where the virus, duplicated a thousand times over, spread.
The brother died four days after. The doctors called it “death by natural causes.” But the day before, the brother had nausea, vomiting, and his body slowly began to rot. His vocal cords did their best, but death overtook it. The professor didn’t mind. He was a little cell in the universe, a dirty little cell that should be eradicated. They were the cancer; He was the cure.
Assured the virus would work, he begged for a job back at the university. Telling them he disposed the bacteria as per regulations, he then got to work on human subjects.Late at night, where nobody dared to walk, the professor left the unwilling subjects to die, ending them with a gunshot before there would be trouble. He was stubborn, unhesitant and ignorant. He had no fear disposing the body into the lake.
Meanwhile, at the shop where the brother worked, a virus landed on meat, and that one piece of meat was fed to a hungry family of 5. Their fate was sealed 5 days later.
It would be four weeks before there was any effect. The news reported of a strange epidemic spreading the nation, which got everyone hyped. The search for a cure was delayed by an ever evolving virus.
He had set it to form and change over the next 50 years. It would be stronger, resilient and powerful, to the point to where it would be God’s wrath storming all over the world. The professor retreated to his home, and there he watched the world break down.
When twenty people dropped dead consecutively in New York, there was worldwide panic. Two months later, the epidemic, now named “Darknight,” made its bloody murder streak south. Within 3 months, New York was empty. Only a few beggars lay there.
The CDC had a hard time controlling the disease. Capturing samples was near impossible. They showed no symptoms of sickness until four hours before death, and by the time they had a sample, Darknight had eradicated itself; it reacted to non-organic materials by dying. Examining it was impossible, so when they had an electron microscope over a dying man, the virus had disappeared; it reacted to light by becoming invisible. Ironically, the investigators died.
New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts; all dying or dead. Within a year, there were cases reported in all contiguous 48 states. Darknight flew through the Americas four months later. The professor sat in Tokyo, laughing his way to insanity.Europe, Asia and Oceania shut all their borders down. The pillars of the United Nations cracked and creaked. The US was virtually dead and dying.
And soon enough, Canada, the US, and Mexico was empty. No man dared to step in there.
Germany was the next victim. Within 48 hours, 12 million people had died. And South America was basically gone, governments falling into anarchy. Attempts for a cure began to fade away. Over a billion people were dead, and China soon gave up. Anarchy spread the world.
And after 3 years and 4 months, Norway was the final place for the survivors. Darknight had murdered all humans. In Norway, people died everyday. It was only 9 days and 300,000 had died. What was the point anyway? There were only 451 people after the fact.
Soon, he was the only one.
The professor sat in his bed, laughing. His body had become bony and rough. Coughing, his eyes closed.
The fates had succeeded.
Darknight had succeeded.
But his fate has failed.
Haltom MS: Linette M.
Stars
Stars are scattered up the sky
As you elevate yourself up with the stars you seem to fly
The sun is the biggest one of all
In the morning they seem to disappear or fall
Ships sail as the stars glow
Without the stars ships at night won't go
As long if it's night
Stars shine so bright up in the sky
They guide you where you need to be
And that's the poem of stars from me
Smithfield MS: Zoe M.
Down It Goes
Creak, creak, creak
The sound of my dad coming out of the attic
Box after box
I know what will come down
The garland was ripped off the mantel
Ornaments slowly creeping off the tree
Ding, clink, clank
The sound of ornaments in the box
Pop!
The top of the tree was off
Middle then bottom, carried off
Down it goes
Creak, creak, creak
North Richland MS: Anabell L.
I chose the creature zombies because they are really popular and interesting. I will be telling you about what a zombie is, what their history is and how people have prepared for the zombie apocalypse.
A Zombie is defined as the body of a dead person given the semblance of life, but mute and will-less, by a supernatural force, usually for some evil purpose. They first appeared in history about 300 years ago but have become very popular and even have some people preparing for the world to be taken over by them.
The word zombie first appeared in Haiti in the late 17th century. The original zombies were not villains but victims, brought back to life usually as slaves. Of course that was just a rumor and many people said it wouldn’t make sense to bring people back from the dead to make slaves because they would be brain dead and move slowly!
Zombies became popular in the 1960’s with the movie “The Night of the Living Dead”. Since then we have tv shows, more movies and cartoons all about the undead. The show enjoyed by most right now is “The Walking Dead.” It is a show about the Zombie Apocalypse and how people would try to survive.
Some people believe in a zombie apocalypse. When an illness or virus would make people act or become zombie or zombie-like. Many people will prepare for this day by keeping guns, food and water in a safe place or storage.
Whatever you believe, since they appeared in history, we have become fascinated in the idea of zombies. We have made it part of our culture and prepare for the possibility that one day they could take over.