Pittsfield Youth Workshop
Summer, 2016
Pittsfield Youth Workshop
Summer, 2016
A sincere thanks to our participants Allyssa, Javan,
Romeo, Jonathan, Debra, Alexa, Stefne, Melody,
Emma, Lily, Shayla, Allegra, Paula, Beverly, and
Betsy. It was an amazing four weeks!
1
How Grown Ups Fight
By Allyssa
Sara Sunny Flower and my mom and I went
outside to play in the morning and we stayed out all
day to play with the baby. Jasmine moved out of my
house and my bedroom and will not be allowed to
come back. I’m glad she’s leaving because she made me
mad because she brought boy in to the house and they
came into my bedroom without knocking. Jasmin and
my mom were fighting and so my mom told her she
had to leave. Now Sara can move back in because I
like her more than Jasmine.
2
Aliens of Pitfield
A Collaborative Story
Nobody knew where they came from or where they went. But
these two separate accounts, taken from separate witnesses on
September first, 2016, will attempt to explain the strange
happenings in Pitfield, Old Hampshire.
As I walked through the woods one cloudy Sunday evening, I
pondered such things as the meaning of life. And as I took this walk it
occurred to me that the meaning of life is simply that we are alive. We
have the chance to have feelings, experience things, and simply enjoy
being alive.
But, as the leaves crunched beneath my feet and I stared at the
grey emotionless sky, I felt as if I wasn’t truly embracing my brief time
on this glorious planet. Even though I was sixteen, I had fallen into the
cruel pattern of habit. I simply woke up and did as was normal. I ate, I
went to school, I slept, not doing anything special.
When the aliens came to our town, the dogs went wild, barking,
jumping. The aliens looked at the dogs attentively and they got very
quiet. The cats marched around the aliens, checking them out, and
then went to confer together on one side of the town square.
I stared at the trees filled with leaves of warm color that seemed
to glare at me with cold inquisitive eyes, questioning me as much as I
was questioning myself. I wished to do something, but what could I
do? I could get into hacktivism, but that seemed too complicated. I
could start a charity, but I wondered if that would cost me money. I
could join the local 5K for breast cancer, but that involved exercise. I
sat down, feeling defeated. Doing stuff seemed to take so much work.
As the aliens continued to stare at the dogs, a few dogs began
to shimmer and get fuzzy around the edges. One dog grew a mane
and its paws became huge. A stalk sprouted from its head and its
eyes wandered up to its ears. The cats came over to check out this
new creature.
3
I sighed and pulled out my phone. I looked at the local news.
The top headlines read: Aliens!
Weird, I thought. I figured it must have been a hoax. Suddenly,
abnormal triangular objects zoomed across the top of the trees at
what seemed to be impossible speeds.
I guess it’s not a hoax, I thought. I could fight aliens!
...Nah, too much work.
Another fuzzy dog was becoming a six-foot-tall, five legged
creatures with a very large mouth. A few cats walked around it and
then back to the other cats to report their findings.
There is no consensus on what happened that day.
Unfortunately, these are the only two records left, as the town
mysteriously disappeared the next day. We may never know what
truly became of the town known as Pitfield.
4
5
Broccoli
By Shayla
I’m sorry I put broccoli on the mac and cheese
so that you wouldn’t want it.
I’m sorry for banishing you
from my room multiple times.
Sorry about pushing you too hard,
and stealing some of your things.
But actually,
I’m not sorry about the mac and cheese.
Revenge is tasty.
6
7
An Ode to My Books
By Shayla
Most of you are on my shelves,
some are on my floor.
All are different shapes and sizes.
Some of you I've read once,
some one hundred,
some not at all.
I love brushing my fingers against your spines,
opening your covers
and diving into new worlds.
I can never have too many,
even if my bedroom carpet crushes
beneath their weight.
8
Me and You
By Shayla
Start with a handshake, firm but kind.
Add common interests:
Books,
video games,
anime,
and each other.
Simmer slowly, don't let it burn.
Combine friendly conversations,
serious conversations,
sharing secrets and laughs.
Whisk together with adventures,
meeting each other's families,
laughing so hard on the floor we can't breathe.
Pour in tears when the stress of life gets to be too much
and warm hugs to make it go away.
Mix everything together with a first kiss
that made us both feel like
flying.
Put it into the oven and cook with respect,
cuddles,
soft words,
dancing,
and love.
This is the recipe of me and you.
9
10
99<1
by Stefne
The small 1% depends upon the other 99%
Always following the norm
Never fighting back
Ode to Life
By Melody
My ode is 4 the life I was given
4 life is like a baby’s first hug from their mother
Or a kitten drifting off to a state of sleep
4 all these things have 1 thing in common
They’re all beautiful
4 this reason, my ode is to life, beautiful, beautiful life
11
Under The Lamplight
By Stefne
Under the lamplight
Late at night
Children inspire
Never tire
Sharing their writings
Their Triumphs, their fightings
All together
Time seeming to last forever
But as the sun rises, they are forced to disband
No longer standing hand in hand
They walk away
Waiting for the death of day
So they can have another night under the lamplight
12
I'm scared
By Stefne
I'm scared
Scared of writing
Scared of fighting
Scared of thoughts
Scared of long walks
Scared of cats
Scared of bats
Scared of capabilities
Scared of bus fees
Scared of that honey bee
Scared to be me
Life
By Melody
Live with Joy
I’ve given you life
Fear nothing
Every day shall be great
13
‘
Finally Home
By Lily
I get ready when I hear the song of the birds fill the air. I turn the corner and
see a few of the robotic songbirds. I smell the motor oil in the bird bath.
Above me are clouds with advertisements printed on them as they slowly drift
across the digital sky. I hear a metal cat meow near my feet. I open the door
to my apartment and step inside. I go to my dresser and put my most
practical clothing in my backpack. Then I go to the kitchen and put some food
in as well, food that won’t go bad easily. Now I just need some type of
weapon, but what? I have on weapons, not even a baseball bat. I settle on a
handful of steak knives, the closest thing to daggers I own. They are nothing
compared to the gold weighted daggers I used to have when I lived in the
Dead Lands, but due to the lack of water I was forced to move; and with that
give up all of my belongings. All my belongings but one, a necklace with a tiny
bottle attached to it, in the bottle sand that shines like gold when in the
sunlight that and a map to the one place I belong. I grabbed my stuff and
walked out the door, on the way to the shuttles. I stopped at the store and
14
bought a gallon of water. When I got to the shuttles, I got directly on to the
one I wanted: the one marked Dead Lands.
As I rode the shuttle I wanted nothing more than to pull out my map but know
I couldn’t because of all the cameras pointed at me, the only person on the
shuttle. The shuttle stopped and I got off at the platform which is nothing but
a cement block and an old shed. I walk up to the door of the shed and knock;
there is no response, which is what I expected. I open the door slowly trying
to see into the dimly lit office set up there. I walk in and accidentally kick
something soft, a man’s stomach. He is asleep on the floor, empty bottle in
hand. This makes sense as the station keeper has been paid in alcohol for as
long as I can remember. I steal a flashlight and a package of unopened
batteries off the messy table and walk out of the shed.
The sun is setting now as I walk over the salt crystals dried on the dessert
floor. I stop and get out my flashlight and eat a small can of food then keep
moving. It is much easier to move at night when the sun isn’t beating down on
you. After a few hours I come across my old house and sleep here on the floor
thankful for shelter. I wake up around noon the next day and eat another can
of food. I start to walk again heading southeast form my house. I travel a few
hours under the night sky, real sky out her, not enough people live out here to
put the fake one in. Then I finally come to the cave mouth. I stop to eat and
replace the batteries in the flashlight. I get up and take a deep breath and
don’t release it till I’m inside the cave. Guided only by my map and flashlight I
walk deeper and deeper into the cave until I come to a dead end. I stare at the
wall of the cave as I ponder one last time if I’m really ready to be home. I
decide yes, and pour the sand on the ground. The wall fades and lets me walk
through. I am final home in the beautiful city of gold.
15
16
17