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The WoodsMarie BurkardFollow meAs I scurry over the scum-encrusted drainageditch,Wade through the waist high weeds,Jump over the juniper branches that hide thepath,Crawl under the cracked, bug-filled log,Walk amongst the wondrous awning of trees,And it’s here that you’ll find the place I go todisappear.A pile of leaves substituting for a bed,Creeping ivy acting as my pillow,The lulling sound of twittering squirrels myonly music,The pale sky peeking through the tree tops,The crunch of branches upset by noseyanimals.It’s my escape, my safe place, my secret.I can sit there all day,Reading a book,Hiding from the rest of the world,My cell phone off,And no one will find me.I am a KeyKatie PriddyI am a keyOpening doors to dusty attics of the mind,Unlocking the mystery of what tomorrowwill be,Igniting the engine to a road trip ahead,Opening a journal brimming with memories.I am a keyCut differently than any other,Even if my features are copied,My edges are rough and complicated,I used to be polished but now I lost my shine.I am a keyI can become attached to a ring,A circle to hang from so I don’t get lost,I am carriedBy those who need me the most.Blue SteelKatlin KnaakThe tail end of a 1992 Ford Pickup truck calls to me.I see a treasure of blue steel,others see an old rust bucket.You eat my money, like itʼs a sweet at Halloween time.Seats discolored from the sand and dirt on the bottoms ofmany.Hot summer nights,where you would carry us for a beach drive.The dashboard cracked from the pounding of drummershands.You both have grown old,and heʼs moved on with his life.The insides of the seats leak out from broken seams,where the metal of my jeans rip at you.Aged and rusted memories locked away inside,no one to know other than the riders.I wonder when the day comes whenI have to say goodbye to you Blue Steel.Michigan Pines14 Spring 2008Sally Posey