Their Poetry will soon be on HART Buses
It might be an unusual place for poetry, but Huntington High School students Jiordan Castle and Mia Parziale will soon have their work displayed on Huntington Area Rapid Transit buses as they make their way around town.
The seniors were recognized by the Town of Huntington’s Public Art Initiative program for poems submitted to the Poetry for the HART contest. “This is fabulous recognition, and well deserved, too,” Huntington Superintendent John J. Finello said.
The teenagers were students in teacher Kenneth Krummenacker’s fall creative writing course. Ms. Castle is also the editor of Et Cetera, the high school literary magazine. Teachers say the pair is exceptionally talented.
Ms. Castle’s poem, “Terminal” and Ms. Parziale’s work, titled “Sleep,” were among 132 contest entries and just 15 submissions that were chosen for display.
The two poetry honorees are among Huntington’s finest seniors this year. Ms. Parziale is the editor of the 2008 edition of The Huntingtonian, the high school yearbook. She plans on attending SUNY Farmingdale next fall, according to Mr. Krumennacker, who said the senior is considering majoring in public relations. “She is also a talented hairstylist and loves photography, the teacher added. Ms. Castle, who intends to pursue a career in publishing, also had a poem selected in the HART competition as a freshman.
The student’s poems follow:
Terminal
By Jiordan Castle
There is this silent sweep:
your feet touch the linoleum floor
of the terminal.
Luggage ignored, arms still at your sides.
I note the true length of three months,
the stagnant composition of time.
You wave goodbye, but all I hear is
the mechanical rush of wings.
I try to memorize the curve of your back,
the length of your smile.
You have everything you need to get by --
but me.
Sleep
By Mia Parziale
The obnoxious sound of the alarm clock,
Your body asks for more sleep but is denied.
The quiet drive to school,
Your eyes ask for more sleep but are denied.
The droning voice of the teachers,
Your ears ask for more sleep but are denied.
The walks from class to class,
Your legs ask for more sleep but are denied.
The furious writing on the homework paper,
Your hands ask for more sleep but are denied.
Finally its time you’re body’s been aching for.
You lay in bed waiting to be swept by dreams,
But instead you lay there not able to sleep.
And then when you finally get the satisfaction,
It begins again.
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