The River

by Elise Seyferth
Overall Winner—Grade 11, Mt. Anthony Union High School, Mr. Cross

The river flows over the land,
Crosses mountains, valleys, passes through the towns of men
And women, a wide, deep power
That carves into the ground its stream of trash.

As man on his daily journeys passes signs of its flow,
Passes the slightly rusted cans and the bottles filled
With sludge, passes Styrofoam and cardboard cartons—
"I'm lovin'it" trumpets from their soggy sides—
Passes bags caught in trees, great white fluttering birds
That on release will fly high over the river, the sea
Without life; the man adds to its depths.

But the men and women begin to open their eyes,
To see the seething river that grows to intolerable proportions,
And as it flows they turn their eyes to the future.
Their apathy becomes action as they try to fight the rolling current
With on of their own.

For, as I watch, a new river forms from a mountain spring
And streams forth, deep and clear and cool,
To grow and carry along its swelling waters
The hope of an entire people, a new generation, a single child.

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Aleta Mathers
K-2 Winner—Grade 2, East Burke

Green Up is the day that you go out And pick up Garbage that people have left around.

Here I come down the road
Pieces of trash all around,
But I pick them up and thrown them away
So they are not on the ground.

Pick it up, throw it out, compost
And recycle.
Don't pollute the earth.
If you clean every day Vermont
Would seem
So much more beautiful and green.

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What does Green Up Vermont mean to me?

By Jeffrey Trites,
Grades 9-12 Winner— Grade 11, Mt. Anthony Union High School, Mr. Cross

I have been asking myself lately, "What does Green Up Vermont mean to me?" When I think of this day in May, I usually think of green bags on the side of the road. Over the years I have realized that there is a greater meaning behind it that is more important than garbage being picked up on the side of the road. For me, Green Up Day represents not only cleaning our beautiful Vermont streets but coming together as one community. We are Vermonters, and we must work together to save the environment one little bit at a time.

When I drive around town, I occasionally see trash in the streets. This is a constant reminder that no matter what we do to clean up our towns, they will always become dirty again. The thing that I find solace and reassurance in is that we will eventually solve this problem together. Since Vermont is full of small towns, there is a smaller threat of pollution than in big city areas. Even though this can be an advantage, it still means that there are fewer people to help clean up when the time comes. Aside from the fact that only a few people have to clean up a whole state, there is still a sense of unity in coming together to do so. By working in groups, such a difficult task can be made easier.

After seeing the civil benefits of Green Up Day in the past few years, I have grown to love this time of year. I can go out into my neighborhood and enjoy the fresh air that is hard to find elsewhere. Since we Vermonters do what we can to help the environment, I see this day as a door opening endless possibilities for all parts of the world. Perhaps crime rates, pollution, and lack of unity would stop if there were more events like Green Up Day all over the world. Through seeing us change the condition of our state in simply one day, I am filled with hope that the world can better itself in similar ways.

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Maple Leaf Valleys

By Megan Pini,
Honorable Mention—Grade 11, Mt. Anthony Union High School, Mr. Cross

In maple leaf valleys filled with sun,
Green bags line the snakelike roads
Birds call and fly,
Up in the pristine sky.

Green bags line the snakelike roads.
We turn our faces towards the clouds
Up in the pristine sky,
The land is clean, our work is done,

We turn our faces towards the clouds
And the air sparkles on freshly cleaned grass.
The land is clean, our work is done,
In maple leaf valleys filled with sun.

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