Above is the title of freshman Kira Street’s latest rhyme, “Spring is in the air (Optimistic and pessimistic)”, one of the many poems recited at the annual Spring Poetry Reading on Monday, April 13th. Held at the Barnes and Noble cafe, customers, students, and teachers alike enjoyed a vast selection of compositions by the talented Walpole High poets along with some savory Starbucks delicacies.  The themes of the poems ranged from love and hate to gossip and graduation.

The Poetry Reading started off with the works of the Career and Education students, who had worked all year along with students in Mr. Michael Alan’s Creative Writing class to produce their poems. Most of the students honored someone in their lives like a teacher, parent, or friend and their poems were well received by the crowd. They were soon followed by a mix of Creative Writing students and WHS students expressing themselves through the sultry tones of a stanza. 

Each poem presented held the viewer’s attention and left them with a flurry of emotion. Senior and annual reader Julia Richardson, for example, shared her personal working experience in “A Memo from 1-Hour Photo,” which amused the audience with its references to Julia’s encounters with crazy customers during her shift. Likewise, the poetry reading closed with senior Jen Hermann, whose poem “My First Will and Testament”  combined the nostalgic feelings of life with the uncertainty of the future.

 All together it was a very successful night for the arts: Pictures and drawings flourished, sonnets and poems captivated the audience, and WHS was able to raise some money through purchases made at Barnes and Noble throughout the night. One can only hope that the underclassmen will be able to fill the large shoes left by this year’s seniors and that the poetry readings will continue to amaze audiences for years to come.