The document contains 3 poems - "Who Has Seen the Wind?" by Christina Rossetti, which describes the invisible nature of the wind through its effects on leaves and trees; "Apple" by Nan Fry, which depicts biting into a snow-covered apple under a red, starry sky; and an untitled poem about reaching the end of a book but there being many other stories to read.
2. The End
Mary Ann Hoberman
We’re at the end
The very end
The very
Very
Very
End
No more words
Or pictures. Look!
No more stories
in this book.
But there are other
Books to read
Hundreds
Thousands
All we need.
3. The Mystery of the Missing Medallion
By the Sheridan Playwrights
CHARACTERS
LILY, BETTY, TRACY: stylish sisters, LOGAN: Emma’s friend who is accused of stealing , TOOL SHOP OWNER, TOOL
SHOP OWNER’S WIFE, LUCINDA: the queen’s conniving sidekick., EMMA: a princess in hiding., BUTCHER: very near-
sighted witness to the crime.
SETTING
A small village, during the 1400s, somewhere in England.
SCENE 1
(THE TOWN SQUARE – dusk. A few townspeople stroll through the SQUARE. LOGAN, who wears a red hat, is in
front of the Tool Shop talking to the TOOL SHOP OWNER and his WIFE. LUCINDA moves behind LOGAN and
plants the fake medallion in LOGAN’s coat pocket. EMMA enters and walks through the square. LUCINDA sneaks
and removes EMMA’S necklace. She bumps into EMMA. EMMA turns around quickly and sees LUCINDA
disappearing into the night, but EMMA thinks the figure is her friend, LOGAN.)
EMMA (turning around) Oh, excuse me. Logan? Hmph! He’s certainly in a rush. (EMMA tosses her hair
and doesn’t feel her necklace. In a panic she searches her neck and looks around.) Oh, no. My
medallion! It’s gone! Help! I’ve been robbed! Help!
LILY/BETTY/TRACY: (Adlib.) Robbed? Oh my!
(Enter BUTCHER, with his face full of shaving cream, TOOL SHOP OWNER and WIFE.)
BUTCHER: What’s going on? What did you say was stolen, Miss?
TOOL SHOP OWNER: By whom?
4. Pigeon Express
By the Center for Urban Education
My uncle told me that long ago people used carrier pigeons to take messages to other
people. He actually has some carrier pigeons. They live in a coop on the roof of his apartment
building. They aren’t everyday pigeons—they have been trained.
My uncle had carrier pigeons when he was a child. He grew up and went into the army,
but now he works at a store. He has always loved those carrier pigeons. So when he got
enough money, he bought some and trained them himself. Every day, my uncle writes a note
to his sister. His sister lives on the south side and my uncle lives on the west side. He tells his
sister about his day in his notes. He says it’s not urgent to tell her the news. He just likes
using the carrier pigeons.
His sister thinks this is silly. When the pigeon comes, she takes the note and reads it but
does not send anything back. Afterwards, the bird comes back to my uncle’s coop.
One day there was a sudden rainstorm after the pigeon left my uncle’s coop. It rained so
hard and so long that everything was flooded. The pigeon did not come back immediately, so
my uncle started to worry about the pigeon. He worried about his sister, too. But then the
pigeon came back. It was very wet. It had a note in a plastic bag. The note said, “I am ok.”
Later that summer, there was another problem. The power was out. We did not have any
telephone service. My uncle said, “See, pigeons can work all the time. They don’t need
electricity.” He wrote that in a note, too. He tied that note to the pigeon. Then he sent that
note to his sister. About an hour later, the pigeon came back. It had another note on it.
“You’re right,” it said. “I have learned that you can count on pigeons. But I still want my
telephone back.”
5. Apple
Nan Fry
At the center, a dark star
wrapped in white.
When you bite, listen
for the crunch of boots on snow,
snow that has ripened. Over it
stretches the red, starry sky.
6. The Surprise
Setting: A park in a large city in the summer
Characters: TIA, a sad little girl; PILAR, Tia’s best friend; TOMMY, Tia’s
brother; MOM, Tia’s mother
SCENE 1
(A girl, Tia, swings at the swing set alone with her head down.)
TIA: (sadly) I can’t believe everyone forgot my birthday. When Mom said that
we were having a picnic, I thought it was a surprise party. But when we got here,
there was no cake. No presents. Not even a card.
(Pilar enters.)
PILAR: (excitedly) Come on Tia, it’s time for lunch!
(Tia gets up slowly and stands next to Pilar. She looks offstage and smiles.)
TOMMY: (offstage) Surprise!
7. Who Has Seen the Wind?
By Christina Rossetti
Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you
But when the leaves hand trembling,
The wind is passing through
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I.
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.