By Kent Gosky
Every student has a story that he or she wishes to share. He or she wants to reach out to others and encourage them to step into their own world for just a second. This is exactly the opportunity that The Pilgrimage gives to the entire student body this year.
The Pilgrimage is a composition of short stories and poems released to the student body once per year. All stories and poems are written by students, sharing a piece of literature that reflects who they are through letting the readers learn what that students may think on a certain matter. The subject matter may be the choice of the student. or gives off a work of complete fantasy for those to enjoy from the basis of their own imagination.
Stories are the outcome of imagination. A single thought leads to bright ideas. An idea can lead to anything, which leads into a poem, a short story, or even an elegy of great detail. Senior Christina Schafer wrote two poems for The Pilgrimage. Her poems’ titles are “The Foolish Old Tree” and “A Picture of Me.” “The Foolish Old Tree” is an illogical poem featuring a environmental theme. On the other hand, Schafer wrote “A Picture of Me” as sort of an introduction. “[It] introduces myself,” she states.
With young writers dreaming up new ideas, any story of the imagination is possible, including ideas such as the short story “A Tragic Romance” and the poem “Society’s Ailments” written by Senior Jessica Cleveland. Her pieces of literature reflect over “The struggle between two actors. One is sweet and kind while the other is jealous and savage. The poem depicts our society’s lack of focus on how we should be treating each other and acting as individuals.” Cleveland explains. It gives a deeper meaning to her own stories and ideas that venture through her own mind.
Motivation can come from anywhere at all. For junior Maiyah Czarnecki, her motivation for one of her poem “Cartoons on TV” was brought upon by her two year old sister. “I had an assignment due in two days and I was thinking about what to write as my two year old sister crawled up on my lap. She wanted to watch cartoons and I had brilliant idea for a poem,” Czarnecki said. “Cartoons on TV” is about my two year old sister. She is my best friend, my ‘little me.’”
While poems may be as short as a couplet, or as long as a epic poem, short stories can grow more in depth to the reader. With short stories leading in with thought out plot or moral to the story, some poems can hold in the same meaning. Leaving the two almost identical to one another, yet so different at the same time.
Students such as senior Shelby Harty submitted a short story for The Pilgrimage. She wrote a story titled, “The Price of Freedom,” a tale featuring three soldiers who are fighting in a war. The only wish Harty had for this story was that she had “put more detail into it.” Others including sophomore Eli Wendt who dreamed up his short story named “Endangered” featuring a story where even common house pets such as cats no longer exist. While his theme, “Is very important, and will hopefully get the reader thinking. I don’t want to ruin the surprise though” Wendt explained, leaving his short story casting a bit of mystery for those who may read it.
Sometimes looking forward into the future leads to an idea, one that brings a unique theme to one’s mind. With the story “Dear You,” sophomore Hope Babcock writes of a girl writing a love story to the man she will marry, yet she has never seen this man in person. This gives a strange twist to the mystery of love. “It’s very optimistic, and it reflects on the idea of preparing yourself for your future with that one person,” Babcock explains, giving some insight to her own story.
Editing her poem, sophomore Hope Babcock envisions a new approach for her poem "Dear You." Photo by: Kent Gosky
Poems are brought together for the pleasure of the reader. The reader may only read a poem consisting of a few words, yet those few words will sing on within a number of the hearts of the readers. Junior Faith Read said that her favorite pastime is writing poems. For The Pilgrimage, Read wrote poems such as, “Leaving Again,” “Her Hands,” “The Child” and “Rush.” She hopes her poems will move readers. “I want people to be moved into feeling something. I want them to remember a certain memory or a certain time that might remind them from reading my poems,” said Read. The concept and basis to her own poems “are different in their own way and that for some there will be no others like them in The Pilgrimage.”
Along with Read, senior Grace Anders wrote two pieces of work. Their titles are “STOP” and “The Unity of Rain.” “One reminisces about a lost childhood, and the other warns people to think about their life.” explained Anders, when she went into detail about her own stories. There is also poem such as senior Jared Beabout that gives off a unique twist to his poems. His poem titled “Relationship” is a series of relationship theme stanzas each only six words long. Making them unique in their own way.
Included along with The Pilgrimage are three poems and one short story written by freshman Hope Banghart, her own work includes, “ Sleep Deprivation,” “The Process of Letting Go,” “Keep It Secret”, and “A Dream Come True.” Banghart’s poems each tell a unique tale to the reader, with “A Dream Come True” a short story featuring the story of a young girl experiencing her first kiss. While “Sleep Deprivation” follows on about how a common girl may not feel good enough for the world. “I write to vent, express what I’m feeling, sometimes even just to think through things so I understand them.” Banghart said, while explaining her own reasoning for her love of writing pieces of literature for others to read.
With so many ideas out there any story or poem is possible, for senior Kirsten Harner, this is quite true. Her poem titled “Canvas” gives a interesting outlook on the world. The theme to “Canvas” gives a comparison between the people in the world, rich or poor. Harner’s work could, “Be a very good discussion piece that would leave teachers and students to ponder and analyze.”
More poems including those written by senior Michael Buchanan, with his poems including “The Solemn Crusade,” “Noticed-at-Last,” “Where is the Rain,” and “Better off Unknown.” Buchanan’s own motivation for these pieces of work is based on, “Events that have happened in not only my life, but the lives of my friends and family.”
With all these stories reaching out to the world, it leaves a lingering message for those who read The Pilgrimage. It gives a deeper look into a diverse group of people and shows how each person really is when it comes down to a story. It also shows how it is when each person writes a poem for those to read and how that message will linger after the story or poem has been read.