The Spirit of a Mountain Spring Akio Ho, Year 11 His scarlet heart is dripping in his hands. He holds it out before his veiny cage, And wrenches to remove in desperate rage Its slender tentacles, which still demand An ichor from his rippling stony husk - He stumbles from the darkened caves whose jaws Consumed his ragged cries, too raw and deep, Into the fading spectral glow of dusk. Will there be dusty golden shafts of light Enough to warm divinely his tormented soul, And free his fluid sprite from glinting crystal seams, So that, not he nor she but they, might grasp respite Released from injury compelled, to fall upon their riverbed As flowing blankets grant them rest tonight? My Calculator Stan Birch, Year 9 Solves equation in the blink of an eye Very helpful, so my mark remains high Helps me heaps with my math So I won’t feel my teacher’s wrath Add or subtract, always done quick Greatly helpful for this tough arithmetic Easy to multiply, or divide Always solves equations with terrific pride Sometimes though it is an irk When my teacher sees through my tactics And says “you have to show your work As I’ve had enough of your antics” Although you’ve helped me along the way In the pencil case is where you will stay Until comes the section calculator allowed Where you will become most profound.