Two Poems by Spencer Grath Willits

Our 13-year-old grandson, now in junior high, had the following English assignment: He was to write two completely different poems evoking one and the same feeling. Below is the work he turned in, which he has given me permission to publish here on "Books in Northport." We have always known that Spencer is smart and creative, but we are completely blown away by this latest evidence.

HEART OF THE FLAME

I am the heart of the flame,
Cackling with glee

To heat and fire I say stay,
To chill and ice, be gone

I am a blazing inferno
Burning the old forests,
Letting the new trees grow,
Bringing in new life

I can be controlled by none,
And contained in no cage

You may try to escape into water,
But you must eventually come onto land

I am chaos at its core
Following my own rules and nothing else
From a dying spark,
To a white hot supernova

I do what I please, not what pleases others
Doing what I need to survive

I stay, and I move on
there are those that love me,
And those that hate me,
For I am the heart of the flame

THE FIGHTER

I am the fighter, the warrior, the survivor. Did you know that I am the one who fights for all your quarrels?

I am the general, the master, the king, taking charge of the troops.

I am the trooper that fights to the death. Fire and storm come from me. They die, and I send more until my purpose is fulfilled.

I am the eye of the storm. I am the battle field that will bear blood. Terrible storms form around me. I forget. Battles tear my life apart. I forget. I welcome death. Bringing forth all of my innermost emotions. And I forget.

Sometimes I growl and fall short of myself. Then, I forget. When I, the fighter, accept the lessons of today, without forgetting the battles of last year, and those who fought against me, then there will be no speaker in the world who will say “The fighters,” with any fleck of a sneer in his voice, or a far off smile of derision. The fighter, the warrior, the survivor, will arrive then.

- Spencer Grath Willits

Spencer, thank you so much for allowing me to share your work with "Books in Northport" readers! We love you TONS!