Sijo Poetry Collection

Gentle Release

By Maya Gomolla, 17, Wisconsin

I always hold your tiny face so gently in my cool hands.                 

You jerk away every time, laughing, telling me to stop.                 

I learned to stop as two became three, and three became four.

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What inspired me to write this piece was the reality of growing older and apart from a little sibling, more specifically, my little sister, because I’m going off to college soon.

Better Than to Say

By Maya Gomolla, 17, Wisconsin

A new mother grabbed two cases, carefully checking around her. 

I know it’s wrong, but I know better than to say a word.

I don’t want to report because it’s a crime of need, not greed. 

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This is a true sijo poem inspired by something I witnessed. This poem is about seeing a mother in need steal formula for her baby, and instead of speaking up about the situation, people should just go on with their day because they understand that this woman is struggling.

Home Away From Home

By Sam Schulenburg, 18, Wisconsin

Morning trains shake my feet, steam rising from the street grates.

Chaotic crowds and shopping towns, crosswalk chaos, SoHo filled with people. 

Airpods in, head down. Somehow in it all, I feel awake, I feel at home.

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“Home Away from Home” was inspired by my experiences visiting New York City, where my cousins live. Each trip feels exciting and overwhelming in the best way. The city’s constant movement, trains, steam rising from the streets, and crowded sidewalks create an energy that instantly pulls me in. I wanted to capture how alive the city feels and how that intensity can make people feel more present and awake.

Instagram: @sam_schule16

Driveway Dream

By Sam Schulenburg, 18, Wisconsin

Engines rumble, sports cars fill the driveway, restless and roaring. 

Glass towers gleam above all the crowded streets. Big cities call my name, like miles of freedom. The future is shining, but the road starts here. 

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“Driveway Dream” was inspired by the tension between where I am now and where I want to be. The thought of sports cars in a driveway represents ambition and possibility, but also distance, something close enough to imagine, yet not fully reached. The contrast between the quiet driveway and the towering glass buildings reflects my pull toward big cities, movement, and opportunity, and the idea that freedom is often tied to forward motion and growth.

Instagram: @sam_schule16

On Christmas Morning…

By Noah Klawitter, 18, Wisconsin

I leap down the stairs to see my stocking filled with presents,

But when I run to and grab my stocking, pulling it open, I stare into the darkness, and it’s 3 a.m. on a spring night. 

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I love Christmas and I like the idea of staring into darkness and it all being a dream.

Kyle Pitts

A tight end with great speed. Drafted him high with much promise 

He gave hope to the city of Atlanta; they loved him 

But the stats are lagging. Still, we all wait for his breakout. 

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I love Kyle Pitts, and I wanted to write about him after his breakout on Thursday night football.

Ambidextrous

By Luke Millikin, 16, Wisconsin

Did you hear, he’s ambidextrous! He can write twice as fast,

He can answer two questions at once, do homework in half the time!

Did you hear, he’s got two brains in there! He can sleep half as much.

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The way rumors evolve and grow is very interesting to me. People will hear something and remember the most exciting part best and then embellish slightly and that can completely change the initial rumor. It’s like the news: it inherently wants to be the most engaging it can be. This Sijo is about that, a fun, unique trait of a person becomes an outlandish rumor completely separate from the original trait it’s based off of. It was very interesting and quite difficult to try and make the rumor the Sijo follows grow in a way that clearly shows how it’s wrong while still not being too outlandish and unbelievable.

Photo by Rene Böhmer