Local Student Selected for Statewide Publication

Third grader Rachel Solomon was one of five Ledyard students selected to be published in this year's edition of Connecticut Writing Project. She said she found out from a teacher one day during school and was "really really happy" when she heard. 

Solomon said writing poetry comes pretty easy to her (especailly haiku) and that she shoots for good descriptions. "Our Kittens" took her a couple of days to write because she planned it our first before "I started messing with words and stuff."

She wrote the following poem about her own two cats.  

"My love of cats makes me want other people to understand how I feel and maybe love cats themselves," she said. "They were in between being kittens and cats and I wanted to portray them when they are sleeping loving fur balls and also when their wild tigers in the house. 

Our Kittens by Rachel Solomon  

Queenbee, Willowcat
One grey, One black
One Stormy, One Willow.  

She sleeps, furry, purry, and soft.
In my lap
and
On my bed
and
Even on my book.  

In a moment she is up,
With a yawn and a stretch.
She’s gone.  

Racing here and there,
Gray in front and black in back
Sister after Sister.  

A grey flash, Willow after a pipe cleaner.
A black streak, Stormy after a ball.  

With eyes that melt my heart,
She nestles under the blanket beside me.
I stroke her to sleep.  

Special loving kittens,
Part of my family.

Rachel, some others from Ledyard, and the other recipients around the state will be honored at a banquet dinner at UConn on May 14. Wally Lamb, bestselling author of "This Much I Know is True" and "She's Come Undone" will be the guest speaker.