Branch won First place in a county competition with his poetry entry. The poetry and short fiction was centered on the state of Texas. Stennes also won First in his grade level (6-8). I'll share his poem next. Josiah won Third in short fiction, although his poem was my favorite.
Cactus cactus
Ouchy ouchy
The needles hurt so much
Pokey pokey
Sticky sticky
You better not touch
Way down in the desert
The cactus grows so tall
They look like trees with needles
They make me feel so small
I don't like touching cactus
Because they poke my skin
I think I will not touch one
If I ever see one again
