A DICKENS TRADITION

Four Port Jefferson Middle School students shared a unique spotlight when they read their poetry to the many spectators during the 25th annual Charles Dickens Festival in Port Jefferson on Dec. 3. Accompanied by teacher Monica Consalvo, sixth grader Elayna Jacobs, seventh graders Deia Colosi and Julie Friedman and eighth grader Gianna Viviano shared their winter-inspired poems during the special evening lantern dedication that served as a backdrop to the Village’s transformation to the Dickensian era, with streets filled with roaming characters including Dickens Mayor, Father Christmas, Scrooge, the Town Crier and the beloved chimney sweeps

Winter

By Elayna Jacobs, Grade 6

Winter is every child’s dream.

As snowflakes glisten in the distance, 

children play in the snow.

Snowmen are built.

Childhood wonder sparkles.

Year after year the remembrance of this winter day. 

Family

By Julie Friedman, Grade 7

Families coming together joyfully

Everyone walking peacefully 

Smiles and laughs are contagious 

Being sad seeming outrageous 

The act of giving and love being expressed 

Everyone feeling fortunate and blessed 

Although a piece of the puzzle may be missing for some 

Don’t let that stop you from living and having fun 

Your loved one’s memory is still in your heart 

And always know they will never be to far apart 

So let’s be happy of the memories you guys have shared 

Feeling joy and peace and never feeling scared 

During the holiday season, think of our loved ones that are no longer here.

Winter Sights

Deia Colosi, Grade 7

Spring’s blooming buds-

Summer’s fiery sun-

Fall’s vivid, pictorial colors-

But none can compare 

To winter’s shining frost,

Sparkling in the morning sun. 

‘Tis an amazing sight to see

Icicles glinting in every tree

And frosted fields of white

Whose shine does not compare 

The rolling plains of endless white

With the occasional spark of light,

As far as the eye can see. 

Ah! ‘Tis beauty in its purest form. 

A season of wondering and wandering, 

Moonlit and cold, 

Remote, yet beautiful still. 

A season of starlight.

Draped in a mantle of cold and frosted stars 

This season 

Of winter.

Nona’s Kitchen

By Gianna Viviano, Grade 8 

Walking into Nona’s kitchen on Christmas Eve is like entering a new world

New sights by the second are being unfurled

The pots and pans are everywhere, some boiling to the top,

Uncle Joe is picking at the olives and Nona scolds him to stop.

The smell of sauce, lemon, and garlic fill the air.

Our tummies grumble and from the tray more rice balls disappear

Flavor explodes on our tongues and we crave more

We get caught red-handed and shooed out the door.

Little cousins run around, as the parents jump out of their way

Aunts and uncles reliving their childhood Christmas days

Nona pulls the octopus out of the pot and scares me half to death.

We start laughing and I can’t catch my breath

The final timer goes off, and the symphony of chaos comes to a rest

Now it’s time for dinner, the very very best

From babies to 80s we sit together at the long table

We think about how Christmas all started in a stable

Pop says the blessing, and we thank God for this day,

We finally begin eating when we hear Nona Say,

“Tutti A Tavola Di Mangiare”