by Laura Purdie Salas

The whisper
spreads like
fire or
flu

“The first-place
ribbon goes
to you!”

My cheeks burn
hot as a
sunsharp
ray

I’m a blazing
cardinal,
winging
away

Copyright © 2009 Laura Purdie Salas. From the book Stampede!: Poems to Celebrate the Wild Side of School. Clarion Books. Reprinted by permission of the author.

About The Author

Laura Purdie Salas is the author of more than 100 books for kids, including BookSpeak! Poems About Books, Stampede! Poems to Celebrate the Wild Side of School, and A Leaf Can Be…. Her books’ honors include NCTE Notable, Bank Street Best Books, Eureka! Gold Medal, IRA Teachers’ Choice, Minnesota Book Award, and more. She loves to introduce kids to poetry and help them find poems they can relate to. She has also written numerous nonfiction books. See more about Laura and her work at www.laurasalas.com.

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