Editor's Treasure Chest

I am


Poem by: Devereaux Stephens

I am a quiet boy who loves animals

I wonder what the world will be like in one billion years

I hear a black hole sucking up the earth

I see a steak covered in salt, BBQ sauce, and ketchup in a potato bun the size of half the world

I want 100 billion dollars

I am a quiet boy who loves animals

I pretend I am a leaper

I feel all the animals coming towards me

I touch all the wolves that make great pets

I worry that my pet parrot will die

I cry whenever I see a dead dog or wolf

I am a quiet boy who loves animals

I say that we should all believe in each other

I dream of seeing every single animal on the earth

I try not to harm nature

I hope the earth will never blow up

I am a quiet boy who loves animals

About The Author

Devereaux (Devy) is my 10-year old son. The last of three (an older sister and an older brother) children, Devy has benefited from a home environment that encourages learning and leadership. Devy's written works have received acclaim throughout his academic career. With a friend, Devy has produced several comic books with elaborate story lines. In 2009 Devy was a runner up in a Fire Safety Poster Contest; his poster received acclaim for the ease with which it delivered its message.

A prolific writer, I suspect we would be seeing more of Devy's work.

Editor's Treasure Chest

I am experimenting with a new feature for Church & State, which would appear periodically as a regular post, and I need your help. As the name implies, the Editor's Treasure Chest would showcase works from young writers that I deem to be of exceptional quality.

The underlying premise of Church & State is making a case for learning from our past experiences. And I believe that the generation before mine has failed us by refusing to embrace the concept of mentorship. In keeping with something I have practiced throughout my professional career, I will use this forum to mentor and encourage the next generation of writers. It would be an understatement to say that we are witnessing one of the most aggressive, and insidious transformations of the art of communication.

Whether it is Text Messaging, Instant Messaging, or E-mail, the means by which we communicate have changed forever. What should not change; however, is the quality of the written word. Join me by encouraging our youngsters to appreciate the written form while bolstering their confidence that comes from seeing their words in print.

As many of you are aware, this BLOG forms the basis for my forthcoming book. My plan is to publish a compilation of the articles published here along with readers' comments. I would, likewise, consider including a Junior Writer's section in the published work.

With your help in identifying the historians and journalists of tomorrow, we will make a profound statement on our legacy. Essays, poems, book reports and other subject-matter may be forwarded to csblog@eastephens.com, with Editor's Treasure Chest in the subject line.