Photo By: Anjali Shah
POETRY
Seasons
Akash Shah
Akash Shah
Welcoming Spring from the fallen leaves
Walking down the street
Smelling the cool breeze
Flipping your hair
Playing with friends
Running around
Sitting in the green grass
Looking at daisies
Blowing dandelions
Making wishes
Running through the open field
Savoring juicy strawberries
Drinking orange juice
Filling your mouth with cookies outside
Swinging on the porch
Walking with friends along the sidewalk
Stuffing your face with ice cream and popsicles
Wearing shorts and short sleeves
Riding through Spring
Zooming across the street
Riding your bike
Smelling the daisies
Stopping to see the newly grown roses
Taking off your jacket and putting on shorts
Waiting for the perfect moment
Celebrating your special day
Playing soccer with your friends
Scoring goals
Riding to the park
Playing tag or lava
Shooting hoops and winning games
Zooming down the road like a cheetah
Cutting the wind with your bike
Letting go of your handles
Screaming woooo, hoooo as you go down the hill
Having a blast
Splashing into Summer
Going to the beach
Getting tanned
Walking along the boardwalk
Laying down on the sand
Jumping the waves
Going boogie boarding
Surfing with the waves
Swimming in the pool
Having cold drinks
Going to parties
Singing a song along the water
Running around
Kicking the sand
Digging into the ground until you reach the core
Pouring water across the sand
Waiting to see the beautiful sundown
Looking at the blue and purple in the sky
Watching the dolphins swim near the shore
Looking at their gray shining backs
Wanting to sit by the beach forever
Surfing out of Summer
Putting on a winter hat
Getting ready for school
Buying supplies
Searching for new clothes
Deciding what to wear on the first day of school
Meeting new people
Finding your bus stop
Going to the park one last time
Visiting places for the last time
Until next time
Saying bye to the things you love
Learning your schedule
Figuring out the really hard names
Feeling like a geek
What goes around, comes around
Hello, Fall
Watching the leaves fall
Jumping in piles of leaves
Colors are changing
Feelings are different
Going to school
Making new friends
Meeting old friends
Learning something new everyday
Running to class
Working on homework
Feeling bored
Growing up
Celebrating Thanksgiving
Having a big feast
Living the student life
Falls going down
Almost done
Staying alive through school
Finishing homework
Staying up until 12am
Doing new projects
Raking leaves
Cleaning the grass
Getting ready for Spring
Getting glasses
Watching youtube
Having family movie nights
Staying chill
Checking the weather
Staying lazy
Playing sports
Writing essays
Winter is falling down
Catching snowflakes on your tongue
Wearing heavy layers
Trying to be hot
Sipping hot chocolate
Having sleepovers
Throwing snowballs
Constructing snow forts
Waiting for Santa
Staying up all night on Christmas eve
Lighting the candles in the menorah
Coming together as a family on Hanukkah
Sleeping in
Waiting for winter break
Half-way through school
New years
Winter is heating up
The puffy snow is melting
The trees are fairly visible
The snowmen start to say goodbye
The jackets are flying off
The drawers are changing
Waiting for Spring to come
Going skiing
Counting down the school days
Finishing poems and stories
Trying to recreate memories
Making new memories
Turning blue and green
Feeling under the weather
Taking medicine
Making footprints in the ground
Choosing to be a different person
Walking down the street
Smelling the cool breeze
Flipping your hair
Playing with friends
Running around
Sitting in the green grass
Looking at daisies
Blowing dandelions
Making wishes
Running through the open field
Savoring juicy strawberries
Drinking orange juice
Filling your mouth with cookies outside
Swinging on the porch
Walking with friends along the sidewalk
Stuffing your face with ice cream and popsicles
Wearing shorts and short sleeves
Riding through Spring
Zooming across the street
Riding your bike
Smelling the daisies
Stopping to see the newly grown roses
Taking off your jacket and putting on shorts
Waiting for the perfect moment
Celebrating your special day
Playing soccer with your friends
Scoring goals
Riding to the park
Playing tag or lava
Shooting hoops and winning games
Zooming down the road like a cheetah
Cutting the wind with your bike
Letting go of your handles
Screaming woooo, hoooo as you go down the hill
Having a blast
Splashing into Summer
Going to the beach
Getting tanned
Walking along the boardwalk
Laying down on the sand
Jumping the waves
Going boogie boarding
Surfing with the waves
Swimming in the pool
Having cold drinks
Going to parties
Singing a song along the water
Running around
Kicking the sand
Digging into the ground until you reach the core
Pouring water across the sand
Waiting to see the beautiful sundown
Looking at the blue and purple in the sky
Watching the dolphins swim near the shore
Looking at their gray shining backs
Wanting to sit by the beach forever
Surfing out of Summer
Putting on a winter hat
Getting ready for school
Buying supplies
Searching for new clothes
Deciding what to wear on the first day of school
Meeting new people
Finding your bus stop
Going to the park one last time
Visiting places for the last time
Until next time
Saying bye to the things you love
Learning your schedule
Figuring out the really hard names
Feeling like a geek
What goes around, comes around
Hello, Fall
Watching the leaves fall
Jumping in piles of leaves
Colors are changing
Feelings are different
Going to school
Making new friends
Meeting old friends
Learning something new everyday
Running to class
Working on homework
Feeling bored
Growing up
Celebrating Thanksgiving
Having a big feast
Living the student life
Falls going down
Almost done
Staying alive through school
Finishing homework
Staying up until 12am
Doing new projects
Raking leaves
Cleaning the grass
Getting ready for Spring
Getting glasses
Watching youtube
Having family movie nights
Staying chill
Checking the weather
Staying lazy
Playing sports
Writing essays
Winter is falling down
Catching snowflakes on your tongue
Wearing heavy layers
Trying to be hot
Sipping hot chocolate
Having sleepovers
Throwing snowballs
Constructing snow forts
Waiting for Santa
Staying up all night on Christmas eve
Lighting the candles in the menorah
Coming together as a family on Hanukkah
Sleeping in
Waiting for winter break
Half-way through school
New years
Winter is heating up
The puffy snow is melting
The trees are fairly visible
The snowmen start to say goodbye
The jackets are flying off
The drawers are changing
Waiting for Spring to come
Going skiing
Counting down the school days
Finishing poems and stories
Trying to recreate memories
Making new memories
Turning blue and green
Feeling under the weather
Taking medicine
Making footprints in the ground
Choosing to be a different person
Coal
Lea Silverman
Dark,
Dark as a moonless night.
Dark as a deep forest.
Dark as the bottom of the sea.
Dark.
Hard,
Hard as a piece of metal.
Hard as a brick.
Hard.
Destructive,
Destructive as an atomic blast.
Destructive as a dangerous disease.
Destructive enough to slowly destroy Earth.
Destructive.
So how can something so bad…
Hide something so beautiful and expensive.
Clear,
Clear as a cloudless sky.
Clear as water.
Clear
Beautiful,
Beautiful as a newly grown rose.
Beautiful as a queen.
Beautiful as a sunset.
Beautiful.
If coal can become something that everyone cherishes and adores, why are people so different?
Coal hides something magnificent from the world, and over time, the beauty can be brought out.
If given the chance, people can do the same thing.
People can show that they are truly beautiful on the inside, no matter their outer appearance.
Beautiful,
Beautiful as a diamond.
That's what people are.
People are all pieces of coal,
But given the time and effort people can become something so beautiful that you would never believe that they were just a lump of coal.
Dark as a moonless night.
Dark as a deep forest.
Dark as the bottom of the sea.
Dark.
Hard,
Hard as a piece of metal.
Hard as a brick.
Hard.
Destructive,
Destructive as an atomic blast.
Destructive as a dangerous disease.
Destructive enough to slowly destroy Earth.
Destructive.
So how can something so bad…
Hide something so beautiful and expensive.
Clear,
Clear as a cloudless sky.
Clear as water.
Clear
Beautiful,
Beautiful as a newly grown rose.
Beautiful as a queen.
Beautiful as a sunset.
Beautiful.
If coal can become something that everyone cherishes and adores, why are people so different?
Coal hides something magnificent from the world, and over time, the beauty can be brought out.
If given the chance, people can do the same thing.
People can show that they are truly beautiful on the inside, no matter their outer appearance.
Beautiful,
Beautiful as a diamond.
That's what people are.
People are all pieces of coal,
But given the time and effort people can become something so beautiful that you would never believe that they were just a lump of coal.
Worlds
Lea Silverman
A magical adventure,
A journey through time.
A mystery with a genius,
A maid of a prince.
A friend that's an angel,
A dangerous island.
Adventures that can never be.
Adventures that I wish were true.
To be able to insert myself,
Into a world of excitement.
A world of danger,
A world of magic.
A world of monsters,
And a world of secrets.
Worlds that I feel I am truly part of,
But in all reality I am not.
Worlds that make me happy,
Worlds that make me sad.
Worlds that leave me longing,
For something different and extraordinary.
In these worlds,
We can be free to be ourselves.
And in these worlds,
We find who we truly are.
A journey through time.
A mystery with a genius,
A maid of a prince.
A friend that's an angel,
A dangerous island.
Adventures that can never be.
Adventures that I wish were true.
To be able to insert myself,
Into a world of excitement.
A world of danger,
A world of magic.
A world of monsters,
And a world of secrets.
Worlds that I feel I am truly part of,
But in all reality I am not.
Worlds that make me happy,
Worlds that make me sad.
Worlds that leave me longing,
For something different and extraordinary.
In these worlds,
We can be free to be ourselves.
And in these worlds,
We find who we truly are.
Society
Lea Silverman
A string of expectations,
Be smart,
But not smarter than your peers.
Be pretty,
Prettier than everyone around you.
Be different,
But buy the same things as others.
Dress the same way as others.
Think the same way as others.
Act the same way as others.
But be different.
Everyone walks on the string.
Everyone strives to cross on the long string.
If you can't cross the string,
You fall into the chasm.
No one tries to help you,
Because you may pull them down with you.
No one wants to know what's at the bottom,
Because across the string is a life of bliss.
A white picket fence,
Two average kids,
A mini van.
Yes, a blissful life.
And the ones that fall?
No one sees them again.
For the people that fall into the chasm,
They find others waiting to dust them off.
They find the other people that have fallen off the string.
They bicker,
They disagree,
They start wars with each other.
But those wars lead to new discoveries.
New businesses made to topple the others.
New technologies designed to change the battle.
And in the arguments,
People find allies.
People that are truly different.
Someone who doesn't wear the same clothes as you.
Someone who doesn't think the same way as you.
Because in a society of people who are the same,
People find who they truly are in the ones who are different.
Be smart,
But not smarter than your peers.
Be pretty,
Prettier than everyone around you.
Be different,
But buy the same things as others.
Dress the same way as others.
Think the same way as others.
Act the same way as others.
But be different.
Everyone walks on the string.
Everyone strives to cross on the long string.
If you can't cross the string,
You fall into the chasm.
No one tries to help you,
Because you may pull them down with you.
No one wants to know what's at the bottom,
Because across the string is a life of bliss.
A white picket fence,
Two average kids,
A mini van.
Yes, a blissful life.
And the ones that fall?
No one sees them again.
For the people that fall into the chasm,
They find others waiting to dust them off.
They find the other people that have fallen off the string.
They bicker,
They disagree,
They start wars with each other.
But those wars lead to new discoveries.
New businesses made to topple the others.
New technologies designed to change the battle.
And in the arguments,
People find allies.
People that are truly different.
Someone who doesn't wear the same clothes as you.
Someone who doesn't think the same way as you.
Because in a society of people who are the same,
People find who they truly are in the ones who are different.
Sky Full of Lies
Lea Silverman
Glittering, shimmering
A bright star glows.
A star full of the stories you tell.
A star full of the masks you wear.
Shrouded, hidden
Clouds hide the beauty of the night.
Clouds made of the things you hide.
Clouds made of the things you know.
Overwhelming, magnificent
A supernova of beautiful light.
The world burns around you,
Scorching everything close to you.
Dark, Empty
The void grows in the sky.
A void full of the empty words you use.
A void full of the one sided promises.
Beautiful, bright
The sun falls, welcoming new bright stars.
Stars with new stories.
Stars with new lies.
A bright star glows.
A star full of the stories you tell.
A star full of the masks you wear.
Shrouded, hidden
Clouds hide the beauty of the night.
Clouds made of the things you hide.
Clouds made of the things you know.
Overwhelming, magnificent
A supernova of beautiful light.
The world burns around you,
Scorching everything close to you.
Dark, Empty
The void grows in the sky.
A void full of the empty words you use.
A void full of the one sided promises.
Beautiful, bright
The sun falls, welcoming new bright stars.
Stars with new stories.
Stars with new lies.
love.
Michelle Marti
love
opens a portal
to deception.
love
opens a door
to lies
and cheating,
though unknown
at first,
always discovered
in the end.
love
welcomes heartbreak
like an old friend
that you’ve fought with
on numerous occasions,
but still always
end up with them
again.
love
engulfs you
in the temporary feeling
of security
before leaving abruptly
without a trace
of it ever being there
to begin with.
love
introduces mistrust
and puts a bridge between
the one you loved
and honesty.
love
brings loss
and the feeling
of losing someone
previously close to your
heart,
now gone
forever.
love
delivers tears
like an unexpected package
straight to your door.
love
opens a portal
to deception
and i don’t want
to be in love.
opens a portal
to deception.
love
opens a door
to lies
and cheating,
though unknown
at first,
always discovered
in the end.
love
welcomes heartbreak
like an old friend
that you’ve fought with
on numerous occasions,
but still always
end up with them
again.
love
engulfs you
in the temporary feeling
of security
before leaving abruptly
without a trace
of it ever being there
to begin with.
love
introduces mistrust
and puts a bridge between
the one you loved
and honesty.
love
brings loss
and the feeling
of losing someone
previously close to your
heart,
now gone
forever.
love
delivers tears
like an unexpected package
straight to your door.
love
opens a portal
to deception
and i don’t want
to be in love.
Just Like Glaciers
Gopiga Dass
Just like glaciers, am I tonight
More than half of me is out of sight
Layers and layers of snow under the sea
There is nothing you know about me
Never exposed, until it all melts away
My life is a secret, the life I live day by day
Nobody seems to notice, until they crash into the ice
Just another time to mourn of someone’s demise
I live, feel, and breathe silently, not knowing what attention is
I am forced to keep to myself, true friendship is what I miss
No right to smile, no right to play
If I could talk, no one would listen to what I would say
Not knowing the hurt, is worse than the hurt itself
I can now never act and be myself
Society has made a mold for me, shaping who I am and my feelings
It left a gash on my skin, only wounds heal, with scars , there is no healing
So just like glaciers am I tonight
It's been so long and tiring since the start of this fight
More than half of me is out of sight
Layers and layers of snow under the sea
There is nothing you know about me
Never exposed, until it all melts away
My life is a secret, the life I live day by day
Nobody seems to notice, until they crash into the ice
Just another time to mourn of someone’s demise
I live, feel, and breathe silently, not knowing what attention is
I am forced to keep to myself, true friendship is what I miss
No right to smile, no right to play
If I could talk, no one would listen to what I would say
Not knowing the hurt, is worse than the hurt itself
I can now never act and be myself
Society has made a mold for me, shaping who I am and my feelings
It left a gash on my skin, only wounds heal, with scars , there is no healing
So just like glaciers am I tonight
It's been so long and tiring since the start of this fight
Alone
Adriana Ciuciu
Barbed wires encase my body,
Trapped,
My attempts to escape,
Useless,
There is nothing like the feeling of emptiness,
Of being alone,
Of having no one to be there with you,
It’s like you are stuck in a nightmare,
Reliving every event in your life when you weren’t alone,
When you weren’t forgotten,
When you were loved,
Now people walk past,
And see you weep,
Still,
They don’t care,
With no effort to acknowledge you,
You are left alone,
In the darkness,
In the day,
You soul slowly decays,
Your inner demons devour,
And feed,
Until there is nothing left,
But a black hole
Isn’t it lovely?
Nicole Perlin
Isn’t it lovely when your eyes first meet
Something about the sparks
How they seem to warm the room
Maybe the way your heart bursts when he smiles
Isn’t it lovely when he says hello
When his hand touches yours
And nothing exists but him
His smile, his embrace, him
Isnt it lovely when he creeps into your mind
How he spreads a smile in the darkest moments
How he lets you know that you're okay
And you finally believe it
Isn't it lovely how he writes you
How it’s about nothing but means everything
Because for a split second
you crossed his mind
Isn’t it lovely when he says your name
When he calls it from the other side of the room
In that special way that only he can
In the way that makes you feel like you’re the only one for him
Isn’t it lovely when he kisses you
When time stops
And his lips are no longer a wish.
They are a reality
Isnt it lovely when he tells you he loves you
When you know it’s real
How with those words, all of the pain on the planet melts away
And you can finally say what you’ve been waiting to say for so long
Isn’t it lovely when he hears you say them
When you can feel your cheeks burning
As you finally look him in the eye
And his hand caresses your face
Isn’t it lovely to be in love?
Something about the sparks
How they seem to warm the room
Maybe the way your heart bursts when he smiles
Isn’t it lovely when he says hello
When his hand touches yours
And nothing exists but him
His smile, his embrace, him
Isnt it lovely when he creeps into your mind
How he spreads a smile in the darkest moments
How he lets you know that you're okay
And you finally believe it
Isn't it lovely how he writes you
How it’s about nothing but means everything
Because for a split second
you crossed his mind
Isn’t it lovely when he says your name
When he calls it from the other side of the room
In that special way that only he can
In the way that makes you feel like you’re the only one for him
Isn’t it lovely when he kisses you
When time stops
And his lips are no longer a wish.
They are a reality
Isnt it lovely when he tells you he loves you
When you know it’s real
How with those words, all of the pain on the planet melts away
And you can finally say what you’ve been waiting to say for so long
Isn’t it lovely when he hears you say them
When you can feel your cheeks burning
As you finally look him in the eye
And his hand caresses your face
Isn’t it lovely to be in love?
Forgotten
Adriana Ciuciu
The ink spilled from my pen as blood spills from skin,
Dripping,
Unnoticed,
In a dreamland,
But your mind still awake,
Sending foreign ideas into your brain,
An anomaly of certainty,
Acceptance,
Like a heart,
Pure,
Torn,
All you feel is pain,
It’s empty,
But full,
Soaring,
But sitting,
Ideas fly by and no one sees them
Left alone,
Worthless,
Until it’s purpose is fulfilled,
It’s a fragment of a memory that never was,
A forgotten quest,
A child left alone,
So fragile,
Yet mistreated,
Tears trickle down your cheeks,
Imagining this story that never was,
Imagining happiness,
Where there was none,
Pure artististry left behind,
Deserted,
A passion scorching like a fire in the woods,
Trying to comprehend,
This dreamland,
Fantasizing,
If only you had not thrown out this art,
You would remember this story,
So clear to you,
But forgotten,
Emptiness fills your heart,
Incomprehensible sadness controls you,
If only you had the courage to save it,
The urge to remember this beautiful story,
You made up in your mind,
Many years ago,
Now forgotten,
Like a morsel of chocolate,
Eaten,
Unremembered,
Unimportant,
That passion,
Branded into your memory,
But somehow erased,
Words forgotten,
But emotions overflow,
In your now empty heart with a new story,
Similar to that brilliant story,
Your blissful thoughts rush to your brain,
Although never the same,
That story was etched into paper,
That blank slate with such potential,
Became a story,
That was never forgotten
Dripping,
Unnoticed,
In a dreamland,
But your mind still awake,
Sending foreign ideas into your brain,
An anomaly of certainty,
Acceptance,
Like a heart,
Pure,
Torn,
All you feel is pain,
It’s empty,
But full,
Soaring,
But sitting,
Ideas fly by and no one sees them
Left alone,
Worthless,
Until it’s purpose is fulfilled,
It’s a fragment of a memory that never was,
A forgotten quest,
A child left alone,
So fragile,
Yet mistreated,
Tears trickle down your cheeks,
Imagining this story that never was,
Imagining happiness,
Where there was none,
Pure artististry left behind,
Deserted,
A passion scorching like a fire in the woods,
Trying to comprehend,
This dreamland,
Fantasizing,
If only you had not thrown out this art,
You would remember this story,
So clear to you,
But forgotten,
Emptiness fills your heart,
Incomprehensible sadness controls you,
If only you had the courage to save it,
The urge to remember this beautiful story,
You made up in your mind,
Many years ago,
Now forgotten,
Like a morsel of chocolate,
Eaten,
Unremembered,
Unimportant,
That passion,
Branded into your memory,
But somehow erased,
Words forgotten,
But emotions overflow,
In your now empty heart with a new story,
Similar to that brilliant story,
Your blissful thoughts rush to your brain,
Although never the same,
That story was etched into paper,
That blank slate with such potential,
Became a story,
That was never forgotten
Silhouette
Adriana Ciuciu
I implore for love,
I beg for a dove,
To direct you to my heart,
My dear silhouette,
Bestill my mind,
Fill me with warmth
But, of course,
You are nothing but a silhouette,
A shadow,
I see the silhouette,
Yours,
Your loving figure,
Ready to save the day
I tell myself it is not real,
You are not real,
How can I love something I can’t see,
I see your silhouette,
Every night,
Holding me tight,
Until I fall asleep
Your silhouette guides me through my days,
Seeing your shadow,
Even if it isn’t real,
I still feel,
Deep down inside
Your silhouette
Your silhouette,
Reminds me of better days,
Makes me believe,
You are still here,
As I stand upon our caskets,
Still alive
But we are dead,
Your silhouette,
Garners all of the sadness,
That I could have rid you of,
Now you are nothing but a silhouette,
Our relationship dead,
But my heart filled with hope,
To bring us from the dead,
To resurrect our long lost love
I beg for a dove,
To direct you to my heart,
My dear silhouette,
Bestill my mind,
Fill me with warmth
But, of course,
You are nothing but a silhouette,
A shadow,
I see the silhouette,
Yours,
Your loving figure,
Ready to save the day
I tell myself it is not real,
You are not real,
How can I love something I can’t see,
I see your silhouette,
Every night,
Holding me tight,
Until I fall asleep
Your silhouette guides me through my days,
Seeing your shadow,
Even if it isn’t real,
I still feel,
Deep down inside
Your silhouette
Your silhouette,
Reminds me of better days,
Makes me believe,
You are still here,
As I stand upon our caskets,
Still alive
But we are dead,
Your silhouette,
Garners all of the sadness,
That I could have rid you of,
Now you are nothing but a silhouette,
Our relationship dead,
But my heart filled with hope,
To bring us from the dead,
To resurrect our long lost love
Did You Miss Me?
Lea Silverman
You said you love me,
But you forgot me.
Do you miss me?
You said you'd call me,
But never took my number.
Do you miss me?
You said you're sorry,
But were you really?
Do you miss me?
You said you were special,
But you really weren't.
Do you miss me?
You said you weren't going to let me go,
Yet I left anyways.
Do you miss me?
You said you'd see me later,
But later never came.
Do you miss me?
So now I know,
What I owe you.
Do you miss me?
And now I know what you are.
Do you miss me?
As I watch you fall from your pedestal.
Did you miss me?
But you forgot me.
Do you miss me?
You said you'd call me,
But never took my number.
Do you miss me?
You said you're sorry,
But were you really?
Do you miss me?
You said you were special,
But you really weren't.
Do you miss me?
You said you weren't going to let me go,
Yet I left anyways.
Do you miss me?
You said you'd see me later,
But later never came.
Do you miss me?
So now I know,
What I owe you.
Do you miss me?
And now I know what you are.
Do you miss me?
As I watch you fall from your pedestal.
Did you miss me?
Ode to Trumpet
Jonah Bailis
The pitch of the gold’
The laugh of the sound
O’ shining so bright
beautiful
The dot of the dent
So far in the bell
but still
the laugh of the hole
Is shining so bright
Tonight
The laugh of the sound
O’ shining so bright
beautiful
The dot of the dent
So far in the bell
but still
the laugh of the hole
Is shining so bright
Tonight
Ode to Death
Anonymous
Deterioration, Disintegration
Decomposing, Destruction
Releasing into nonexistence
Forgetting your existence
For oblivion is coming
Till all heartbeats stop drumming
Dying is inevitable
For we all are forgettable
Decomposing, Destruction
Releasing into nonexistence
Forgetting your existence
For oblivion is coming
Till all heartbeats stop drumming
Dying is inevitable
For we all are forgettable
Ode to Murica
Tim Madden
Hot dogs, cheese steaks,
Normals steaks, and cheeseburgers.
America is the best place
To find scams, robbers and burglars. (And more burgers)
We have many races such as
Mexicans, hispanics, south americans, and latinos,
Some say we are a bad country,
But the big guy upstairs, he knows,
Behind the French Fries, you see american love, and behind wars and bombs, and more cheeseburgers you see peace like a dove,
Fidget spinners
Fried chicken dinners,
Massive child obesity amounts,
Buried under the fat, the heart is what counts
We have many races, such as nascar, that are good
And many levels of class, From trump to the hood.
Normals steaks, and cheeseburgers.
America is the best place
To find scams, robbers and burglars. (And more burgers)
We have many races such as
Mexicans, hispanics, south americans, and latinos,
Some say we are a bad country,
But the big guy upstairs, he knows,
Behind the French Fries, you see american love, and behind wars and bombs, and more cheeseburgers you see peace like a dove,
Fidget spinners
Fried chicken dinners,
Massive child obesity amounts,
Buried under the fat, the heart is what counts
We have many races, such as nascar, that are good
And many levels of class, From trump to the hood.
Ode to Dragons
Jennie Li
So quiet and peaceful
Yet so mighty and strong
Strength is alone
No longer in groups
Each one like a giant scaly boat
Each one scaring a small scaredy cat
But in the end
It is only imagination that fuels them
Yet so mighty and strong
Strength is alone
No longer in groups
Each one like a giant scaly boat
Each one scaring a small scaredy cat
But in the end
It is only imagination that fuels them
Ode to Naomi Nye
Naomi Nye is an author
And my future, will be without her
As she will die, yet not too soon
For I strongly dislike her, and as should you
Her horrific book, allied with green
Should get nominated
For nothing at all, not that can be seen
It's just too great! Is it not?
I know, I needed a tissue for all that shot
So rest in peace you wonderful woman
For you will not be missed
Not even in a dream
Go plan your rhyme in someone else's time
And my future, will be without her
As she will die, yet not too soon
For I strongly dislike her, and as should you
Her horrific book, allied with green
Should get nominated
For nothing at all, not that can be seen
It's just too great! Is it not?
I know, I needed a tissue for all that shot
So rest in peace you wonderful woman
For you will not be missed
Not even in a dream
Go plan your rhyme in someone else's time
Ode to the Homeworks Protest
Hannah Vaidyan
So joyous and fair
Resting silent
But no they flood my mind
Words and memorization
Fun and freedom no more
Shackled down in paperwork chains
Looking forward to the
Seven days end
When the glorious homework
Protest thrives
Shining against the dark sky
The signifying burning of homework
Resting silent
But no they flood my mind
Words and memorization
Fun and freedom no more
Shackled down in paperwork chains
Looking forward to the
Seven days end
When the glorious homework
Protest thrives
Shining against the dark sky
The signifying burning of homework
Photo By: Anjali Shah
Seasons
Akash Shah
Welcoming Spring from the fallen leaves
Walking down the street
Smelling the cool breeze
Flipping your hair
Playing with friends
Running around
Sitting in the green grass
Looking at daisies
Blowing dandelions
Making wishes
Running through the open field
Savoring juicy strawberries
Drinking orange juice
Filling your mouth with cookies outside
Swinging on the porch
Walking with friends along the sidewalk
Stuffing your face with ice cream and popsicles
Wearing shorts and short sleeves
Riding through Spring
Zooming across the street
Riding your bike
Smelling the daisies
Stopping to see the newly grown roses
Taking off your jacket and putting on shorts
Waiting for the perfect moment
Celebrating your special day
Playing soccer with your friends
Scoring goals
Riding to the park
Playing tag or lava
Shooting hoops and winning games
Zooming down the road like a cheetah
Cutting the wind with your bike
Letting go of your handles
Screaming woooo, hoooo as you go down the hill
Having a blast
Splashing into Summer
Going to the beach
Getting tanned
Walking along the boardwalk
Laying down on the sand
Jumping the waves
Going boogie boarding
Surfing with the waves
Swimming in the pool
Having cold drinks
Going to parties
Singing a song along the water
Running around
Kicking the sand
Digging into the ground until you reach the core
Pouring water across the sand
Waiting to see the beautiful sundown
Looking at the blue and purple in the sky
Watching the dolphins swim near the shore
Looking at their gray shining backs
Wanting to sit by the beach forever
Surfing out of Summer
Putting on a winter hat
Getting ready for school
Buying supplies
Searching for new clothes
Deciding what to wear on the first day of school
Meeting new people
Finding your bus stop
Going to the park one last time
Visiting places for the last time
Until next time
Saying bye to the things you love
Learning your schedule
Figuring out the really hard names
Feeling like a geek
What goes around, comes around
Hello, Fall
Watching the leaves fall
Jumping in piles of leaves
Colors are changing
Feelings are different
Going to school
Making new friends
Meeting old friends
Learning something new everyday
Running to class
Working on homework
Feeling bored
Growing up
Celebrating Thanksgiving
Having a big feast
Living the student life
Falls going down
Almost done
Staying alive through school
Finishing homework
Staying up until 12am
Doing new projects
Raking leaves
Cleaning the grass
Getting ready for Spring
Getting glasses
Watching youtube
Having family movie nights
Staying chill
Checking the weather
Staying lazy
Playing sports
Writing essays
Winter is falling down
Catching snowflakes on your tongue
Wearing heavy layers
Trying to be hot
Sipping hot chocolate
Having sleepovers
Throwing snowballs
Constructing snow forts
Waiting for Santa
Staying up all night on Christmas eve
Lighting the candles in the menorah
Coming together as a family on Hanukkah
Sleeping in
Waiting for winter break
Half-way through school
New years
Winter is heating up
The puffy snow is melting
The trees are fairly visible
The snowmen start to say goodbye
The jackets are flying off
The drawers are changing
Waiting for Spring to come
Going skiing
Counting down the school days
Finishing poems and stories
Trying to recreate memories
Making new memories
Turning blue and green
Feeling under the weather
Taking medicine
Making footprints in the ground
Choosing to be a different person
Walking down the street
Smelling the cool breeze
Flipping your hair
Playing with friends
Running around
Sitting in the green grass
Looking at daisies
Blowing dandelions
Making wishes
Running through the open field
Savoring juicy strawberries
Drinking orange juice
Filling your mouth with cookies outside
Swinging on the porch
Walking with friends along the sidewalk
Stuffing your face with ice cream and popsicles
Wearing shorts and short sleeves
Riding through Spring
Zooming across the street
Riding your bike
Smelling the daisies
Stopping to see the newly grown roses
Taking off your jacket and putting on shorts
Waiting for the perfect moment
Celebrating your special day
Playing soccer with your friends
Scoring goals
Riding to the park
Playing tag or lava
Shooting hoops and winning games
Zooming down the road like a cheetah
Cutting the wind with your bike
Letting go of your handles
Screaming woooo, hoooo as you go down the hill
Having a blast
Splashing into Summer
Going to the beach
Getting tanned
Walking along the boardwalk
Laying down on the sand
Jumping the waves
Going boogie boarding
Surfing with the waves
Swimming in the pool
Having cold drinks
Going to parties
Singing a song along the water
Running around
Kicking the sand
Digging into the ground until you reach the core
Pouring water across the sand
Waiting to see the beautiful sundown
Looking at the blue and purple in the sky
Watching the dolphins swim near the shore
Looking at their gray shining backs
Wanting to sit by the beach forever
Surfing out of Summer
Putting on a winter hat
Getting ready for school
Buying supplies
Searching for new clothes
Deciding what to wear on the first day of school
Meeting new people
Finding your bus stop
Going to the park one last time
Visiting places for the last time
Until next time
Saying bye to the things you love
Learning your schedule
Figuring out the really hard names
Feeling like a geek
What goes around, comes around
Hello, Fall
Watching the leaves fall
Jumping in piles of leaves
Colors are changing
Feelings are different
Going to school
Making new friends
Meeting old friends
Learning something new everyday
Running to class
Working on homework
Feeling bored
Growing up
Celebrating Thanksgiving
Having a big feast
Living the student life
Falls going down
Almost done
Staying alive through school
Finishing homework
Staying up until 12am
Doing new projects
Raking leaves
Cleaning the grass
Getting ready for Spring
Getting glasses
Watching youtube
Having family movie nights
Staying chill
Checking the weather
Staying lazy
Playing sports
Writing essays
Winter is falling down
Catching snowflakes on your tongue
Wearing heavy layers
Trying to be hot
Sipping hot chocolate
Having sleepovers
Throwing snowballs
Constructing snow forts
Waiting for Santa
Staying up all night on Christmas eve
Lighting the candles in the menorah
Coming together as a family on Hanukkah
Sleeping in
Waiting for winter break
Half-way through school
New years
Winter is heating up
The puffy snow is melting
The trees are fairly visible
The snowmen start to say goodbye
The jackets are flying off
The drawers are changing
Waiting for Spring to come
Going skiing
Counting down the school days
Finishing poems and stories
Trying to recreate memories
Making new memories
Turning blue and green
Feeling under the weather
Taking medicine
Making footprints in the ground
Choosing to be a different person
Tomorrow
Nicole Perlin
Isn’t it beautiful how noticeably optimistic we are
When we say things out of habit
“See you tomorrow”
“I’ll tell you tomorrow”
“Maybe tomorrow”.
Tomorrow is such an assumption.
No one promised us a tomorrow
We don’t know if the sun will rise again
Nobody can assure you that you will wake up to another beautiful day
And yet, we throw around the word tomorrow with so much certainty.
But what if your tomorrow doesn’t come?
Would you be happy with the way you spent your last day.
We can’t always put things off, say we’ll do better tomorrow.
If we always rush to the next moment,
Always think about how the future is effected
We will never enjoy the moment we are in right now
So don’t think about tomorrow
Slow down and smell every rose
Because tomorrow will always be in the future
This moment,
This is now
And you will never get it again
Once you lose it, it’s gone.
When we say things out of habit
“See you tomorrow”
“I’ll tell you tomorrow”
“Maybe tomorrow”.
Tomorrow is such an assumption.
No one promised us a tomorrow
We don’t know if the sun will rise again
Nobody can assure you that you will wake up to another beautiful day
And yet, we throw around the word tomorrow with so much certainty.
But what if your tomorrow doesn’t come?
Would you be happy with the way you spent your last day.
We can’t always put things off, say we’ll do better tomorrow.
If we always rush to the next moment,
Always think about how the future is effected
We will never enjoy the moment we are in right now
So don’t think about tomorrow
Slow down and smell every rose
Because tomorrow will always be in the future
This moment,
This is now
And you will never get it again
Once you lose it, it’s gone.
Is Anyone There?
Kyle Stone
Hello?
Is anyone there?
Can anybody hear me?
Is someone aware?
The hole is already deep,
It’s already very dark.
It’s only gonna get deeper,
And I cannot set a spark.
I can barely see the sunlight,
It’s slowing starting to fade.
Without someone to help me,
It’s impossible to escape.
It’s starting to get annoying,
Am I even making a noise?
Can no one really hear me?
Please help me before I’m destroyed.
Hello?
Is anyone there?
Can anybody hear me?
Is someone aware?
Maybe you hear my cries,
Yet you keep ignoring me.
I really don’t know why,
The answer, I cannot see.
I’m withering away down here,
I can see my own breath.
There’s no source of light.
And I’m approaching death.
Not only is it getting deeper,
It’s getting tighter too.
Is there nobody around?
There must be something to do.
Hello?
Is anyone there?
Can anybody hear me?
Is someone aware?
Am I even making a sound?
Can somebody please find me.
It keeps getting further,
And the thin air grinds me.
I’ve lost all my energy,
I can’t even call for help.
And I can barely tolerate,
All the pain that I have felt.
I wish I could get out,
And see the outside place.
I wish I could see their faces,
Of them, there is not a trace.
Hello?
Is anyone there?
Can anybody hear me?
Is someone aware?
Is anyone there?
Can anybody hear me?
Is someone aware?
The hole is already deep,
It’s already very dark.
It’s only gonna get deeper,
And I cannot set a spark.
I can barely see the sunlight,
It’s slowing starting to fade.
Without someone to help me,
It’s impossible to escape.
It’s starting to get annoying,
Am I even making a noise?
Can no one really hear me?
Please help me before I’m destroyed.
Hello?
Is anyone there?
Can anybody hear me?
Is someone aware?
Maybe you hear my cries,
Yet you keep ignoring me.
I really don’t know why,
The answer, I cannot see.
I’m withering away down here,
I can see my own breath.
There’s no source of light.
And I’m approaching death.
Not only is it getting deeper,
It’s getting tighter too.
Is there nobody around?
There must be something to do.
Hello?
Is anyone there?
Can anybody hear me?
Is someone aware?
Am I even making a sound?
Can somebody please find me.
It keeps getting further,
And the thin air grinds me.
I’ve lost all my energy,
I can’t even call for help.
And I can barely tolerate,
All the pain that I have felt.
I wish I could get out,
And see the outside place.
I wish I could see their faces,
Of them, there is not a trace.
Hello?
Is anyone there?
Can anybody hear me?
Is someone aware?
Rumors
Nicole Perlin
A rumor starts
The way a wildfire does
Everything starts from a small spark.
The spark makes a fire.
And with everything it touches, the fire grows
It engulfs everything in its path
And takes down everything that tries to stop it
The way a wildfire does
Everything starts from a small spark.
The spark makes a fire.
And with everything it touches, the fire grows
It engulfs everything in its path
And takes down everything that tries to stop it
The Summer Sun
Gopiga Dass
The summer sun rises, shining on the ones below,
driving away feelings of worry and doubt
The warmth kisses the skins of the fortunate people
who get to be out on such a beautiful day
The birds start to sing, filling the air with harmonic melodies
Children’s grin’s glow on their faces as their smiling parents beam down on them
The day progresses, like an axe dragged against the dry, cracked Earth
Monotonous and lethargic as the hours passed
Sweat poured down backs of the hard workers and laborers
out in the fields under the desert sun
Bodies aching, minds full of the mush from the pond in which they
Hoped to play in after work soon
Evening
The pick axes and water cans were put away
And the twinkling stars were now here to stay
The tables were brought and lined up together,
Attracting families and friends to lay down their shares of the meal
And enjoy a good meal laced with laughter and memories of the past
With bellies full and hearts content
Their minds were filled with memories both good and bad from the past
As the spirits of the dark night came alive
The people wondered where their lives would take them
Reflecting on themselves
Unknown of what the future will bring them
The only thing that was certain, would be that the summer sun would set and rise once more again
driving away feelings of worry and doubt
The warmth kisses the skins of the fortunate people
who get to be out on such a beautiful day
The birds start to sing, filling the air with harmonic melodies
Children’s grin’s glow on their faces as their smiling parents beam down on them
The day progresses, like an axe dragged against the dry, cracked Earth
Monotonous and lethargic as the hours passed
Sweat poured down backs of the hard workers and laborers
out in the fields under the desert sun
Bodies aching, minds full of the mush from the pond in which they
Hoped to play in after work soon
Evening
The pick axes and water cans were put away
And the twinkling stars were now here to stay
The tables were brought and lined up together,
Attracting families and friends to lay down their shares of the meal
And enjoy a good meal laced with laughter and memories of the past
With bellies full and hearts content
Their minds were filled with memories both good and bad from the past
As the spirits of the dark night came alive
The people wondered where their lives would take them
Reflecting on themselves
Unknown of what the future will bring them
The only thing that was certain, would be that the summer sun would set and rise once more again
Beauty
Gianna Vona
Sadness grows inside me like a field of
cherry red roses and golden sunflowers.
Seeing girls comparing themselves,
Standing naked in long glossy mirrors,
Looking down at their bathroom scales
Crestfallen... crying.
I’ve seen this first hand.
A little girl with bright grassy green eyes and long brown hair,
Grew up to be a senseless suicidal silhouette.
I watched as the little girl’s smiles set like the sun.
Her brightness turned into weakness,
And everybody took a turn at her.
Day by day she started to drown in her own self hatred.
Believing she is only useful when people need her, and is nothing when people don't.
She grew up to be a doormat,
Stepped on over and over,
A scattering collection of tennis shoes and moccasin marks.
Footprints of the prissy girls in shell top adidas who all the boys drooled over,
Thinking that's all she'll ever be.
Just a cheap welcome mat with a couple of muddy footprints.
No matter how many people stepped on her they were always still welcome.
The word never disappeared but the girl never did.
cherry red roses and golden sunflowers.
Seeing girls comparing themselves,
Standing naked in long glossy mirrors,
Looking down at their bathroom scales
Crestfallen... crying.
I’ve seen this first hand.
A little girl with bright grassy green eyes and long brown hair,
Grew up to be a senseless suicidal silhouette.
I watched as the little girl’s smiles set like the sun.
Her brightness turned into weakness,
And everybody took a turn at her.
Day by day she started to drown in her own self hatred.
Believing she is only useful when people need her, and is nothing when people don't.
She grew up to be a doormat,
Stepped on over and over,
A scattering collection of tennis shoes and moccasin marks.
Footprints of the prissy girls in shell top adidas who all the boys drooled over,
Thinking that's all she'll ever be.
Just a cheap welcome mat with a couple of muddy footprints.
No matter how many people stepped on her they were always still welcome.
The word never disappeared but the girl never did.
The Dragon
Chessie Bovasso
Years back, in the world I thought was peaceful
I was summoned
I was around 10 years old
As most were when they were summoned
My location was also set
At the top of a winding mountain
In a cave much larger than my house
And I was summoned
By a fiery red and black dragon
The dragon would be a good guide, as I was told
The dragon was there to help you survive in the next challenges
The dragon would put you in order
And when you finished your, and even during it
You would be the strongest, and most superior, of them all
But then there were drawbacks
Major drawbacks
The dragon was the most challenging of the guides
You got away with nothing
No funny business at all whatsoever
The dragon would try you in a test of new things and everything else you had learned
But what nobody ever told me was
The dragon was aggressive and careless
Showed no heart
Was impatient and impulsive
And beat you down when you were already dying
Like a ravenous vulture
And you had to listen
All chained up in the grip of conformity, pain, order
And somehow maturity
As the dragon bellowed of your minority
I walked, one day
Up a winding mountain path to the cave
On a path I did not ever like
And never did
At first, the dragon seemed to be genuinely friendly
As morning passed, my trials felt basic
But then, at ten past high noon
The dragon changed
I was taking a break
Relaxing, happily enjoying my time
When the dragon picked me up in his ferocious and quick tempered talons
And grabbed the invisible chains
And tied me to the ground
Was this a challenge?
How could I ever succeed?
When I was chained up
By conformity
By pain
By control
And by, in his eyes, maturity?
He opened his mouth
And said in a low, impatient, and vicious voice
As though he was attempting to slash me apart
“STOP TALKING AND LISTEN TO ME.”
I hushed up, terrified, and Looked into his black eyes
It felt like I was bleeding
As bloody rivulets of fear trickled through my nervous system
And then, the slashed at me with words that have left a permanent scar on my heart and brain
“Why can’t you do BETTER THAN THIS?!?”
He sounded like he was only string away from killing me
“You need to learn that THIS is the way that things will be and to STOP BEING SO IMPULSIVE!”
And then, the worst of all of the words
“YOU ARE JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH!”
“KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!”
And then sarcastically, in a tone that hurt the most for the rest of my life
“I feel SO SORRY for you for doing this. But it’s also SUCH A SHAME THAT THE LITTLE KIDS ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN YOU!”
But then, I found that I wasn’t crying
Instead, I had a pounding deep feeling of irreversible anger boiling in my chest
Like the fire in the dragon’s heart
And each day, the same old thing
I would walk up the path
Which path was it?
I don’t even know now
They were always different
And each day, torment
Silence
Abuse
Mental Instability
Apologeticness
Anxiety
Fear of wrong decisions
And most importantly
An irreversible temper
That was all that I learned in his class of hell
I was summoned
I was around 10 years old
As most were when they were summoned
My location was also set
At the top of a winding mountain
In a cave much larger than my house
And I was summoned
By a fiery red and black dragon
The dragon would be a good guide, as I was told
The dragon was there to help you survive in the next challenges
The dragon would put you in order
And when you finished your, and even during it
You would be the strongest, and most superior, of them all
But then there were drawbacks
Major drawbacks
The dragon was the most challenging of the guides
You got away with nothing
No funny business at all whatsoever
The dragon would try you in a test of new things and everything else you had learned
But what nobody ever told me was
The dragon was aggressive and careless
Showed no heart
Was impatient and impulsive
And beat you down when you were already dying
Like a ravenous vulture
And you had to listen
All chained up in the grip of conformity, pain, order
And somehow maturity
As the dragon bellowed of your minority
I walked, one day
Up a winding mountain path to the cave
On a path I did not ever like
And never did
At first, the dragon seemed to be genuinely friendly
As morning passed, my trials felt basic
But then, at ten past high noon
The dragon changed
I was taking a break
Relaxing, happily enjoying my time
When the dragon picked me up in his ferocious and quick tempered talons
And grabbed the invisible chains
And tied me to the ground
Was this a challenge?
How could I ever succeed?
When I was chained up
By conformity
By pain
By control
And by, in his eyes, maturity?
He opened his mouth
And said in a low, impatient, and vicious voice
As though he was attempting to slash me apart
“STOP TALKING AND LISTEN TO ME.”
I hushed up, terrified, and Looked into his black eyes
It felt like I was bleeding
As bloody rivulets of fear trickled through my nervous system
And then, the slashed at me with words that have left a permanent scar on my heart and brain
“Why can’t you do BETTER THAN THIS?!?”
He sounded like he was only string away from killing me
“You need to learn that THIS is the way that things will be and to STOP BEING SO IMPULSIVE!”
And then, the worst of all of the words
“YOU ARE JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH!”
“KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!”
And then sarcastically, in a tone that hurt the most for the rest of my life
“I feel SO SORRY for you for doing this. But it’s also SUCH A SHAME THAT THE LITTLE KIDS ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN YOU!”
But then, I found that I wasn’t crying
Instead, I had a pounding deep feeling of irreversible anger boiling in my chest
Like the fire in the dragon’s heart
And each day, the same old thing
I would walk up the path
Which path was it?
I don’t even know now
They were always different
And each day, torment
Silence
Abuse
Mental Instability
Apologeticness
Anxiety
Fear of wrong decisions
And most importantly
An irreversible temper
That was all that I learned in his class of hell
Dotted Maps
Chessie Bovasso
The world is a map
There are many places to go
So many destinations
But the only known one of them is a dotted line
For the simpletons to follow
They live on their dotted map roads
Living their dotted map lives
Thinking their dotted line thoughts
On the dotted line roads
Through life
Then, there was a boy
He knew of the map of life
He knew the dotted map lives
The dotted map people
The dotted line roads
And the denied it
He took his first few steps
Out of the lines
They punished him
They scorned him
They teased him
They laughed at him
Why should they like to be be different
When the world approves of you for being the same
Why take a risky map
When the dotted line is always successful
Well, he didn’t care
About their cruel remarks
He went beyond the path
Far, far beyond the path
Far enough to leave them and their remarks behind
Thousands of miles away
And he saw the world
He went places
They could never go
Nor would they dare to go
He was living his life
He was accepted for his choice
Not by the people
They didn’t care
But by the map
Somehow, the map had lead him through the best life possible
He learned things
Things that they never thought of before
He saw things
That nobody ever saw before
He was smarter
Keener of sight
Stronger
Braver
Better
Than the dotted map people
And their dotted map lives
And when his path intersected with theirs
And he saw their faces
The content, but empty faces
He merely shrugged and said
“It’s so great to be different”
And left
On a path that nobody ever traveled on
As usual
And the people’s faces of emptiness stared at him
Blankly
But somehow
Longingly
There are many places to go
So many destinations
But the only known one of them is a dotted line
For the simpletons to follow
They live on their dotted map roads
Living their dotted map lives
Thinking their dotted line thoughts
On the dotted line roads
Through life
Then, there was a boy
He knew of the map of life
He knew the dotted map lives
The dotted map people
The dotted line roads
And the denied it
He took his first few steps
Out of the lines
They punished him
They scorned him
They teased him
They laughed at him
Why should they like to be be different
When the world approves of you for being the same
Why take a risky map
When the dotted line is always successful
Well, he didn’t care
About their cruel remarks
He went beyond the path
Far, far beyond the path
Far enough to leave them and their remarks behind
Thousands of miles away
And he saw the world
He went places
They could never go
Nor would they dare to go
He was living his life
He was accepted for his choice
Not by the people
They didn’t care
But by the map
Somehow, the map had lead him through the best life possible
He learned things
Things that they never thought of before
He saw things
That nobody ever saw before
He was smarter
Keener of sight
Stronger
Braver
Better
Than the dotted map people
And their dotted map lives
And when his path intersected with theirs
And he saw their faces
The content, but empty faces
He merely shrugged and said
“It’s so great to be different”
And left
On a path that nobody ever traveled on
As usual
And the people’s faces of emptiness stared at him
Blankly
But somehow
Longingly
Silent Snow
Chessie Bovasso
Early dawn
The sun was rising
But the clouds, the sky’s bodyguards
Were blocking it from view of the world
A flat sheet of clouds
Timberwolf gray
Straight and fluffy, like a blanketed gate
Covered the whole entire sky
And in the corner of every eye
A tiny flurry fell
And then another
And another
And another
Until every part of every eye
Could see the snow
As it covered the ground
As though the clouds were sugar shakers
The released the snow
And when one went outside
The best part of the snowstorm arrived
The silence
There were no sounds
No cars
No trucks
No trains
No wind
No people
No white noise
Just the sound of silence
And the sight of falling snowflakes
Crunchy footsteps were muffled by the snow
And thick, deep footsteps were left behind
But the snow filled the footprints in
Like footprints on the beach
The snow was not harsh
It was relentless
But it wasn’t rough
It was smooth and gentle
It wasn’t fighting
It was like a raft
Controlled purely by the sea’s calm waves
It was just slowly cruising
Moving perfectly
No need to add momentum
It covered everything
Everything was pitch white
The world literally looked sugar coated
The trees were crystal white
With the tiniest green needles peeking out
Like the peaks of mountains
Just then, the silence was broken
A blustery breeze went by
The snowflakes were flying every which way
The wind started to howl
But the breeze wasn’t too strong
And it subsided as soon as it came
And after the bluster
The silence somehow seemed
More silent
And more beautiful
The sun was rising
But the clouds, the sky’s bodyguards
Were blocking it from view of the world
A flat sheet of clouds
Timberwolf gray
Straight and fluffy, like a blanketed gate
Covered the whole entire sky
And in the corner of every eye
A tiny flurry fell
And then another
And another
And another
Until every part of every eye
Could see the snow
As it covered the ground
As though the clouds were sugar shakers
The released the snow
And when one went outside
The best part of the snowstorm arrived
The silence
There were no sounds
No cars
No trucks
No trains
No wind
No people
No white noise
Just the sound of silence
And the sight of falling snowflakes
Crunchy footsteps were muffled by the snow
And thick, deep footsteps were left behind
But the snow filled the footprints in
Like footprints on the beach
The snow was not harsh
It was relentless
But it wasn’t rough
It was smooth and gentle
It wasn’t fighting
It was like a raft
Controlled purely by the sea’s calm waves
It was just slowly cruising
Moving perfectly
No need to add momentum
It covered everything
Everything was pitch white
The world literally looked sugar coated
The trees were crystal white
With the tiniest green needles peeking out
Like the peaks of mountains
Just then, the silence was broken
A blustery breeze went by
The snowflakes were flying every which way
The wind started to howl
But the breeze wasn’t too strong
And it subsided as soon as it came
And after the bluster
The silence somehow seemed
More silent
And more beautiful
A Backwards Poem
Selina Lin
I will never be successful in life
And don’t ever try to convince me that
My parents and friends will support me
It is only certain that
I will not be able to support myself or my family
Don’t tell me that
I can make it to Harvard’s School of Design
I can get a Master’s degree
I can make my family and friends proud
As long as there is hope in my life
There will be no happy ending for me
I refuse to believe that
My name will be known
I tell you this:
I will not be a famous person
No one will say that
I will be a successful architect
I am sure that
My co-workers will dislike me
It will not be said that
My future will be bright
I am telling you
My life will be horrible
And I will never believe that
I will be successful in life.
(Read from bottom to top)
And don’t ever try to convince me that
My parents and friends will support me
It is only certain that
I will not be able to support myself or my family
Don’t tell me that
I can make it to Harvard’s School of Design
I can get a Master’s degree
I can make my family and friends proud
As long as there is hope in my life
There will be no happy ending for me
I refuse to believe that
My name will be known
I tell you this:
I will not be a famous person
No one will say that
I will be a successful architect
I am sure that
My co-workers will dislike me
It will not be said that
My future will be bright
I am telling you
My life will be horrible
And I will never believe that
I will be successful in life.
(Read from bottom to top)
Dear Haters
Selina Lin
Dear Haters,
You’re the pouring rain
Making my fire go out
But you can’t affect me
No matter how much you shout
You dim my lights
And create some dark days
Sure, I love you and all
But you need to go away
You’d be the greedy king
If I were a pirate
And if I were a laptop
You’d be a virus
You try to push me down
And make me weak
But let me just tell you
You’ve failed miserably
You are my inspiration
For this poem, and more stuff
There’s one more thing I need to tell you
You’re also a pain in the butt :)
Love y’all,
Selina
You’re the pouring rain
Making my fire go out
But you can’t affect me
No matter how much you shout
You dim my lights
And create some dark days
Sure, I love you and all
But you need to go away
You’d be the greedy king
If I were a pirate
And if I were a laptop
You’d be a virus
You try to push me down
And make me weak
But let me just tell you
You’ve failed miserably
You are my inspiration
For this poem, and more stuff
There’s one more thing I need to tell you
You’re also a pain in the butt :)
Love y’all,
Selina
FICTION
Horror Story
Brendan Arthur
This was about two years ago. I was with my friend at his house and we were having a sleepover. I know you're saying that 11 year old boys don’t have sleepover but really we do. Back to the story. My friend let’s call him John well John and I were a little bit of adventurers. So John said
“ Hey why don’t we ride our bikes to the park.”
“ Dude it’s like 12:00 o’clock in the morning why would you want do that” I said.
All he said was that it would be fun. I just went with it because I didn’t want to argue with him because it was 12 o’clock in the morning and to be honest I was pretty tired. So we got on our bikes and started to ride to the park. When we got there it was empty but the indoor basketball courts lights were on. So I said
“Why don’t we go play basketball, we can play horse”
“Okay” he said.
So we went up to the door it was locked so we knocked. A man came to the door and said
“ WHAT DO YOU WANT!!!”.
“Are you guys open” I asked
“NO GO AWAY” he said.
So we just started to ride out of the park. But just before we got out of the park the man from the basketball court going to his car and was carrying a big bag. He looked at me got in his car and drove off. As he was driving past us he just stared at us. So we went home and as we were on our way to his house I noticed a car following us. I signaled my friend to move aside so they go past but the car just kept following us. When we got to his house we ran upstairs and go his binoculars and looked through them as the car went past his house and saw the man in the car from the park. I can’t even imagine what was in that bag. Thank God we made it
It's been two years since we saw that guy and now we are in high school. I haven’t seen him since up until just two days ago on my birthday. We were at an indoor trampoline and parkour park and when our time was up my friends and I were all walking to my moms car and John said
“ Lucas look”.
He pointed down the sidewalk and the man from the two years ago was standing there but he had a beard and look older.
“Who is that” our friend Sam said.
“No one...Let's go” I said.
So we just kept walking than when I looked back he was walking toward us. So we started to run. As we started to get closer to my moms car he was slowing down.
“What’s wrong why are you breathing so heavily” my mom said.
“Nothing it’s fine let’s just go” I said.
“OK did you have fun”
“Yea mom we did now can we go I'm tired”
“Okay let’s go”
As we were on the road back to my house to have a sleepover I noticed that there was no one on the road. Then out of nowhere it felt like a car was behind us. I didn’t think anything of it but then I noticed when we moved the car turned if we stopped the car stopped. When I turned around and looked at the car I thought I knew it from somewhere then I remembered where it was from. It was the same car as the car from that night at the park two years ago. You might be thinking how do you know there are millions of cars that look the same but it had the same broken head light.
We just kept driving until we got to my house. My friends and I ran inside went up to my room and looked out the window and saw him drive right by.
The next day was my real birthday and my dad got me a bb gun behind my mom's back. So I ran up to my room to hide it. Over a few weeks after school I would run up to my room and look at it. But one weekend sam said he wanted to see it in action so I told him to come over. My mom was home from work because she had to run errands. So when she left we went up back and set up cans up in a tree and as I loaded my gun she walked in the backyard. When she saw me she looked mad. She did say anything when she saw it all she did was take the gun go into the house and hid it grabbed her purse and went back out.
“That was stupid” I said
“No it wasn’t she just wants you to be safe” John said
“Whatever!! So I saw you looking at that girls at school the other day”
“Who Taylor? No we’re just friends”
“Yea OK!!”
“Oh really, okay. What about you and Kelly, huh?”
“We are just friends”
“Than you guys must be really good friends”
“What?”
“Yea I saw you texting her with kissy faces and saying ‘I Love You’ and you say you guys are just friends OK”
“Whatever! Hey did you hear about that new game for Xbox I think it’s called Elite 3”
“Now what’s that about”
“It’s about three people that are sent to save the General's son it’s cool”
“ Nah sounds lame”
“Whatever”
“ Can you believe that test Mr. Randle gave us”
“I know it was ridiculous that we didn’t even learn that”
“What do you think you got”
“To be honest, I think I got like a fifty”
“Really”
“Yea what do you think got”
“I think a sixty”
“Yea Ok”
“Do you want to go to the movies tomorrow”
“Yea what do you want to see”
“What about Get Out”
“Yea it looks cool lets do it”
“Okay so you bring let 20 dollars to get in and get the tickets and I will bring the money for food okay”
“Ok”
As we were walking I saw a tree. It was really big and had a hole on the middle of it. Also, underneath it was a hole. We went to check it out. It was dark and I couldn’t really see anything, it was really deep, I think 7 feet deep. We didn’t go in though we said we should check it out later. We got to his house and went up to his room. He was home alone because both of his parents work until 8 o’clock and don’t get home until 10 o’clock. We were in his room playing video games and I heard a thud on the window behind us. I went to check it out and when I got to the window I saw a man standing in his backyard. The man looked up at me and I saw it. His face I remembered it from somewhere. Then it clicked as soon as I remembered his face I closed the curtains.
“John it’s him” I said
“Who” John said
“The man that has been following us”
“No it’s not, let me see… dude you're crazy there is no one there” than there was a loud bang downstairs.
“He’s in the house”
“Dude there was no one there it’s probably my mom a or dad”
“No it can’t be it’s only 8:30”
“Fine if it is him we have to hind”
We started to walk over to the closet that he had in his hallway. He grabbed his pocket knife that he got for his birthday. We went in the closet and as soon as we closed the door I heard footsteps coming up the steps. Then they stopped and started to come toward us. Then walked pass us and went into his parents room. We heard a lot of fidgeting and things getting pushed over. Then foot toward us and the door knob started to turn. The opened and John stabbed him in the stomach and we ran out of the house.
“Hey the whole under the tree let's hide there” John said
“No let’s just go to my house and get my bb gun and call the police”
We got back to my house but the landline was down and our cell phones were dead. I looked through the closet looking for my bb gun. Then I found it in her clothing drawer with a pack of pellets. We waited about 20 minutes and didn’t see anything.
“Maybe he’s dead” I said
“Maybe” John said
Than as soon as we said that we saw a car pull into my driveway. Someone got out of the car. I looked through my binoculars and I saw it was just my dad. I grabbed the bb gun and ran down the stairs. I opened the door and as soon as I did my dad feel and behind him was the crazy man that has been following us. We ran up stairs and locked my door. I loaded the bb gun. Let me tell something about the bullets that get loaded into the bb gun. They aren’t plastic, they are tiny balls of metal that can shoot between 50-75 yards and this can reach up to 60 miles an hour. So to put it simply it hurts to get shout with one. As soon I got the bullets into the bb gun we heard a banging on the door. Then the door opened and I tried to shoot him but the trigger that lets me shoot is broken. He starts getting closer and then BANG and the man fell. Behind him was a police officer with a smoking gun.
“It’s okay boys you're safe now” the police officer said.
My dad was okay be was just knocked out. Also, it turned out that the man was a serial killer named John Jefferson. I saw them bring him out in a body bag. The police said to my parents that I should go to a counselor to help with the trauma. I went for a few months and it helped but I will never forget his face especially when he was shot. It was an indescribable face of both relief, fear and pain all at the same time. All I can say is, I’m relieved that I don’t need to worry about someone following us all the time. Until about two weeks ago when I noticed a woman watching me in a car down the block. She looked about 20-25 years old. Then I remembered the over hearing the police talking and saying “Now we need to find his daughter.”
“ Hey why don’t we ride our bikes to the park.”
“ Dude it’s like 12:00 o’clock in the morning why would you want do that” I said.
All he said was that it would be fun. I just went with it because I didn’t want to argue with him because it was 12 o’clock in the morning and to be honest I was pretty tired. So we got on our bikes and started to ride to the park. When we got there it was empty but the indoor basketball courts lights were on. So I said
“Why don’t we go play basketball, we can play horse”
“Okay” he said.
So we went up to the door it was locked so we knocked. A man came to the door and said
“ WHAT DO YOU WANT!!!”.
“Are you guys open” I asked
“NO GO AWAY” he said.
So we just started to ride out of the park. But just before we got out of the park the man from the basketball court going to his car and was carrying a big bag. He looked at me got in his car and drove off. As he was driving past us he just stared at us. So we went home and as we were on our way to his house I noticed a car following us. I signaled my friend to move aside so they go past but the car just kept following us. When we got to his house we ran upstairs and go his binoculars and looked through them as the car went past his house and saw the man in the car from the park. I can’t even imagine what was in that bag. Thank God we made it
It's been two years since we saw that guy and now we are in high school. I haven’t seen him since up until just two days ago on my birthday. We were at an indoor trampoline and parkour park and when our time was up my friends and I were all walking to my moms car and John said
“ Lucas look”.
He pointed down the sidewalk and the man from the two years ago was standing there but he had a beard and look older.
“Who is that” our friend Sam said.
“No one...Let's go” I said.
So we just kept walking than when I looked back he was walking toward us. So we started to run. As we started to get closer to my moms car he was slowing down.
“What’s wrong why are you breathing so heavily” my mom said.
“Nothing it’s fine let’s just go” I said.
“OK did you have fun”
“Yea mom we did now can we go I'm tired”
“Okay let’s go”
As we were on the road back to my house to have a sleepover I noticed that there was no one on the road. Then out of nowhere it felt like a car was behind us. I didn’t think anything of it but then I noticed when we moved the car turned if we stopped the car stopped. When I turned around and looked at the car I thought I knew it from somewhere then I remembered where it was from. It was the same car as the car from that night at the park two years ago. You might be thinking how do you know there are millions of cars that look the same but it had the same broken head light.
We just kept driving until we got to my house. My friends and I ran inside went up to my room and looked out the window and saw him drive right by.
The next day was my real birthday and my dad got me a bb gun behind my mom's back. So I ran up to my room to hide it. Over a few weeks after school I would run up to my room and look at it. But one weekend sam said he wanted to see it in action so I told him to come over. My mom was home from work because she had to run errands. So when she left we went up back and set up cans up in a tree and as I loaded my gun she walked in the backyard. When she saw me she looked mad. She did say anything when she saw it all she did was take the gun go into the house and hid it grabbed her purse and went back out.
“That was stupid” I said
“No it wasn’t she just wants you to be safe” John said
“Whatever!! So I saw you looking at that girls at school the other day”
“Who Taylor? No we’re just friends”
“Yea OK!!”
“Oh really, okay. What about you and Kelly, huh?”
“We are just friends”
“Than you guys must be really good friends”
“What?”
“Yea I saw you texting her with kissy faces and saying ‘I Love You’ and you say you guys are just friends OK”
“Whatever! Hey did you hear about that new game for Xbox I think it’s called Elite 3”
“Now what’s that about”
“It’s about three people that are sent to save the General's son it’s cool”
“ Nah sounds lame”
“Whatever”
“ Can you believe that test Mr. Randle gave us”
“I know it was ridiculous that we didn’t even learn that”
“What do you think you got”
“To be honest, I think I got like a fifty”
“Really”
“Yea what do you think got”
“I think a sixty”
“Yea Ok”
“Do you want to go to the movies tomorrow”
“Yea what do you want to see”
“What about Get Out”
“Yea it looks cool lets do it”
“Okay so you bring let 20 dollars to get in and get the tickets and I will bring the money for food okay”
“Ok”
As we were walking I saw a tree. It was really big and had a hole on the middle of it. Also, underneath it was a hole. We went to check it out. It was dark and I couldn’t really see anything, it was really deep, I think 7 feet deep. We didn’t go in though we said we should check it out later. We got to his house and went up to his room. He was home alone because both of his parents work until 8 o’clock and don’t get home until 10 o’clock. We were in his room playing video games and I heard a thud on the window behind us. I went to check it out and when I got to the window I saw a man standing in his backyard. The man looked up at me and I saw it. His face I remembered it from somewhere. Then it clicked as soon as I remembered his face I closed the curtains.
“John it’s him” I said
“Who” John said
“The man that has been following us”
“No it’s not, let me see… dude you're crazy there is no one there” than there was a loud bang downstairs.
“He’s in the house”
“Dude there was no one there it’s probably my mom a or dad”
“No it can’t be it’s only 8:30”
“Fine if it is him we have to hind”
We started to walk over to the closet that he had in his hallway. He grabbed his pocket knife that he got for his birthday. We went in the closet and as soon as we closed the door I heard footsteps coming up the steps. Then they stopped and started to come toward us. Then walked pass us and went into his parents room. We heard a lot of fidgeting and things getting pushed over. Then foot toward us and the door knob started to turn. The opened and John stabbed him in the stomach and we ran out of the house.
“Hey the whole under the tree let's hide there” John said
“No let’s just go to my house and get my bb gun and call the police”
We got back to my house but the landline was down and our cell phones were dead. I looked through the closet looking for my bb gun. Then I found it in her clothing drawer with a pack of pellets. We waited about 20 minutes and didn’t see anything.
“Maybe he’s dead” I said
“Maybe” John said
Than as soon as we said that we saw a car pull into my driveway. Someone got out of the car. I looked through my binoculars and I saw it was just my dad. I grabbed the bb gun and ran down the stairs. I opened the door and as soon as I did my dad feel and behind him was the crazy man that has been following us. We ran up stairs and locked my door. I loaded the bb gun. Let me tell something about the bullets that get loaded into the bb gun. They aren’t plastic, they are tiny balls of metal that can shoot between 50-75 yards and this can reach up to 60 miles an hour. So to put it simply it hurts to get shout with one. As soon I got the bullets into the bb gun we heard a banging on the door. Then the door opened and I tried to shoot him but the trigger that lets me shoot is broken. He starts getting closer and then BANG and the man fell. Behind him was a police officer with a smoking gun.
“It’s okay boys you're safe now” the police officer said.
My dad was okay be was just knocked out. Also, it turned out that the man was a serial killer named John Jefferson. I saw them bring him out in a body bag. The police said to my parents that I should go to a counselor to help with the trauma. I went for a few months and it helped but I will never forget his face especially when he was shot. It was an indescribable face of both relief, fear and pain all at the same time. All I can say is, I’m relieved that I don’t need to worry about someone following us all the time. Until about two weeks ago when I noticed a woman watching me in a car down the block. She looked about 20-25 years old. Then I remembered the over hearing the police talking and saying “Now we need to find his daughter.”
Tony's Love Story
Brendan Arthur
This is the story of how I the perfect woman for me. It all started in 9th grade the first year of high school. We first met each other in freshmen orientation we went around talking to each other and I knew as soon as I saw her she was the one for me. We started talking and we became really good friends. At the end orientation and we looked at our schedules and we had every class together except for math. We went to our first class that was science. It was the first day of science and we were learning about the different materials that we will us for labs. Than she dropped the tray and I went to go help her pick the things up.
“Than..”
Than at this point it was the first time that we looked in each others eyes. This was when I really knew that she was the one.
“Thanks for helping me”
“ No problem. Hey you never told me your name”
“ I’m Danny it’s short for Danielle”
“Nice to meet you Danny I’m Tony”
“Nice to meet you too Tony”
The rest of the day we just went to our classes and didn’t really talk just sort of looked at each other. For some reason the social studies gave us a test the second week of school so I asked Danny to come over and study and she said yes. She came over that night and long story short we didn’t study w just sat there and talked. The next morning we went on a bike ride and we stopped at a big rock and sat there and talked for hours. Than she said something I leaned in and kissed her. That's the reason why we go to the park every year for our anniversary.
“Than..”
Than at this point it was the first time that we looked in each others eyes. This was when I really knew that she was the one.
“Thanks for helping me”
“ No problem. Hey you never told me your name”
“ I’m Danny it’s short for Danielle”
“Nice to meet you Danny I’m Tony”
“Nice to meet you too Tony”
The rest of the day we just went to our classes and didn’t really talk just sort of looked at each other. For some reason the social studies gave us a test the second week of school so I asked Danny to come over and study and she said yes. She came over that night and long story short we didn’t study w just sat there and talked. The next morning we went on a bike ride and we stopped at a big rock and sat there and talked for hours. Than she said something I leaned in and kissed her. That's the reason why we go to the park every year for our anniversary.
25 Horror Stories That Are Less Than 5 Sentences
Kyle Stone
- I heard the door downstairs open. My dad yells, “I’m home!” I live alone. My dad died seven years ago.
- Music blasted from the outside of the old house. It was loud enough to be heard from miles away. It was loud enough to break twenty glasses. It was loud enough to silence the screams.
- My doorbell rang, and I heard someone say, “It’s the pizza guy.” I opened the door to find a young man holding a pizza. He began to read off the order, but the knife was already in his chest before he could finish.
- I dialed the number despite the endless warnings. I heard music from the other side, Because by the Beatles. The music suddenly stopped, and I heard a demonic voice say something incomprehensible. Then, my closet door creaked open.
- I went to the graveyard to visit my mother, but something was off. On the grave next to her’s was a date. The strange thing was that the date had not happened yet. Even stranger was that the name on the tombstone was mine.
- Something was odd about the picture she sent me. There was a dark figure in the background. Then I heard the sounds of police sirens coming from outside. An Amber Alert popped up on my phone.
- I heard footsteps coming from outside. I tried to wake my friend, but he remained asleep. I then heard the sounds of deep, ominous laughter, no one that I knew. The zipper on the tent began to open.
- We were just about to reach my floor when the elevator froze. The people around me looked confused. It was seconds before my stomach dropped and the elevator went tumbling down over one hundred floors.
- I ducked behind the couch and peeked my eyes over it. She ran into the room, faster than I had ever seen her run. She had the machete raised above her head. It took me another 10 seconds before I noticed I was sitting on a dead body.
- I saw the camera in the reflexion of the mirror. I stared at it with confusion. Why would he be watching me? Just then, he burst into the room with a rope.
- I climbed up the ladder and entered the light, leaving behind his bleeding corpse. I finally left. I can finally see the outside world.
- I dipped my hand into my stocking expecting to find candy and toys. I found a squishy, slimy, red object. The deep laughter of an eight-foot-tall goat-like creature is what told me that Santa would not be coming this year.
- I sat alone in my room. I was looking at old photo albums of me and my family. That's when I heard the door downstairs break open and the yells of the creatures.
- I heard the loudest sound imaginable as the alarms went off. I looked to my left to find guards running away. Wondering what was going on, I followed them, but it was no use, as they were all dead before I could even start running.
- I cried in the corner of the bathroom. The sound of heavy footsteps running up the stairs echoed in my brain. I tried to ignore it, but I couldn’t help it. The lock started to budge, and I knew that leaving my phone in my room would be the worst mistake I ever made in my life.
- I followed the exterminator into my basement. He followed the smell to a small crawlspace in my storage closet. He opened it, and the body of a young woman fell out onto the floor. Her chest was sliced open, and her organs spilled all over the floor.
- His livestream had over three million viewers. The amount suddenly plummeted when he pulled out a gun.
- My tears added water to the lake as I pulled the bags into the water. I opened the bag, and I couldn’t even watch as the body of my daughter tumbled out of the bag and into the water.
- I couldn’t go to sleep with him watching me like that. His smiling face peered through the window looking straight into my eyes. I don’t know how it’s possible, I live on the 49th floor.
- The ground shook, and I collapsed the floor. I crawled to the window to find the explosion speeding toward my house at an unimaginable speed.
inked
Michelle Marti
I was seven when i got my first tattoo. it was a tiny crescent moon on my left wrist. as small as it was, it stood out on my porcelain skin. at the time, i didn’t really understand what those tattoos meant and what they were for, but mama and papa made such a big deal out of it that i didn’t have to.
one day, you will be the anchor for someone else, as they will be the anchor for you. remember that, my love. mama whispered to me, running her hand through my hair lovingly. nearly fourteen years passed and i never found that person. but, i did find myself a sun.
vivi was a petite girl with eyes the color of evergreen trees and auburn hair. i met her at a park when i was eight. i was sitting on a park bench looking out onto the playground in front of me. with a wide smile, i was approached by a short girl with a gap between her teeth, asking if i wanted to swing with her. cautiously, i accepted her offer and the two of us swung until the sun began to set and we had to go back. prior to us leaving, young vivi surprised me by throwing her arms around her neck and proclaiming that i will be her best friend whether i liked it or not.
lucky for her, i did. from that evolved an incredible friendship.
my second tattoo was at fourteen, in which i received a star on the inside of my finger. still, i was unsure of the purpose of the tattoos, so i asked mama and papa.
when the time is right, you will find those with the same tattoo as you. those people, whether you expect them or not, will be the most meaningful people in your life. and one day, you will find someone with the same tattoo that you will happen to spend the rest of your life with. that’s how i found your beautiful mother. papa explained before looking adoringly at mama.
blushing, mama had looked away. the smile on her face stretched all across her face, lighting up the rest of her face. there was a single lamp on, but she was the spotlight of the room. the corners of her eyes crinkled like the newspapers papa used to read every morning. mama was a beautiful woman, one that threw her life away at twenty-one when she met papa.
i miss the old mama, back when she used to sing with the birds and dance in the morning rain. mama had the voice of an angel and moved like a swan. before meeting papa, mama was a singer and a dancer. sometimes i wish she hadn’t met papa. but that is a tinge cynical, is it not?
her and papa met at one of her shows, a show she did on her twenty-first birthday. the two were at the bar and papa bought her a drink. after conversations long into the night, things began to escalate. before they knew it, i was born. all because of their tattoos.
is that what true love is?
〜•〜
this is it. the night before i turn twenty-one. i lie in bed, staring at the ceiling above me. the bed i lie in felt was the same, but i felt different. as if i wasn’t myself, as if some other person made their way inside my body.
i listened to my clock tick slowly, each second seeming to be slower than the next.
11:59
truth be told, i never understood the purpose for the tattoos. shouldn’t we be allowed to befriend and love who we please? the concept continued to baffle me.
suddenly, i felt tingling by my wrist. i felt a warmth run throughout my body. sitting up, i glanced at my clock.
12:00
this is it. i’m twenty-one. sighing, i let my head fall back against my pillow and closed my eyes. whatever the tattoo happened to be, i would find out in the morning.
〜•〜
it felt like only minutes had passed before sunlight poured into my room. flinching, i rubbed my eyes and sat up. it took a second to sink in before i sat up and instantly lifted up my sleeves.
whoa.
a tiny, yet noticeable, sailboat was inked into my skin. in no way did it have any intricate design, but it was still beautiful.
so, what now?
i am twenty-one and what came next? would i go out and find my “soulmate?” did i even a want a soulmate?
all my life i had been told that i do. but, i am coming to realize that i cannot believe everything i have been told. maybe i was wrong, perhaps i was right. soon enough, i’d find out.
to be continued…
one day, you will be the anchor for someone else, as they will be the anchor for you. remember that, my love. mama whispered to me, running her hand through my hair lovingly. nearly fourteen years passed and i never found that person. but, i did find myself a sun.
vivi was a petite girl with eyes the color of evergreen trees and auburn hair. i met her at a park when i was eight. i was sitting on a park bench looking out onto the playground in front of me. with a wide smile, i was approached by a short girl with a gap between her teeth, asking if i wanted to swing with her. cautiously, i accepted her offer and the two of us swung until the sun began to set and we had to go back. prior to us leaving, young vivi surprised me by throwing her arms around her neck and proclaiming that i will be her best friend whether i liked it or not.
lucky for her, i did. from that evolved an incredible friendship.
my second tattoo was at fourteen, in which i received a star on the inside of my finger. still, i was unsure of the purpose of the tattoos, so i asked mama and papa.
when the time is right, you will find those with the same tattoo as you. those people, whether you expect them or not, will be the most meaningful people in your life. and one day, you will find someone with the same tattoo that you will happen to spend the rest of your life with. that’s how i found your beautiful mother. papa explained before looking adoringly at mama.
blushing, mama had looked away. the smile on her face stretched all across her face, lighting up the rest of her face. there was a single lamp on, but she was the spotlight of the room. the corners of her eyes crinkled like the newspapers papa used to read every morning. mama was a beautiful woman, one that threw her life away at twenty-one when she met papa.
i miss the old mama, back when she used to sing with the birds and dance in the morning rain. mama had the voice of an angel and moved like a swan. before meeting papa, mama was a singer and a dancer. sometimes i wish she hadn’t met papa. but that is a tinge cynical, is it not?
her and papa met at one of her shows, a show she did on her twenty-first birthday. the two were at the bar and papa bought her a drink. after conversations long into the night, things began to escalate. before they knew it, i was born. all because of their tattoos.
is that what true love is?
〜•〜
this is it. the night before i turn twenty-one. i lie in bed, staring at the ceiling above me. the bed i lie in felt was the same, but i felt different. as if i wasn’t myself, as if some other person made their way inside my body.
i listened to my clock tick slowly, each second seeming to be slower than the next.
11:59
truth be told, i never understood the purpose for the tattoos. shouldn’t we be allowed to befriend and love who we please? the concept continued to baffle me.
suddenly, i felt tingling by my wrist. i felt a warmth run throughout my body. sitting up, i glanced at my clock.
12:00
this is it. i’m twenty-one. sighing, i let my head fall back against my pillow and closed my eyes. whatever the tattoo happened to be, i would find out in the morning.
〜•〜
it felt like only minutes had passed before sunlight poured into my room. flinching, i rubbed my eyes and sat up. it took a second to sink in before i sat up and instantly lifted up my sleeves.
whoa.
a tiny, yet noticeable, sailboat was inked into my skin. in no way did it have any intricate design, but it was still beautiful.
so, what now?
i am twenty-one and what came next? would i go out and find my “soulmate?” did i even a want a soulmate?
all my life i had been told that i do. but, i am coming to realize that i cannot believe everything i have been told. maybe i was wrong, perhaps i was right. soon enough, i’d find out.
to be continued…
Pink Flower
Lea Silverman
Mrs. Holly put the kettle on the stove then dropped tea leaves into the water. She walked away from the kettle to allow it to boil and to absorb the flavor of the tea leaves. The man watched her from her kitchen window, staying low. As she left the room he raised the unlocked window and silently dropped into the kitchen. He quickly moved over to the kettle and dropped in three small flowers.
He left the room quickly, making sure his exit was silent. As he landed on the ground, the tea began to boil. The old woman came back into the kitchen.
Mrs. Holly smiled to herself and got a mug out of the closet. It took her time to get situated, but eventually she drank the tea. About an hour later, she was on the floor, gagging and coughing. As she passed out, she noticed the opened window.
Dean
“So who do you think did it?” Austin asked, poking Dean’s arm. Dean looked at him and sighed,
“I don’t know, someone that didn’t like her?” They were talking about the murder that was broadcasted on the news last evening. They said someone had broken into a woman’s house and poisoned her. Dean couldn’t remember her name, though.
Austin sighed, not happy with the answer.
“But why? Why would someone kill her? It doesn’t make sense.” Dean shrugged.
“Some people are just crazy like that.” Dean looked at Austin, curious. “Why do you care so much? Are you going to become a detective and solve things Sherlock Holmes style?” Austin rolled his eyes. As he went to say something else, the bell rang.
Dean quickly stood up and began to walk to his next class, ignoring Austin’s yells from behind. The halls were extremely quiet, despite a few people talking amongst themselves.
“Did you see what happened to…” someone was saying as he passed by. Dean began to zone out as he walked, not wanting to think about the murder. But that’s the thing isn’t it? The more you try to not talk about something, the more you end up talking about it.
“Hey Dean.” A girl said from behind him, trying to get his attention. He slowed down so she could catch up. “So… I’m guessing you’ve heard about the murder?” She said. Dean rolled his eyes.
“What do you think, Sarah?” Dean said sarcastically. Sarah actually began to think, oblivious to the tone of Dean’s voice.
“Well, I would think you-” She stopped abruptly as she saw the look Dean was giving her. “Ohh, that was sarcasm.” Dean nodded. The tardy bell began to ring, cutting their conversation short.
“I’ll talk to you later, Sarah.” Dean said as he got to Trigonometry 101. He entered the class and took his seat. The entire class he had one thought on his mind.
James
James could remember the day he entered the police academy vividly. He could remember how they taught him about the use of firearms, about the laws that his great country was run by, and he could especially remember the day he got stationed to Victoria. Victoria was a small town in the middle of Idaho, where nothing ever happened.
James could of course remember his utter rage being assigned to such a low-level area. He was ready to fight crime and stop the baddies, but people don’t get what they want. So when he received the call telling him of a murder, he couldn’t help but feel just a little apprehensive.
The station had received plenty of calls just as this one, but they all turned out to be teens prank calling them. However, when he arrived at the stated location, he couldn’t help but be a little sickened.
A teenage girl lay lifeless on the ground. There was no blood and no physical marks. The only thing they knew was where she was beforehand. Dawn, a newly hired forensics personnel, crouched next to the girl and readjusted her arms.
“Nothing.” She said softly, clearly spooked by the sight. She stood and walked away, ripping off her gloves are wiping her eyes. James sighed.
“Someone go check on her.” He said as he walked over to his second-in-command, George.
“So anything interesting in the evidence?” James asked hopefully. George nodded slowly.
“Yeah, we found a fake ID. So I’m guessing that she went to a bar or somewhere like that.” He looked and sounded angry. “If kids these days would just do what they were supposed to, things like this would never happen!” On the last few words, his voice cracked. James patted his shoulder.
“It was inevitable George. If it wasn't this poor girl, it would be another. The best we can do right now is to find out how she died.” James tried to make himself sound confident for the sake of his squadron. George nodded and went back to work.
Dean
Dean slouched in his seat, waiting for the bus to arrive at his stop. Like the halls at school, the bus was unusually quiet. After ten minutes, the bus arrived at Ward Drive. Dean quickly left his seat and got off of the bus, wanting to check the internet for news on the murder.
Dean saw his neighbor getting out of his car as he approached his house.
“Hi Dean, how are you?” She asked, not sounding genuine at all.
“I'm doing okay, how about you?” Just be polite, he told himself. To be honest, Dean didn't really like any of his neighbors. They tend to be rude towards his family.
“You know, Dean, it's the weirdest thing! Business at the shop today was more than it’s been in years.” She continued to talk about her small, almost nonexistent shop, for what seemed to be hours.
“Well Dean, it was nice talking to you.” She said.
“It was nice talking to you too, Miss Clara.” With that Dean entered his house.
John Doe
He stood under the street sign, waiting for the information from the courier. His phone buzzed as he received an email. It read:
Clara Jane Godard
Age: 36
Address: 734 Ward Drive
Info: Not married; very social;
Occupation: Business owner
He closed the email and started to walk down the street, looking for the address. 730… 732… 734. He examined the house.
It was a two story, newly renovated home. He looked at the surrounding houses. A light was on in one of the windows of 732 but that was it.
As he went to walk up to the door to test its lock, a dark figure came up to the brightly lit window. He saw the figure open the window and lean on the frame. Almost in slow motion, the man and the boy in the window locked eyes. The boy’s eyes widened and he began to shout.
“There’s a man outside her house!” He screamed repeatedly. Almost all of the lights on the block turned on. The man dashed away, leaving his victim alive. Not only that, but he had a witness.
James
James sat at his desk with his head in his hands. It had been one week and there had been three murders. There was absolutely no leads and no suspects. The police were utterly stumped. The door of his office opened and his secretary came in.
“Hey, James, someone is on line two for you.” She said. Even someone that had nothing to do with the case looked tired. Everyone at the station had to work overtime, and everyone was just a bit irritable. James picked up the phone.
“Hello?” He said gruffly, rubbing his face. He waited for about two minutes before someone answered.
“Hello, sir?” A young boy said. “A man was just outside my neighbor’s house. He saw me and he ran.” The boy said quickly. James sat in astounded silence. The murderer, who cleaned up his tracks at every scene, was seen by a teenager. “Sir?” The boy asked again.
“Yes, I’m here.” James took a deep breathe. “Did you see his face clearly?” He asked, hoping for a good answer.
“I didn’t see everything on his face, but I know his hair color and some facial features…” He said quietly.
“Can you come in for questioning tomorrow morning?” James would have liked to have the kid come in earlier, but it was nighttime and the kid needed some rest.
“Yes sir, what time?” After setting up an arrangement to meet at the station, James hung up on the kid. He felt something growing in his stomach that he hadn’t felt for a long time.
Dean
Dean sat in the waiting area of the police station, staring at the ceiling. A petite woman sat at the desk, quickly typing away. She kept looking up at him at giving him curt smiles then going back to work. After a few more minutes, officer James came into the station. He walked over to the secretary, who pointed out Dean. James turned and smiled at him.
“Hello Dean. Good morning…” He said, clearly thinking on those last words. Dean nodded and stood up following the officer sluggishly. After he called the police last night, he found it difficult to fall asleep, scared of what was out in the darkness.
Officer James opened a door to a stone room that was poorly lit. James sat down at one side and gestured to the chair across from him, smiling brightly. When Dean sat down, Officer James pulled out a folder.
“So, if you’re ready, we can begin searching for this sicko.”
TO BE CONTINUED…..
He left the room quickly, making sure his exit was silent. As he landed on the ground, the tea began to boil. The old woman came back into the kitchen.
Mrs. Holly smiled to herself and got a mug out of the closet. It took her time to get situated, but eventually she drank the tea. About an hour later, she was on the floor, gagging and coughing. As she passed out, she noticed the opened window.
Dean
“So who do you think did it?” Austin asked, poking Dean’s arm. Dean looked at him and sighed,
“I don’t know, someone that didn’t like her?” They were talking about the murder that was broadcasted on the news last evening. They said someone had broken into a woman’s house and poisoned her. Dean couldn’t remember her name, though.
Austin sighed, not happy with the answer.
“But why? Why would someone kill her? It doesn’t make sense.” Dean shrugged.
“Some people are just crazy like that.” Dean looked at Austin, curious. “Why do you care so much? Are you going to become a detective and solve things Sherlock Holmes style?” Austin rolled his eyes. As he went to say something else, the bell rang.
Dean quickly stood up and began to walk to his next class, ignoring Austin’s yells from behind. The halls were extremely quiet, despite a few people talking amongst themselves.
“Did you see what happened to…” someone was saying as he passed by. Dean began to zone out as he walked, not wanting to think about the murder. But that’s the thing isn’t it? The more you try to not talk about something, the more you end up talking about it.
“Hey Dean.” A girl said from behind him, trying to get his attention. He slowed down so she could catch up. “So… I’m guessing you’ve heard about the murder?” She said. Dean rolled his eyes.
“What do you think, Sarah?” Dean said sarcastically. Sarah actually began to think, oblivious to the tone of Dean’s voice.
“Well, I would think you-” She stopped abruptly as she saw the look Dean was giving her. “Ohh, that was sarcasm.” Dean nodded. The tardy bell began to ring, cutting their conversation short.
“I’ll talk to you later, Sarah.” Dean said as he got to Trigonometry 101. He entered the class and took his seat. The entire class he had one thought on his mind.
James
James could remember the day he entered the police academy vividly. He could remember how they taught him about the use of firearms, about the laws that his great country was run by, and he could especially remember the day he got stationed to Victoria. Victoria was a small town in the middle of Idaho, where nothing ever happened.
James could of course remember his utter rage being assigned to such a low-level area. He was ready to fight crime and stop the baddies, but people don’t get what they want. So when he received the call telling him of a murder, he couldn’t help but feel just a little apprehensive.
The station had received plenty of calls just as this one, but they all turned out to be teens prank calling them. However, when he arrived at the stated location, he couldn’t help but be a little sickened.
A teenage girl lay lifeless on the ground. There was no blood and no physical marks. The only thing they knew was where she was beforehand. Dawn, a newly hired forensics personnel, crouched next to the girl and readjusted her arms.
“Nothing.” She said softly, clearly spooked by the sight. She stood and walked away, ripping off her gloves are wiping her eyes. James sighed.
“Someone go check on her.” He said as he walked over to his second-in-command, George.
“So anything interesting in the evidence?” James asked hopefully. George nodded slowly.
“Yeah, we found a fake ID. So I’m guessing that she went to a bar or somewhere like that.” He looked and sounded angry. “If kids these days would just do what they were supposed to, things like this would never happen!” On the last few words, his voice cracked. James patted his shoulder.
“It was inevitable George. If it wasn't this poor girl, it would be another. The best we can do right now is to find out how she died.” James tried to make himself sound confident for the sake of his squadron. George nodded and went back to work.
Dean
Dean slouched in his seat, waiting for the bus to arrive at his stop. Like the halls at school, the bus was unusually quiet. After ten minutes, the bus arrived at Ward Drive. Dean quickly left his seat and got off of the bus, wanting to check the internet for news on the murder.
Dean saw his neighbor getting out of his car as he approached his house.
“Hi Dean, how are you?” She asked, not sounding genuine at all.
“I'm doing okay, how about you?” Just be polite, he told himself. To be honest, Dean didn't really like any of his neighbors. They tend to be rude towards his family.
“You know, Dean, it's the weirdest thing! Business at the shop today was more than it’s been in years.” She continued to talk about her small, almost nonexistent shop, for what seemed to be hours.
“Well Dean, it was nice talking to you.” She said.
“It was nice talking to you too, Miss Clara.” With that Dean entered his house.
John Doe
He stood under the street sign, waiting for the information from the courier. His phone buzzed as he received an email. It read:
Clara Jane Godard
Age: 36
Address: 734 Ward Drive
Info: Not married; very social;
Occupation: Business owner
He closed the email and started to walk down the street, looking for the address. 730… 732… 734. He examined the house.
It was a two story, newly renovated home. He looked at the surrounding houses. A light was on in one of the windows of 732 but that was it.
As he went to walk up to the door to test its lock, a dark figure came up to the brightly lit window. He saw the figure open the window and lean on the frame. Almost in slow motion, the man and the boy in the window locked eyes. The boy’s eyes widened and he began to shout.
“There’s a man outside her house!” He screamed repeatedly. Almost all of the lights on the block turned on. The man dashed away, leaving his victim alive. Not only that, but he had a witness.
James
James sat at his desk with his head in his hands. It had been one week and there had been three murders. There was absolutely no leads and no suspects. The police were utterly stumped. The door of his office opened and his secretary came in.
“Hey, James, someone is on line two for you.” She said. Even someone that had nothing to do with the case looked tired. Everyone at the station had to work overtime, and everyone was just a bit irritable. James picked up the phone.
“Hello?” He said gruffly, rubbing his face. He waited for about two minutes before someone answered.
“Hello, sir?” A young boy said. “A man was just outside my neighbor’s house. He saw me and he ran.” The boy said quickly. James sat in astounded silence. The murderer, who cleaned up his tracks at every scene, was seen by a teenager. “Sir?” The boy asked again.
“Yes, I’m here.” James took a deep breathe. “Did you see his face clearly?” He asked, hoping for a good answer.
“I didn’t see everything on his face, but I know his hair color and some facial features…” He said quietly.
“Can you come in for questioning tomorrow morning?” James would have liked to have the kid come in earlier, but it was nighttime and the kid needed some rest.
“Yes sir, what time?” After setting up an arrangement to meet at the station, James hung up on the kid. He felt something growing in his stomach that he hadn’t felt for a long time.
Dean
Dean sat in the waiting area of the police station, staring at the ceiling. A petite woman sat at the desk, quickly typing away. She kept looking up at him at giving him curt smiles then going back to work. After a few more minutes, officer James came into the station. He walked over to the secretary, who pointed out Dean. James turned and smiled at him.
“Hello Dean. Good morning…” He said, clearly thinking on those last words. Dean nodded and stood up following the officer sluggishly. After he called the police last night, he found it difficult to fall asleep, scared of what was out in the darkness.
Officer James opened a door to a stone room that was poorly lit. James sat down at one side and gestured to the chair across from him, smiling brightly. When Dean sat down, Officer James pulled out a folder.
“So, if you’re ready, we can begin searching for this sicko.”
TO BE CONTINUED…..