poetry slam
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I read and read and read,
Waiting for the inspiration to hit.
Waiting for the ideas to come,
Almost forcing them out of their holes and into the open
But they don't, so instead I go to school.
I lay down in the snow looking up at the sky.
Watching the warmth of my breath escape my body as i breath out into the chilling air
My hands feel like frozen icicles, my body shivering in reply
The moment you were taken felt so vivid and intolerable
It was as if I was swept away by a cold breeze
Your absence brought two things
Pain and strength
You showed me how to move forward
When I hear a line in a song that sends shivers down my spine –
When I see a painting that dazzles my eyes –
When I see a scientist speak of the Voyager spacecraft,
Wildly, exuberantly –
When I hear a line in a song that sends shivers down my spine –
When I see a painting that dazzles my eyes –
When I see a scientist speak of the Voyager spacecraft,
Wildly, exuberantly –
Flowing like a river, running fast
Every stride keeping time with the earth
Deep connections to my heart
There is no other bond than that of a girl and a horse
What has happened to this world?
Discrimination, separation, building a wall for this nation?
For what?!
They treat us like animals, building a wall to get rid of all the immigrants in America. But for what?! FOR WHAT?!
my eyes swarming with tears, filling will sadness,
overwhelmed by the pain, my heart begans to ache--
sinking to my knees--i failed.
why was this not enough? I could do better.
Waltzing with my Child
Can’t lift your head yet barely,
But your eyes they charm and smile.
Little babe I love so dearly,
Please stay small for a while.
It’s almost as if everything stops.
The air stills until the dull murmur of the rain continues
Leaving me restless.
It’s the world’s gasp for air,
The wind blows through the window as I think of the day,
The silent television eager to play.
I think of the people, so close and caring,
Sunrise, sunset,
every day we begin again,
every day we rest.
Every day we are waken up and motivated.
Motivated to do good,
motivated to make an impact.
I step into the sun,
You found me in the depth of despair
When I was frightened to look upon your face
I trambled at your feet, as my name echoed within the darkness of my heart
You saw that I was broken
not just pacific air but mountain and desert too
People’s air that fills the mountain valley
The desires that permeate the desert’s cracked soil
The blue haze of a day dripping with
shine
My mind is a book unread
With pages that have words to be said
But I am filled with dred to read ahead
My words pile up unsaid.
I am crushed underneath them leaving me for dead
I am hanging by a thread
There's so much going on
A mind full of words.
A heart full of spirit
Spinning, swirling, trying to escape
Mouth closed.
Has a way with words
Yet don't have a way with words?
No no don't do it
Standing in the rainunder a slate grey sky,grass tickling the bottomsof bare feet, Arms spread wideto embrace it allas the wind howlsand the trees sigh. Thunder roars and
When I was born
I was labeled
You can’t be that because you are a women
you can’t be that because you grew up there
you can’t be smart because you didn’t go to a charter school
When I was born
I was labeled
You can’t be that because you are a women
you can’t be that because you grew up there
you can’t be smart because you didn’t go to a charter school
You have already promised me too much
Nights in Paris, tucked tight under the covers
As crisp air sashays through the open window
to stroke my bare skin
The love that fills our mind
The music playing in our head
Something you see when others are blind
A thing a man has said
Maybe it’s the happiness that fills the air
Aphrodite walks, hips swaying to the beat of the music, her heels clicking on the cold marble, turning heads of all except the eyes of the one she wants
They do not tell you
How she danced on bones
Laughing, smiling
A grin of a madman
They do not tell you
That the red staining her mouth
She walked the hallowed halls
To answer her prayers as she silently stood
Searching for someone to call
Amid the millennia to passLived many who would seek to surpassVenerated wise men, to whom the years had not been kind,Instilled with a thirst they could not bindSearching more than just a whimSo it was until we became like him. Welcoming answers
Amid the millennia to passLived many who would seek to surpassVenerated wise men, to whom the years had not been kind,Instilled with a thirst they could not bindSearching more than just a whimSo it was until we became like him. Welcoming answers
Hammer struck the marble block,
Thrice was heard throughout the night.
Face took shape and beauty shock,
Lips of ruby, eyes of light.
‘Twas the forging of Pandora.
It’s 9:30am at Myth Shore High
A place where the children of greek gods learn and grow
As they try to fill the expectations that have been set for them
Years ago,
my youth escaped me
I’ve seen it around
through glimpse of what could be
Years ago,
I became a grown up
started paying bills
became an expert on playing catchup
Years ago,
my youth escaped me
I’ve seen it around
through glimpse of what could be
Years ago,
I became a grown up
started paying bills
became an expert on playing catchup
In Nantucket, she grew to love the buoyant seersucker she walked on,
that carried her beyond the linens
and grace. They were robed with sun,
eating figs from every tree,
I was invited to a movie night out with my friends
It was Friday, it would do none of us harm.
This was our time to have fun and forget
Sometimes adults are just kids inside. Choosing to live a life led by lies. Someone who shirks responsibility and hides, but it is only when you are a fool that you can start to be wise.
I am growing upI can't believe its actually timeFrom not only growing from a baby to a teenI am growing I am growing upgetting my first car,opening a bank account,oh and getting a jobIt's been hard but I am growing up Even through the stormsand t
I am growing upI can't believe its actually timeFrom not only growing from a baby to a teenI am growing I am growing upgetting my first car,opening a bank account,oh and getting a jobIt's been hard but I am growing up Even through the stormsand t
She is blessed to see the world beyond her eyes the moment she is created
and she grows older with laughter without the slightest worry in the world because
she doesn’t need to, yet.
A switch didn’t flip,
the impact wasn’t sudden.
Yet the change felt
just as jarring.
One day, responsible free,
the next, my brown head of hair
Sometimes you may forget those things important,
They run away if they haven't any reinforcement,
But sometimes the best thing to do
I hadn’t realized I had grown.
I feel mostly the same.
I look mostly the same.
But I think something has changed.
A coin has two sides,
one side heads, the other side tails.
It should be clear that one of two sides will face up
when the coin is flipped
I learned that when I was 5.
Missing person
5’9”, blonde hair, green eyes
She's lost and under heavy disguise
No, it's not her makeup or her lashes
This feeling, it comes in flashes
The re’s a ro pe but you ca n’t gr ab on
It’s slip ping t hrough my fin gers
My hand s are get ting red
He’s pul ling
Tryi ng to disconn ect it from my gra sp
The re’s a ro pe but you ca n’t gr ab on
It’s slip ping t hrough my fin gers
My hand s are get ting red
He’s pul ling
Tryi ng to disconn ect it from my gra sp
There’s no greater joy than to be in love
First love, that is
He took me so high, we soared miles above
There was no greater comfort than in his kiss
Each is a new day,
yet everything is always the same.
No friends,
or nights out,
or fun.
I then look to myself
and see,
I suck.
I am the reason for my struggle.
It's easy to forget, you know?
That time can pass when you aren't paying attention
And suddenly, your little sister says she likes that boy,
And your little brother is taller than you are,
Take a breath,
pause.
Step back,
pause.
Am I okay?
Sit at home wondering why,
my body isn't like theirs.
My voice isn't like theirs.
It's like the world is,
Her sweet spirit, so shy to the on looking world
Exploded whenever she took the floor
She twirled and jumped before she could ever speak
And now her dreams walked out the door
They tell you to fight back
They assume you can
They want you to tell them
But I was only 8 when it started
He told me to shut up
He told me he'd kill my family
He told me I was nothing
Ive done alot in many way
But not so much, I have no greys
My hair is full, my heart is too
I am no fool, my heart is two
fear comes and go, but this one will always be on aboard , to overcome we must face whats truly in our face , anti social isnt a joke but joining clubs and particpitacing in school always left my smile broke
Dear Anxiety,
I am tired
I am the punching bag
That you constantly beat
I lie awake in bed each night
Broken and bruised
I am afraid of failing.
Failing.
The word alone is scary.
I'm afraid of failing in life.
Failing to do simple things
such as doing taxes, school, being an adult.
What else?
As I carried you
for 41 long weeks
You would kick with delight
to the sound of my heartbeat
When 38 hours of labor
continued to go on
I prayed for you
to be in my arms
for so long
i was torn between
faces & places
and not being able to choose
what to do or where to go that
would please others [please me]
i wanted this and i wanted that
Great writers
Sit in silence
When they work,
And I
Am anything but.
Silence is madness.
He is the killer
Sitting across a stranger who will never comprehend anything I say
A moment of silence for the language barrier that cannot be broken
Different minds who have indifferent ideas of morals.
Red, white, and blue
What does that mean to you?
To you red might symbolize love
But to me red symbolizes the blood
Am I ready for what society has to offer,
or will I wallow in the state of no change.
Beginning to out grow this illusion I have on society.
Wanting to be mercenary, but I continue
I never knew someone tired or true
But my father loved me through and through
Even when I broke my bike
And dropped my grades for a girl I liked
You've been with me all my life.
I suppose you will be here till I die.
In these my times of happiness and strife
Both here and gone in the blink of an eye
you were the first one
that was happy to help.
the first one to not be upset
at the removal of your time,
for the improvement of my life.
You were the first one
who listened to me.
The comments,
The slurs,
The silence.
They all hurt,
Some less,
Some more.
Speak up.
The pain,
The toxic,
Friends or Foe,
Mean or Nice,
Speak against the stereotypes.
Something small sits on my desk
It has little meaning to me.
The small object sits, unmoving.
It has scratched green paint, and a deformed head,
Do you see what time has done?
Less than a century ago, our era had begun.
In a male dominated society, we had sprung late but strong and gentle
Your words are like a blanketThat covers me soft and warmThat whispers reassurancesLike an anchor in the storm.
There has existed primordially only one spirit, a killer beast, a violent storm the tides of death, and a burning fire. She is the spirit of chaos and a being of beauty untold, a lone child a dying star, a crying eye.
Dear Happiness,
Please don't ever leave me.
I wish to be hand-in-hand with you until the end.
Continue to spread your wings and soar to unreachable heights.
Dear Anxiety,
There goes Ed walking down the block
He's on his way find a rock.
All of a sudden, he turned and run
Someone let out their Bull Dog; he was so done!
Screaming and crying, Ed ran back home
Dear Grandfather,
I don’t even know what to say to you.
You’ve made a writer speechless. Congratulations.
From the early mornings
until the late nights, oh what a sight.
No you don’t bark,
bark you have never.
But you listen
Like the leaves brushing outside of my window in soft strokes
Motions, often more than words, are shown
Emotions running deeper than ever
Feelings that are genuine, not taken by loan
Connections between the two cannot sever
Because I love you, I will listen to you as you do to me.
Because I love you, I will kiss you goodnight and kiss you good morning.
Because I love you, I will cherish every second we spend together.
When she was a little girl
Without her cloak
Without her crimson-red shield
She was innocent, full of light, full of life
Day by day, night by night,
The witch would spend alone with fright
She couldn’t contain it nor control it
But she couldn’t resist the thought:
“Cake…”
“… pie…”
Once upon a timethere was a mermaid that lived deep in the oceanyears passed under the blue waters,her life always in motionin directions she did not desire.Fifteen long years passed in the company of sisters
Ferocious, savage, ruthless is he.
Barbaric, appalling, brash; flee.
No mercy needed.
He, must be defeated.
Chased out by scorn.
Enigma born.
Straws to flame.
Sticks to sunder.
To envision, imagine the world like fusion as thee life unfolds a dragon,
To speak no evil to hear is good and we only did what we could,
The world, dark cold bleak is like a pearl blackened from the deep,
Pretty little girl
With a basket full of fruit.
Her mouth may smile,
But her eyes reveal the truth.
Says she's off to see her aunt,
But that's not her real plan-
She has a secret hidden
I am born.
And pass through a system white and holy.
The juxtaposition of sickly green and healthy, blush red.
The devil’s advocate, weapon of deception.
Those precious vocal chords rest,
America.The free, the brave, the strong.Common words, placed in common songs.We claim to be the truth,We’ve been lying all along.When opinion masquerades as fact
America, once beautiful -
When will you appear as the stories say?
With your ragged past, were you ever great?
Perhaps achieving ‘great again’ is not the way.
Americas usually know for the great things that they have done. But is it really all that great?
America the Great,
The land of the free,
This is my home
And you won’t take it from me.
We split from Britain
In a bloody war, where
Brothers fought brothers, and
Watching the water trickle down the side of the crevasse,
Squirrels scuttle along the leaves hiding Fall's bounty,
I'm filled with awe at the beauty of natured formed.
The hike back barely seems strenuous while
When you’re a kid, they tell you a lot of things
They show you stories and prayers and coloring
They always tell you that you can do anything
And that you could be queen of the world
The key to life
Is a curious thing
Some may describe in as embroidered in gold
and flowing with satin ribbons that cascade down its side.
Every minute of every day of every year
A year ago, maybe two or three
I wasn't sure of myself
Or if my goals in life would be guarantee
I'm young and full of hope
Yet, I bet
I can mail you all my insecurities in a big envelope
Burning.
Burning right down to the lungs,
right through every muscle,
every fiber,
every cell.
Serenity
Slave away for happiness
Slave away from happiness
Equanimity
How does one Judge,
what is the reality,
when all is opposed,
so effectively?
Welcome to facebook where everybody has the best
boo, best family. Where everything is rosey where the
ugly gets beautiful and the bad are liked by so many
people you don't even know existed. A place where
Love comes in all shapes and forms
But it's hard to say with all these norms
There's a wall built up so high
That separates my love and I
You're scared to be different, so you fret
Golden hair on brown skin--unPalatable.
Unfilled eyebrows, sparse as this country's humanity--indolEnt
Fierce disease causes cruel brusing on body--compLains she has bed bugs.
I cry out in agony and pain
Stripped of my freedoms, striked by prejudice against my people
my blanket of hope is taken by despair
I am naked being poked and prodded by man’s hate
I cry out in agony and pain
Stripped of my freedoms, striked by prejudice against my people
my blanket of hope is taken by despair
I am naked being poked and prodded by man’s hate
They see me,
But it's only who I wish I could be.
They see the "Loud"
When in my mind no one's proud.
The years have quickly gone by
time seems like an illusion.
A gobbled up time of events
that has been swallowed up by quick sand.
Memories are not the same as they were 365 days ago.
I wake with passionI wake with actions,my everlasting fire ignites from laughing.
I hope not to covet, butto endorse my dreams and love itto improve things that bring joy like choice and less judgement.
passing looksI'll throw my head in a bookto make you believethat perhaps, I wasn't starringeach thrown glanceseems a little more daring.
I won't talk about who I amuntil the words are directed at no one,words shouted into air no one dare breathes. I am a good person,but that doesn't mean I am honest.
Painted Upon a Page my unspoken words sit.
Sour and horrid are their meanings... deeper than I would like to admit.
Poetry is my sunshine
My gateway to heaven
I couldn't go a day without it
Not ever cooncerned about if it rhymes
My poetry speaks values
It gives me a sense of importance
Like I never have to wait
We don’t know where we’re going
Or how we’re getting there
Or what to make of this journey called life
But we’re hustling through
My feet walk over this earth and I remain ignorant to so many things. From whom the mirror shows me To how to use my hands But my mother has told me about you She kissed the crown of my head when I still could not see nor talk And whispered "Than
Writing is to me
as oxygen is to fire,
or sunlight to the welcoming branches of a tree.
The ink that courses through my veins,
thick and black,
Nocturnal beauty flying through the night
Indigo Gypsy hiding from the light.
Close your eyes, make a wish
and send it up in a cloud.
Lost you are, but soon to be found.
The stars can't be reached,
It burns
To know so little now
it burns
to see so little now
it burns
to feel to little now
but then how can i burn?
The one thing I can not live without
is the woman who spouts about
the closest to my heart
my mother that is tart
but on this island still, I need to find a way out
My eyes flutter open
to a world draped in a haze
a sight so unclear and undefined
that I am left in a daze.
I blink and adjust to the warm light peeking from my windows
When You are caught up in something so right
and blind to every flag dawned red
There comes a day when I shall rise like a kite
There will come a day when the wind stops
I need to be your reason to fight
Best friends are angels,That God sent along.They always stay beside you,Whenever things go wrong.
From OPI to Sinful Colors.
From Essie to L’Oreal Paris.
You name it, I got it.
How I adore all your colors and shines,
I Am….Second by Reoni Newsome
I am second.
In a race? Not quite
I am my best critic
My worst competitor in this competition called life
I am second.
Blink
A baby on the hip of a preteen girl,
Nine years older than the baby sister.
The girl laughs open-mouthed, head thrown back
The baby grins and giggles.
She recuperates,
Deserts fly,
Away cries the vast ceiling bat,
Shatter my climbing dark vision,
"Don't forget!" Says the graveman,
I'm never always alone,
Always alone,
Why is this so difficult?All I want to do is write.That should be the most important thing.Yet I focus on two things;Paper…Or keyboard? Do I want to writeWith a smooth blue gel ink pen,Or do I want to quickly typeWhat I thinkAs it pops in my head?
I was difficult from the start
although I had my momma's heart!
i kicked and kicked and broke her rib
i guarantee that's no fib.
she always expected me to excel,
I've had about exactly enough of this
Of the big-wigs telling people that they don't deserve to live
Because they weren't born with money (Where's that silver spoon?)
I am from bored out bamboo,
from tinikling and hand-made entities.
I am from the bahay kubo
A small shelter, but a hunbling source of protection for many.
I am from Manila and Olongapo
I am a Mother
A woman of Faith
I find my escape in God's great embrace
I am a teacher
In my daughter's ways
Teach her right from wrong
Out of the sadness that covers me
Dark as the night from time to time
I thank to the virus that infected me
To the humble self that change by time
In the world full of sorrow
I want everything to be awesome,
I want my loved one to be handsome,
My education to be wholesome,
Everyone can say a million different things that are awesome to them
Those opinions are solid precious diamonds and gems…..
Pushed Down
In a rut
But Tupac told me
Keep my head up.
Obstacles, hurdles
Twist and turns
Yes, indeed we live to learn.
I may fret, I may cry
Existing is a blessing in which we all possess.
and yes,
to live a life seeking happiness and love is a life we should select
But to attain each and spread Love and happiness is what we should express
The rays of light crept through the blinds.
Each ray travelled a seperate path.
One particular ray came my way.
It peeked under the blanket.
It took me into a warm embrace of hugs and kisses.
Dear Sun,
You give me delight.
Your unspeakable might.
You're the happiness in the sky.
oh... so high...
You're brighter than lightning.
Children are complaining!
The colors you beam
My twin sister is very awesome, we've been together eighteen years. Shared secrets through the morning light and even shared some tears. Although we look alike and share similarities their is a noticeable difference between my twin and I.
Official diagnosis: Anxiety and Depression
In Kindergarten terms, that means
My brain won’t shut off
And sometimes I can’t remember
How to be happy
It means that when I get home at night
1, 6, 44, 18, 3, 4, 17.7, 84, 40, 97, 15
First year, first day.
She wanted to be a teacher.
She wanted to be a cute, innocent girl
in a cute, innocent dress who
inspired
The next four ears start here.
Take a deep breath as you walk through the gray doors.
She is the living definition of what we all once were
Of what we truly are inside.
Her smiling face with a missing tooth
Tugs at the rusted chains you ever so carefully tied long ago.
An aroma of feelings
Lost in a dream world
Unprediactable
Tumbling through the unreality
So real yet so far away
Temporarily lost in outrageous thoughts
Don't let me fall
Into the unconsciouss rythms of my heart
If you know the feeling of the warm sun peeping through your window, it means you’re blessed to feel a sensation.
People are mimics my hobby is making music/ A bunch of gimmicks they tried to refute it/ Refusing to give props to other rappers who influenced/ Next day make a beat used a sample from their music/ Stupid useless cluel
veined ovals lean against the hose with small puddles,
guests: though one more a guest than the other
towards that end, and treading amongst the surface
she plays the Body living, breathing
spinning
I cry a lot, don't you?
I trust people too easily
I'm trusting you.
I forget things a lot, don't you?
I lie to people too easily
I'm not lying to you.
The voices in my head
Laughs and stalks
Mocking their way to my heart
My heart has a door
The key Jesus
He is who opens and locks.
The voices in my head
Laughed and stalked
They say one job can change a life...
My life?
Firefighting, Teaching or Policing,
Dancin or Writng, producing or preaching...
All of these jobs can change a life but, what about mine?
Gemini, they tell me I am
Throwing out words like
Fickle, unpredictable,
Uncontainable, unreliable
Excitable, dynamic,
Restless and mutable, a proper air sign indeed
Behind these eyes are hidden lies,That nobody has ever realized.But why hide between those hidden lies?There's no one really by my sideTired of wearin a paper bag, coverin up what's behind my smiles.
inhale and exhale
our lungs never seem to fail
why is it that breathing comes so naturally
if a speck of dust is in your eye
although you’re not sad you’ll start to cry
Hey sweet thang. Are you from ten I see? Because you're the only Tennissee!
Believe it or not, I was going to e-mail this pickup line to you this morning.
But I just couldn't.
What if you think I'm too straight forward?
It's like a baby sucking on his thumb or a toddler with his blanket;
That's what i tell myself anyways.
Or am i a prisoner; wearing my own self-imposed anklet.
Could i, can i, should i let them see,
When I go through the drive thru,
I always see you there
When I roll down the window,
I smell you here and there
All I eat is YOU
No burgers, shakes, or nuggets
You are w
Oda a La Danza
Una Memoria Bella
Danza, danza, danza
Hay mucha vida en sólo una palabra
Vida les da a los bailarines
O, danza danza danza
I am five feet tall and full of love
And I believe that it’s plenty enough
For if I am to die in a year or tonight
I can die knowing I shined in someone’s life.
I may be small but small is all I need
She is a lovely little dancing dollTrapped inside this embellished music boxTwist and turn the dial to hear her call
Some people view me to be as fragile as glass,
Very fragile and not built to last,
As if I'll shatter into pieces if something horrible were to happen to me,
But they don't see,
Seeing the tip of a penglide effortlessly acrossthe surface of a paper,leaving a trail,turning nothinginto somethinggiving birth toa piec of art
The thing I would change
Falling in love with her
She loves me for me
She has captured my heart
And she is an amazing person to be with
I hade back all my feeling for
some I love
We're Just Kids
Life as a young child,
I was always free and wild.
Playing on a slide,
Uncertainty is the life I am choosing, but is it not what I requested and demanded? Need knowing is not wanting, is not hoping. Where I end is where I choose, and what I love is what I choose.
I'm not a perfect boy. My hair doesn't always stay gelled up & my clothes don't always match. I'm pretty clumsy & sometimes I have a broken bone. My sister & I sometimes fight & some days nothing goes right.
Not everyone has had the best life,
Just like not everyone has had a bad one.
I had to get my emotions right,
It was time to no longer run.
I don't complain anymore,
Even though i know its not fair.
It seems as though we have forgotten.
Forgotten what it was that we fought for.
Forgotten how far we have come and still have ways to go.
Trying to survive,
in different situations.
Situations similar to everyone else,
but handled differently.
An acquaintance questioned, why did you pick college?
“Get a job”, then it’s one after another
Measured improvement, advancement of knowledge
It’s not essential for a single mother?
You are my saving grace.
The one who has showed me hope and belief,
The one who took my hand and led me the way,
Behind the desk, you shake inside
your Palm is sweaty,
Your voice is rough as a board.
You close your eyes
And there you'll find
a girl with her music.
Look at me and what do you see?A girl like any other.But once you take a deeper lookyou'll notice I'm quite unique.I lived through trials and heartachesFew have seen before.
To be honest,
I absolutely hate myself.
My frizzy hair,
my jiggly arms,
my protruding belly.
I hate the way I need make up to
actually feel like I am allowed to exsist.
My stretch marks,
Dear Dad,
You know how much I miss you,
But being a good father to your kids had always been an issue,
Mom used to say that you were just a drug addict,
“I am, I am, I am.”
Oh Sylvia, with your words of gold and your thunderstorm heart;
She whispered her poetic harmonies to me with her dead eyes and trembling hands.
I am a living computer
I survive on electricity
I read sound waves and light waves
I have motion sensors, proximity sensors, and heat sensors installed
I can analyze chemicals, airborne and otherwise
I swear I get tired of reading that same sad story every time I look in the mirror
My beautiful God given skin now covered in scars
Like braille printed on human flesh because paper would not suffice
Imagination is freedom from the world
It is happiness in the darkest of times
Has no restrictions, on perfection or non-perfection
Instead it is blind,
leading you to unknown dimensions
In the begining we were all the same
Men and women with out a name
But, differences made us who we are
Characteristics, colors, and all
In the end we weren't meant fit in to one frame
Memories of failed fantasies,
fill his mind,
pushing him to the edge,
where the darkness,
just isn’t enough anymore.
What do I want to do in life? A question everyone ask me and I have no answer to.
Medical school.Wait, what?What kind of weirdo writes a poem about medical school?Only those who are bold enough to try to make the cut.
So Dream Away
By Elizabeth Dresdow
What is a Mind?
What makes up a mind?
Does it have infinite possibilities?
Matthew 7:12. Do unto others whatsoever you would like them to do to you. Why is this concept so HARD to comprehend?
I walked with her to the beach
Her beauty can be compared to the reflection of the sun off the moon;
What makes me tick
When I look into her eyes I understand what must be done.
When I look into her eyes I see the truth.
When I rock her to sleep I know what I must do.
Normal
It was being nice and standardizing yourself to fit in
But there she sat in her worn out old navy boot legged jeans
With her eyes on the board and some ink machine in her hand
Warmth all to your toes
Like a cozy cup of tea
A blanket of sleeves
(poetry slam tag) speak your mind slam
We now have the ability to,
accidentally swallow 32 GB worth of memories,
but some of us don't have the ability,
to stop judging
It's now 2014, and people are still
scared to,
Devour. Ingest. Consume.
I am a moster that is always hungry.
Hungry for stories.
I crave them with my whole being.
The twists, the turns, the emotions they stir
Sustain me.
Keep me alive.
What does it mean to be unique?
They tell me it's just being yourself.
How do I fight oblivion?
Shouldn't I know these things.
I have to amount to something.
I need to be different,
I am me.
Me is who I am.
Intraspaced and docile I began.
Through objectivity and compensation I have span
Internalization to who I am.
Lay me down in a field of wild flowers,
Take me away with your magical powers.
To a place where there is no pain,
To a place where there is no hurt.
A place where I can be free,
There she goes
What does her life show
She is happy and she smiles
But when she goes home, it only lasts for a while
I can love you now.
I can love you when I walk alone on a crowded street.
I can love you when I sleep in bed by myself each night.
I can love you when I wake up and drink coffee for one.
one job may save my life
save me from the mockery of being a writing major
end all doubts about me
that funny joke people make when you're a writing major, art major, theatre major
Cry little girl.Run and hide.Huddle back into your trenchesWhere the voices lieAnd tell youThat it's safeTo sleep.
Yo,
My pops hit the intersection, with his leathal weapon
On my mother with a birth out of pure unintention
And I understand regression, a deep misconception
I write words
simple sayings and
annunciated actions
I speak for myself
For those too quiet
to even whisper
For those who've been sick
In the mind or sick
In the body
I don't rhyme, and I certainly don't reason.
I don't like pasta or milk,
I don't want to hold your hand,
Or talk about feelings.
I am not pretty or ugly,
Or jealous or smart,
Cool as a summer's breeze you leave me
feeling refreshed with such ease.
My dearest is funny,witty, and even a little silly..these
qualities, or traits, or whatever you may call them
I like to think of life like a pie.
On the outside, you see this flaky, buttery crust,
Perfectly risen with a golden-brown dome.
Normally there’s some kind of gooey fruit filling inside it,
High school, the tomb of all emotions.
Gangsters, thugs, nerd, Jocks, and Leveled Teens.
Earning their way into things to make life out of this tomb of knowledge.
Gangsters learn Math for the money and honeys.
I have been waiting on my forever,
and i have found forever in your eyes.
They could not fathom this, however,
but in your eyes, i could see the sunrise.
I am looking for a story to unfold,
Hands hold the dried petals;
My hands.
These petals are a bubble of water droplets that with one wrong touch flood the surface.
One touch could be danger—
The end.
And so I don’t touch them much,
Verse 1:
Dear God, how you been? how you doing?
Can you intervene? We need some help and some improvement
Girls are getting pregnant by the age of thirteen
And boys will stick it anywhere, even if it ain't clean
Decades of campaigning,
Protesting, boycotting, and rioting,
And still my pockets are too small,
While their's can hold a small dog.
Maybe even a large cat.
Of all the things that make me tick
For a big wad of cash
There is but one I must pick
After much mental hash.
I was born from cautious minds
Where money is an excuse
"I left first
But we were still together
Always messaged you
Love was in every letter
Things fell south
The further that we got
I tried to pick it up
You apply to college believing you can pursue your dreams
But you apply without understanding their many schemes.
Higher education is a privilege not a right
So I don't understand why I constantly have to fight.
I havedreams are thse dreams that are trying to kill me
Each dream is based off a different memory
It's never the good ones but only the bad
I havedreams are thse dreams that are trying to kill me
Each dream is based off a different memory
It's never the good ones but only the bad
Time
It ticks away so sly
Like a zipping fly
Running to the sky
In search of the sun
The pressure sets me
On fire
Cooking my mind
Until I lie
And stand by
Into my mind you dare take a venture, differences between us besides just gender.
It lies well beneath the center, but you couldn’t chew on these thoughts with titanium dentures.
Dizzy while confused on this planet called Earth.
Born a boy but raised into a man....I have to show my worth. There are so many problems with this twisted up world. I honestly think that this society is curled.
I make lines
They represent reality
It becomes harsh
The lines do too
They see it as pain
Angst
Loneliness
Stop looking with your eyes
They only obscure
Water, air, and wind. You are sitting on this Earth alive, breathing every second of every minute.
There's one of you.
You have a heart. Can you hear it? It's pumping blood, working every second of every minute.
to A. Stevens
Go back to a time where you and I
were close. Go back to the late nights
of 1980s horror and modern
zombies. A time where the smell of cigarettes
Love is like a light that shines through an object, a prism.As it shoots its light at what seems to be a plain, transparent glass, or plastic..
Yeah, you had me there for a whileYou had me on my kneesYou took my glow and my pretty smileIt was my body but you had the keysI felt completely dead back thenI couldn't even laugh
Everyone is a gallery in a glass room.
The display cases and shelves are thick glass,
And every aspect of who we are is glass figurines-
Fragile glass figurines.
We keep them packed up tightly,
Everyone is a gallery in a glass room.
The display cases and shelves are thick glass,
And every aspect of who we are is glass figurines-
Fragile glass figurines.
We keep them packed up tightly,
Walking by midnight,
in the middle of the day,
I thought to myself how to be
existing is for the better of the mind,
How can I endure every moment
I'm lost
I'm deep
Eyes searching hungrily
Viewed as meat and an object
Who am I to object?
Who am I to say no?
I have no say in what is 'right' for me to do
I must know my place
Fifty blissful years had passed the couple by,
the world never ceasing to smile upon them:
every second, each tick and tock,
capturing some moment to be treasured.
They sat together on a swinging bench,
How It Happened
He had a friend
Who had a girlfriend
Who was amazing.
He wanted to impress Her,
what makes me tick is what is makes my mom sweat
Everytime I see her come home at 1 a.m.,
I know that I need to do something so she doesn't have to work into her golden years
Frivolous Lawsuit is the name of the game
Your coffee too hot? Oh guess you better sue
From lonely and desperate to rich Miss Fame
You slipped on ice? Guess its the city's fault too
Believe Kay, BelieveTook a second to speakIf I was nervous I would have grinded my teethGot the urge to grab the courage out of meTo live, laugh, and love
My dream job would be: a kid.
Now, that may seem utterly ridiculous.
Well, it's "right" to think that, in a way.
Experience may say differently to my choice,
But first, hear what I have to say.
I stare in envy at the school children around me
This silence a curse I bear to keep
I want to whisper
I want to scream
I want to shout
I want to be
But my words refuse to leave
As I look up to you all I see is dissaproval,
and I ask myself why.
I try to make you laugh or even acknowledge me
and you don't even notice or care,
and I ask myself why.
Oh say can you see why I'm so upset
Our freedom of speech has become such a threat
I’m not singing, at least not anymore
Since all I’ve been taught is how to get the best score
Some people want to be billionares
Or be on the cover of Forbes Magazine
I want to help you take a breath of fresh air
Give people sight who have never before seen,
the wonders of our big, big world.
The Republic is dying, tattered flags flying, whole nations are being consumed,
Tribes of the meek hiding, Hordes of gangs chanting, and humanity doomed.
My Kind Of LifestyleWhen it’s a passionit’s a lifestyle.It’s what you know best.It’s something you do every day -and it never gets old.Being able to communicate is powerful.
So many things,
Too much pain,
Nothing ever changes,
Until it's addressed,
And plain.
Complications vary,
Theres nothing you can do,
But what if there is,
You ask,
With you, my friend, we spent a full day exploring our city
And I can't even begin to describe the tingling that is still surging its way through my body as I lay awake in bed.
I look at all us humans and see how small we are compared to god
who looks down on us we look like DNA and rods
He thinks to himself as so do i we can be something more
We can look to the future and have a job
There was a criminal along the pilgrimage,
nicknamed the "Escapee", who had taken advantage
During the ticks of his personal clock, the observant pupil has gazed in the nighttime sky
Towards that solid star as his source of inspiration.
Love your neighbor as you love yourself
What if everyone lived by that rule?
What would it change in this world?
Greed for money and jewls
Maybe even politicians would stop their scheming
do we have equality? i'd say no
why can't my sister marry her fiance?but my cousin is going into marriage #5
why do i have no idea how to come out? and my straight sister never had to
What is love if it can't be shared?
Love is for all people.
For you and me.
For him and her.
For her and her.
For him and him.
Marriage is for all people.
For you and me.
You Ask Who/ What Am I
I am the girl that will chage thousands minds and make the economy green
The girl that will makes sure our comuity is a better place to live
There's a repetitiveness in what I call my life
Still that same tape from yesterday
Unwinding overtime and sleeping late
I'm a walking zombie trying to make a change
So wake me up and watch me phase
I have a dream,
I have a dream that one day I will change the world one click at a time.
I have a dream that my career will lead down the path of graphic design.
To San Francisco, Iceland, etc.
In another life, I will write this
in the French language
In another life, I will write this
in a language that doesn’t exist
Creative expression is all I see,
but how can it be, for the world to see?
To see the world that I do see, I create my world for thee.
Poly by poly my world takes shape,
My stories, my dreams, my fantasies create.
change of the heart and mindto kill the negative within and finally findthe part thats been missing within me all alongan flurry of elegant notes inside,the hearts song
Often at times, in contrast to our modern times,
we notice the decompose of souls,break from grace, in others.
These walk among us, unnverved, unnoticed, but stand out ideologically.
My dream job would consist of me traveling, using good judgment of character, and maintaining my code of ethics. I want to become a Human Resource Manager.
One big break
By Jacob Harris Wright
To wake up every morning
to roll out of bed
a jewish kid from long island
with only dreams in his head
I wanna make people feel
A job can change your life
Just a single one
Where you flip enough burgers to pay for school
Or scrub enough counters to buy a car
But a job will change more lives than just yours
Tell me about forever
And tell me about your lies
Promise me today
And tell me your goodbyes
Tell me about eternity, and all the ways you've loved.
Tell me about the end, and what we should've done.
Our generation will be known
For nothing valuable
We worship tangability
Money over matter
Change is a thought that more often than not
will ceaselessly remain a thought.
What we would change about the world,
or others,
To change just one frown
fill one stomache
is all I can try to do.
To give one blanket
for one warm night
If all the world's a stage
in the theatre I play the creator
not in any way mysteriously
but through grueling work
Scream
Slam
Wrap the words together
Here me out
Please
I can't forget or forgive the memories
You gave to me
This may sound bad but it's not
Living with regrets
You will leave me, they always do.You will leave me, alone too . You will leave me, and I won't cry. You will leave me without goodbye. You will leave me, it will hurt at first. You will leave me feeling cursed.
If I could change one thing
One thing in the whole world
I would change my parent’s relationship
They are divorced and happy with their separate lives
While I am content with my life I know it can be better
CIVIL…RIGHTS….What are civil rights?
Social and universal privileges that are to be commonly shared and available to all,
Regardless of your race, sex, social economic statuses the privileges are yours to claim.
If I could take the whole wide world and change one single thing
I would erase all the pain that Domestic Violence brings
We are given, only one body, to treat any way we wish.We are given one purpose, to define, why it is we each exist;Given such range of emotion, entangled in life's passionate kiss.
I'm speaking in simple rhyme so you can hear my messageToo many songs sung and rapped about the sex messageDrugs and love don't mix, don't you know that?
I threw thoughts at paper, words made them stick.
A kaleidoscopic land where the people smile white
Glimmering green from the emeralds buried deep
Dusky brown from the grainy coffee beans
Fluorescent purple from the fresh blooming orchids
It starts before she gets here before the stairs tell her she's alien to a country that knows her great grandfather’s Mexican hands all too well his finger prints still echo underneath rail road tracks and cotton fields where bent knees and bent
Trudging home from another lonely day
Is there anything that can make this feeling go away?
Stomp up the stairs and flop on the bed
Try to ignore the pounding in my head
A vision of hate,
remains as paint,
on my eye.
And now my vision is tainted
by the visions of other men.
And then.
By the eye being the window to the soul;
In my mind, there's an empty room
Void of light, of sound,
Of any outside connection,
I only have the faintest memory
Of what it used to be
An echo of despair, and loneliness,
I want to make a difference.
I want to help others.
I want to make an impact
on the lives of others.
I want to help.
Let me help.
I could change the world.
I can change the world.
In spring, a tender breeze blows through green fields.
Blessing new lives, a breeze removes your fear.
Her pastel blue dress flowing like a river,
cascading down her legs.
The moon light, casting an iridescent glow
on her already tanned skin.
His suit, black like the night sky above
I have lost my mind.
I dropped down to my knees and screamed
"Help Me."
but I was all alone.
Looking in the mirror again,
Remind my-self to see.
The person looking through to me,
Is more than just skin deep.
She will never come back
She is gone for good
I wanted to change her fate I wish I could
I remember seeing her die slowly
You wake in a daze,
unsure of your fate.
You feel afraid,
in a rather strange state.
Where am I,
you wonder aloud.
How did I get to NYC,
as you hurry through the crowd.
The windows open
On a bright spring day
Sound of men shouting
“I’ll lead the way!”
He sits in a perch
People die; it’s the circle of life
You choose our path and we follow it
Family and friends are sad, but the deceased shall be happy
You say my movement is not needed. But I will tell you I will keep going until I'm not left for dead, fucked and beaten.
Author's note: While Power Poetry covers a multitude of causes, I've noticed that there are two in particular that are largely avoided--elder care and death.
When I was young my father would tell me
That upon the night of my sixteenth birthday, I’d become
One of two things:
A werewolf or a vampire—He didn’t know which
But it was in my blood, he said.
How come you didn't include what I had in my mind in your essay?
You had enough time to cover thirty years of history, in thirty minutes
How come you do not have the answer?
I enter his room with excitement
Yet he leaves the room with BS
He claims I'll get a BS
And I agree,
I haven't learned anything
Except that pessimists are realists
I've lost all care
So much indifference now
I just want to be done
i don't care why or how
You don't understand
What this means to me
This doesn't affect
What I want to be
why cant i
tell my teacher that
there are more important things than the square root of 247
or that she should truly open her mind
and teach us to do the same?
The girl in front of me
I wait until she turns around
The moment she blesses me with her beauty
Is it true love that I have found
Or is it that I just lust for another
Is it her smile
Is it her laugh
Yes you do a lot for us
But do you really care that much?
To help your students find their way
Assist them with their future days?
Teachers, counselors, principals too
Will you help us with our future?
She had hopes and dreams.
She had family.
She had friends.
One vulnerable moment,
and it changed her life forever.
Next thing she knew,
she was somewhere, someplace,
surrounded by strangers.
I walk into the classroom and look around.
I see bare, ugly walls.
I sit down in a stiff desk, and my back begins to ache.
I look at the students.
On my left, there is a stuck up girl with blond hair.
Your eyes are too small for your face and you
look like you should be peering out
from behind a stall
in a highway rest stop 20 miles away from anything.
You made my friend,
What is love?
Who can I ask?
Is loving someone really just a simple task?
I believe love is rare and love can be kind,
But beware, is it true? You can tell only in time.
Starlit Love
The lump of laughter sits soundlessly
Caught up within my throat
The atmosphere feels so alive
Filled with my heartsong’s note
On this night the world’s aglow
Restrained by anxietylike cuffs welded to walls.Escape was impossible—until I learned my purpose.With a pen and paper,I can loosen the cuffs—to conquer the world.Courage and determination
No box cover referenceand no one to helpwith thousands of piecesidentically shapedbut never looking like they belong.
Don’t be foolish, Sweetie.
Society will tell youwho you should be.Hollywood says sex appealis more valuablethan your own soul.
Mami found a picture of us today.You were smiling as five year old mekissed your cheek.I want to smile, but all I can dois dwell on how cruel I could be to you.I wish I could tell nine year old me
Surroundings uninspiring—lost in a mind’s abyss,Euterpe distraught and limp.Notes tumbled from her flutetoo soft to echo, too lameto provoke a response.Only when sought her sisters’ help.
You have an opportunity to be so great,
To make your students have a passion for what you believe to be important.
Will we ever need this in life?
Pointless subjects stabbed in our brain like a sharp knife.
If education is the key to success,
Why those with an education remain jobless?
Accepted. “In the loop”.
Everyone wants to feel that way
That’s why people look at their phones 34 times a day
They never put their headphones away
It feels so nice to have something to say
That’s why . . .
I can see right through the fog,
The mist that seems to be blinding everyone’s eyes.
Don’t fade into the shadows,
The shadows of these hallways,
Making people fake, hiding like you.
Ojos tan grande y hondo, no supieras de que Corre en mi mente o lo que veo Camino con cauteloso pasos Mi cabeza esta coagulado de los tiempos pasados Estoy a punto de reventar El bosque, la naturaleza, es mi santuario Esta tierra es mío para
I know you struggle to contain the class
I struggle to contain my temper
I value my education
I treasure your teachings
I do my best every day
I listen when you talk
The altar stands merely a few yards away from me.I sit in the middle and look at my son Reeve.To my right are my father,mother and husband.To my left are my son, sister and niece.
You brought me from darkness into the light focusing now on the right path rather then a crooked dead end. Trying to turn away from sin. You have never stopped loving me from with in.
Dear teacher,
You've had many, many years of education
'tis wonderful, isn't it?
That's what makes it such a shame, then
that you're are without a doubt the stupidest person
I know you're a grad studentand you already learned the materialbut clearly you cannot teach itand I want to learn it too
It started with an invitationWhen you asked me if I knew how to slow danceI mistook it as a way to make fun of me
Writing is something to do. When sad or happy. You can be you. Write what you wait. No one will see. You can be you no matter who you are. Love, laughing, caring, and crying. Throughout everything you can express yourself no matter what.
The theatre is small and close and
everyone inhales everyone elses' laughter and tears and
the cheering makes me wonder if we were all friends in another life,
or if we've just become friends because of now.
They ask me why I write?
I have to turn and smile.
I write for many things, even the things I kept in denial.
It is not the expression of love, happiness, depression, or emotion.
I write because I need to scream.
Everyone's telling me I should ask her out,
I think about her daily,
I wonder if this means I like her,
Will it ruin our friendship,
Will she even want me,
Tis better not to ask,
A rare beauty awaits before me,
The creature is of no other,
Yet she doesn't see it,
The beauty from her being,
She plays down her gem likeness,
She is like a shinny bright diamond,
I have seen the path less taken,
And really it's not all that,
It's simple really,
And always light,
But there is scarcity of food or drink,
If this is the path to take should I sooner die,
Pressure and questioning
My rational thought process
Is lessening
Instead of learning from lessons
You want me to memorize
Knowing this theorem won't make me more wise
My hand, yes it hurts
but my mind hurts more.
Why do I write you ask?
Because I can't go back to how I was before.
I can't afford to be that girl
Who feels the need to end it all.
It’s the end of summer, 2005A little girl stands amidst a seaof strangers, flowing around her,unobstructed. A thousand voicesmutter around her tiny, ten year-oldform but her voice, no matter how small,
I
the yarn, atlantic-tinged blue
and sword-hilt gold
was born from her
crepe-plastered skin, trailing from
her fingernails like
silk woven from the clouds
II
From the way my hands shake in your presence
The butterflies in my stomach go chaotic
The spell you put on me is pure magic
I can't believe this is happening this very moment
With the river living
Poetry is useful.
It's for the rich man and the poor man.
For the man who cannot see,
and the man who cannot hear.
It's for the man who has no voice,
and for the man with plenty of one.
My hands can belt out all the words I wouldn't even dare whisper
stanza upon stanza filled with feelings,
allowing emotions to gasp for breath after being under so long
beneath the tongue, beneath the skin
A tree.
A rock.
A laugh.
A smile.
So ordinary, and yet so charged
With meaning, breathing depth and life and pain.
I look.
I gaze.
I blink.
Not writing is like not being able to be heard.
Not writing is never being listened to.
Not writing is trying to scream underwater.
Not writing is standing on a stage but being invisible.
My ink flows like the surface of our ocean-front views,I make waves when my mind surfs but will this make the news?My aim is at our built-up walls of sanity.We mask the truths of this world but I welcome us to reality.
Words are spelled differently in languages I don't speak,
but they all mean the same when they're about you.
Words are just tiny black lines and curves,
but attached they become the things you used to say to me, too.
Slowly fading, soaking into the dark dim wall
That once held the ingredients to aid mankind.
You realize: everything was for nothing.
No time. It’s all an illusion.
The lie they told spread like wildfire,
burning precious truth in its flames.
All too soon it found its spot upon my doorstep.
Careless control, I saw its destruction:
The black dress swirls when she spins.
It follows her movements and seems to know exactly where she wants to go.
It knows where she’s been and where she is destined to visit.
The little girl’s favorite dress is her paper.
Hello University,
College life, where it all gets real;
The best years of your life!
Are they, really?
Choosing misperceptions,
Misconstruing and impeding my attempts
At intellectual self-betterment.
Creating notions for myself, falsely,
Of the worlds fabricated and lives changed
By my brush.
There are faces swimming in your vision
Memories you'd much rather forget
Nightmares in the daytime
Tears you always regret
They taunt you with their freedom
The injustice of reality
(CHIME – rings the bell)
Have you any plan for after tonight?
(CHIME – rings the bell)
Have you any bed to take slumber till morn comes?
(CHIME – rings the bell)
I read about these people
These wonderful, beautiful souls
I wonder how I'm supposed to muster
Up the courage to make my own.
Hiding in a mug
Or crawling under a rug,
Is the life of a bug.
Things are so snug,
And slow paced like a slug,
That is the life of a bug.
Stuck in a jug,
Full of countless drugs.
Here you go, stuck in the undertoe.
This isn't a beach, though, but a life.
Flail your arms about and you may get out.
Don't do it and you will become your own foe
Nigger, to me, sounds like nooses and hangings.
It sounds like, "Whites Only," and "No Coloreds Allowed."
It sounds like, "we shall overcome" marches -
like overcoming was the only thing my people knew how to do.
I have many scars, most you can see.
Like the one on my shoulder or the one on my knee.
But the ones you can't see, hurt most of all.
You can't get one of them from just a fall.
But by seeing family crying,
(poems go here) A nation with an obsession of freedom
An obsession that was hypocritical
Tragedy that freedom required martyrdom
Only unified can we keep it from being cyclical
I stare out of the bus window at the bleakest of scenes
As the Israelites stared at the Egyptian desert
My thoughts are interrupted by the gruffest of voices
Demanding
Waiting
That I move
I will stay
Timidly I walk into a diner for lunch
As they look at me funny like I don’t belong
Scowling their faces because we are different races
Thinking we are obsolete beings marked by black faces
Freedom? Is that something we can really say we have?
No. Our minds are trapped in the past
Holding hatred against those who harmed our great ancestors.
When really we are holding ourselves back from being truly free
They walked to school heads held high not
knowing what awaited them but they had to try
What you see are nine black faces, walking
forward towards a crowd full of hatred. They
From the back of the bus
To the front of the class,
No doubt such hate and fuss
Could ever last
Crushed ant hills smashed into the earth
By large and clumsy feet
Only I see the tiny lives being changed
By the feet not caring whose world is crushed
Only I see the remnants of homes lined in sidewalk cracks
All we became
A broken, vulnerable world
Fragmented memories, desires, a spark
Going around in circles we twirl
Put my everything into this dream
Let the sparks turn into a fire, burn
