You Only Write Once Scholarship Slam
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You only write once
Write everything you're able to
Cuz one day you'll die
What do you do when you lose the thing you take pride in?
How much time does it take to once again feel a win?
i see him
memorys scream at me
i choke
i choke
what if i could
forget my sense of sight
and only hear the words
of students passing by
i would never see light
I was ten when I found out, on that coldhearted day
That the only one I loved, had truly ran away
He left me without notice, without warning, without a clue
Dance
It doesn’t just mean to move rhythmically to music.
It’s artistry, bravery, endurance.
I dance as though telling a story.
Making each step a different word.
As I drag my feet across the floor,
34,34 percent of teenage girls have at least one pregnancy before they turn 20
70,more than 70 percent of teenagers in general have at least one drink by the age of 18
You were young, but old enough
to remember it all.
Your eyes fillled with hope,
Ideal to take as their own.
The cucoon of skin, reminding me daily of what I'm not.
Society tell me, spitting slurs into my face,
That I will never be a man.
My voice trembles.
I strain every cord in my body to pass,
Black is a color but it's not me,
its just a title they put on the crayola crayon next to the gray.
But its gone far more than anything before,
never has this been a subject to explore.
Who was I?I was a little girl who went to mass every Sunday and sang “Santo Santo Santo” to the heavens as the salseros played sprightly music in the balcony of the church.
Who was I?I was a little girl who went to mass every Sunday and sang “Santo Santo Santo” to the heavens as the salseros played sprightly music in the balcony of the church.
If there ever was enough to give, I would give it to you. If there ever was enough ways to show I would show, I woud show you my truth. My love for you is so alive it would never die. you take my breath away, you make my heart skip a beat.
A lady at the store once called me
A Great American
Beacuse I gave her an extra discount
Patriotism
The dream of a fool,
Many might say
We’re capitalist’s tools,
As we’re on our way
Surviving as slaves
On minimum wage at Wal-Mart or K-Mart
Striving for the day until we get the part
Motivation, it's what keeps us going,
How do we keep motivated in a world that's never slowing?
Our goals are too important to let go of that sight,
Our focus will help us reach a future so bright
I am from destruction,
Destroyed emotions and abandoned kids.
I am from dirt soup,
Long summer days
Soaking in the sun,
Playing in the lawns,
Finding my friends.
I am from books,
And in fact, I'm really
A poertic mastermind.
It's just that, I never
Really had the time
To uhh, grab a pen and record these lines
That just, cloud my mind with words and rhymes.
I am told to change.
Never to my face. That would be too simple.
But in the magazines and the movies
and the momentum of society carrying them forward.
You are not right. Change.
There was a criminal along the pilgrimage,
nicknamed the "Escapee", who had taken advantage
With the power to change, I would change power.
The people have to struggle while our leaders just cower.
Few enjoy all the blessings of wealth,
You give me laughter and joy
hope for a better tomorw
despite your ups and downs
I still and always will love you
who could accuse of a crime
if the crime is your genuity
What I would change about me?It’s funny that you ask,Because if there’s anything I’d change,It would be just one thing,I’d ask for a friendOne who completely understood me,Who wouldn’t hate me,
I can't chase my demons, they've tied me too far down.
God would not forgive me, I don't deserve his crown.
What if I walked into the ocean? If I mysteriously drowned.
Peer pressure is crazy!
But only I control me!
So you can’t make me see, anything I didn’t already see.
You say “Go ‘head, try it! It’s not gone hurt!”
But I’ll be the judge of that when you’re six feet in the dirt.
People are sensative, caring and often kind
People are rude, oblivious and even blind
People are people and will act as they please
No suprise considering all the tempations of this world are just a tease
What happened to goodbye?
You left without a trace
Gone for good, never to return
You don’t understand, you never did
In April 2009, you left this world
to me. And at the time, I didn't know
who I wanted
to be. The sadness crept up my leg,
a snake, threatening to swallow
me whole.
It was morphine
Rotten apples, please
Again my friends stayed inside
Old fun, such a tease
Lost online, my words denied
Today and Tomorrow Not the same now Its like two sides of a coin Heaven and Hell i supposeToday's ride homeTomorrow's pollution stormYet no one seems to botherunless its the order
Love a shadow
Gray in vigor
Gold in prime
Gone as all
Given in gifts
An endless friend
Waving Beauty along the waterline
Proud, splendid, fantastic
Rowing among the brisk waters
Warming the bitter days
It's great to stop caring.It's nice to not cry.The people in the world,Who I have to leave behind.
I'm a human grenade.A plane with no wheel.A hobo in the rain,and a no next meal.
in this world filled with hate
you have managed to take the bait
heaven in
and out of hell
some love is gentle
and filled with sweets
while others are brutal
that threaten to beat
When I first learned that no one could ever love me more than mea world of happiness previously unseen was discoveredbecause somewhere along the line of aging and scrutiny and timeI was taught to despise myself
kiss my petal-pink lips
hold My tinny hands
stroke my porcelain cheek
if you only knew
not every doll is a sweet little Girl ;
What is a friend?
By any other name
Would it be as friendly?
It be, in fact, said
That friends are to which to blame
For survival of love and fame.
I believe it so,
For fame bring many a foe
missing you is easy to do every memory like water stains on the pages of my brain they have been engrained to my soul only your hands can unfold thee only your words can console me missing you is easy to do your love is my drug with every touch e
He stood there, slight, black, white, and fat
As simple as a soggy newspaper, and last Sunday's at that.
My eyes tear up and i blinkblinblinkblink as my friends say "coming Mady?" and I say "in a few"
I spent four of my years in a building
Of wood walls and cement floors
I spent four of my years in a building
Told it was wrong to want out
I spent four of my years stuck in two dimensions
Do you remember when we used to play grown ups?
Somewhere along the way when we weren’t quite teenagers but we weren’t still kids,
God is a hide and seek player
He's the seeker
He sometimes intimidates the hiders
They are afraid of what He will find
He's the seeker
God would walk around a hiding place, knowing
I’m tired of being second best.
I’m tired of you treating me like shit
and me putting up with it.
You’re a terrible friend and I’ve been good to you
but I’m not good enough to include too?
I've lost my motivation.
I've lost the absolute love for writing.
I try to come up with a great chapter
maybe even a great word.
But I've lost the ability to do so.
No words, no characters.
Tell me your lies,
Give me your sin,
I know in my heart I'll never win.
Look at those eyes,
Look at that grin,
Melts my heart like a piece of tin.
But when will I realize?
Identified by the marks of her own fingerprints,
the places where she had gone, and where she had left,
blurred into one and became all the same.
Am I my love's main cast?
Thought my life was dreary,
You fell into my cloud ordinary.
Thought You're the one,
You fell for me like a movie.
Thought you confessed to me,
You fell for my best friend.
Everyone has seen the movies,
everyone has read the lines,
everyone knows 'bout the boy and the girl,
their story is told time after time.
We know how it ends, all perfect and happy,
One dollarThat's all it takesTo save a lifeFrom a distraught place
Where the mosquitos buzzand water runs brownThe situation is poisedTo take one down
Fallen tearsCorrupted earsBroken heartsFamilies torn apartSex driveDrug highIs this all there is to life?Dreams of loveHopes of famePasts we cannot changeRunning from the scars
Softly, the leaves whisper,
As they move aside to let the wind pass.
Obligingly the water parts,
To allow a magnificent swan to dive into the deep.
Meanwhile, a tiny frog hops across the leaves.
Catching Feelings
We are both fishing for each other
But only one of us is willing to get caught,
Up and hooked on to these feelings we have for each other
1) You see a man sitting alone on a curb.
His beard is white and his clothes are old.
An insomniac? Me? No. Never.
I don’t need to TRY to sleep.
That’s usually the only thing that comes easy to me
I always need to TRY to accomplish greater things
I have to TRY to learn, to study
The map is drawn and the lands are imagined.
Nations formed out of mere thoughts.
Yet the places and peoples are unreal,
I am a person of color.
Sheltered all my life before I knew the truth.
My world has changed.
My world has grown
And you’ve opened my eyes
To the reality of privilege
That I do not have,
Just as the scintillating stars rest upon the bold chest of the deep sky, the young boy lays on the lush green grass gazing upon the creations of God.
Tiny toes and little feet,
Pitter-pattering on the kitchen floor.
Hop up on the chair and put your feet on my lap,
We’ll need paper towel in case we spill.
Which lotion do you want, the pink or the blue?
Some people say, Why are you so into this?
Do you really want to realize your own insignificance?
Do you really want to think about how miniscule you are
amongst this gigantic sea of galaxies and stars?
Never Shall I forget that one morning, foggy and windy. The screech of the car, waking up to screams and shout.
Dezmonique A. Garris
Alzheimers
I walked up to an older lady and told her, “I am your lover”,
I told her never to forget me and that there will be no other.
The blue canarysings from dawn to dusknot becoming wearyknown as Indigo Bunting
Full of gusto, cheerbut born to be blueand a merefour point two
“Her face was priceless!”
We collapsed into laughter.
“And remember that time at Wal-Mart?” I gasped, turning to look at her.
But she was wasn’t there.
Let's fight the environmentalists.
Who do they think they are?
Don't preserve nature;
Don't protect wildlife.
There's no need to save the planet.
We have another one - right?
If somebody were to ask me what I thought of the world today,
What would be the first thing that I would say?
Would I quote a singer and say, 'The world is a cancer"
Or say what I think, that it could be better?
I love the way you part ways
And allow the sun to shine through you
Big white puffs that sit above
Our heads floating like dreams
You are the outside walls of heaven
You didn't make me well enough to survive
Your finger tips didn't paint me pretty enough
You left me without a repertoire that was exotic enough
You didn't grace me with enough talent to be special
Do you ever feel like you don’t quite belong
In the body you call home?
I do.
At times, or rather most times,
I am so timid that I think I would be better suited
I sit in the last pew-watching and listening.
Everyone stops and looks at her.
Some people stand there for what seems like eternity,
while some barely glimpse her.
I sit in the last pew-watching and listening.
Everyone stops and looks at her.
Some people stand there for what seems like eternity,
while some barely glimpse her.
when i was young,i believed i would go straightto hell for questioningthe good book and god:
Sunny days were always our favorite to sit on a stoop
Even though we were forced to watch
Young kid’s faces cry out for attention
Scream their mother’s name
While their fathers were too busy dealing on a corner
i'm sixteen years old, and it's nothing like they said it would bethere are no wild parties and fun hangouts,only excuses for people to get fucked up and shit-faced.
I thought...
shells are entitled to being whole
fish are entitled to do the "wave" in the deep blue
sharks are entitled to fins
sea turtles are entitled to plastic-free snacks
Blaring horns
Form melodies,
The familiar tune:
That of the night,
That of the rush.
The 3am toms
Prowl fire escapes;
The midnight tramps
Nod off in doorways.
I keep my daytime nightmares in an envelope -
which my restraint has sealed.
The key, I swallow whole,
Until I gasp for air.
My control, unchained, finds release
as I invite the sin to tea.
I hear the forest singing as I meander through the still, familiar grove
The wind-rustled leaves rise in a flurry and dance among the tangled brush
The cheerily chirping songbird carelessly flits among twisted, ancient trees
Don't tell the birthday boy congratulations on living another year.
Do not tell him you put a lot of thought and effot into the gift wrapping. You know he will tear it anyways.
He ran through clouds of dust
Kicked up from his comrades' trampling boots
And neutralizing fire-
But our children sit.
Rise for The Man! Rise for The Land!
It’s cold inside,
But no one else seems to notice
Except the poor boy
Who lies in his room, eyes swollen.
He’s been cold the past few days now.
Months, years, actually,
A strand of hair
derived from my scalp
is detected by my two brown eyes,
the color a reflection of both.
My vision blurs
as a sea of unwanted memories
I thought pink was a nice shade of red
Until I learned that pink should be hated
And wearing it makes you weak.
I was told to shave my legs because
Hair on a girl is unnatural and revolting
The house sits silently except for the hum of the heater Everyone is asleep but here I lay wide awake
This pain you feel I feel it too It's deep and dark We're scared inside Of all the things That could go wrong Of all the songs That have been sung The hurt inside Is bad; I know But the way out Is not to go We must push through Even when it's tou
Imagination
The most cunning of human machinations
Is, without some resultant flare
For naught, merely spare
Flame
Cannot be born without frame
For the kindling that sustains
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Oh how you scoffed at my theories
As we walked along the hall
I trust in my Heavenly Father, always.
Though the bitter snow and ice encompass me
Making me slip and slice, almost succumbing to vice
When it starts it is dark,
A wall closing in on all sides,
Warm and secure.
Suddenly- Light,
Warm and blinding,
Enveloping everything,
Like the rest of my life would be surrounded by.
Once upon a time,I would have asked myself,What was hope?Was it needed in my life?I wandered aimlesslyThrough my school,Daydreamed through classes,Surrounded myself with pointless matters.
A precious life cut too short
Taken away by a vicious disease
A hard fought struggle has come to an end
Though she is in a better place
We invision the smile upon her face
Problems,
Everyone has them
And we all can’t stand them
Problems,
They are hard to face
Even though we are the ones who created them in the first place
Problems,
We want to get rid of them
Any time
Any place
I hear music
Beneath the surface
My brains jingle with
Fast and Furious clips
Flashbacks of my life
Triggering happiness, sadness
By lyrics or tempo
Without a story,
Bedtime is unfulfilled.
Without assistance,
Homework is a pain.
If not your model,
Who is your mother?
Imagine your first teacher
My winters are a gray burst of sky smoke moving cement hurt that peelsknees yellow teeth and sun sofar away winter is not gray it is white between split ends and in department stores things
I'm walking home, mind ablazeTrying to think past a mindless hazeAll I do is "write 300 words or more"But what good is all the nonsense for?
it's the 21st century, be who you want to be!
do what you want to do with your life!
if you love history, linguistics, drama, music, follow your dreams!
college is for exploring your passions and dreams!
The first time that I met you
I had no idea that you would mean
Absolutely nothing
But curly hair and jeans.
You met me in my darkest time;
Full of anger, fear, and pain.
Poetry isn‘t really my thing.
Phrases that make you blush?
That make your heart sing?
Words that fit so perfectly on a page?
No, poetry isn’t really my thing.
But all the thoughts in my mind?
He was the one that made me get butterflies in my stomach,
the weirdest thing I had never felt before.
He was the one that made my heart beat faster,
and showed me that love doesnt always hurt.
I guess this a poem
Meant to thank you
Because I would not be able to write
If it was not for you.
Yet, some nights
You allow me to sleep
But it is never peaceful when
Like a seed to a tree, you brought forth life,
You planted three, including me, all origins strife,
But your love never lessened.
Dedicated to my success,
Do not give in, keep up the fight
when all hope is far away gone
bring the bigger dream to sight.
Press on, do not go into the light
do not be wooed by the angel's song
I tried to be soft; tried to be gentle and delicate,
but I’ve got a body full of bones
and sharp edges.
I’ve got blood;
red hot blood,
pumping through my veins.
I tried to be soft,
I have known happiness
It is within my very being and my reason for living
It greets me in the morning with eyes so loving and so kind
My dear blue eyes
I will adore you not only when the sun shines its brightest
Dreams that track a vast ocean
Smooth as the face of a mirror
Is the Time I lost
The surface unbroken
My thoughts unspoken
Is the Time I lost
My first day of elementary school
My mom woke me up and made me breakfast
With a lunch box in my hand I walked to school
With my white sketchers that had double knots
So I wouldn’t trip over myself
To not procrastinate
To know more vocabulary
To master Japanese
To learn Korean
To be able to type fast
To play the piano more often
To volunteer more
To be more social
Her scars can make the blind see
Her pain burns within
Her words are deaf
Her voice is mute
Her tears are unseen
Her fears create a demonic birth
Her life is her inescapable nightmare
The day I was born I was given a daisy.
When they gave it to me they told me:
This is no ordinary daisy,
As long as it’s with you,
Everyone will believe you to be innocent before guilty,
We live in a world were we are judged.
Needless to say, we can't be who we truly are.
What makes us special and unique will separate us from society.
But why?
Why should we hide who we are?
Oh little sis, I wish you to be
the greatest woman in history.
If there's one person I want to surpass me,
it would be you little sis with your heart in glee.
The road before him
Is straight
Raised calf high above the ground
A mountainous cloud before him
So soft
Wide enough to anticipate his fall
But not his failure
HandsThey are taken for grantedWe use them everydayAre they what keeps us so candid?HandsThey actually define us commonersThey can be rough, soft, dry, moist, cold, warm
I wake up every morining for school, but gess what no one cares.
I go on to class thinking about everyone else.
It's after prayers and this lady saunters over to me
The new leader of our community
And asks
"What happened to your face?"
I give her a confused look
Is my make-up off a shade?
Tonight you told me you almost kissed me
on that night in December when I almost wanted you to.
I told you I knew it and you asked me
just what I thought that we should do.
But how am I to answer that,
Tears, like rain, stream across the world.
Mothers, fathers, sons and daughters; tears of joy and of remorse; tears of fear and of sorrow.
Each speak of another language
hate, love, anger, despair.
I travel across the great plains
Adrenaline is surging through my veins
On a quest for the throne
A quest to be eternally known
Suddenly the foe appears just over the horizon
Peace be still
That is what The Lord said
To the storm
That storm they passed through
All the waters calmed
The sea obeyed
And nature was at rest.
One time.
One time to live, one time to breathe,
One to play and be all you can be.
"One time," Mama said, and I wanted to believe,
Daddy always said education is important.
Growing up he constantly reminded me the importance of a college degree.
Ambition is key, he always said.
Whimsically wishing for a life of happiness,
yet constantly constrained by a monetary monster.
Reasoning roads to take or to avoid,
forever weighing the pros and cons.
My crimson sorrows, pour onto the floors,
Bathing each torn petal of my orchid,
Lying in my puddle of crimson crystals,
With the stained daggar of blood dripping royalty,
Royal in Hell!
Small, hungry children waiting on their food.
And yet patience will not help stop the feud.
The fields remain barren- no sign of life.
Livestock needed for meat, meet owners' knife.
Queens
By Mariah Michelle (Holden)
You little sly dog you
Well the jokes on you mister
My name isn’t actually Stacy
And I’m not British
The weight of your absence
presses upon my eighteen year old shoulders.
The weight of my tears dent my well-loved plaid shirt as they fall
like my heart
when I found out you had gone.
At eighty-something,
Tell me, tell me, tell me why you look at me that way
Your eyes scream everything that your lips don't wanna say
7 billion people in this world, somehow you're all alone
I been called the future
I been told i could make it
But I'm totured by failure
and by past defeats
I have a chance to take
to take power back
but the quiver its empty
the sword dull
Discover adventure, life filled with danger,
A palace guard, super spy, or funny forest ranger.
The world out there is filled to the brim,
People don’t know how I feel about you
I tell them that I hate you so they won’t
I’m afraid that this has been far too long
That no one would or could ever understand
How stupid I feel for loving someone
I am from a place called impossible,
Where no dreams can be achieved
And if they are, hold on to them
I'm from different states,
Packing up and moving on
And leaving everything else left behind
I love You,
Oh, Jesus, I love You.
You're the Lord and the King to my awe and song.
You're the Father and the Son to my righted wrong.
You're the body and the blood to my bread and wine.
Best friend turned traitor
Who is truth and who is a hater
So much love you dedicated
Just left, discarded and desecrated
No longer could you tolerate it
So gone, the ones who left you empty and desiccated
As the years go by so fast,
The days are what drag.
Memories live in the past,
As college approaches with a hefty price tag.
Friends begin to part,
After eighteen long years.
Ode to My Rabbit
(Goes with Jingle Bells)
Jumping in the air
Like the cute rabbit you are
3:04 am
think,
what joys are left?
i'm hiding from the "real" world:
of money and loans and signatures and confirmations and sighs
but is that real?
It started off nicely I guess
A flutter of wings in your stomach
every time you touched
Easy going laughter
Your other half that was once empty and void
Was being filled and satisfied completely
A little girl,
grew up so fast,
so many choices.
What shoes to wear,
what friends to make,
and who to date.
People say if your parents are alcoholics then you’ll be one
But my mother isn’t.
And people say if your parents are drugies you’ll be one,
But I’m not!
There is an old saying:
Love comes in many forms.
But why is being gay
Excluded in that love?
“It is a sin!” they shriek.
They throw slurs and death threats.
Souls are trapped in closets,
a self portraita passiondesire to be and live and seethat fueled her every dreamher life was simple in the big pictureliving on the outskirts of timea brain desperate to fit in
So there I was, awaiting joyous as the hour drew more near us
When the man would come and join us, my dear love and his Lenore.
I crossed the room, nervously pacing, playing with my dress’s lacing,
For the first time in forever
You find you are alone
For the first time in forever
You find your world has changed
You thought you were ready
You thought it a choice
The independence you craved
I’ve been regected and neglected with a silent anger,
That I know I shouldn’t feeel.
It’s an ownership I’d wish to tamper,
To make them bow down and kneel.
But I know I have to hide my shadows,
as i think of how many days have passed through my life,
i can't help but to reminded that it also means i'm one day closer to you.
& as the years are flashing passed me,
Write.
Weigh each word on the scale of perfection -
Only perfection -
Settle for no less.
Bind each word together with a silver thread
Upon which could hang the very weight of nations.
There are so many kinds of hate.
But the most insidious is the kind that hides behind a smile and an open hand.
The first I knew of it was a boy in my class.
There are spikes on my shoulders
and studs on my belt.
I see rings made of metal arrows
and daggers dangling from fragile throats
on delicate chains.
When did fashion become our armor?
I remember everything you did for me.
I remember when we met in 9th grade.I still remember the prank you played on me you see,
How do we pay for an education?Laborious hours reading over contractsScraping and scrambling for a "good enough" GPA Praying that Financial Aid will come through - this time Just maybe
In case you hadn’t realized,
Being “different” is no longer acceptable,
Assuming that it ever was.
It seems as if people are no longer perceived as people,
Father, I feel as though I've been marching around Jericho for six days.
I'm tired, and my feet grow weary.
Daily they hurl stones at me from their high places.
In life,
we tend to take things
for granted
far too often
the food on your table
the blankets on your bed
the clothes in your closet
the heat warming your house
When I came home today, you’d left all your papers scattered on my desk
Darling, you know I can’t stand the mess
Foggy protection
of light and sight,
or chemicals that burn
tears, into leaky eye sockets.
The water blinds creatures
who walk on land, but
scratched shields still provide
They say if you drown in the oceanYou become a mermaid
You always ate the end peice of the loafNow they sit molding in a basket.
Everyone keeps asking me so what you been up to and I'm always like what do you mean?
I mean what are your plans, how are things going?
I guess I'm fine just you know the usual, getting ready for prom, finishing up with school.
I walk around in school everyday. Looking down at my feet as I say "I'm okay." It gets hard, I get weak. I look at the kids around me to see if they'll speak.
Whether you want to be a famous basketball star
or a congressman, don't let others say you can't
It is your life-your dream, not theirs
Don't let them make you do something you don't want
What is going on today?Violence, hatred, negatiity surround me.I look for a bright side but it's too dark to see.In order to live we have to pay.Blinded by our rights, we live "free."
My whole life I held everyhthing inside
Trying to run and trying to hide
Scared of what people would see
Never showing the real me
Until now finally feeling so alive
There is a life to the city,
a vitality not found in Suburbia.
Uniqueness, sprinkled in among the chain coffee shops.
Food trucks with steam rising from them on cold days,
please come out of your hiding
come out and show your face,
please I am watching,
waiting for you
to come out of your hiding
i need to know
there is someone
please show me,
Basic.
necessary as the air we breathe:
Human Rights.
I multiply 365 and 100,000 and find that 36,500,000 humans suffocate to death each year
The coffee creamer of society
I am what others believe
It is tough not knowing your nationality
For it is based on the individual and what they perceive
Natives see the refined, marble white
I don’t understand why you pushed me away.
I tried so hard to follow in your footsteps,
To be a lamb and live by your teachings.
Words have power--the power to uplift, the power to give
back happiness or love, to shift a mindset. But they have a dark side too.
A side that leaves bruises, black and blue, all over my body and mind.
There you lay, in box of the deceased.I watch as they carry you to the nest of our creator.Stiff as rock, and cold as a winter’s day.Here I am wasting away what others have achieved.
Creativity feeds on expression,It thrives on liberation,It fears oppression,And it creates affection.
So let your mind free,Let your spirit be,Be your own entity,Your act is the key.
For the first time in life, I had encountered the individual who was called struggle.
He was a mental struggle, a physical struggle, a ceaseless struggle.
Write about anything I want?
does it need to be in a certain font?
Your letting me choose?
Some things in life
Seem so small.
Some things in life
Seem to mean nothing at all.
We walk
We talk
Such easy things to do.
But what if one of these was suddenly taken from you?
I’m walking down a silent path,glancing quickly at the lives I passbut as I slow, I begin to learnthat truths are buried deep behind masks.
First came the baby carriage
Then promised marriage
Our own little family
Little things started to build
Here lies the quintessential Moroccan night.
Sky at midnight still faintly lit,
a cool breeze ruffles my sweater
and blows the smoke from my lips.
Sounds mix and collaborate:
Whenever I am lost
or lonely, I know that
I need only to pick a book
and disappear.
Whenever I am hapless
or unhappy, I know that
I need only to find solace in
these pages.
You are never afraid to roll the dice.
When it is my turn you are never fair,
My back layed against the red-wood bark.
A nice breeze of air, hits my sun-kissed skin, releasing a sigh.
With the sweet melody I hear through my ears, wanting to press repeat.
Your aroma is so pleasingYour smell is so delightfulTo my senses you are appeasingWithout you, I can be spiteful
Life is what we make it out to be
Whether we are wealthy, poor, warm or cold
Life is like the warm breeze on a cold December day
It can be cruel and it can be tough
But life is a newborn childs warm smile
Sound reverbates in my diaphram, screeching out harsh melodies. I sing.
Steps come down the stairs, telling me to shush. I sing louder.
Again, I am scolded. I scream lyrics.
The sun sets and night will soon fall
Darkness spreads throughout the land,
The shadows growing tall.
They move through the wind like a grain of sand.
They move through the trees with ease
Bitch
The words bounce of the wall like after shock.
Slut
The words hit hard like a blow to the chest.
She was just a girl at the wrong place at the wrong time.
She was asking for it.
I don’t know who they are,yet, they all know me.Well, at least they think they know me.They don’t know who I am,who I really am.Who are they?They call me names.
My mind it's in havoc.
My thoughs are jumbled,
They confuse me so.
How can I understand?
Staring out the bared window
My heart sinks with the setting sun
I rest my weary head on a pillow
The nightmare has already begun
Staring out the bared window
My heart sinks with the setting sun
I rest my weary head on a pillow
The nightmare has already begun
Lines that cut across
in front
and behind
lines that we wait in,
lines that we abide by,
lines that we break,
lines that we cross,
and shatter,
and tear apart,
until there are
Summer days they only last so long
We try to enjoy them before they’re all gone
Remember nature’s most beautiful ways
Brought to us by the most wonderful summer days
They never cease to amaze
Click-clack. Click clack.
Thundering sounds of heels on hardwood.
Click-clack. Click-clack.
Like a play-by-play announcing my progress to the chair.
Click-clack. Click clack.
“Release me release me” The voice arises
An unnamed mass of hatred and darkened woe
“The agony you feel, you can no longer bare it alone”
Time strengthens its calls, its shady whispers emits from inside
Released to the hounds,
my fear has come.
Running away,
the time is now,
to find completion.
I'll lose my mind.
The end is near.
I give up.
The first heartbreak;
Unforgettable.
The first love;
Memorable.
Both because
of the same person.
Starting with lust;
ending wiht loathe.
A whirl of feeling pours from my pencilas I write of my unrequited love.I think of struggle, I feel it. I knowwhat it is. And not just of love, of hurt.Of someone's pain that you just cannot stop.
They told me all my life
How, if I tried,
I could be anything I wanted to be, how I
Should never let anyone stop me.
Careers in creativity awaited me, I thought.
You know how good it feels
To have a license in your palm, your hand on the wheel
There’s no parent to guide you, you’re on your own
Hiding in a crowd
found and exposed by the harsh and simple-minded
viewed with digust and annoyance
called strange and crazy
by the judgemental, over-rated and complex
Wanting a better world
The white snow flutters to the ground.
The chilly air signals winter has come.
I stand on the street with no one around.
Oh, the lonely season has just begun.
The days are shorter, the nights are longer.
Poem 1: Keep Calm and Don’t Judge Me
Love (Shake my head); when I was fourteen years I thought I found love,
Love like: Fairy Tales, and all that Fucking Bullshit people allow.
I spent a year in a foreign placeWandering about what truths I would learn or face...
It is dark and dreary.
The sun never comes out.
I feel so wet and sticky.
Why won't this mud come out?
I know not what it is like,
to even know how to ride a bike.
I'm stuck in this house,
'Where are you?', is what he called. The sweet childs sing-song voice called over the cloud of darkness. 'Where are you?', he calls again...giggling shortly after.
To see with letters crossed,
A blur of black against white expanse,
Staring, squinting, turning, shaking off,
Words of clarity often lost.
Pounding, throbbing, aching eyes
Stay out of my life
And I’ll keep from yours;
Running in circles,
I’m done with this chore.
Chore of watching you
Take my life from me;
Chore of letting you
Be where I should be.
A Hero sets out to sail the seven seas
and to come back a newly change man.
He frees the innocent and hears the pleas
I transcribe these thoughts
From my head
In hopes of mental relief
So that I can go to bed.
But now that I’ve begun,
I cannot stop or slow down.
These words just keep pouring
And tumbling out.
Eyes,
They are windows to the soul they say –
But do they work both ways?
I see the smiles that don’t reach their eyes,
The laughter that doesn’t reach their expressions
But they don’t see my tears.
“Are you ok?” you ask.
How am I to answer
Such a small, simple question?
Got a D+ on a test,
I studied hard every section.
My face is breaking out.
I hope this proactive helps.
Daddy is caring, loving, and kind.
Daddy is paranoid, insane, and fading.
Daddy buys me anything that comes to my mind.
Daddy's actions are terrifying and degrading.
Daddy snorts the white powder in lines.
Together: incessant the potters mold
Us, clods of clay first dug from earth.
A process replete with change; rebirth-
Oscillate the wheel, change the world.
Their hands methodically vertical-
The city that never sleeps
Where I relied on those thousands of constant peeps
To help me cope with my own weeps
Suddenly grew quiet
As I approached the alley
At first I had no fear
She sinks below the seas.
Cannons weigh her down
Her hulls leak with water
She has failed her captain.
She withstands the stormy waves
black cluds consume the sky-
all hope is going to die.
These highway lines burn designs into my focused eyes
eyes focused on a sight that blankets my mind
a blanket of where only comfort resides
This comfort, it's meaning, drowns my perception
the forlorn echo of wind
barreling down a deserted avenue
blanketed in a shimmery layer
of undisturbed powder
of thieving silence and darkness
reminisces of a time
called poetry and a people
Inertia, drifters' neccessary companion and most fearsome adversary.
Inertia, she carries the car through the drift, or carries the car through the wall.
Inertia, the maker or the breaker.
The horizon seemed to stretch on for miles and the shore was already a spec in the distance leaving me, with the constant motion of waves, as my only companion.
I know girls searching for love under the belt buckles of guys who just called them beautiful
Or cute, and go mute when the pursuit of the same type of guy yields the same result
Scrubbing the scent of cologne out of their pores
How does the writer write as eloquently as you speak?
How does the painter paint with all the colors of your spirit?
How does the composer compose a piece as wistful
as a shared glance with you across a room?
It's like you don't see
When I look into your eyes
That shining sparkle
That can only bring me pain
The essence of my sadness
So young.
And joy lights up their faces
As the simplest pleasure transforms
Into a wonderful miracle
Engineered just for them
By fairies, or angels, or God.
Growing up,
No sun in the winter sky when I wake
No cars on the road when I ride
First light breaks over empty fields
Two tires zip over unused streets
Light overhead when I return
Be determined to apply
Stand out to receive
Scholarships are much obliged
I would love some money
College is expensive
Oh yes, it's expensive
I am wanting a degree
In Apparel Studies
What is there to do
When I'm crushed
Suffocated
Torn apart by loneliness
People passing all around
Yet here I stand
All alone in this ocean
A sea of society
Mountain tops and ravines..
Highest of heights...
Lowest of lows...
The midst between...
Reaching the summit...
Or atleast strive...
Goals in mind...
Oppertune tasks...
Venturing on...
We live in a world –
Where at a certain time of an October Evening,
The sky is pure blue and clouds look like cotton candy,
The school year is coming to an end,
It makes my heart cry.
Though we are forced to move on,
Listen! Hear! While I tell about a dream
That came to me one night
I was somewhere, somewhere else
The people spoke not English, but a different tongue
Their words fluent and peaceful like a song
I remember the traditions
like Thanksgiving on Friday
because nana wouldn’t get off
work to do a full day of cooking
and We always open the knitted stockings
first on Christmas
Helplessness: “(adj.) Unable to help oneself”
No.
Helplessness is when your father
Absolutely convicting in his sermons and so sure about where he stands in his faith
Hey Hey Beautiful
I can't wait for tomorrow to come
Because when tomorrow comes
It'll chase away all of the sorrows
That are keepin' me from lovin' today
So bye bye beautiful
Pithy, wondiferous, visceral, cant
The words are there
like new flavors at a coffee shop
waiting to be
an experiment
an impulse
an inclination
a seduction
sweet
as
sin
My raging heart was tortured by my demented flesh
Temptations tried to eat my soul for evil
I was trapped in sin with no more rest
Her ears have never heard a word,
Her feet can't jump into the leaves,
The view from her wheelchair isn't so pretty,
But Brooke's heart listens.
She doesn't think the same way I do,
This is a poem to my best friend Anna,Who has stood by my side since the carefree days of childhood,And whose smile and unmistakable optimismHave shone through the clouds of my darkest days.
When you are little,They never tell you how difficult life gets.They don't tell you that losing someoneNear and dear to your heart,Would be so painful.They don't teach you how to deal with the loss
I have a story. Everyone has their story. When I start to think about mine, everything gets a little gloomy.
Seventeen years all lead to this
This moment of destiny and truth
And yet like the grains of sand on a beach
You stand there watching me,
While I sit here thinking of you.
This endless cycle with you in mind.
One hopes this moment will last forever.
For once the cycle is broken you fall off.
Being skinny my whole life, I’ve gotten a lot of:
“How lucky are you.
You never gain any weight,
You can eat anything you want.
You’re so lucky,
I wish I was you”
I am so lucky.
I don’t understand where this is going.
Where are you taking me exactly?
The way I see it,
This has become an endless cycle
Repeating itself,
Leading to a dead end each time.
Trapped in a world filled with so much judging
People would rather change their selves than be who they really are
Trapped in a world filled with so much hate
'What is it? What is it that you see?'
He asked
I choked on silence
Beneath my ribcage was a hollow tree
She reached in
And took something so beautiful.
She drilled a hole in it
And locked it to a chain around her neck.
She called it hers.
She stole it from its home
In glass hopes and thin illusions,
Why do we worry and where do we place our values
life is not as simple as pass go and collect 200 dollars
the ideas you are fed help none what so ever
struggling for self identification and reconciliation
I looked out into the crowd and saw nothing but the lights beaming down on me.
My hands were clammy, and my heart was beating rapidly.
I took a deep breath and assumed my position on the stage.
If you want to succeed you'll have to read if you get the need to lead , so don't smoke weed, or you'll bleed with greed and that's a bad deed so I'm going to plead like a small seed in the middle of a stampede.
You wander the streets of this newly changed environment where everything in surrounding has been drained, lifeless and the burdening aroma of sadness in the atmosphere lingers upon each movement.
What I keep inside,
Is what I always deny.
What you love about,
Is what you’d never doubt.
That I’m Jealous.
I’m sorry she’s the one you prefer.
Be strong, be bold, never let go of your hold.
Be free like the sky,a nd make your dreams fly.
Be right, be wrong, life is ping-pong.
Be true to your hear, and make a new start.
Sometimes things go right and things go wrong and usually those things become a poem or a song, but once you've made that mistake, you really cannot change your fate.
She gaze into the mirror for a quick inspection,
Her analyzing eyes flits up and down.
I wonder what she sees in that superficial glass,
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
The air around me begins to buzz.
I tightly clasp onto someone’s hand.
Don’t worry-
I always presumed that events like this
do not happen in places like this.
I am from the tiny, lushbackyard in Small Town America, from AWC, shiny Fender guitars and acrylic paints on canvas.
I am from the "last house on the left" with the crumbly concrete porch and the weeping cherry.
You inspired a songYou make me feel strongI know you would take me along
You turn on the lightsMake everything brightAnd you never put up a fight
I live inside a cold, metal case.
It is inscribed with the company who built me.
Inside the case, a much harsher environment ensues.
Scalding temperatures, inadequate air, and continuous use,
Her gaze drops in class
Towards the meat they butcher
Her heart races and her breath is short
Her past flares up again
She wonders how she even got this far
I face many obstacles ev’ry day.Each day is filled with despair and boredom.As they go by, they become more loathsomeAnd ev’rything in them just fades to gray.
Broken fathers, broken homes
Crumbling beneath the weight of the time, of the circumstance.
Open wounds lead to scars, daily reminders of the past.
No amount of alcohol can fill the cracks in one's soul.
How dare you? How dare you let your brothers run these streets as if cool to hang is some gang?
They’ll take a bullet for your freedom.Years away from parents.Months from their kids.
They’ll take a bullet for your freedom. Weeks without a shower.Days without meal.
I'll stop the world
The truth has been unfurled
See you when you arrive here
Seeing as the truth is near
Whoever implied that the red rose could love?
Surely, then, he has missed its wicked thorns
Be it no angel fallen from above
Underneath the smile, silently it scorns.
'Neath slender stem, her false pretenses show.
To those who tried to comfort me when I was diagnosed by saying "it could be worse," "everyone has something," or "at least you don't have..."
What are the Odds?
I hear the words,
They echo
Like a trigger that’s just
Let go
Not a shriek could sum up words I could not say
I release my fear
And listen
Let my jaw drop
I want education
to create my own foundation
because how much i learn
will determine how much i earn
A deep darkness encircles the city;
as another dreary day begins.
The sun looms beyond as I loosen the bed coverings.
Daylight breaks and I dash downstairs to bring forth the boarding pass from the printer.
Chills follow his hand wherever it goes,
His touch is like magic, I wonder if he knows.
His brown eyes look fixedly down at my peaceful face,
I let my hands wander along his back, remembering every trace.
i wept with you
how can you deny me now
do you remember
sitting in the corner
all alone
sobbing
face in hands
praying
that I would send someone over
to hug you
to talk
1. Don’t doubt me when I use past tense. Don’t call me into your room every night so you can check for new cuts. When I have an overnight school trip, don’t make me do this for my teacher.
So many times I’ve heard,
“You don’t act black”,
And to this day I still don’t understand,
How does one act a color?
Do I be decrepit, ugly, or dark?
At least that’s what Webster tells me,
Finding the will to get off my bed
Feel the blood rush to my head
Am I content with the way things are?
To feel inadequate in the world
Yet the determination to be better has faded
People think independence is being free
Freedom from parents
Free to follow your dream
Freedom to embrace the present
But independence is the opposite
Full of responsibility and issues
Fresh faces
full of hope and excitement
for the next four years.
I was once at that point,
Scared yet excited
Four By Four Enclosure of Space
Is it Simply My Room
Or does it represent my Race
the limitations set upon me like a Glass Celing
What is this frustration that I'm feeling
17 year old black male
Kids are laughing…
They see nothing but, joy.
Elephants, tigers, monkeys are just roaring.
As the children stand in amazement.
Spinning in circles, smiles everywhere.
There are so many things we need to do,
so many things that come in our way.
Windows fogged with hate,
and mirrors reflecting fear.
Too often do we take refuge in a burning building,
One piece of paper after another
500 words or less
each screaming,
"Me! Me! Me!"
But there are only so many spots,
so many chances.
How can one stand out against another?
As if preaching to the souls of man just wishing they'd understand
You people don't know anything!
You don't know what it's like to be labeled as a rapist,
A murderer,
A baby stabber,
I look beyond the balcony
And see the stars illuminate the Aegean Sea.
The gentle wind ruffles Ginny’s golden locks
shadows of figures that aren't really there
with glowing red eyes that peirce my soul
that do not blink or look away from the stare
as they pull me into a spiral black hole
through this hole is a familar place
What do you see
In your daily life?
Do you see me,
Your Pain and Strife?
What about it
That you do not like?
You look to sit,
To avoid that spike.
How about her,
So where do we stand?
On two separate lands.
Between us air is heavy, thick
but nary do we try so solve our dispute.
Never will we have a new
Relationship, beginning, too far from ever thinning.
Her bones griped about their pain as the weathered seats tried to rise to the occasion.
The pews hadn’t had company in years, so they forgot to be welcoming.
She studied the hands mounted ominously at the tip of her nose.
Generations killing generations
with all this discrimation and hateration
I wonder whats going on like Marvin Gaye
and see how people kill each other everyday
Martin Luther King Jr said, "I had a dream"
We called him Mick-
I still don't know why.
It was about noontime the day I met him-
Same day I lost two tips of my fingers, nails and all.
Flat. Like a piece of paper. Empty. Had she turned to vapor?
Why was it that when she spoke all anyone heard was a faint choking noise?
She had a voice after all.
Didn't she?
There's a thousand words on the tongue and a million on the brainevery single sound, utterance, pronunication, annunciation is a different facetof my cognition
When you dream do you believe it once actually happened?
Maybe in a movie, mixed with parts of your reality?
Is it about a dream of your "true love"?
Is it about a dream of a battle you will fight in the future?
If you play a game
Do you consider yourself a player or a gamer?
What if the sky and ocean reversed?
What if our roles in life were extremely cursed?
What if good is actually bad?
Everyone tells you to live for today;
Forget about tomorrow.
But if you never think about tomorrow
What will your today be?
The people that tell you to live for today
You tell me do my homework, and go to bed by nine
You tell me that you love me, almost all the time
You tell me “don’t forget…” and ask me how’s my day
You may not see it, but things are changing drastically. That dream i see myself in is a climb not worth climbing anymore. My faith is shaking seeing our friendship drop to the bottom of the ocean.
welcome to the world, darling. here's a list of expectations:you must turn yourself into the perfect temptation.the general population is counting on you,they'll be watching and judging everything that you do.
I love to sit and imagine.
Imagine life without a smile.
Life without being happy.
To imagine my entire life rolling by without the thrills.
Without the beautiful dreams.
Without my favorite colors.
Satellites and lines
Stretching out that horizon sky
Searching for what?
Limbos and escapes, highs or holidays
Grasping for just a moment…what?
Esperanza?
Family
My family matters most to me
They are the seed to my success
They have poured out their generosity
Frida Kahlo whispers to me in my sleep, says, and I quote“You must stay gone,Train your heart like a dog.”So I do.
But the cliché about old dogs and new tricksis true though.
You ripped me apart,piece by piece,calling me names,saying stuff that I did,when I didn’t do a thing.You aimed your insultsat me like darts,how I wanted you to cease.
Early September
I still remember
That day
Day of Shame
When I was walking out
Out of my house
And I didn't know
That it was my
Last time seeing
That place
For another
There is no quiet place
inside of my head
everything between us seems dead
I can’t help but to think there is no sun
I am your throne,
Your glorious chariot
Who has come to take you away.
It is I who will give you your last tender embrace.
And it is I who will return your fragile warmth.
We often hear of great success
Or those who change the mold
But I long to make great mistakes
To finally be bold
Boldness to pursue my dreams
Courage to face my fears
The constant pressure of being someone
Being a person that others look up to
To have a following and to lead
I don't want that
I want to be in the shadows
Change the world through small actions
The know nothing, yet they know everythingLike a bird, Im trapped beneath a sheltered wingThey always ask where and how Ive beenAnd want to talk every now and then
They come and they go
It’s heartbreaking
You learn so much
It’s like they are now a part of you
Dear Starry-Eyed,
Five foot two doesn't determine the heights that you can go
Nor does your greatest adventure rely on the size of your shoe.
My heart is a racehorse
I'm terrified yet whipping it faster.
Sights sharper than cut glass
tastes like a penny on my tounge
hands cold and clammy, but body burning
and bleach clawing at my nose,
Negro-Crayola-pigmented figures may dance,
But their minds lay paralyzed,
Wasting away in the flow of the idolized,
Instead of the flow of the idealized.
It’s been said that ancient secrets lay hidden in text,
When I'm hurting insideCrying and begging for a miracleI turn around and open my bible for comfort
Morals, beliefs, principles
How are things meant to go
Where we put here to love or fight
We all think we're doing what's right
Everyone has their own justice
Don't stop reading we need to discuss this
I'm a young, black girl who will make a difference
Yeah, life got hard but I am more than a statistic
Facebook has you fooled, All of us aren't being ratchet and twerking
What kinda hard knock life is this
A bed to sleep on, and food in the fridge
A computer to use, a television to watch
PS3 in my room, I really want an XBOX
Got bucked off the bull once again, with the wind knocked out of me, I shook my head. Time after time I try and try, but with every fall, I give up and cry. Can't I do anything right? Why is this so hard?
If time could freeze and our hearts melt into one
Sparks of spontaneity signify something has begun
But fate is at our door and grief is waking us in our bed
Desperation is pushing us towards the cliff
Life is strange.
you can go days not knowing someone,
months at a time just fine. But after you meet them,
hours are too long and I'll never understand why.
You can trust someone so much,
This is something I can never reread, this low,
this phycological disfunction and everything that coincides.
It's funny, I still see color.
No dull, no enhancement,
Just Life.
I can think.
Reality is but an illusion,
The heart a magician.
The mind is audience,
Shifting like winds of society.
Reality is but an illusion,
Trickery of every kind.
They call us lazy.
They call us tech-savvy.
They say we aren't like our mommies or daddies.
All around us we are equal
Yet some are more equal than others
After long years
Some cannot be along others
This is what our world is
Will everyone someday be equal to everyone?
Your eyes are wide open
blind to the truth.
Judging with your head and not with your heart.
Not taking into consideration
that you might be wrong.
Unable to see what lays ahead.
I am but one,
A lonely child.
Only a single mother.
Shouldn’t a babe of merely two,
Have both? I am but one,
A lonely girl.
Not a single friend.
Shouldn’t a babe of merely seven,
Once I had a friend
Once I changed locations
She had made the preparations
of my departure from there
to here
I didn’t think much of it
she was so worried of our end
I just want to let you know
what is on my mind
you know that I love you so
you are one of a kind
In my heart, there's one special place
where all of your love live
He is like a robot
His muscles are as big as boulders
His words are knives cutting her to the core,
When he is done she will have nothing left.
His eyes are coals: emotionless,
When I'm all alone,
When no one is around;
I let the feelings out,
I let the tears fall down.
No one sees these tears,
No one dreamy sadness;
No one sees the blood drip down,
Guardian Angel,
You were once so close to me.
I feel your presence every now and then.
The day is still branded into my memory.
It probably always will be.
The looks on people's faces, the imploding feeling in my stomach,
Even the way the light reflected off of that picture
Once before, I did not know my vicious friend;
Simply because I was young and innocent.
But when I least expected her, she flew in,
to shake up what once was mine without consent.
Your life is now one long night
Will you ever see the light?
You are putting up a strong fight
But in the end, will that be enough to save your life?
We go our whole lives without looking for it,No one seeks the answers anymore,No longer are we wise men and women,No loner do we question existence,
you entered this world
with your heart beating faint
i smiled first at you with little sincerity
i didn’t want to fall in love
i didn’t want to get hurt in the end
If man were perfect
he would have a louder voice
to grant the power of words
to his decision and choice.
"Actions speak louder than words"
at least thats what they say
Is your adoration for me the same as the world's or different?
You wake up
and I may not be the first to see you - clothes indescent and feet bare....
but either way,
I'm the first to await your initial step....
Heres a story about a kid that got cauht up
Living the life of a college student that he thought up
He felt he was invincable in anything he did
When one fine night life stepped upon his crib
I've been lost for a long time. Not emotionally lost or anything gay like that, but the end of High School was flying towards me like a brick wall and I still didn't know what the hell I was planning on doing with my life.
Life can spur.
Love can be found.
A memory can be made.
Spontaneous laughs will happen.
A surprise kiss.
A wonderful dream.
But tears will fall.
Hearts will be broken.
Down her face streamed the tears,
Of 20 years.
Of 1,043 weeks,
Of feeling weak.
Of 7,304 days,
Of being in a daze.
Of 175,316 hours,
Of thinking, how are
We supposed to go on from here?
The gas station clerk gave us milk (like a mother).
Donuts were seventy cents each, but we stole them.
Seventy is a number with slim, bony hips.
We tightened our belts for sixty.
A flower growing
Up out of the sidewalk
Turns to face the sun
To bask in its glow
It knows
It is one of the lucky
To be alive
In such a hard place
A flower growing
A black boy was killed,
Shot dead in the head,
And the nation went up in defense.
“The murderer was provoked”
“He was acting in self defense”
They said.
Now the situation is ‘tricky’,
I carry an abundance of things
Some chosen, others obligations,
A mind saturated wth memories
A soul captivated by another's,
I carry a JanSport backpack
With a tear on the tag,
When I was little,
School was a prison.
Forced to learn
Numbers and letters
Until the school bus came
And took me home
To freedom.
Now
There is no freedom
No games of kickball
My Mama always told me somethin':
"Don't be goin' makin' people's heart rip."
Now that she's gone, left me alone
A nap
isn't a nap
without a phone call from your boyfriend.
Of course, he's not your boyfriend
anymore, is he?
Slipping and tripping
on your lost emotions
over that dumb,
scrawny boy
“if insecure girls date closet gays,
what kind of girl does it take . . .?”
by mikaella antonio
the boy with the pet snake in his room dyed his hair pink in the middle of june,
Oucast kids,
What's the point to fit in?
Rejecting the status quo,
the center of their woe.
Born to stand out,
wear that badge proud.
Walk on the edge,
with a steady breath.
I see you day in and day out
In the halls or on the town
We wave and say hello
And even “chill” or “hang” a bit
You’re someone I call my friend
So this you should never forget,
I hate you. I abhor you.
If I knew, everything I do now
From the beginning I would have left
And not come back
This is how you made me
After everything i went through so far in the new year, 2014, I've decided to leave to Ecuador for the next month. After going through attempted suicide, hospitalization, the pysch ward, therapy, trying to find myself back into life, and such; i
What we forget to remember
Is that all things are here
Yet we live in the past
In search for a seer
We look for an answer
Day in, day out
We walk around in trance
Pounding through the halls
at all hours of the night;
boots sounding as they fall,
the left one, then the right.
I know that he can't control
his restless wanderings
I used to hate running
all I could hear, were feet pounding
all I could feel, were lungs burning
I saw nothing ahead,
not even my next step.
But now
it's different.
Now,
It's Freedom.
Sometimes I think of our rotating world
And of the events that have already unfurled
I look at people caught in a daze
And see them obscured in a material haze
The fact remains that I cannot see
I know I shouldn't
But I must
The craving
It is just too much
The taste of sugar on my tongue
All I need is just one
To feed my desire
To fuel my fire
We all come from a father and mother
My Mom played both parts
With working day in and day out
Supporting my brother and I
We all have a Spiritual Father in our hearts
Such a common tale
I am very different
Some call me queer
Harsh words borne resiliant
Though I can't hide from fear
I see what you think
I know how you feel
Tears on the brink
I'm not unbreakable steel
I will write.
I will write even if my hands bleed,
Even if there's no one to read.
I will write even if my fingers break,
Even if there's nothing to create.
Effortless beauty, contagious smile
Confidence stretching in every mile
Trust in her power for lack of defeat
Ruler of the kingdom, bowed at the feet
The teenage years are
Hopeless, devastating, and full of angst.
Countless numbers of us
Treat ourselves as if we are
Nothing, useless, and worthless.
We compare ourselves
To unattainable personas:
I fake a smile everyday
To let everyone know I’m okay.
It hasn’t been easy to lie,
But it was better than for me to cry
I don’t want to feel this way
And maybe I won’t some day.
There was a man
That wrote but not
He believed that stories could be changed
Though the man could not
His bright red cape had lost its luster.
His deep blue costume was faded and grey.
He no longer flew with the same speed, the same gusto.
Instead, it was as if he was dragging himself through a vat of slop.
I refuse to be convinced that doing my homework is more important than any other facet of my life.
The things one can see
When sitting at rock bottom
It’s truly quite amazing
What you’ve never dreamed of.
The view from down there
Is simply just sublime
All you have to do
Hey do you remember me?
The voice in your head.
The person you could not see.
The voice that comforted you when in dread.
We haven’t spoken in a while.
Are you okay?
If you were to visit my elementary school playground between my 3rd and 6th grade years you could find a
Sandy beach and the blue sky,
Sitting, waiting for the sunrise,
Sitting on the pier, drink in hand,
Watching the waves crash into land,
The smell of salt and sound of seagull screech,
In the checkout isle of the grocery store with my mom by my side,
I couldn’t ignore the images fighting for attention on every magazine cover,
block letter headlines in neon colors shouting, “TEN POUNDS IN TEN DAYS,”
Two people need to grow to be in a healthy relationship
I've grown up with you all my life
I wasn't sure how much more to say to you.
So I hope my verses reach you
and that you may come back to us.
Lately you have been missing.
Stuck in a dark dark cave. A deep hole of depression.
The Night is quiet and devoid of lights,
the world is holding its breath.
Until a single spark ignites,
what matters most?
well thanks for asking
I could say a lot of things
friends, money, being in the sun basking
but I choose to say music
a broad topic
with so much significance
"I'VE GOT ACCEPTED!"
We all scream when we open that letter.
That one word, accepted, makes our day so much better.
Accepted, however goes a little bit further.
Accept yourself, accept others.
That girl you don't like? Yes, even her.
Raped, beaten, yelled at, threatened
I still keep my head up high
Ditched, cursed, bullied, shunned
I still say good morning every time you walk by
I am a strong woman
So what is so great about being a poet?
I don’t mean to slam
slam poetry.
But I ask again,
what is so great about being a poet.
I was a bird
afraid to spread my wings
but one day I stopped listening to the voices that said
"You're not good enough"
"You're not pretty enough"
I wish the world would freeze,
I wish it had no fault.
Life would be a breeze,
If everything would hault.
Growing would never come,
'Cause everything's the same.
And no one thinks you're scum,
There Once Was a Green Man
Who lived among many
There were many green people, along with red people, yellow people, and blue
With one foot in place,
I can only pivot.
I could easily lift my leg
but what would happen to my foot?
I'd lose it.
My heel is locked in place.
My toes have already dug deep into the earth,
They are the building blocks of intelligence,
And yet they are still used to tear down others.
Slut, Whore, Skank: Harsh insults are not relevant?
Tell that to the lifeless bullied girl's mother.
Rising before the moon has gone,
The frost is still on the ground.
Dressing quietly in the darkness,
Everyone else still sleeping sound.
Slipping stealthily into the woods,
Every year, teachers ask me at school:
What am I passionate about?
I sit and ponder, unsure of whether I should give the easy answer,
or if I should go with the hard one.
The easy answer? I'm passionate about
I look up. I look down. My smile turns to a frown. As the clouds go by, my heart beats, and my feet begin to shake. As I wake, I know what I know, and I know what I don't. I see you. I see me. I can be whoever I want to be.
The sweet sound of birds singing through the leaves
the wind innocently plays tag around the trees.
The soothing sound as water travels downstream,
or silently rests clear and serene.
My mother sits and talks.She explains to me our loss.She explains the things which are wrong.She explains how our road is coming along.I've understood these things,
By the people for the people is beginning to seem feeble for a reason typically simple, We the people are a weapon used by government at disposal of any time they say jump we say how high.
Teachers make me mad
Kids treat each other bad
We’re all like animals
Some big and some small
Teachers rule and tell
Words that cast spells
Little do they know
We all come for show
Was it the death of a scene,Or a misguided dreamRealized in the processof hitting the streets,Trying to make a name,- For what reason? -Unknown.Just to be heard?Just to be known?
I always thoughtI wore the armor;but now I see I never did.
Here I stand before you naked.
Now I need you todon your suit of armorand help me slay my foe.
When I was a small child I would dream
I would dream reams ha woul ake me far off,
the dreams made me an astronaut on a space ship
the galaxies were mine to control, i wold surf the skies
The silence of the morning; the moment I faced reality.
Packing my school lunch for the first time, I realized my mother would never be able to do this for me again. Even the simplest things would trigger a deluge of emotions.
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.
Words flowing off my tongue
Like honey flowing off a spoon
It doesn't; they don't
I've climbed this Tower
of the name Babel, I cannot comprehend
I cannot understand
These words
The light of the moon caught my attention
The cold gush of air made me shiver
With nothing less than nature's beauty confirmation
I did not have anything to consider
Fluttering wings in the distance,
Dancing in bright light.
White and shining in a trance;
Falling to what is right.
Forever more, descending
Towards the Heavens;
A feather dropping
Inside a little negro shell,Confined by mighty crooked chain,Was suffrages and principle—The color coal—enduring pain.This tiny black integumentWithheld the strongest ever heart.
I walked through the valley of the shadow of death
And witnessed the face of the many
Who suffered greatly without remorse
I gazed upon the anguish and
Fear within their eyes
His face is intricate, ancient, dusty
Ominous numbers loom in the distance, sprouting up like a city tower
The old man smells of wisdom: subtle and musty
He stands boldly in a corner, watching, ticking, always in power
You see, we are Asian
But you might view it differently
“Oh, you’re Asian? I thought you were Chinese”
How stupid do you sound?
Our skin tone might give you a hint of who we are
May Morning air holds so
Much sentimental value to me.
Breakfasts on the deck before school
Where Nana and Papa say
“Do you see? The day lilies are blooming!”
And magic pierced the air.
I can’t spend one more night waiting for a fat girl chaser.
You know,
Like a cold glass of milk to make you forget
How much chocolate you just ate,
Or someone saying curvy girls are real women,
I’m sorry
You fell from the roof onto the concrete at my feetAnd into my life
You were so beautifulThe color that leaves would be if they were perfectA miracle of nature, of course
Deaf. Animal.
We see them with their hands flying around, their faces making expressions not normally seen and think, “Surely they can’t be human.”
Deaf. Broken.
Everything has a contradiction nowadays:Freedom has restrictions.Love has hatred.Intelligence is dumb.Common sense is not common.Happiness, has no meaning anymore.
1852.
Where am I?
What is this strange land that we happened upon?
I clutched my mother’s hand tightly,
Nearly doubling over,
At the stench of a strong sense of nationalism,
And pride,
Remember those days
When mouths opened
And legendary stories of the most memorable days of school
Were created:
That hilarious prank which was pulled during an afternoon class,
Begin the dance.
Lock the door.
Put on the mask.
Shape the curls.
Brush on the paint.
Plaster the smile.
Look in the mirror.
Look away.
Begin the dance.
The weary look in her eyes
His hair finally starting to gray
Is my dream school worth the price?
Their sacrifices are clear
No more downtime
My parents, to me so dear
Can I bear the guilt?
I get ridiculed for my music, so it's time to strike back.
People call me a rapper, and I'm not even black.
I'm a lover of metal you can state it as a fact
and living large every day with my life call it shaq.
The world was giving to us so we could take control.
So we can wake up to take crazy turns, and reach new heights.
Check the faith in you not him
Check the distance on your thoughts before that pen try's to walk
Who are we?
What are we?
Where did we come from?
When we got here?
How?
Questions Americans need to ask themselves.
Before we say the word IMMIGRANT to anyone,
She left a boy to raise me.
She said i was driving her mad.
That i made her want to pull out her hair.
I am a woman.
Catcalls are not a compliment.
Not in a world that blames vulnerability instead of those who take advantage of it.
I am intelligent.
But it doesn’t matter because my body is worth more than my mind
There is no time for us,
watching the clock on the wall,
waiting for something to happen,
for excitement, encouragemet, and motivation,
but nothing happens,
just the sound of the clock ticking,
it is a power so strong that even the strongest will succumb
strongest as in physical with the abs, arms, legs
strongest as in will with the mind, heart, and soul.
lurking eyes to see the lumps, bumps, and imperfections
Am i a threat to you because i speak my mind.
Am i a threat to you because i think outside the box.
Am i a threat to you because my smile is sincere.
Am i a threat to you because i'm in harmony with myself and others.
Why boss, why? We shouldn't end the life of child due to the mistakes of the parents. I won't push the button, I won't.
The Friendship Garden
Is dead.
Lofty copper words upon a
Pedestal of weeds.
Promises and hollow words, caresses, loyalty, and love
Hold hands and proudly look upon
Musically driven,Your passion spoke to meIn so many ways that I didn’t seeHow much you were sufferingAnd trying to say goodbye.
Equality.
Equality is a word that is used too freely.
We are all supposedly equal.
But this is not true.
So I am done.
Done with the rules made by
White old men who earn more
Some poeple are preoccupied
By thoughts of racial
Discrimination,
By thoughts of sexual
Harassment,
By thoughts of
Where their next meal will come from.
I deal with such things.
When your given a chance,
To show the world who you are,
You better believe,
You'll feel like a star,
Just one chance,
Thats all it takes,
Make your life a little brighter,
The idea of stuffing her into a box was unnerving.The pink coffin mocked my ache.Coffin was such a strange word to use then.It's such a strange word to use now.I was terrified to approach her corpse.
I listen but hear nothing
What I hear does not exist
ticking of a heartbeat
a system about to split
Encased in wicker, am I not?
Feigned memories are nigh
want to go back when I had ambition
#YOWO
Hate and violence fills the streets
Money love and power is how everyone thinks
Without a doubt and full of greed, these Compton streets never sleep
#YOWO
Hate and violence fills the streets
Money love and power is how everyone thinks
Without a doubt and full of greed, these Compton streets never sleep
Young love,
A terrible trap,
From the life twisting heartache,
To the unfufillable promises,
But who could blame such naive adolescents?
If people on the telly can fnd live, why can't I?
She walks a path,
Her own...
Hazy.
No guid before her
No shadows behind
Only clouds above her and ground below,
Feet dragging
Heavy.
Is it just a song,
for all of us to sing along.
Is it loud and cheerful,
for all of those who are fearful.
Is it slow and gentle,
to make moments special.
Is it a memory,
Yesterday it was I like you a lot I'll never leave your side. I'll be here for you no matter what. Today its who are you? I don't know you.
Every time another outfit is ruined by the dress code,
I hear somebody say this:
"OMG, why can't girls wear tank tops?
She sits alone
Alone she sits
Waiting for answers
Answers that may never come
Who asks for this?
Who wishes for that?
She looks wide eyed
But still cannot see
We wait
Punch Me
You hurt my face, not my heart, I'm still STRONG,
you're still INSECURE
How do you feel?
Curse Me
"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me"
Relax, breathe in.
Place your head on my chest and hear my heart beat.
Do you hear it?
It beats for you.
I hope some day we'll meet again,
and continue our story where we left off.
I want you to know that deep inside there was space for you,
Take my hand, sweet child of mine
And let me guide the way.
Just wrap your hand around my fingers
And hear what I must say.
Listen close to what I speak
And I’ll show you how life is true.
Where are you from?
With ease I reply, I am from the Midwest.
But this answer doesn’t seem to satisfy
The eyes that are continuously
Burning, questioning, yearning for a reply
That makes sense in their eyes.
Do you want to know
The secret of life,
For it has baffled many souls.
It is quite easy to receive,
But quite difficult to hold.
As precious as pearls found by the sea,
That is what you are to me.
As it seems to fly right past,
My time with you never seems to quite last.
You make me feel like I'll never have to be alone again,
Mothers tell their daughters,
"Be strong, little lady."
Fathers tell their daughters,
"Watch out for those boys."
Put fear in her eyes,
No trust in her mind,
A knife in her hand
nobody told you life was worth its weight in numbers.
it begins with a month, a day, a year
day one of month twelve of year one-thousand-nine-hundred-and-ninety-five
When I was eleven years old, I met a girl named Fatou.
She was in my sixth grade class,
It feels like I’m chocking, there’s no air to breath
my dreams lay broken as I gasp for anyone to see.
They it’s too difficult to take the next step,
but I know I would make if they would just give me a chance.
"Shut up."
"Sit down."
"Do as you are told."
They speak the words with their eyes as their mouths say
"I understand your concern, but there is nothing we can do."
We thought school was for students
And I still remember that I could not seewhen the sea would blush and wink at mewhere the warmth of sand between my toeswere glints of memories that no one knows
Come out! Come Out! You blissful moon
You that occupies the night as your slave
And disturbingly disappear at the peak of the sun
"Why do you love the falling man?"
The answer comes quick to him like a fond memory
It is shown in the calming of his hands
The tension eased with memories of his love
As girls we are taught to cover up and hold on to our innocence as long as possible, but as we age a new voice merges in our lives.
His heartbeat is my lullaby
His smooth chest is my pillow
His arms are the sheets that comfort me when I need comforting
The sheets that caresses my face and dries my tears when needed
We’re a group of girls with very different minds
And on Wednesdays I walk into that room, and leave behind
All the stress that comes with being me
Thousands of kings soar through skies–
orange and black flocks
riding winds between California and Mexico.
YOWO!
You only write once?
Perhaps they don't understand that
We as students only have one shot at a frist impression.
So in other words, we do only write once.
We write that one paper, that one document
Night seems dreary and rather dark,
Light radiating only from moon, planets, the stars
I see through my window.
When sleep subsides,
I will be whole again.
But, until then, I will wait,
I look into your eyes, glistening with the tears of memories.
You speak of gold woven like silk.
A smile on your face, seeing a world I can only imagine.
The sadness creeps in and threatens to choke up your voice.
I had a dream but it was nothing like Martin’sI dreamt that I was in a box a box of darknessno one on the outside could hear me
How can you hold her, when you hold your gaze on anything but her
How do you sway her, when you stare at everyone but her
Why do you fool her, just to fuck her
Can't you see, she's the sweetie with no disbelief
Stop.
Please.
You don't know how much it hurts
to stand in the middle of a party
and see everyone having a great time
...
and I'm terrified.
You can't imagine the fear
Is it wrong for me to love you?
Is it wrong for me to bear
The emotions that I feel for you?
Indeed, how do I dare?
How selfish I must be, for sure
How do you keep memories?
Keep them safe
Like a wedding dress for…
How do you know who you are? How are you, you?
How will others know?
Does existence blow away like dust when dead?
As you walk around each day, take a look and see,
All the things you are grateful for, well, they are not free.
Now I am not referring to materialistic cost here,
A rain,
Falling,
Through a
Cold,
Dark,
Winter’s night.
A dawn,
Breaking through,
Shinning,
Awakening rays,
Of light.
A chill,
Lingering,
You are as soothing as an autumn breeze,
For I can confess my every thought.
When I'm alone with you I feel at ease-
As you gently blow my way what I've sought.
KLS
It really sucks
Don't know what it is?
look it up!
I missed my whole freshman year
Because of this stupid sickness,
Now I just want it all to end
Definitely with a quickness.
Discrimination.
This nation.
No matter the class or station.
Unjust.
Unfair.
How I feel with this load I bear.
Prude.
Jesus Freak.
The labels they stick on me.
Sword bearer
truth wearer
covered in blood like Hanibal but I'm not a cannibal
I'm plannin to animal beats on all the flammable channels
Cant drop me with choppers or pop me with glockers
Resolution
to never be a part of any institution
to cleanse my heart of this pollution
In Christ alone my absolution
because mankind won't provide solutions
Guess you can never tell who's really suicidal
It hurts so much you wanna end your cardiac cycle
What's the point...smoke a joint or cut yourself with a razor blade point
As he is our canvass
We will force the star
Upon the moon
He shall shine brighter than the sun
I knew no one would understand.
My parents would say, "You're too young to know."
My friends would think, "She's just looking for attention..."
My teachers would wonder, "What's wrong with her?"
Who is the minority?
Definitions are skewed
When those who can speak
Suffocate the mute.
The Speakers pull the hats down
Over their faces.
The wool keeps them warm,
And it's easy for them to
Bang!
Gun pointed at my chest, I feel a sudden warmth on my chest.
I feel it and I freeze.
Blood seeps through my shirt and drips.
Stab!
A sharp blade within me.
Like a weed it rooted itself in her chest
Out of the norm and different from the rest
It appeared unexpectedly
In the soil of a body so young
The Lump that changed her world
Windy or dangerous, im not afraid of it.
Peaceful or a riot, I know when to keep quiet.
Chicago is where I am, so I dont give a damn.
Education
seems to be slowly crawling towards equality
but the "quality" in equality is slowing being extracted.
I am the biggest advocate you will find
for giving kids the education their skills need
Interconnected and together infectedwe feel the weight of a Moral Lawpressing in on us.We do what we should notand fail to do what we ought,
Where did the first story come from?
What histories were warped to make
The first creation of fiction?
When was 'imagination' invented?
I shall tell you.
Maybe I can't live in my "fantasy world" forever
with my unrealistic dreams
my overly-optimistic hopes
my fanciful desires
To greatness I aspire
Now that I’ve emerged from Fire.
You’re a pathetic, diminished Flame
Since I’ve overcome what you became.
Since that dreadful, burning hole,
And the childhood you stole,
I can begin to see it now, the little ripples in my cup
that form a smile, a ladybug climbing up my window sill-
We were designed as one race
To be united, not mistreated
To be caring, not defeated
We are all the same, yet we all chase
The desire to be better than eachother
We were designed as one race
Why do I feel this indescribable temperature?
Inside, I feel I need to be nurtured
Future looks so dim, yet I'm so bright
At the end of this tunnel, I know I'll see the light
Only time can tell, whether or not hell
Five years ago,
She sketched her name on the wall
and no one wrote next to it.
She drew a somber heart,
outlined in disgrace,
colored with hope
and left it to dry on its own.
The next year,
I sit here
In a comfortable chair
With a comfortable amount
Of food in me
And a comfortable amount
Of cartoons on the tv
At a comfortable temperature
And later when I'm done
"SHUT UP!" "Go back to where you came from you wetback!" I stood there as their words pounded against my ears. I watched the teacher rip the two boys apart, fists and faces smeared with blood.
There once was a girl who loved to dance
Who spent hours in the studio
Jumping, turning, eating, sleeping.
But one day nothing stirred in the studio.
It grew quiet, lonely, abandoned.
There I waited
By the rabbit hole
Waiting
But the white rabbit never came
It was probably late
For a date much more important than me
And for a second
I lost hope
There's a little black box with a little brown brush
And endless colored paint for an impossibly white wall.
Holding my brush, I stare at the wall,
Walking into the white circle I go
Feeling the metal discus in my hand
I look all around me as the wind blows
The feeling of confidence is just grand
I can feel the stares.
Not shy glances
Not admiration
As if looking at a piece of art.
These are stares.
Obsessive stalking
Predator and Prey
Ready to pounce
Fairytales begin in the same way
a grandfather clock works—
wheels turning, pendant swinging, chimes ringing
Time wraps around all of us.
Once upon a time, I knew a girl with blue eyes.
O vanity of vanities,
That I travail below the unrelenting sun and profit not
For such a generation sows, another generation reaps
To whom the sow'rs, their monuments and treasures they must yield
As one spins the dial
Fate is actually revolving
In hands of gold
Trembling with power
They pass the notches round
Carefree, or perhaps with concentration
Landing on the pre-determined numbers
I feel free.
Free as a tree that's not moving
As someone that's bottling up
I feel so alive when I'm dying
I'm so happy,
But not.
I just can't wait to open the door
I really just want relief
From this demanding society
Demands for my words
Demands for my deeds
Demands for my plans
Demands for my dreams
Success is measured by gold
But not the state of your soul
Happy Birthday!
The car crumples like shiny wrapping paper.
You’re sixteen!
Red hued leaves flutter and fall like confetti.
You’re all grown up!
If a boy ever tells you you're beautiful, ask him what he thinks of your heart
I remember back then I never wanted to sleep
all I did was eat
pick fights with my little brothers and sisters
Now I would die to get some sleep
to have food without the price behind
My body is a home
For my soul and spirit.
An alien on Earth
That's how I see it.
Our time here is temporary.
On Earth we know,
We serve our Father,
Until it's time to go home.
Hello, somewhere, elegiac yet angelic Kurdt,
Solar flare of otherworldly insight and humanism
Iconoclast of modern societal bullshit
The universal thinker.
While exposing the surreally underground
That night I had caught your eye a few times,
but I was choking on my insecurity,
words wrapping tightly around my throat.
So instead you watched me with an intense gaze
Everything happens for a reason
As the old saying goes,
What is the “purpose” you may ask
It hurts my heart to see those eyes
That have no voice and are surprised
To be mistreated, killed and hurt.
Always hearing screams and whips
That sound louder and louder with every step they take back.
Soft light falls through the trees
Falls like the last leaves of autumn
Blowing in the breeze
And here I am missing you
Missing you
Tell me, do you miss me too?
I don't care if I don't know you,
I don't care if I do,
All I know is that you need someone to listen,
So let me be here for you.
Rant, rave, cry;
Let it out.
Don't bottle it up,
We all are the Same
On the inside
I feel so Ashamed
On the outside
The moon is my enemy i feel only Pain
Surrounded by darkness all you see in Cocaine
Once, one day, I had nothing to do,
So I decided to talk to you.
I couldn't have imagined, I couldn't have known,
That this was the beginning of a friendship anew.
So,
This poetry thing,
It’s not really my deal.
I’ve always been envious of you who can feel.
Who can spell out emotions, be open and raw.
(you)
yes, you with your pencil hovering
over the paper
too scared to mar
a canvas;
you with the can of cerulean spray paint,
poised to let colors scream
out all of your failings.
I saw him casually walk by
a perfectly perfect stranger
His arrogant nose stuck up in the sk
His face plagued my mind
His words played again in my head
No magic spell could I find
You were my keeper of secrets,
My pierced, listening ear.
From dawn to dusk,
From year to year.
The world was not kind to meI guess it saw me unworthyOr maybe just too plainOr maybe just too strangeJust too different from the restAnd decided I needed some painI suppose some suffered more
I've tried so hard to cover the wounds so no one can see my pains from yesterday but they won't stop bleeding I cover my whole body but the blood still drips
Don’t leave they said
You’re too weak they said
OBJECTION!
The weak would never leave the nest,
As what I thought!
So I spread my wings
The true American experience
Is like a tree.
As we come together we
Grow tall and strong.
Our roots are buried deep in our rich
You Only Write Once Scholarship Slam
These hands carried my wife through the threshold on our wedding night and comforted my daughter whenever she had a bad dream.
What do you want, they ask, smiling like they already know
and for a second I consider saying
I want an old VW bus, some friends and a summer playlist.
The most important thing about my grandpa is that he will aways love me.
He also never stops joking, touching peoples' lives, and he will never stop creating art.
A lifetime of suffering, strife and pain;
Eyes full of tears that mimic the rain.
Working in the cotton fields, under the sun’s hot glaze;
And all we have to celebrate is twenty-eight days.
You make me fulfilled
Your beautiful Fatherhood
Is displayed each day
Greatest sacrifice
Descended to rise again
Put Death in his grave
You are the cold breeze
Till you come in Last
All your mates graduate
from a school that you didnt even participate
IN wait-ing to exhale but you too busy inha-ling
Taking in the world and watch it pass you by
I look to my left
And what do I see
A suffocating sight
That’s choking me
It’s horrible disgusting
Do you walk on two legs or four?
Is your soul free of hate?
Are you sure you're not an animal
In a sophisticated state?
I am not an animal
No need for legs or arms
I am the tenacious buffalo
A teacher once offered me a proverb:
The purpose of a teacup lies in the empty space.
I think that gives too little credit to my teacup.
Even when holding nothing,
When I was young, I remember staying up late many nights tossing and turning in my bed.
Abuse...is never okay. It is wrong. NO ONE deserves to be beaten. There is no "sorry" after hurting someone.
YOLO is the name
But it will never be the same.
You say "you only live once"
And I say that is a damn shame.
Everyday there is a new way
A new adventure to lead you astray.
A simple hike by the creek
Seeing the beauty in me
that everyone tells me about
is hader to see than you think.
I only see my flaws
because these flaws are all I think everyone sees
they see that because
when I was younger
Puffed pillow tops of vanilla extract,Golden brown bodies making a pact,To savor the flavor of sugar and spice
What is Love?
It is a word that many crave to hear
A word that many attempt to understand
But will we ever understand it's true meaning?
What is Love?
your eyes were like storm clouds
grey, dreary
ready to let tears fall
like raindrops
cascading down your face
i wanted to be your umbrella
protect you from all that was wrong
Millions of people behind a goal
Few who realize that they’ve made it
What is the definition? What makes it?
How do you go about being it?
Where is it?
Happiness
We remember our mothers
On this special day.
But what does my mother
Do, anyway?
Mom wakes up each morning
Saying goodbye can be one of the hardest things you will ever have to do.
Whether you are saying goodbye because of death or because of other things.
Goodbye is saying adios to someone you know.
I Wrote the Books I wrote the books, Why Do It now?, Procrastination for Beginners, and How to do 6 Hours of Work in 20 Minutes. I wrote the books, Don’t Eat Anything That Comes Out of the Ground, Fast Food is for Winners, and The Time I Ate Taco
Beauty.
One word causes so much pain for the younger generation.
Truth is, none of us are beautiful; at least not in society's context.
So if no one is "beautiful", how can anyone call a person ugly?
I had a pretty regular childhood
I was outside all day, smashed bugs, played sports and thought girls had COOTIES!
By definition I grew up like a boy should
when the Novacane of life drains...
when the Weight of the world gains...
when the Sword of evil mains...
there is only one answer... God!
and maybe coffee too.
All is peaceful, but upon closer inspection,the Leaves the Trees in every direction
If this were my letter to say goodbye.. the "last words she wrote before suicide" I.. I would tell you to blame yourself for these dried out eyes. Yes, you're to blame for my lonely heart's cry.
Stalking the streets for prey,
So many warm hearts beating.
Stay clear out of my way,
Souls ready for the reaping.
Oh Helena, what be it that Me see in Thy Countenance?
Is it some banished fear or reciprocity from years yore?
Or the doubt to face recklessly the years henceforth?
Sophomore year was not the best.
I tried too hard to please and impress.
I worried about what others thought,
and I accepted that I would never be, "hot."
‘Twas only moments ago, my cup poured out
Only moments ago, took only moments, lasts many moments
Now I feel for an empty flask
My hands grope blindly
Nevermore that door of white light
Which came and vanished in a day.
The stars shall never burn as bright.
Criticize me
i don't care.
just let me be who I am
we've been friends for years
and you still don't get me.
i dress like this because
it makes me confident.
no, I didn't copy you.
Crowded rooms never felt so empty
and voices never sounded so fake.
Cunning and wit are lost upon them
as their jest and jeers all rake
thin ribbons across a fleshy face.
Very few understand the importance of escaping
Thinking of it only as moving
Eighteen years in any place is enough to drive anyone crazy
Love is laughter, love is joy,
love is shared with a girl or a boy.
Love is forgiveness, love is trust,
love is something that is a must.
Love is honest, love is true,
love is something anyone can do.
Alright, you may open your textbooks and begin.
Read. Read. Read.
Bubble. Bubble.
A, D, B, C, C...
See. Look. Look around. Look at him, look at her.
I spent a majority of my childhood crying. Crying because time outs were often, candy was limited, Barbie's weren't allowed at Dinner, and most importantly because my little brother had ruined my life.
As I walk through the leaves
My mind wanders through memories
Memories of the one I've lost
Flood my head as tears flood my eyes
As I approach the sepulcher
I fall to my knees and weep
Oh how I wept
Pink is the sunset of the fiery sun.
Pink is the color of having fun.
Pink is the color of a well-earned petting.
One family turns to two
And who is left, but I
For now, these families are one and two
Family one is gone and just passes by
While two goes on to be remarried
Rebuilding their lives separately
Because I'm a straight man,
I'm supposed to hate the gays,
Or at least that's how it is in my small town.
But I think it's time that we all stand for change,
and realize it's not right to look down.
We sit at the table,
"Pass the gravy please",
any starter conversation enabled,
but it's usually politics on war.
"You love them so much?!"
You'll start to say,
I know more than most
about the lives
of those who need me.
Why, you ask?
I live with one
who was in need.
I'm young
and I can't help them
very much yet.
I do not know when I started
All I know is that I am here
I am lost, but I am here
Wandering down the road
Without a purpose for now.
Maybe I'll find it
My niche in the world
Having bed head fills me with dread
An embarrassment like no other
Puffy eyes yearn for a disguise
Do I really look like my mother?
Oily skin is the ultimate sin
Yet makeup is such a bother
Everywhere I go, people stare.
Jean skirts and long hair.
I hear them whisper, and
no one understands,
Why I don't conform to the worlds demands.
Some ask me why,
and some may even try,
Take a Chance
Roll the Dice
That’s what you often hear people say anyways
Though I know a little better than just blindly following their hint
“But these dice are loaded!” I proclaimed to fate himself
Cancer: such a short word.
Hidden within those six letters comes a lot of meaning.
In between the C and the A is a big thing called faith.
Faith in God,
Think of yourself as a sea. It is not far from fathomable thought to simply conceive that emotions are like an evanescent ocean breeze.
We’re losing light by seconds and sounds
With it dimming are the stars, the sunlight, the fluorescent street lamps lining the streets
With each blast of darkness
A part of me passes
The westward-facing window rose above the girl in the stairwell.
She watched the near-setting sun fall,
Blazing golden yellow and casting its rays of light on her face.
Picture on a wall, framed with
Love as the subject—a boy and a
Girl hold each other for a
Moment in time, smiling and
Blissful is the
At a crossroads we stand,
Our heels in the sand,
A decision weighs heavily,
On our soon-reborn band.
I hate my life,
I wish I could die,
And go up to the cloudy sky.
To fly up high,
Into the sky,
Were I can be free,
Like a butterfly.
Up and up and up I go,
Remember when we were strange fruit hanging from the trees but never ripe enough to be picked?
Remember when we had no voice but a singlye syllable could get us whipped?
The world seems imbalanced when you can't
even break a smile
The thread is snipped and you fall
but to where is unknown
Yet the journey is enjoyable...?
Wide awake while falling asleep
Notes of a faint melody
linger in the air.
What is this song?
The tune plays,
bringing with it a feeling of reminiscence.
The piano strikes a chord
and all ears stop to listen.
To write is to fight,
Of that there is no question
To wrong this right
Lest I am to mention
To let words fall as they may
As they spill over this precipice of indecision
Nay I cannot!
Standing alone amongst a crowdI’m the little boy no one wants around.I’m different, I’m ugly, I’m a nobodyStanding alone amongst a crowd.
They talk behind my back,
I know exactly what they say,
Their words worse than smacks,
It’s been happening every day.
They say mean things,
They laugh together,
We live in a world of peace?
I don't belive so but
for a moment unotice
We unite
Music unites us
Sports unite us
Family unites us
Love unite us
No matter the problems
She said,
What this means to me,
One hundred sleepless nights,
Wonderland,
Mad world,
My obsession,
A thousand years,
Paradise,
Kids,
Forever,
King for a day,
Life is hard
You get up and get knocked down again
Again and again
Why is it that things must be this way?
Tears rolling down the young girls face
Her mother just died.
You mean 11 years ago?
I am only a child
Inexperienced
Clueless to the dangers outside
Society claims I should know better
I am too young to know
Many are the times I want to cry
Cry in my parents' loving arms
There was a time when I would look into my lover's eyes and we would share secrets meant only for each other
But she left
So that happened
I always wonder
What she told the next guy
I know a man who could wield a thread and needle
through and through. He learned the art from a pair of wrinkled hands
that were charred from a cigarette’s kiss.
I know a man who could compose symphonies out of a pair
If everyone is an actor, to each his own,
why do some leae the performance in the first act?
One may think a greater one- a Higher Being, if you will, holds the strings.
But Look at your hands.
Hello?
Are you there?
I cannot hear you anymore.
The voice that once brought comfort and bliss,
Has of late, brought nothing of happiness.
I cannot see you anymore.
All of her life she'd planned for this day
Without fear becoming a problem;
It was the time when adulthood would take her away
To find who she could become.
Inseparable for 9 months
But, once I left your womb
I was the one hit with dark and sudden gloom.
I didn’t choose this life
You chose it for me
Whether or not you heard my plea.
When I was younger
I thought being skinny was everything
The epitome of beautiful
Magazines reinforced this
“How to loose 10 pounds in 10 days”
“5 foods that eliminate belly fat”
I,
Am The Same As
He & She.
We,
Are All Seeds,
Trying To Grow
Into Decent
Human Beings.
The Day We Are Planted,
We're Allowed To Choose
The Direction In Which
A young girl that's so upset
So she goes through life giving nothing more than sex
You ask her what's love, and she'll give you a puzzled face
maybe it's cuz' her father dropped out from the early race
What is there left to say?
When all the words are taken up.
When every sentence has already been said.
Guilt, lust, nerves, happiness, sickness, relief,
writing always used to make these feelings better.
I don’t wanna be brown no more
I wanna be Black
Real Black
Pure Black
Not that nigga
can’t cross da street without holdin’ his belt
Not that nigga
This weight is piling on my shoulders; I can barely breathe.
Can't you see? I'm downing.
You think that I can do it all, so you'll let me fall.
Your faith in me was misplaced. The walls of this space
With coffee I can see,
“Black, please,”
“That would be $1.60,”
Pulling out the pocket change,
That was supposed to be my college savings.
With coffee I can see,
I have an irregular heartbeat.
I got it from my dad, like my propensity to get lost in the country on purpose.
It’s 121 beats per minute while I’m lying in bed,
My heart racing my thoughts while my feet stay still.
The boys and girls live in separate worlds. The girls in their universe and we in ours. As a child, I only had friends that were boys. Girls were some kind of alien species from another world.
Edgar Lopez, who is an 8th grader at Bowman. Who is a Mexican. Who has been suspended 3 times. Who I beat in the school four-square tournament last week. Is a cool kid, that’s what my friends say. But I know what he’s really like.
Her eyes are jewelry I never cared for until nowemerald facets set in summer freckled skin,too soft to not be drawn toher lips are like nothing else,
I wasn't exactly fine before you came.But I was still okayand you were youjust a friend of a friend.Then our hands brushedand my cheeks set a flame.
Don't leave me behind, please don't go
I need you here, you need to know
They way I feel whenever you're near
Is now gone and I'm brought to tears
Why are you leaving, why won't you stay?
Who says I can’t be poor? Oh, the color of my skin?
Yes, it is white. But who says I can’t be poor?
Notions of race and class have defined me as white and rich.
I am kept with in a prism of the pale moonlight
The Stars I count, a daunting might
I grasps my dreams to my heart like a
Lark, in the quiet night.
Whispers around me call to say, "There is no
There once was a girl
she wasn't too tall
she lived in a house
unnoticed by all
One day she came back
no one was there
and there and thereafter
the walls were quite bare
He walks this road
Nobody to stand beside him
He pulls his cloak
Tighter about him
But that cloth
Can’t save from the cold inside
The pain and sin and loss
He’ll never leave behind
The ground is frosted, the leaves falling.
Trees were sleeping, dying, crying.
I can only puzzle over how reflective Autumn is on my life.
I fell in love with the forbidden. The sacred. The untouchable.
Some might say that rhyme is victorian
But I think it's important as valedictorian
To highlight all of the things that we've done
In a way that's new, creative, and fun.
Growing up ain't as fun as you think
No one can prepare you for the
Zits, quips, stink of uncertainty
The fog that overtakes, blinds, defines you
Picks you up and clouds your judgment,
Sky is barren
Earth desolate
both lonely and windswept
until they assent
to replenish and nourish themselves.
They dance gracefully through their labor.
Sky grabs his brush,
Your words, they trickle while I stand in awe
As they float out of your mouth like bubbles I struggle to pop them before they reach her ea
Such darkness and vile created and submitted by the corners of your lips
I'm sad.
I'm angry.
I'm lost.
I'm scared.
I'm happy and daring and waiting, prepared.
I want to, I have to, I need to share
Sometime I feel high, sometimes I feel low
I hate the low, but I love the high
Find it through my life, not focusing on the means to ends
Not playing no game of pretend, I only have my life and time to spend
An ancient city, crumbling.
Ancient walls next to
Not so ancient skyscrapers,
All of them scattered, together.
In the center runs a river,
Splitting the ancient history
I've never known death.
I've never met my aborted brother,
Wasn't there for my mother's parents.
Had three goldfish and one hamster,
But that was all.
I've never known death.
I'm like any other, at a first glance
But I've got a mission
Not many give me the chance
But would you care to listen?
I love history
It's almost an obsession
I’m from Monopoly
From the Game of Life.
I’m from Sister, Sister
From the world of CatDog.
Games and fun is where I’m from.
I’m from the sweet sound of summer glistening on the pool
I just want to communicate the questions that run through my mind
About the love that I want, the lust that I have, and the love that is blind
they say pick directions, make connections, write a sentence
advertise my future, capitalize my computer & do it sooner
the world is not waiting
little did they know, with a pen I'm gold,
A chance encounter
at a late night hour
lit up a path for me.
This may sound funny
but listen honey
This showed me my dreams you know.
What was once a hobby
Everything was lost and broken.
My very soul was thrust upon you.
You held it,
And you tested it.
Words of true love were breathing life into my wounds.
There was nothing left for me to say.
It's like when I was 7
I used to follow footsteps in the snow
until they mysteriously disappeared
and just like then, I wonder
where have you gone?
My dentist asked me
She blinks and gapes and her mouth spouts crapThe audience stares and claps and their mouths flap
I sit and watch and wonder how or maybe even whyThey talk like I care and wonder about nigh
I was your little girl
who looked up to you every day
we skipped the rocks and fixed the clocks
and ran around and played.
One day I went to school
left you behind
I didn't whine
You are perfect in every single way.
I’m sorry, you were.
You were intelligent, athletic, worldly.
You were presidential.
Inspiring.
Attentive.
But
You
It’s that moment when
One innocent smile.
Can take your breath away.
Knowing from then on
He holds your hearts deepest desires.
All the world’s a sundaeAnd all the men and women merely toppingsMarvelous to behold, yet irresistible to devourThe creation of which being seven stages
On the Thames
In a building, where books go up in flames
With captive, candid cameras
And sexual paraphernalias
A flash, a flash, a flash of light. A bolt, a bolt, of energy. A man alone, on a sleepless night, wrought with desire of a lover’s heart, alone he sits on the porch watching mother nature play her song and weeps and weeps. And sobs a sob.
You lost someone
It's winter
The ice gets colder
Every hour is spent thinking of her
Every hour reminiscing over the accident
Every hour haunted by the idea that she will never come back
I’ve been back a week now.
A week out of Europe and a week in America.
So why does that feel so odd to me? I was born here. I lived here my whole life.
Why do I feel so out of place?
We sink together, you and I.
Slow, slow, quick
does the water rise
above our heads.
Next to me
you grew ever so still.
Out of breath,
out of time,
we sank together,
you
Save me
Oh Lord, from me
From this traitor within
Defeat the beast inside my heart
Free me
"Bisexual" equals "Confused"
I go "both ways" therefore
I have poor decision-making skills and
I am living in a phase that will pass,
straight until proven queer.
Let me tell you what I have:
Time.
It flows ever forward
Fleeting moments and long caresses
Like a river
Moving.
Order in a circle
Tik tok tik tok
Numbers, seasons, feelings
It flows ever forward
“What’s wrong?”Do they care? Do I answer honestly?“Nothing. Just been a few bad weeks,”“Oh,” Yeah, oh. Sincerity and compassion are long extinctLost in a world where the prestigious Ivy
Living in this world sometimes disgusts me.
How can I find the beauty in life with all these tragedies.
They tell us to reach for the sky, but life tends to brings us back down.
One word and I’m all yours
But you don’t even know it
Bring on these confusing thoughts
And how I know I’m getting ahead of myself once more
I think of a future
Even though our friendship has just begun
Music
Music….
I am music.
Music is me.
Music is the essence of my life.
It has defined me; it has shaped who I am; it is molding my future.
Life, it is too short and sweet,
But at times it's a bitter release.
Live while your lights still on.
She took the kaleidoscope in her hand and put her eye to its head. And it all was spinning,
but still colored and bright and maybe glittering a bit,
and that’s all that mattered, right? She thought.
friends, parents, teachers,
all seem to have only one thing to say to a child desperately seeking advice:
"just be yourself!"
it becomes the core theme of children's shows on disney or nickelodeon
My revolution is the intentional endings assigned to life.My revolution will not be brushed aside.My revolution will comfort the heart broken and despised.My revolution will hide the guns, knives, and ropes.
The dark grass glitters;
the frost lies like white diamonds
‘neath deadbolted clouds.
The trees stand frozen.
They creak and crack with each move
like old men stretching.
I hate testing,
the way it makes me feel nervous
and unprepared prior to approaching it.
The anxiety of failure lurking in the shadows afterwards.
During, enduring a twisted metal contraption,
How can it be that when I see a tree,
I see life in it's purest form and beauty.
Yet you see a tree and all you believe
is that it's taking up space.
I can't believe the human race!
I am young.
Smooth,
Fresh and clean.
Youth of today,
Leader of tomorrow.
Open hearted.
Open minded.
Free to be, what I want to be.
A spirit not yet confined to the rules of society.
Alone with your shame
Breath coming in short, purcussive gasps
Hands shaking with anticipation and pain
Blood drying on the inside of your gloves
Memories of the last man to break you down
Every leaf
Shakes the hand of another,
For they all share the same branches,
And they all share the same tree.
If every person
It was a hot day at Yiyah's
So we went inside to play
A game of Sleeping Beauty
That soon went astray.
All three sat on the capet
Criss-cross applesauce.
I laid out the rules
He held me close and pulled me tight
And forgot all about the fading light
I closed my eyes with his arms around me
I lived years for this moment; for destiny
Writing essay entries as if they were my diary entries
I try to write two a day, but some days I wrote nothing, other days I write everything.
No time to waste, gotta write those essays.
Everyone knows the story of the man and the mouse
His famous stories flood through every house
The girl thats hurting, from long days.
Head throbbing, feeling alone.
Missing school, pushing herself to hard.
Still she smiles, nothing phases her.
For she is the girl, who lived, who survied.
Her
Hands shook as she took the steaming bowl from the tray.
Her oversized winter coat was threadbare and frayed.
I could tell it had been a long time since her last meal.
Break through your melancholy shell
And witness the world for all that it is.
Stop isolating your happiness.
Find solace in the warmth of strangers.
Look up and see the life and the love,
To see you smile is all that I crave.
Don’t worry, my darling, I know you were brave.
You were scared of yourself and what you might do,
And I promised to be there to help you through.
Long ago, I found a tree.
Alone it stood by the sea.
I went beneath its brilliant shade
And all my troubles there I laid.
To the tree, at night, I stole
And released the sorrows of my soul.
Blue skies and green grasses,
Evergreen and oak and apple trees.
But damage caused by the masses
Lies beyond this dystopia in disguise.
Picture perfect white houses, sports cars, and planes,
This world is bitter cruelAnd I was a foolA fool to think I could change a world of coldThat I could change it into something bold
This generation is the end they all say.
We hear this by teachers at least once a day.
You will amount to nothing is frequently stated
By those we look up to not those who are hated.
It don't matter to me
No way, no how.
I'm right here
Smack dab in the middle.
So no way's it gonna matter to me.
And I ain't diggin' no concrete coffin.
No backyard mausoleum
I am a mixture. A swirl. A combination.
A blend. A concoction of two different nations.
I am two parts color and two parts white.
One half day. One half night.
Two separate parts of two separate wholes
A transparent water droplet,
seemingly microscopic in the grand scheme of things.
But one must not forget
that a butterfly's wings can cause a tsunami.
I won the case, my prize?
One way ticket to paradise.
I take my people and go
The land is vast, they said
We don’t need your savagery, they said
My people’s tears trace the trail
What’s wrong with the world?We live in a world where grades are more important than learning.We live in a world where college, which is supposed to launch you into a prosperous career,
Education is the way to go
They say the more we learn the more we earn
Go to school get good grades and one day it will pay.
Read them books and write them essays
Answer the questions and pass the exams.
I exist in a generation of people longing for a revolution.
They have a burning desire, as I do, to be a part of history, to make a change.
However, my peers have no ambition to be the start of the revolution.
One moment, a multitude of thoughtsThe fear swells up like a raging stormIt envelopes my muscles and my knees go weakLet it go, clear my head, take the leapTwo shoes over, one step back
Chance is a thing known and disliked by almost all.
Whether the changes be big or small,
short or tall,
made during the spring or the fall,
change is always change.
What does it mean to be who we are?We come so farOnly to findThat we can never rewindTo take back all the things that we said
To you it’s just a word
But it makes her soul burns
And leads to that knife
She takes that first slice
And though the cut hurts
She’d rather feel that pain
All the word’s a yoga studio,
And all the men and women are yogis.
They lay out their mats, unfolding their journeys ahead.
Beginning with Sun Salutation and ending in Shavasana.
Bee-eep
Beep Beep
HUT!
The familiar sounds.
The whistle.
The snap to attention.
I feel the harness on my shoulders,
Gravity pulling the drum down.
But I stand tall,
Me and my drum,
It has been five yearsFive years.Five years since I left my home, my friends, My love.
Turn around and see
The mirror on the wall.
Face it with all your strength
And stare into the eyes
As they glare back.
The emptiness you normally see
Has vanished.
The room, it beckoned me sound
To waltz again round and round.
“Dance with destiny and test your fate.”
What it held, I was unsure.
That which beckoned did quite lure.
Look at the stars
The rain, how it falls
The smell of the flowers
And the grass so tall
The rushing of the wind
I’ve lost all faith,
all my trust in the world
has dissipated into thin air.
It floats away as a
mist that I can feel but
can no longer grasp. How
can something that you know
Oh permanence! I long to live
Life with actions like a pencil.
Not ink…
Removal of mistakes and
Forgiveness for lost words.
Not ink…
Once beautiful, strong, confident walls
surrounded the city that was your heart
built to keep the secrets in and potential dangers out
until one day a gateway emerged and tourists
People fly by me
In a whirlwind of colors
And I begin to think
Who?
The people that go so fast
Sisyphus presses on as always,
Lucky rounds the corner,
and a man in a desert stares at a rope.
A rhinoceros trumpets just out of sight.
Gene Wilder will not capitulate.
He’ll never be a hero, then,
It's a thing that you see as a little girl watching Bugs Bunny
The woman who comes out to sing in the end of the opera cartoon is big and fat
And then you grow up and hear that it's "not over til the fat lady sings"
A trip to Auschwitz
My apprehension growing with every step
I can see the sign that welcomed the prisoners
Over sidewalks covered by childish chalk doodlesI see your little feet walk on by,and I turn for a second glance at the impossiblebut you've already vanished into thin air.
I am a phenomenal woman!
I am black, strong, proud, and hopeful.
I am some so sweet, but like anyone else, I won't let you step on me.
I am different and hard to comprehend.
I someone weird, a true friend.
On Valentine’s Day you gave me a teddy bear
In return I gave you my heart
You said “Take good care of him he’s my favorite”
I said “Here, no strings attached”
Maybe we could educate men
That no always means no
And I guess we could educate women too
That it's not your fault
What he did to you
Even if he was your boyfriend
A random stranger
During the night
Look up into the sky
And try with all your might
Not to lie
Think of everything youve done
Think of everything you do
Do you ever wonder
If this is the right thing to do?
Do you ever get paralyzed
With fear
Because you don’t want to wake
Forty years old
Look back and just say
“What the hell?”
You are always there
Just never with me
You make other girls fall
I’ve fallen the hardest
Your smile lights up the the world
with kindness
You are so nice
it’s your curse
Today is my cheat day,
Or maybe my cheat week,
A smirk of a smile,
Of diets and exercise I do not speak,
The guilt forgotten because I seek,
The delicious foods no longer I sneak,
The last glance is always the heaviest. Even though you'd stared at the concrete front steps thousands of times as you stepped your feet up them one, two, three.
withered petals, dented leaves,
and crusty, dried dirt blanket
the ground beneath our souls.
the rain is cold but fresh;
nature burns the vestiges of fall and
cerulean forget-me-nots remember me.
When you’re alone in the castle
When even the mice have gone
When the moonlight shadows stalk
And it’s a long time till dawn
When you cannot hear a voice
Because the walls block out the sound
I don't remember how it started, but if I did
I would imagine it to be like a fog
twisting and pulsating within
the confinements of my brain
A speck
Of dust smudged between "I'm tired" and
That tear you saw Represents all the pain i have suffered The built up anger,hate, and frustration That had been bestowed upon me That tear isn't any ordinary tear It isn't the cry for attention or pity It's the tear of someone so broken inside I
Sometimes growing up
Is like the first day of school.
You aren't sure what to do,
You aren't sure who you are,
Or what you want
For lunch or for life.
The second day of school
To the students we are "freaks"
To the staff we are "special"
To the administration we are "wasting time"
To our parents we are "going through a phase".
But to the script we are life
Anxiety flows over you, toppling and sending radical shivers of coldness throughout your body. It makes a cold sweat and a nervous shake; Causing overthinking and a racing heart.
It was during one hot summer’s day—the Sun—ripe—Fat—That a droplet of sweat—fell to the grass—lifeless--dead—flat—
How could you love this skin i'm in
I don’t even love this skin myself
Rough are these patches
Millions of scratches
Months till they go away
Yet you see beauty anyway
Shallow you are not
Me
Self
I
Mainly engaged
Sometimes energetic, lonley or fading
I hope, I dream, I wish, I want
I have finally learned
That I am myself
And that myself can fight for me
Recently, I started writing myself into corners
And writing myself into corners
And writing myself into corners
And writing myself into corners.
STOP.
There is no way out
Bread by Annabelle Einhorn
Kneed me like dough
Roll me flat out and let it all show
Mix my sins with my successes
My guilt with my pleasure and throw in chopped bits of worry for good measure
“They r just (w)ordz.”
Tell that to the suicidal kids
Taking it everyday, silent
Letters (o)n a screen, never quite heard
Yet stings of fag and slut ringing in the head
At a young and confused age She is lost.
Everything She has ever known is gone.
She's on the edge of breaking.
She just doesn't know what to do.
She tries to find relief.
I am a lover of words, of prose, of poetry
Something about the way the vowels and consonants create varying
Syllables that ebb and flow, forming something beautifully aureate
We find ways to make it.
We are stronger than we think.
Most believe they will break
So they give up at the brink.
It is when you are near the end.
Do most quit,
Tip it back.
Chug it down.
Chase it.
Pace it.
Feel the tensions escape.
Feel the worries
d
r
o
w
n.
Tiptoeing past my shame,
Where once again,
I start to question if I’m worthy
To eat that extra slice,
To role the dice
To tell me if I’d ever pull off “curvy.”
Smiles watch me now;
You left me that day. You told us to grab a bite to eat. When we put our key in thekeyhole, there was something different. IT NO LONGER TURNED... I wondered as a 3 year old young girl about what this all meant.
The wrangled wallet lay on the desk,
Full of clutter i brush it aside,
Showing cash and only an ID,
Currious i pick it up again,
I flip it open and look inside,
Lost memories fill my empty room,
"I'll take these lies to the bottom of the sea,where not even I could retrieve themAnd all of these emotions that run so deep,I was just pretending, lying to myself again
Let me tell you a little story about a cat I know,
That wen’t from love to loss not too long ago,
From inside a warm house to outside in the rain,
Nobody cared about her struggles, hunger, or pain,
According to some peopleApparently I sound too white to be a black girlAs if tone of voice directly relates to raceAs if how I articulate and reiterate can directly relate to my heritageAs if someone can"sound white"
You never really listened to a word I said
All of it just got lost in your head
You say I’m something you can’t comprehend
But all I’ve done is bend
Over backwards for you
And your issue
Looking to the East never gave me peace, but
Lifting up his shirt to feel his body heat.
Waking to the West so sure of my end, and
His brave soul to house my heart – take me in.
Innocence was just a figure from the past
There was never any doubt that it was going to last
A boy that saw the world as a wretched waste land
Has now come to see the full effects at hand
Your mouth moves but I do not hear.
I look at you but do not see.
Your words are rocks
Sharp and gray.
Sweaty palms, nervous ticks,
shortness of breath and feeling sick.
Overwhelming sensation of doom,
the raging need to leave the room.
I want it to stop.
I want it to end.
Distress.
I lay there in a bed that's not even mine, my tongue still
scorched from earl grey tea that now begins to simmer into
my bloodstream, taming my trembling fingers
and knocked knees.
Use your creativity Make your dreams become reality As I go throughout my journey I will learn new things My insight will become clearer Dreams are and can be intellectual But anybody can dream Like Martin
Nerd, Punk, Dork, Geek
I found myself becoming meek
Words, Words, what can they do
change me and change you
Spit words, tears fall
I hated the shallow hall
Forgive, forget
I've never had a boy slip his hand up
my skirt, for good reason too
because
he would now be without it. "no"
was the first word out of my mouth and I'll
be damned if I don't
I miss the days,
When all I had to do,
Was wake up on Saturday mornings,
Just to watch the Looney Tunes.
Lucky Charms in a bowl,
And a Scooby-Doo spoon.
With an innocent soul,
You only live once,
It's time to grow up and be classy,
Put on that red dress,
Strut your stuff down the cat walk,
Mommy and Dady watching,
You want to make them proud,
I do my homework,
I go to church,
I never get in trouble,
Why doesn't he love me yet?
I've cut my hair,
I've changed my clothes,
I laugh at his jokes,
Why doesn't he love me yet?
Thank you for the bracelet you made me in your arts and crafts class
Thank you for showing me your passion for playing through the glowing gleam of your sparkling, hazel eyes
There's ice in my veins, cold steel in my bonesWrought iron bars across my heart, and the highway is my home.I sing a song for the weary, a song for the broken soul
This boy.
He is the epitome of everything I never wanted
Yet I can’t let him go because he took hold
Of something near and dear to me and frankly,
It is essential for my life.
I'm tired of you looking at my skin,
And not seeing the power that is within,
I'm tired of you looking at my skin,
And not seeing the beauty that begins,
I'm tired of you looking at my skin,
Patrick Armstrong
You Only Write Once Scholarship Slam
Power Poetry
January 31 2014
Silent and Content
The sounds of music flutter through my ears,
The time looms closer
To when this journey is over
And we begin our lives anew.
Look forward to our futures,
The songs our callous iPods play
urge us
drink all night, party all day—
seize our one and only chance.
We’re dying.
Throw ourselves into the dance.
Family,
The thing that brings us home
For Holidays.
Gives us a stable rock
In each of our lives.
Who could ask for more?
Love,
The thing that holds family together
The snow is melting,
The chill is receding,
The flowers are changing,
The birds returning.
The day is gay,
The clouds are calming,
The smooth day is punctuated
By the shrieks of happy children.
Light like the dandilions in the midsts of April.Fresh like the grass gleaming greenCalm like the summers breezeExilirating like the morning humming birds
Opportunity cost –
the benefits you could have received by taking an alternative action
Whether to reap the comfort and benefits of the moment,
thus gambling the future,
What is true beauty?
If not honesty and kindness
Some think appearance
to have that hour glass body and a pretty face
To look like models on tv
to have the attention, the spotlight
Life is about more and a won hey is better than to seize.
Accept the day, it’s fine.
Two sides with every main door and perspective is the key.
I think the way is mine.
Starving mad endless violent
red and anger with those disagreeing
With blind gov’t & jackoffs but you be quiet now
I am not angry.
All I want to do is
place myself far from view and release
a shrill demonic sound.
I want my voice to carry,
for my scream to vibrate the air.
The fog hides it all.
How tall is that building?
I don’t know where I’m going.
I need to keep on
Looking, searching; failing;
The fog hides it all.
Day one, walk in,
backpack light, chin held high
smile on your face, you nod to your friend
Sleep away the awful day dry the eyes and let them gleam with new dreams fall down and get off the ground
As a child you’d like to believe you could trust the world to be
Everything you’d want it to be
Such innocence in seeing life in an easier point of view
Nothing sugar-coated
Just straight forward
Blood pools onto the floor of the fetid concrete cage
And the bile rises in my throat
And the tears sting my eyes
As I wash away the stains of misery
Of malnutrition
Of neglect.
Do you know what it's like to want the simplist things, but your budget just doesnt simply call for it?
Life is fleeting and short,
often wasted taking all the little details for granted.
Every good thing in life is a blessing, every dark day a lesson,
or a time to build strength, so you don't fall later.
Am I the one who will change the world?
Am I going to be remembered in history?
Am I going to allow others to hold me back?
Am I willing to make sacrifices to succeed?
Am I making a positive impressions on others?
stereos blaring
cars honking
footsteps
many many footsteps walking
People Pass the Pieces to Progress
sometimes intentionally
sometimes unknowingly
i'm rolling fast down a steep hill.
you know what they say about old habits.
they'll eat you from the inside out
unless you eat yourself first.
but what happens
when you throw yourself back up?
i am a flowerpot woman.
i am grown from a seed,
a tiny speck of life
with the promise of, one day,
becoming something beautiful
and without purpose.
you give me life,
fill my veins,
Some of us were Volcanoes in a past life
Could’ve been something else
But had a mission way too hot to be anything human
Women were once fire mountains.
Humans are drugs to me.
Tucked together in a cabinet out of neccessity.
I'm a fool, popping person after person.
Each package labelled with the empty promise of progression.
When I was younger I didn't understand all of these feelings,
Why wasn't the opposite appealing?
And everything around me made me feel like a mistake,
I didn't know that I was made this way.
Mean what you say, say what you mean.
If you don’t mean it, don’t say it.
This poison that tumbles from your lips
Can destroy a reputation,
Can destroy confidence,
Can destroy a soul.
Trust worty as a Strawberry Tree
Innocent as a tattoo
Never the confiteor, never the shame-faced
The secret that lys deeply In my mind
the truth behind behind my tired eyes.
The answers to all the questions
Only I know, holding it in because I'm afraid to let go.
Horrifying memories
Calm down take a breath...
there isn't much to say society is becoming the victim while the rest of the world is a dictator.
telling you how to dress and play the game of life.
Money, Money, Money
Its on everyone's mind
Everyone needs it for something
Whether it is for food or drugs
Its always needed
People love it
People go crazy for it
You wish you had a lot of it
I don’t understand this world we live in.
People are angry so they abuse their own kin.
The economy’s crashing down but prices are rising.
I look around me,
and everything is changing.
We are growing up, don't you see?
We are actually aging.
Yes, we are in high school
Junior year to be exact
Reality will hit soon though,
The pain begins to kick in.
The never ending pounding,
The drums beat inside my head.
Trembling, the room spins,
Sipping the vodka in my glass,
I'm drowning.
My liver screams
Troubling how I can’t seem
To stop thinking about you.
Thoughts, images, fantasies
Of you and I doing things.
And not to mention the way
I feel when I’m around you.
I’m willing to lie just for
You insensitively categorize me
Branding poverty as my own while claiming me unwise
You may see me as a waste
Well that no longer applies.
Friend. By definition, a person whom one knows, likes, and trusts. By society,
One who will let you bend over backwards for them, but won’t move a muscle
in your time of need.
Dearest daddy we were always so close
Your magic tricks and games made me love you the most
But I was only three when I would finally see
What you were doing to mommy and when you left me
Truth be known this is a poet’s story
Of agony, pain
Glorified dismissal
Acceptance at the blow of a whistle
That as we speak a child is forcibly falling to their knees
There was a time that I went crazy
and that's all you need to know
and it's happened more than once,
Who'd guess I'd get so low.
I'd like to say he saved me
But it's so much more than salvation
I used to go to the beach with my father,
and I laid, three foot ten, on the shoreline
face down to the sand. I learned to do a push up when I used my elbow
It was once said in a lovely song
That love makes the world go round
But what happens if we lose all faith
And can no longer find happiness or love?
Has the world become so full of hate?
Trauma: The Most Powerful Lecture By: Matthew Luz
Strive to wake up before the rest of the world.Watch as the sky paints a picture of a new dayWatch the birds chirp a new songWatch the earth come to life before your very eyes
The sensation I felt replaced the darkness
I ran to it hoping that it was mutual
For years I stuck by you
Praying for the truth
With endless nights of wistful wishing
A tedious gnawing at my tummy
Strays my eyes from the board.
The disparity is doubled.
How can I pay attention?
When I can’t pay for food?
Her only love from her only hate.
She only hopes it is not too late
To learn if his love is true,
For by his love she is consumed.
There once was a boy from Ohio
Who applied for scholarships like wild
Well I am that boy and
College will cost some bands
Give me the cash that you've compiled
I remember that I was irrevocably and hopelessly in love with him. Everything about him drew my eyes like magnets.
I'll come right out and say it--
I envy you.
Your ability to
Leave it all behind, and
Escape
To where nobody can touch you.
Don't be discouraged when they fight your beliefs
When they attack you for what you know to be right
The are simply afraid of you
You present a threat to their narrow world view
Don't ever give up on the life you are given! Strive to be the best you can be, to show the world who you are! You wan't to know who I am?
When I look inside their eyes
I see cries
They tell me of their woes
When they look like they're about to decompose
In publicThey look idyllic
But in private
They seem to have lost their spirit
What is love?Love is a bond that we share. Love is our superglue that keeps us together. Love can be contagious just like a deadly disease.
It is time to wake up to the sound of the world,
such a world that consumes its habitants with dreams
and goals that come and go with no reward left for those
Tears fell that morningand a heart was broken.I wanted to be there tohelp you through;to be the one you couldtalk to, and though Iwill never feel exactlywhat you do, I know just
Inner conscious in three
Action begging for a move,
Reason waiting for an explanation,
Awareness lost by the arguing tunes.
Back and forth they go,
each stating their own reply.
Having trouble starting a poem about somone I adore so greatly
Is like somone having trouble walking again I should have this down innately.
Personally I'm struggling to come to terms with the reality of not seeing you,
I try to keep myself from lashing out. Cause if I do I feel that I would only be without. You'd think that people understand but they're a sloppy mixture, they still believe in stupid boxes with the moving pictures.
A child.
A wonderful miracle to still be alive.
All alone inside a box on a street;
The umbilical cord still attached.
A small child left alone; a small child abandoned.
She told me she got a bad grade on our last math test
The problem is, she told me while crying.
Why would you cry over math?
The simple answer:
Everything. Is. Math.
Literature? Math.
History? Math.
Your expectations are too high for me
I'm not yet ready to climb such a height
Images of things I could never be
I know I might choose wrong, instead of right
Be mad, just don't have that look in your eye
She saw stars.
Bright as day in the blackness of night.
Beacons of hope in a perpetual unknown.
But they dulled.
They dulled as did the twinkle in her eye.
Out of all the things on earth,
Of all the things in the sea,
What matters most to me,
Is my wonderful family.
They pick me up when I'm down,
And hold me when I'm up,
I wear their love like a crown,
Days fly by and nights linger coldly, And I stand watching through the window, As the sands of time slip through the hourglass slowly, And yet I am ever-still as I keep vigil over those below.
I hope that when you kiss her,
you taste the sorrow of her soul.
and I hope that it saadens you to the point,
you no longer watnt to exist.
Because you died to me long ago,
And to this day
I will admit that all I ever wanted was to hold your hand
For the thought of my fingers playing in your palm
Sent shivers everywhere
Postage stamps weren’t cheap
Do you ever stop and ask yourself why?
Why are you here and the meaning of life?
Everybody lives, but only to die.
So tell me what’s the real meaning of life?
Its Game Time
But we were down at the half
Leilehua Mules with the second half comeback
And I gave up a sack
Music is my life, my love and my passion
i'm not conerned with the trends, the gossip or the fashions
i'm not worried about what other people say
so I just put my headphones in and let the music play
Tip tack tippy tack is the sound of thhe caalcuaters ringing no flowers or song sing for me will it be .See I let my mind flow unwilling letting my mind tell you the things i want you to see.
Why is there such disrespect
For all those that we know?
Why is there such prejudice
Are you putting on a show?
Why does the color of your skin
Or the gender that you like
For I have wasted 12 years
For do not get wrong of the educational experience
Just time better spent would be simple
Being the little time we have on this planet
To actually doing something with our lives
Only with a finger prick,
do we truly see what lies within.
What can you do,
when your own body decides to attack you?
From the inside out,
you slowly die.
Faster than most,
The rocky surface i feel
beneath my feet.
Gliding like an arrow
in the wind.
My hair gets in my face
and i gently push it in back
of my ears. Every inch of my
So many choices
That I can't make for myself
So many places
That I can't go and explore
Let me make my plans
So that I may have control
Let me do my thing
So that I may learn to grow
I know I'm your only child
And just cause I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm going to run wild
My head is on straight
You just have to let me concentrate
I know the world is a big place
I dont think it ever mattered to me.
It never mattered how I use to take care of you when you should have been taking care of me.
This is a poem for those who
left and those that are left.
I.
This is a hanging poem,
Love is a hanging poem.
How many pills do you drink a day? None? I drink ten. How many eyes do you have starting at your way?None?I have one too many. How many voices do you hear while no one else does?None?I hear more than twenty.They all scream,They all cry,They all wh
I pay attention to your mouth, then you turn away to look somewhere else.
You keep talking but I don't understand, I just hear mumbling.
Sometimes dreams seem too far awayEven when you want to seize the dayEven when it feels just within reachHopes can die with a piercing screech
He went to war.
He went to die.
He went to battle for you and I.
He was not forced to do this thing.
He did it, because of the Liberty Bell’s ring.
He left his family, his only kin.
Bullying is wrong, so why do we do it?
Does it bring pleasure to hurt others feelings?
Maybe we all need to start to commit.
I, for one, am against the killings,
of a smaller kid's pride. And him felling unfil
It’s horrible
To be stuck in a place
While wanting to fly
Far above space
Dreams, illusions, future schemes
So bright they show
Through a huge thick glass window
So close do they seem!
Sleepless Owl in the eyes of the sun. Mocking thy simple existence in this perpetual world. Starved by the thought of food, craving the ruby red taste of wine. The owl saw this miserable creature and made a faint smile. The owl spoke," I kn
Hello, sir! How do you take it? Cream, sugar, both, black?
Actually, none, thanks. Take it back.
If I wanted a cup, I'd call you up.
But I don't need a single drop. So, you can stop.
This world is taken by the dreamers,
who create the ideas that soon intercept our minds.
A single word can change the course of time;
A small murmur of hope that is carefully whispered into a hopeless mind.
these things that i paint inside your head
things of beauty, words perfectly said
but just when i think its all figured out
the color has faded as the canvas decay
They enjoy chiffon dresses of blue and white
Ribbons on hair of straw
People made of China's best porcelain
Painted with faces bright and white...
Little houses and little steeples
For as long as I could remember
I've used writing as an escape
When I came home to an empty house, so contradictory
Full of expectations of me
I wrote
I filled page upon page with beauty and pain
The world’s expectations for you are high, you’re judged right off the bat
People expect you to fit into a mold, but there’s wrong in that.
Your life is on a timer, so it makes sense for the mind to yearn
There is no telling what shall lie ahead,
The future is hardly meant to be known.
No one can guess what is best left unsaid,
And who can assume how the dice are thrown?
I didn’t mean to be rude, sir;
it is not that you,
yourself, frightened me,
for you were pleasant and kind.
You liked my hair, you said,
but your lips said you dreamt not
of tugging it salaciously,
Question the way you live,
What meaning do you give?
Answers never there,
not even in evening prayer.
On one unforgivable day
you will have the chance to stray.
Before you make the mistake
Fixate your narrow point of view
On that pedestal you thought I'd never reach.
Listen to my ballad of words spew from my brain
Down to my mouth and across the plain.
The audience is roaring and standing up tall,
My thoughts are forced to be trapped
Trapped within my head because I am to afraid to let them show
Thoughts of my friend "I'm going to do it tonight"
More meaningful than anyone could imagine
I am only seventeen and I might not have one clue on what a good relationship could mean, but observing what I have seen between multiple people around me, I have created a list of things that a relationship needs to be. There are six of them.
Well I succeeded
When I thought I had mended
The door receded, the colors blended
And my mind surrendered to the feelings rendered.
I want a peace that is pieced together and not falling apart
Like my heart
She was death incarnate, a toxic drug.
My health was at risk, but still, I took her.
I was afflicte with this mental bug.
A year of my life, nothing but a blur.
Her heroin was potent and lustful.
im afraid we're falling apart
you know that its true
you were always to smart
but it can't just be you
i've nothing to offer
yet offer i do
over and over
making you beleive its true
It’s a disease.
I can’t help it.
I have to be right.
I crave perfection.
I am not a know-it-all;
I just like to be correct.
You’ve been given the opportunity,
To make your life easier for Eternity.
You ignore the gifts given to by God,
Then you have the nerve to say “How odd?”
She told me that he is beautiful, and I believe her.
He tells me that he loves me, and there is nothing stopping me from believing him wholeheartedly.
I know the world is beautiful; I hear it every day.
There is no fragrance more compellingthan the trace of a cup of coffee,raw umber mixed with ivory,dancing together until they are one,as daylight shows its head.
You and me fell in love
a perfect melody,
we intertwine
so beautifully
like song lyrics to a beat
you make me feel so complete
a fair tale relationship
perfect in every way
From where i stood, Tecate Baja California.
20 feet from the line.
20 feet from a different world.
from where i stood all was mine.
i step across that fence and I'm swirled.
The time has come.
A sea of green and white lays before me.
My pulse is rushing but I have to remember to breath.
In.. two.. three... four...
Out... two... three... four...
Solid jaw, ridgeline held, promising
belief, factors controlling a fate future cannot withdraw
nervous attention strapped to a shivering last name
Attention. Right-Face. Parade-Rest.
Follow through.
deeperthanthebigbluesea:
It’s late and I
can’t think
straight
x
If at times you feel you want to cry
And life seems such a trial
Above the clouds theres a bright blue sky
So make your tears a smile
As you travel on life's way
With its many ups and downs
Follow your dreams they say
Then they say your dreams are dumb
To be or not to be?
Obviously, not to be
Do what you want they say
Then they say what you want to be is dumb
Don't do that, you will mess up
I look around and I am surrounded
totally, completely, utterly surrounded like a cocoon
But this isn't a nice and cozy surrounding,
this is garbage on the ground, cigarettes ground to stubs
surrounding.
Spinning
I guess that's the only way to describe it
Aimlessy wandering trying to hide your own confusion
Reaching and grabbing
Hoping that maybe this time, you'll get what you've been after
Spinning
The Last Night
Her little bird bones grasping for comfort
Against one golden laden ring
The story book life coming to a close,
Now rediscovered by those left behind.
Crashing waves and endless seas all across the weeping willow tree.
Mists and winds and children’s song leave an echo through them all.
And in this whimsy of life we find a spirit in warm delight.
You hurt us by...
Throwing "queer" in our faces
Harrassing us
Rebeling,no sympathy
It hurts...
That we can't...
Walk down the street in peace
What is time?
By definition its an indefinite continued progress of existance
But is there even such a thing?
We measure time with numbers,
But there are no numbers in the sky, on our bodies
The only thing I find important,
is the mixing of words called poetry.
Depsite the fact mine's irrelevant,
It's the only thing I have left you see.
Even when the media tells me,
Fear bumped past me in the street
Whispered my life's nameless defeat
Left me on my knees
Telling me I'm never gonna please
Terror crept into my room late last night
Out along requisite’s bay
Up before the sun
How to begin each day
I have started my run
The pain embraced
Little voices suppressed
My blissful place
Where my soul can rest
The life I live
The life I live isn't easy
Hmph I want to see you walk a day in my shoes
You think the life I live is all breezy and easy
Hell no!
You don't even know the half of it
Why don't you understand?If you like me, & I like youThen why do our problems expand? We fight, we loveAnd end the night with a hugBut everyday that I'm with youWe fight so much that we're immune. I miss you moreYou miss me lessWe run in circl
He smiled at me
but not with his mouth, no, this man smiled with his eyes.
you see, this man was a stranger to me, never met him once before, yet somehow I knew him. Funny, but,
Sleepy Little Farm Town,
Provider of Produce, Maker of Hay
Town of Believers, Gateway to Alabama;
Country, Redneck, Strong,
Town of Tradition:
Degree of Labor
By:
Trumere Butler
11/11/13
Questions as bitter as a lemons juice plagues all.
How?
People on the screen don't exisit anymore
All that's there are explosions and products to buy
And this makes me burn.
The screen has become a bible more
or else, it's what society bases it's joys and pains on.
I feel a sort of numbness
An everlasting sickness
I am trapped in my own mind,
I’m so worried all the time.
Will it kill me to let you know?
Would it kill me to make it show?
Broken bones and twisted joints keep her there,
shackled to the bed, prisoner in a jail.
The phone rings; she doesn’t move; sheets cover
her face, a sixteen year bride with a veil.
As we started in this school,
This place where we would learn to use life's tools,
We also began to form our views
Which, through push or pull, became askew,
Young peoples' minds turning to hate.
In little time a great journey is coming to a end
From doing childish thing to becoming men
At the beginning everyone was your friend
but slowly that numbers decreases by the tens
I pretend to drown in the bath.
I dream of hazy, pill-induced dazes.
But then I remember these kids.
These Salvation Army angels
have become true angels to me.
They came when I cried and have saved my life.
I'm coming to you as a little girl who needs her father. This little girl has had too many to reach her.
I’m smart, wasting my time in full IB.
I’m a musician, not in a band.
I’m religious, missing church to do homework.
I’m curious, not researching things because I have “too much else to do.”
THESE WORDS
Words scream out joyously like the children in the street on a hot summer day.
Words coat me in a sticky sweat like the humidity of the swamps of Florida in August.
Reverence-
demonstrated through my parent's beliefs
and their ropes on my limbs--
that you would dive in foreign ocean's
despite the ropes on your mind
Gravity-
They told me I was “too Jewish”
Because I wanted a more detailed service.
They asked me why I didn’t go to a more Jewish camp,
they asked me why I wanted a more detailed service,
Love is passion.
Love is attraction.
Love is devotion.
Love is a notion
that people care
for people other than
themselves.
Love is small.
Love is big.
Love is humble.
You are the Lion,
Strong and Quiet in the grasslands.
I am the Gazelle,
Graceful and Swift alone by the water.
“Our safari of hearts”
I know you're hiding
somewhere in distance.
Look at me; what do you see?
Because I don't think it's me.
I think you see a number:
A grade, a test, a paper.
Is it truly me you like?
Or just that I do the work?
The bells are ringing
But is this ring heard?
Do people stop to say any words?
When a bell is rung
is it silent? No
When a bell is rung it calls out just so
a reverberation
Strong, brilliant and independent I stood,
Unable to be moved, cracked or struck.
I guarded and protected my heart, mind and body,
from all the dangers running amok.
Will you stay with me till the very end?
Though harsh and troubled times may come our way,
Though leaving is the easiest of trends,
Though easy now but hard someday?
Or will you leave and hurt my fragile heart?
He is an unmatchable mutt, I do believe.
He causes chaos with all his snooping.
The friend who will never leave.
During the cool months when colors reave
A rush and it's over
Cars flash by, lights blink shut
Candles flicker, sound crashes along
And my head whirls with
The Speed of Light
A world that never stops moving
Never sits and thinks
when i was five,
anxiety disorder laced in my genetics,
i couldn’t fall asleep until i whispered a prayer,
tears and snot dripping onto my pillowcase,
so god would protect me from the nightmares
Everything is shattered, broken, utterly and completely destroyed
So dramatically so, windows broken in to a million pieces, paint strewn across the floor
Yellow wall paper gone gray as if out of fear
You talk about all the money that you blowed
Preaching to our youth to get throwed
You Rich and Famous acting like you really cold
This is one thing you never really told
That the mainstream gettting old
I loved you in
the curve of your upper lip;
budding laugh lines;
the edge of your eyes.
I loved you in
the swell of your lower lip
against my own and in
the stories, the pads of
You stand at your podium
High and mighty, bigger and better
conducting your eager students
creating sounds and noises that come out as beautiful notes
and you gush with proudness, then you stop.
Words mean so much when they’re coupled with truth.
When the words I once heard as a child come to life as I realize the meaning, then they open my mind to a new world of meaning.
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.
The wind blow through these trees so fine,
but you blow through this heart of mine.
The wind blows over waving fields of grain,
but your name bounces around in my brain.
Laugh at me, put me down, spit in my face, take my virginity, lecture me, kick me...But Never will you Define MeI am old as ancient times.I am the roots of an Oak Tree.
Oh Darling, let's go see the world
See places of every kind
Let's go be adventurers
Let's see what we can find
Oh Darling, do you want to come?
Egypt, Peru, Belgium, Nepal
He wrote me a poem once
The boy who leaves in January for LA
He wrote me a song once
The boy I don't want to say goodbye to.
We spent the day exploring a museum once
As I sit here and think of something to write about
So many things come to mind
I could write about a failure, a success
A life lesson I will never forget
I could write a funny story from my childhood
We are made up of molecules,
left over dust from the explosions of dying stars.
We are the descendants of the first man,
every one of us.
The blood of kings and queens,
conquerors, scholars,
Sitting here trying not to think,Trying not to think of you.From your smile to your wink,everything about you had m,e wooed.
"Take your fish oils."Despite them and the yellow particles I breathed in,I lived in sin.Guilt smugly unwound its coils;It had become an expert in multitasking.
Walking around campus
Not sure where I belong
Going day by day
Just singing to my own song.
Everyday is a question
Knowing my future is near
Without direction
I live in fear.
Resolutely, I have indoctrinated myself
Into a world of know, where
Things that were unexplainable have been
Inarticulately explained—
And we didn’t even need a graph to do it.
We don’t need any statistics
I remember telling my little brother
That our aunt was "in Heaven"
Even thought I didn't believe
In Heaven
Or Hell
Even now
I don't believe in that stuff
I leant down in front
Family is key,
Or so they always tell me.
Family will be there for you,
To support and love too.
But it’s not always like that.
They sometimes hurt you like a rat.
They build your dreams
They said go,
But I always said 'No'.
'Cause I-L-Y, til the day I die,
You make me smile when
I want to cry.
You words of sweet love
Hit me like moms apple pie,
I don't know why
I do everyone else jobs without complaining
I do all these things for you, for what, tell me what am I gaining
I fail to realize that I have a voice that should be heard
The sun has peaked and at its highest
Here still I am without a clue to life even in the slightest
This window, fogged, scratched, and tattered
Tinted black, without a chance to flee from its fetters
Spotlight warms my skin,
I have a rising feeling,
All I have worked for,
One shot for the role,
And I know the lines,
The audition piece is engraved in my mind.
My life is better on stage,
I’m 16 about to be 17.
I try to get away from everything.
Everything that makes me feel like I’m not worth anything.
They say school is where you get away from all the negativity.
Yesterday he showed me his bruises.
Pulled his sweater up and underneath his breast
They were scattered across his ribcage like a
Little patch of violet rorschach tests.
Every inch of exposed flesh
Distorted by the image in the mirror
Can't you see you are perfect?
Can't you see you don't need this?
All you see is baggage
All I see are bones
Come to me, my love
I felt its presence in the room
That leering, awkward warmth that it brings with it gives it away
The way it can't resist touching my eyes
Reaching in my throat
Do not forget
where you're from.
Stand up tall.
Face your fears.
Tell your tale.
Make it count.
You look up, hoping to see another day
The love is no longer there; for, hatred has overcome
This world is corrupt and fire fills your bones
You can't take the abuse, the torture, the ridicule
Dancer most my life.
Musician half my life.
High school graduate before long.
College is the best time, best place to become the artist I am meant to be.
Not ready to quit what I do, what I know, what I love.
My brother is a cheerful ray of sunshine on a sad, sad cloudy day.
Bubbling and overflowing with joy.
His big and shining smile is like a sweet M&M,
That lightens up the eye and heart.
This is my fight
My reason to write
Music is my voice
and the world is my audience
I'll speak my wisdom
through a riff and a song
and when the world turns their ears
I'll show them the wrong.
So ladies and gentlemen!!Get ready for a no-chance SUMO WRESTLING fightIntroducing the contestants....on the blue side,is the all time professional BIG SUMO BROTHER.And on the red side,
Here I lay in the hours of night
Filling my mind with all that I know
The image of an angel binds my sight
With frozen emotions embedded in snow.
Nine years in the past
Whether by first sight or not
The doritos of great heaven,have the cheese of simmering greatness that spices my tongueon every tasty crunch.
Above is where I want to be,
Success is all that can see.
The top will be hard to reach,
But the will to try is easy to teach.
Reaching my dreams is all that I think,
Close your eyes.
Take a deep breath.
I take that back...
Hold your breath.
Hold it in, Hold it back.
Its not worth it.
not worth it....
"Thats not even muisc" they say
"All they do is scream"
It seems to me like you're forgetting something
Catchy beats and rhyming words is not what music is about
Until they see me Imma be meA dime a doze for talent seen on tv.Trying to make a dollar out of fifteen cents.But I'm five cents short and my dime is spent.This is kind of common on commons sense.
Xiomara Martinez, the most Hispanic girl I know,
Shows me and teaches me la cultura hispano.
Her accent lilts like a rumba
With no hard turns or consonants,
Just a soft, rolling blend of sounds and
You're not allowed to be a kid anymore; no more fooling around, be serious;
every move you make from here on out will affect the rest of your life;
I daydream of being something different, somewhere different
I wonder, I questions, I think and I have come to the conclusion.
Im not living to die, but dying to live.
Here are a few words of advice,
For those to whom I speak:
Think before you say what you say;
Look before you leap.
Words can be weapons.
Dangerous ones -- like guns.
you say you care as you stand and stare
into my eyes its no surprise
but underneath, yeah i can see
everything we had, it all went bad
we felt in love, but the stars above
they rejected, we were protected
As I grew up I never had anyone to turn to.
Sure I had friends,
But they didn’t understand.
The anger.
The pain.
The feeling of being so unwanted.
I knew people loved me.
I knew people cared.
Crushed by this endeavor.
Broken by my lover.
I once thought love was forever,
but time seems to end when we were together
Hit the rocks from the tide.
Dropped down from the vibe.
When I am weary and tired of worrying,
I take a look at my phone and see what
new vine is spreading.
I distract myself from a heart
beating too fast
and a mind reading too quick
oh stop -
Life is beautiful. Isn’t it?
Not when your dad is a drinker.
That just makes it total shit!
I am glad my mom was a thinker.
She left real quick,
And met a much better man.
Daddy you made me sick.
If people were emotions you would be love, the way you look at someone and let them open up like an old cupboard.
Breathing In, Breathing Out.
A world of hatred, fear and misconceptions;
A world without grace, love and mercy.
Our leaders run
Stop and Stare,
look around at all the trouble,
As we try and walk around as if we aren’t going through a struggle.
I try and make sure my school’s environment isn’t what other schools go through,
A dark gloomy place where there is know hope, just fear and exhustion.
Where food is substitued with screams of agony, fear, and hunger.
With know escape, but maybe there is one, your only way out is death.
A dark gloomy place where there is know hope, just fear and exhustion.
Where food is substitued with screams of agony, fear, and hunger.
With know escape, but maybe there is one, your only way out is death.
“This is just a portion of who I am.
I don’t think anyone can be explained on paper.
A person can be explained only by experience.
So maybe you knew me all along.
She’s the one always there,
She always shows me how much she cares.
She cheers me up and makes me laugh,
She is my other half.
So I'm suppose to sit here like I have no sense?
Your white collars praise the past so there's no past tense.
If you can't live in the past there are no regrets,
and your water still expects us to pay infinitive debts.
the words flood around me
become part of me
people laugh in school
calling me freak and others
words but into my skin
forever scaring me
i go through everyday
wondering, hopping
A troubled mind of broken thoughts
to ponder as you lay;
drowning in an open sea
of sorrow every day.
Console your thoughts with talks of love
and what you hope will be,
What if you felt an undying affectionAn honest, eternal, phlegmatic protectionIf love couldn't find you, would you go off and lookFor the one who'd complete you, by hook or by crook?
She looked into the mirror and watched herself cry
Examined her scars, and let out a sigh
She wiped her own tears; lifted her own spirit
She's screaming inside, where no one can hear it.
She looked into the mirror and watched herself cry
Examined her scars, and let out a sigh
She wiped her own tears; lifted her own spirit
She's screaming inside, where no one can hear it.
Little brother, little brother,
where have the years gone?
Last I remember, you were just turning 7.
Still held a sparkle in your eye.
Not anymore.
He laid them out carefully
His words were spread
Like pennies on the ground
I saw them as loose change
Not as change that I needed to be found
But it’s when the green is gone
When his words
For decades, she longed to live,
but the flowers that once rooted,
sprouted,
and grew in her mind
began to wilt and rot.
The technicolor world that she knew
faded to pure darkness.
Almost every nightI dream of taking your handand bringing you tosuch fabulous faraway places.
Staring into the dark empty void
Finally uttering my last goodbye
Tears are for the weak
So never will I cry
My life follows the road
Far away from all I know
Forever on I traverse
Snowflakes unwillingly brighten the day
They drop silently; so blissfully
Through these gloves
And frozen fingers
They slip away
Leaves and bright flowers
Along a path
They start their way
Another day, once again
I have lost another man
Someone I thought was oh so true
Found out he had another love or two
How dare him!? How could he waste our years?
Dreams are lined up against the bedroom wall
like an organized stock room, organized
according by size, taste, also color.
Trapped in jars, dreams are not given the chance
to flourish, becoming stalking regrets.
We are the Generation Unknown.How do we classify?We are classified as unknown,so diverse. Society nowIs full of people who vary.Full of opinions that vary.We are Generation Unknown. But are we different from past societies?Yes.Are we better than p
Here i am again this day,
living in this specific way.
whatching, seeing, spectating,
Oh what a feeling!
Like a moth to flame,
to this world i came.
Born with tears of joy
Typing on that keyboard,
do it all day long,
essays and riddles,
books and titles,
the jam of sweet writing.
The happening of this inspiration,
can only be the cause of one beauty,
Pause quickly the world
Gravity rudes heaven’s tears
Force pressures weak creations
Trimming a mockingbird’s years.
Pause quickly the world
Rain’s mercy left too mocked
All of my memories from before I got my glasses areblurryLike when you imagine a story told from someone else'spoint of viewOr trying to remember a dream you hadyears ago
The Treble Cleft
That works wonders in every breath
In every note that is seen or wrote
Can I feel that warm tingle in my throat
What is life but a swift-fading vapor
Filled with works done in vain labor.
This Misty Veil in which we stand
Veils nothing more than sinking sand.
A filthy smog is all our righteousness,
Winds push grasses, and rocks rolling back through
What lies behind me, the clouds are so blue
And the sky whispers, of things haven’t said
Very glad am I, that I left my bed
Demons hide within us all
Echoing in the back of our minds
Pulling against the chains and begging to be let free
Everyone has demons
Some are just louder than others
Stop!
and learn how to breathein these halls where we shareour discontent with the waywe pretend to be.
Stop!
I don’t suppose I’ll ever rememberwhat it feels like to be touchedsomewhere other than my bodyby the pseudo-warmthof your cherry lips.But it’s my fault:I unzipped my rib cageand placed everything
Pity the puppet!
For not wicked is she,
But unjustly a victim
Of master's decree.
And pity the master!
For puppet he is too,
Though with much power,
Thus unaware that 'tis true.
Would your life be different now,If someone had just told you how?If they reached out to help you changeEven if at first they appeared as strange.
Senior year is here!!!
Senior year is now
These past eleven years
Have gone by fast
I often hear stories of success
Of those who got into UCs
But I also hear stories
why
do you base your thought and feelings
on a book written hundreds of years ago
by the men who you don't even pray to
why
do you judge others
when
judge not lest ye be judged
Intro: So I'm starting to write again after having a writer's block for a little bit. I guess this means I having problems with relationships again. I apologize to those who read my poems, I know there sad and you probably wonder why? Why so sad?
I met Mr.Gun on a lonely night
Sad and alone
I took him home
I told him my story and expected him to laugh
but he didn't to my surprise,
He just stared at me
He seemed to understand me
If there is a “man”,
Saying you are not beautiful,
He’s telling you lies,
His screwed up, twisted opinion of you doesn’t matter,
The blinding lights make it impossible to see
The audience's faces floating in that black sea
The notes soar through the air then down to the ground
Her voice creating a beautiful, everlasting sound
Black and white pictures tell a storyWell , lemme give you a little history on why i give my God the most high , glory ONE I've been through it all , made a couple mistakesNearly gave up because i was unsure of the later decisions i would makeSca
The world can be a hard, cruel place
It throws tribulations into our face
Some of us fall into a pit
And then give up, that's all, that's it
I have fallen into this as well
The twist and curves,
Wind around the ominous islands.
The wooden structure
Flows slowly,
Down the creeping current.
Waddling through the clear blue waters.
Little fish swim;
Free.
Free.
Once,
there was a girl,
she was all alone.
She had no friends,
and hung around with no one.
But then somebody stretched out a hand,
It's time.
It's time to say goodbye.This is the end...the end of you and I.
I can feel it deep into my bones, through to my heart and my soulthat this life we've built for ourselves is over.
Children’s laughter rings out
like a symphony of bells.
Halloween candy saved
for when friends change plans.
Hugs never failed to
make everything okay again.
The years grow old and grey
Father says to girl, it's time to go now
Grabs his bag and begins to walk out.
Daughter in shock, what can she say?
He's gone, walked out, he's away.
She's left wondering what the hell she did wrong
Family
Joyful and Hopeful for the future
Abandons you when you are in dire need of help
Helpful in every way
Annoying in different ways
Loving and Supportive
Brings you down
Look! Can you not measure his beauty
without comparison? Is there anything more true
than what is looking you in the eye? I write
for my beloved, and myself. That is the only purpose.
If sadness is the cause for pain
Then indifference is why we are numb
Then extinct is a rule of thumb.
If we were on the edge of time
Would we slip and forever fall?
We could let go of our beliefs
My green eyes
Gaze against my nearly translucent skin,
Then flicker across buildings
Of mirrors and concrete,
With blurry lights,
As rainwater descends,
Before pelting my crimson coat,
"This is about being heard."
By whom?
Not the people who most need to hear what I need to say.
Because they won't listen.
So I wonder:
why is it that we're so willing to listen to people we don't know,
I may look like I'm from overseas,
But you don't know me,
No, not really.
So don't judge me,
I can hear your whispers, though you think I can't see.
I may be American born,
Late night arguments, early morning fights
Opened the door and was petrified by the sight
Take my little brother and fly away like a kite
But instead you ran, what happened to all of your might?
This child jumping around with a smile on her face, naked.
Not only is she naked of clothes but naked of the harshness of reality.
I want to do something
productive.
But everything has already been
produced.
By beautiful hands. By beautiful minds.
By arbitrary machines. By cold steel.
I'm looking for something real.
I am from a packed down pavement on Main Street, USA
My eyes drawn to the end of a long line of shops and stores to see a palace set for a princess.
The world I know
Is about to go
A new chapter beginning
So nervous it's spine tingling
Going to college to get my future straight
It's going to be a great big wait
They say that writing burries,That obituaries entomb the dead in linguistic sarcophogi. Beautiful, but in no way immortalizingWho was burried in the Taj Mahal?The answer is out there somewhere,
I ask myself, God can you hear me?
Crying, stressing,
but still happy because I’m a blessing.
At times, I don’t think I can make it,
Some days, I can’t take it.
As I watch out the gloomy window of the van; big, dull office buildings go by in the stormy night. Thinking of where I am going. Horrible, sad, exciting, awful, forgiving, extraordinary, and cheerful thoughts go through my head as I approach my
Accccccc f won
Let’s live to do or dare,
Put our faith into one moment,
And call it in the air!
Heads up and we will leave tonight,
Just pack our bags and run,
Does it ever feel like your life is crumbling?
Like problems keep tumbling
And you cannot stop struggling?
Have you ever been told just a little thing
That causes the anxiety inside to take over and win
There is something thrilling about a single moment
about instinct and action
because in a moment, which freezes in time
something is born
an idea comes to life.
it came to life between warm lips and
When you have a dream
You don’t let it slip between your fingers
When some one digs a ditch
You don’t fall in it because your friend tells you to fall
But when someone puts doubt in you
You made my life so sweet each day
Your name I will not speak
You loved in such a peculiar way
Your kindness made me weak
Your touch took me by surprise
Your kisses made me melt
Go back to the days
when you lent me your pinky,
and I promised you my heart.
Back to the days
where that small bond was worth something.
At home is where I am with my family,
Loved, cared for, and always happy,
But when I go to school I have a treasure
Which other students may not get to pleasure,
It's my home away from home,
I can still smile, even if I feel pain. I want to utilize every moment I take a breath.
I
know he’s leaving again today.
The Trestle of my Interaction
A manifestation of mind-
Must afford no miscue-
Perfection when Perfection
At nine I lived for recess
For ten-thirty in the morning
When all school work suddenly vanished
Like the lights somehow did whenever we watched a movie
And all of us swarmed like ants from our classrooms
I am a poet. Writing is what I do. I weave stray syllables Floating meaningless in abyss Of oxygen and CO2. I weave a web of words, I thread them together with Inspiration, Respiration. First one word forms, then Three—twenty—thirty-two.
Caw, caw, caw!
The crow goes.
Boom, boom, boom!
My heartbeat grows.
I stare at my window Waiting, waiting.
Fear enveloping my mind and soul.
