2014 Scholarship Slam
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Actor, business man, football player, teacher-
dream jobs, dream goals,
different forms, different roles,
mind and heart, brain and matter
to each their own,
in my dream i save the world-
Thinking your life is right on track,
Then a sharp turn sends you spinning off course
Slowly and steadily you move back to where you left off
As things get back into place,
You decide to take e a short cut.
Excruciating Love
Never have I encountered such a plight
In which my heart contradicts its morals.
Her skin is dun, while mine is fairly light
'Flawless' is of flawed design,
I am not perfect, nor are you,
But knowing that my flaws are mine,
And that they've made me strong with time,
I praise myself where praise is due.
The light kissed their faces Heaven's hue through which it shown An empty stage apart from her alone.
Don't tell me you love me
Don't you dare whisper that in my ear
I will not fall for it
I will not listen
When I walk past the door I smile
While others might sigh
or groan
or pout
For I know that this is the place where your life begins.
When I hear the bell toll I smile
Winter is a slippery time for walking
My clunky boots skate along the ice
The temperature is chillingly shocking
On this adventure, I’ve only fallen twice
Spring blooms of bright scented flowers
I am the inspiration in a writer’s colorful, exotic, painting.
I am the warmth in a fuzzy pair of winter mittens.
I am the bright segment of colors in a dull room.
The road that lies ahead in our minds
is often bright and shining
To others, it's dark and gloomy
and every sunrise is a dread
Caught in the middle, I'm paralyzed
between fear and hope
Easy nor Quick.
Never Once must I Falter,
During The Challange
To Obtain
Occupational Perfection.
The Road Ahead,
Found to be Rocky,
Yet I must Persevere
To Obtain
This is our time.
This is our year.
We have nothing left to fear.
This is our chance.
To show the world.
What we’ve been fighting for.
This is our chance.
We get to shine.
one job may change my life
but what about others?
the life I live and the life they live
they intertwine
if my dream job changes my life
how can i change the lives of others
If I don't scream, do I still feel pain?
The answer is yes. My pain is real and hides behind walls
I do not let it get in my way
I stand above it, I show the world that I am stronger
Although you are sound asleep,
I lay awake counting sheep.
I can't dream of anything better,
than picturing you in that ugly cat sweater.
Your smile lit up in the dark,
you say, hey, I'm Mark.
Honestly
My dream job is to be spokesperson
As a surivor of sexual child abuse
I believe I have a lot to say
To stand for
And to do
I did not just survive for myself
Why me? What can I do? Why am I more deserving than others for financial elevation? I’m not.I’m just a girl with dreams of making a differenceBut I want anyway.I want to erode my own name out into history
While wishing upon a star
You stopped to think of who you are
A person who has school as the main equation
Seeing a painting
That most people think has no meaning
I see something else
In the jumble of stuff
Not just splatters of paint
But pictures in unlikely places
Maybe a lady on a swing
High School always been a cham
Now it's coming to an end
College is coming what's done? What's planned?
You got to get your head out of the sand.
Go out an apply see what you can do
The yearning of comfort leaves me empty and alone; thirsting emotion and unique love.
As does waiting for that first intimate moment shared in a kiss; the simple, yet monumental knighting of womanhood in America.
his hands caresses every curve of my undeveloped body
every touch; it burns of sin
i scream but no one hears me
i struggle but he wont stop
tears, anguish and frustration
sweat escaping through help
Scribble. Scribble. Line.
Loop the "L", rewrite. Make it neater.
More Scribble. Pause.
Reread. Does it work?
Does the emotion work?
Does it clearly represent the charachter?
There's so much to be done
To this planet of ours
The pain and the hurt
Suffering as hot as Mars
The beauty that surrounds us
Now covered in gunk
Slimed over by humanity
I am not an artist.
I am not an athlete.
I don’t have a way with words.
To some I am a literary architect.
To others a tortured soul.
But to those few who know me,
a regular teenager.
What are you thinking?
President Lincoln?
About the American Revolution this weekend?
What are you thinking?
Jay Gatsby?
Abut How F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote you very sassy?
From the genesis of time,
Man was created from the very bowels of the earth
Flesh and bone
Some have a little
Whilst some have a lot
How can we live as people
When some are just forgot
Some people just want to live
And others just want more
Why can't we just give
I enjoy breathing life into paper.
Words come so naturally to me.
It helps to prove my emotions exist.
It helps to set my imagination free.
I have more control when I'm writing.
Today is the day I will be heard
Today I will emerge out of this shyness
I will let the world know
I no longer will stand injustice!
Today is the day I will be heard
Today I will say
They say it happens all the time.
High school.
They say everyone gets made fun of.
High school.
Outside
Didn't know where I was going
Didn't know who I was
But the midnight eyes guided me
Fear drove me
But love kept me
Insanity near
I yell to the stars but only the clouds hear me
I stomp my feet but the ants dont fear me
I cry but no tears fall
I reach out for help but noones there
Crying out help but the people just stare
Everyone watches but
no one sees.
what is happening to me?
Something sits on my chest but
I see nothing there.
Why can't I breath?
It comes from nowhere.
The shadow grows in my eyes.
When I was younger
And the stars seemed far away
I used to revel in the gold encrusted words
Of my parents
I used to hang from their vowels
And dangle from their consonants
When the air is filled
With excitement and thrill,
The Day has just begun.
When a child that frolics
With daisies and lollies,
J. O. B.
Is it work or is it something free?
Is it something I do or something i can be?
The Job that will change my life is something free.
When i mean free I dont mean pricewise
Squeaky white tile floors
White walls
Lumpy beds
This is where I belong
Among the wounded, among the sick
Never turning an injury away
Whether it be plain to see or not
Driving down a road
Scanning every detail.
Maybe we'll spot a toad
or even something with a tail.
We'll hike through the forest
or find ourselves in the Amazon.
Unable to rest,
This is it,
What I have been preparing for,
The dream I held onto when thoughts of being an astronaut or a princess were lost somewhere in a seven year olds mind.
I have been working for this my entire life,
My dearest poet, do not study for hours another's poetryfor you will hinder your wordsRich painter, do not gaze in a fellow's perspectivefor you will stifle your perception
I am not a fool
I'm only himan
And I'm bound to make mistakes
Understand I've always had what it takes
What it takes to love you
And what it takes to stay with you
Yeah I might have been hurt
Once upon a dream
She lived Lavishly,
Where happiness felt clean
To the soul of purity
Invited all in unity
They laughed endlessly
Enjoying the offering of peace
In eternal divinity
She sits on rooftops, like a bat in the trees
Patient for them to close their eyes
So she can take all that they have
Only watched by the pale moonlight
No remorse is felt
No man shall choose another’s destiny
Gods among earth we are not
My work will drive me as far as I let it
For this is where ambition and wishing will split
Humble actions influence outgoing impacts
Am I pretty? When you look at me what do you see? Of course, you see the way my thighs rub together when I walk.
My first appointment of the day
Is little boy Tommy who is always scared.
All I want to do is help educate him.
Hopefully he comes in prepared.
She is going to think I'm lazy
What is life if its not what you do?
Jobs here, jobs there
just stacking up like entires of a resume, but
none defines me
but what if?
instead of saying:
"I work at.."
I say "I am"
In the hallways of my school,
some girls think they're cool,
while the guys only drool.
They cough
and they scoff,
but I want them to back off.
I hide my feelings
Could the day ever be
When I'll only see just me
Not a monster or a beast
Or has the only me I've ever known deceased
Am I really that lost and far gone?
My life would change in a flash
Simple as someone turning on a monitor
Then the CPU
Waiting for it to boot up
Going into the archives
Then, finally
Adding a new profile
As a child we grow up knowing exactly what we want to be when we actully grow up
A fire fighter is what I wanted to be
The red lights and water is what excited me
But the tragedy of 9/11 also frighten me
I am not complaning, but I live life in struggle
Every corner that I turn, missing pieces to my puzzle
Since bullying exist, l've lived life in a bubble.
I wasnt affiliated with it, I never really got in trouble.
I need a job that could change whole life
And maybe then will shit start going right
I wouldn't have to be worried about my moms
Or my sisters and brothers crying about the lights going off
The water and the cable
Philosophies
Drift amuck in a waterless world
Catching on to anything
Within hand’s grasp
We strive to find purpose
To stake our land
To hold our place
To say “we were here”
almost fell face-forward had they not held us back,
crying because it hurt and made our bodies ache,
It can be any of them.
Just please give me one.
They don't have to be playing Frozen;
the job doesn't have to be fun.
I want to sweep the floors,
take your tickets, show you your seat,
Failure is not an option, as my soul has been catapulting towards this dream since I could mutter the first words of my existence.
Creativity. Creativity. Creativity.
The sole thought rattles my brain day in and day out,
My dream job will change my life,
Not just mine, but of those around me.
My dream job is in the medical field And I would be helping people indirectly.
No having to deal with neither blood nor body excretions.
There's a road in the meadow
parting it left and right
a side where the sun rises
and the other for the moon at night
and now I have to choose
the side I belong to
One Job
Following my passion
Pursuing my dreams
Creating Content
Building Relationships
Helping Others
My Dream Job:
Creative Professional
if i could be anything in the world, free of bindings and seeking only my heart and happiness, i'd be one who fills the world with their heart and imagination.
I am a speaker, an advocate.
I wonder if my nerves will get the best of me.
I hear a trumpet in the distance, proclaiming my victory.
Thunderous applauseA steady, continuous chanting of my nameThat's what I live forThis is what I want
I have been told
To walk a mile in somebody else’s shoes
If you want to understand anyone better
So I wanted to know my mother, and father too
Only to realize from the start-they had no shoes
While everyone else wants to get famous or be on TV,
I just want to cook and serve food different from the what the eye can see,
Hot saute pans and seasonings,
Desserts and fresh bread,
Fighting the fight one day at a time
Problems keep arising, repeating like rhyme
Keep your head up, more important knees strong
Scratch them and bruise them when days seem long
The goal a good life
Lights! Camara! ACTION!
You don't have to be an actor, for your workplace to be a stage.
Just give me a desk and a computer and I'll show you my magic.
Dreams have a way of creeping out into reality.
Children
The soul's simple essence
The proof of our presence
Children
Feeling forgotten
Mocked, chided, and beaten
Children
Sticky and stumbling
Funny and frightened
My dream job
is an open door
it's what I'm paying all this fucking money for
My dream job is Graphic Design
It'll be some time before I get it in line,
4 years of school and $100,000 down the drain
I say science, and they see an endless stringof binary code and digits in single file,test tubes and lab ratsand my eyes dead like mindlessness, likea love of creationcan be muddied up
They say, “travel the road less traveled”.
I say build your own road and make you own path.
The Test
Tests to attend college,
tests in college
Tests in medical school,
skills tested as a resident
Tested to see what it takes to become a doctor,
"How are we feeling today?"
"How much have you eaten?"
"Let's check your weight."
"Have you ever hurt yourself?"
"Are you hearing things?"
"Are you seeing things?"
An interrogation
I wanna act like you're gonna understand what I'm trying to say and relate
But truth is empathy seems to be dying, wasting, and endangered
We're all facing different demons
No one to go to
One job may change my life
“The thing about pain . . . it demands to be felt.”
As I look around, I see it:
I want to go into business and economyMake some money and change the way people thought of meI'm tired of people thinking I can't do it like I'm just an act of comedy
It can't be done.
You can't act in films.
You're from Missouri, where dreams grow to die, like weeds under the sun.
They shout so loud, it bounces off the stars, meaning I can't even sleep to dream at night.
Sit and watch the darkness fall, Ambition calling, call, call, call.Answer, Answer, doesnt she hear?
The natural foliage creeping down the counter,
Draping over the polished tanned walls.
Reflecting ergonomic finesse,
Cleanly tracing the muscular lining,
Of a fresh carcass.
Once you turn your face heavenwards;
To engage in daily conversation
that is, to return to Earth,
merits a physical un-tilting of the head; from the angled
to the staid, erect position, eyes intently glazed over.
One job may give me hope.
One job may define my life.
One job; the chance to change my future.
One place, North Carolina.
One place, the destination of my growth.
One place, the animal sanctuary.
I used to be a weird little girl
Who'd rather play with lizards than pearls.
In the fifth grade I had an obsession with tigers
Almost as strong as Napoleon with ligers.
Mahmoud
A true story
My mother and I stood in the Afghan refugee camp
Solemnly and nervous, I stared as they stared back
"This is where I came from," she said to me
We all have a goal in life,
Become a ballerina, baseball player, or be in the circus.
My dream is to become a National Geographic photographer.
I want to touch the soul, with words that sounds like gold.
I want to hold the world's feelings in the words of my notes.
I want to behold the power to have my written word uncontrolled.
What job would change my life?I honestly have no clue.I don't think much of work or how it impacts my life.Instead of thinking about how a job can change my life,
With enough determination, a meaningless word is fate;
I wish for myself better, for things to be eventually great.
That was a silly enough rhyme, but the words are still there.
Just one job could change my life,
Make me rich, or help me find a wife
All I need is the opportunity, I seek the help offered to me.
All I want is to change a life. I need not strife.
The greek symbol Delta. To people of science it means "change". Whether good or bad, we swear by it and follow it as it leads us to mind-blowing technologies. I too follow the symbol to greatness.
I've got six sources of dreaming, clear
The words all tumble bright, and fear
Is choking cloaking, smogging roping
Round my throat and twixt my ears.
What am I doing here?
I'm learning phonetics,
“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts”
- William Shakespeare
Nirvanna is what I seek; the Paradise thought lost, the Great Hall
Let me dig, let me cram
crawling through flickering passages
Hollowed tombs rich with an era
Tongue tied tumbling over guttural grunts
I dive deeper
Into the numbers and letters and
When I come up for air,
Nobody knows where I've been but
Me and my secret coded feature
It's everyone's and it's mine.
Creamy smoothness under your fingers
Curled up; cat-like
Minutes ticking by
the world surrounding you has vanished
It's only you; eyes devouring
piece by delicious piece
word by beautiful word
I don't know what I'm going to be or where I'm going to end up or what I'm going to see
I wish I could have all the answers, but I don't, and I never will
“Wow, what a psycho”
Says the girl sitting next to me.
How clever she is
Laughing at the uncontrollable misfortune of others.
Walking down the street I see them
Picking up the trash off the street
Without them I wouldn't have somewhere to walk
Without them, my life would change
Walking into school I see them
If you think you are lost
Then you are not alone
For fear of failure
Is not very known
We all reside with it ticking away
But rare are those
The type of job which would change my life is becoming a famous author.
The way becoming a famous singer would change my life is everything I did the public would know about.
I wouldn't really have a free moment to myself.
When I was young I wanted to become a chef
but that thought changed ever since i knew death
I realized I wanted to help people so I aimed to become a nurse
knowing that I would have to study everyday like a curse
We all know the story of Adam,
Eve, and the apple she bit which
damned every generation.
Because of that,
I'm afraid to take risks.
I might as well say I'm afraid to live.
The sick and the dying,
The needy and the hopeless,
Who do they look to for aspiration?
The strong and the immune,
The lucky and hopeful,
Who do they look to for guidance?
Business/Finance major, aint no yelow brick road.
Its going to be tough, but I aint gona fold.
Im going to be a CEO, getting that paper,
Watch me rise to the top, like an elevator.
Haters - all the support I need.
All my life, it's been
You point the way, I'll get us there.
I'll struggle through,
and reach the goal.
I can overcome any obstacle,
but don't know where to start.
Today, I take the wheel.
ONE JOB. . .
One hope,
One ambition.
Is what we are made to choose,
during our high school days.
Before we are 18,
and can legally smoke.
Before we are 21,
I am a flower in the desert, holding out for the rain.
The sun has been hot and taunting, mocking my goals and my name.
“I want to be an engineer,” he said
“I want to be a veterinarian,” she voiced
“I want to be a fireman,” he exclained
“What do you want to be?”
What do I say?
How should I answer?
The child is young, and so am I.
She tries so hard just not to cry.
I hold her hand and count to three
As the doctor puts her to sleep.
"The pain will soon be gone," I say,
As we whisk her gurney away.
This war
Is about blood, tears, and death
This war
Sees a little child heave a last breath
But there are no guns, no bombs
No battlefields that we can see
For the war rages forever on
AFRAID OF WHO I AM AND WHAT PEOPLE MAY SAY
AFRAID OF THE THOUGHTS I HAVE AND CASUALLY EXISTING DAY TO DAY
AFRAID OF THE POTENTIAL THAT FESTERS INSIDE OF ME
AFRAID OF HOW SOCIETY WILL DICTATE WHO I AM SUPPOSED TO BE
If I could be whatever I wanted to be
I would heal the sick and set them free.
I would care for them until they are not in need
Of me to love and to care and to feed.
If I could be whatever I wanted to be
One Journey, one road, one story?
No.
Exploring, doing more, and expressing my inner joy is my future job.
Sharing the knowledge of my obtained wisdom
With young minds, eager to learn and flourish
Is the most noble of desires that can be had
One chance
to make that one choice.
This is the choice that defines
defines you, defines your life.
Well I made my choice
and I choose animals.
Now, I just need my chance
They say that hatred is a fireThat eats at your insidesAnd it isAlong with jealousy and ambitionAt times it seems I carry all of theseBut I've learned to push down my angerTo be content with what I have
We are gathered here, you and I
To study the strange nature of the unyielding sky.
Spanned across our unimaginative eyes, pensively awaiting tomorrow, with all its potential for joy and sorrow.
What is that one job that will change my life?
How can I know?
But I know that the job that will change my life will
give me a chance to show my skills,
allow me to express my thoughts with no fear,
Ever since I was a little girl
I have been asked a simple question
What do you want to be when you grow up?
It really isn't that simple.
I think I have it all figured out.
My dream is to become a nurse
Since I was a child I can remember always staring into space for a while,
Always thinking of something creative to write in a way to express my deepest emotions,
Helping children achieve greatness
Helping kids become their own person
Helping children move up in the world
Helping the world and others around
Helping make a brighter future for kids
A Grammy for the best engineered album of the year
is where i could say my life would be complete
Maybe even a nomination or 2
for that category would be sweet
A few years in college studying sound
No one should have to give up their dreams because of where they're from,
How much their parents make,
Or just about anything else.
Everyone deserves a chance to try to make a difference in the world.
There's a certain eloquence of deed
A satisfaction beyond bewilderment
You can tell me that I can't
And that I won't
But there's a drive in my heart
And no breaks in my step
This one job,
may change my life.
This one job,
may change your life.
This one job,
may change the world.
That one surgery,
can take my life.
That one surgery,
Looking back through thin pages of history
Human lives flash in quick succession, condensing years into a paragraph
Powerful kings into a sentence
Six lifetimes of work into a footnote
Forgotten. Almost.
I have fireworks inside me with special patterns:
Sapphire stars, scarlet plaids, lavender polka-dots.
They explode.
Treking the course-grained rocks at Topsmead State Forest.
Dreams
Funny how they float just out of reach
Just past the tips of fingers
the grasp of belief.
Just as the bird will hop and glide,
the dream will follow
Happiness dies with innocence, where that dies its hard to tell may think they are still young playing the warm sun until it is time for supper but when does that fade?
Upon the page that bleeds my thoughts,
my future stares back in strife.
It’s a jumbled web that has caught me within the spindles,
letting only me seek control of its ways.
Catch a criminal.
Give a victim closure.
Uphold the laws of the country.
I can do that with my dream job:
Prosecuting Attorney
This one job would be my world.
It will make my like have real purpose.
Imagine this.
A mother in labor with a two year old as her labor coach
Did you laugh?
That's ok I do too.
Except I'm that two year old
And my mother's that mother
And my brother's that baby
A bassoon job may change my life,
Any job with the bassoon will suffice.
I dream and think in bassoon,
But I dread keeping it in tune.
I would need to practice and dedicate more time,
MY DREAM JOB WOULD BE BECOMING A VIDEO GAME DESIGNER AND CREATOR.
I LOVE VIDEO GAMES, AND I EXCELL AT PLAYING THEM AS WELL.
PLUS, THE FACT THAT I'M A GIRL JUST MAKES ME EVEN MORE RARE..
A future filled with teeth, with the kind of gum that can't be chewed, blown, or popped.Dentistry. This is what I had dreamt of, hoped for, and worked towards.
There grows a boulder
On the path that I walk
Rock grows on my skin
So I am tough
Trying to find a new
All of the sudden it appears
A detour, a way
I start the new knowing,
Time passes by
The job that would change my life forever for a good cause would be being a paramedic.
What could be greater than help others with their lives,save lives, change lives.
Dreams encased in a tiny bottle
Bursting open, exploding sparks and passion
Nothing would make me more happy than to help serve others
The gift of being able to physically help heal others. It's powerful.
Sometimes, I feel I am zero.
That I am nothing.
Worthless, empty, an entity with no value.
To click my heels across the brightly colored stage,
Just Once.
To put my makeup on in a personal vanity mirror,
Just Once.
To slip into a sparkling costume,
Just Once.
I am a writer
I will write furiously
up until the last possible moments, and then I will let my words trickle into the veins of the world
and wait.
Language, written, signed, danced
All I want is to be an engineer.
Let me make that clear.
I plan to get my bachelor's real fast,
Wanna make that cash.
My family gave me lots of support.
Time t’be a good sport.
Dreams from childhood
come with princes and princesses.
But that dream grows and contorts
to fit the mold of reality.
Princes become bosses
and princesses become bussiness women.
Dedication.
Determination.
Trust.
Passion.
That is all it takes.
An education.
Major in business management.
Double major in theatre.
A four year university.
That is all I need.
The graphic world is what i need
its a deam that i will make a reality
In my world of graphic design all i need is my mind
And other things
Tools and skills with technology galor
Taking pride in what i would like to do
simply makes me thrive and want to see my goals through,
wearing a badge and keeping people safe for a living is
something i'd take great pride in and that's the truth.
If there is one job that could change my life, it would be teaching--at any level.
Am I considered lucky,
to live in this land where I am considered free,
or am I considered a prisoner,
behind bars that are simply a reflection of ME.
"A job could save lives"
"Oh job please come rescue me"
"I need some money"
Rocking with the beat of a thousand breaths
My eyes following the language of symbols
Synchronized with a hundred other masters
My fingers moving quick and nimble
Sitting scowl-faced on the playground, a child aged nine:
“I hate it! I hate school! Don’t look so surprised-
The teacher’s lack passion, they don’t even care,
They always teach the lessons like we’re not even there.”
I wake up
Breathe in and out, and hear
Silence.
I get the mail
Hear no birds or cars,
Only silence.
My granddaughters come to visit
I look all around and I feel their sorrow.
Young teenage girls worrying how they will look tomorrow.
This isn't important each of us is beautiful.
The media and even people tell them all these lies:
ugly,
The day seniors wait for, to finally step out the door. onto the pedestal of the world who could want more?
Twelve years of prison since most were five, up to this day that ends this painful job.
My purpose is unknown, unfuffilled.
I feel like there's nothing to live for.
Helping others out of my own free will;
That desire, that passion, makes my heart soar.
I listen to people attentivly,
I want to make a difference.
I want to mark the world.
I want a good change.
In my life.
In others life.
I want to fight.
I want to suceed.
I want to go to college.
A life for a life
They change mine
And I'll change theirs
They'll make me some kind of hero
Their strength will make me stronger
My plan is bigger than social work
One life.
One child.
One woman.
One dream.
One job.
One heart.
A heart that rhythmically beats and accelerates,
accelerates at the thought of being a healer,
as i picked up my dad's guitar
i thought
"yeah, i got this"
and i wowed the audience with a flawless rendition of puff the magic dragon
drawing my influences from the 1973 gibson itself
If I could change the world,I'd make creativity powerful.I'd make it so I would look outside with a smile,Not an unwillingness to face the coming day.
Silent cries resound throughout the night
Pleading to be heard, their eerie symphony reaching silent ears.
I never thought I would come this far,
It has been a struggle these past thirteen years.
Finally, all I hear is cheers.
This is my year.
It is the new year,
A new me, everyone can see.
I can taste it in the air.
Spicy, warm, and ready to melt in my mouth,
It comes to me.
If you were to visit my elementary school playground between my 3rd and 6th grade years you could find a
It's 7:40 in the morning,
Time travels, time flies.
Walking down the hallway,
with English on my mind.
White, white, white all around,
Everywhere you go,
It's boring from wall to ground.
This is not a hospital,
This is a school.
We need color,
We need expression,
We have creativity,
Seven thirty-five already? Here, let me just press "snooze"
It's time to get up and go learn logarithms for moles I'll never use.
School takes up one third of my day- soooo many hours.