
POEMS FROM BELOW is an anthology of poetry by eighth graders at Bowditch Middle School in Foster City, California. In a two-hour workshop, poet-teacher Margo Perin gave a variety of writing prompts to the young poets who wrote based on what was important to them at that moment, on that day, at that time. The poems have not been edited, so that the untethered voices of the poets can be heard in the same manner in which they were written.
The poetry residency was made possible by the support of gifted classroom teachers, Jasmine Amar, Rob Picciotto and Verne Shrewsbury, whose passion for creativity and rigor in education is awe-inspiring. Funding was generously provided by Bowditch Middle School PTSA.
The poetry residency was made possible by the support of gifted classroom teachers, Jasmine Amar, Rob Picciotto and Verne Shrewsbury, whose passion for creativity and rigor in education is awe-inspiring. Funding was generously provided by Bowditch Middle School PTSA.
My Heart Lies in a World
Krithika Thanigaivean
My heart lies in a world
Where dreams come true
Where a rainbow of children can learn
Where the wise are idols
Where the not so wise are given a chance
Where a bright screen does not make us who we are
Where relationships are based on character
Where the beautiful help, rather than criticize.
My heart does not lie on a planet in a distant galaxy,
Or in a heaven.
Rather, it lies in the possibilities of this world.
When we can work hard to achieve our goals
When color does not determine school
When we listen to those who are willing to teach
When we give the sinners a second chance
When we live in the real world
When we can embrace who people really are
When we no longer use beauty as a marker
Then we have lived.
We have created a perfect world.
A utopia.
A heaven.
What Will Never Altar
Jessica Hwang
Hello there, would you knock on my door,
I am afraid my window is locked and my walls,
Are built too tall and thin, from the sky to the floor.
I keep myself inside,
With daisy chains.
Let us pretend in our kingdom made of broken things,
That these clouds, these tears, are all but dreams.
And that I,
Am only living with glass mirrors,
Without smoke and silver.
Am only living with silver mirrors of a killer,
Ash in my throat.
There are pieces of stone and brick, parts of steel and wood,
That is the dreamcatcher, turned into my unsteady bow.
I nock an arrow on my olden thing, and shoot it at the sky,
It's dark, but then, I am piercing bullet holes
Called stars.
Oh my, oh my, what should I play?
Go to the hill, and you will find,
My wishing well.
Go to the oak, always in fall,
The red leaf will be your bookmark.
Go to the bricks, and cobblestone,
There might be white dandelions.
Go to the old man, all alone,
He will lend you a candle to light.
Go to the bridge, old or new,
And don't let your feet touch its path.
And if I claim nonsense, like you avow,
As you say,
As you wish.
With life, we always hurry, and wish,
We always run in the wrong direction.
Still, don't look back.
The clock tower tolls,
The watch tower crumbles,
And you will continue running,
After a second has passed,
After a minute, or two, or three,
Perhaps even a day or decade.
Let us pretend in this;
This kingdom of promises,
Because it is the hourglass,
Because it is the tick-tock-tick-tock,
Until we lose our breath and we say--
Something?
Your voice breaks in the shape,
As the crack in my heart.
You fix it carefully, with my hands,
A finger on each bleeding line.
Your veins are tiny bridges leading from your heart,
My heart,
To the tip of your fingers.
First the kneecaps,
I do not stand.
First the neck,
I bow, I do not beg.
First the ears,
I lie down.
First, never last,
I do not stop.
Until I do.
And,
Always and,
Oh, have you heard, in a far away land,
There are simple stairs in a simple dollhouse.
The lost torn page of a child's fairytale catches on the railing.
I wonder when this pipe dream just went?
The way that wonderland, is still, better left unsaid.
It begins with a clap. Not a snap.
Claps are loud together.
No one listens to loud things.
Quicksilver lightning speed,
Rain runs through my hair,
Blood gets in my mouth.
Once upon a time,
Long long ago,
The shot down stars I wish upon,
Never could,
Rip the sky when they,
Fell.
We cannot leave the great kingdom,
That will always know best.
To the me of nine years, and no more,
May you please not blow out the candle?
And before you leave that footstep on the ladder,
Let us pretend, just once, one more time--
This is how it goes:
Knock knock,
Who is there?
The Test
Kelly Ma
A big test is coming
And my brain is frying
Maybe I’ll cram right before
I don’t know what to do anymore
My brain feels confused
It’s being overused
I just want to cry
And set all my worries goodbye
The day has come
And I feel dumb
Feeling like I barely studied
I am certainly not ready
Everyone is prepared
While I feel impaired
I stop and stare
Holding back the fear
All the stress
Why not just guess
I am done
But my worries have barely begun
They shall stay
Until I get the grade
Why Do We
Eddie Van Dine
Why do people follow?
Why do people think that being normal is wearing the same clothes, or shoes as the cool kids?
Why do people judge?
why do people jude the way you look instead of who you are or how you respect others?
Why do you feel fat?
Why do you feel ugly when you can simply not care?
Why do we live in a community that has stereotypes?
Why?
Why can’t normal be normal you?
Why?
Why will you change because you are better than what society makes of you.
Ode to my city
Ryan Fatemi
Foster City
No one notices how high you set the bar
until things go subpar
No one hears the whispers
Until the hims and hers stop talking
All you hear is complaining about the quiet hiss
But then you hear the noise and appreciate the bliss
Under the foster care of a safe city
One may take pity on their greed as they compare to the hoods
Life is simply so good
As I sit here writing this during a power outage I think to myself
when the last time was we had one
How sometimes the bad times remind us of the fun.
The grass always seems greener on the other side
But with literally more than half of Foster City being parks there could not be anymore greener grass.
So please stop with the sass.
Descendants
Miranda Chai
You descended from the heavens,
You descended from the rains.
All I know is that you are an angel,
That was once in complete pain.
You often had a smile,
On that pretty little face.
But little did I know,
That smile soon just became a trace.
One moment did I know,
Had completely dimmed your glow.
One day you were a spark,
The next you were in the dark.
Just because of one event,
Where your whole world was bent.
You decided to believe no more,
And was suddenly hiding behind a trapped door.
But when you finally saw a light,
Your spark soon reignite.
Just with a little spark,
You soon descended out of the dark.
Revolve Around
Mitchell Yu
My life starts.
Innocence.
The world is perfect.
I read, I learn,
I grow.
I gradually prepare for school.
I am in kindergarten, 1st,
2nd grade.
I mature.
I am centered about learning.
I finish elementary.
I do well.
Life is great.
I feel great.
I am smart.
or so I think.
I begin 6th grade.
My first realization:
Life is not as innocent
As we were once exposed to.
The friendly life I thought I knew
Dissolved.
I grasp for those fragments.
I hope the world can have peace.
I know that will not happen.
I begin 7th grade.
My central focusses?
Or focusii? Focii?
Are learning and Pixar. Why Pixar?
I don't know.
I wonder if this is when
My social life began to lack.
I continue through school.
School is still the focus.
Meanwhile,
Pixar fades out,
Nintendo fades in.
My social life feels missing.
I am in 8th grade.
I am orbiting all three.
Simple classes hurled over onto life.
Photorealistic images with amazing story.
Nintendo.
Meanwhile, social life is trapped.
Should I free it?
Yes.
Will I?
...
Dancing On The Edge
Rochelle Demelo
I'm far too lost in dance to turn back now
I could not and will not make that vow
To go back to a world without dance,
I'm too committed to take that chance
I'll try my best and hope to succeed
I may get what I want, but not what I need
This isn't a type of fashion
because this is my fashion
Whether I'm leaping high up above
or dancing down below
I am much too in love
to ever let it go
I fear tears streaming down my face
Never being able to keep up with my sisters' pace
The anxiety of falling behind in dance
Of never being given a second chance
In the end, I have to decide
Whether I stay by their side
In both dances and decisions,
I could bend and I could break,
But that is a chance I am willing to take
This dancing isn't a type of fashion,
This is my passion
My Life Story
Anonymous
Yesterday I had an argument with my mom
Last week my sister came to visit from college
A few weeks ago, my sister lied to me to hide a surprise
I could tell because of an extra swallow, a too-quick blink,
and the subtle clench of her jaw.
A month and a half ago my parents announced
that Disneyland is where we would be in the summer.
A year ago my sister was constantly coming home from college
Two years back I had more time for my dog
Several birthdays ago, I had to buy my own birthday presents
I remember 5th grade graduation was a time of little goodbyes
I remember painting purple hair for my self portrait in second grade
I remember the nervousness of first grade
But I don't remember being born
Two Poems by Anika Krishnan
Tears
You know that you’re about to cry when your nose starts to prickle
the first dew drop falls
after a long time your face stiffens
you can barely move you cheeks
your face becomes drenched in the brine liquid
you then start to rub your eyes to get rid of them
but it doesn’t work
instead you move it around
they never leave
you can never escape them
after a while your vision becomes cloudy
because the tears welled up
and you want to…need to stop
but you can’t…you don't know how for
a downward frown is plastered on your face
however finally when you peer into the small,
compact mirror you see something,
you see a face with mascara streaks
and as you look into the small mirror
you notice a miserable girl,
a girl who exploded because
she didn't let it out before
you see her disheveled hair with some sticking to her face
and she looks so fragile
so you think, if only she smiled
because if she did,
she would be really beautiful,
so you smile
Planes
They fly and soar and swirl around
and reach far distances with a buzzing sound
they paint the sky with puffs of grey
and touch the roof as the geese play.
When you left, I cried and wallowed
in misery, for my heart became hollow,
but then when you emerged from the plane
I’d be so overjoyed, I would nearly faint.
Although those planes, bring you close, to stay
Sometimes, unfortunately, they take you away
And I know you are confused as to why?
How do I love those planes in the sky?
Each time you leave, you take a small part
of me, I give you a piece of my heart
and although they seem like treacherous pains
I really love those lovely planes.
Civil War
Cyrus Kanga
I am life.
I am breath.
I am movement.
I am happy.
I am glad.
But the government came and turned us bad.
I am death.
I am unrest.
I am tired.
I’ve been left.
I am sad.
I am bad.
I’m getting very mad.
I am strong.
I am independent.
I going to fight for amendments.
We are strong.
We are free.
We have the power to defeat.
We are good.
We are great.
We are going to change this fate.
Now we fight.
Two Poems by Arka Pal
The Feeling
It was a Tuesday
The day of the Tennis tryouts
I was waiting as eagerly as a hungry lion for this day for a year
My heart beat louder that the noise of 10 drums
Within me stuck a positive feeling
Whispering to me that I will make the team
2 hours passed
Still did not go up
Yet, my heart kept on beating constantly
I rallied with my friends
To boost up my confidence
But something else boosted my confidence even more
Within me stuck a positive feeling
Whispering to me that I will make the team
2 minutes after, my name was called
Yes, this is it
The moment I have been waiting for
My determination still has not given up on me
As I approach toward the courts, I felt as ready as a tiger waiting to pounce on its prey
After my turn, I was pretty confident
Confident enough that I was able to see my name on the team list
But within me stuck a positive feeling
Whispering to me that I will make the team
2 weeks later, the letter arrived
I was very excited and thrilled for this outcome
Keeping in mind that my dream is about to come true
Every second, suspense grew
Every step, my heart beat faster and faster as if it had legs
Finally, my eyes were about to make contact with the list
My heart gradually brought down its pace as if it ran a mile
Everything was silent
I could not believe it
I did not make the team
I toiled very hard like slaves
But all my efforts went down the drain
What was my mistake?
Was I too confident?
Was I not good enough?
Who knows?
I felt extremely horribly as if my life was over
But always there was a feeling
A positive feeling staying within me
Whispering to me I will make the team
The next day I found out the practice date for the team
I still had hopes
To get in the team, I had to prove myself that I am worth it
Then arrived Tuesday
I requested the coach to give me another chance
He said okay
I felt so thankful
“Thank you god for giving me a second chance”
I felt really fresh
As if I pressed command-z in my pc to undo a mistake
When I was self-evaluated I regained my confidence
And also had that feeling
That positive feeling that was within me
Whispering that I will make that team
That feeling gave me the courage
To prove myself that I am worth it
And at the end of the day, one of my dreams finally came true
I got in the tennis team
I felt like standing on top of the world
I was at cloud nine
When I got into the team, I was honored as if I was victorious
In my mind, I gave credit to one thing
That feeling that stood within me
Motivating me by whispering that I will make the team
That positive feeling taught me one thing
And that is to never give up until something
That feeling is self—confidence
A smile
The smiles are fungi
It is as epidemic as bacteria
When someone smiles
I also smile
It is all part of the flu
A smile is good
As well as bad
A smile is a grin
As well as delight
A smile can be anything
No matter if it is someone’s birthday
Or if it is somebody’s graduation
No matter if somebody gains an A+
Or if someone wins a baseball match
A smile will be all ways around you
No matter where you are
G language
Zachary Wong
Waking up to go to school
Brushing my teeth at night so tiredly
Adopting our new pit-bull lab as golden as the sun
Very exciting news
Meeting people in sixth grade warms my heart
Saying bye to the City Of Love
saying bye to the London Eye
Every morning eating buttery, golden croissants
Trying new food is a wonderful time like a foody like me
Saying bye to Maui is a hard time for me
Eating Hawaiian food makes me feel native
Saying hello to the warm sun
Leaving home to see the exotic land
Tears run down my face to say bye to our Boston Terrior
Be creative in elementary was encouraging
Making my first friend in Pre-K named Brandon
Saying mama and dada for the first time
That Feeling
Prashanth Rajan
That feeling you get when you’re happy
It is the wind that blows through your hair
Whether you have it or not
It is the car you drive
Whether your allowed to drive or not
That feeling you get when you’re proud
It is the walls to your house
Whether you have one or not
It is like being able to see through walls
Whether you can see or not
It is like being able to fly
Whether you have wings or not
That feeling you get when you’re sad
It is like a gloomy day
Whether you’re outside or not
It is like a sour grape
Whether you eat grapes or not
It is an extra large hurdle
Whether you jump or not
A feeling is a feeling
Whether you can feel it or not
Are You Ready?
Reiyan Motiwala
Are you ready for the challenges that face you?
Are you ready to grow up?
Are you ready for a new place?
Are you ready to meet new people?
Are you ready for life?
Sunrise Waltz
Zoe Cruse
As my heavy lashes lift up from my waking eyes
I can see the sparkle of the sunrise through my open window
Streaking paint along my hazel canvases
the light dances
a midnight waltz
Waking from my endless slumber
the smells of new beginings
submerge my senses in an
ocean of opportunities
I wipe the residue from my eyelids
freeing me from nightmares,
and opening up my vision to my own reality
My head lifts and I gaze at my cheery sanctuary
As my hair falls from my top knot down to my shoulder blades
happiness tickles my back
with its silky touch
Faint laughs fill my mind as
gay vibrancy threads my apparell
to last from dawn to dark
The birds merry tunes clear my mind
filling my ears with the hope
conducted through their passionate songs
The baby blue sky clouds my head
with the joyous daydreams
of any young girl
Love fills the clouds
as my opptimism searches to find
the questions of my future
and the answers of my past
My snap back to reality
comes from the poised barks of puppies
reminding me to hurry up
As the mirror facing me exposes
a sight of disappointment
I conceal myself
in a painting of product
forming the mask
of my disguise
Once again
paint coats my canvases
but creates a version of the waltz
that is stiff and stone-eyed
The artificial light touches my face
animating a beautiful illustration
of the powers of my mask
About to exit my sanctuary
I take one last glance
at the sunrise
glinting off of my eyes
Realizing the sparkle
ceased to exist
I run to shed my mask and
see the glimmer of the sunlight’s smile once again
As my worn shoes tie close to my feet
they thrust me forward
into the sparkling daylight
Opportunities
captivate my future
as an open diary and
a caligraphy pen
As I leave my safety net of a bedroom
I face the new beginings of the day
with my vision
submerged in the ocean
of my own
reality
My journey of life
is embarked opon
as the waltz of the glimmering sunrise
on my hazel canvases.
Define Creativity
Emily Maupin
Creativity,
You can't see
That they have chained me,
I can't get out
Iamstuck Iamstuck
Iamstuck Iamstuck
Youdontlisten
Pleaselistenorleavemebe
Accessibility,
Don't tell me what I can or can not do.
You tell me to be creative,
But can one truly understand another.
stoptalking Iknowyoubeleiveinme
Sohearmeout BecauseIbelieve
ThatIamawaste Iwasmadetobelieve
ThatIamawaste BecauseIdontthinklikeothers
Normalnormalnormalnormalnormalnormal
Stopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstop
ImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorry
IhateIhateIhateIhateIhateIhateIhateIhateIhate
Pollution,
It is a toxic spill
That poisons the mind,
Leaving non to wonedier.
Letmegoletmegoletmegoletmegoletmegoletmego
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease
Shutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutup
IhaveIhaveIhaveIhaveIhaveIhaveIhaveIhave
IseeyouIseeyouIseeyouIseeyouIseeyouIseeouo
Leavemeleavemleavemleavemeleavemeleaveme
Nocontrolnocontrolnoctonorrlnoontlnonlcnonlr
Nonoononononooononnnonononoonnonoooono
miniemeiniemeieniemeieneieeeimeieneiemieeim
mmememmememmememememmeeemememe
totototonpvttoototnepntpreventpenptootepnpnvpen
themrirnsinrismeinrismeirenismienriethemrisingsmirn
tearingmyselfaparttearingmyselfaaorattearingatmyself
lyghtinglythginlyttihgyitngitlyingyihigntiyghitnighythigngi
charringchyaricarryingringihairnycihianrihcinariyyhicnaihrin
palspalsaplspalspaslapslapsallspistieiplsaiteplsatieparrasite
tmmyfsomosyfomoemoefysofmeofeosdyosfefmoestomyself
dolstineensldislnsdsildsnidlsnielseeildldisldsodontlistendleiloei
totetoeteotetoeotoeteotoeoteotoeoteotoeotoeetoeeottotooteoto
thermethtmtheretmthtmerhtmetehremtehtemthemtrhtmrthrtmrhtr
You can't see
I am stuck.
Don't tell me what I can or can not do,
So hear me out.
I'm sorry,
I have
none to one,
no control.
I'm
lying
to myself,
So define my creativity.
Let Me Tell You
Alex Ma
Let me tell you about a boy.
Carefree and full of joy.
Wait…That’s not how it goes.
Let me tell you about a boy.
Who lived in the same town,
For all his years.
Surrounded by friends,
Yet was always alone.
Let me tell you about a boy.
Who was…different.
Who always thought,
“Why am I the red color pencil,
In this sea of blue?”
Let me tell you about a boy.
Who kept everything in,
Hiding behind a mask,
With a smile painted on.
Let me tell you about a boy.
Who thought he was insignificant,
That his troubles were whims,
In the great scheme of life.
That his efforts were futile,
Never being enough
A Hopeful Ride
Namita Hedge
In a desert filled land
With seas and seas of sand
We drove through the night
After a day of fun exploring
But yet there was a shadow of evil
Looming above us
And soon enough
Did our fate befall us
Our glorious ride stuttered and slowed
Till we were left lost
In a town, of which we did not know
When we had no place to fuel ourselves
No place, no way to fly again
But luckily, out of the gloom
There came a kind and helpful man
Who knew not of us, but of this land
He gave us a place to stay
To rest, until the sun would rise
So we could continue our glorious ride
Shadow
Anisha Tripathi
I look around myself and see,
The beauty that I wish I could be,
The hopelessness of this beauty surrounds me,
And I further cordon my soul off from society.
On many cold nights, I have shivered,
For the wind has seemed to be so bitter,
But simply consider,
When I am gone, circumstances will be fitter.
I try to run away from the monstrosity that is myself,
Just when I began to come out of my shell,
They hurt me, and I fell,
Creating emptiness that could never be quelled.
I was falling down, hanging only by a strand of my hair,
Finally sinking into another world’s lair,
Of happiness, I was never the heir,
I realize these truths as I take my last breath of air.
Excitement Follows
Pranav Kalra
Excitement is just there
Or is it everywhere
Following me day and night
I see it on every side
Excitement is drifting through the sky
Down so low yet up so high
Right before receiving an award
Or traveling to a fun place
Because of excitement, I cannot wait
It is this feeling, that I cannot that I cannot tolerate
I’m prepared for the action
Yet I don’t know the outcome
With excitement, I feel all light
But I still have – a little bit of fright
Excitement is waiting
Prepare to have excitement strike
Why Cancer
Kaitlyn Waller
Cancer you are a murderer
You have affected me and my family
I have a question cancer
Hopefully you could answer
Why do you hold onto people until they are weak?
You tried making my grandpa weak,
but he fought back until the very end
You tried getting both my grandmas with breast cancer
They are now cancer free
You keep going after my family
My grandpa had skin cancer
You also attacked my mom
Why do bad things happen to good people?
In other words why do you happen?
Why did you attack these people?
You also hit Mackenna twice with brain cancer
So my real question is why do you exist?
Fear of Judging
Kylie Galea
Center Stage
Everyone Staring
You Start--
People Whisper
You Go On--
You Finish
It goes silent
Your Face Turns Bright red
You are scared for the CROWDS reaction
Saying to yourself I messed up
Then there’s clapping
You walk off stage
You wonder does anyone even care?
Then you realize that the only
person judging is yourself.
Lies
Sean Chamberlain
The world is a beautiful place
Yet at the same time not beautiful
War
Greed
Jealousy
And corruption
ruin the world
The oceans
Forests
Mountains
Sunsets
The night sky
And some people make this world beautiful
We harm the world
But do we also help it
Do we only cause harm
And damage to the worlds beauty
I believe that we harm the world
but also help it
Who is fit to judge though
For what we have done
Two Poems by Isabelle Borges
I’m open
Happiness
It’s a way of life
You can be happy sad mad and excited
But feeling open is feeling happy
You feel good about yourself
You believe in yourself
Nothing can go wrong
Free from the chamber inside
All from being happy
Nothing can overcome your day
Or make you mad
Because happiness is inside your system
It is opening your chamber
It is a way of life
I recommend being happy
It makes your self-esteem hire
So the things that make you happy
Or the people that make you happy
You should
KEEP
Swing
I'm playful
Fun
And happy
I'm a twin
We are outside
He was practicing
Practicing golf
I wanted to try
Up behind him
He swung
I try to move
But it hit me
Hard
In my cheek
A hole
There is a massive hole
In my cheek
Running inside
To mom
To dad
Sobbing
They panicked
Hopping into the car with blood all over
Her hands was holding my face
I don’t remember
But I did have 35 stitches
Total
Music is Passion
Caleb Koch
Music is Passion
The rock and roll
That fuels my soul
The strings on the guitar
Make me believe I can go far
Music is Acceptance
When you’re at school
and kids don’t treat you like a fool
Because you can do something
That people wont take for granted
Music makes me live life to the fullest
Like everyday will be your last
and to live in the moment
and forget the past
Music makes me believe that I will be all right
When a relative dies
Oh how I would cry
Just to be with them one last night--
Music reminds me that they’ll be more than all right
Music makes me say all the things I’ve ever wanted to
To a girl who I’m too a afraid to talk to
Because I’m worried about the outcome--
The words of a chorus bring
My thoughts together
Music keeps my heart beating
I could not live without it
Hey, Dad
Bruce Deng
Hey, Dad,
Why have you forsaken me?
Of the 14 years I’ve lived,
I’ve seen you for less than one.
I know nothing of you,
You know nothing of me.
You don’t know who I am,
Or what I do.
When I did some thing great,
You were never there to tell me good job.
You have never been there when I need you most,
You have never been there when I want you most.
Hey, Dad,
Why have you forsaken me?
All the presents were great, (Legos, game consoles, headphones)
But remember, nothing buys happiness,
And nothing replaces love.
I have never experienced what the dad is supposed to do,
Or what the difference is between mom and dad,
Because you were never there,
To show me the difference.
It’s the half of my life,
I never experienced.
Dad,
Why have you forsaken me?
The Picture
Hanee Wycoco-Brucal
I am the person who always in my head
Never over thinking the possibilities
Keep myself in my imagination and creativity
Where ideas are found
Sometimes inspired of the environment around
Colors are part of the scene
Express myself through my drawings
Things I see are part of my inspiration
Flowers of nature
Skyscrapers in cities
Notes in music
I am serious about what I do
I am person who does not care about fitting in
I am person who does not care about what others think
I am also a silent person
I do not need words to express myself
I am not like everyone else
And I do not need to be like everyone else
Cause I like who I am
Changes of Light and Shadow
Christian Xolocotzi
I never thought it would be possible
to get rid of these moments
I once had to be honest I’m not that pleased
Is this really happening or is it all just a dream?
I never thought I would see these these problems happen in reality
But now it’s got me nervous, see now it’s a fear
That I would never get the right words to show what it means
Now I’m sitting here chattering like on a cold stormy void day watching the grid of my teeth
And I thought it would be a breeze and now it’s become a fear
But it turns out my solutions weren’t ever all that clear
Now I’m on the verge of tears and somehow I’m right here
I never thought it would be possible
To be fearless as a shadow
A shadow afraid of the light
It seemed like the future seemed so bright
Now I have an option…
Do I be happy to stay alive, or do I lose hope and die?
I’m surprised I’m here right now and everything is going great
See I didn’t feel like my old self and maybe I have changed
I don’t know what I just became no seriously don’t go away
I know I’ve done a lot of sins of my past but that’s just how it changed
I won’t ever be the same but what is the meaning of all this?
We won’t ever know, I’m Pretty sure we will know…… Someday
Drowning
Hannah Odell
I’m drowning.
The water flooding my body.
Wondering if I will ever reach the land
My toes hit what I think is the sand.
I realized I’m stuck.
I’ve hit the rock bottom.
I’ve drowned.
Struggling to breathe.
Not knowing if out is where I want to go.
I feel the chain holding me back.
Lack of oxygen.
I see the light.
I’m ready.
As if the water is my home
And back up is unknown.
What to choose
I know I can make it
Do I want to?
I hear the voices flooding in my head.
The past flooding back.
Reminding me of the pain.
Loosing loved her,
Wanting to join her.
Be with her one last time.
I know she wouldn’t want it.
So I try.
I decide to open my eyes.
Swim to the shore.
Coming up from that dark place.
As I lay in the warm sun
I know she’s happy
I know she’s as peace
So I can be too.
Some days I still wonder,
Does the sea miss me?
Infinite Dreams
Vivian Yao
Oh, how I wish I could be a child once again
Unburdened with the troubles of this world,
and oblivious to all things difficult in life.
Without the need to impress
the need to please
the need to stress
Until we bend down to our knees and cry.
Oh, how I wish I could become a child once again,
with a vast imagination
and infinite dreams.
The pressure of this life is unbearable
This way of living is too difficult
These things that were once not required, are now a given.
“What for?”, you ask.
Better future, better life, better husband.
Oh, how I wish I could become a child once again,
Unburdened with the troubles of this world,
and oblivious to all things difficult in life,
with a vast imagination,
and infinite dreams.
Anger
Connor Graville
Anger is having rage
Anger eats you alive
When you feel anger
you know it is there
It is a feeling that no one can compare
you feel it powerfully
it makes you want to scream
If you don’t let it out
you need to shout
but beware to control your anger
If you don’t someone will have to pay
And you don’t want to happen this way
feeling anger is like being in a UFC match
all you want is to hurt someone
but don’t
just take a deep breath
just talk to someone
just scream in your pillow
don’t hurt anyone
If you do this your anger will be done
Goodbye
Ryohn Tavassoli
Long drive
Loud music, funny laughs
Sorrow in the back of my head
Pushed aside in order to enjoy the last
I do not want to say goodbye
Even though it is just for a while
Goodbye
U-turn
No music or funny laughs
Salty drops run down my face
Must turn back
But there is no turning back
I’ll miss you
From learning the house until unpacking your
Have a good time at college
Sister, friend
Music
Sneha Vinod
All other sounds were drowned out
as I had the same melody ringing in
my head all day long.
The bell starts ringing signaling the
end of the day.
I race home to listen to song
one more time.
I swiftly raced to put my earbuds on.
I swiped through my phone finally
finding the one I was looking for.
I press play and hear the opening
beats flow through the headphones
to my awaiting ears.
Never have I felt more at peace as the
singer belts out the first verse.
As the song comes to the chorus I find
myself singing along.
No thought in my mind as the lyrics I knew
so well flowed freely.
The song eventually comes to an end as I
finally feel free.
With no doubt in my mind I press repeat.
They made me who I am.
New York
Lee Kedem
New York, New York
Where shopping is like a sport
Where you can shop for things like dresses to a fork
Where people give you support
Where Broadway is like a home
To many stars like Sierra, Laura, and Norm
Central Park is a place for many people to roam
There is even a zoo too
Shopping is oh so fun
You can by things from channel to Prada to Gucci
Style is a number one
And after shopping you can even buy some sushi
For Audrey
Zahra Razak
For being beautiful and admired across the world
For being truthful and honest in her acting
For being kind and courageous during her time
For being Audrey
When people first see her all they see is a pretty face and an icon for beauty
“What’s in other people’s minds is not in my mind. I just do my thing”
What we have in common with ourselves is different from what other people think
What they think is that we both love fashion
What they think is that we both think that,” Paris is always a good idea”
What they don’t know is that, “happy girls are the prettiest”
What they don’t know is that,” elegance is the only beauty that never fades”
What they don’t know is that, “The most important thing is to enjoy life,” and “to be happy” because, “it’s all that matters”
To be beautiful is one thing
To try to be beautiful is another
“Make up can only make you look pretty in the outside but it doesn’t help if you’re ugly on the inside. Unless you eat the makeup”
That would be gross
To want to be beautiful is one thing
Because, “nothing is impossible. The world itself says I’m possible.”
So if you want to want to be beautiful make sure you do it in a manner which you will be looking at the world in a different perspective
“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”
Also make sure you laugh a lot
Because, “honestly it’s the thing I like most to. Laugh, it cures a multitude of illnesses. It’s probably the most important thing in a person.”
There is just one thing you need to remember from Audrey and me
Is that, “the best thing to hold onto in life is each other”
Not only will it last forever
It will be forever
So from only me remember
Outer beauty is temporary
Inner beauty last forever
The Power of Ramen
By Alex Yan
Ramen Noodles are such a delight,
A joy to eat that turns my face bright.
Each bowl is filled up to the brim,
I close my eyes to say a hymn.
Before I dig in I slowly observe,
All that flavors that I long to preserve.
First the meat, two slices on top,
Seasoned to perfection like a pork chop.
Then the egg placed in the center,
Into my mouth this taste will enter.
A portion of vegetables next to the meat,
Sautéed and boiled, they are quite the treat.
In the blink of an eye there is no trace,
The only thing left is the soup base.
A tear slips right out of my eye,
For to have another bowl, I would die.
Life of Me
Connie Nong
On an amazing day
A miracle came my way
A life of amazing dreams to choose away
And opportunities pulling me every which way
Life was in every imaginable color
As I smiled and stood a little taller
The world just seemed a little smaller
Which kind of made me want to holler
Then I got a little older
And my thoughts got a little bolder
As my fading colors got a shade cooler
And things starts to pile upon my little shoulder
Then I did not want to be seen as a kid
And all the things I wanted to rid
Along with all the childhood was hid
And all of a sudden, everything had to have a quid
Then I became a teen
Of course I felt invincible at age thirteen
As I was daydreaming of being the queen
I started to eat more greens and less beans
And today, I understood things a little more
I have friends who loves me and whom I adore
Maybe the homework and chores are a huge bore
But if I look back, there is not a single thing I would deplore
This is because I was given a life on an amazing day
Where millions of miracles came my way
A life where I have dreams to choose away
And opportunities pulling every which way
Rosebud
Christina Rodriguez
You treat me as if I was a rosebud
You water me with kind words
And positive motivations
And good lessons of life
So I can grow the way you want me to
You bring me out into the sunshine
To show me off before I bloom
And to feed me with the natural nutrients
To grow big and bright
When I begin to bloom I am not the color you desired
I am different from other flowers in the bush
I grow out with many thorns
I have many problems and imperfections that can’t be fixed
You don’t believe so
You try to cut the thorns off of my stem
You try to enlarge my petals
And change my color
My color comes back and mixes with the color you wished I was
My petals shape back to the way they began
And my thorns have grown even bigger than they were before
My problems have grown and grown
I feel the need to lie to you to
To hide myself
To cover up my thorns
To disguise my hue
Just so you would not be disappointed in me
Then I realize that all of society treats us like flowers as well
When our roots tangle with others it becomes sheer madness
When we don’t become what we are expected
We become a freak of nature
We are immediate outcast
When we are cut off the bush
When we are cut off from society
We do not go into a bouquet
We go into the compost
We get thrown away
Just for being different
Maybe that’s why we do not want to be judged
For the fear of being different
For being the rose with the most thorns
We do not want to be thrown away
We want to become the rose that exceeded the expectations
That bloomed the brightest
That bloomed the biggest
That had no thorns to hurt others
That was treated as a rosebud
Fly
by ஹம்ஸவர்தினி minerVa திருநாராயணன்
The bow meets the viol-a, not the viol-in
As the viola gives the world the
Most glorious, rich, warm tone
Envied by many
I play, not monotonously,
But with the passion of
100 sports fans
We all know of their craziness
A zeppelin. THE zeppelin
Led Zeppelin. Kashmir.
The rock song that triumphs all
is written for my strings.
The bow meets the viol-a, and that rich, warm, tone
turns gruff, hardcore, and with all its might,
becomes the song.
I see myself in front of a mountain, and I fly.
On top of a mountain. Kashmir.
The icy air freezes the tips of my ear.
My face is heating and cooling at the same time.
I’m on top of the world.
Nothing can beat me, I shall stay on top
Here
I am
Free
Why Give Up?
Roshni Gandhi
I broke down, can't I just move on?
I came upon.
The dangers that bring you down.
I walked into my new ghost town.
With no one else there.
I'm all alone.
Everything is so unknown.
The darkness is near.
Life is one big fear.
Is there a chance to get away?
All the pain, and all the tears.
Not that anyone cares.
Is there something to gain?
From all the pain.
The fears that bring me down.
I'm all alone.
Everything is so unknown.
The darkness is near.
Life is one big fear.
Is there a chance to get away?
I decided to fight.
Right here, I knew my choice was right.
Everything that brought me down.
That made me drown.
Couldn't affect me anymore.
Happiness
Joshua Ge
You smile when you feel this
you feel open to do anything
you feel happy!
It is feels great to be happy
it is like getting a warm hug after a long tiring day
it is like getting beamed a ray of sunshine after a rainy day
it is coming home after a long day of school
with a snack waiting for you to eat it
and a bed ready for you to nap in it
being happy makes the rest of your day feel good
and your happiness might even make others happy
and helps you concentrate on what you are doing
many times you will be sad and angry
but be optimistic in life
the sad and angry things will go
while the happy memories will last forever
and to also know that your smile
could be a cure to someones bad day
so stop being gloomy about life
and be happy for what you have.
Things We Have Not Learned
Elita Mak
When we think of school,
We think of how it educated us,
How it was meant to prepare us for life,
But we often forget what they do not teach us.
In school, they teach you a lot,
They teach you to write, to read,
They teach you numbers and counting,
They teach you about wars and fallen empires
But what about the things they do not teach us?
Like how to comfort a crying friend,
Or how to appreciate your family,
Or the value of generosity and kindness.
We can tell you the rules of commas,
How to tell a polynomial from a binomial,
But we have not learned how to measure our self worth,
With something other than a grade.
We have not learned that there is more to us than the scores on our papers,
We have not learned that our families are more important than the paper due the next day,
We have not learned that our sleep is more important than the points on an assignment,
We have not learned that there are things that school will not be able to prepare us for.
Happy Times
Hanson Xiao
Happiness, happiness it’s all through the air
It can help you recover from sadness
Happiness makes your day great
Happiness guides you through anger
Happiness is the bright sun
At the end of a long dark tunnel
Happiness is a big, colorful rainbow
After rains of sadness
Happiness are the things in life
That bring you lots of joy
Happiness is an invisible medicine
That cures all your problems
Happiness is perfect harmony
Happiness is a music chord
that fits perfectly in a song
Happiness are all the ups in life
That conquer all of the downs
Happiness are the rays of light
That slice through the clouds of hate
Happiness is the best!
My Love Will Never Be Like Yours
by Apoorva Dhingra
Everyone says, "my love is like a red, red rose."
I would say that too,
But I would be lying,
My love is more like darkness,
More like handing someone a gun.
And trusting them
Not to shoot you.
My love brings blood to my mouth,
Biting my tongue,
The burning in my throat of all the words I could never say.
Some of us are so quick to love,
So quick to judge.
But no one knows the real us.
I bet if someone were to draw me,
They would outline my body and form a sweet, sweet smile on my lips.
But I wouldn’t do the same.
I would outline my flaws,
And form a thousand different expressions on my face,
And love it, because that is who I really am.
The more people I meet, I learn how to flip them inside out,
Run my fingers along the cracks of their beating heart,
And learn to love them for who they are.
The Great Trace
Apoorva Dhingra
Sometimes I think about what would happen,
If my savior wasn’t the brave hero he was.
Would I still be spelling "color" with a "u,"
Or calling the letter "z" "zed"?
What would my life be like,
If India and Pakistan didn't separate?
If they were just warring territories?
Bone-Chilling stories fill my head,
Of how my great-grandparents
Fled what they called was home.
Of how the people with my one blood
Split themselves
Into two.
Looking at the old pictures
Of the scars across their faces
As my grandma explains the tragedies
Her parents had to see.
Would I still be me?
Would I even be here today?
No--
I wouldn’t be me.
I wouldn’t be the courageous girl I am today
Without a role model
Like Gandhi himself.
Freedom!
Charles Lin
One minute
All stress will be gone
All burdens removed
School will be over
No more homework
No more tests
Summer break
At last, I will not have to hear boring lectures
Thirty seconds
I can feel the excitement
Everybody is ready to leave
Celebrate with friends
Some students are already leaving
The teacher just lets them go
Only a few seconds left
No big deal
The bell rings
All the classroom doors open at once
All shout with joy
Everybody is happy
Everybody is free
Just Another Rag Doll
Aimee Goell
She spoke of how girls are treated as objects,
How society treats girls like rag dolls
But I couldn’t focus on her words
I just thought of how long it took her to get ready in the morning so the guys thought she looked good
How she worried if that hot guy saw her trip
How she spent hours editing her selfies
How she refreshed her Instagram counting the likes she got on that selfie
How she told us she wore a push up bra on her birthday
How she wore layers of makeup as a seventh grader
How she tried to act above it all
And how she was one of those rag dolls
That did whatever society said
Window
Ariel Espinoza-Weinberger
Around the age of four
I lived in an apartment building
It was my first year in the U.S
I didn't know English at all, I was a stranger in a strange land
And one afternoon
A panic spread through my home
I went to investigate
Upon arriving to the scene where it had happened
I realized my younger brother
Had fallen through a window
While on the third floor
I looked through that window
And saw my brother
As well as a pool of blood beside his unconscious body
My cousin called for my parents
My attention was drawn to her screams
Both my parents ran
Ran to get my brother
He was immediately taken to the E.R
But I stayed home
I just stared
Stared outside that window
emotionless
Trying to comprehend what had happened in the past few seconds
Life Stories
Anonymous
We were poorer when I was young,
When we went shopping I would admire the toys in the window.
Anticipation is said to be the best part.
I never learned to have birthday parties,
Sometimes I wonder what I’m missing.
Ignorance is bliss.
In the absence of toys, I turned to books; Most of them were sci-fi.
Sometimes I feel like I was born in the wrong world.
Why was I born anyways, what is my purpose here?
Biology tells us that it’s to pass down DNA.
Parents tell me it’s to pass down the family line.
If each generation lives only for the next, then what do we really live for?
If I exist only for my progeny, then is there nothing more than to live to reproduce, than die after raising them?
That was when I was eleven, sitting on a chair after school, reading.
Suddenly childhood seemed too short.
the realization squeezed the joy out of my day, so I choose to forget it
Two years passed until I realised the implications of that day
If I can only stay for 80 years, then I’m going to make the most of it.
When I grow up, I’m going to try it all.
Screw Biology
Happiness In My Life
Chloe Lau
I'm so HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!
Happiness fills my life.
My happiness leads to a smile on my face. :)
For me
Smiles equal happiness.
My happiness comes from my family that loves to death.
My house is filled with so much love that feels warm.
The warmth fills me with safety and smiles. :)
I love to smile every day when I come home.
Happiness is in my life.
My happiness comes from my wonderful friends.
I get to see them everyday tat school.
Knowing that I will always be with them.
Talking about funny jokes on the way to class makes me laugh and smile. :)
I love to smile when I walk into my next class.
Happiness is in my life.
My happiness comes from all the beautiful nature that lives in this world
I don't know why
It just makes me smile. :)
My backyard is filled with a wonderful smelling lemon plant.
The lemons make me feel tingly inside and make me smile. :)
I don't know why though.
Happiness is in my life.
Two Poems by Alexandra Vangeli
Blank
I didn't feel it anymore
That heart pounding tongue twisting feeling
That feeling when you try to talk but no words come out
That feeling when your happy inside and out
I feel nothing except regret
Unbroken
Broken words that once had meaning
Broken hearts that were once whole
Broken lives that were once put together
Broken trust that we once had
But our promises still unbroken
The Shot
Zachary Levitan
The ball lays there on the turf begging to be hit
I look up from the ball
90th minute, 0-0, last play
All details are clear
The wall: 3 men guarding front post
The goalie: A lion waiting to pounce
I look to the ref
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
the shriek of the whistle is followed by silence
the field is tense with anticipation
I start the run up
Crumch Crumch Crumch
My cleats tear through the ground
They strike the ball in the perfect way
*THUMP*
The ball rifles through the air
Finally it dips and curves over the wall
The only sound you can hear is the swoosh of the net
The ball rolls along the net, satisfied for what its done
The crowd cheers
I’m swarmed like bees to honey
Tackled to the ground by my allies
Wheeee Wheeeeeee Wheeeeeeee
The end whistle is a sigh of relief
I rush off the field
The crowd is screaming
I run towards them and then
and then
and then
I hit the snooze button
Soccer
Justin Li
Before the game the air is wild,
Tension is very high.
The tweet of the whistle marks the start of the game,
And the players catapult off.
The opposite team steals the ball,
Marching unchallenged toward our goal.
The ball shoots into the air,
Swirling like a vortex.
Our goalie makes a desperate leap,
But falls miserably short.
The ball bounces off his head,
And straight into our goal.
A few players shout at him as the nearby trees stare,
The goalie seethes with rage and vows to quit right there.
Shouting becomes fist on bone,
As anger on both sides explode.
The ref comes running and breaks them apart,
Saying it wasn’t the goalie’s fault.
It’s not fair to say it was his fault,
But then again, life is never fair.
Rumor
Pacita Del Balso
It started with the Whisper
Of one Girl
Against her
the Whisper
g r e w,
Chasing her down
The street
They followed her into her
Dreams, tuning them
To Nightmares
They chased her to school,
Where she was caught like
a Fish,
Trapped in a Net
They fired their arrows
At her Heart
Til’ it
s HA t T e Re D
The girl taped her Heart
Back together, but it was still
BROKEN
She ran, but
f
e
l
l
In the Pit
She dragged herself up,
And D
O
V
E
In a Book
Jogging through,
And opening a Door to a new one
At THE END
She locked up her
Words, and threw away
The Key
And cast Iron around
Her broken Heart
She gave up
The Battle
To run into the Light
And let
The Dark envelop her
She hardened her Heart
And killed her Soul
All because one
RUMOR
And they said,
If you’re not alive,
Why
Not
DIE?
JUST DIE!
and without a word,
She complied.
Innocence
Madeleine Seidman
Walking with weights on my feet
Anxiety’s dagger buried deep in my chest
The songs from my earbuds are useless
When wanting to wipe away my swirling thoughts
The cement leading to the end
Seems to loop infinitely
I notice the same small cracks on the sidewalk
Repeated endlessly against my will
But, what is that?
An -- imperfection?
I hadn’t noticed it before
And -- that smell…
Flashbacks of childhood strike sparks into my mind
Suddenly, the music becomes a drug
Used without thinking, but still gives a high
That old marble in my pocket from 3rd grade rolled back home
Their faces
I remember them
It’s almost too much
I can feel the memories suffocating me
But it isn’t horror
It isn’t sadness
It’s an old feeling
That my body had left in an old box on the street
Reunion
Innocence
Friendship
Connections
Where did they run away to?
Had our relations grown stale?
Or had I grown up?
Wait, the marble--
I can feel you fading
Please stay! I can’t live without you.
It’s been so long
You might leave, but that scent is still there
Brushing softly against my face like a grandmother
Yet a smack in the face like an angry bully
But I’ve felt it before
And I welcome it with open arms
--
The blade of grass in the sidewalk
That I had been staring at for a solid minute
Slowly trembled in the sudden cold spring breeze
It’s aroma, weakening
It’s alright, you may leave now
For you have unlocked my mind
and have given back to me my childhood memories
Two Poems by Kristina Engdahl
Fears
1. Fear of people
2. Fear of getting hurt
3. Fear of pain
4. Fear of public speaking
5. Fear of weapons
6. Fear of getting in trouble
7. Fear of spiders
8. Fear of darkness
9. Fear of drowning
10. Fear of falling
11. Fear of being trapped
12. Fear of being abused
13. Fear of loud noises
14. Fear of being wrong
15. Fear of poverty
16. Fear of being homeless
17. Fear of being the center of attention
18. Fear of dying slowly and painfully
19. Fear of getting surgery
20. Fear of being burned to death
21. Fear of car accidents
22. Fear of failure
23. Fear of identity theft
24. Fear of being schizophrenic and everyone is just a figment of my imagination
25. Fear of being strangled to death
26. Fear of betrayal
27. Fear of criticism
My Life…
It started on October 7th, 2001
In Burlingame, California
When I was younger,
The doctors thought I had autism
Because I never spoke
The actual reason why I never spoke
Was because I had lots of ear infections
My hearing was terrible
I got tubes put in my ears
And then kindergarten started
I was very shy so I always whispered in class
Then 1st grade started
I finally used my actual voice
I became popular
Then 2nd grade started
I got a weird haircut
And everyone thought I looked like a boy
People stopped talking to me
I was all alone
Then 3rd grade started
I had no friends
I usually just talked to myself
In 4th grade
I finally made a friend
5th grade was anticlimactic
Then, I started middle school
I somehow developed social anxiety
I found it really difficult to talk to others
In 7th grade
I got worse
I could barely even talk to my family
Then, 8th grade started
I made 2 friends on the first day
I felt very proud
Throughout the year, I made even more friends
My social anxiety isn’t as bad anymore
I still can barely talk in front of a group of strangers
Let alone a whole entire class
But I can at least talk to 1 or 2 people
And I’m proud of that
The Evolution of My Life
Matthew Angel
Walking like a king
K
Maya Angel
K
It’s time to fight the light
Face you’re fears with cheers
Do not bit, but be bright
Wipe away your tear and look in the mirror
This is you and there’s still more you can do
Make it right no matter the height
As the future nears listen closely to your peers
Do not let them inside, find your guide
This is not fair, but you will get there
I cannot bear this anymore, I feel pain in my core
Everything happens for a reason no matter the season
This is the ending, I cannot continue pending
So goodbye, and promise not to lie
K
Three Poems by Suzanne Heikal
Life Story
Food, loaded.
Blankets, check.
iPhone, check.
We looked at our east coast house one last time.
Refreshing thoughts such as mint and water ran through my mind.
Cattle, cattle, cattle.
Dry trees, no radio, no wifi.
Just dreams and distances.
Tennesse, first adventure.
Arkansas, food and laughs.
Oklahoma, pure country and warmth.
Texas, start nights.
New Mexico, hot desert.
Arizona, burning.
We see our first palm tree.
We get excited.
Our home is to come.
Rose
Rose oh rose you are grateful,
do not wilt away and be hateful.
The neighbors ask "how do you get these roses?"
We say "By the grace of god, like Moses."
Each one a different size, shape and color.
With all this diversity they have one thing in common;
beauty with remosity.
I love you flower, I really love you!
You please the eye.
Don't ever say goodbye.
What is this rose?
Who is it?
For the rose is you.
If only you knew.
1,2,1
The world is an orange blossom with succulent raindrops of silky mercy.
It is beautiful from culture to culture and from every shade of blue.
We have destroyed it.
They tell you to love.
Answer this, why is there more fruit in a rich mans shampoo than a poor mans plate?
They tell you to do good actions.
Answer this, why is it that the one who is bruised and confused gets no healing but repetition?
They tell you to accept.
Answer this, why is it that the one who is underestimated by society's labels has to hide in bejeweled mask?
They tell you to dream.
Answer this, why is it that we care more about paper and numbers than morals and smiles?
They tell you to learn.
Answer this, why is it that we have become robots with multiple buttons for each use.
Why?
With all these imperfections in the world, I believe we can change it.
It starts with you.
Pick your way of life.
Listen for the 1.
Continue to be 2.
We can all be 1.
I pick 1.
Now, what about you?
Two Poems by Arianna Inouye
Fear
Life Is Like a Book
My life is like a book,
Every page is filled with memories,
Memories of pain and some of sorrow,
Memories of happiness, laughter and love,
Each chapter has its own story to tell.
My story begins with a breath of air,
I thought to myself, “Watch out world, beware!”
I grew up without a fear,
Everything was jolly here,
I climbed trees,
I scraped my knees,
I still have scars from fighting dragons and sailing seas,
I met new friends,
I kept the old,
I learned life lessons good as gold.
I had some ups
And some downs,
However in the end, life came around.
So even when life seems upside down and you want to give up,
Don’t stop writing and close the book,
Just turn the page and have a positive outlook,
Life is like a book,
Some pages filled with pain and sorrow,
Same contain love and happiness,
But if you never stop and turn the page,
You will never know what the next chapter carries.
A Look Outside
Luke Tan
When I wake up, I hear noises
Noises I hear everyday
It is the sound of boys voices
They do it all day
I go outside to see what they’re actually doing
And they’re screaming at each other terribly
I just know the boys like doing canoeing
But they just keep screaming at each other hysterically
I walk back home and ask myself, “Why does this always happen?”
The Fight
Anonymous
My dad screams
My mom cried
They’re mad, but not at each other
At me
I've seen my mom cry countless times
But I never thought It would be because of me
But it's not my fault. It shouldn't be.
My dad threatens to leave..
I want to pack my bags!
But I have nowhere to go..
But I still want to stay!
But I feel like we need space..
My mom is depressed...
The feeling is mutual...
I can't to school quiet.
They say I'm unusual.
One asks me what's wrong
I say I'm fine, anything else would be crossing the line.
It's been going on for months
I don't know what to do
People at school judge, without knowing why
Why do I act out at school? Because at home I just cry.
I don't know how I feel, I doubt it's all good
Rehabilitating the constant hating fighting pain no understanding
I don't even know what to say, or how I feel
Red is my color
Why?
It shows anger and hate.
But I do not want to feel that way.
What makes me feel free
Free!?
You want me to look into society’s eyes
And tell them I'm free
Well I've been told growing up to never tell a lie.
How can I feel free in a society.
That chains me..
Being forced to believe what's 'Perfect'
Perfect? That's a thing?
I guess I must have missed the memo
Being free.. Is being able to say or do whatever you want
Without being judged
It's hard to feel that way when every time I open my mouth to talk...
Someone shuts me up...
What is freedom in the society?
How do you 'abuse' it?
Being wild, but not too wild?
Having fun... But not too much fun!
Because too much fun is just out of control! right?
Now although I may say I tRy not to lie
When someone looks me in the eye.
As I am about to cry...
I will still insist that I am fine.
So when I'm asked,
to write a poem,
On what makes me feel free...
I cannot write it without filling the lines with lies.
I haven't felt free in the long time
I'm sorry.
but I cannot complete this assignment.
Smiles
Dylan Xie
What I love about dancing
is how the music flows through my body.
What I hate about my body
is how judgmental faces look at me.
What I love about me
is how I’m different from everybody.
What I hate about everybody
is how they always criticize and laugh
What I love about laughter
is how it makes people happy
What I hate about happiness
is how it makes people lose expectations
What I love about expectations
is how it pushes people to reach their goals
What I hate about goals
is that they make you doubt yourself
What I love about you
is how you always make me smile.
What I hate about smiles
is how fake they can be.
Be Free
Griffen Shu
I am free
all by myself
I can do anything
no school
no homework
no stress
We can fly without limits
we can go
high
or we can go
low
It is all your choice
You can live however you like
You are free
only if you choose to be
Summer break is when
most people feel free
You can be free if you allow it
it is your choice
Be Free
Different
It was April 13 2001
This was one unforgettable night
The night in which a little child was born
his name was Griffen
he grew up a normal life
did normal things
got good grades
just wanted to fit in
Everyone told him that you should be different
But he just wanted to fit in
One day something happened
He tried being who he really was
and he did not try to fit in
he tried to be different
That day was the one that changed his life forever
And now he is here
in 8th grade
getting good grades
did not care what anyone thinks
I am different
Human
Amisha Sarkar
Today is a day.
Everyday is a day.
We have had so many days.
And so many more to come.
Everybody has a different story.
Here's mine.
My childhood was great.
I don't remember most of it though.
I remember the good memories.
Not the bad ones.
That's good.
Or is it?
Did I learn from them?
As I grew the number of bad memories grew with me.
I felt more closed up.
Like my personality was fading away.
Feeling empty.
Like I didn't even exist.
Sitting there and watching the birds and people just pass right by.
I was there but I wasn't.
Living in a world of black and white.
Nobody to talk to nobody to laugh with.
Nobody to share the excitement.
Nobody to go see that new movie with.
Nobody to play monopoly with.
Just nobody.
Days and days filled with absence of emotion and feelings.
She walked up to me.
She said hi.
Surprised. I said hi back.
Somebody had approached me.
New territory this was.
I didn't know what to do.
Panicking I quickly said hi back.
She wanted to sit with me at snack time.
I was shocked that somebody knew I was there.
This gave me courage.
This gave me the courage to go sit at her table for lunch the next day.
I opened my mouth.
I opened my mouth.
I opened my mouth.
I talked.
Suddenly the whole rainbow of colors filled the air.
I felt alive again.
Slowly I started to open my mouth more and more.
Expressing myself and unlocking the box my true self was locked in.
I had somebody to talk to.
I had somebody to laugh with.
I had somebody to share the excitement with.
I had somebody to go to the new movie with.
I had somebody to play monopoly with.
But who wants to play monopoly!?
I now have a second family.
I am now living.
I am now human.
Untitled
Aliya Heard
Judgment, I’m not very judgmental of myself.
I’m confident in myself
I’m confident in my life
I’m confident in my choices.
I’m told about the shadow that I have inside of myself,
That’s judging the inner me and the capabilities that I have.
Should I be judgmental of myself
Should I put myself down?
Or kill my shadow and believe that I can do
Anything that I set my mind to.
Why should I be embarrassed?
If I’m confident in what I do
Everyone else should be accepting also.
Life of Me
Caroline Zhu
I was born in the summer
of July, in the afternoon, around three o’clock
to be precise.
It was these things that made a difference to me growing up:
like how the number of grains of rice left
in my bowl always had to be less than my sister’s,
or how many hairs I drew on the stickfigures
(three was always the desired amount.)
and it was the three of us,
my brother, sister and I
We seemed perfect, at least we were expected
to act that way.
Like three peas in a pod,
not two
three, like the type of edamame we always liked
when eating them.
Whoever found the one with the most beans
received a triumphant feeling,
not like that was worth much anyway.
I felt a necessity to win all the time
perhaps that explained why I always knocked my siblings
hands aside when they were reaching for that
overrated
three podded bean.
Maybe it ran in us three
the need to claim unneeded victories,
like the need to yell, “DING!”
whenever reaching the center of the board
when playing chinese checkers,
or to be the first one to make it
through a minute without laughing
when we went crazy.
Sure, we may still keep track of these wins.
I may even still remember these
until I’m
let’s say, 34,
and my sister will be 31 and my brother will be 28
to be exact,
but these little things are
precisely,
what make our lives colorful.
I Give You a Hint
Rain He
Her name is sweet as candy on my tongue,
Her manners courteous,
Her ways charming.
Ah! But she is a “flowery head with a serpent’s heart”.
Conceal troubles ever so smoothly,
Yet stab ever so deeply.
Others see her an angelic woman,
I see her as a malicious demon.
She brings me an omen,
An omen of pain and grief.
Jewels, I give you a hint,
Can adorn beautiful skin,
But can separate kins.
Ever so clear,
Ever so dear,
Ever so queer.
Let me endeavor.
Past Troubles
Rain He
This, cannot be compared,
to a black heart.
For the mind has declared,
on this bond that must tear apart.
Like solemn autumn leaves,
sweeping away the flow time.
Like a worker rolling up his sleeves,
then readily strikes the chime.
In unison we shall let go,
of those unhappy words,
when the future is lit aglow.
When hearts filled the songs of the birds.
Away with the past troubles,
and reborn from the rubbles.
A Magical Life
Mahak Bindal
July 14, 2001
the day the Sorting Hat
sorted me with amazing people
I call my family.
They have taught me so much
and most importantly
introduced a whole new world to me
called the wizarding world
of Harry Potter.
It changed my life
into magical bliss
not only in my imagination
but also in reality.
So many spells
to learn
just to make the
perfect magical future.
A variety of professors,
unfair ones like Snape
strict ones like McGonagall
crazy ones like Trelawney
wise ones like Dumbledore
have made my life worth living.
They have taught me so much
to protect me from a scary place
we call reality,
including those-who-must-not-be-named.
My life has been
like a Quidditch match.
My teammates are scoring
points with the Quaffle.
and occasionally I get hit
by the sudden Bludger.
There is still so much
of the game left,
but later I know,
I must catch the Snitch.
Once the Snitch has been caught
The Trace will be lifted
all protection gone
and I must slay the dragons
on my own.
I will have my ups and downs
but I will defeat all the Voldemort’s
in this world
and Harry will be there to
defeat him with me
I know I won’t be alone
because now it is Harry’s
turn to go from chapter
through chapter,
book through book,
of what I call
my magical life.
Ethan Wong
Our
Sometimes I think
about our world
The bitterness and disgust
that burns through our lives
The corruption and greed that grips
and pins us down like prisoners
feeding on our guilt, our misery
And the complexity of our lifestyle
devours us when it could
be as simple as just, living
Yet when dark there is light
the warmness and calmness
that it brings is a halo of truth
ripping away the darkness
that envelops our earth
our world
our lives
Live Your Life
Anonymous
Everyday I strive
to live as happy as can be
since I know life’s good
just like LG advertises
lives are bound to come to end
that cannot be changed
I know from experience,
it’ll be hard to lose a loved one
but remember
they wouldn’t want you sad
they want a smile on your face
live your life for yourself,
and, if anything, live
for those who could not live fully
Live life to the fullest
Since you only have one chance
Nobody has time to be mad
don’t feel bad, or sad
Just keep in mind
Anything that descends
will someday ascend
what goes down
must also come up
Keep in mind
that life is good
We have homes
a loving family
and a circle of friends
Some don’t have both parents
Like me, Pops left
and drifted to the sky
I wish him well
As I move on with my own life
I have learned to make sure I
Do not dwell on the problems
Instead, I focus on the good
life is bound to look up eventually
I look back at these 14 years
and see
even without manly guidance
Life’s great
At least I have support
from a loving family and friends
Even after moving around a bit
I did my best to keep my chin raised
did not let my view on world get hazed
I try to forget the pains of the past
and look to the hope of the future
I still have my life to live
no matter how long or short
I will live life to the fullest
The Toll
Anushka Kargathara and Rain He
We scream and we laugh,
We argue and we bluff,
Not every friendship will be as extreme,
as this glowing fire by the stream.
The top is all we aim,
but we do not live in vain.
We shall not be bound by sanity,
but driven by realistic fantasy.
We scream and we laugh,
We argue and we bluff.
We are oxygen to fire,
people we admire.
We are the worst of foes,
yet in unison we glow.
Not every friendship will be driven,
will be given,
as such.
My Life
Karthik Akella
On Saturday April 28, 2001
I began my journey of life just like everyone did.
But not before.
Our ancestors became martyrs and unlocking the freedom that we really deserve
When I was in USA, I was excited to it like a flower knowing that summer just arrived.
On my first day of school I was looking for friends I saw someone bullying others. From that day I have decided to help people and realize that on my deathbed
That I have done a noble thing
So I have become a peacemaker to help stop fights and help my school become a better place
After a few months, November 26, 2005
A person who was dear to me was born. I had a sister to play with when I was bored.
In 5th grade I answered a English question and my teacher asked me why.
I couldn’t understand.
From that day I am trying to find out all the answers to the why’s and find the answers to my life
And today I am writing about my life history trying to achieve my goals
Until It Happens
Akshay Bodla
December/21/2000
My entity was born
14years
and nothing significant
Sure I’m a Black Belt
Sure I teach others to defend themselves
But I still have a life in front
of me
I may live
A decade a century
Or even a year
But whats the point of living if you haven’t
Made in impact in someone or something
I still wait until I do
Maybe I never will
But either way there’s something worth mentioning
Until it happens (or not) I will live my life as I am supposed to
I wish laying on my death bed
I will remember simple acts of kindness
Giving money or food to the homeless
Or helping foster children
I believe simple acts of kindness define
A person.
And I wish to be defined as a kind old man
And I still wait ‘till I make an impact
I Survived
Rachel Liu
I shuffled in, as a 6th grader,
with my head low.
I was scared, you know.
The 8th graders were towers.
We were only the grass in the field of blooming flowers.
We didn’t think we would ever rise.
But I survived.
The whole new world of boys, girls, dating and flirting hit us hard.
Will I ever get that “I love you” card?
Or any kind of surprise?
But I survived.
And there was that weird new language
that could never be fixed by a million bandages
And we just laughed cuz we didn’t know what it really meant.
It was meaningless, just a playful comment.
Right?
But I survived.
When 7th grade came,
people were stronger, confident, changed.
It was hard to bike up the ramp of the “popularity”
But it was still a struggle to beat the force of gravity.
But I kept myself alive
And look! I survived
Over the summer,
we practiced the new us on a family member.
In 8th grade, you were a leader or a supporter, you choose.
Satisfied? Tighten the screws
But what about those on the lowest bar?
I don’t know, no one knows, cuz they’re obviously not the star.
It’s called Darwinism-Survival of the Fittest; everyone around you are critics
You can either thrive or die.
But most people survive…
I graduate “with flying colors” they say.
It does look easy, from what I’ve displayed
Cuz I’ve survived 3 damn years,
and I’m proud to say that I haven’t wasted many tears.
I survived
I survived
I survived
Unsatisfiable Hunger
Ethan Ryan
I am a 13 year old guy that forgot what city he was born in.
I don’t know about you, but that fact is one I couldn’t care less about.
What does matter is that I am a full blown Filipino,
one with an unsatisfiable appetite.
I will eat (most) anything that you throw at me,
be it bacon, duck, or cow liver (just not peanuts
or any of my other allergies)
Food is what keeps me alive,
and I’m always looking for more.
That’s the main breakdown of my life,
aside from my:
education
family
friends
hobbies
et cetera.
Oh, so you want to hear about these things?
Alright, allow me to humor you.
I live with a family of 6, my brother
(who I have a healthy rivalry with),
my loving parents,
and my 70 something years young grandparents.
I hail from good ol’ Daly City
AKA
The City of Relentless Fog
The City with so many Filipinos it might as well be dubbed “The Philippines away from the Philippines”
The Philippines away from the Philippines
The City Where I Lived the First Few Years of My Life In.
Afterwards, I headed off to Foster City
a nice change from the fog
and enrolled in the smaller Audubon Elementary
which blows the more populated school that I was zoned for
out of the water.
We had a friendly community,
I made a handful of friends,
played hard
studied harder
from Kinder until 5th,
where I got shoved off to Bowditch Middle School.
I’ve since then endured 3 years here
enlarged my circle of chums
kept having fun,
kept my high grades,
and now I’m here.
What happens from now on
is unknown.
I don’t know whether to believe in predestination
or choice
but that fact doesn’t matter
since it doesn’t change the fact that the future
is completely
unknown.
What does matter
is that
I
am
a
full
blown
Flipino
with
an
unsatisfiable
appetite.
Up
Phoebe Lau
Ballet is beauty
Ballet is pain
You only have one duty
Circling your brain
You must look poised and pretty
Make your feet carry you along, soft as a kitty
A sequence of steps locked in your head
Your feet in a box that makes them feel like lead
When you get on the stage, be sure not to wobble
You and your toes are having a squabble
You manage to stay on your box up and tall
But after you dance you feel quite small
The Worm
Gregory Pragin
A worm wiggles wiggles wiggles each day and each night, and here and there, and up and down and all around, the ground. Coming up to the surface knowing it might dry up. Not fearing the sun. It is brave.
Untitled
Megan Chung
I saw dark clouds within a blue sky,
I saw a big building that filled the brain of mine.
I saw my body trapped in this school,
I saw land which the cool kids ruled.
I saw kids alike on that land,
I saw kids dressed in white as they stand.
I saw kids who all look the same,
I saw kids who aren't different with shame.
I saw that I don't act like them,
I saw that I don't look like them.
I saw that I am unique,
I saw that I am different.
I see that I am my own.
Krithika Thanigaivean
My heart lies in a world
Where dreams come true
Where a rainbow of children can learn
Where the wise are idols
Where the not so wise are given a chance
Where a bright screen does not make us who we are
Where relationships are based on character
Where the beautiful help, rather than criticize.
My heart does not lie on a planet in a distant galaxy,
Or in a heaven.
Rather, it lies in the possibilities of this world.
When we can work hard to achieve our goals
When color does not determine school
When we listen to those who are willing to teach
When we give the sinners a second chance
When we live in the real world
When we can embrace who people really are
When we no longer use beauty as a marker
Then we have lived.
We have created a perfect world.
A utopia.
A heaven.
What Will Never Altar
Jessica Hwang
Hello there, would you knock on my door,
I am afraid my window is locked and my walls,
Are built too tall and thin, from the sky to the floor.
I keep myself inside,
With daisy chains.
Let us pretend in our kingdom made of broken things,
That these clouds, these tears, are all but dreams.
And that I,
Am only living with glass mirrors,
Without smoke and silver.
Am only living with silver mirrors of a killer,
Ash in my throat.
There are pieces of stone and brick, parts of steel and wood,
That is the dreamcatcher, turned into my unsteady bow.
I nock an arrow on my olden thing, and shoot it at the sky,
It's dark, but then, I am piercing bullet holes
Called stars.
Oh my, oh my, what should I play?
Go to the hill, and you will find,
My wishing well.
Go to the oak, always in fall,
The red leaf will be your bookmark.
Go to the bricks, and cobblestone,
There might be white dandelions.
Go to the old man, all alone,
He will lend you a candle to light.
Go to the bridge, old or new,
And don't let your feet touch its path.
And if I claim nonsense, like you avow,
As you say,
As you wish.
With life, we always hurry, and wish,
We always run in the wrong direction.
Still, don't look back.
The clock tower tolls,
The watch tower crumbles,
And you will continue running,
After a second has passed,
After a minute, or two, or three,
Perhaps even a day or decade.
Let us pretend in this;
This kingdom of promises,
Because it is the hourglass,
Because it is the tick-tock-tick-tock,
Until we lose our breath and we say--
Something?
Your voice breaks in the shape,
As the crack in my heart.
You fix it carefully, with my hands,
A finger on each bleeding line.
Your veins are tiny bridges leading from your heart,
My heart,
To the tip of your fingers.
First the kneecaps,
I do not stand.
First the neck,
I bow, I do not beg.
First the ears,
I lie down.
First, never last,
I do not stop.
Until I do.
And,
Always and,
Oh, have you heard, in a far away land,
There are simple stairs in a simple dollhouse.
The lost torn page of a child's fairytale catches on the railing.
I wonder when this pipe dream just went?
The way that wonderland, is still, better left unsaid.
It begins with a clap. Not a snap.
Claps are loud together.
No one listens to loud things.
Quicksilver lightning speed,
Rain runs through my hair,
Blood gets in my mouth.
Once upon a time,
Long long ago,
The shot down stars I wish upon,
Never could,
Rip the sky when they,
Fell.
We cannot leave the great kingdom,
That will always know best.
To the me of nine years, and no more,
May you please not blow out the candle?
And before you leave that footstep on the ladder,
Let us pretend, just once, one more time--
This is how it goes:
Knock knock,
Who is there?
The Test
Kelly Ma
A big test is coming
And my brain is frying
Maybe I’ll cram right before
I don’t know what to do anymore
My brain feels confused
It’s being overused
I just want to cry
And set all my worries goodbye
The day has come
And I feel dumb
Feeling like I barely studied
I am certainly not ready
Everyone is prepared
While I feel impaired
I stop and stare
Holding back the fear
All the stress
Why not just guess
I am done
But my worries have barely begun
They shall stay
Until I get the grade
Why Do We
Eddie Van Dine
Why do people follow?
Why do people think that being normal is wearing the same clothes, or shoes as the cool kids?
Why do people judge?
why do people jude the way you look instead of who you are or how you respect others?
Why do you feel fat?
Why do you feel ugly when you can simply not care?
Why do we live in a community that has stereotypes?
Why?
Why can’t normal be normal you?
Why?
Why will you change because you are better than what society makes of you.
Ode to my city
Ryan Fatemi
Foster City
No one notices how high you set the bar
until things go subpar
No one hears the whispers
Until the hims and hers stop talking
All you hear is complaining about the quiet hiss
But then you hear the noise and appreciate the bliss
Under the foster care of a safe city
One may take pity on their greed as they compare to the hoods
Life is simply so good
As I sit here writing this during a power outage I think to myself
when the last time was we had one
How sometimes the bad times remind us of the fun.
The grass always seems greener on the other side
But with literally more than half of Foster City being parks there could not be anymore greener grass.
So please stop with the sass.
Descendants
Miranda Chai
You descended from the heavens,
You descended from the rains.
All I know is that you are an angel,
That was once in complete pain.
You often had a smile,
On that pretty little face.
But little did I know,
That smile soon just became a trace.
One moment did I know,
Had completely dimmed your glow.
One day you were a spark,
The next you were in the dark.
Just because of one event,
Where your whole world was bent.
You decided to believe no more,
And was suddenly hiding behind a trapped door.
But when you finally saw a light,
Your spark soon reignite.
Just with a little spark,
You soon descended out of the dark.
Revolve Around
Mitchell Yu
My life starts.
Innocence.
The world is perfect.
I read, I learn,
I grow.
I gradually prepare for school.
I am in kindergarten, 1st,
2nd grade.
I mature.
I am centered about learning.
I finish elementary.
I do well.
Life is great.
I feel great.
I am smart.
or so I think.
I begin 6th grade.
My first realization:
Life is not as innocent
As we were once exposed to.
The friendly life I thought I knew
Dissolved.
I grasp for those fragments.
I hope the world can have peace.
I know that will not happen.
I begin 7th grade.
My central focusses?
Or focusii? Focii?
Are learning and Pixar. Why Pixar?
I don't know.
I wonder if this is when
My social life began to lack.
I continue through school.
School is still the focus.
Meanwhile,
Pixar fades out,
Nintendo fades in.
My social life feels missing.
I am in 8th grade.
I am orbiting all three.
Simple classes hurled over onto life.
Photorealistic images with amazing story.
Nintendo.
Meanwhile, social life is trapped.
Should I free it?
Yes.
Will I?
...
Dancing On The Edge
Rochelle Demelo
I'm far too lost in dance to turn back now
I could not and will not make that vow
To go back to a world without dance,
I'm too committed to take that chance
I'll try my best and hope to succeed
I may get what I want, but not what I need
This isn't a type of fashion
because this is my fashion
Whether I'm leaping high up above
or dancing down below
I am much too in love
to ever let it go
I fear tears streaming down my face
Never being able to keep up with my sisters' pace
The anxiety of falling behind in dance
Of never being given a second chance
In the end, I have to decide
Whether I stay by their side
In both dances and decisions,
I could bend and I could break,
But that is a chance I am willing to take
This dancing isn't a type of fashion,
This is my passion
My Life Story
Anonymous
Yesterday I had an argument with my mom
Last week my sister came to visit from college
A few weeks ago, my sister lied to me to hide a surprise
I could tell because of an extra swallow, a too-quick blink,
and the subtle clench of her jaw.
A month and a half ago my parents announced
that Disneyland is where we would be in the summer.
A year ago my sister was constantly coming home from college
Two years back I had more time for my dog
Several birthdays ago, I had to buy my own birthday presents
I remember 5th grade graduation was a time of little goodbyes
I remember painting purple hair for my self portrait in second grade
I remember the nervousness of first grade
But I don't remember being born
Two Poems by Anika Krishnan
Tears
You know that you’re about to cry when your nose starts to prickle
the first dew drop falls
after a long time your face stiffens
you can barely move you cheeks
your face becomes drenched in the brine liquid
you then start to rub your eyes to get rid of them
but it doesn’t work
instead you move it around
they never leave
you can never escape them
after a while your vision becomes cloudy
because the tears welled up
and you want to…need to stop
but you can’t…you don't know how for
a downward frown is plastered on your face
however finally when you peer into the small,
compact mirror you see something,
you see a face with mascara streaks
and as you look into the small mirror
you notice a miserable girl,
a girl who exploded because
she didn't let it out before
you see her disheveled hair with some sticking to her face
and she looks so fragile
so you think, if only she smiled
because if she did,
she would be really beautiful,
so you smile
Planes
They fly and soar and swirl around
and reach far distances with a buzzing sound
they paint the sky with puffs of grey
and touch the roof as the geese play.
When you left, I cried and wallowed
in misery, for my heart became hollow,
but then when you emerged from the plane
I’d be so overjoyed, I would nearly faint.
Although those planes, bring you close, to stay
Sometimes, unfortunately, they take you away
And I know you are confused as to why?
How do I love those planes in the sky?
Each time you leave, you take a small part
of me, I give you a piece of my heart
and although they seem like treacherous pains
I really love those lovely planes.
Civil War
Cyrus Kanga
I am life.
I am breath.
I am movement.
I am happy.
I am glad.
But the government came and turned us bad.
I am death.
I am unrest.
I am tired.
I’ve been left.
I am sad.
I am bad.
I’m getting very mad.
I am strong.
I am independent.
I going to fight for amendments.
We are strong.
We are free.
We have the power to defeat.
We are good.
We are great.
We are going to change this fate.
Now we fight.
Two Poems by Arka Pal
The Feeling
It was a Tuesday
The day of the Tennis tryouts
I was waiting as eagerly as a hungry lion for this day for a year
My heart beat louder that the noise of 10 drums
Within me stuck a positive feeling
Whispering to me that I will make the team
2 hours passed
Still did not go up
Yet, my heart kept on beating constantly
I rallied with my friends
To boost up my confidence
But something else boosted my confidence even more
Within me stuck a positive feeling
Whispering to me that I will make the team
2 minutes after, my name was called
Yes, this is it
The moment I have been waiting for
My determination still has not given up on me
As I approach toward the courts, I felt as ready as a tiger waiting to pounce on its prey
After my turn, I was pretty confident
Confident enough that I was able to see my name on the team list
But within me stuck a positive feeling
Whispering to me that I will make the team
2 weeks later, the letter arrived
I was very excited and thrilled for this outcome
Keeping in mind that my dream is about to come true
Every second, suspense grew
Every step, my heart beat faster and faster as if it had legs
Finally, my eyes were about to make contact with the list
My heart gradually brought down its pace as if it ran a mile
Everything was silent
I could not believe it
I did not make the team
I toiled very hard like slaves
But all my efforts went down the drain
What was my mistake?
Was I too confident?
Was I not good enough?
Who knows?
I felt extremely horribly as if my life was over
But always there was a feeling
A positive feeling staying within me
Whispering to me I will make the team
The next day I found out the practice date for the team
I still had hopes
To get in the team, I had to prove myself that I am worth it
Then arrived Tuesday
I requested the coach to give me another chance
He said okay
I felt so thankful
“Thank you god for giving me a second chance”
I felt really fresh
As if I pressed command-z in my pc to undo a mistake
When I was self-evaluated I regained my confidence
And also had that feeling
That positive feeling that was within me
Whispering that I will make that team
That feeling gave me the courage
To prove myself that I am worth it
And at the end of the day, one of my dreams finally came true
I got in the tennis team
I felt like standing on top of the world
I was at cloud nine
When I got into the team, I was honored as if I was victorious
In my mind, I gave credit to one thing
That feeling that stood within me
Motivating me by whispering that I will make the team
That positive feeling taught me one thing
And that is to never give up until something
That feeling is self—confidence
A smile
The smiles are fungi
It is as epidemic as bacteria
When someone smiles
I also smile
It is all part of the flu
A smile is good
As well as bad
A smile is a grin
As well as delight
A smile can be anything
No matter if it is someone’s birthday
Or if it is somebody’s graduation
No matter if somebody gains an A+
Or if someone wins a baseball match
A smile will be all ways around you
No matter where you are
G language
Zachary Wong
Waking up to go to school
Brushing my teeth at night so tiredly
Adopting our new pit-bull lab as golden as the sun
Very exciting news
Meeting people in sixth grade warms my heart
Saying bye to the City Of Love
saying bye to the London Eye
Every morning eating buttery, golden croissants
Trying new food is a wonderful time like a foody like me
Saying bye to Maui is a hard time for me
Eating Hawaiian food makes me feel native
Saying hello to the warm sun
Leaving home to see the exotic land
Tears run down my face to say bye to our Boston Terrior
Be creative in elementary was encouraging
Making my first friend in Pre-K named Brandon
Saying mama and dada for the first time
That Feeling
Prashanth Rajan
That feeling you get when you’re happy
It is the wind that blows through your hair
Whether you have it or not
It is the car you drive
Whether your allowed to drive or not
That feeling you get when you’re proud
It is the walls to your house
Whether you have one or not
It is like being able to see through walls
Whether you can see or not
It is like being able to fly
Whether you have wings or not
That feeling you get when you’re sad
It is like a gloomy day
Whether you’re outside or not
It is like a sour grape
Whether you eat grapes or not
It is an extra large hurdle
Whether you jump or not
A feeling is a feeling
Whether you can feel it or not
Are You Ready?
Reiyan Motiwala
Are you ready for the challenges that face you?
Are you ready to grow up?
Are you ready for a new place?
Are you ready to meet new people?
Are you ready for life?
Sunrise Waltz
Zoe Cruse
As my heavy lashes lift up from my waking eyes
I can see the sparkle of the sunrise through my open window
Streaking paint along my hazel canvases
the light dances
a midnight waltz
Waking from my endless slumber
the smells of new beginings
submerge my senses in an
ocean of opportunities
I wipe the residue from my eyelids
freeing me from nightmares,
and opening up my vision to my own reality
My head lifts and I gaze at my cheery sanctuary
As my hair falls from my top knot down to my shoulder blades
happiness tickles my back
with its silky touch
Faint laughs fill my mind as
gay vibrancy threads my apparell
to last from dawn to dark
The birds merry tunes clear my mind
filling my ears with the hope
conducted through their passionate songs
The baby blue sky clouds my head
with the joyous daydreams
of any young girl
Love fills the clouds
as my opptimism searches to find
the questions of my future
and the answers of my past
My snap back to reality
comes from the poised barks of puppies
reminding me to hurry up
As the mirror facing me exposes
a sight of disappointment
I conceal myself
in a painting of product
forming the mask
of my disguise
Once again
paint coats my canvases
but creates a version of the waltz
that is stiff and stone-eyed
The artificial light touches my face
animating a beautiful illustration
of the powers of my mask
About to exit my sanctuary
I take one last glance
at the sunrise
glinting off of my eyes
Realizing the sparkle
ceased to exist
I run to shed my mask and
see the glimmer of the sunlight’s smile once again
As my worn shoes tie close to my feet
they thrust me forward
into the sparkling daylight
Opportunities
captivate my future
as an open diary and
a caligraphy pen
As I leave my safety net of a bedroom
I face the new beginings of the day
with my vision
submerged in the ocean
of my own
reality
My journey of life
is embarked opon
as the waltz of the glimmering sunrise
on my hazel canvases.
Define Creativity
Emily Maupin
Creativity,
You can't see
That they have chained me,
I can't get out
Iamstuck Iamstuck
Iamstuck Iamstuck
Youdontlisten
Pleaselistenorleavemebe
Accessibility,
Don't tell me what I can or can not do.
You tell me to be creative,
But can one truly understand another.
stoptalking Iknowyoubeleiveinme
Sohearmeout BecauseIbelieve
ThatIamawaste Iwasmadetobelieve
ThatIamawaste BecauseIdontthinklikeothers
Normalnormalnormalnormalnormalnormal
Stopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstop
ImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorry
IhateIhateIhateIhateIhateIhateIhateIhateIhate
Pollution,
It is a toxic spill
That poisons the mind,
Leaving non to wonedier.
Letmegoletmegoletmegoletmegoletmegoletmego
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease
Shutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutup
IhaveIhaveIhaveIhaveIhaveIhaveIhaveIhave
IseeyouIseeyouIseeyouIseeyouIseeyouIseeouo
Leavemeleavemleavemleavemeleavemeleaveme
Nocontrolnocontrolnoctonorrlnoontlnonlcnonlr
Nonoononononooononnnonononoonnonoooono
miniemeiniemeieniemeieneieeeimeieneiemieeim
mmememmememmememememmeeemememe
totototonpvttoototnepntpreventpenptootepnpnvpen
themrirnsinrismeinrismeirenismienriethemrisingsmirn
tearingmyselfaparttearingmyselfaaorattearingatmyself
lyghtinglythginlyttihgyitngitlyingyihigntiyghitnighythigngi
charringchyaricarryingringihairnycihianrihcinariyyhicnaihrin
palspalsaplspalspaslapslapsallspistieiplsaiteplsatieparrasite
tmmyfsomosyfomoemoefysofmeofeosdyosfefmoestomyself
dolstineensldislnsdsildsnidlsnielseeildldisldsodontlistendleiloei
totetoeteotetoeotoeteotoeoteotoeoteotoeotoeetoeeottotooteoto
thermethtmtheretmthtmerhtmetehremtehtemthemtrhtmrthrtmrhtr
You can't see
I am stuck.
Don't tell me what I can or can not do,
So hear me out.
I'm sorry,
I have
none to one,
no control.
I'm
lying
to myself,
So define my creativity.
Let Me Tell You
Alex Ma
Let me tell you about a boy.
Carefree and full of joy.
Wait…That’s not how it goes.
Let me tell you about a boy.
Who lived in the same town,
For all his years.
Surrounded by friends,
Yet was always alone.
Let me tell you about a boy.
Who was…different.
Who always thought,
“Why am I the red color pencil,
In this sea of blue?”
Let me tell you about a boy.
Who kept everything in,
Hiding behind a mask,
With a smile painted on.
Let me tell you about a boy.
Who thought he was insignificant,
That his troubles were whims,
In the great scheme of life.
That his efforts were futile,
Never being enough
A Hopeful Ride
Namita Hedge
In a desert filled land
With seas and seas of sand
We drove through the night
After a day of fun exploring
But yet there was a shadow of evil
Looming above us
And soon enough
Did our fate befall us
Our glorious ride stuttered and slowed
Till we were left lost
In a town, of which we did not know
When we had no place to fuel ourselves
No place, no way to fly again
But luckily, out of the gloom
There came a kind and helpful man
Who knew not of us, but of this land
He gave us a place to stay
To rest, until the sun would rise
So we could continue our glorious ride
Shadow
Anisha Tripathi
I look around myself and see,
The beauty that I wish I could be,
The hopelessness of this beauty surrounds me,
And I further cordon my soul off from society.
On many cold nights, I have shivered,
For the wind has seemed to be so bitter,
But simply consider,
When I am gone, circumstances will be fitter.
I try to run away from the monstrosity that is myself,
Just when I began to come out of my shell,
They hurt me, and I fell,
Creating emptiness that could never be quelled.
I was falling down, hanging only by a strand of my hair,
Finally sinking into another world’s lair,
Of happiness, I was never the heir,
I realize these truths as I take my last breath of air.
Excitement Follows
Pranav Kalra
Excitement is just there
Or is it everywhere
Following me day and night
I see it on every side
Excitement is drifting through the sky
Down so low yet up so high
Right before receiving an award
Or traveling to a fun place
Because of excitement, I cannot wait
It is this feeling, that I cannot that I cannot tolerate
I’m prepared for the action
Yet I don’t know the outcome
With excitement, I feel all light
But I still have – a little bit of fright
Excitement is waiting
Prepare to have excitement strike
Why Cancer
Kaitlyn Waller
Cancer you are a murderer
You have affected me and my family
I have a question cancer
Hopefully you could answer
Why do you hold onto people until they are weak?
You tried making my grandpa weak,
but he fought back until the very end
You tried getting both my grandmas with breast cancer
They are now cancer free
You keep going after my family
My grandpa had skin cancer
You also attacked my mom
Why do bad things happen to good people?
In other words why do you happen?
Why did you attack these people?
You also hit Mackenna twice with brain cancer
So my real question is why do you exist?
Fear of Judging
Kylie Galea
Center Stage
Everyone Staring
You Start--
People Whisper
You Go On--
You Finish
It goes silent
Your Face Turns Bright red
You are scared for the CROWDS reaction
Saying to yourself I messed up
Then there’s clapping
You walk off stage
You wonder does anyone even care?
Then you realize that the only
person judging is yourself.
Lies
Sean Chamberlain
The world is a beautiful place
Yet at the same time not beautiful
War
Greed
Jealousy
And corruption
ruin the world
The oceans
Forests
Mountains
Sunsets
The night sky
And some people make this world beautiful
We harm the world
But do we also help it
Do we only cause harm
And damage to the worlds beauty
I believe that we harm the world
but also help it
Who is fit to judge though
For what we have done
Two Poems by Isabelle Borges
I’m open
Happiness
It’s a way of life
You can be happy sad mad and excited
But feeling open is feeling happy
You feel good about yourself
You believe in yourself
Nothing can go wrong
Free from the chamber inside
All from being happy
Nothing can overcome your day
Or make you mad
Because happiness is inside your system
It is opening your chamber
It is a way of life
I recommend being happy
It makes your self-esteem hire
So the things that make you happy
Or the people that make you happy
You should
KEEP
Swing
I'm playful
Fun
And happy
I'm a twin
We are outside
He was practicing
Practicing golf
I wanted to try
Up behind him
He swung
I try to move
But it hit me
Hard
In my cheek
A hole
There is a massive hole
In my cheek
Running inside
To mom
To dad
Sobbing
They panicked
Hopping into the car with blood all over
Her hands was holding my face
I don’t remember
But I did have 35 stitches
Total
Music is Passion
Caleb Koch
Music is Passion
The rock and roll
That fuels my soul
The strings on the guitar
Make me believe I can go far
Music is Acceptance
When you’re at school
and kids don’t treat you like a fool
Because you can do something
That people wont take for granted
Music makes me live life to the fullest
Like everyday will be your last
and to live in the moment
and forget the past
Music makes me believe that I will be all right
When a relative dies
Oh how I would cry
Just to be with them one last night--
Music reminds me that they’ll be more than all right
Music makes me say all the things I’ve ever wanted to
To a girl who I’m too a afraid to talk to
Because I’m worried about the outcome--
The words of a chorus bring
My thoughts together
Music keeps my heart beating
I could not live without it
Hey, Dad
Bruce Deng
Hey, Dad,
Why have you forsaken me?
Of the 14 years I’ve lived,
I’ve seen you for less than one.
I know nothing of you,
You know nothing of me.
You don’t know who I am,
Or what I do.
When I did some thing great,
You were never there to tell me good job.
You have never been there when I need you most,
You have never been there when I want you most.
Hey, Dad,
Why have you forsaken me?
All the presents were great, (Legos, game consoles, headphones)
But remember, nothing buys happiness,
And nothing replaces love.
I have never experienced what the dad is supposed to do,
Or what the difference is between mom and dad,
Because you were never there,
To show me the difference.
It’s the half of my life,
I never experienced.
Dad,
Why have you forsaken me?
The Picture
Hanee Wycoco-Brucal
I am the person who always in my head
Never over thinking the possibilities
Keep myself in my imagination and creativity
Where ideas are found
Sometimes inspired of the environment around
Colors are part of the scene
Express myself through my drawings
Things I see are part of my inspiration
Flowers of nature
Skyscrapers in cities
Notes in music
I am serious about what I do
I am person who does not care about fitting in
I am person who does not care about what others think
I am also a silent person
I do not need words to express myself
I am not like everyone else
And I do not need to be like everyone else
Cause I like who I am
Changes of Light and Shadow
Christian Xolocotzi
I never thought it would be possible
to get rid of these moments
I once had to be honest I’m not that pleased
Is this really happening or is it all just a dream?
I never thought I would see these these problems happen in reality
But now it’s got me nervous, see now it’s a fear
That I would never get the right words to show what it means
Now I’m sitting here chattering like on a cold stormy void day watching the grid of my teeth
And I thought it would be a breeze and now it’s become a fear
But it turns out my solutions weren’t ever all that clear
Now I’m on the verge of tears and somehow I’m right here
I never thought it would be possible
To be fearless as a shadow
A shadow afraid of the light
It seemed like the future seemed so bright
Now I have an option…
Do I be happy to stay alive, or do I lose hope and die?
I’m surprised I’m here right now and everything is going great
See I didn’t feel like my old self and maybe I have changed
I don’t know what I just became no seriously don’t go away
I know I’ve done a lot of sins of my past but that’s just how it changed
I won’t ever be the same but what is the meaning of all this?
We won’t ever know, I’m Pretty sure we will know…… Someday
Drowning
Hannah Odell
I’m drowning.
The water flooding my body.
Wondering if I will ever reach the land
My toes hit what I think is the sand.
I realized I’m stuck.
I’ve hit the rock bottom.
I’ve drowned.
Struggling to breathe.
Not knowing if out is where I want to go.
I feel the chain holding me back.
Lack of oxygen.
I see the light.
I’m ready.
As if the water is my home
And back up is unknown.
What to choose
I know I can make it
Do I want to?
I hear the voices flooding in my head.
The past flooding back.
Reminding me of the pain.
Loosing loved her,
Wanting to join her.
Be with her one last time.
I know she wouldn’t want it.
So I try.
I decide to open my eyes.
Swim to the shore.
Coming up from that dark place.
As I lay in the warm sun
I know she’s happy
I know she’s as peace
So I can be too.
Some days I still wonder,
Does the sea miss me?
Infinite Dreams
Vivian Yao
Oh, how I wish I could be a child once again
Unburdened with the troubles of this world,
and oblivious to all things difficult in life.
Without the need to impress
the need to please
the need to stress
Until we bend down to our knees and cry.
Oh, how I wish I could become a child once again,
with a vast imagination
and infinite dreams.
The pressure of this life is unbearable
This way of living is too difficult
These things that were once not required, are now a given.
“What for?”, you ask.
Better future, better life, better husband.
Oh, how I wish I could become a child once again,
Unburdened with the troubles of this world,
and oblivious to all things difficult in life,
with a vast imagination,
and infinite dreams.
Anger
Connor Graville
Anger is having rage
Anger eats you alive
When you feel anger
you know it is there
It is a feeling that no one can compare
you feel it powerfully
it makes you want to scream
If you don’t let it out
you need to shout
but beware to control your anger
If you don’t someone will have to pay
And you don’t want to happen this way
feeling anger is like being in a UFC match
all you want is to hurt someone
but don’t
just take a deep breath
just talk to someone
just scream in your pillow
don’t hurt anyone
If you do this your anger will be done
Goodbye
Ryohn Tavassoli
Long drive
Loud music, funny laughs
Sorrow in the back of my head
Pushed aside in order to enjoy the last
I do not want to say goodbye
Even though it is just for a while
Goodbye
U-turn
No music or funny laughs
Salty drops run down my face
Must turn back
But there is no turning back
I’ll miss you
From learning the house until unpacking your
Have a good time at college
Sister, friend
Music
Sneha Vinod
All other sounds were drowned out
as I had the same melody ringing in
my head all day long.
The bell starts ringing signaling the
end of the day.
I race home to listen to song
one more time.
I swiftly raced to put my earbuds on.
I swiped through my phone finally
finding the one I was looking for.
I press play and hear the opening
beats flow through the headphones
to my awaiting ears.
Never have I felt more at peace as the
singer belts out the first verse.
As the song comes to the chorus I find
myself singing along.
No thought in my mind as the lyrics I knew
so well flowed freely.
The song eventually comes to an end as I
finally feel free.
With no doubt in my mind I press repeat.
They made me who I am.
New York
Lee Kedem
New York, New York
Where shopping is like a sport
Where you can shop for things like dresses to a fork
Where people give you support
Where Broadway is like a home
To many stars like Sierra, Laura, and Norm
Central Park is a place for many people to roam
There is even a zoo too
Shopping is oh so fun
You can by things from channel to Prada to Gucci
Style is a number one
And after shopping you can even buy some sushi
For Audrey
Zahra Razak
For being beautiful and admired across the world
For being truthful and honest in her acting
For being kind and courageous during her time
For being Audrey
When people first see her all they see is a pretty face and an icon for beauty
“What’s in other people’s minds is not in my mind. I just do my thing”
What we have in common with ourselves is different from what other people think
What they think is that we both love fashion
What they think is that we both think that,” Paris is always a good idea”
What they don’t know is that, “happy girls are the prettiest”
What they don’t know is that,” elegance is the only beauty that never fades”
What they don’t know is that, “The most important thing is to enjoy life,” and “to be happy” because, “it’s all that matters”
To be beautiful is one thing
To try to be beautiful is another
“Make up can only make you look pretty in the outside but it doesn’t help if you’re ugly on the inside. Unless you eat the makeup”
That would be gross
To want to be beautiful is one thing
Because, “nothing is impossible. The world itself says I’m possible.”
So if you want to want to be beautiful make sure you do it in a manner which you will be looking at the world in a different perspective
“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”
Also make sure you laugh a lot
Because, “honestly it’s the thing I like most to. Laugh, it cures a multitude of illnesses. It’s probably the most important thing in a person.”
There is just one thing you need to remember from Audrey and me
Is that, “the best thing to hold onto in life is each other”
Not only will it last forever
It will be forever
So from only me remember
Outer beauty is temporary
Inner beauty last forever
The Power of Ramen
By Alex Yan
Ramen Noodles are such a delight,
A joy to eat that turns my face bright.
Each bowl is filled up to the brim,
I close my eyes to say a hymn.
Before I dig in I slowly observe,
All that flavors that I long to preserve.
First the meat, two slices on top,
Seasoned to perfection like a pork chop.
Then the egg placed in the center,
Into my mouth this taste will enter.
A portion of vegetables next to the meat,
Sautéed and boiled, they are quite the treat.
In the blink of an eye there is no trace,
The only thing left is the soup base.
A tear slips right out of my eye,
For to have another bowl, I would die.
Life of Me
Connie Nong
On an amazing day
A miracle came my way
A life of amazing dreams to choose away
And opportunities pulling me every which way
Life was in every imaginable color
As I smiled and stood a little taller
The world just seemed a little smaller
Which kind of made me want to holler
Then I got a little older
And my thoughts got a little bolder
As my fading colors got a shade cooler
And things starts to pile upon my little shoulder
Then I did not want to be seen as a kid
And all the things I wanted to rid
Along with all the childhood was hid
And all of a sudden, everything had to have a quid
Then I became a teen
Of course I felt invincible at age thirteen
As I was daydreaming of being the queen
I started to eat more greens and less beans
And today, I understood things a little more
I have friends who loves me and whom I adore
Maybe the homework and chores are a huge bore
But if I look back, there is not a single thing I would deplore
This is because I was given a life on an amazing day
Where millions of miracles came my way
A life where I have dreams to choose away
And opportunities pulling every which way
Rosebud
Christina Rodriguez
You treat me as if I was a rosebud
You water me with kind words
And positive motivations
And good lessons of life
So I can grow the way you want me to
You bring me out into the sunshine
To show me off before I bloom
And to feed me with the natural nutrients
To grow big and bright
When I begin to bloom I am not the color you desired
I am different from other flowers in the bush
I grow out with many thorns
I have many problems and imperfections that can’t be fixed
You don’t believe so
You try to cut the thorns off of my stem
You try to enlarge my petals
And change my color
My color comes back and mixes with the color you wished I was
My petals shape back to the way they began
And my thorns have grown even bigger than they were before
My problems have grown and grown
I feel the need to lie to you to
To hide myself
To cover up my thorns
To disguise my hue
Just so you would not be disappointed in me
Then I realize that all of society treats us like flowers as well
When our roots tangle with others it becomes sheer madness
When we don’t become what we are expected
We become a freak of nature
We are immediate outcast
When we are cut off the bush
When we are cut off from society
We do not go into a bouquet
We go into the compost
We get thrown away
Just for being different
Maybe that’s why we do not want to be judged
For the fear of being different
For being the rose with the most thorns
We do not want to be thrown away
We want to become the rose that exceeded the expectations
That bloomed the brightest
That bloomed the biggest
That had no thorns to hurt others
That was treated as a rosebud
Fly
by ஹம்ஸவர்தினி minerVa திருநாராயணன்
The bow meets the viol-a, not the viol-in
As the viola gives the world the
Most glorious, rich, warm tone
Envied by many
I play, not monotonously,
But with the passion of
100 sports fans
We all know of their craziness
A zeppelin. THE zeppelin
Led Zeppelin. Kashmir.
The rock song that triumphs all
is written for my strings.
The bow meets the viol-a, and that rich, warm, tone
turns gruff, hardcore, and with all its might,
becomes the song.
I see myself in front of a mountain, and I fly.
On top of a mountain. Kashmir.
The icy air freezes the tips of my ear.
My face is heating and cooling at the same time.
I’m on top of the world.
Nothing can beat me, I shall stay on top
Here
I am
Free
Why Give Up?
Roshni Gandhi
I broke down, can't I just move on?
I came upon.
The dangers that bring you down.
I walked into my new ghost town.
With no one else there.
I'm all alone.
Everything is so unknown.
The darkness is near.
Life is one big fear.
Is there a chance to get away?
All the pain, and all the tears.
Not that anyone cares.
Is there something to gain?
From all the pain.
The fears that bring me down.
I'm all alone.
Everything is so unknown.
The darkness is near.
Life is one big fear.
Is there a chance to get away?
I decided to fight.
Right here, I knew my choice was right.
Everything that brought me down.
That made me drown.
Couldn't affect me anymore.
Happiness
Joshua Ge
You smile when you feel this
you feel open to do anything
you feel happy!
It is feels great to be happy
it is like getting a warm hug after a long tiring day
it is like getting beamed a ray of sunshine after a rainy day
it is coming home after a long day of school
with a snack waiting for you to eat it
and a bed ready for you to nap in it
being happy makes the rest of your day feel good
and your happiness might even make others happy
and helps you concentrate on what you are doing
many times you will be sad and angry
but be optimistic in life
the sad and angry things will go
while the happy memories will last forever
and to also know that your smile
could be a cure to someones bad day
so stop being gloomy about life
and be happy for what you have.
Things We Have Not Learned
Elita Mak
When we think of school,
We think of how it educated us,
How it was meant to prepare us for life,
But we often forget what they do not teach us.
In school, they teach you a lot,
They teach you to write, to read,
They teach you numbers and counting,
They teach you about wars and fallen empires
But what about the things they do not teach us?
Like how to comfort a crying friend,
Or how to appreciate your family,
Or the value of generosity and kindness.
We can tell you the rules of commas,
How to tell a polynomial from a binomial,
But we have not learned how to measure our self worth,
With something other than a grade.
We have not learned that there is more to us than the scores on our papers,
We have not learned that our families are more important than the paper due the next day,
We have not learned that our sleep is more important than the points on an assignment,
We have not learned that there are things that school will not be able to prepare us for.
Happy Times
Hanson Xiao
Happiness, happiness it’s all through the air
It can help you recover from sadness
Happiness makes your day great
Happiness guides you through anger
Happiness is the bright sun
At the end of a long dark tunnel
Happiness is a big, colorful rainbow
After rains of sadness
Happiness are the things in life
That bring you lots of joy
Happiness is an invisible medicine
That cures all your problems
Happiness is perfect harmony
Happiness is a music chord
that fits perfectly in a song
Happiness are all the ups in life
That conquer all of the downs
Happiness are the rays of light
That slice through the clouds of hate
Happiness is the best!
My Love Will Never Be Like Yours
by Apoorva Dhingra
Everyone says, "my love is like a red, red rose."
I would say that too,
But I would be lying,
My love is more like darkness,
More like handing someone a gun.
And trusting them
Not to shoot you.
My love brings blood to my mouth,
Biting my tongue,
The burning in my throat of all the words I could never say.
Some of us are so quick to love,
So quick to judge.
But no one knows the real us.
I bet if someone were to draw me,
They would outline my body and form a sweet, sweet smile on my lips.
But I wouldn’t do the same.
I would outline my flaws,
And form a thousand different expressions on my face,
And love it, because that is who I really am.
The more people I meet, I learn how to flip them inside out,
Run my fingers along the cracks of their beating heart,
And learn to love them for who they are.
The Great Trace
Apoorva Dhingra
Sometimes I think about what would happen,
If my savior wasn’t the brave hero he was.
Would I still be spelling "color" with a "u,"
Or calling the letter "z" "zed"?
What would my life be like,
If India and Pakistan didn't separate?
If they were just warring territories?
Bone-Chilling stories fill my head,
Of how my great-grandparents
Fled what they called was home.
Of how the people with my one blood
Split themselves
Into two.
Looking at the old pictures
Of the scars across their faces
As my grandma explains the tragedies
Her parents had to see.
Would I still be me?
Would I even be here today?
No--
I wouldn’t be me.
I wouldn’t be the courageous girl I am today
Without a role model
Like Gandhi himself.
Freedom!
Charles Lin
One minute
All stress will be gone
All burdens removed
School will be over
No more homework
No more tests
Summer break
At last, I will not have to hear boring lectures
Thirty seconds
I can feel the excitement
Everybody is ready to leave
Celebrate with friends
Some students are already leaving
The teacher just lets them go
Only a few seconds left
No big deal
The bell rings
All the classroom doors open at once
All shout with joy
Everybody is happy
Everybody is free
Just Another Rag Doll
Aimee Goell
She spoke of how girls are treated as objects,
How society treats girls like rag dolls
But I couldn’t focus on her words
I just thought of how long it took her to get ready in the morning so the guys thought she looked good
How she worried if that hot guy saw her trip
How she spent hours editing her selfies
How she refreshed her Instagram counting the likes she got on that selfie
How she told us she wore a push up bra on her birthday
How she wore layers of makeup as a seventh grader
How she tried to act above it all
And how she was one of those rag dolls
That did whatever society said
Window
Ariel Espinoza-Weinberger
Around the age of four
I lived in an apartment building
It was my first year in the U.S
I didn't know English at all, I was a stranger in a strange land
And one afternoon
A panic spread through my home
I went to investigate
Upon arriving to the scene where it had happened
I realized my younger brother
Had fallen through a window
While on the third floor
I looked through that window
And saw my brother
As well as a pool of blood beside his unconscious body
My cousin called for my parents
My attention was drawn to her screams
Both my parents ran
Ran to get my brother
He was immediately taken to the E.R
But I stayed home
I just stared
Stared outside that window
emotionless
Trying to comprehend what had happened in the past few seconds
Life Stories
Anonymous
We were poorer when I was young,
When we went shopping I would admire the toys in the window.
Anticipation is said to be the best part.
I never learned to have birthday parties,
Sometimes I wonder what I’m missing.
Ignorance is bliss.
In the absence of toys, I turned to books; Most of them were sci-fi.
Sometimes I feel like I was born in the wrong world.
Why was I born anyways, what is my purpose here?
Biology tells us that it’s to pass down DNA.
Parents tell me it’s to pass down the family line.
If each generation lives only for the next, then what do we really live for?
If I exist only for my progeny, then is there nothing more than to live to reproduce, than die after raising them?
That was when I was eleven, sitting on a chair after school, reading.
Suddenly childhood seemed too short.
the realization squeezed the joy out of my day, so I choose to forget it
Two years passed until I realised the implications of that day
If I can only stay for 80 years, then I’m going to make the most of it.
When I grow up, I’m going to try it all.
Screw Biology
Happiness In My Life
Chloe Lau
I'm so HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!
Happiness fills my life.
My happiness leads to a smile on my face. :)
For me
Smiles equal happiness.
My happiness comes from my family that loves to death.
My house is filled with so much love that feels warm.
The warmth fills me with safety and smiles. :)
I love to smile every day when I come home.
Happiness is in my life.
My happiness comes from my wonderful friends.
I get to see them everyday tat school.
Knowing that I will always be with them.
Talking about funny jokes on the way to class makes me laugh and smile. :)
I love to smile when I walk into my next class.
Happiness is in my life.
My happiness comes from all the beautiful nature that lives in this world
I don't know why
It just makes me smile. :)
My backyard is filled with a wonderful smelling lemon plant.
The lemons make me feel tingly inside and make me smile. :)
I don't know why though.
Happiness is in my life.
Two Poems by Alexandra Vangeli
Blank
I didn't feel it anymore
That heart pounding tongue twisting feeling
That feeling when you try to talk but no words come out
That feeling when your happy inside and out
I feel nothing except regret
Unbroken
Broken words that once had meaning
Broken hearts that were once whole
Broken lives that were once put together
Broken trust that we once had
But our promises still unbroken
The Shot
Zachary Levitan
The ball lays there on the turf begging to be hit
I look up from the ball
90th minute, 0-0, last play
All details are clear
The wall: 3 men guarding front post
The goalie: A lion waiting to pounce
I look to the ref
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
the shriek of the whistle is followed by silence
the field is tense with anticipation
I start the run up
Crumch Crumch Crumch
My cleats tear through the ground
They strike the ball in the perfect way
*THUMP*
The ball rifles through the air
Finally it dips and curves over the wall
The only sound you can hear is the swoosh of the net
The ball rolls along the net, satisfied for what its done
The crowd cheers
I’m swarmed like bees to honey
Tackled to the ground by my allies
Wheeee Wheeeeeee Wheeeeeeee
The end whistle is a sigh of relief
I rush off the field
The crowd is screaming
I run towards them and then
and then
and then
I hit the snooze button
Soccer
Justin Li
Before the game the air is wild,
Tension is very high.
The tweet of the whistle marks the start of the game,
And the players catapult off.
The opposite team steals the ball,
Marching unchallenged toward our goal.
The ball shoots into the air,
Swirling like a vortex.
Our goalie makes a desperate leap,
But falls miserably short.
The ball bounces off his head,
And straight into our goal.
A few players shout at him as the nearby trees stare,
The goalie seethes with rage and vows to quit right there.
Shouting becomes fist on bone,
As anger on both sides explode.
The ref comes running and breaks them apart,
Saying it wasn’t the goalie’s fault.
It’s not fair to say it was his fault,
But then again, life is never fair.
Rumor
Pacita Del Balso
It started with the Whisper
Of one Girl
Against her
the Whisper
g r e w,
Chasing her down
The street
They followed her into her
Dreams, tuning them
To Nightmares
They chased her to school,
Where she was caught like
a Fish,
Trapped in a Net
They fired their arrows
At her Heart
Til’ it
s HA t T e Re D
The girl taped her Heart
Back together, but it was still
BROKEN
She ran, but
f
e
l
l
In the Pit
She dragged herself up,
And D
O
V
E
In a Book
Jogging through,
And opening a Door to a new one
At THE END
She locked up her
Words, and threw away
The Key
And cast Iron around
Her broken Heart
She gave up
The Battle
To run into the Light
And let
The Dark envelop her
She hardened her Heart
And killed her Soul
All because one
RUMOR
And they said,
If you’re not alive,
Why
Not
DIE?
JUST DIE!
and without a word,
She complied.
Innocence
Madeleine Seidman
Walking with weights on my feet
Anxiety’s dagger buried deep in my chest
The songs from my earbuds are useless
When wanting to wipe away my swirling thoughts
The cement leading to the end
Seems to loop infinitely
I notice the same small cracks on the sidewalk
Repeated endlessly against my will
But, what is that?
An -- imperfection?
I hadn’t noticed it before
And -- that smell…
Flashbacks of childhood strike sparks into my mind
Suddenly, the music becomes a drug
Used without thinking, but still gives a high
That old marble in my pocket from 3rd grade rolled back home
Their faces
I remember them
It’s almost too much
I can feel the memories suffocating me
But it isn’t horror
It isn’t sadness
It’s an old feeling
That my body had left in an old box on the street
Reunion
Innocence
Friendship
Connections
Where did they run away to?
Had our relations grown stale?
Or had I grown up?
Wait, the marble--
I can feel you fading
Please stay! I can’t live without you.
It’s been so long
You might leave, but that scent is still there
Brushing softly against my face like a grandmother
Yet a smack in the face like an angry bully
But I’ve felt it before
And I welcome it with open arms
--
The blade of grass in the sidewalk
That I had been staring at for a solid minute
Slowly trembled in the sudden cold spring breeze
It’s aroma, weakening
It’s alright, you may leave now
For you have unlocked my mind
and have given back to me my childhood memories
Two Poems by Kristina Engdahl
Fears
1. Fear of people
2. Fear of getting hurt
3. Fear of pain
4. Fear of public speaking
5. Fear of weapons
6. Fear of getting in trouble
7. Fear of spiders
8. Fear of darkness
9. Fear of drowning
10. Fear of falling
11. Fear of being trapped
12. Fear of being abused
13. Fear of loud noises
14. Fear of being wrong
15. Fear of poverty
16. Fear of being homeless
17. Fear of being the center of attention
18. Fear of dying slowly and painfully
19. Fear of getting surgery
20. Fear of being burned to death
21. Fear of car accidents
22. Fear of failure
23. Fear of identity theft
24. Fear of being schizophrenic and everyone is just a figment of my imagination
25. Fear of being strangled to death
26. Fear of betrayal
27. Fear of criticism
My Life…
It started on October 7th, 2001
In Burlingame, California
When I was younger,
The doctors thought I had autism
Because I never spoke
The actual reason why I never spoke
Was because I had lots of ear infections
My hearing was terrible
I got tubes put in my ears
And then kindergarten started
I was very shy so I always whispered in class
Then 1st grade started
I finally used my actual voice
I became popular
Then 2nd grade started
I got a weird haircut
And everyone thought I looked like a boy
People stopped talking to me
I was all alone
Then 3rd grade started
I had no friends
I usually just talked to myself
In 4th grade
I finally made a friend
5th grade was anticlimactic
Then, I started middle school
I somehow developed social anxiety
I found it really difficult to talk to others
In 7th grade
I got worse
I could barely even talk to my family
Then, 8th grade started
I made 2 friends on the first day
I felt very proud
Throughout the year, I made even more friends
My social anxiety isn’t as bad anymore
I still can barely talk in front of a group of strangers
Let alone a whole entire class
But I can at least talk to 1 or 2 people
And I’m proud of that
The Evolution of My Life
Matthew Angel
Walking like a king
- In my sponge bob pajamas
- I was a small baby in a big house
- I started to grow
- Growing taller and taller
- Stronger and stronger
- School started
- 1st grade was a breeze
- 2nd grade was tricky
- 3rd grade was interesting
- 4th grade was fun
- 5th grade was adventurist
- 6th grade was amazing
- 7th grade was puberty
- 8th grade is happening
- High school is coming up
- Exams and papers
- I’m stressed
- Thinking way back
- To when I was king
K
Maya Angel
K
It’s time to fight the light
Face you’re fears with cheers
Do not bit, but be bright
Wipe away your tear and look in the mirror
This is you and there’s still more you can do
Make it right no matter the height
As the future nears listen closely to your peers
Do not let them inside, find your guide
This is not fair, but you will get there
I cannot bear this anymore, I feel pain in my core
Everything happens for a reason no matter the season
This is the ending, I cannot continue pending
So goodbye, and promise not to lie
K
Three Poems by Suzanne Heikal
Life Story
Food, loaded.
Blankets, check.
iPhone, check.
We looked at our east coast house one last time.
Refreshing thoughts such as mint and water ran through my mind.
Cattle, cattle, cattle.
Dry trees, no radio, no wifi.
Just dreams and distances.
Tennesse, first adventure.
Arkansas, food and laughs.
Oklahoma, pure country and warmth.
Texas, start nights.
New Mexico, hot desert.
Arizona, burning.
We see our first palm tree.
We get excited.
Our home is to come.
Rose
Rose oh rose you are grateful,
do not wilt away and be hateful.
The neighbors ask "how do you get these roses?"
We say "By the grace of god, like Moses."
Each one a different size, shape and color.
With all this diversity they have one thing in common;
beauty with remosity.
I love you flower, I really love you!
You please the eye.
Don't ever say goodbye.
What is this rose?
Who is it?
For the rose is you.
If only you knew.
1,2,1
The world is an orange blossom with succulent raindrops of silky mercy.
It is beautiful from culture to culture and from every shade of blue.
We have destroyed it.
They tell you to love.
Answer this, why is there more fruit in a rich mans shampoo than a poor mans plate?
They tell you to do good actions.
Answer this, why is it that the one who is bruised and confused gets no healing but repetition?
They tell you to accept.
Answer this, why is it that the one who is underestimated by society's labels has to hide in bejeweled mask?
They tell you to dream.
Answer this, why is it that we care more about paper and numbers than morals and smiles?
They tell you to learn.
Answer this, why is it that we have become robots with multiple buttons for each use.
Why?
With all these imperfections in the world, I believe we can change it.
It starts with you.
Pick your way of life.
Listen for the 1.
Continue to be 2.
We can all be 1.
I pick 1.
Now, what about you?
Two Poems by Arianna Inouye
Fear
- Fear of Betrayal
- Fear of Loss
- Fear of no knowing between right or wrong
- Fear of judgment
- Fear of being lost
- Fear of unknown
- Fear of murder
- Fear of death
- Fear of rape
- Fear of authority
- Fear of punishment
- Fear of weapons
- Fear of pain
- Fear of bugs
- Fear of anger
- Fear of rage
- Fear of suffering
- Fear of monsters
- Fear of being watched
- Fear of not being “good enough”
- Fear of hatred
- Fear of humiliation
- Fear of bullying
- Fear of messing up
- Fear of getting in trouble
- Fear of being alone
- Fear of boredom
- Fear of loved ones getting hurt
- Fear of noises in the dark at night
- Natural disasters
- Fear of blood
- Fear of being the odd one out
- Fear of being the underdog
- Fear of natural disasters
- Fear of friends telling your secrets
- Fear of misunderstanding
- Fear of holes (trypophobia!)
- Fear of misunderstanding
- Fear of choosing
- Fear of choosing the wrong decision
- Fear of not knowing what to say
- Fear of the truth
- Fear of change
- Fear of the future
- Fear of public speaking
- Fear of rejection
- Fear of disappointment
- Fear of execution
- Fear of being exactly like everyone else
- Fear of letting someone down
- Fear of mistakes
- Fear of failure
- Fear of war
- Fear of not making someone proud
- Fear of disease
- Fear of not living up to my potential.
Life Is Like a Book
My life is like a book,
Every page is filled with memories,
Memories of pain and some of sorrow,
Memories of happiness, laughter and love,
Each chapter has its own story to tell.
My story begins with a breath of air,
I thought to myself, “Watch out world, beware!”
I grew up without a fear,
Everything was jolly here,
I climbed trees,
I scraped my knees,
I still have scars from fighting dragons and sailing seas,
I met new friends,
I kept the old,
I learned life lessons good as gold.
I had some ups
And some downs,
However in the end, life came around.
So even when life seems upside down and you want to give up,
Don’t stop writing and close the book,
Just turn the page and have a positive outlook,
Life is like a book,
Some pages filled with pain and sorrow,
Same contain love and happiness,
But if you never stop and turn the page,
You will never know what the next chapter carries.
A Look Outside
Luke Tan
When I wake up, I hear noises
Noises I hear everyday
It is the sound of boys voices
They do it all day
I go outside to see what they’re actually doing
And they’re screaming at each other terribly
I just know the boys like doing canoeing
But they just keep screaming at each other hysterically
I walk back home and ask myself, “Why does this always happen?”
The Fight
Anonymous
My dad screams
My mom cried
They’re mad, but not at each other
At me
I've seen my mom cry countless times
But I never thought It would be because of me
But it's not my fault. It shouldn't be.
My dad threatens to leave..
I want to pack my bags!
But I have nowhere to go..
But I still want to stay!
But I feel like we need space..
My mom is depressed...
The feeling is mutual...
I can't to school quiet.
They say I'm unusual.
One asks me what's wrong
I say I'm fine, anything else would be crossing the line.
It's been going on for months
I don't know what to do
People at school judge, without knowing why
Why do I act out at school? Because at home I just cry.
I don't know how I feel, I doubt it's all good
Rehabilitating the constant hating fighting pain no understanding
I don't even know what to say, or how I feel
Red is my color
Why?
It shows anger and hate.
But I do not want to feel that way.
What makes me feel free
Free!?
You want me to look into society’s eyes
And tell them I'm free
Well I've been told growing up to never tell a lie.
How can I feel free in a society.
That chains me..
Being forced to believe what's 'Perfect'
Perfect? That's a thing?
I guess I must have missed the memo
Being free.. Is being able to say or do whatever you want
Without being judged
It's hard to feel that way when every time I open my mouth to talk...
Someone shuts me up...
What is freedom in the society?
How do you 'abuse' it?
Being wild, but not too wild?
Having fun... But not too much fun!
Because too much fun is just out of control! right?
Now although I may say I tRy not to lie
When someone looks me in the eye.
As I am about to cry...
I will still insist that I am fine.
So when I'm asked,
to write a poem,
On what makes me feel free...
I cannot write it without filling the lines with lies.
I haven't felt free in the long time
I'm sorry.
but I cannot complete this assignment.
Smiles
Dylan Xie
What I love about dancing
is how the music flows through my body.
What I hate about my body
is how judgmental faces look at me.
What I love about me
is how I’m different from everybody.
What I hate about everybody
is how they always criticize and laugh
What I love about laughter
is how it makes people happy
What I hate about happiness
is how it makes people lose expectations
What I love about expectations
is how it pushes people to reach their goals
What I hate about goals
is that they make you doubt yourself
What I love about you
is how you always make me smile.
What I hate about smiles
is how fake they can be.
Be Free
Griffen Shu
I am free
all by myself
I can do anything
no school
no homework
no stress
We can fly without limits
we can go
high
or we can go
low
It is all your choice
You can live however you like
You are free
only if you choose to be
Summer break is when
most people feel free
You can be free if you allow it
it is your choice
Be Free
Different
It was April 13 2001
This was one unforgettable night
The night in which a little child was born
his name was Griffen
he grew up a normal life
did normal things
got good grades
just wanted to fit in
Everyone told him that you should be different
But he just wanted to fit in
One day something happened
He tried being who he really was
and he did not try to fit in
he tried to be different
That day was the one that changed his life forever
And now he is here
in 8th grade
getting good grades
did not care what anyone thinks
I am different
Human
Amisha Sarkar
Today is a day.
Everyday is a day.
We have had so many days.
And so many more to come.
Everybody has a different story.
Here's mine.
My childhood was great.
I don't remember most of it though.
I remember the good memories.
Not the bad ones.
That's good.
Or is it?
Did I learn from them?
As I grew the number of bad memories grew with me.
I felt more closed up.
Like my personality was fading away.
Feeling empty.
Like I didn't even exist.
Sitting there and watching the birds and people just pass right by.
I was there but I wasn't.
Living in a world of black and white.
Nobody to talk to nobody to laugh with.
Nobody to share the excitement.
Nobody to go see that new movie with.
Nobody to play monopoly with.
Just nobody.
Days and days filled with absence of emotion and feelings.
She walked up to me.
She said hi.
Surprised. I said hi back.
Somebody had approached me.
New territory this was.
I didn't know what to do.
Panicking I quickly said hi back.
She wanted to sit with me at snack time.
I was shocked that somebody knew I was there.
This gave me courage.
This gave me the courage to go sit at her table for lunch the next day.
I opened my mouth.
I opened my mouth.
I opened my mouth.
I talked.
Suddenly the whole rainbow of colors filled the air.
I felt alive again.
Slowly I started to open my mouth more and more.
Expressing myself and unlocking the box my true self was locked in.
I had somebody to talk to.
I had somebody to laugh with.
I had somebody to share the excitement with.
I had somebody to go to the new movie with.
I had somebody to play monopoly with.
But who wants to play monopoly!?
I now have a second family.
I am now living.
I am now human.
Untitled
Aliya Heard
Judgment, I’m not very judgmental of myself.
I’m confident in myself
I’m confident in my life
I’m confident in my choices.
I’m told about the shadow that I have inside of myself,
That’s judging the inner me and the capabilities that I have.
Should I be judgmental of myself
Should I put myself down?
Or kill my shadow and believe that I can do
Anything that I set my mind to.
Why should I be embarrassed?
If I’m confident in what I do
Everyone else should be accepting also.
Life of Me
Caroline Zhu
I was born in the summer
of July, in the afternoon, around three o’clock
to be precise.
It was these things that made a difference to me growing up:
like how the number of grains of rice left
in my bowl always had to be less than my sister’s,
or how many hairs I drew on the stickfigures
(three was always the desired amount.)
and it was the three of us,
my brother, sister and I
We seemed perfect, at least we were expected
to act that way.
Like three peas in a pod,
not two
three, like the type of edamame we always liked
when eating them.
Whoever found the one with the most beans
received a triumphant feeling,
not like that was worth much anyway.
I felt a necessity to win all the time
perhaps that explained why I always knocked my siblings
hands aside when they were reaching for that
overrated
three podded bean.
Maybe it ran in us three
the need to claim unneeded victories,
like the need to yell, “DING!”
whenever reaching the center of the board
when playing chinese checkers,
or to be the first one to make it
through a minute without laughing
when we went crazy.
Sure, we may still keep track of these wins.
I may even still remember these
until I’m
let’s say, 34,
and my sister will be 31 and my brother will be 28
to be exact,
but these little things are
precisely,
what make our lives colorful.
I Give You a Hint
Rain He
Her name is sweet as candy on my tongue,
Her manners courteous,
Her ways charming.
Ah! But she is a “flowery head with a serpent’s heart”.
Conceal troubles ever so smoothly,
Yet stab ever so deeply.
Others see her an angelic woman,
I see her as a malicious demon.
She brings me an omen,
An omen of pain and grief.
Jewels, I give you a hint,
Can adorn beautiful skin,
But can separate kins.
Ever so clear,
Ever so dear,
Ever so queer.
Let me endeavor.
Past Troubles
Rain He
This, cannot be compared,
to a black heart.
For the mind has declared,
on this bond that must tear apart.
Like solemn autumn leaves,
sweeping away the flow time.
Like a worker rolling up his sleeves,
then readily strikes the chime.
In unison we shall let go,
of those unhappy words,
when the future is lit aglow.
When hearts filled the songs of the birds.
Away with the past troubles,
and reborn from the rubbles.
A Magical Life
Mahak Bindal
July 14, 2001
the day the Sorting Hat
sorted me with amazing people
I call my family.
They have taught me so much
and most importantly
introduced a whole new world to me
called the wizarding world
of Harry Potter.
It changed my life
into magical bliss
not only in my imagination
but also in reality.
So many spells
to learn
just to make the
perfect magical future.
A variety of professors,
unfair ones like Snape
strict ones like McGonagall
crazy ones like Trelawney
wise ones like Dumbledore
have made my life worth living.
They have taught me so much
to protect me from a scary place
we call reality,
including those-who-must-not-be-named.
My life has been
like a Quidditch match.
My teammates are scoring
points with the Quaffle.
and occasionally I get hit
by the sudden Bludger.
There is still so much
of the game left,
but later I know,
I must catch the Snitch.
Once the Snitch has been caught
The Trace will be lifted
all protection gone
and I must slay the dragons
on my own.
I will have my ups and downs
but I will defeat all the Voldemort’s
in this world
and Harry will be there to
defeat him with me
I know I won’t be alone
because now it is Harry’s
turn to go from chapter
through chapter,
book through book,
of what I call
my magical life.
Ethan Wong
Our
Sometimes I think
about our world
The bitterness and disgust
that burns through our lives
The corruption and greed that grips
and pins us down like prisoners
feeding on our guilt, our misery
And the complexity of our lifestyle
devours us when it could
be as simple as just, living
Yet when dark there is light
the warmness and calmness
that it brings is a halo of truth
ripping away the darkness
that envelops our earth
our world
our lives
Live Your Life
Anonymous
Everyday I strive
to live as happy as can be
since I know life’s good
just like LG advertises
lives are bound to come to end
that cannot be changed
I know from experience,
it’ll be hard to lose a loved one
but remember
they wouldn’t want you sad
they want a smile on your face
live your life for yourself,
and, if anything, live
for those who could not live fully
Live life to the fullest
Since you only have one chance
Nobody has time to be mad
don’t feel bad, or sad
Just keep in mind
Anything that descends
will someday ascend
what goes down
must also come up
Keep in mind
that life is good
We have homes
a loving family
and a circle of friends
Some don’t have both parents
Like me, Pops left
and drifted to the sky
I wish him well
As I move on with my own life
I have learned to make sure I
Do not dwell on the problems
Instead, I focus on the good
life is bound to look up eventually
I look back at these 14 years
and see
even without manly guidance
Life’s great
At least I have support
from a loving family and friends
Even after moving around a bit
I did my best to keep my chin raised
did not let my view on world get hazed
I try to forget the pains of the past
and look to the hope of the future
I still have my life to live
no matter how long or short
I will live life to the fullest
The Toll
Anushka Kargathara and Rain He
We scream and we laugh,
We argue and we bluff,
Not every friendship will be as extreme,
as this glowing fire by the stream.
The top is all we aim,
but we do not live in vain.
We shall not be bound by sanity,
but driven by realistic fantasy.
We scream and we laugh,
We argue and we bluff.
We are oxygen to fire,
people we admire.
We are the worst of foes,
yet in unison we glow.
Not every friendship will be driven,
will be given,
as such.
My Life
Karthik Akella
On Saturday April 28, 2001
I began my journey of life just like everyone did.
But not before.
Our ancestors became martyrs and unlocking the freedom that we really deserve
When I was in USA, I was excited to it like a flower knowing that summer just arrived.
On my first day of school I was looking for friends I saw someone bullying others. From that day I have decided to help people and realize that on my deathbed
That I have done a noble thing
So I have become a peacemaker to help stop fights and help my school become a better place
After a few months, November 26, 2005
A person who was dear to me was born. I had a sister to play with when I was bored.
In 5th grade I answered a English question and my teacher asked me why.
I couldn’t understand.
From that day I am trying to find out all the answers to the why’s and find the answers to my life
And today I am writing about my life history trying to achieve my goals
Until It Happens
Akshay Bodla
December/21/2000
My entity was born
14years
and nothing significant
Sure I’m a Black Belt
Sure I teach others to defend themselves
But I still have a life in front
of me
I may live
A decade a century
Or even a year
But whats the point of living if you haven’t
Made in impact in someone or something
I still wait until I do
Maybe I never will
But either way there’s something worth mentioning
Until it happens (or not) I will live my life as I am supposed to
I wish laying on my death bed
I will remember simple acts of kindness
Giving money or food to the homeless
Or helping foster children
I believe simple acts of kindness define
A person.
And I wish to be defined as a kind old man
And I still wait ‘till I make an impact
I Survived
Rachel Liu
I shuffled in, as a 6th grader,
with my head low.
I was scared, you know.
The 8th graders were towers.
We were only the grass in the field of blooming flowers.
We didn’t think we would ever rise.
But I survived.
The whole new world of boys, girls, dating and flirting hit us hard.
Will I ever get that “I love you” card?
Or any kind of surprise?
But I survived.
And there was that weird new language
that could never be fixed by a million bandages
And we just laughed cuz we didn’t know what it really meant.
It was meaningless, just a playful comment.
Right?
But I survived.
When 7th grade came,
people were stronger, confident, changed.
It was hard to bike up the ramp of the “popularity”
But it was still a struggle to beat the force of gravity.
But I kept myself alive
And look! I survived
Over the summer,
we practiced the new us on a family member.
In 8th grade, you were a leader or a supporter, you choose.
Satisfied? Tighten the screws
But what about those on the lowest bar?
I don’t know, no one knows, cuz they’re obviously not the star.
It’s called Darwinism-Survival of the Fittest; everyone around you are critics
You can either thrive or die.
But most people survive…
I graduate “with flying colors” they say.
It does look easy, from what I’ve displayed
Cuz I’ve survived 3 damn years,
and I’m proud to say that I haven’t wasted many tears.
I survived
I survived
I survived
Unsatisfiable Hunger
Ethan Ryan
I am a 13 year old guy that forgot what city he was born in.
I don’t know about you, but that fact is one I couldn’t care less about.
What does matter is that I am a full blown Filipino,
one with an unsatisfiable appetite.
I will eat (most) anything that you throw at me,
be it bacon, duck, or cow liver (just not peanuts
or any of my other allergies)
Food is what keeps me alive,
and I’m always looking for more.
That’s the main breakdown of my life,
aside from my:
education
family
friends
hobbies
et cetera.
Oh, so you want to hear about these things?
Alright, allow me to humor you.
I live with a family of 6, my brother
(who I have a healthy rivalry with),
my loving parents,
and my 70 something years young grandparents.
I hail from good ol’ Daly City
AKA
The City of Relentless Fog
The City with so many Filipinos it might as well be dubbed “The Philippines away from the Philippines”
The Philippines away from the Philippines
The City Where I Lived the First Few Years of My Life In.
Afterwards, I headed off to Foster City
a nice change from the fog
and enrolled in the smaller Audubon Elementary
which blows the more populated school that I was zoned for
out of the water.
We had a friendly community,
I made a handful of friends,
played hard
studied harder
from Kinder until 5th,
where I got shoved off to Bowditch Middle School.
I’ve since then endured 3 years here
enlarged my circle of chums
kept having fun,
kept my high grades,
and now I’m here.
What happens from now on
is unknown.
I don’t know whether to believe in predestination
or choice
but that fact doesn’t matter
since it doesn’t change the fact that the future
is completely
unknown.
What does matter
is that
I
am
a
full
blown
Flipino
with
an
unsatisfiable
appetite.
Up
Phoebe Lau
Ballet is beauty
Ballet is pain
You only have one duty
Circling your brain
You must look poised and pretty
Make your feet carry you along, soft as a kitty
A sequence of steps locked in your head
Your feet in a box that makes them feel like lead
When you get on the stage, be sure not to wobble
You and your toes are having a squabble
You manage to stay on your box up and tall
But after you dance you feel quite small
The Worm
Gregory Pragin
A worm wiggles wiggles wiggles each day and each night, and here and there, and up and down and all around, the ground. Coming up to the surface knowing it might dry up. Not fearing the sun. It is brave.
Untitled
Megan Chung
I saw dark clouds within a blue sky,
I saw a big building that filled the brain of mine.
I saw my body trapped in this school,
I saw land which the cool kids ruled.
I saw kids alike on that land,
I saw kids dressed in white as they stand.
I saw kids who all look the same,
I saw kids who aren't different with shame.
I saw that I don't act like them,
I saw that I don't look like them.
I saw that I am unique,
I saw that I am different.
I see that I am my own.