change

we, humans, walk around the earth with no regards for anyone or anything. we stomp around like elephants with no care.
selfish beings, we want everything to ourselves. we are all hypocrites, but the worst kinds of humans are the ones that think they are not in any wrong. the ones that think they do no wrong.
be the human you want everyone to be. be the change.


St. Mark Lutheran School

Eighth

The Seed

I start from a seed
As small as a bead
I form roots
They grow out in shoots
Then I come out of the ground
I don’t weigh a pound
I see green
Then orange, and red, and brown
Then white
Pure white light
I realize I am taller now
Wow
I watch the seasons as they go by
I watch the skies fly
And before I know it
I am a full grown oak tree.

Waves of memories

She walks through the door,
There is blood on the floor,
They are both fine,
But the room is getting tighter,
As she cleans,
They both make a scene,
They are both staring ,glaring, and snarling.

Later that night,
They get in a fight,
Breaking it up I watch and listen,
While looking at a ocean of memories washing away,
It’s all the water going down the drain.

Now she has a new home,
Happy as can be,
We’re a little sad,
But still show a little glee.


Casey Elementary

4th

The Path

We are born on an untaken path,
We start walking.
We walk and walk
Suddenly on the sides,
We see things.

We see faces and other people,
We see art,
We hear music,
We taste food,
We start to grow.

We keep walking the path,
We hit obstacles and road blocks.
We push through.

We learn to solve problems,
We continue.

We meet others walking on paths of their own,
We create friendships,
We discover love and companionship,
We construct families.

We carry a blanket stick of accomplishments,
And memories,
And deeds.

The path begins to fade and become worn,
We lose friends,
We lose loves,
We find the path hard to follow.

We reach the end of the path,
Alone, worn, tired, and broken.

Finally, there’s the cliff,
No bottom in sight.

We plunge into the dark.
And nothing.


William B. Travis High School

10

I am me

I want to be alone but heard
I want to be loved but hated
I am never good with words
I can’t keep a relationship
I’m not enough for people but sometimes I’m too much

As of now I love myself
I love my smile
As of today I hate myself
I hate my ache
As of now I am a dictionary
I am impeccable
And as of today my strongest relationship is with myself

I’m not perfect but I’m not imperfect
I am in between
I am the fog, the center of the ground and sky
I am pollen above all flowers but never the trees
I am me, in between


Anderson High School

11

Blue

It taught her to see in color
To see the world anew
Her life used to be much duller
But now gray was replaced by blue

Days that used to be a blur
But now time stands still
Dreams of happier times would defer
Her life was only going downhill

Happiness was wrapped in a capsule
She holds her entire future in her hands
More soldiers to fight her battles
She begins to push through the badlands

A world one surround by black and white
She is now unstoppable, she found her reason to fight


L.C. Anderson High School

9th

Will You?

Will you be there?

When I was five and you thought I had cooties
I wondered if you would still want to be friends.

When we started middle school and you started having feeling for girls
I wondered if you would still stand by my side or leave for the first girl that walked by.

Will you be there when we go to high school and I grow into my body?

Will you notice me?

Those little hints I threw at you,
Will you follow the trail,
Or go towards someone else’s gingerbread house?

Even when you have fallen for me I wonder if you will stay.

Will you be there once we get married
Or do I not give you enough?

Will you still be there even when you have seen me at my worst?

Will you pity me?

Will you be scared of me?

What will you do when I am at my lowest point?

Will I be too much to handle?

Will you comfort me?

What about when we have spent years married together?

Will you wake up one day and decide you don’t want me anymore?

Instead of reassuring me of my insecurities,
Will you find the constant need for approval annoying?

Will you see the stretch marks trailing down my arms and legs,
And see them as the ugly scars reminding you of how fat I was?

Will you look at me and just see a stranger lying in your bed?

Will you walk to the bathroom,
Stare back at me through the mirror,
And decide…

You don’t love me anymore.

And you never knew if you did.

Will you?

I Believe In Darkness, I Believe In Light

I Believe In Darkness, I Believe In Light

Fear. Evil. Screams. Tears. Hate. The Fallen. Exhaustion.
Destruction. Poison. Harm. Wicked. Silence.
Sin. Pain. Slipping. Trapped. Crime. Immortality. Fear. Damnation.
Anxiety. Panic. Insecure. Fire. Fault. Addiction.
Demons. Storms. Death. Scared. Chaos. Sadness. Darkness.
I have fallen in love with the immoral.
Seeking comfort within the shadows.
There is something interesting about sin.
Like dancing with the devil.
The rush that comes from being bad.
I have fallen in love with the darkness.

I believe in darkness.
But I also believe in light.

Brave. Good. Laughter. Smiles. Love. Rise. Lively.
Creation. Heal. Pure. Life. Beginnings.
Warmth. Whimsical. Comfort. Secure. Hope. Family.
Happiness. Yours and Mine. Protection.
Positivity. Color. Present. Calm. Compassion. Light.
I have fallen in love with the righteous.
Finding joy in my innocence.
Constantly searching and discovering.
Like flying with angels.
The calm that comes from stability.
I have fallen in love with the light.

I believe in darkness.
But I also believe in light.

I Am Dead

I am dead

I wonder what it is like to be alive
To feel
I know I am not alone
I hear the silent screams of others when they are alone
The silent plea for help
I’m like them
When alone the tears fall like a waterfall

I am dead

I pretend to be okay
How are you feeling
Fine
Lie
How has your day been
Good
Lie
No one can tell
It’s a mask
The perfect mask
I am cracked, broken
But fine

I am dead

I feel invisible, unwanted
I touch and break everything in my presense
I just want to be loved
But don’t deserve it
I worry I am not good enough

I am dead

My mind is a dark place
If you were to enter it you would get lost in a sea of horror and terror
The night terrors
Inner demons scary enough to cause a heart attack
They have haunted me for years
Silently creeping through the night
Moving for hours
When they leave peace comes

I am dead

I am a coward
NO!
Act strong
NO!
I AM A COWARD!
It’s true
The truth always surfaces
I’m afraid, frustrated , anxious, UNHAPPY
Conceal it, conceal it, conceal it
Let them know and you fail
Let them know and it makes you stupid
I’m scared
Scared for those I care about
Scared of myself
Scared of my mind
The potential it has to get lost in itself

I am dead

I feeling it building
Uh oh, the lump starts to form
My eyes hurt
Run!
Be alone
You have to make it
A tear falls
Almost there
Now find a place to hide
The bathroom
Lock the door
The bedroom
Block the door
Now let it out
Don’t make any sound
They can’t hear you
It ocerwhelms my heart
It aches
It hurts physically
Relieve it
Relieve it
There!
Scratch over and over again
It hurts but feels good
It’s red but feels good
They rise
Focus on that
Ow
Keep going
Stop
Focus on the new pain
What emotional one?
Oh no
It’s worse than I thought
Don’t worry
It’ll just rise then fall
Rise then fall
You’re okay
It is getting better

I am dead

Oh no

It’s building again
Stop
Never
My breath shakes
I need a distraction
My arm sure itches
SCRATCH IT
I begin to run it
NO SCRATCH IT YOU IDIOT
Fine
I use my nails and dig into my skin
It feels so good
Scratch harder, faster
Okay
My arm turns red
I continue moving faster
What was that?
I look down and see raw skin
That’s going to hurt in the morning
It heals
But it leaves something
A reminder
A scar
Anxiety is a pain

I am dead

They always seem to follow me
Their curiosity
Piercing my soul
Whats your name
Don’t look at them
Mari
Please don’t say something else
Where did you dmtransfer from
Shoot
Short and simple
T.E.A
Cool
Thank God
It is over

I am dead

Stupid
Coward
Afraid
Ugly
Fat
Anxious
Evil
Psycho
Scared
Idiot
Pretty soon you start to believe it
You just have to keep telling yourself it
Stupid
Coward
Afraid
Ugly
Fat
Anxious
Evil
Psycho
Scared
Idiot
Say it over and over again
Stop
STOP
STOP
STOP!

I am dead.