Month: January 2019

you may have wondered
what do i mean
when i say
my heart beats too fast
and i wish i could give you a quick explanation
a softly spoken sentence
a fast funny story
but i am afraid
i have a lot to tell you
i think i’ve always had too much to say
that was confusing for a young girl
with a loud head but a shy silent mouth
a girl who was filled with pride
then soon replaced with flooding self doubt
these thoughts were born with me
out of the womb they and i came
lingering in my palms when i crawled across the grass
sparkling in my hair when i went to my first dance class
the first thing i found out that i wasn’t very good at
they trickled down my cheeks when we put up the signs
for my kitten we lost the very first night
they whispered in my ear when i made new friends
some stayed forever and some came to a thirteen year old’s feared twisted tear-filled end
these thoughts flooded my eyes when i fell into love
didn’t know how to float in this ocean of bright red emotion
sent from somewhere up above
these thoughts swam down the drain
when i decided to listen
to the fingers of boys who pointed to dark hair on my arms
these thoughts glowed in the dark
when my best friend and i played pretend
loved who we wanted
lived where we wished
swore to ourselves that this place we dreamed of would exist
i’m sixteen now and i still visit that world in my head
they followed me into the big foreign doors
they poked my shoulders when i finally started to pay attention
they stole my smile and convinced myself i was headed in the wrong direction
they stepped on my sanity and flipped my insides out
made me feel like i was freezing
perception of love turned upside down
i would look down and see my heart shaking
it’s like i physically saw and felt it breaking
it produced too many of these thoughts to take
it was like it it went overboard at a certain age
while my heart was busy making a mess out of my mind
i tried to distract her then scare her away
begged her to slow down
take it day by day
i began to sleep with music on
i can’t sleep with music on
but i’d rather lay there half awake
than to be stuck here
alone with these thoughts
all they want to do is burn me
how did i not catch
the day they decided to turn on me
it took too many nights to count
too many meltdowns we call too hard to explain
too many ups
too many downs
too many times i thought i was there
to be pushed right back around
but there came a night
like i prayed there would
and i learned how to speak to my heart
pulled her right out of the dark
we made an agreement that we would turn our battles into art
so i braided my thoughts
all through the night
tied them beautifully with a purple ribbon
i knew we would be alright
my heart promised we’d work it out
of course the road would never be smooth but i’m blessed to say
i’ve learned how to make a beat from the bumps
to dance in the dark
until i’m laughing at myself in the light
i knew we would be alright
i thought it was a curse
just to confuse me so i’d crash
but now i’ve learned
maybe it’s a blessing
that my heart beats too fast

---

Austin High School

11

Fun, Hard
Timing
You need good timing
Green, brown, dirt, metal, blue, red, yellow
The bat, hard hitting
Double, single, triple, out, home run!
Players, red and blue
I feel concentrated, sad and mad
Happy, slappy, fun, stupid

Hurts a lot
Catch the ball or get hit in the chest
Painful to the feelings

Fun swinging
Can pull a muscle
Lots of pressure
Very clean

Wait in the outfield
You have to have lots of patience
My mind is in outer space
Basketball or flag football for me!

---

Cactus Ranch Elementary

4

Why does the
black teen have to watch his back every second he looks back meanwhile you see these white kids not have to worry about a gun to their back. Why do we accept there’s gonna be a better life cause the truth is that if there was one then it would have changed by now
***
Why does the young Latino have to worry about his family being taken away every second of his day.
Why does the 7 year old girl have to hear her teacher say go to Mexico in her ear .
***
This is a war, a social cancer if it was gonna change then someone would have had the answer.

Why do people look at a black person and assume that their a part of a gang maybe they just want to hang
and be who they are for a day cause come Monday their expected to talk like someone their not, walk like someone their not , and be someone their not

People say white people talk “better” but really if we go back blacks talk like that cause the whites
Would not let blacks learn to read or write and made us think that all our life we were gonna stay in fright
in fright that we would never
Take our talents to the top

We need to start looking up to the light and getting our heads screwed on right.Why do we have to fight for a better life when these should be human rights.

---

Russell Lee Elementary

6

Acuario soy yo navegando en el aire
Observando mi alrededor para encontrar aventuras
Pero todo lo que miro es un triste mundo
que se está desmoronando

Acuario soy yo, tímida y callada
Embotellando emociones
Y expresándolas cuando no hay nadie

Acuario soy yo, con la cabeza en las nubes
Bloqueando todo a mi alrededor
Pensando acerca de la vida que tenemos

Acuario soy yo, incomprendida por el mundo
Me siento como un marciano
Tratando de ser entendida por el mundo

Acuario soy yo, amable con todos
Viendo todo lo bueno y lo malo en todos
Dándo segundas oportunidades a todos

Acuario soy yo, viendo cómo la vida pasa
Jugando el juego que es la vida con los demás
Tratando de acabar el juego para estar en paz

---

James Bowie High School

11

I am known as the cow who refused
because of my leadership and refuge
it all started on slaughter day
and I will tell you my story if I may

The farmer came up to me and said, “You’ll make some good meat!”
“Is he calling me fat?” I mooed in grief
I got mad and kicked him as hard as I could
and he went flying in a pile of wood!

Now cows are ruling the world and will never retreat!
and if you try and stop us we’ll cook you into human meat!

---

Fern Bluff Elementary

5

Deep in the pearly moon,
Is a vast, endless place
Where heaven is entangled with earth.
And where love is born,
Where time is limitless.
And when I gaze into the moon,
It unleashes a swarm of butterflies from the depths of my heart.
Deep in the pearly moon,
Is a range of celestial mountains.
A range of mountains that would leave even the gods speechless,
And she lulls my heart with her hyms,
Pulling me closer and closer
Her song mixing with my dreams
Pulling me closer and closer.
We both lay on the grass looking up
With smores in our hands,
And wish this moment could last forever.

---

Pearson Ranch Middle School

7

They think they know me
They don´t
They try to see me
They can’t
I feel alone, and invisible

I will see people around me,
See them smiling,
Enjoying, laughing,
Something I can’t seem to do anymore.

No one knows,
No one sees,
No one truly can.
I feel blank and invisible.

I pretend,
I act,
I try not to show,
Who is hidden,
In me.

No one tries,
No one’s eyes,
Are showing
Secrets,
And nothingness,
Like mine.

They think they know me,
They don´t,
They try to see me,
They can’t
I feel nothing.
I’m invisible.

---

Pearson Ranch Middle School

7

She felt like a wildfire that had never been burned, she was spreading bigger and bigger hurting everyone everywhere. She felt like she destroyed everything in sight meandering throughout the world. She wanted to put her own flame out, but she was powerless, instead, she became her own worst enemy.

---

Pearson Ranch Middle School

7