Author: Hudson R.

How does your heart steadily beat,
under the weight of all of that guilt?
How do you rest against cotton and silk,
as savagery continues to stir in the night?

I watch in disbelief
when you dance upon the raw and bloody flesh
of those who remain lame.

Do you recognize those blind yellow eyes
that gaze up at you beneath your mirror?
How about those ashen, oozing lesions
that dapple the arms reaching for your silver, your gold?

As you bathe in your oils of gladness,
captives continue to rot and spoil.
You are not above the lost,
simply because you are found.
You are not greater than the sick,
solely because you are healed.

Beneath your jewels and your spirits
lingers a pink and fleshy body,
still drenched in that slime and shame.

---

James Bowie High School

12

Everyone came to Dianna’s party.
Silly Riley and Comedian John and Funny Silvia,
they all came. Even reclusive Will, introvert Sharlene,
and I knew that missing this party would be

social
suicide.

The lights are too bright and flashy-I can’t see-
Was this my cup?- It feels so sticky and sweaty-

Why is

the sound

of the

bass so

damn loud?

Everyone- every-one
is packed into the apartment
like sardines in a can.

Too small a space
Too many people
I can’t-
Breathe-

I manage to find a door throw it open

Breathe.

Sorry silence of a sweet night.
You offer me no comfort.
I look back through
the blue-hued window

But the image is blurry–the glass is murky
Dark and foggy, like a cemetery-
a headstone for all, death be merry
Eyes stare back, fishy eyes
And everyone becomes every
body,
All too quickly.

---

James Bowie High School

12

means “i love you”
in bulgarian
but you already know
what it means
i just need
to make sure
you know
its true

---

Murchison Middle School

8

I came upon a golden retriever.
She was so cute, I decided to keep her.

She was funny;
always in a good mood.
She never was mean
or with poor attitude.

But then one day
her mind flew away
And all in a flash
She was gone in a dash.

She flew down the stairs
and straight out the door.
Still in the foggy forest
I heard the barks, then a roar!

I tracked her down
and finally caught her.
I knew what I had to do,
I taught her.

I taught her to sit.
I taught her to stay.
So never in eternity
Will she run away.

It’s the end of the year.
It’s Christmas Eve
So I give my dog
a gift to receive.

I see how much
she likes her doghouse home.
She likes the sweet taste
Of her state-of-the-art bone.

I will cherish my dog
Every single day.
I hope that life
will stay this way.

---

Fern Bluff Elementary

4

Sometimes when I lie in bed,
asleep, and nothing to be said
I have these dreams
where my mind starts to beam
and I’ll dream about all different things.

Sometimes I’ll dream about caveman times in the past.
It probably wasn’t a blast.
The cavemen didn’t have many tools
and plus there were no life rules.
They had to hunt and forge for food
and they never were in a good mood.
In fact, they were pretty rude
and had poor attitude.

Then I’ll dream about the next generation.
Will we all live in space stations?
Will there be new discoveries and crazy high tech?
Or will the whole planet just be a wreck…
Sometimes I’ll be awake just daydreaming
my eyes open, both of them gleaming
mostly when I daydream I dream about the present-
What will happen in this next event?

When I have these dreams they’re the worst or the best
and I’ll probably dream once I next rest.

---

Fern Bluff Elementary

5

I want to be 6 years old again
So I can color and watch spongebob
On the living room couch
While my mom cooks in the kitchen
And I smell some type of cake
I don’t worry about anything
And I laugh when spongebob annoys squidward
Because it’s simply funny
There’s no deeper meaning
Life is simple

Instead I sit here on my bed
Back bent
Cross legged
Holding back tears that will never flow
Because it’s much too late
And I think of everything
And I think back of when I was 6
And I knew who I was
I was Anaïs
With 2 dots on the ï
But now I don’t know what that means

Maybe it was butchered
by one too many teacher or sub
Beyond recognition
Or maybe I killed it myself
Slitting its throat
And wringing out all the good
Like a dirty kitchen rag
So that all that’s left
Is a colorless and useless shell
Of what I could have been

But it doesn’t matter much
I think it’s too late anyways
Because I’m still sitting here
Back bent
Typing
Feeling like I can’t get out of bed
But I know I have to
Because I can’t let myself down
More than I already have
And I can’t die
So I guess I’ll have to survive

---

Anderson High School

11

I need not write.
My head doesn’t overflow
Spilling liquid thought out of my brimming brain bowl.
My mind doesn’t turn predatorial
Seeking words like rabbits, hunting sentences like deer.
My heart doesn’t feel protective,
Loving writing like a mother cat guarding newborn kittens.
For me, writing is taking a picture
I will never use or look at ever again,
But I feel obligated to record it
To make it real
To remember it.

My brain is a bookshelf.
Writing is running my hand across the spines,
Cataloguing and classifying,
Curating and coordinating.
There’s comfort in knowing
They’re all still there.

Sometimes I face great problems.
Problems unexpected and unyielding,
Problems testing my patience and will,
Problems identifying problems.
In this, writing does not help.

How could writing alleviate
My sadness sliding south?
How would writing ameliorate
My fury falling at the finish?
How should writing unweight
The pressure of potential perfection?

But when I am at rest, when I have no need to fight,
I curate my collection, and find some comfort when I write.

---

LASA

11

dear mother
will you still love me
if i hold her hand
and tell you how i feel free

and father
will you still love me
if i wear my pride with a smile
even if you don’t agree

grandma
will you still love me if i tell you about the girl
that reminds me of honey and the sea

oh grandpa
will you still love me
if there is no boy
and instead there is a she

please just hold my hand
take a deep breath 1 2 3
can you try to understand
that i finally love me

---

Griffin School

9

When I’m feeling really sad
I go to my happy place
Where houses sit on rainbows
And stairs are lined with lace

Where days are filled with stars
And nights are filled with light
Where you can dream up candy
If you wish with all your might

Where puppies grow on trees
And kittens have soft hair
Where wishes rise into the sky
And smile in the air

Maybe if you’re feeling down
Or miserable or blue
Then you can close your eyes and go
To my happy place too

---

Canyon Vista Middle School

6