Author: ElizabethP

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I have a love/hate relationship with the shower
Get in
Strip off my slowly thickening layers of skin
One for regular people
One for friends
One for best friends
One for family
Only skeleton bones remain
I examine each layer and ask myself
“Do you like it? Do you like you?”
I respond no and ponder over why
Too shy
Too fake
Trying too hard
Too mean
Until I get to me
Me myself and I
Only i am allowed to see this part of me
This is the part of me that counts, the part of me that really matters. I can change all my layers using this part
Do I like me
Once I strip down, peel away all the layers of who I’d like to be
Do I like myself
Weighing the pros and cons of my soul, seeing which bones I can break & which one can be broken in the right place & which ones cannot be broken, the ones that can never be touched
Truly look at who you are
Do I like it?
Do I like myself?

No

{look in the mirror and ask your soul if you’re alright}

Gonzalo Garza High School

11th Grade

In honor of my best friend

The girl in the shadows.
Who no one truly knows
not a joiner
not a fighter
she does whatever goes
She stands up and does what’s right
and no one knows
Oh how she loves to read and write
and speak
and keep the light
of the world
keep hope alive and everyone fails
to see the hero she can be

Brentwood Elementary School

5th

Then, Before and After

Then
A haze of fog,
Blinding my memory of sight Before,
Protecting my soul like my childhood blanket covering my head from an imagined, scary creature behind
my bedroom door.

All I remember is After.

Not because I was so young Then,
But because After’s crash was so fiery and impactful,
I was left in a daze,
Wondering where and why.

After is my second birth.
Born into a world of who you Aren’t.

Comfort in my fears,
Umbrella in my rain,
Hand that holds mine,
Shoulder for my lean,
Always here.

Voice of assurance,
Whisper of confidence,
Teacher of morals,
Inspiration,
Model,
Sacrifice,
Selflessness,
Constant.

After
The haze is gone,
It no longer blinds my memories of Before,
My sight is clear.

Who you Aren’t is who she is,
Who she always was,
And who I will strive to be.

William B. Travis High School

10

windows to her soul

the lightest galaxy known to man
rippled waves of blue green and grey
dark along the end
true and trusting blue, a reef on the ocean floor
knowing where to swim avoiding sharpened edges
the care of the green penciled in swirls
seaweed of the souls, watching over the creatures
beautiful and compassionate grey, fading the colours in a light pastel of the water
tinting the view of the picture with beauty and grace
the dark black of the deep sea curls
embodies love, telling the stories of the past
past their time, full of knowledge
the center of all

Gonzalo Garza High School

11th Grade

The Taco Fiasco

I ate one too many tacos last night
It’s like my mouth is burning, on fire
I tried to cool my mouth down with some sprite
I screamed the highest note in the choir

I think that I just need some ice cold drinks
Or I could just put some ice in my mouth
I think I am cursed with a spicy jinx
I need the coldest thing you’ve got in-house

I have a plan to cool down my hot tongue
All I have to do is go to the store
Milk is the trick to solve all that is wrong
Now all I have to do is pour, pour, pour

I drank the milk and now my mouth is cool
Now my mouth is not a spicy whirlpool

Highland Park Elementary

4

Middle School Romance

In my mind i have a picture and in that picture i see, the world below me with the sun beginning to set as the afternoon begins to turn to evening. There are gorgeous white clouds covering the blue sky and middle school romance fills the air.

In my mind i have a picture and in that picture i see, houses as far as the eye can see, some with swimming pool, some with trampolines. You can see the highways full of cars stuck in traffic. Out of the corner of your eye you can see a school.

In my mind i have a picture and in that picture i see, the school that i now know is a middle school with cars and school buses parked in front, impatiently waiting for the school bell to ring.

In my mind i have a picture and in that picture i see, the beautiful bright green grass and through the windows of this middle school you can see impatient students watching the clock count down the seconds until the end of school.

In my mind i have a picture and in that picture i see, the boy who i’ve had a crush on for weeks, who i could now label my “boyfriend”. As i approach him, i look into his gorgeous green eyes and realize he is the one for me. Suddenly he asks for my hand, as i reach my hand out all the butterflies flying in my stomach stop and my heart melts directly in my chest. He tells me that he loves me and i say it back because i really do love him. Our eyes meet again and he leans in. As our lips meet, sparks fly and i feel like fireworks are going off all around me. That moment is now known in my mind as the best moment in my entire life.

Bailey Middle School

07

The Tenth Floor Tradgedy

We were all working as hard as we could
So we could get paid and go home
But one day a fire started
No one noticed until it was to late
This is how it all began

We all had to decide our fate
We had to either burn to death
Or jump to our death
I wasn’t ready to end my life this way
But if this was what god wanted for me
Then i had to accept it

As i headed off into my after life
I looked down at all the mourning families
Who had lost people they loved
And i sent them my faith and sympathy
That is the story of the tenth floor tragedy

Bailey Middle School

07

Where I’m From

I am from flipping on sweaty gymnastics mats
From tarte shimmery makeup palettes and crowded couches.
I am from watching tv, dad not being around, and dog slobber.

I am from orchids and from long grass.
From waking up early on Christmas day and from funny, obnoxious jokes.
From Emily and Wayne.
I am from biting nails and from snapchat, from don’t talk back and give me your phone.
I’m from missing Dad’s and family.

I’m from family in East Texas, from chili and burgers.
From kayaking with friends and laughter.
I am from Minnetonka, Minnesota.

Gorzycki Middle School

6