Author: IvyM

I am from a pink plastic playhouse
Scoot-bumping down carpeted stairs
and the one time my dad made bread

Do you see that?
It looks like hope
Passing through the sky
Going from one mind to another

But look!
Hope is flying by
Not passing through a single mind
Hope lost all hope
Hopelessness was hope’s weakness.

Do you see that??
It looks like pleasure
Whirling around every mind it has trapped
With its lusts
And its wants
Who could resist its evil desires
Luring you in is all it requires
To get stronger and stronger

Do you see that???
It looks like forgiveness
Flowing through the hearts of others
Foretelling of those who seek forgiveness

But look!!
Forgiveness stopped following
Stopped flowing because it has broken too many hearts
Forgiveness only wants to be forgiven
If only forgiveness
Could foretell of it’s own forgiveness
Then forgiveness wouldn’t need to be forgiven

Do you see that????
It looks like pain
Striking the body, mind, and soul
Strangling any sign of hope
And choking forgiveness
While pain strengthens with every tear
Grows from every cry for help
And feeds

mirrors of many faces
scattered in the sense of misery
remuneration of dreadful people
swollen fingers hardly make any sound
nothing but the red hot mass of fire
and two or three faces
forgotten and slurred into each other
thrilled out from behind the day

the cartilage bridge
is graced by metallic shades
automatic cool

Do you badger a butterfly
on the hues of it’s wings
Cat-call a peacock
for it’s sapphire feathers

Why am I bullied
on the curls of my hair
Whistled at
for my sparkling eyes

I am a firefly
in a jar of moths waiting
to extinguish my lights and
be set free of my lavish bonds

I beg for the day
when my hair will gray
my teeth yellow
when my old bones
will groan for rest

Ghost barrels through the water
shattering schools of brown and green
Until caught
on a taunting silver tooth
strayed too far

How do you harness
the power of the wind
With an iron girdle
that’s buffeted and blasted
Until and echoing squeak
twists apart the rusting branches
releasing the breeze

My ghost king slips back into the water
Once harnessed wind rushes back to his lungs
Gasping, grouping
waltzes away

The Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders

7

Someday I’ll learn to value me for every little thing i do
If you were an artist how would you paint me
You can feel the anger
You can feel the pain
Which these insecurities bring
People say she’s a beauty
But she doesn’t think of herself as that
The frown at her reflection
She throws the mirror down
It shatter to the floor
This wasn’t the same girl anymore
I’m still here, everyday
I’m here, but i’m not really here
In my eyes i see a monster
And it’s tearing you apart
You are better than you think you are
You stronger then you know
You’re beautiful
But in your own way

---

Crockett High School

11th

Lush bushes poke, spiraling from the earth
an explosion of nature
Rubbery leaves fleetingly stroke my neck
Purple orchids tease and taunt
Silver steps bow to palms
an explosion of nature
Oxygen fills my lungs, child of the rainforest

Cats are perfection
They don’t need much
They don’t need to be walked
They don’t need toys, they will make their own
Cats are a soft love that needs no fuel
They are happy with soft blankets and cuddling
They make their approval know
And they disapproval apparent
Cats can be cold
They will destroy your things
They are independent
But when a cat loves you their love is pure

Sticky jack-o-lantern teeth
protrude from the bloody carcass
Born from a seed and a hope
It bloomed brilliantly, bloated and bulging
from the vine until
snapping crisply to be sliced acutely
A dissection
Discretely split and spread
Sweet ruby juice dripped from our chins
onto our shirts, red stains
A rookie murder