Category: 2018-19 Submissions

Lucky
Words fall from my mouth
Regurgitated
An imitation of a real person
I get by by mimicking what I see in others
Lucky, some would say
That I am able to pass for what I am not
A competent illusion
Scraping on past by the skin of my teeth
It’s no wonder I hate poems, I think
Metaphors make no sense and
Between the lines goes over my head and
Just this once, I think
The words fail me again and again
Poems, they shatter my skull
A brain that cannot compute
A brain that cannot understand why
Why must the true meaning always be so obscured?
Why can’t you just be straightforward with me?
If you’re going to give me a gift
Why must you seal it with pretty words and fleeting metaphors?
In all these verses, rhymes, and lyrics
I only hear that which I cannot understand
And I am left with an unfinished work of art
I have to wonder how other people see it
Do the most potent words ignite fireworks in your mind
And firecrackers in your heart?
Does it paint the most exquisite picture?
Does it seem like art to you?
Not to me
Not to me, do the words inspire passion or excitement
Or revelation of a hidden meaning
My teachers said poems were for everyone
I never thought that was true
Title, Paraphrase, Connotation, Attitude, Shifts, Title, Theme
Must a poem be all that?
But even in the inaccessible English class analogies
I can write even poems in my own way
And that is what I’m lucky to see

Anderson High School

10

In that mirror,
I am average.
Black hair with curls,
Brown eyes and lashes.
Braces and glasses.
Average, average, average.

But the mirror lies to me,

Ignoring,
My laughter
And my waterworks.
It doesn’t show when
I feel moody,
And when I feel loopy.
Or my hopes and dreams.

Why would I listen to the mirror?
It doesn’t show me my perfection.
It only shows my
Reflection.

Pearson Ranch Middle School

7

Being 10 means to
Flip out when not needed
Getting prepared for popularity in middle
Focusing hard at school
Having more advanced skills
Top of elementary ready to soar
To the next grade
Happiness is flowing through
The cracks of 4th grade and below
Sorrows coming of leaving
Elementary memories
Learning so much already
Getting too modern for grown-ups
Ready for any obstacle to come
Ready to be anything we want
Ready for a new challenge
Ready for a new destiny
Ready for 10
I am 10

Canyon Creek Elementary

5

I am made of a
variety of art supplies
colorful and always available
except when it runs out or dries up

I am made of pictures and memories
flowing and reminding of times in the past
of fun, sorrow, anger, fear, and disgust
mixed together to form
one picture in the brain

I am the sewing kit
on my top shelf
filled with fabric and felt
measuring tape and pins
buttons and thread to make creations

I am my feelings
combined together in my body
saved in my mind
That is me

Canyon Creek Elementary School

5

I sway in the wind,
Pray to the air,
Gleaming in the sun,
Beautiful as a cloud.
I watch the stars,
When they glide by,
Watching the moon,
Gazing.
Some say I’m ugly,
Some say pretty,
I say everyone is pretty,
In their own way.
Nature is crying for exploration,
So come enjoy nature,
With me.

Bryker Woods Elementary

5

Do you ever look at someone, wondering what they are thinking about?
Well, here is what I’m thinking
People wont ever care about me
No one would notice me hurting
but here I am..in pain
If only people cared
I know many people go through these thoughts
everyday or even more thoughts
what we all want is for the pain to go away
but it just gets stronger
as the stress builds up
the pain gets worse
bigger kids pick on smaller ones saying
“Go die loser!” “hahha Nerd!” “Eww”
or more harmful things to make us feel pain
but I believe those who hurt others have more pain
and they just need someone to love them
I want to be that person
I want to put aside their pain
to break down their walls
to put down their armor
Yes, everyone goes through pain
but some go through it every
and I want that to stop
No one should feel pain everyday…
Pain…is what makes people weak
and people who suffer day weaker
than most and i want to help
them be stronger..
Always remember….Someone out there loves you
You don’t have to be in pain everyday.

Chisholm Trail Middle School

7

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