Category: 2018-19 Submissions

2017-18 Submissions

Star-collared Priest

I recently sat down on a rock.
Evening had passed,
And in a long while,
I finally noticed the sky.

There were no trees around.
No buildings, no people.
Just me and the dark expanse.
I was intimidated
But I took off my headphones
And allowed the private session to begin.

I reached out my hand.
My fingers shrunk the closer they got to the stars.
Smaller and smaller,
As if my hands were instead feet
And were hoping to run away.
Eventually, black milk would engulf everything around me.

Then I noticed the stars.
Stationary fireflies,
Minute lighthouses,
Pinpoint diamonds,
Shining against a pit of pure oil,
A blanket of obsidian.

Each star whispered the stories they were told,
All the silly things people promised to them.
Most of them were beautiful and childish.
Some of them were tragic and bleak.
All of them made me look into myself,
Made me wonder,
Had I anything I needed to say?

With patient eyes, the stars waited for me to speak.
Now, I had to open my mouth,
And offer my words to the star-collared priest.
My voice would become permanent in the primordial soup.
Eternal and constant, for future dreamers to sit on rocks and listen to.
Now, I had to open my mouth,
And confess.

Cedar Ridge High School

12

Castle of Crows

there are buildings in a field
guarded by crows and the heavy veil of crying clouds
a crowd of children rush for safety,
swiftly to keep their tails from being bitten

come along, come along. don’t stray behind!

if one trails astray
eyes would prey
mouths would shrink and curve to the floor
come along fool, anyday fool

when the doors shut tight
there’d be no more light
in the eyes of a child left behind

in the courtyard, they assume different forms
boys would grow horns
girls would sprout thorns
stragglers would lose their feet
as they’re chased down through patches of wheat

above, above
the clouds darken
above, the crows swim in schools
forming oily pools
wisps of black feathers that blot out the sky
coordinated swoops
harmonious loops
a dance and a caw
not a single flaw

the stragglers try to run
as the children have their fun

come along, come along, they said
come seek safety in the Castle of Crows

Cedar Ridge High School

12

Pain and Sorrow

Pain and Sorrow
I have pain and sorrow down deep in my soul
I have this sorrow that is breaking me down everyday
I try my best to smile and be happy
This pain is not something to ignore
Pain is like a person
Once that person has died they can’t come back to life
I have pain and sorrow down deep in my soul
Pain is like a knife
Once it touches your skin
A scar will be stuck to you for the rest of your life
I have this pain and sorrow down deep in my soul

CD Fulkes middle school

8

Words

As the words left his mouth he shudders at the sound of them clinging to the air like fog.
More words tripping and tumbling like rocks out of this mouth.
His legs shaking and sweat dripping, falling like rain on the tile floor.
His first poem was a failure.
So he tries again and again ’till his mind is sore of thoughts but his piece is finished.
There is only so much left to give his mouth to say.

O Henry Middle School

7

Cans

Wind tends to rustle and tussle tin cans across the swarming streets of New York. The cans are kicked, picked and tricked towards the trash.
A gust dusts the rust off the busts in the cans.
Finally the rush of the feet in the street eat at them until they are no more.

O Henry Middle School

7

So Many Unknown Stars

When you look out into the air
and then you look back into the world,
you don’t know what is going on.
When you look up, you can see
so many unknown stars,
but then they are known,
and you aren’t alone.
You don’t know how to talk
but you say hello.
Can we talk? you say,
but you are already talking.
When the wind is blowing,
you stay and wait.
When you were young
you were old.

Magnolia Montessori For All

3

Glasses

Purple, thin, and light
I put them over my eyes.
The second pair of glasses I’ve had.
The first was quite heavy.

I open my eyes.
Open, shut. Open, shut.

Everything comes into focus
I explore my no-longer-blurry world.
The lenses are so pure, so unblemished.

My grandfather says, “Now you can see the ants on the ground.”

I feel like I could see the craters on the Moon.

Pearson Ranch Middle School

6