Category: 2023-2024 Submissions

old Nerf gun from a forgotten childhood
your clothes some too big, and some that should be handy downs for your brother
pictures your mom stuck in there because she needed extra space
some soccer cleats you only use for that special day your coach calls you out on the field.

There was once a piece of clay
Soft, fresh, and new
Perfect to mold and shape
Into a pleasant view
A sculptor came along
And eyed the simple lump
He thought it needed more detail
“I’ll make an intricate rose,”
But this, the clay didn’t want
The delicate petals that emerged
From the sculptor’s hands
Were beautiful and fragile
But the sculpture wasn’t sturdy
And that the clay couldn’t stand
It pleased the sculptor, though,
So clay kept its form
Until a girl came along
And didn’t like the shade of brown
“It needs to be red,”
The girl said
And grabbed a vermillion dye
She rubbed it all over the clay
‘I don’t like this,’ it wanted to cry
However, the girl was satisfied
And that was all that mattered
So the clay kept its color
Until a boy came along
And looked at the clay in disgust
Bend it, dye it, twist it he might
But nothing the boy did
Made the clay a prettier sight
So he left the weary old hunk to be
And no one touched it after that
With that, the clay was free
Of expectations, complications
Of something it did not want to be.

What’s in a school locker?
In a school locker, there is that crumbled-up paper that was due weeks ago,
but forgotten about
In a school locker, there is the chip bag that you got from lunch,
that you are just waiting to eat in a class that allows snacks.
In a school locker, there is a lousy decoration you put in your locker,
But forgot about that nearly fell off.
In a school locker, there is your backpack that barely fits.
What is in your school locker????

The wonderful game of tennis
A sport both great & stupendous
A contest whereof
We begin with love
And end with exertion tremendous

I hold my pen against the paper,
But only scribbles greet me
Squiggle, doodle, criss cross
I’m lost in a sea of uncertainty

Was there a boy who could finally fit in
Or a monster who found himself a friend?
But, often, things aren’t so simple
That’s too naive in the end

There are so many stories I wish to tell,
But they all get caught up in the tangled mess that is my mind
Could there be a car stranded in the desert?
But with an ending I could never find

Perhaps there’s a girl who looked in the reflection,
But she only saw eyes filled with tears
As she’s losing her grip on the hand that she clung to
While everything around her disappears

Could she ever realize that light’s just around the corner
Bringing hope and a chance to be free
On second thought, maybe not
‘Cause that sounds a just a little too much like me

I am smart and funny
I wonder why there’s traffic is a thing
I hear birds chirping like “tweet” “tweet”
I want an electric car “vroom” Vroom”
I am smart and funny

I feel happy around friends and family
I pretend the floor is lava and that it’s bubbling “pop” “pop”
I worry about my great-grandma
I cry when I get hurt badly
I am smart and funny

I don’t understand why climate change is happening
I say “Never give up, just keep trying”
I dream about graduating high school
I try to do a backflip
I hope to be a soccer player
I am smart and funny

There are people in these woods
When you see them scream and run
Because if you don’t
They will haunt you ‘till you die.
Waiting for you in the dark
Waiting until the time is right
To stike
The person they are stalking
Where ever you are they are Always watching

The most random hats that I never wear
The laundry basket that’s overflowing with my clothes.
The big pile of clothes that are next to the laundry basket because they wont fit in the laundry basket.
The clothes that are too small for me and could probably fit an American girl doll.
The scary halloween costumes that make me jump a little
The shoe boxes, not because I’m too lazy to throw them away, but because I want to save them for absolutely no reason.

I am from the worn out old couch in the middle of an empty room.
From nearly expired Cheezits and freshly picked avocados.
I am from a full and chaotic household,
And the loud and destructive noises.
I am from the tall oak tree in the back whose branches sway in the wind on an autumn day.
I am from a worn out old bear and the dust covered books,
From a Burbes and a Cantu.
I am from stubbornness and smarts,
And from strong and independent females.
I am from the holy Tritany.
I am from Craig Burbes and Marili Cantu.
From tamales and tortillas.
From the founding of a new world,
And from the gentle plush of old quilts.
I am from those moments of peace and chaos.

I am from the rain that washed away my fears.
From a minny mouse dress to shorts and a T-shirt.
I am from a clean modern home that’s only black and white.
I am from a laundry room with thousands of unclean clothes.
I am from a garden with white and red flowers that dance with the wind.
I went from playing house all day to doing role-playing games with my best friends.
From mom to best friend. From boring dad to making me laugh all day.
I am from a non denomination church with no war and sadness where we love every soul.
I am from the shopkins that filled my playroom with imagination.
I am from hot summers with no wind in sight.
I am from a place of happiness dancing my heart out.
I am from a place where I am allowed to rest.
I know where I am from.