Entries

Entries: K

  • Ants
    usp-author : jakeg

    Ants

    Bite

    Cool Pets

    Bug

    Likeable pets

    Live all over the world

    Bug

    Brentwood Elementary

    Kindergarten

  • My Mom
    usp-author : Austin M

    My mom makes cookies.

    My mom gives hugs.

    My mom makes them salty!

    Brentwood Elementary

    K

  • All About Austin
    usp-author : kimp

    Austin

    Silly, nosy, loving, laughing

    Great!

    Brentwood Elementary

    K

  • Friends
    usp-author : VM

    Friends
    Stella
    Grace
    Hannah
    Maya
    Isobel
    Love
    Heart
    Friends

    Brentwood Elementary

    Kinder

  • Family
    usp-author : Malik S

    My mom has kids
    So she has to take care
    Of me and my brother.
    My dad has to go to work
    Because he is
    Running for Congress.

    Brentwood Elementary

    K

  • Robot
    usp-author : Rowan F

    So I built it

    A Robot

    So I like it

    My robot

    Cuz I built it.

    Brentwood

    K

  • Red
    usp-author : Rowan F

    Red

    Love

    Fire

    Folders

    Books

    Hot

    Bucket

    Red

    Brentwood

    K

  • Silly Sally
    usp-author : Harper S

    Silly Sally was in a house.
    Silly Sally is 5.
    Silly Sally she likes ice cream.
    Silly Sally is a girl.

    Brentwood Elementary

    K

  • Feelings
    usp-author : Malik S

    Happy like the sun
    Sad like the rain
    Angry like a hornet
    Scared like a mouse
    Cold like an ice cube
    Hot like the desert
    Tap like a sheet

    Brentwood Elementary

    K

  • Our Class
    usp-author : hspurgin

    Our class is as good as a Valentine.
    Our class is as good as a sweater.

    Brentwood Elementary

    Kindergarten

  • All About Jax
    usp-author : JaxM

    Jax

    Strong, driller, welder, Mathematician

    Loves green

    Loves to see Shaggy!

    Brentwood Elementary

    Kindergarten

  • Pink
    usp-author : Malik S

    Pink
    Balloons
    Ice Cream
    Play doh
    Drawings
    Markers
    Crayons
    Dress
    Flower

     

    Brentwood Elementary

    K

  • I went to buy some gum
    usp-author : Alchemy D

    I went to buy some gum
    and I asked for all the flavors.
    That is the last time I am buying gum.

    Brentwood Elementary

    Kindergarten

  • Valentines Day
    usp-author : Alchemy D

    Valentines Day
    Hearts
    Hugs
    Friends
    Micah
    Love
    Kisses
    Valentines Day

    Brentwood Elementary

    Kindergarten

  • Bruce
    usp-author : JaxM

    I love you with all of my heart

    He’s the bestest grandpa

    And the bestest friend

    In the whole wide world

    I love him.

    I hug him

    I love him.

    He’s my buddy.

    He’s my friend.

    He helps me when the dirt is hard

    With the shovel.

    Bruce

    Brentwood Elementary

    Kindergarten

  • Animals
    usp-author : Stella S

     

    Animals

    Soft

    Spikey

    Different

    Nice

    Mine

    Fun

    Play

    Brentwood Elementary

    Kindergarten

  • Whale
    usp-author : AlchemyD

    Whale
    Water
    Summer
    Brrrrrrr
    Chilly
    Spout
    Pool
    Water bowl
    Whale

    Brentwood Elementary

    Kindergarten

Entries: 1st

  • Music
    usp-author : GabriellaM

    Music is amazing
    Music makes me want to dance
    Music makes me want to sing
    Music wants me to be happy!

    Ridgetop Elementary

    1st

  • Unicorns
    usp-author : GabriellaM

    Unicorns
    I like them
    They have ALL my favorite colors
    Pretty and beautiful
    Magical horns
    Unicorns shine bright like a sun
    They make me happy and filled with joy.

    Ridgetop Elementary

    1st

  • Guess It!
    usp-author : valw

    Blue as the sky
    She can’t jump high

    A pair of big flappy ears
    She has no fears

    She smells as good
    As the most scrumptious food

    Sniff, sniff
    Joy in a jiff

    As soft as a sheep
    She puts me to sleep

    My best buddy
    Her name is Sugar, my elephant lovey

    Highland Park Elementary School

    1

  • La Mariposa
    usp-author : Adelle H

    Yo tenia una mariposa
    que fue muy bonita
    y era muy amigosa.

    Tenia 10 colores en sus alas.

    Pero un dia se murio
    porque unos hombres
    que matan a animales
    la mataron.

    Fue muy triste.

    Ridgetop

    1st

  • Albert Pujols
    usp-author : ZinnT

    Sometimes you’ll make hits
    Sometimes you’ll make outs
    You’re not going to be perfect all the time
    Keep swinging
    Keep dreaming

    Govalle

    1st

  • The Unicorn’s Journey to France
    usp-author : MapleW

    The unicorn wanted to go to France.
    She pranced to France.
    When she got there she checked into a hotel,
    And then she fell.
    She climbed up the Eiffel Tower,
    It only took a hour.
    When she got to the top
    There sat a cop
    She knew she was in trouble
    So she had to think on the double.
    She found her inner-sparkle
    And she grew wings.

  • El Atardecer
    usp-author : Inesg

    .Que te gusta mas
    el dia o la noche?
    Me gusta mas el atardecer
    porque cuando lo veo
    pienso en que todo es posible
    y que todo es magico y es
    perfecto.

    ____

    translation:

    Sunset

    What do you like more
    the day or the night?
    I like the sunset more
    because when I see it
    I think that everything is possible
    and everything is magic and everything is
    perfect

    Ridgetop Elementary School

    1

Entries: 2nd

  • Spaghetti and Meatballs with Cheese

    It taste as warm as a heater

    It sounds very slurpy

    It smells like a warm winter day in Italy

    It looks yellow and red

    It feels saucy and gooey in my mouth

     

    _______

    Ava D

    Boone Elementary

  • Deep Down
    usp-author : ellidyj

    Deep down in the sea
    I’ll hear the wind roaring
    very faintly you see.

    Know why I’m here?
    I put myself there, but I’m so very calm
    I don’t care.

    Deep Down in the sea
    I’ll hear the wind roaring
    very faintly you see.
    Deep Down in the sea.

    Kiker Elementary

    2

  • Hot Cocoa
    usp-author : Johnr

    Hot cocoa is an earned treat.
    It tastes sweet and chocolatey.
    It sounds swishy as the ocean.
    It smells like a chocolate river.
    It is as brown as a bear.
    It makes me feel like heaven.

    Boone

    2

  • Clouds
    usp-author : Ellem

    Clouds are fluffy as a pillow.
    Clouds are white as a clean white shirt.
    They are big and small.
    A nimbus brings thunder and rain.
    Clouds are fluffy as a pillow.

    Boone

    2

  • Learn, Love, Live
    usp-author : CaraB

    My learning is life
    When we learn it’s difficult
    That’s just the way that goes
    We learn, we love, we live in our life

  • Veterans
    usp-author : AddieJ

    Victory heroes!
    Emotional fighters
    Team players
    Ever lasting heroes
    Respectful soldiers
    Amazing fighters.
    Nice leaders.
    Sacrificing for our country.

    Boone

    2

  • School
    usp-author : GraceB

    Pencils all around.
    Noise all around.
    We learn and we look at the clock.
    The second bell! We are late!
    We get to our parents and our buses.
    We go home and watch tv and play on our tablets!

    Boone Elementary

    2nd grade

  • Books
    usp-author : GraceB

    Books, books
    wondrous books!
    Full of magic, mystery, action and more!

    Books, books
    thousands of books to read and read galore!

    Books, books
    on movies, on tv shows and based on fairy tales…
    Fiction and non-fiction teach you lessons and information!

    Books, books marvelous books!

    Boone Elementary

    2nd grade

  • Best Valentine
    usp-author : RileyM

    Valentine you are so sweet,
    you give me joy and love!
    I love how you sing this song above the sky, as I sing along.
    You are so nice.
    You are so sweet, like candy corns in the sky!
    You give me a sugar rush as I sing and fly.
    I love you so much, do I have to say goodbye?
    My hugs and kisses will be gone.
    Bye, bye Valentine you will make me cry!

    Boone Elementary

    2nd grade

  • A Very Special Mom!
    usp-author : PeitynH

    My special Mom, she’s the best!
    If I lose her that’s it.

    She is more than just a Mom, she is a loving Mom!
    She makes the best food.
    We love her with all of our hearts!

    So if I lose her that’s it.
    So I will never lose her!

    She is more than a friend,
    she is the best Mom I ever had!
    She gives me sisters and brothers.

    So you see, if I lose her that’s it.
    She will always be with me until the end!

    Boone Elementary

    second grade

  • Sugar Rush
    usp-author : ClaraS

    I love candy,
    maybe you too?
    Chocolate, Chocolate
    gummy goo!

    Tootsie pop,
    Gummy bear,
    It’s too hard
    just to share.

    Yummy Gummy,
    Sugar rush,
    It’s getting late,
    come on , just hush!

    Boone

    2nd

  • Skip, Dance
    usp-author : sveng

    My tongue is red
    My feet are (not) blue
    And in the summer I skip the rope
    I dance in the meadow and
    No one can tell me what to do
    The sun is down, it’s time to
    Gooo!

    Ridgetop Elementary

    2

Entries: 3

  • Where I’m From
    usp-author : DueceB

    I am from video games and basketballs
    from homework and books
    I am from the house of project central
    I am from the big and huge home and
    I am from the apple tree and the oak tree
    I am from the neighborhood full of boys and girls and fun
    I’m from making tamales and eating them on Christmas Eve
    I’m from Robert and Gabriela and
    CQ and Rhyea and
    Polo and Chewy
    I’m from the fireworks and block parties
    I’m from “I’ll give you something to cry about”
    and “Love you!”
    I’m from believing in heaven
    I’m from the Army and
    I’m from San Antonio, Texas and
    Mexico City
    I’m from pizza and
    Ice cream
    I’m from peace
    I’m from nieces and parents
    I’m from pictures on the wall
    I am from road trips and the military!

    Baranoff

    3

  • Where I Come From
    usp-author : IvyG

    I am from tea and stroopwafel and
    Science and art and
    Soccer and volleyball
    I am from corn and potatoes
    I am from the trampoline to swing
    I am from a big and colorful home and
    I am from the peach tree and the big trees
    I’m from swimming pools and golf carts
    I’m from Sinterklaas and traveling
    I am from Wilhelmus Geerts and Deb Zippe and
    Lena, Frances and Annie
    I’m from water balloon fights in the summer
    and children playing.
    I come from “Hunger is the best sauce” and
    huplukay
    I’m from Jesus Christ
    I’m from New Mexico and Holland
    I am American and Dutch
    I come from sandwiches and corn and
    Oliebollen, hagelslag
    I’m from cousins and grandparents .
    I’m from pictures kept in the closet
    I’m from road trips to far away places and generosity.

    Baranoff

    3

  • The Sky
    usp-author : Ryanl

    The sky is blue so are you but I still like you. you are nice but in your house you have mice
    When outside we play a lot but a bee
    Tries to sting me but you protect me
    So the
    Sky is blue and but this story will not end because we are friends

    Patton

    3rd

  • The little sailor
    usp-author : Mosesm

    The little sailor came to the sea as proud as can be,
    As he passed some fish, he caught some to put on a dish,
    As he sailed by he came out on a new sea,
    As that happened the sea came to be a that could never be to see,
    A storm of terror the angry sea swallowed the tiny ship,
    And was never found.

    Patton

    3rd

  • Best Day Ever
    usp-author : Connorp

    The sky is blue
    The grass is green
    The birds are chirping chirp chirp
    The sun is bright
    and everyone is at the pool
    it’s crazy at the pool!
    It’s packed because schools out and it’s the best time ever!

    Patton

    3

  • Wonders of the world
    usp-author : Riyak

    Wonders of the world
    Always being lovely
    Lots of beauty
    Having things to look at
    Wonders of the world

    Patton

    3rd

  • Books
    usp-author : Clarey W

    There are so many books to choose from
    Should I get this or that
    Some are good some are bad
    This one matches my favorite hat!

    I look through the pages
    Now I’ve read a few
    This is taking me ages
    What am I to do

    Maybe a book about how to cook
    Look the book fits me perfectly
    It’s about three kits
    That have lost their mitts

    Boone Elementary

    3rd

  • Slime
    usp-author : Noelk

    Slime!!! Sticky, pretty, shreechy, glittery
    you can have all types of slime you can
    have butter slime glow in the dark and
    even clear slime i love slime and i hope you do too

    Patton

    3

  • Me, Myself, and I
    usp-author : Tzuri P

    Me, Myself, and I
    were eating a piece of pie
    we eat it up
    we sip some tea
    Me, Myself, and I

  • My Unicorn
    usp-author : Riyak

    My little Unicorn
    Always on my side,

    I always want her to be there,
    Because then together we can glide.

    She’s always sparkling,
    Always in my heart,
    We will always be together,
    Because she’s sweet like a tart.

    So loyal!
    So kind!
    She’s special like no other.
    No one can replace her.
    No one can be the same as my little Unicorn.

    Patton

    3rd

  • Me
    usp-author : Olivia K

    I like me
    Just the way to be
    I like to run
    I like to have fun
    I like school
    I like to write, too
    I like me and you

    Blanton Elementary

    3rd

  • Love
    usp-author : Suhanim

    Love is Love!
    Love is like a dove in the air.
    You can’t live without Love because then you will only hate.
    Don’t you think Love is important?
    You know you just can’t change Love.
    It’s just Love that’s just important.
    Love is not that complicated you know.
    Love is just Love!
    If you would Love who would you Love?
    Why would you Love?
    Who would you Love?

    Patton

    3rd

  • Me and Her
    usp-author : Lucinda M

    Me and her are 2 good friends
    Me and her like the same things
    Me and her are always together
    We are never separate
    We are 2 good friends

    Blanton Elementary

    3rd

  • Shopping Actions
    usp-author : Pranavk

    If you love shopping,
    you should probably be girl.
    But if you are a boy like me,
    you might like to stay at home
    except when buying something
    you really want.
    Also when we are tired,
    You might want to take some
    time relaxing like sloths
    like they do on branches,
    then do some homework,
    If you have any.

    Patton

    3rd

  • Video Games
    usp-author : Isabellas

    The Doorbell rang
    I fell out of my chair like I fell off a 10 story building
    I opened the door it was dad
    It was like I was hypnotized by the computer
    I lost track of time
    Dad said are you ok
    I said no sarcastically

    Patton

    3

  • Books
    usp-author : ClareyW

    There are so many books to choose from
    Should I get this or that
    Some are good and some are bad
    This one matches my favorite hat!

    I look through the pages
    Now I’ve read a few
    This is taking me ages
    What am I to do

    Maybe a book about how to cook
    Look this book fits me perfectly
    It’s about three kits
    That have lost their mitts

    Boone Elementary

    3rd

  • Penguins
    usp-author : DiegoR

    Penguins are awesome
    Penguins are the best like us
    Penguins slide like us

    Blanton Elementary School

    3rd

  • I Wish My Dog Could Fly
    usp-author : FenexB

    I wish my dog could fly
    I wish my dog could fly
    I don’t know why
    Maybe he’ll go
    And find a 10 foot tall bone
    Instead of us having to buy one for him
    And he and me
    Can go on vacation
    Yay
    And he could carry a car
    sooooooo
    Everyone can
    Go on vacation
    Yaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!

    Boone Elementary

    3rd

  • In a Chihuahua’s Eyes
    usp-author : AsaSW

    In a chihuahua’s eyes
    A smile is a battle cry.
    Its eyes may be cute and blue
    But its cuteness is NOT true.
    It’s just how they get by.

    Boone Elementary

    3rd

  • The Nice Rice
    usp-author : FinnleyB

    Everyday I eat mice
    But today I ate rice

    It had a little spice
    But I said “I really like rice!”

    I said to my mom can we buy more rice?
    My mom said “Yes I hate mice.”

    So from now on I say buy rice
    not mice.

    Boone Elementary

    3rd

  • The Eagle
    usp-author : AtlasC

    There once was a turtle named Bill
    who went on top of a hill
    he saw two hungry eyes
    and a bald eagle cry
    now he’s stuffed up at the store called Goodwill

    Boone Elementary

    3rd

  • My Cats Hat
    usp-author : SophieO

    My cat has a hat
    Even though it’s quite hat
    I call it a plate,
    Because it’s really quite straight

    He says it looks cool
    When he jumps in the pool
    Ohh sure,
    He’s SOOOO mature
    He’s only three,
    He can’t even climb a tree!

    My cat has a hat.

    Boone Elementary

    3rd

  • Unicorn
    usp-author : SamanthaR

    Unique as a magical fairy
    Never not opera singing with pigs
    Interested in rainbow poop
    Creates worlds of cotton candy
    On rainbows dancing
    Resting on a rainbow
    Not just a horse with a carrot on its head

    Boone Elementary

    3rd

  • Chicken Soup
    usp-author : AsaSW

    The revenge of the chickens
    I ate some chicken soup
    And a chicken ice cream scoop
    Saw a set of angry eyes
    Two wings that don’t fly
    I now rest in a chicken coop

    Boone Elementary

    3rd

  • Splash
    usp-author : AsaSW

    Next time before you drink
    You should stop and think!
    Water got EVERYWHERE!
    My nose,
    My toes,
    My eyes,
    My hair.
    It started with a sploosh
    And ended with a splash
    But instead of stopping to think,
    I blanked out and dashed.

    Boone Elementary

    3rd

  • SSSSSHHHHHH!!!
    usp-author : LucindaM

    Ssshhhh he’s coming
    A big ugly monster
    We don’t want him to find us so be quiet
    Ssshhhh he’s near
    Be still and quiet
    We don’t want him to eat us so be quiet
    Ssshhhh he’s right here
    AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!! HE’S GOING TO EAT US!!!
    AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

    Blanton Elementary School

    3rd

  • Differences
    usp-author : LucindaM

    I’m like this she’s like that
    she like this I like that
    when I suggest a game
    she says no let’s play tag
    I say no thanks
    We are all different

    Blanton Elementary School

    3rd

  • Me and Her
    usp-author : LucindaM

    Me and her are 2 good friends
    Me and her like the same things
    Me and her are always together
    We are never separate
    We are 2 good friends

    Blanton Elementary School

    3rd

  • Wind
    usp-author : OliviaRGK

    Wind is great
    I love wind
    I let my hair blow
    I let my heart flow
    And I let the wind
    Go

    Blanton Elementary School

    3rd

  • Me
    usp-author : OliviaRGK

    I like me
    Just the way to be
    I like to run
    I like to have fun
    I like school
    I like to write, too
    I like me and you

    Blanton Elementary School

    3rd

  • New
    usp-author : OliviaRGK

    I am new to school
    It is hard leaving friends
    But I get through with love

    Blanton Elementary School

    3rd

  • Rain
    usp-author : EvelynM

    This morning I was in bed
    Now the rain is on my head
    This is a poem about the rain
    But all my words go down a drain

    Blanton Elementary School

    3rd

  • My friend Lobel
    usp-author : SolomonL

    My friend Lobel is mysterious
    He cries when he is happy
    He acts happy when he is sad
    But he needs a friend
    So I’m here to help

    Blanton Elementary School

    3rd

  • Crazy Dad
    usp-author : LuisA

    My dad is lazy and crazy and
    He won’t let my mama loose
    until he drinks his juice and
    loose juice and
    moose goose
    truce of cukoo cukoo

    Blanton Elementary School

    3rd

  • Light Beam
    usp-author : WilliamC

    I see a light
    Is it the police or just a beam?
    Is it something else, so it seems?
    It’s a very bright light.
    Is it an alien UFO or so it seems?

    Blanton Elementary School

    3rd

  • Me, Myself, and I
    usp-author : TzuriP

    Me, Myself, and I
    were eating a piece of pie
    we eat it up
    we sip some tea
    Me, Myself, and I

    Blanton Elementary School

    3rd

  • I like to make riddles
    usp-author : TzuriP

    I like to make riddles
    while eating brittle
    it’s really really good

  • Path
    usp-author : KateT

    Math is the path to go to college.
    College is the path to get more knowledge to be smart
    Being smart is the path to learn how to make art.

    Blanton Elementary School

    3rd

  • The Rain
    usp-author : KiaraP

    Rain rain
    Passes a train
    I hope it doesn’t
    Pass again
    If it does
    I will cry
    Because
    I will Fall
    On the ground

    Blanton Elementary School

    3rd

  • Poems
    usp-author : NolaG

    Poems are fun to write
    They can be about anything.
    Everything, even your kite.

    You can write haikus,
    Doesn’t even have to rhyme,
    Just 5, 7, 5.

    Or humorous works,
    If you make it funny.
    Like, I’ll write,
    A flea ate a bunny!

    If your brain is empty,
    Free verse is best.
    You don’t have to rhyme,
    Or even put rhythm like I…

    Could Go On And On Without Breaking Any Rules Because This Poem Is Free Verse!

    If you’re feeling dancey
    Try lyrical, and write a song.
    It could start like this,
    Then go: boopy bop bing bong bong!

    Also try narrative,
    If you like writing stories.
    It can rhyme, or have rhythm,
    But it also tells a story.

    Blanton Elementary School

    3rd

  • Haikus
    usp-author : NolaG

    Here’s how: start with 5.
    Next line, 7 syllables,
    End with 5 again.

    Blanton Elementary School

    3rd

  • Where I Come From
    usp-author : Wyattw

    I am from Orange Fanta and ginger ale
    I am from video games and WiiU
    I am from Shipley’s
    I am from Colgate and Clorox
    I am from the white house and
    I am from the huge, comfy house
    I am from the bluebonnets and
    the oak tree
    I am from the neighborhood of boys
    I’m from the eating turkey on Thanksgiving and Christmas
    I am from Justin and Maverick
    I am from Eric Justin Winkenhofer and Julie Renee Bookwalter
    I’m from the neighborhood of water balloons
    and fireworks

    I come from “Love you!”
    and “Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite!”
    I’m from believing in God and Jesus
    I’m from Austin, Texas and Germany
    I am German and American
    I come from chocolate chip cookies and steak
    I’m from cousins and grandparents and Wilhelm Winkenhofer
    I come from pictures on the walls and pictures in a picture book
    I am from very long road trips and generosity.

    Baranoff

    3

  • Where I’m From
    usp-author : harperb

    I am from hoverboards and soda and
    Bluebell ice cream
    I am from the house of boring walls
    I am from the big and fun house
    I am from the oak trees and the lime tree
    I am from the neighborhood of old people
    I come from church on Sundays
    I’m from gardening and farming
    and breakfast at 9:00
    I come from Brad Barry and Shanna Boyd
    and Dane and Hudson
    I’m from the boring and quiet neighborhood
    I come from “I will give you something to do” and
    “I love you to the moon and back!”
    I’m from going to church
    I’m from Austin, Texas and Beard
    I’m American and Scottish and Irish
    I’m from Annice Bunton and William Barry
    I am from spoiled brothers
    I come from steak and chicken dumpling soup
    I’m from the family of loving brothers
    I come from picture day photos hanging on the wall
    I am from a caring family.

    Baranoff

    3

  • Where I’m From
    usp-author : Dueceb

    I am from video games and basketballs
    from homework and books
    I am from the house of project central
    I am from the big and huge home and
    I am from the apple tree and the oak tree
    I am from the neighborhood full of boys and girls and fun
    I’m from making tamales and eating them on Christmas Eve
    I’m from Robert and Gabriela and
    CQ and Rhyea and
    Polo and Chewy
    I’m from the fireworks and block parties
    I’m from “I’ll give you something to cry about”
    and “Love you!”
    I’m from believing in heaven
    I’m from the Army and
    I’m from San Antonio, Texas and
    Mexico City
    I’m from pizza and
    Ice cream
    I’m from peace
    I’m from nieces and parents
    I’m from pictures on the wall
    I am from road trips and the military!

    Baranoff

    3

  • Where I Come From
    usp-author : choffman

    I am from art paper and markers
    from Myers cleaning day soap and baby wipes
    I am from toys and messy
    I am from the bright and happy home
    from the lilies and dandelions
    and big trees
    I am from the neighborhood with the quiet street
    I’m from donuts in the morning
    and home cooked family dinners
    I am from Krista and Jordan Hoffman and
    Evie and Grey
    I’m from big backyards with swimming pools
    and riding bikes

    I’m from “Move it or lose it!” and
    “I love you to infinity and back!”
    I am from eyeglasses and contacts
    I am from Hawaii and Portland and Oakland and Boston and Austin
    I am Italian and German and English and Mexican
    from homemade muffins and chicken pot pie and
    homemade tortillas
    I am from Nani Fa and Nona Papa
    from pictures in the halls and in books and bedrooms
    I come from family pictures
    I am from moving and road trips!

    Baranoff

    3

  • Where I Come From
    usp-author : Ellak

    I am from ice cream and gummy bears
    I`m from Clorox and Legos
    I am from messiness and disorganized
    I come from a cool house and an awesome home
    I am from pear trees
    I am from a long road that leads to a park
    I’m from a neighborhood of boys
    I’m from going to grandma’s house and
    Three people dinners
    I am from Mike and Amy
    and Lucy and Maggie
    I’m from Shady Hollow and an awesome neighborhood
    I am from “Be still! Be quiet!” and “Close your eyes!”
    and “Be easier to get along with!”
    I’m from not going to church.
    I’m from Texas and
    I’m Scottish or maybe Irish
    I am from mexican food and tamales
    I’m from loving parents
    I’m from pictures in the hallway and long road trips and
    I’m from birthmarks!

    Baranoff

    3

  • My Heritage
    usp-author : vincentl

    I’m from tortilla soup and
    From Legos and Discovery
    I’m from the house of video games
    I’m from the medium house and booksy house
    I’m from rosemary and roses and pomegranate plants
    I’m from fig trees and watermelon vine
    I come from making bunuelos on New Year’s Eve and
    dinners with mom and being weird
    I’m from Anthony and Kasey and Granny and Grandpa Joseph Roger LeClair
    I’m from the dog neighborhood
    and neighborhood of few kids
    I’m from “Get your butt back in bed!’’
    and “Magic is not real”
    I’m from Texas and California
    I’m French and Canadian and American
    I’m from tortilla soup and bunuelos
    I’m from my parents and grandparents and cousins
    I’m from the pictures on the family stairs
    I am from happiness and joyfulness
    I am two homes – Texas and California!

    Baranoff

    3

  • The Crying Cloud
    usp-author : Harshitha SK

    Out from the blue sky,
    Blooms a cloud that cries.
    Oh! So very sad,
    I cannot be mad.

    Your life is with me,
    You see.
    So why you cry
    So deep.
    Take it easy
    When you feel queasy.
    Don’t get cranky,
    Which no one likes.
    The crying cloud suddenly stops,
    It sees,
    all the people filled with happiness.

    The cloud smile’s,
    It’s heart opens wide.
    And from a cloud,
    It’s a Sun.
    Shining bright with joy.
    It’s a merryful way,
    To start your day.
    And keep this in your heart!!!

    Patton Elementary, Austin- TX

    3 rd Grade

  • Where I Come From
    usp-author : izzym

    I am from computers and Lay’s potato chips
    from Blue bell ice cream and oranges
    I am from the art gallery in the halls and
    the house of confusion
    I am from empty and artsy
    I am from bluebonnets and
    apple trees and lilies and roses
    I’m from a neighborhood of buffaloes
    I’m from Hannukah and happiness
    from Lilya and Guy
    and Elizabeth and Vaira
    I’m from the from “Don’t lock the doors!”
    and “You are my favorite person in the world!”
    I’m Jewish and Catholic
    I’m from Austin, Texas and Russia
    I’m from latkes and matzo ball soup
    and pierogies.
    I’m from a perfectionist
    I’m from pictures in the halls
    and pictures in my room and
    pictures in mom’s office.
    I am from my cousins, my mom and dad, my grandparents and road trips.

    Baranoff

    3

  • Where I’m From
    usp-author : loganm

    I am from video games and coffee and
    big TVs
    I am from the technology house and
    I am from the disorganized and artsy house
    I am from the roses and the cedar tree
    I am from the bluebonnets
    I am from the Shady Hollow neighborhood and Parkour
    I’m from snack at 10:00 and alone time
    I am from the neighborhood of pool parties and pizza
    I’m from Mandi and Brian and Brenna
    and Strider
    I’m from “Get in bed or no TV for a week!” and
    “Do you really want there?”
    I’m from Texas and Holland, Michigan
    I’m from grandparents that came from Italy to New York
    I’m Italian and American and Irish
    I’m from gnocchi on Christmas Eve
    and chicken noodle soup
    I’m from family pictures in every corner of the house
    I’m from loving snow from Holland, Michigan and going where my dad grew up.
    I come from the military.

    Baranoff

    3

  • Where I Come From
    usp-author : Gracier

    I am from crayons and toys and
    from books and art
    I am from the house of dancing and music
    I am from the small and colorful house
    I am from the bluebonnets and big trees and the cul-de-sac
    I am from the neighborhood full of friends
    I’m from the pumpkin patch and Thanksgiving dinner
    I come from opening presents on Christmas Eve
    I am from Renee and
    Mike and Michelle and grandmother Carrie Stewart
    I’m from neighborhood of trails and parks and
    the big neighborhood pool
    I come from “You are my sunshine” and
    And “I love you”
    I’m from Austin, Texas and Georgia
    I’m Scottish and Irish
    I am from chili soup and pancakes and
    chicken noodle soup
    I’m from loving parents
    I am from pictures on the wall and in the bedroom
    I am from the singing, dancing, pugs, soccer, and colorful art family!

    Baranoff

    3

  • Where I Come From
    usp-author : parkerr

    I am from homework and
    tv and coffee
    I am from the sports house
    I am from comfy couches and loving beds
    I am from the oak tree and
    the bluebonnets
    I am from a cul-de-sac of boys
    I’m from St. Catherine’s church
    and Religious Education
    I am from Gavin and Owen
    and Katie Pittman and Phil Russell
    I’m from the Gatling Gun park and
    The neighborhood of ditches and fireworks

    I’m from Boy’s Club
    and “Get to your room!”
    I’m from the catholic church
    I’m from Austin, Texas and Kansas
    I am European and English and Irish and Scottish
    I’m from Italian foods and mexican foods.
    I’m from annoying brothers
    I’m from pictures hanging up EVERYWHERE!
    I am from dogs and sports and loyalty.

    Baranoff

    3

  • It’s Raining Pugs
    usp-author : Alyssat

    I just saw a pug fall from the sky
    I went to look over and by my surprise
    I saw 1,000 pugs
    I kissed them and cuddled them
    ’til I was worn out
    but then I thought
    did they put on cuteness spray
    because now I remember
    how much I hate pugs
    because I am
    AHH-AHH-AHH-CHOO-ergic

    Baranoff Elementary

    3rd

  • My Heritage
    usp-author : tylers

    I am from games and pizza
    I am from cookies
    I am from the believing in
    I am from the big and crazy house
    I am from the bluebonnets and
    the acorn tree.
    I am from the different neighborhood
    I’m from opening presents on Christmas Eve
    and going on big vacations in summer
    I’m from Danielle and Mike
    and Carleigh and Caitlyn
    I’m from park parties and
    my pool.
    I come from “I love you” and
    “Stop it now!”
    I’m from soccer and basketball
    I’m from Austin, Texas and
    I’m from Mexico and America
    I’m from tortillas and enchiladas
    I’m from cousins.
    I’m from pictures kept in the garage and
    pictures on the wall
    I am from my imagination and living in a different neighborhood.

    Baranoff

    3

  • Me!
    usp-author : ElizabethP

    Fun, cool, happy and sad
    Sister of dog, Max
    Lover of Mom, dog and Hamilton
    Who feels playful at gaga
    Quiet and enjoyable
    Who needs food, sun and playtime
    Who gives time, work and love
    Who fears life, death, and movies
    Who would like to see Katy Perry, King of Pop & Malala

    Resident of Austin, Texas
    Last name Peables

  • Hamilton
    usp-author : ElizabethP

    Hamilton
    A lot of power
    Money, money, money
    Into politics
    Lafayette
    Tax
    Often talking
    Nothing is done

    Brentwood Elementary

    3

  • Blue
    usp-author : ElizabethP

    Blue looks like the dictionary
    Blue sounds like waves
    Blue feels wet
    Blue smells like rain
    Blue tastes like candy
    Blue is New York

    Brentwood Elementary

    3

  • Life
    usp-author : ElizabethP

    Life is sunny
    Life feels happy
    It sounds like the ice cream truck
    Life smells like pizza
    Life looks like ice cream
    It makes me feel happy and sad

    Brentwood Elementary

    3

  • Asher
    usp-author : AsherS

    Funny sports nice hardworking.
    Son of mom and dad.
    Lover of soccer, basketball, Cristiano Ronaldo.
    Happy when my team wins.
    Sad when my team lost.
    Nervous during finals.
    Who needs food, water, Soccer.
    Who gives love, happiness, and fun.
    Who fears girls, death, and elephants.
    Who would like to see Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr., and Lebron James.
    Resident of Austin, TX.
    Last name Sorensen.

    Brentwood

    3

  • Army Men
    usp-author : ThomasCP

    Army men
    Fast, scared,
    shooting, screaming, dying
    They serve and protect us.
    Soldiers

    Zilker Elementary

    3rd

  • Words
    usp-author : SabineB

    Words are powerful
    Words are strong
    Words are something that make a song
    Words are here, words are there
    Words are everywhere

    Baranoff Elementary

    3rd

  • Old Black Saab
    usp-author : MilesS

    Old black Saab
    By Miles S.

    Old black Saab,
    I’m so glad you are gone,
    You smelled like gasoline,
    Your headlight was out,
    You sucked a lot!

    I never really liked you,
    My mom didn’t want you
    But she got you anyway.
    You got pooped all over,
    You were beat and torn,
    Scratched and broken

    You were kind of sad,
    You didn’t smell new or anything close to it,
    You smelled old,
    I have a new car now.
    I don’t have to worry about getting stranded
    in the middle of nowhere.

    Zilker Elementary

    3

  • Chlorine
    usp-author : OrlaT

    Chlorine
    by Orla T

    In line at Kalahari lugging a heavy tube,
    uncomfortable from the dampness which is copying my mood,
    Trying to talk over the noise which is ringing in my ears.

    Fog hovering in the air and threatening to give us aches, making it very clear they’re offering no mistakes.

    Mom bugging us to drink more water,
    While my skin’s drying hot and fast,
    Making it feel like it’s rock
    and planted in the ground with no one to dig it up.

    Zilker Elementary

    3

  • A trip to the Ocean
    usp-author : GaelQ

    A trip to the ocean
    By Gaél Q

    At the ocean,
    I had no idea what I’m getting into,
    Watching the sea,
    Peacefully.
    In one split second,
    My head Was in the in the water.

    Watching a school of fish ,
    That’s when i saw it .
    A moving motor,
    Faster than a jet,
    Right next to my head.
    I started to panic,
    Was nervous and afraid.
    Thought it was the end.
    In a moment of zen,
    They hoisted me up,
    So relieved,
    Safe again.

    Zilker Elementary

    3

  • The Best Thanksgiving
    usp-author : AlyssaT

    As we rushed out the door this late Thanksgiving night
    To eat a big feast that is hot and nice
    We just said our ‘thanks’ and I decided to ask,
    “Can we please have a bite to feast on?”
    My parents said yes
    So I ate and ate
    And I would have to say
    it was The Best Thanksgiving ever.

    Baranoff Elementary

    3

  • The Best Place on Earth
    usp-author : SkylarW

    The place on earth
    Is somewhere close by.
    Now, you may sit and wonder
    “Where is this place, Sky?”

    It’s a good thing you asked.
    Let me tell you all I know.
    It’s the best place on earth.
    It’s my favorite place to go.

    What’s that sound I hear?
    It’s the donkeys out there
    Going hee haw hee haw
    Jumping around like they don’t care.

    I see milk and Oreos.
    No, that’s just the cow.
    Their names are Ana and Kristoff.
    Isn’t that cool?! Wow!

    Baa Baa white sheep
    They’re so fluffy and cute.
    I love them a lot
    In their black and white suit.

    Holy piggy!
    That’s Charlotte the pig.
    She eat everything in the world
    That’s why she’s so big.

    Sparkle the horse
    Is so pretty and sweet.
    She has a baby in her tummy
    And she stomps her mini feet.

    One, two, six
    Wait there are eight and now ten
    I keep counting Corgis
    All the way to the end.

    Birds, cats, and guinea pigs
    There are so many animals to see.
    This magical place is my Mema’s.
    It’s the best place to be.

    baldwin elementary

    3

Entries: 4th

  • The Switching Emotions Baby!
    usp-author : Quincyj

    A baby named Alex was happy until he was hungry. Alex was mad he always switches emotion. Like he gets sad and mad. When Alex was happy he would smile and laugh until he got hungry.

    He switches emotions when he is hungry. When Alex is mad he throws a tantrum. He was like a herd of elephants making a lot of noises. Then he switched to another emotion that was sad. He would give people puppy eyes.

    Hart

    4th

  • The Wind
    usp-author : Ashleight

    Whoosh!
    The wind was as high toned
    as a music teacher that wasn’t trained
    Everyone hated that noise
    They wished the noise was low toned
    Then their wish came true
    Now the wind wasn’t that annoying
    Whooo!
    blew the wind

    Hart

    4th

  • The Thickest Test
    usp-author : Abels

    Today is the thickest day
    it is so thick, like a thick book
    it’s like my life is thick.
    My pencil is thick, my eraser is thick, thick, thick,
    everything is thick, but my book is the thickest of
    all it is thicker than anything you can compare it to.

    Second by second it is getting thicker and thicker,
    but wait it stopped,
    except one last thing, the test.

    Hart

    4th

  • The Sad Porky
    usp-author : Eduardoa

    The Porky is sad no one wants to hug him.
    He said, “Why don’t you want to hug me?”
    The bunny said, “Maybe next time. I think I might have left the stove on.”
    Then Porky felt so sad that when he cried his tears sounded like rain
    splashing in puddles

    Hart

    4th

  • The House
    usp-author : Emilyg

    Come in if you dare. You’ll be in for a scare. Listen to the wind howling, then you see someone drowning. You scream for help, then you hear someone yelp. RUN! RUN! but then you’re done.
    HA! Trick or Treat it is Just Halloween!

    Hart

    4th

  • Popcorn
    usp-author : Kimberlym

    Popcorn, popcorn, sizzling in the pan. Shake it up,
    shake it up, bam! bam! bam! Popcorn, popcorn now it’s
    getting hot, shake it up, shake it up. bam! bam! bam!

    Hart

    4th

  • The Howl
    usp-author : Yajaira D

    Listen to the howl.
    People say it’s the wind, but no it’s
    the cry of a wolf.
    When the full moon is glowing like the
    sun, the howl is loud, the sky is starless,
    and the mystery is beyond the night sky.

    Hart

    4th

  • In the City
    usp-author : Lark T

    Vroom, Vroom

    Strolling down the streets of Austin, Texas

    Pat Pat Pat Pat Pat Pat

    I hear the rhythm of our feet walking on the sidewalks

    We look everywhere

    we see buildings we see buses

    we WISH we saw trains

    We hear people talking

    We smell the smell of TexMex food coming out of the restaurants

    We feel the hard pavement under our feet

    We talk and we have fun walking down the Austin streets

    Bryker Woods Elementary School

    4th

  • The Garden
    usp-author : Lark T

    I open the door, WHOOSH, a big gust of wind hits my face and makes my red hair blow up in

    the air.

    I see the garden with its green grass and wonderful flowers.

    I step on the porch and walk down the steps.

    I feel the green grass brush against my feet and I look at the large vine of flowers bursting

    with their bright pink color.

    I walk around. I play in the grass.

    I see our lemon tree has little lemon flowers on it.

    I see our lily pond with its bright green leaves.

    As I look back at the garden, I remember how wonderful it is.

     

    Bryker Woods Elementary School

    fourth

  • Swim Lessons
    usp-author : Lark T

    Brrrrrrrrrrr

    I step into the icy, cold pool in my blue, red and black swimsuit.

    SNAP! Goggles on.

    Now, I have to get my whole body wet.

    SPLASH!

    At first I was easing in but now I am jumping in the pool.

    I swim underwater…in the beautiful water.

    I do butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle.

     

    I am having so much fun I NEVER want to leave.

     

    Bryker Woods Elementary School

    4th

  • Dragon
    usp-author : cocob

    Dragon
    fierce, strong
    living, eating, fighting,
    giant, monster, beast, mammoth
    killing, caring, protecting thoughtful, kind
    Dragon

    Doss Elementary

    4

  • Midnight
    usp-author : addisonb

    Witching hour, pitch black, the moon is howling.
    Windows closed, tight blinds pulled down,
    Close the curtains and turn off the lights.
    It´s time for the fright.

    Lock the doors, turn on the alarm and doze off to bed.
    Knock, knock.
    Why is someone at the door?
    The door creaks as I open it.
    Wow! There is no one at the door.
    I wonder who was knocking?
    I’m just going to go back to bed.

    Knock, knock. Creak.
    Now who is at the door?
    Don’t worry.
    I’m tucked in tight.
    Oh no, I didn’t close the front door!

    Boone Elementary

    4th grade

  • When you come near
    usp-author : SK

    A hint of sunshine and a sprinkle of rain
    A dash of joy that lightens my day

    A scoop of humor and a bit of fear
    That’s what I feel when you come near

    Kiker Elementary

    4

  • The One Thing
    usp-author : SK

    The one thing that always keeps me awake,
    The one thing that never ever goes away,

    Stays down in the basement where nobody strays,
    Stays below when day to stay in the shade,

    Waits till dark to finally make his way,
    Climbs up the stairway covered in his cape,

    Looks for someone who stayed though it’s late,

    To march up the stairs and come where I lay,
    To slip his teeth into my throat and take me as prisoner far far away

    Kiker Elementary

    4

  • Nightmares
    usp-author : SK

    As the light slips away from the sky
    The haunter of dreams begins to rise

    One by one he collects his beasts
    To invade the minds of children fast asleep

    Witches, demons, even the dark, start to enter the dreams of children near and far

    The children squirm on their beds as the devilish creatures control their heads

    Then in the morning when the sun starts to appear,
    The ghastly beings flee the scene until finally, their master fear comes near

    Kiker Elementary

    4

  • Girl
    usp-author : JuliannaP

    Just a girl
    No, so much more.
    No idea how much she impacts
    the lives of others,
    bringing happiness and light.

    I look at her
    I feel like a bomb of emotions about to explode.
    Happiness and warmth inside
    OR
    Frustration and confusion inside,
    BUT
    I love her smile.

    When she looks at me
    I get this feeling
    like I just ate a whole bag of pop rocks.
    Her drawings and paintings
    all over the walls
    remind me
    that no matter how mad or upset I am
    at her
    I will always love her
    and she will always be
    my sister.

    I can’t imagine how different my life would be
    if she wasn’t in it.
    She’s my world,
    my other half,
    she’s my sister.
    Never, just a girl.

    Ridgetop Elementary

    4th

  • Hero-you
    usp-author : JuliannaP

    A hero doesn’t have to be
    someone with powers.

    Anyone that you believe in,
    anyone that is an influence in someone’s life.
    Everyone can be a hero.

    All you have to do is believe,
    believe in yourself,
    believe in others.

    Everyone deserves a hero
    maybe it’s your mom or your dad.
    Or maybe you can be your own.

    Make an impact in your life.

    Ridgetop Elementary

    4th

  • World
    usp-author : esleakey

    World
    Beautiful but harmed
    Moving wondering changing
    Animals Parks City’s Oceans
    Running walking never stopping
    Crazy and calm
    Our Home

    Doss Elementary

    4

  • Ice Cream
    usp-author : estherg

    Ice cream!
    It tastes so good.
    It feels like you are chewing lots of different flavors.
    Ice cream feels like a cloud
    With endless possibilities like caramel, strawberry, chocolate, vanilla. There’s even ice cream that has candy in it.
    Whenever you chew ice cream it feels like you are in ice cream world it is so chewy like a browny.
    And also the ice cream has a little cherry on top of it and the cherry looks like a little hat the cherry is ;o so cute and the ice cream looks very delicious.
    some ice creams are decorated with goody’s,
    like chocolate chips in them
    and sprinkles in them and some ice creams have
    candies like nerds
    and also little chocolates candies
    some have strawberries some have marshmallows
    and some have nuts they are really good .
    Ice cream feels really cold
    and sometimes ice cream is hard
    but when you lik the ice cream it feels really soft
    sometimes the ice cream feels really squishy, and sometimes soggy .
    The ice cream smells like a bunch of flavors
    and it also smells like so many kinds of candy.

    Boone Elementary

    4th

  • Vesuvius
    usp-author : zachh

    In AD 79,
    In the town of Pompeii,
    A volcano rose up
    And blew it away.

    The people weren’t silent,
    they were very loud.
    The sky was all dark
    like a giant black cloud.

    The eruption was violent,
    as you can see.
    One of the biggest eruptions
    in history.

    Boone Elementary

    4th

  • When Pencil Touches Paper
    usp-author : avigailh

    When pencil touches paper,
    A new universe is made.
    As pencil touches paper,
    ideas may come later.
    “But that can’t be true!” you could say.
    But yet again, my words are true.
    I create a story, even if it’s just a line.
    Stories could be happy and even blue.
    But all stories have one common thing,
    They all must take a bit of time.
    Big stories or little stories they all need some time.
    Then again,
    When pencil touches paper,
    A universe is made.
    And trust me,
    I don’t lie.

    Boone Elementary

    4th

  • Random Poem
    usp-author : christianl

    There were some llamas
    In the Bahamas
    And they ate nothing but camas (beds)

    Then they met a camel
    That spoke Tamil
    He was a young mammal

    The camel died eventually
    Because he was being a total sissy
    And running from a lily (flower)

    Then a guy
    Said the llamas died
    But he lied
    So he had to say goodbye
    To America

    Then he moved to Japan
    And bought a frying pan
    also a ceiling fan
    Then he banned
    People from buying land
    Then he got banned from Japan

    A guy named Coda
    Went into a coma
    And woke up in Oklahoma

    Then a really green lime
    Said a rhyme
    As soon as he did a bell chimed
    Wait …. Did I see a mime?

    My stanzas don’t match the plot
    A whole lot
    So let’s get a tater-tot
    Or something (what am I doing)

    Finally, something plot based
    There was a really big race
    And the llama tied his shoe-lace.

    This is a total cliffhanger
    But a really cool rapper
    Got kidnapped by a kidnapper
    And a weird ringmaster.

    The llamas saved him
    But didn´t enslave him
    And possibly slayed him

    Because they´re known to do that
    With sewer rats
    And certain types of bats.

    The llamas weren’t dumb
    And didn’t get numb
    And they always chewed gum.

    This is the end of this random poem.
    I hope your dignity isn’t broken .
    And I really want you to be able to focus.
    Oh word of advice, don’t take tokens.

    Boone Elementary

    4th

  • Toad
    usp-author : nevanm

    Toad, he sat by the road
    playing games.
    His ipad had a code;
    it took a while to load.
    He wrote an ode.
    It was so good it glowed.
    Then it snowed,
    and ruined all his work.

    Toad was walking down the side of the road when he saw a spade
    there was also a guy with a blade
    but this guy he made
    his blade and Toad, decided to battle he got cut so he needed a healing aid.

    He walked away hurt and thirsty he found a house with people that let him stay so he drank some lemonade
    and had toast with marmalade.

    Boone Elementary

    4th

  • I Like/Dislike
    usp-author : sebastians

    I like Burritos, I hate Cheetos
    I like Spaghetti, I hate Confetti
    I like Meatballs, I hate Cheeseballs
    I like Sundays, I hate Mondays
    I like cars, I hate bars
    I like squids, I hate Lids

    Cheetos, Confetti, Cheeseballs, Mondays, Bars and Lids, Mean nothing to me on my list.

    Boone Elementary

    4th

  • The Winter Breeze
    usp-author : essiet

    The winter breeze
    Sometimes I hate you
    Get me under the weather, but sometimes I like you because you give me sweater. Swiveling through the air and tearing leaves leave sets in the air.
    You have a specialty of making my skin soft,
    And sometimes when it’s too cold to play outside,
    I stay inside to have a warm cup of hot chocolate with a hint of peppermint.
    You are the reason why I prayed under the Christmas tree every day,
    and the day I got my first present,
    The angel bear was there.
    The day I forgot the day of her but she was gone.
    I love all of the previous holidays coming up.
    Christmas smells of hope coming around.
    The winter breeze
    and you only come here once a year
    And I’m sorry that you’re gone,
    but I was going to have you a special place in my heart.
    And the reason why I wrote this because I love what matters.
    The day I got my first gift when I was just so little
    and the reason why I wrote this because you were the day I was born
    in the winter breeze
    Thank you so much for all the things you gave me and you got me where I need to go.

    Boone Elementary

    4th

  • The Abyss
    usp-author : jaket

    The abyss never ends.
    It is just a deep dark hole.
    Or could it be much more?
    We’ll never know
    what’s on the other side.

    It could be a wasteland.
    Barren and desolate
    with nothing but sand.

    It could be a paradise
    where all wish to go,
    It could be Heaven
    for all I know.
    I could read about it
    In a book,
    but I’ll never know
    Until I take a look.

    I could ask everyone in
    the world.
    No two answers would
    be the same.
    Then again no one would
    understand my craving to know
    what’s on the other side.

    What do you think is on
    the other side?
    But is it really sane to think
    there’s even an abyss at all?

    Boone Elementary

    4th

  • Night
    usp-author : ConnorT

    Night is a void of darkness
    as pure as the universe itself.
    No one can see in that void of darkness,
    and all that is heard is the soothing
    hoot of an owl.

    That is the Night
    as the clock strikes 12
    all the windows go out
    like a deep empty abyss of nothing.

    That is the Night
    While chasing the blazing sun
    the night is
    creeping over the Earth
    inch by inch waiting for sunfall.

    Boone Elementary

    4th

  • Delicious Ice Cream
    usp-author : danielav

    Ice cream!
    Some like ice cream, some don’t,
    But I know I LOVE ice cream!
    The sweet taste,
    the coldness that freezes your brain.
    There’s so many toppings you can get!
    M&M’s, sprinkles, chocolate chips
    You can even create a unicorn ice cream!
    Ice cream is really cold.
    If you stick your finger in it,
    You might not even feel your finger when you get it out.

    I love ice cream!
    Especially with chocolate syrup on it.
    Every ice cream is special in lots of ways!
    My favorite ice cream is vanilla with chocolate syrup
    and rainbow sprinkles.
    Ice cream looks like a fluffy cloud but then you touch it,
    it’s not how you expected,
    it’s kind of hard,
    really cold and makes everything numb,
    but it’s really good.

    I love ice cream!
    It’s like you’re in a heaven of ice cream.
    No ice cream is bad you just don’t like it,
    but i’m sure other people will like it.
    Most ice creams have a cherry some people like cherries some don’t. I don’t like cherries.

    There are many ice cream cones i’ll tell you some examples,
    There are chocolate cones,sprinkle cones,and many more I like the chocolate cones.
    I wonder how many people like ice cream.
    WARNING:DO NOT eat too much ice cream.(trust me.)

    Boone Elementary

    4th

  • The Cheetah
    usp-author : AliceW

    Though you may run,
    you may pace.
    Sometimes in photos you fall on your face.
    Even when it’s in the middle of a chase.

    You can go 75 miles per hour.
    I bet with that speed you could knock down a tower.
    You catch a guinea fowl every hour.
    No wonder you trip and get mad at power.

    Wherever you go no matter the time,
    You never ever hear a clock chime
    That’s because there are no clocks on the savanna,
    And no, when asleep cheetahs don’t say hana hana.

  • Chances
    usp-author : lylab

    You see a chance bolting your way!
    You respond with a simple “No” and leave it to stay.
    The chance walks off with a quiet “Okay”
    Off to ask someone else more brave.

    You feel pain deep in your bones and you just want to run away.
    But then you see another chance coming your way.
    And this time you say, “Yes!”
    You did it! It’s true!
    You took the chance
    Which made you feel brave.

    Boone Elementary

    4th

  • I’ll Be There
    usp-author : LylaB

    Rain or shine, I’ll be there
    Love or hate, I’ll be there
    I will be there, I’ll be there

    Mad or sad, I’ll be there
    Worried or brave, I’ll be there
    I will be there, I’ll be there

    Hot or cold, I’ll be there
    Opened or closed, I’ll be there
    I will be there, I’ll be there

    Boone Elementary

    4th

  • Love
    usp-author : NoahJC

    Love sounds like happiness in the air.
    Love smells like sweet perfume in the city.
    Love feels like my red fluffy shirt .
    Love looks like one hundred blooms on a rose bush.
    Love tastes like an ice cream sundae with a cherry on top.

    Boone Elementary

    4th

  • My Dog Ate My Chicken
    usp-author : drakef

    My dog was walking down the the grass when a sudden chicken scraped her back. She ran away like the frightened mouse on the back of your house.

    My dog went back and had the chicken on the ground like the ferocious beast she is in the night. Blood on my shirt everywhere if you mess with this beast you can’t go to sleep.

    In the shadows in the night it looks like she is going to bite you for life. She ate the chicken said it was nice and hopes you have a good rest of your night.

    Boone Elementary

    4th

  • My Crazy Cat
    usp-author : DashG

    My crazy cat loves to sleep
    But most of all she loves to eat
    She’s very calm and lazy at first
    Until at night she likes to bite

    She scratches all our furniture
    She meows so loud it’s like a giant roar.
    And then she goes to scratch the door
    Then she meows even more.

    Then there’s cat hair everywhere
    Some over here and some over there
    But we still love her and that’s a fact
    Because she’s my one and only crazy cat.

  • The Color of the Sky
    usp-author : BryceM

    When the sky is as blue as a blueberry,
    As blue as the water,
    It is the color of joy and peace.
    But when it is grey,
    It is the color of death and disappointment.

    What does it mean when the sky is orange?
    What does it mean when the sky is purple?
    The color of the sky can always mean a bunch of things.

    That is the joy of peacefulness
    and the disappointment in the color sky.

  • When the Wind Blows
    usp-author : greys

    When the wind blows, it comes to you and me.
    When the wind touches me, it feels like a cool breeze on my skin.
    The wind makes things move like a tornado and a hurricane, too.
    The wind blows, and the whole world breaths it in like you and me.

    The wind is dust and air, but it is still the air.
    And when trees dance as the wind blows, it is the best gift on a hot sunny day.

    It is the the cool breeze with everything we love put together to make the wind blow, blow, blow.
    The wind might make a path like a stream or a river, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is
    the wind blows to you and me.

    Boone Elementary

    4th

  • My Brother Nash
    usp-author : trevorw

    My brother, smart for a baby,
    But what do you know?
    He’s completely crazy.
    Not a surprise,
    He likes sports,
    He even sprints across a basketball court.
    Runs out the door, no stopping him now,
    the only thing you can do is try to chase him down.
    All he wants is candy,
    All he wants is lollipops,
    and if he gets none, he will throw a fit.

    He screams at night when he doesn’t want to go to bed, and when that happens,
    his face will turn completely red.
    “Don’t cry. You have to go to bed,” my mom always said. My baby brother, free at last,
    We all say, “You’re growing up so fast!”

    Boone Elementary

    4th

  • Night
    usp-author : connort

    Night is a void of darkness
    as pure as the universe itself.
    No one can see in that void of darkness,
    and all that is heard is the soothing
    hoot of an owl.

    That is the Night
    as the clock strikes 12
    all the windows go out
    like a deep empty abyss of nothing.

    That is the Night
    While chasing the blazing sun
    the night is
    creeping over the Earth
    inch by inch waiting for sunfall.

    Boone Elementary

    4th

  • Waves of memories
    usp-author : MadisynC

    She walks through the door,
    There is blood on the floor,
    They are both fine,
    But the room is getting tighter,
    As she cleans,
    They both make a scene,
    They are both staring ,glaring, and snarling.

    Later that night,
    They get in a fight,
    Breaking it up I watch and listen,
    While looking at a ocean of memories washing away,
    It’s all the water going down the drain.

    Now she has a new home,
    Happy as can be,
    We’re a little sad,
    But still show a little glee.

    Casey Elementary

    4th

  • The Taco Fiasco
    usp-author : LillianP

    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

  • Redwood Trees
    usp-author : scoutr

    swaying, moving, blowing in wind
    looking down at us
    red, orange, yellow in fall
    towering over us
    brown, green and big in spring
    giants of our land
    nothing in our big, blue world
    could ever be as grand

    Doss elementary school

    fourth

  • Random Rap
    usp-author : AlexandriaB

    There once was a battle called rattle.
    It was in a cotton field,
    and everybody wore ruffles
    and did puzzles
    and had friend bubbles,
    and when somebody had a nibble of a muffin
    they would giggle and wiggle.
    When somebody shattered
    a banner made out of rubber,
    I put a bonnet on my parrot,
    and the parrot liked to eat a carrot,
    and it ate the carrot very sloppy
    and went into his tunnel.

    Gullett Elementary

    4

  • The Heartbreaking Lesson
    usp-author : Bryleighg

    As the amazing fireworks blast way up in the sky a little boy tries to light one inside.
    The ambulance comes with a blaring horn
    The parents are safe but the boy is torn.
    Two months later a five year olds funeral begins as the little boy plays way up in the sky
    The parents are somber but the tears start to dry
    Because they know you can’t be harmed up way in the sky
    Now they know to leave lighters way up high and make sure kids light them outside.

    Casey

    4th

  • Space
    usp-author : AvaG

    A mysterious place to be
    Filled with wonders not to be uncovered
    Its possibilities are limitless
    Infinite

    A magical place to hold your dreams
    It never screams, never whispers any of your secrets
    It keeps them safe and takes them to another place

    No matter your age,
    It lets your spirit run free
    You are peace
    You are love
    Nothing can break you

    Baldwin

    4th

  • The Ocean
    usp-author : paigen

    Salty smells of the ocean
    The sun burning down
    My feet buried in the soft sand
    Kids running and laughing
    Kites flying in the beautiful blue sky
    Step into the ocean and dance with the waves

    Baldwin

    4th

Entries: 5th

  • The Forest
    usp-author : Justing

    Like a garden rose,
    it’s style is pose.
    Like the sun’s light,
    it’s just bright.

    Like water moving
    and owls hooting,
    What a child sees
    It’s all just a dream.

    With trees and flowers
    and water that’s gold.
    With animals and insects
    of new and old.

    Two doors as bright as the sun
    and with light beyond the Ocean
    leading back to the city.

    This may be a dream.
    Is it real?
    We will never know,
    What’s in the forest.

    Pillow

    5

  • Love
    usp-author : Elorap

    Can one explain how
    love works
    Can one know that
    Love
    Hurts
    One must know how love is
    No
    Toy
    However it can fill two
    Hearts
    With this magical joy
    Love
    Is
    As old as
    Time
    And love is always
    New
    Maybe we’ll soon have
    The courage
    To say I love
    You

    Joslin

    5

  • Life
    usp-author : Henrya

    When someone dies, my heart rings,
    I wish I could spread my wings
    To the place wehre the angels sing
    But I can’t – it’s a part of life

    We sing and dance as we begin anew
    Skip in the grass and run in it too
    But it’s the sad parts that make us blue
    Death is real-it’s a part of life

    We wish to see them, visit them, we long.
    But they can be remembered in celebration, or song,
    In other words, their spirits live on
    In our hearts – it’s a part of life

    Joslin

    5

  • Cesar
    usp-author : Henrya

    So now we start this poem anew
    It was 1965 and things were looking blue
    For the targets, they lived like apes
    No water, no toilet as they picked grapes

    However, that was not the case
    For the oppressors, all trimmed and laced
    When you see the target, it’s easy to see
    The oppressors only keep them to make money

    A man named Cesar Chavez: he decided to try
    To fight for workers, he was their ally
    In an old theater, they decided they they
    Would go on strike, make the grape owners say,

    “All right, you did it. I surrender, You won.
    You want fair pay, water and toilets? Done!
    I’ll do everything you ask
    When you come back to work, I’ll do the task.”

    While that was going on, Cesar said, “Yo,
    We still need to push on to Sacramento.
    While we’re doing good scream or yelp
    We definitely need the government’s help.”

    In Delano, work they did not.
    On the vines, the grapes started to rot.
    When the news of the march hit publicly
    The oppressors were unhappy, no money!

    Then, a grape owner name Schelwyn
    Gave up and said, “You win.”
    Instead of a scream and a whine,
    They decided to display
    The black eagle sign.

    The strike went on for 2 years, yup.
    Cesar and his crew would not give up.
    The oppressors gave up the money they lacked
    And agreed to sign the Farmer’s Contract.

    So now, I hope you read it all
    And this teaches a strong moral
    When you keep at it, you see,
    That your opponent will soon agree.

    Joslin

    5

  • Cesar
    usp-author : Reinas

    Day 1

    I am a worker with
    No clean bathrooms
    No clean water
    Very little money
    They, the growers
    Treat me like I am not human
    I am.
    My kids
    Are starving
    I need safety
    I need liberty

    Day 2

    I hear people yelling
    Strike!
    The music gets louder
    I look
    Tons of people are yelling
    Join us!
    Strike!
    I join them
    Cesar welcomes
    Me
    I see Kennedy
    I will march miles
    I will do it

    Joslin

    5

  • Spring
    usp-author : AudyC

    Sadly not year ‘round
    Flowers blooming out of ground
    Grass dances to wind

    Brentwood Elementary

    5th

  • The Greenbelt
    usp-author : darcyh

    The boy takes pictures
    Of the waterfall
    The trail with his father
    The grass that sways
    Like a tilted kayak
    On the creek’s flowing water
    The boy’s first time climbing
    Up the moderate hill
    Gradually getting steeper
    Steeper
    Steeper
    They stop for water
    Back up the bumpy slope
    Returning, he thinks to himself
    Of the amazing scenery
    He will undoubtedly come back
    To the breathtaking greenbelt

    Brentwood Elementary

    5th

  • Racism
    usp-author : DamienM

    Land of White boys

    racists

    No justice

    Ocean of black boys

    FREE

    BUT no security

  • My Magic Box
    usp-author : AhmoryH

    I will put in the box
    The whispering of wind through trees
    A curtain made of gold
    Colors no one has ever seen before.
    I will put in the box
    A feather from the bird of fire
    The wings of a pegasus
    A prophecy hiding the fate of the world.
    I will put in the box
    The brightest star in the galaxy
    A starfish from the deepest seas
    A silver sunflower that has everything.
    I will put in the box
    The shadows of those who came before
    A priceless chandelier from the poor
    The beauty of Autumn, never fading away
    My box is accomplished dreams and glittery bubbles
    Heavenly lights and sapphires as blue as the ocean
    I shall fly in my box
    High up in the clouds
    Warm and fluffy like cotton candy.

  • Glory
    usp-author : jeromed

    Skin is White
    Skin is Black
    Neither is best
    Skin is Skin
    Flesh is Flesh
    Race is Race

    It’s vicious judging of character

    LET EACH RACE HAVE

    GLORY

    Wooldridge Elementary

    5th

  • In honor of my best friend
    usp-author : Abi J.

    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

  • Always Wind
    usp-author : AntoniaH

    Sometimes
    Gentle and soft
    A breeze in my hair

    Other times
    Hard and ruthless
    Ripping apart everything
    In its path

    But always wind
    Stormy or calm
    Carrying scents of the world
    In its hands
    Always wind.

    Brentwood Elementary

    5

  • A spoon
    usp-author : AntoniaH

    I’m a spoon
    I wish I was a fork,
    Or better yet, a spork!
    Alas.
    I’m stuck spooning up
    SCALDING HOT! soup
    Or worse
    Scooping up
    FREEZING COLD! ice-cream
    Oh woe is me

    Brentwood Elementary

    5

  • Water
    usp-author : OliveA

    It clenches one,
    Like a prisoner trying to break free of tight bindings.
    But not in an evil or malicious way.
    More like a mother holding a child,
    Gently, yet tightly, with warmth,
    And the water seems to hold one captive,
    Not wavering until one requires air,
    And they see the liquid,
    It’s great drowning force parting to thin skin.
    And as one draws breath, the water becomes cold on soft flesh,
    As if to spite one for abandonment.

    Casis Elementary

    5th

  • One Hundred Years From Now
    usp-author : OliveA

    Sometimes I wonder what the world will be like,
    one hundred years from now.
    Will people have computer chips,
    Implanted above the brow?
    Will newly found aliens,
    To us, perform and bow?
    Or will they pen us,
    As if we were all cows?
    With all these silly thoughts,
    I realize how pointless it is to think,
    of what the world will be like,
    One Hundred Years From Now.

    Casis Elementary

    5th

  • Augustus Gloop
    usp-author : MayaB

    Augustus Gloop loves to feast
    On chicken, sausage and other meat
    He is chubby, and messy at the table
    Bring him a tray with a giant bagel
    He will gobble it up with all his might
    Not leaving a crumb or sharing a bite.

    Boone

    5

  • Stranger Things
    usp-author : FletcherW

    We have to find Will
    Running around recklessly
    Eleven will help

    Boone

    5

  • To Be a Cat
    usp-author : MikahM

    Oh to be a ball of fluff
    It doesn’t even sound like much
    But to be a cat
    I would enjoy just that

    To climb a tree,
    Filled with glee
    To be a cat
    I would enjoy just that

    To have nine lives
    I could just relive
    To be a cat
    I would enjoy just that

    To get petted nice and snug
    I could get a hug
    To be a cat
    I would enjoy just that

    boone

    5

  • Eternity
    usp-author : SimoneO

    Eternity
    Lasting Forever
    Going on and on
    Starting at the end
    Ending at the beginning
    So it always repeats
    And never ends

    Before the world came to be
    After it is gone
    winding through the grassy plains
    Climbing up mountains
    Winding through different universes
    Oh, It’s forever

    Eternity, Eternity
    Some love you
    Some loathe you
    You create age but
    Unlike life
    You are there
    After they are gone

    Boone

    5

  • The Ice and the Snow
    usp-author : OwenB

    The ice and snow is so great
    I can’t wait to go ice skate
    Some people hate the ice and snow
    and would rather stay inside and drink hot cocoa

    The ice and snow is so great
    It will be here all winter in this state
    but when it has melted all away
    all the people will say, see you next winter time

    Boone

    5

  • Halloween Time
    usp-author : OwenB

    It’s the darkest night
    Trick or treating and costumes
    The scary noises

  • Beautiful Earth
    usp-author : KianaL

    Like a dandelion in the wind
    Or the waves crashing down on the shore
    The sky and the trees and the fish
    They’re beautiful to the core
    Like the frost in the delicate winters
    Melting into blooming spring
    From the wolves to the butterflies in the sky
    Lovely scales, fur, and wings
    Like a robin singing sweetly in the morning
    Or the moon on a nice clear night
    Like a ladybug crawling on a flower
    All shining in the light
    Everything the earth provides
    Mother nature is so kind

  • Rain Fun
    usp-author : Layla W

    As I sit outside the smell
    of rain finds me. I go to

    Jump in puddles, soon I
    feel water splashing up
    my legs.

    I laugh with joy.
    I open my mouth and stick
    out my tongue to taste the
    rain.

    I run and slide my fingers
    on the wet benches. Then
    I hear the booming thunder

    Cunningham

    5

  • Looking around
    usp-author : Layla W

    The blow of the wind
    hits my face. Blowing
    my hair .

    I look around me
    and see different
    types of people.

    Some small and
    Others tall. I hear
    Laughs from children.

    The ladybug on
    my leg and it tickles
    me.

    Then I wonder about
    tomorrow.

    Cunningham elementary

    5

  • Brave Voices
    usp-author : Marthan

    Once there was a victim unheard
    Trapped and enslaved in a cage like a bird
    But at one time that cage blew away
    Knowing it was her time, her day
    The bird flew away to tell her story
    The horror, oh the horror
    But they found in her glory
    The strength that she wields
    Her voice and her shield
    Because of her, all the birds flew
    And they knew
    “Me too.”

    Casis Elementary

    5th

  • Noisy in Boise
    usp-author : OliveA

    There once was a man in Boise,
    Who always was quite noisy,
    He once was so loud,
    He attracted a crowd,
    And got a new girlfriend named Joise.

    Casis Elementary

    5

  • Sure
    usp-author : sarad

    Sure, like the wind is sure
    when it blows a little breeze.
    Sure, like the sun is when
    it shines down upon us.
    Sure, like an architect is sure
    when he looks at blueprints.
    Sure, like a mother bear is sure
    that her kids are safe.
    Sure, like when the universe was sure
    it could support life on some planet, somewhere out there.
    How can we be sure, but still be uncertain?

    Baldwin

    5th

Entries: 6th

  • Underneath the Bridge
    usp-author : KathleenD

    Walk across the aging bridge,
    Over the stream of water,
    Grass and stones tumbling over
    The muddy soil.

    Duck and dodge the mossy leaves
    Hanging from the old tree,
    Blending in to a pretty green,
    Providing shade from the sun.

    Watch the life above your sight,
    Through the reflection,
    Blocked off by the lily pads,
    Stuck in the the glinting water.

    Dip one toe,
    See if it’s cold,
    Just be bold!
    Jump in the gentle waves.

    Listen to the waves lap
    Against the sides,
    Linger in the water,
    Underneath the bridge.

  • My Family is the Universe
    usp-author : cburnham

    My Family is the Universe
    My mom is the Sun, keeps everything going
    My grandparents are the Moons
    Always providing more light and love
    My big sister is the Stars
    Not always visible, but still giving love and beauty
    My little sister is the flares on the sun
    Beautiful, yet dangerous
    My cats and dog are the shooting stars
    Comforting and calming
    I am the Earth
    Friend to many and lover of all

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6

  • Auschwitz
    usp-author : CarolineO

    Another day I’ve waited here,
    in horror, hunger, thirst, and fear.

    Another day awaiting the German Army’s fall,
    pleading for the glorious mercy call.

    Another day trapped inside the barbed wire,
    Stranded with violence, blood, and gunfire.

    Another day with the same shirt on my back,
    though it’s torn, filthy, and striped white and black.

    Another day mourning the numerous deaths
    of innocents begging for just one more breath.

    Another day without freedom or joy,
    as powerless as a marionette toy.

    Another day I’ve waited here,
    voiced by adherence but silenced by fear.

    Lamar Middle School

    6th

  • Waterfall
    usp-author : AudreyM

    Churning, crashing like a thundering storm,
    slipping through ricks as if sand through fingers.
    Then tumbling down making a fluffy foam.
    Mist spreads creating a gentle fog.

    Bright colors are everywhere changing and blooming.
    Flowers shine brighter than stars.
    When you are there it speaks to you,
    it sings a nice calming sing.

    The sky starts to change,
    the sun begins to set.
    Crickets chirp a sweet good night,
    before everything goes to bed.

    As it turns to night the water glows in the moonlight.
    Shadows fall over bushes and rocks.
    You hear silence except for the rumble of the falls.

    Lamar Middle School

    6th

  • Flutter
    usp-author : DrewA

    Rush of the wind, crunch of a tire
    Pedaling fast down the hilly trail
    The sound of fluttering flutters past
    All the colors in the distance
    Curious, pedaling faster
    Colors so bright
    Slowing to see it better
    Wide eyes, each feather unique in a different color of
    the rainbow
    Gazing until it flutters off in a riot of color

    Lamar Middle School

    6th

  • Eagle’s Flight
    usp-author : EvaS

    When I saw her large, brown wings open
    When I saw her jump into the sky,
    I was looking up
    Which inspired me to set goals high.
    She is an airplane, zoooooom, she passes by.
    the clouds move when they see her fly,
    She observes like a spy,
    and makes me see beyond the wide
    open sky.
    I imagine a future me,
    strong and free,
    Bold and ready,
    Like an eagle I will soon be…

    Lamar Middle School

    6th

  • Ode to the Banana
    usp-author : AnaG

    The cold banana
    Always huddling with its group
    Always in its jacket
    Until the very end
    Until it gets takes away
    to be crushed and slayed
    It squeals, “Mama, Papa!”
    Before he never sees the light of day
    But they still stay strong
    And hope to live to an old age
    With spots of color
    Sitting on a shelf
    Sometimes its poses
    For the artist to come draw it
    Sitting silently
    Sharing its soul
    With the world
    Never taking off its jacket

    Lamar Middle School

    6th

  • The Ball of Life
    usp-author : KathleenD

    Little as a giant,
    Fragile and precious,
    Sweet and sour,
    Brave and beautiful,
    Spinning round and round,
    Around the sun,
    Connecting the people
    On the ball of life.

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6th

  • A Long Walk on a Trail
    usp-author : KathleenD

    Miles and miles of gravel,
    A never ending path,
    Streaming flowers beside me.
    The sun setting
    Putting a gorgeous glow on everything.
    It’s a perfect time,
    To take a long walk on a trail.

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6th

  • Music
    usp-author : JanhaviK

    Music! How it glides through my body
    Like ghazals dancing through the prairie

    Like an alligator pulling a wildebeest Into the water
    It tackles every nerve in my body

    Music! It lifts me like a pelican soaring over the ocean
    It hugs me like pandas hugging bamboo

    Music! It circles around me like a sly panther
    But it also fierce like a lioness protecting her cubs

    Music! Its calm and quite like the Amazon
    It makes me feel alive every time I listen

    As it lifts me, hugs me, roars at me ferociously
    Takes me slowly, loves me

    Jazz, rap, classical, rock, pop, country and so much more
    Music! Oh how much I love it

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6

  • My Dreams
    usp-author : JanhaviK

    Whoosh! I went dashing through the water
    Like a fish chasing bait through the water

    Faster faster faster, Suddenly I am at the end
    Its coming Faster faster faster

    I run through the safari, I am as slow as a cheetah
    I run till my legs hurt, Faster faster faster

    Cackling as if it were a hyena, it jumps on me
    tackling me to the ground, Janhvai janhvai janhavi!

    Janhavi says, my sister, Come down for breakfast
    I jump off the bed, It was all just a dream!!!

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6

  • My family
    usp-author : JanhaviK

    My family is a rose
    It has a lovely scent and beautiful petals,
    But it has thorns too
    My family is a rose

    My family is rich in culture and love
    We are the Amazons
    With crocodiles and hippos
    Panthers and geckos
    My family is diversity

    My family is the night sky
    Darkness mystery
    Compassion, misery, love
    My family is curiosity

    My family, we are the planets
    Each different and enlightening
    With the sun, moon, earth and more
    We are so alluring

    Through the pitch black space
    We have each other
    That’s why we are family

    My family, we are snowflakes
    Different but still unique
    That’s why we are family

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6

  • Left then Loved
    usp-author : cbmeeks

    A letter to myself when I was born …

    You will be born I say,
    August 28th is the day.

    No need to be scared when you come out,
    Even though there will be a ruckus about.

    After two years have passed,
    The love from your family will last.

    And last.
    And last.
    And last.

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6

  • False Comparisons
    usp-author : Connor N

    Vanilla is like chocolate
    divided
    but equal.
    Dead is like alive
    you are alive but you have no soul
    no roots
    no life.
    Creation is like destruction
    two entities
    one neverending battle.

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6th

  • I Love Video Games
    usp-author : diegol

    I love video games,
    I love them a lot,
    I play them for fun, relaxation, and plot,
    the best video games are made by Nintendo,
    at the end of each game you’ll be begging for a sequel,
    theres Mario, Zelda, and Kirby galore,
    if you want to be happy just step through the door,
    after your first game you’ll be wishing for more,
    the world of Nintendo is as big as a war,
    you will enter a world of everything fun,
    your life will be filled with glory and sun,
    discs, and cartridges they’re screaming to be played,
    the second you start your dreams will be made.

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6

  • Ode To Fat Cat
    usp-author : Evan B

    Oh Calvin Cat
    You are so fat

    You are so lazy
    But sometimes crazy

    You are the fattest feline
    And we have such a good time

    You don’t get off the chair
    When it moves do you even care

    You look like a cow
    And you have a weird meow

    You are so fat
    My dear Calvin Cat

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6

  • Dreams
    usp-author : JanhaviK

    Once they come they never stop
    Beautiful things roam in my head
    Like Mustangs racing through the grass
    Dolphins surfing the waves

    As my mind takes me places
    I would hardly imagine being in
    As I see the sunset before me
    I try to soak in but its too much

    I catch my breath
    Beep Beep! My alarm goes off
    My imagination is put on a hold
    Until next time…

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6

  • E.L.A
    usp-author : George Y.

    E.L.A is so fun and exciting.
    There are lots of amusing things to do.
    Reading books and writing poems
    Is very fun and relaxing.

    Brainstorming and typing are also very fun.
    Writing has no limit, so be creative.
    An endless void of ideas to discover.
    It’s always reaching out to you so you can explore it .

    Gorzycki

    6

  • Ouch! That really hurts
    usp-author : JanhaviK

    Through the field, I run with pride
    Scoring goals and passing as I go
    I am playing soccer of course
    The game is going well I suppose

    But when it’s my turn to pass
    I tripped and fell on the grass
    It really starts to hurt
    Because I fell face first

    My nose starts bleeding
    There is blood everywhere dripping
    My friends go run and tell the couch
    I have to sit out, while everyone else is scoring goals
    Ouch! That really really hurts

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6

  • A heart beat
    usp-author : JanhaviK

    To be or not to be, such a strong verse
    It could mean love or a devilish curse

    It means whether to be alive or die of a horrible deed
    But at the end of the day why does it matter
    Its all just in a heartbeat

    When I was in theater that day, I thought to myself
    What is life?
    Life is love, hope, sacrifice, honor, doubt, anger anxiety sickness
    Exhaustion, laughter, happiness, affection, excitement, warmth,
    coldness, harshness, sadness, and depression

    From a mother’s womb to an old man or a dog or cat, even the grass is alive
    Because mother earth is a life, and she carries us to make us one

    To be or not to be…. My voice echoed through the theater
    Everyone cheered and applauded me the actor

    Me, ten year old me, stood there in silence
    I smiled because I know at the end of the day…
    The life and death are not that different after all
    Because its all just in a heartbeat

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6

  • Driving In The Dark
    usp-author : KatherineK

    I’m driving in the dark
    headlights shattered
    no glimpse of moonlight.
    No line where shadow meets light,
    where sadness meets hope.
    The end’s too far to keep going
    but the beginning’s off in the distance.
    Light is but a memory.
    Hope is but a loss.
    The tunnel never stops going.
    But the worst part,
    is that I’m alone.

    Gorzycki

    6

  • Early January
    usp-author : Lola G

    Early January.
    There is nothing
    quite as blue
    as the sky today.
    No clouds
    to push the sun,
    behind them.
    This day
    is a bright day,
    a cold day.

    Spring is still aspiring,
    to push Winter away.
    Not quite ready
    to go
    is Winter
    still fighting to stay.

    No rain,
    at all.
    Not one droplet
    has fallen.
    Even the stars
    seem to be walking
    in place.

    On this early January day.

    Gorzycki

    6th

  • Mint
    usp-author : Carly W

    Dad
    I´m sorry for eating
    The Jason´s Deli mint
    On your dresser

    I said I didn´t
    You know I did
    It was back when
    I was a little kid

    I´m pretty sorry
    Please forgive me
    But it was
    So cool
    So minty
    So fresh
    Well then
    I don’t regret it
    I guess

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6

  • Brave
    usp-author : Anastasia W

    Afraid.
    That’s what I was
    Afraid of the dark
    Afraid of embarrassment

    I was scared of everything
    Disappointment
    Loneliness
    Nothing

    I’ve changed
    I’m still afraid,
    but I’m better, braver
    I won’t cower anymore

    I have the bright side now
    Proud parents
    Friends
    Everything

    Brave

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6

  • I Hate Pie
    usp-author : LiamG

    “I Hate Pie”
    By: Liam G.

    I like pie.
    I like pie.
    That’s what all the kids
    would cry.

    Oh not me,
    Totally not me.
    I would rather die.

    All the Criss n’ crosses,
    Apples and sauces,
    Toppings and
    Even more.

    It makes me barf,
    The goo and marsh,
    That doesn’t want to store.

    I hate pie.

    Gorzycki

    6

  • Siren
    usp-author : Eliser

    Splashing, lapsing, flushing, washing, waving
    Crashing to foaming, rising and falling,
    Tides restlessly singing their refrain,
    Relentlessly pushing and pulling,
    Endlessly drifting and coming again

    Staring out at what is so beautiful,
    But neglecting what brings joy to many,
    Coulds and woulds and shoulds supposedly,
    Augmenting, with addition of doubt
    Thinking of eyes that don’t belong to me

    Mindless, joyless, freezing wind surrounding,
    Pink-haloed clouds creeping towards bright sunset
    Happily contradicting themselves,
    Interrupting, yet rightfully there,
    Oh to have those unachievable eyes

    Palm on cheek wet with tears, elbow on rail,
    Keeping me from the temptation to leave
    Everything behind, just one jump,
    But set in stone, decided long ago,
    I remain, glimmering, eyes’ took their leave

    Then the break of ancient, rusted metal
    A slip due to yesterday’s clouds’ sorrow,
    Descending towards an onslaught of spray,
    Hitting the waves, I’ve broken the glass
    Eyes have been drained of what little remains

    Gravity pulls me, I am a shipwreck,
    Slipping away, deeper into the depths,
    Hoping has ended, fate brings its wrath,
    And yet, something swirls through the waters,
    Eyes like mirrors, curse and blessing bestowed

    Now each night I wait, for a second chance,
    Head above water looking, where the call,
    Was by chance answered, by choice ignored,
    Night sky taking stage, sparkling dances
    Stars twinkling like eyes that no longer belong to me

    Russell Lee Elementary

    6th

  • Where I’m From
    usp-author : hunterg

    I am from Xbox
    From paper and pencils
    I am the Bluebonnets, from the deer
    I am from skiing and blond hair from dad and grandpa
    I am from biking and climbing
    From manners and good grades
    From Jesus and fairness
    I’m from ranching
    From corn dogs and pizza
    I’m from Tree hugger
    I am from Austin

    Gorzycki

    6th

  • My Family Basketball Game
    usp-author : miar

    My Family is a basketball game
    My Mom is the coach always keeping us positive
    My Dad is the ref who always calls the right calls
    My Older Brother is my teammate always there for me
    My Little Brother is the ball sometimes doesn’t want to help
    My Cousin is my teammate always keeping us in a good mood
    My Grandma is in the crowd cheering us on

    Gorzycki middle school

    6th

  • Anticipation
    usp-author : AnnieH

    My heart is pounding as if it’s trying to escape my chest. My stomach is trying to fly out of me as well. My head is scared, scared of what might go down, when I walk out onto the platform in front of hundreds of people. Wanting the moment to never come, to keep pushing it farther and farther away. But finally it is here. Walking toward fear, away from solitude. Until I realize I’ve got it all wrong, it doesn’t matter what happens on stage what matters is how confident you are in whatever does happen. This is where I belong. All these people here to support me, came all the way here to see me. Make the most of it. Be proud. That is all I have to say.

  • July 4th
    usp-author : LaurenH

    July Fourth
    July fourth is always fun
    Spending time in the sun
    Celebrating with food and games
    Cheesy burgers leaving greasy stains
    Fireworks exploding in the sky
    Looking beautiful as they fly
    Celebrating children cheer
    July fourth is here

  • Standing Time
    usp-author : CooperS

    When your merely standing,
    time passes, kingdoms fall,
    The world changes with every step you take, and each one you don’t.

    It adjusts to every vast or even miniscule
    force, physical and psychological,
    that may come its way.

    What lies there, wrapped in an enigma,
    hiding in plain sight is the force that you or anyone
    can put upon this cocoon of mystery we live on.

  • I used to but now..
    usp-author : Vinhny N

    I used to but now..

    I use to want to go to the movies,
    Now I want to BE in the movies

    I used to do gymnastics,
    Now I do soccer

    I used to be lazy,
    Now I want to do everything

    I used to be in Pre-k
    Now I’m in 6th grade

    I used to watch people play music
    Now I play music

    I used to play with toys
    Now I play with friends

     

  • I use to but now..
    usp-author : Vinhny N

    I used to but now..

    I use to want to go to the movies,
    Now I want to BE in the movies

    I used to do gymnastics,
    Now I do soccer

    I used to be lazy,
    Now I want to do everything

    I used to be in Pre-k
    Now I’m in 6th grade

    I used to watch people play music
    Now I play music

    I used to play with toys
    Now I play with friends

     

    Gorzycki

    6th

  • Soccer
    usp-author : VinhnyN

    Soccer

    The beautiful game is known as soccer
    We play in the day where it gets hotter and hotter
    We kick the ball with our feet
    We laugh and play, even with defeat
    We argue with the ref when we hear a tweet
    And when we score
    Our feet are sore
    This is the beautiful game known as soccer

     

  • This is just to say
    usp-author : MargaretB

    I let
    Out your
    Hamster whoops
    Im very sorry

    You got
    It the
    Day before

    Please forgive
    Me it was
    So soft
    And sweet
    Please ?

  • My Family Is
    usp-author : CarsonW

    My family is a clock

    My mom are the numbers
    keeping us on track and time

    My brother are the hands
    always in motion

    My dad is the glass
    holding us together

    I am the rim bold and outstanding
    My family is a clock

  • Where I’m From
    usp-author : sydneyp

    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

  • Rock And Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution
    usp-author : diegodmz

    I come here every day.
    I hardly get to play.
    Sitting in my chair listening to you.
    While you criticize what I like to do.

    You always compare one thing to another.
    It really makes me wonder,
    Is this what I want to do when I get older?
    My dreams keep getting colder.

    If I quit, will I find a solution?
    This place is full of noise pollution.
    Rock and Roll is my passion.
    In this place I don’t get much satisfaction.

    “I am the walrus,’’ isn’t that a Beatle line?
    I just sit here while wasting my time.
    Coming to this place is so hard.
    All I want to do is rock my guitar.

    Gorzycki

    6

  • I Dropped My Pencil
    usp-author : Graces

    My pencil slips out of my grip
    It clinks against the desk
    It rolls and strolls across the room before coming to a rest
    But my teacher is still talking and I feel I cannot move
    I watch it as it sits there until it’s broken by a shoe

    Gorzycki

    6

  • My Family is the Universe
    usp-author : CarlyB

    My Family is the Universe
    My mom is the Sun, keeps everything going

    My grandparents are the Moons
    Always providing more light and love

    My big sister is the Stars
    Not always visible, but still giving love and beauty

    My little sister is the flares on the sun
    Beautiful, yet dangerous

    My cats and dog are the shooting stars
    Comforting and calming

    I am the Earth
    Friend to many and lover of all

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6

  • love
    usp-author : bryb

    The lovin between us will never stop.

    Baby we are stronger together.

    gorzycki

    6

  • Waking Down
    usp-author : BryceN

    In the darkness of the morning sun,
    the rooster started to silently snore his usual tune.
    I quickly dragged myself out of bed when my alarm stopped ringing.
    Time for another long, boring night of summer.

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6

  • This is Just to Say
    usp-author : MonicaA

    This is just to say
    I have lost the item you told me specifically not to lose
    You will probably yell at me, or ground me

    But to be honest
    I can’t quite remember what item I lost.

  • I love Football
    usp-author : LoaganM

    I Love Football
    When I’m bored I don’t need to frown
    I like to go outside and throw around
    In the street is where i’ll be
    Calling for a pass while the sun is burning my feet
    A touchdown awaits, In I go to celebrate.

  • Ode to Sushi
    usp-author : MicahW

    Sushi is the best food as it is too yummy

    It tastes so good inside of my tummy

    Crab, seaweed, and cream cheese galore

    Eating my sushi will never be a bore

    All of the time I try something new

    Because All I have to do is go to the store

    Even my mother likes sushi too!

    But when my brother eats it he acts like he ate poo.

    Gorzycki

    6th

  • Afraid
    usp-author : ElenaH

    Black,dark
    Thick ocean air clogging my lungs
    Whispers of reassurance
    Crys of regret and pain
    Hot salty tears
    Stinging my mouth
    Warm rivers
    Slowly descending down my face
    Afraid, alone, stuck

  • All in A Moment
    usp-author : MaggieJ

    In the blink of an eye
    With a flip of a switch
    The world can move on
    Leaving nothing behind
    Every second that passes
    Each minute that goes by
    The present becomes the past
    And the future is now the present
    Anything can happen
    All in a moment

  • The Lovers Test
    usp-author : LilyW

    You said we were lovers,
    The best of the best,
    But how can I trust you?
    Let me put you to the test,

    Would you sit outside my door waiting for me to come home?
    Would you write me letters about your life in Rome?
    If I were hurt would you lay with me in bed,
    And while you sat there, cradled my head?

    This isn’t a joke,
    just please answer the questions and do not cloak
    I guess I can trust you,
    For now I hope,
    We ARE real lovers and this is our tightrope

  • Where I’m From
    usp-author : ZacharyW

    I am from my bed
    from shampoo and old spice
    I am from the house with beige wood and lime stone
    I am from playing Xbox
    From riding my bike and smell my mom has
    I am from the hot weather the really hot weather
    I am from the Polar Express on Christmas Eve and really good hair from my mom
    I am from whistling and biting my nails
    From you’ll get hurt and don’t do that
    I am from Happiness and FREEDOM
    I am from the military
    from Italian and French food
    From WWII stories with my great grandfather Gramps
    I am from the magnetic steel refrigerator

  • Ode to Penny
    usp-author : MadeleineT

    Oh Penny, I miss you dear,
    In a flash, you’re not here
    The day I found you lying on the grass,
    I knew in a second the day would crash
    I ran to the house not knowing what to do,
    All around me the sadness flew
    I got to the house Dad rushed out,
    Washed her in water then gave a shout
    This couldn’t be real thoughts flew through my head,
    But I knew in a second Penny was dead.

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6

  • Ocean
    usp-author : AnnabelleR

    Ocean,
    your sand is such a wonder
    you feel as soft as a pillow
    as powdery as sugar
    your shells though hard are unique
    different colors, different shapes,
    different textures not one is the same
    your water blue and clear filled with coral of all colors
    with fish angel fish among them
    with dolphins, whales, and seahorses
    in which are so lucky to live in your kingdom of beauty

    Gorzycki

    6th

  • Candy Thief
    usp-author : KanyonQ

    I have take your candy.

    And wish you were saving for dessert.

    Forgive me it was filled with amazing taste of fruit.

    gorzycki

    6

  • My Family is a Closet
    usp-author : DaylanP

    My family is a closet. My dad is like jeans, sturdy and able to get through hard times. My mom is a t-shirt, flexible and loose. My brothers are socks, because like socks they stick together (but sometimes they stink). I am a hat or jacket, protecting from cold, heat or rain. The name Petershagen is like shoes, so many different types but with one defining quality: we support the wearer.

    Gorzycki

    6

  • Summer School
    usp-author : AyakaC

    Today is school
    School in Japan

    Quiet and Peaceful
    Like you’re at a library

    Old and beautiful
    different from America

    We wear sneakers in school
    They don’t

    We eat in the Cafeteria
    They don’t

    We bring lunchboxes
    They don’t

    We go to school in vehicles
    They don’t

    We have friends
    And they do too

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6

  • This Is Just To Say
    usp-author : SamuelM

    I have drank
    All the juice boxes
    In the fridge
    I have made an unforgivable mistake

    I knew you
    Were saving them
    For lunches

    Sorry
    They were
    So sugary
    So surprisingly sweet
    So satisfying
    Also grape
    My favorite

    gorzycki

    sixth

  • I Don’t Know What to Write!
    usp-author : JamesE

    I don’t know what to write,
    I think I might stay up all night!

    Should I write about a lair or,
    Or about a chair?

    Should I write about Ginger Ale,
    Or about a folktale?

    I don’t know what to write,
    I’m thinking with all my might!

    My pencil is out of lead,
    I think I might write in red.

    I can’t find my red pencil,
    I have another writing utensil.

    I still don’t know what to write,
    I’m still thinking with all my might!

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6th

  • Welcome To Austin
    usp-author : LiamL

    Traffic at a halt
    Traffic at a stop
    Traffic going up the hill three miles long
    Traffic at a halt
    Traffic at a stop
    Traffic going down the hill three miles long
    Traffic at a halt
    Traffic at a stop
    Traffic
    It’s
    Austin

  • Baseball
    usp-author : MeganM

    I see the pitcher glare,
    not stare,
    then the pitcher throws the ball,
    with his all,
    Pow! the ball goes out wide,
    it’s like an ocean tide,
    washing you away,
    to the day,
    I knew baseball was not lame,
    but an amazing game

  • Good and Bad
    usp-author : JulianM

    Good and Bad are very different
    Yet they go together so well.

    They are the feelings we are judged by
    They are the feelings whom are opposites.

    We have some, deep down inside
    They are the feelings we share to all.

    They are the balance in our world
    We need them both, even the bad.

    Without them both, the world will crumble
    They are the light in the dark.

  • The family house
    usp-author : ChloeY

    My family are all connected like a tall strong, firm, standing house
    We all help around the house
    My dad is the strong, supporting foundation and he supports the family
    My mom is the protective roof and she protects us from the objects flying outside
    My sister is the looking window and she helps us look outside at the small world
    My brother are the tall walls supporting the roof and he helps support my mom with smiles and laughs

  • As Happy as a Student
    usp-author : JakeT

    As happy as a student
    All the work that is late
    The tests that are due
    What a wonderful day!

  • Where I’m From
    usp-author : marleyc123

    Where I’m From
    I am from putting away laundry and cleaning my room
    From Nike and Adidas
    I’m from the rocky road and the red brick two story house
    From soaring trees as tall as the eye can see
    From the road seeming like a never ending trail,that no one knows when it will end

    I am from the fresh smelling flowers and trees blowing in the breeze in my front yard
    From the old wood underneath my bed that used to be my crib
    I am from waking up on Christmas morning, and opening up mounds and mounds of gifts

    And from long, shiny, straight brown hair that covers my shoulders or is held high in a pony tail
    From Jennifer Cantu’ and Gregorio Cantu’ saying “Your smile is as bright as a ray of sunshine”

    I’m from friends who are a treasure
    From the nice dinners and the cracking of a joke
    I am from “work hard” and “calm down”
    From “Actions speak louder than words’’ and “Blessing in disguise”
    I’m from crosses around my family members necks and the prayers for God to watch over us

    I’m from Austin,Tejas
    From chicken enchiladas as my favorite dish
    From sweet, crunchy, chocolate chip covered, creamy cannolis
    From the crack of dawn soccer games to mid afternoon basketball games

    From the aunts and uncles who fought for our country
    From the hearts of wisdom
    I’m from the refrigerator magnets, walls and shelves hanging with photographs that frame our loved ones and special memories

  • At night
    usp-author : Musabk

    At night I lay down in my bed, with my fairy lights behind me.

    Looking in front of me is picture of a tree,

    Thinking about what is going to happen to me in the future,

    Trying not to call myself a loser

    Hiding under my covers scared what is outside of my blanket

    Trying to think of something else, like me playing basketball, making a basket

    Taking a breath when I get out of my covers and looking at the time

    Counting how many hours of sleep I will get and saying I am fine

    Remembering that it is a school day tomorrow and close my eyes

    I hear this voice that is saying my name so I get up and see my mom saying get up and eat some fries.

  • I used to but now
    usp-author : MuhammadmusabK

    I used to be a little kid
    But now I am all grown up
    I used to clap to cheer
    But now I am dabbing
    I used to watch people playing video games
    But now I play video games
    I used to play soccer
    But now I play football
    I used to like the color blue
    but now I like the color green

  • Mamba
    usp-author : JamesB

    He needs not his fangs
    Away the mamba slithers
    At one with the grass

    Gorzycki

    6

  • What I think of the moon
    usp-author : MuhammadmusabK

    238,900 miles away from earth, which looks farther than that.
    As big as Russia, even if it looks smaller.
    Craters by the meteors, which I think the aliens did it so because to hide their stuff.
    There is no atmosphere, no air, and no life, which is false because of the aliens again

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6th

  • Family = Meal
    usp-author : DashleT

    My family is a meal.
    My mom is the rice, she keeps us on the right path.
    My brother is the veggie, he is good but kids don’t like him.
    I am the meat dish, the one that most people would love.
    My cousins are the curry, they spice everything up.
    My family is a meal. Sometimes we taste delicious, other times we taste bland, but we always enjoy being together.

  • Joy and Sadness
    usp-author : KristinS

    If Joy were a color
    It would be a vibrant golden yellow
    As bright as a sunrise

    If Joy were a taste
    It would be like a perfectly ripe piece of apple
    Never too bitter or too sweet

    If Joy were a sound
    It would be a uplifting song
    With laughter sweet as a sunday church chorus

    You can’t feel Joy without Sadness

    If Sadness were a color
    It would be a deep inky blue
    As vast as a great ocean at dusk

    If Sadness were a taste
    It would be as dry as crumbling ash
    And be as bitterly salty as falling tears

    If Sadness were a sound
    It would be as heartbreaking as a final goodbye to the ones you love
    Facing the fact that you’ll never be able to see them again

    The greater the painful regret and Sadness you experience in life
    The greater the Joy you have left to gain

    So open yourself and embrace both Joy and Sadness
    Though the dark pain of Sadness may never seem to end
    Know that without Sadness there is no Joy

    Never forget that even though life has many twists
    Just live it to the fullest with those you love and everything in between

  • Ode to French Toast
    usp-author : CoryT

    Oh french toast, how I love thee.
    To my heart you hold the key.

    On my plate
    Not too late
    Eat it all
    Enjoy it all

    Cinnamon and butter
    Bacon and sugar
    Soft and fluffy
    Golden brown and lofty

    Let the world enjoy it all!

  • My Family Is A Watermelon
    usp-author : ZachK

    My family is a watermelon. my dad is the red juicy fruit that everyone loves. my brother and me are the black seeds that annoy everyone, and my mom is the rind that holds us all together

  • Marley
    usp-author : NatalieC

    Marley
    Almost four years
    You make me so happy
    My smile stretches to my ears
    You’re the smooth and creamy peanut butter to my chunky and sweet strawberry jelly
    I’m so glad I met you
    We connected like magnets
    FaceTime when we can’t see each other
    And non – stop laughing when we do
    Building big, warm, cozy, forts
    I love you so much, Marley

  • The tree of my family
    usp-author : ConnorH

    My Family is a Tree

    My family is a tree with branches holding up the leaves of our relationship

    My dad is the trunk of the tree strong and sturdy but even the trunk can fall at some times

    My mom is the spring and summer leaves bright, stunning and, beautiful

    My brother is the chipmunk of the tree digging into everyone’s business

    My grandparents are the roots, making us all who we are

    My stepmoms are the apples of the tree coming in and they turn out to be sweet

    And I’m the leaves, connected to everyone in some sort of way

  • Aunt Teney
    usp-author : ParkerA

    You smell like old lady perfume
    You have powered through tough times
    You are my inspiration
    My aunty

    You know you are drawing closer to an ending
    Although we predict you are about to restart

    You are only 92 you say to yourself
    You have no concern for how things play out

  • Love Oh Love(Love Poem)
    usp-author : AddisynS

    Love oh Love

    Love, a thing so sweet
    I feel from my nose to my feet
    I smile bright when loves in the air
    And a warm breeze moves my hair
    Sometimes love makes me cry
    When I must say goodbye

    With the sun and the moon
    The day ends so soon
    But I love through the night
    With a bright light in the sky

    Love, oh, love
    A gift from above

  • An Ode To Doctor Who
    usp-author : KevinS

    I Love Doctor Who
    I Watch the show and I read the books too
    It makes me sad when he regenerates into another actor
    But when the show is anew it’s always great

    Doctor Who’s creatures are vast
    From Timelords, to Sontarans, to Cybermen,
    To Humans, to Angels, and Daleks are last
    That’s just a few
    But there’s a lot more too
    When the show is anew.

  • This is Just to Say
    usp-author : KaitlinK

    I have talked
    Without permission
    In class or
    At home

    And which
    You were probably
    Mad or upset

    Forgive me
    I knew the answer
    I just couldn’t
    Keep it in

  • Allegiance to The Library
    usp-author : LucyL

    When I am feeling happy, tired or dreary,
    I go to my favorite place, the library.

    I walk in and take a good look.
    Then I chose an interesting book.

    Sometimes I put books on hold.
    But I’ll receive a fine if it’s more than 10 days old.

    When I read a book, my mind relaxes.
    Unlike some people, I do not need glasses.

    The library is a place for knowledge,
    and for free.
    That is the kind of place for me!

  • this is just to say
    usp-author : CooperC

    I have stolen
    Your controller
    That was in your room

    And which you
    Probably wanted
    To play
    Fortnite

    Forgive me
    The controller
    Helped me
    Win a
    Game

  • Night
    usp-author : JakeC

    As bright as a moonless night
    The sky is burning with light
    The stars so dull will guide the way so don’t you fright
    The morning sun rises dimming and taking the light

    Gorzykci Middle School

    6

  • The Thing in the Sky
    usp-author : CharlotteV

    Love
    love is the thing in the sky
    that is always going by

    when you try and catch it
    you end up down on your knees
    like you were stung by a million bees

    love
    love is the thing in the sky
    even after you die

    so don’t give up no matter what comes by

  • Poem
    usp-author : KMuras

    I am from rattling toy trains
    From television cartoons
    And rainy dark days

    I am from old rickety wall to wall homes

    I am from joystick games
    from flickering light bulbs
    and common power loss

    I am from deer hopping through the neighborhood and rolling grass fields

    I am from climbing trees
    and catching frogs
    Vicky and Rodney

    I am from fast food joints

    I am from void of space and Earth’s core

    I’m from zeppelins and cars

    From lumbering cruise ships

    From the now non existent Czechoslovakia
    I am from the pages of a history torn out like an unwanted shirt

     

    Gorzycki Middle School

    6

  • The tree of my family
    usp-author : Connorh

    My Family is a Tree

    My family is a tree with branches holding up the leaves of our relationship

    My dad is the trunk of the tree strong and sturdy but even the trunk can fall at some times

    My mom is the spring and summer leaves bright, stunning and, beautiful

    My brother is the chipmunk of the tree digging into everyone’s business

    My grandparents are the roots, making us all who we are

    My stepmoms are the apples of the tree coming in and they turn out to be sweet

    And I’m the leaves, connected to everyone in some sort of way

    Gorzycki

    6

  • The Pool
    usp-author : MIA B

    The Pool

    I love the pool, water so clear, so cool, the bubbles as far as the eye can see. That is really where I’m meant to be. If I had a wish I would be a fish. Swimming on forever, and my school, would be the people at the pool.

    Diane Gorzycki Middle School

    6th

  • i have recorded somthing
    usp-author : Reed A

    I have recorded something
    Over your recording
    On TV.

    And you were
    Probably wanting
    to watch it.

    Forgive me,
    Bear Grylls is
    More entertaining
    Than golf

    Gorzycki

    6

  • Brightness
    usp-author : MaryM

    Today is a new day
    Rays of sun shine like pure gold
    Drizzling down from the sky
    Like rain,
    but happier.
    The cool breeze,
    swirling sweet smells of flowers
    all around.
    Gently comforting,
    a refreshing embrace.
    A sweet lullaby
    Sung by the birds,
    Waking the trees
    from their nightly slumber.
    Stretching their long limbs,
    opening their eyes
    old but lively.
    The moon fades away
    into the ever- brightening sky,
    as she has had a restless night of work.
    Silken rose petals,
    laden with dew drops.
    Crystals glittering in the sun.
    As the morning spins
    into afternoon,
    the sun slides
    to the center
    of the soft,
    blue
    sky.

    Lamar Middle School

    6

  • Light and Shadow
    usp-author : jeniep

    Light defends against shadow

    But it creates shadows as well

    Light keeps the shadows at bay

    But it also conceals them

    Light gives you hope

    But shadows inspire you

    Light warms you

    But shadows ensure

    That you are never alone

    Light wards away monsters

    But shadows make them disappear

    Ann Richards School for Young Woman Leaders

    6

  • Light and Shadow
    usp-author : Nicolep

    Light defends against shadow
    But it creates shadows as well

    Light keeps the shadows at bay
    But it also conceals them

    Light gives you hope
    But shadows inspire you

    Light warms you
    But shadows ensure
    That you are never alone

    Light wards away monsters
    But shadows make them disappear

    Shadows may scare you
    But light can show you far worse truths

    Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders

    6th

  • Things to Remember
    usp-author : NicoleP

    You might think
    Light fights off the shadows
    But it only conceals them

    It might appear
    That fire kills and destroys
    But it gives warmth

    You might fear
    A place that isn’t heaven
    But it is just a place
    For people too hurt to love

    You might assume
    Your actions speak louder than words
    But your words could change a world

    You might wish
    That everything is fine
    While your world crumbles around you
    But you have to love what is with you

    Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders

    6

  • Not So Simple
    usp-author : Nicolep

    They always say
    Look for the silver lining
    And so we search
    But it isn’t so simple
    As they say

    Don’t be negative
    They tell us
    So we look for happier things
    But it isn’t so simple
    As they say

    Don’t judge by looks
    They insist
    So we close our eyes
    And let our heart guide us
    But it isn’t so simple
    As they say

    Follow your heart they whisper
    So we try to take chances
    And chase our dreams
    But it isn’t so simple
    As they say

    Follow our advice
    They scold
    So we try
    To find the silver lining
    To stay positive
    To look at what’s inside
    And to chase our daydreaming hearts
    But it isn’t so simple
    As they say

    Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders

    6

  • Secret Questions
    usp-author : NicoleP

    Can love shed light
    In your darkest corners?

    Can hope bring joy
    To eyes haunted with death?

    Can silence find the words
    You don’t dare speak?

    Can a scream
    Inspire the world?

    Can a floating lily
    Hold up the world?

    Can a moth find the courage
    To resist the flame?

    Can a secret question
    Find an Answer?

    Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders

    6

  • Things to Remember
    usp-author : NicoleP

    You might think
    Light fights off the shadows
    But it only conceals them

    It might appear
    That fire kills and destroys
    But it gives warmth

    You might fear
    A place that isn’t heaven
    But it is just a place
    For people too hurt to love

    You might assume
    Your actions speak louder than words
    But your words could change a world

    You might wish
    That everything is fine
    While your world crumbles around you
    But you have to love what is with you

    Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders

    6

  • Collision
    usp-author : NicoleP

    Chasing daydreams
    On golden wings
    Through stars
    And silver light

    Bottling love
    In crystal flasks
    On a sunlit pier

    River singing
    Peaceful songs
    And lilting melodies

    Dew speckled blossoms
    Blooming in
    The blood red dawn

    A haunting chorus
    Silent and loud
    In the golden dusk

    Silver snowflakes
    Crashing softly down
    Clinging into icicles
    Melting into hope

    Lovely harmony
    Crashing apart

    Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders

    6

Entries: 7th

  • Ode to My Tio and The Stream
    usp-author : CarolinaR

    Splash!! My Tio goes into the
    stream, brown like dirt
    Slimy and icky
    Trying to catch things
    That live in the water
    Goggles on trying to see better in
    the dirty water. Finally catching
    something now to catch more.
    While time goes by time to play
    Splash, kick, STOP!!
    Time to go inside for our mistake
    waiting for time to pass by,
    finally the come back
    looking for my Tio, to see what else
    he had caught
    Excited to see what it was
    But also scared
    Asking what it was
    fascinated at what he has to say

    Keeling Middle School

    7th

  • Ode to the BBQ Pit
    usp-author : ChristalynnP

    I always say should the grass be greener.
    Is the sky as blue as an ocean.
    Really I should ask why, do I go outside
    The smell of grilled meat and seafood
    Smells so good my eyes & nose can smell it
    Fresh air with sausage smells!
    Hamburgers oh so good.
    Hot dogs a grilling, so greasy!
    But, it wouldn’t be like this without the BBQ pit.
    It sits and waits to be used
    Building up dust and dirt
    People, people gathering around to get it
    All black, stainless steel waiting!
    Once fired up dripping meat sweats
    Bringing smiles all around, good smells
    So NO, the grass shouldn’t be greener
    Yes, the sky is super blue!
    Good Smells!
    All around, oh BBQ pit.

    Keeling Middle School

    7th

  • Ode to My Neighborhood Tree
    usp-author : ConnorS

    There were hundreds of trees in my neighborhood
    They were like guardians watching over us,
    But there was one tree in particular.
    One that stood the tallest,
    One that stood the strongest.
    The one that caught my eye the most
    I would walk up to it
    Then stare up at it
    I felt like it would stare back down at me
    Its bark was hard and rough
    The trunk was wider than a bus
    The trees danced in the wind
    The sound of the leaves was like the ocean waves
    It was home to many different creatures
    Squirrels, birds, bugs, and owls
    The tree is very old
    It’s lived through many different generations
    And it will be there for many years to come
    I have but one thing to say to the tree,
    “Thank you.”

    Keeling Middle School

    7th

  • Ode to Basketball Courts
    usp-author : SheldonC

    For the basketball court
    the court is as smooth as baby skin
    it grip
    The strips

    the flawless net
    when you shoot the ball
    the wind blowing
    the cold double rim

    U feel ur da best
    The ball bouncing
    The work ur putting in
    sweating hard

    Heart pound like a drum
    The play you just did
    Crowd yell
    You think you’re the greatest
    Of all times

    Keeling Middle School

    7th

  • Ode to My Big Backyard
    usp-author : CinquelaP

    Backyard I love you,
    you hold my pool
    you allow my do to do
    its business on your grass.
    You allow me
    to throw parties on you,
    you are so beautiful
    you hold our barn
    you are so big, I love you.
    You let us walk our horses on you,
    but at least the keep your grass
    down. You let us invite friends over
    and jump and play games on you
    I hope you will be the same
    as I get older. I hope that we can put
    an even bigger pool on you
    if you allow that for me and then
    hopefully we can extend your area
    even bigger. I love how
    the bird feeder hangs on your porch
    and when the birds come to eat
    I like to see the cat try
    and chase the birds.

    Keeling Middle School

    7th

  • Ode to My Room
    usp-author : LakaiyaK

    Ode to my room
    I lay on my bed
    Like a lion on its throne
    With my laptop on one side
    Watching the Fosters on Netflix
    When my laptop dies
    I just turn on the TV
    When I get up The floor is ice cold
    I slip on my slides
    Lights all around my room
    Bright and colorful
    Especially at night
    The place I sleep
    But don’t eat in
    I keep it clean
    Very clean
    The place I play in
    The place where friends play in
    Ode to my room

    Keeling Middle School

    7th

  • Ode to My Street
    usp-author : HannahR

    Old houses.
    Old people.
    Everyone has their own space,
    Everyone can see the church steeple.
    No kids my age,
    They’re on the next street.
    Walk outside to smell dandelions.
    There’s nothing as sweet.
    Blue, green, wood, brick,
    Two-story, split-level,
    Each house with their own personality.
    Neat manicured lawns,
    And lawns sprinkled with leaves, and tall grasses.
    New shiny mailboxes filled with mail.
    Old rusty mailboxes stacked on brick,
    And filled with bills.
    Not a very busy street.
    everyone looks up with surprise,
    When they see a bus,
    Or the police.
    Everyone’s as friendly as a ladybug,
    Even to the big old crack up the street.
    It’s only us, and our variety of cars.

    Only toddlers,
    With tricycles to ride on,
    But we’re happy.
    As happy as could be!
    On our quiet, friendly, tranquil street.

    Kealing Middle School

    7th

  • Ode to My Court
    usp-author : ShamarH

    It’s a outside court that’s very
    clean. Everybody drives past it so
    it will be seen. It’s always alot of
    people outside. Whos always
    ready to play a game of nine on
    nine. Compared to the other
    people on the court I’m really really
    short. If you don’t want to play nine
    on nine you can play horse. On
    one half of the court the best
    game to play on the court is twenty
    one. Because grown men play
    against their sons. The best thing
    is its close. So that mean everyday
    I can go. You can go with your
    friends or go with your kin it’s a
    good place to make new friends
    and call them to play again this is
    one of the best courts in muller it’s
    better than being inside and
    playing games with shooters

    Kealing Middle School

    7th

  • Ode to My Dogs
    usp-author : JessicaV

    Ode to my dogs
    One is more annoying than
    a screeching parent. The
    other more lazy that a lazy
    koala. They are crazy
    wild when they meet new
    people. They get more
    jealous than anything
    if ignore them,
    They are the most
    impatient dogs you will
    ever meet. But they
    are still the most loving
    animals you will know.
    They are very over protective
    over their food and toys.
    They are all bark and no
    bite.

    Kealing Middle School

    7th

  • Ode to Softball
    usp-author : LenaG

    There is no drama
    It’s all about having fun
    Be yourself
    Hit the ball hard
    Work together as a team
    Cheer each other on
    You got to get dirty
    Slide to every base
    My pitches are faster than a
    bullet
    Run Super fast like a cheetah
    Put on a fierce face, play mean
    Stand on the pitcher mound,
    Like you rule the game
    Know that your team, gots your
    back
    On the field, it’s only about
    softball
    Be prepared for the ball
    Be free enjoy
    Don’t give up
    Think about winning!!!

    Kealing Middle School

    7th

  • Ode to the Neighborhood Dog
    usp-author : SaraihT

    He’s black
    Black as night
    Always on time
    With his bark like an alarm clock
    Loving the sun
    Like a warm blanket
    But the coldness
    Fills him up like water
    his bark as strong as Zeus
    A bark so strong it could shake
    the earth
    His fur so soft
    Soft just like a cloud
    The way he walks
    Like he owns the street
    Bark waking us up
    But not on purpose
    Ode to the Neighborhood dog
    Always there to welcome you
    with an open bark

    Kealing Middle School

    7th

  • Ode to the Ice Cream Truck
    usp-author : SamuelS

    Ode to the ice cream truck
    The truck is white as snow
    Yet hard as a rock
    As everybody would pass by
    A man would give out a freezing
    item
    Everybody would line up
    It was so cold it would shatter your
    teeth
    So many different flavors
    You could mix and match
    Yet so cold it had to melt
    And the mysterious man had to
    leave
    And so must the freezing truck
    But comes back everyday
    Sometimes with something new
    Would taste better than the last time
    Lines for miles
    Desperate as if we were starving
    Hot as hell outside
    Begging for ice cream

    On top of our knees
    And we all get what we want

    Kealing Middle School

    7th

  • Not Like Before
    usp-author : ZoeBD

    Walking down the aisle
    Lowered eyes
    Bent heads
    Tears fall
    But we don’t bother
    To wipe them up

    We walk back
    To the part that I dread
    Because they always say the same thing-
    That they’re sorry, but it’ll be okay
    I believe them,
    That it will be okay
    But for now it’s not
    I’m not

    We go back to the house
    Empty when we’re not there
    But one by one we go
    Leaving it like a graveyard-
    Too quiet, too lonely, too cold
    Not right
    Not like before

    O Henry Middle School

    7

  • All I Need
    usp-author : CarolinaO

    All I Need

    Tall buildings
    reaching for the sky
    so much activity
    oh, my

    Golf Carts darting
    to and fro
    cars are the freeway
    go, go, go

    Kids playing
    riding their new bikes
    those of which
    are wonderful sites

    Bed dressed in white
    and gifts scattered on the floor
    lights sparkling bright
    not wanting anything more

    Coming to a halt
    then picking up speed
    it’s not my fault
    that my sister is all I need.

    Bailey Middle School

    7

  • The Day That Changed Our Lives
    usp-author : CarolinaO

    The Day That Changed Our Lives

    146, Christmas they will never see
    Behind locked bars and doors
    They will forever be
    Once singing and dancing through the day
    Not enough windows to get away

    Because of this act, it is true
    Things are much safer for me and you
    A few people right from the start
    Took this tragedy
    Straight to their hearts

    They fought for us in court
    And they’ve made some laws
    They’ve helped us at work
    And when we get old
    We’ve them to thank for being so bold.

     

    Bailey Middle School

    7

  • Bees (A poem for 2 voices)
    usp-author : lrender

    Bees

    (Voice 1) (Voice 2)

    Spring arising
    Flowers blooming

    bees buzzing bees buzzing

    Flying around
    Stinging

    OUCH! OUCH!

    Pollinating flowers
    Back to hive

    honey piling up honey piling up
    YUM YUM

    humans scared
    scared of bees

    they run away they run away
    so there is so there is

    more honey!

    flower to flower
    flower to flower

    Hive to hive
    Back and forth

    all Day
    long

    Bees buzzing Bees buzzing
    all around! all around!

    kealing

    7

  • Ocean Breeze
    usp-author : oliviam

    In my mind I have a picture and in that picture I see
    beautiful waves in the ocean.
    I smell salty, fresh, ocean air.
    I see a clear, warm, fish filled sea
    and the sun shining like there is no tomorrow.

    In my mind I have a picture and in that picture I see
    the little village nestled up on the oceans sand.
    There are mountains and hills overlooking the sea
    and boats rocking on the port.
    The smell of fish coming from the market fills the air.

    In my mind I have a picture and in that picture I see
    cars parked at the dolphin aquarium.
    A long line of people waiting for the exciting moment
    that is yet to come.
    I can hear children complaining that their feet hurt
    and they want to see the dolphins.

    In my mind I have a picture and in that picture I see
    2 aquariums with trainers and dolphins inside.
    Dolphins jumping and doing tricks
    and being feed buckets of fish.
    The groups gathered together to watch how to perform with the dolphins.

    In my mind I have a picture and in that picture I see
    myself holding a rubber feeling dolphin.
    I see myself holding on to the dolphins fin so scared
    but then there was rush of excitement like everything bad had floated away.
    All my fears, all my anxiety, all swam away like a group of fish.

    Olivia Mates

    Bailey Middle School

    7

  • Fault
    usp-author : AlyC

    Regret looks at me with hunger in it’s eyes
    It chops me up into fine bite sized pieces
    Its puts me in a boiling pot filled to the brim with my mistakes
    It stirs me around so I can relive
    what I want so badly to take back
    Fork and knife in hand, it takes a bite
    Then another
    And another
    And another
    Regret
    It knows a little to well how to stay
    How to never leave me alone
    Thats why everyday
    Inside and out
    It eats me alive

  • Routines
    usp-author : AlisonC

    A mom that stays at home and works hard.
    A dad that goes to work everyday and works hard.
    A older sister that goes to college.
    Another sister that goes to high school.
    A little brother going to elementary school.
    Then theirs me that does the exact same thing.
    Will anything ever change?

    Gorzycki

    7th

  • My Family Van
    usp-author : NadiaP

    DAD
    The frame of the car
    Might have a scratch or two
    but keeps everything together

    MOM
    The engine
    always keeping us moving
    and is an essential for all situations

    OLDER BROTHER
    The windows
    The one who sees all
    and is interesting and helpful

    LITTLE BROTHER
    The paint
    The final touch
    the most fun
    and a bright pop of color

    ME
    The seats
    Tries to comfort you sad butt but most likely doesn’t succeed

    My family van is a
    moving part, needing each other
    and helping along the way.

    Gorzycki Middle Schol

    7th

  • Staircase
    usp-author : MarisaM

    Step.

    Our eyes dart around, a quick glance,
    And with our blurred and heavy gaze
    We don’t think twice about the chance
    Our minds are far too captivated-

    Step.

    By our thoughts so ever-present
    Our daydreams, our worries, and our tears
    So we begin our descent

    Gorzycki Middle School

    7

  • The Seed
    usp-author : JakeW

    I start from a seed
    As small as a bead
    I form roots
    They grow out in shoots
    Then I come out of the ground
    I don’t weigh a pound
    I see green
    Then orange, and red, and brown
    Then white
    Pure white light
    I realize I am taller now
    Wow
    I watch the seasons as they go by
    I watch the skies fly
    And before I know it
    I am a full grown oak tree.

  • Tree
    usp-author : NeelK

    Tree
    Tremendous, marvelous
    Thriving, Spreading, Rising
    Nature’s tall beautiful skyscraper
    Sequoia

    Gorzycki Middle school

    7

  • A Road of Stories
    usp-author : AnnikaR

    Walking on a road of stories
    a trail of tales
    Looking into their gleaming eyes
    Windows into lives
    Glimpses into truths and lies.
    They write them down
    or draw them out
    Then paste them on the walls of the world
    For all to see them shown and told.
    Mine are inside me
    private and unseen
    Unwrinkled, perfect secrets
    None of those are mine
    Never from my time.

  • McDonalds
    usp-author : AndriusV

    MANHATTAN bright with

    Tinsel shopper arms of christmas gifts

    I stood outside McDonalds

    Glass small patch of white, people BLACK and WHITE

    Hamburgers Fries

    MY stomach empty for 2 days now
    WAtching

    Burgers

    Potatoes

    Cold soda

  • My Family Solar System
    usp-author : JakeJ

    My mom is the Sun,
    she keeps us all in order with gravity.

    My dad is Jupiter,
    he is big, strong and tough.

    My sister is Venus,
    small, clouded and very vicious

    I am the Astroid belt,
    right in the middle of it all.

  • Valentines Day
    usp-author : ReeseW

    Sweets, chocolates, hugs, and kisses
    Valentines is so delicious,
    Filled with love and happiness,
    In the air is love and affection,
    Bringing people together forever,
    What could be more enjoyable,
    then having a happy family on the most lovable day of the year.

  • Roses
    usp-author : BiancaB

    Petals circling, dancing
    Grown from passion
    Embodying devotion

    Thorns; sharp as a needle
    Perish from brutality
    Break under embrace

  • The Tenth Floor Tradgedy
    usp-author : PaigeW

    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

  • Middle School Romance
    usp-author : paigewatson

    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
    usp-author : paigewaton

    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

  • 2037
    usp-author : paigewaton

    It was time
    Everyone is coming back
    There was one house
    And in that houses yard
    Was a trombone
    Sparkling in the beautiful sun
    It was very vague who had lived there
    But when you get closer
    You will find a frame
    With a happy family
    And a girl with a trombone in hand
    When you move closer
    There is a shattered picture of a little girl
    With a smile as large as space
    In the backyard a swimming pool
    Surrounded by a overgrown garden
    With gorgeous, yet dead roses
    Floating in the swimming pool
    Is a stuffed bear
    With the year 2006 sewn into its foot
    Everyone wonders who lived there
    Until later that day
    Drives up a red Suburban

    Bailey Middle School

    07

  • Where Is Mama?
    usp-author : Caddie H.

    Mama and I started walking
    And we were talking too
    We went to see the big white ships
    Their horns, the sound so blue
    She lifts me up to see
    The big one and how it soars
    And then I hear it loud and clear
    The horn that sounds like roars
    Mama sets me down
    And we start to walk
    And then we see lots of birds
    As they fly in a flock
    We go to the ships to see Papa
    I smell the ocean blue
    It’s been so nice living here
    And Papa’s hat looks new
    I turn around to hug Papa
    And see his old, rusty, ship
    I look around and see the spot
    Where Mama broke her hip
    I run outside to hug her
    But she’s no longer there
    I turn around to tell Papa
    But all that’s left is air
    I look around in the dark
    And wonder, Where is Mama?
    I wake up startled and notice
    I’m just in my pajama
    There are no boats, no fresh air breeze
    Just me in my bed
    I look around and then recall
    That Papa has been dead
    His ship has sank down, down deep
    Somewhere in the tide
    I feel my face once wet with tears
    That now have finally dried
    I go to Mama for comfort
    And she is there for me
    Once we wake from our slumber
    I want to go to sea
    She takes me there
    And we pack our snacks
    So we can eat
    Down by our shack
    We get there fast hand and hand
    Our walking is in sync
    When we get to the sea
    I have to stop and think
    Mama and me are okay
    No matter what’s the case
    We have each other’s love and care
    And we’re in the right place.

    Fulmore Middle School

    7th

  • School
    usp-author : alisonc

    Going to school is fun
    but it also can be a bum.
    Seeing all my friends play
    makes my day.
    Learning the stuff
    makes me ruff.
    But with the help of teachers
    there’s always a way.

    Gorzycki

    7th

  • It’s a Passion
    usp-author : BrookeP

    Whooshh

    Down the field it goes

    Dribble, Pass, Shoot, Score!

    If it was only that easy

    People don’t understand
    The Sweat
    The Tears
    The Blood
    The Cramps of your working muscles

    All those practices,
    So much running you might even passout
    “Get on the line” he demands
    ‘Line’ makes you hate math even more than you already did

    You struggle to gain a new skill
    To prove to Coach that you should be the starting lineup
    Not Her

    Why,
    Why do the coaches make you compete with your best friends
    Push each other off the ball,
    Push each others back,
    until one of us claims victory

    Aren’t friends supposed to have each others back,
    Guess when your on the field it doesn’t matter,
    That is why you train 8 times a week,
    Doesn’t make sense, Huh

    One Practice to Another.
    With Excitement,
    With Exhaustion,
    Most Importantly With Passion

    You choose your story
    But, You leave your leagacy

    Gorzycki

    7

  • Blue birds
    usp-author : EvanM

    Birds are all cool
    If you think different
    You are a fool
    Trees and grass
    blue birds
    aren’t to brass
    you should think about
    how every bird but a blue bird shouts
    no no no this isn’t your typical bird
    bird is the word
    bunnies eat carrots
    and this bird is a parrot.

    Gorzycki

    7

  • Piquancy
    usp-author : JillianK

    The words were syrupy
    Coating the inside of her mouth
    With a tender sweetness
    It was indistinguishable
    Unlike any other piquancy
    she let the sugar coated mess of words
    Deceive her
    For after it is dried up
    All she has left is
    The rope of reminisce she clings to
    Her hands red
    As the sky
    When the sun leaves its midst
    She has only the cloying aftertaste
    Boiling in her mouth
    Yet even then she would still choose
    To taste
    The bittersweet mass again
    She still recalled
    The way her mouth danced to form the
    Simple
    Yet powerful words
    “I love you”

    Gorzycki

    7th

  • Colorblind
    usp-author : AfshanG

    I wish to distinguish color from color,
    Feeling mood from
    Beautiful visuals that induce emotion.

    I cannot experience the calm, serene hue of blue
    No feeling of peace and tranquility.
    Non-existent to me are cloudless skies and gloomy rain
    That leave me with sorrow as I will never see this color.

    Confusion is overwhelming as I mentally mix different shades of brilliant red,
    An energy full of power, love, and danger which I fail to perceive.
    Gone are roses and blood
    I’m engulfed in rage for I will never see this warmth.

    I jump at the slightest possibility of happiness,
    Deceived by the false spirit of optimism,
    Silenced by the absence of the sun and bananas
    I’m blinded by the enlightenment I want to contact desperately.

    I wish to distinguish color from color,
    Feeling mood from
    Beautiful visuals that induce emotion.

    Gorzycki Middle School

    7

  • The last day
    usp-author : DrewB

    Was march 25, 1911
    Parents dropping off their daughters at work
    Not knowing that will be the last time they’ll see each other
    A waist basket went up in flames
    Then one after another the building blew up in flames

    Shivering screams were heard far and wide
    As women and children jumped out
    Fire trucks wailed their sirens
    As they tried to help
    Six of the 146 were not identified

    Years later, happiness enters the air
    Names were read of all who died
    All 146 were identified
    No one was not recognized
    It was a tragedy with a smile

  • Love
    usp-author : S10000913

    Love,
    some say it’s fake,
    some say it’s real,
    some say it’s nothing,
    some say it’s everything,
    it can happen at first sight,
    it can never happen at all,
    love is what you make it,
    love is love

    Gorzycki

    7th

  • Seams
    usp-author : GibsonH

    Your smile is the definition of beauty
    Your eyes like a pair of stars
    When you laugh birds begin to sing
    And I know
    Your mind is bursting at the seams
    With dreams

    Your heart is kind enough for me
    Your voice brings sunbeams to the Earth
    When you approach I flutter
    And you know
    I believe you will do great things
    With your mind that is bursting at the seams
    With dreams

  • Renewal
    usp-author : GibsonH

    Lost evergreen smiles
    No more sugar coated laughs
    All out of fulfilled hopes

    My sun stained tears are dry
    My broken dreams have been mended
    And my sunken frowns have disappeared

    I have been gone
    But who I am has returned
    Now I am here to prove
    My evergreen smile is as strong as before

  • Unstoppable
    usp-author : GibsonH

    Her heart was pure enough to turn gravel to gold.
    She had crimson lips that were curled into a constant smile that could brighten even the darkest days.
    She was the girl helping the old man across the street and nurturing the bird with the broken wing.
    She had flowered eyes and cried tears of sun.
    Nothing could stand in her way.

    Fulmore Middle School

    7th grade

  • Camping
    usp-author : CristianA

    Darkness in the forest deep,
    Where silence is amoung the trees.
    Softly as the willows weep,
    And the crunch of leaves
    Under my feet.

    The moon high in the sky,
    Glowing prominent and bright
    As the midnight owl flies on by.

    No matter the darkness
    On that erie night,
    Nothing shone brighter
    Than my lantern light.

    Fulmore Middle School

    07

  • The Seed
    usp-author : Jake W

    I start from a seed
    As small as a bead
    I form roots
    They grow out in shoots
    Then I come out of the ground
    I don’t weigh a pound
    I see green
    Then orange, and red, and brown
    Then white
    Pure white light
    I realize I am taller now
    Wow
    I watch the seasons as they go by
    I watch the skies fly
    And before I know it
    I am a full grown oak tree.

    Gorzycki Middle School

    7

  • The Last Drawer On The Right
    usp-author : Grace H

    In the bureau in my room
    A stack of drawers sit atop one another
    Neat stacks of

    Clothes
    Clothes
    Clothes
    Clothes

    Each drawer is likewise to the first
    Except the last

    The last drawer on the right is an overflown rush of

    Laughs
    Funny times
    Memories pictures
    Love
    Lessons dreams
    Hopes

    All the adolescent mess that make me
    Me
    All the funny times
    All the lessons learned
    All packed into
    The last drawer on the right

    Gorzycki

    7

  • Deep Blue
    usp-author : BrookeP

    Oh what we can imagine…
    Oh the Deep Blue
    Waves,
    Tide,
    Sand,
    Sun,
    Water,
    SPLASH!
    Paradise,
    Fish,
    Sharks,
    “AHHH!”
    Shells
    “Aaaaouuuu Pretty!!!”

    Oh what the Deep Blue contains

    What does the Big Ocean Blue really contain?
    Monsters?
    Dreams?
    Fear?
    Treasure?
    We don’t know,
    anything could be hiding and lurking in the water.

    We can only know so much,
    about the Deep Blue

    I believe the Waves, the Ocean, and the Deep Blue,
    all withhold…

    Secrets!
    Imagination!

    The ocean can withhold anything you want it to,
    Deep Blue

    Gorzycki

    7

  • Fight
    usp-author : AvaW

    Violence.
    Everywhere.
    TV, social media, homes, newspapers, books, you name it, it’s there.
    I know about the violence, the bombings, the massacres, the missiles
    coming towards America, things that a twelve year old girl should not know.
    I run.
    Run in fear that my Country will one day not be here anymore.
    They Run, we all do,
    We all know what’s coming next,
    They kill,
    Kill themselves and others because they believe that if they kill themselves,
    they will not have to see the broken pieces of their country,
    Kill others because they believe that these innocent people should go down
    with them.
    Violence.
    Causing so many people to die when they should not have,
    Their Families wishing that they could have done something,
    Wishing they could have fought back.
    Causing innocent babies and kids to die,
    They didn’t get to live the life they deserved.
    While our country sits here with money, education and wealth,
    They have to flee from one country to the next, running from others and
    even their own government.
    While we are afraid of how people judge us because of our looks, skin color
    and weight, they have to deal with masacres every single day.
    We wish we were taller, prettier, skinnier.
    They wish they had food, water, sleep.
    We no longer need to run.
    But we need to fight.
    Fight with all of our might against anything and everything that comes our
    way.
    Fight for the people who can’t.
    Fight for our rights.
    Fight for the life we were born to live.
    Fight as children of God.
    Fight for our friends,
    Fight for our family,
    Fight for our country.
    I no longer need to run.
    I no longer have to fear.
    But I’m going to fight.
    Fight, Fight, Fight, Fight.

    Gorzycki Middle School

    7

  • My family
    usp-author : riop

    Extended metaphor:
    My family is a circus
    I am the lion
    Because I am a beast
    My mom is a tightrope walker
    Because she always stays out of trouble
    My brother is a fire breather
    Because he always gets in trouble
    My dad is a juggler
    Because he juggles his responsibilities
    My family is a circus
    Everyone contributes in their own way

    Gorzycki

    7

  • Ode to taco bell
    usp-author : LuciusP

    O’ Taco Bell O’ Taco Bell, your food goes through me like a bomb shell.
    And your bathrooms smell like ozone, I can even Smell it when ordering through the Phone.
    O’ Taco Bell, O’ Taco Bell, I wonder how your food can even sell.
    With the fake lettuce, cheese, and tomato, and oh so poisonous Baked Potato ( if you can call it that). The dollar menu is something to discuss, even if the things are as hard as a discus. O’ Taco Bell, O’ Taco Bell, I ate your food For show and tell.

    Gorzycki middle school

    7

  • Earth
    usp-author : KatieT

    Is resilient
    Is tough
    Cosmic collisions can get to Earth
    But Earth is resilient
    And

    A place full of laughter
    A place full of fun
    Where people and animals live in unison
    Until

    We use the earth
    And find all its secrets
    And destroy the beautiful gifts it has given us
    Until

    We change
    We save the earth
    We preserve its beauty
    Until

    All is the same as it was before

  • The Last Drawer On The Right
    usp-author : Graceh

    In the bureau in my room

    A stack of drawers sit atop one another

    Filled Up With

    Clothes

    Clothes

    Clothes

     

    Each drawer is likewise to the first

    Except the last

    The last drawer on the right is

    Lessons

    Laughter

    Pictures

    Memories

    Junk

    Love

    Overflowing with

     

    All the adolescent mess that make me, me

    All the funny times

    All the lessons learned

    All packed into

    The last drawer on the right

     

    Gorzycki

    7

  • The Red Flowers
    usp-author : Wren R

    On a forest path with the rocks sliding off the edge
    Green vines tangle with the tree branches
    Tiny red petals folding over each other with a yellow stem like a birthday candle
    Green leaves shaped like two hearts curling off the stem
    A perfume surrounds them
    A heavy pink fog
    Our twin hearts and ambitions tangle together
    Until they are a knot of yarn
    That can’t be fixed until someone cuts the thread
    My sister plucks a red bud and pops it in her mouth
    Dad said it was poison
    She said it tasted like watermelon

    Ann Richards School

    7th

  • Deep Blue
    usp-author : BrookeP

    Oh what we can imagine…
    Oh the Deep Blue
    Waves,
    Tide,
    Sand,
    Sun,
    Water,
    SPLASH!
    Paradise,
    Fish,
    Sharks,
    “AHHH!”
    Shells
    “Aaaaouuuu Pretty!!!”

    Oh what the Deep Blue contains

    What does the Big Ocean Blue really contain?
    Monsters?
    Dreams?
    Fear?
    Treasure?
    We don’t know,
    anything could be hiding and lurking in the water.

    We can only know so much,
    about the Deep Blue

    I believe the Waves, the Ocean, and the Deep Blue,
    all withhold…

    Secrets!
    Imagination!

    The ocean can withhold anything you want it to,
    Deep Blue

    Gorzycki

    7

  • Tell Me The Story About Me
    usp-author : Adriannah

    You were there
    Holding me,
    Feeding me,
    Loving me,
    Showing me that you cared
    I lived trying to find out
    How I wasn’t fully developed
    I asked questions
    But you denyed
    I used to live in fear
    Trying to figure out the otherside
    Why, why
    Couldn’t you tell me
    It took so long
    For you to try and get the courage to tell me
    Because you love me
    The day I was born
    The crash
    The hospital
    The helicopter
    The lungs
    There you were
    Holding me
    Smiling
    Cherishing the moment
    There you were telling me the story about me

    Ann Richards School

    7th

  • Angel
    usp-author : Alexish

    The world is silent
    The sky is blue
    But the ground is as white
    As clouds

    Wing appear around you
    Beautiful forms fill your vision
    You see a light so bright
    You look away

    What surrounds you
    Is softer then clouds
    As sold as rock
    But as beautiful as…..

    Angels
    Angels are what surround you
    Are what you see

    Angels
    As beautiful as
    Angels

    Ann Richards School for Young Women

    7th

  • Bear
    usp-author : miae

    Bear
    I push myself
    Deeper into the couch,
    Not wanting to turn on the TV,
    But I do,
    Read the news headline,
    Over and over again,
    Not being able to process the thought,
    I turn around ask my mom what it means,
    But she says she does not want to talk about it,
    But she’s just hiding from reality,
    I turn back to the screen,
    Try to find the felling,
    But it comes to quickly,
    Just as the bear’s claw did,
    Sunk into my back
    The wobbling screams,
    The scarlet blood drops on the dirt road.

    Ann Richards

    7th

  • my grilled cheese
    usp-author : anifarris

    my grilled cheese
    has all the qualities.
    smelly…
    cheesy…
    tasty…
    it fill me with the light
    i could eat it all night.
    all in one bite.
    all gooys and cut
    i wish my mom could make it more often but…
    shes busy as a bee
    no more grilled cheese for me.
    my brother ate my last slice
    which wasnt very nice

    gorzycki middle

    7th

  • Risk
    usp-author : J.J

    I walk along a
    straight path
    I see a Box
    But what lies within
    Fame?
    Fortune?
    trash?
    I can not be sure
    But should i take that chance?
    I could lose it all
    I could become famous
    Or i can live the life i have
    Who knows what will happen
    I open the Box
    I took the chance

    gorzycki

    7

  • A tree
    usp-author : Rileys

    A TREE

    A tree
    Used for many things
    Some you do on a sunny day
    To display
    The mask that you put
    To shield
    That bits of life
    That you want no one to see
    So you sit on the dank of the waterway next to the tree.
    And wait for the storm to pass
    For the rain to dissipate
    And the sun
    To came
    Out and you show yourself
    Without no mask.

    Gorzycki

    7

  • Buzzer Beater
    usp-author : jasonoh

    Dribbling, sprinting down the court as fast as lightning
    Looking
    Pass to the best player

    The best player catches the ball easily
    He dribbles around a player and takes a shot
    Swish
    The crowd goes wild; their team won!

    To congratulate me on my awesome poem contact me at 512-915-7917

    Gorzycki Middle School

    7

  • Compose A Symphony
    usp-author : Kastertroy

    Writing is like music,
    Each letter is a note,
    Each space is a rest,
    Each sentence is a measure,
    And every story, is a flowing song.

    Some stories are short,
    Just like a staccato note.
    While some are long,
    Just like a fermata note.
    Each having a unique length,
    That sets the tempo for the song.

    The different styles,
    The different genres,
    The different dynamics,
    The different tones,
    Don’t just “write”

    Write with purpose.
    Write with feeling.
    Write with rhythm.
    When writing,

    Compose
    Music.

    Gorzycki Middle School

    7th

  • Paradise
    usp-author : BrookeP

    Paradise
    Picture the Ocean
    Large
    Blue
    Breezy
    Salty
    Fresh
    Water

    Not knowing what is in the Fresh Water

    Millions and Millions of gallons
    Of Paradise Water

    Is the ocean full of DREAMS?

    Is the ocean filled with MONSTERS?
    Waiting…
    Lerking…

    Who knows
    What could be in the ocean
    Our imagination
    That’s what

    The only thing we can do is to
    EXPLORE
    DREAM
    AND

    I m A g I n E
    Of what paradise could contain

    Oh the Ocean
    Oh paradise tell me what you contain

    Gorzycki Middle School

    7

  • Who
    usp-author : lilyc

    Her memories go to her heart

    And her feelings to her mind

    She can’t stop thinking all the time

    Eyes famished and glistening

    You can see by the look in her face

    Her reality is different; she’s in a different place

    Not somewhere you could walk

    It’s too far away

    And there she’ll remain

    Wish her luck

    Lamar

    7th

  • Phone Number Poem
    usp-author : deanr

    By: Dean Roggenbauer

    3 Soccer ball rolls
    6 Across the field lightning fast to.
    3 Trap. Then pass.

    5 The ball goes on down
    7 The field and they send the ball
    8 Into the middle the ball goes and into
    7 The goal and they score then GOAL!

    Gorzycki Middle School

    7th

  • Heat
    usp-author : orenismael

    Six people in a room sitting
    Heat
    The middle of the room was burning down quietly
    Two people fled
    Three on their phone
    One person reading a book
    Fire consumes the furniture
    One more person flees
    Three people sitting in a room

    Gorzycki

    7th

  • Always remain
    usp-author : Calebg

    Love is
    Like
    A never ending story
    that can be built,
    or be broken,
    but will remain
    Always
    In your heart

    Gorzycki

    7

  • Water
    usp-author : Elliotb

    Water: Elliot Bochey

    Dark, heavy, and wavy, but darkness falls
    Showing all creatures

    Salty but tasteless and many
    Many miles of it

    There is
    Also another form
    Clear, cold, and pure

    Both ways
    Are considered dihydrogen monoxide: water

    Gorzycki Middle school

    7

  • Christmas
    usp-author : Meghano

    Christmas
    The snow falls on the leafless tree
    The lights on the neighbor’s house is the prettiest sight to see
    The hot cocoa and marshmallows add the feeling of delight
    The star on the tree never has shined so bright
    The family spends time making treats
    Every threat is made so sweet
    The presents make me smile
    I’ve been waiting awhile
    A holiday I wouldn’t pass
    Christmas

    gorzycki

    7th

  • Christmas
    usp-author : Meghano

    Christmas
    The snow falls on the leafless tree
    The lights on the neighbor’s house is the prettiest sight to see
    The hot cocoa and marshmallows add the feeling of delight
    The star on the tree never has shined so bright
    The family spends time making treats
    Every threat is made so sweet
    The presents make me smile
    I’ve been waiting awhile
    A holiday I wouldn’t pass
    Christmas

    gorzycki

    7th

  • Today’s Fight
    usp-author : clairem

    today is not the day to
    stand down
    today is not the day to
    take cover
    today is not the day to
    fall back

    today is the day to
    rise up
    today is the day to
    fight back

    for our sisters
    persecuted
    proclaimed
    beautiful

    for the people
    undone for being
    themselves
    and the love they feel

    for the dreamers
    who will not be silenced
    the most American of
    all of us

    for anyone
    oppressed
    deprived
    unable to see
    the love through
    the haze of fear

    yes, there will be a day to
    stand down
    there will be a day to
    fall back

    but that day will only come when
    the battlefield is
    a sanctuary
    the fire
    a field of wildflowers
    and the enemy
    is walking home with us
    hand in hand

    Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders

    7

  • The Look
    usp-author : Paul V

    O dog
    don’t give me that look
    that look of sadness
    that look of desperation.
    The look…
    Like you’re all alone
    and nobody loves you

    Aren’t I the one who feeds you
    who takes care of you
    aren’t I the one you love

    But no
    You’re doing the look
    you’re acting pitiful
    but I see through you dog! ha
    I know your game
    your ideas
    you’re trying to toy with my emotions.
    But you can’t
    you can’t
    you can’t do it.
    And now see what you’ve done
    you’ve made me give in
    and you’ll do it again

    O dog

    Gorzycki

    7

  • The Book
    usp-author : Miam

    Some people treat my book with disrespect
    They burn the book till
    there is nothing left
    Or sometimes they do the worst thing
    Ignore the book
    The book feels hollow and
    worthless
    Till one day I pick up
    my book
    I read the book a billion times
    front to back
    Squeezing all the despair and
    sadness
    The book now feels
    Priceless

    Gorzycki

    7

  • Boom
    usp-author : BlakeC

    BOOM

    I’m big I’m rough
    I could be slim or buff
    Or maybe even be nothing.

    I can do big damage or
    Make small cuts and burns and much more.

    So be warned I can leave scars
    And you better run because if I’m near you
    Won’t see the star’s.

    No more will be left.

    Gorzycki Middle School

    7th

  • Mountaintop
    usp-author : EvanNT

    Up
    High above
    There is a place which many dream
    And few know
    It is graceful and elegant
    Like the stars
    From there you can touch
    The gentle mist that surrounds
    But doesn’t cloud
    It frees and flows
    Like a river
    Down
    A mountaintop

    Bailey Middle School

    7th

  • Photograph
    usp-author : z_diva

    Clear waters and
    white sands,
    under a blanket of clouds.
    Laughter that makes music,
    drifting higher,
    and higher,
    up into the warm breeze.
    Smiles on all our faces,
    my eyes squinted as if to say,
    HELP,
    as my brother tries to escape
    my grip.
    It is the moments like this,
    the memories,
    that we keep in a photograph.
    Each one has a story,
    a memory
    and each memory
    holds emotions.
    So many beautiful things
    we keep in a photograph.
    So many amazing things we keep
    in our memories.
    Clear waters and
    white sands,
    under a blanket of clouds.

    Ann Richard School for Young Women Leaders

    7th

  • Lead Scene
    usp-author : NorahC

    The scene comes to life
    From lead.
    People watch as they see a snowflake falling down,
    A snowman being built.
    The joy on kids’ faces shining brighter that the snow beneath.
    All this from only a pencil
    Gliding effortlessly on a piece of paper.

    Gorzycki

    7

  • Who I Am
    usp-author : sydnie.c

    Who is Sydnie?
    Sydnie is annoying she’s way too dark
    And well the whining we’ve had enough of that
    That’s what I was identified as to many when I was younger
    Now that Sydnie from years ago is very different
    The whining she stopped that
    The darkness she loves that
    If you identified her now you’ll just know she does
    that

    Ann Richards School For Young Women Leaders

    7th

  • Paradise
    usp-author : Annaf

    Paradise
    What a flawed concept.
    Perfect places
    Do not exist
    Utopia
    is a falsehood
    There will always be turmoil
    and sadness
    and despair.
    Paradise
    crams your mind
    with imperfect perfection.
    like air
    inside the lungs.
    dried streams
    in a storm.
    This concept
    Of idealism
    will never
    exist
    truly
    like
    dragons
    or
    hallucinations
    or
    good argyle.
    Even universes
    of our own creation
    feel
    isolated.
    and
    lonely
    What a flawed concept.
    Paradise.

    Lamar Middle School

    7

Entries: 8th

  • Waves of Emotion
    usp-author : LulaC

    There are times
    When the waves
    Are made of anger.
    They tear up the sea
    With each crashing
    Stroke and die down
    Only when the storms
    Of frustration leave.
    Then they become
    Calm and satisfied
    And the waves
    Can carry and support
    The people who need them
    But at any moment
    They swell with joy
    Or fall with rage
    Or sway with sadness.
    We have
    An ocean
    Inside us.

    Fulmore

    8th

  • Of Technicolor Shadows and Swingset Symphonies
    usp-author : Saraha

    I sit in a graveyard of memories disguised as a deserted playground
    And watch the small field of grass, all patchy green-and-gold,
    The blades sway in the late-night wind like lovers dancing to a slow song
    And somehow I am nostalgic for my own life,
    For days that I can never relive,
    The ones I spent running beneath this very same moon;
    Somehow it’s a different moon now
    With a colder light, and harsher edges.
    Beneath me are white pebbles that my smaller hands once sifted through
    Searching for something alongside her hands,
    Pale and dotted with orange freckles.
    It mattered that much, when our hands were that small.
    Above me is the sky; it seems as though someone
    Has forgotten to tell the stars to come out so
    I can only see a streetlamp
    And the faint light of the moon.
    It creaks loudly when one swings; it interrupts the serenity of the night.
    She never cared about that, I remember.
    She’d join me and my swing would croak like a tired old man
    And hers would wheeze in high-pitched protest, and we’d become
    A swingset symphony of two.
    I walk to the swings in a trance;
    As years wear on, memories fade like a picture taken long agai.
    Not tonight, though.
    Tonight, the strange combination of moonlight and memory
    Create technicolor shadows that dance across the ground;
    Shades of pink and blue I’ve never seen before.
    Or maybe I have, when the picture was still vibrant with color.
    So I sit.
    I remember how to work my legs, up and down, up and down,
    Old memories running into new ones
    like the colors of the shadows as they intersect.
    And I fly, and the swing creaks–
    A swingset symphony of one.

    Fulmore

    8th

  • Requiem for a Friendship
    usp-author : Saraha

    Do you remember those days?
    Because I do
    When we wore those cheap knockoff Converse shoes
    And we ate the seeds out of green beans like foragers
    The backyard was the ocean and we were its voyagers?

    Do you remember the day we all looked up
    And watched the eclipse through the cereal box
    And we’d try to stay up but we’d fall right asleep
    And we walked through the park and into the creek?

    Do you remember the days that we ran in the rain
    And baked brownies that burned and wrote comics and sang
    All out of tune with your old CD player
    Laid Celeste in the yard, buried layer by layer?

    Do you remember the days that we ruled over kingdoms
    Together in worlds that were all our own
    We’d leave food for fairies
    Defeat adversaries
    And walk hand-in-hand back home?

    Do you remember those days?
    Because I do
    And do you think someday we’ll look back and rue
    The day that we left it all behind
    And traded our fairies for humankind?

    Fulmore

    8th

  • Netflix
    usp-author : Zackd

    I sat on my couch
    With a heavy, long sigh
    And reached for the remote
    On a table nearby.

    With the click of a button
    & blinding white light
    The TV turned on
    & prepared for a long night.

    A bold red “N” on the screen
    Then my name appeared
    Under a menu with thousands of shows
    That offered entertainment for years.

    I began to scroll through
    The shows that were shown
    Everyone I had seen
    At least once or twice though.

    My clicks became desperate
    Eyes searching like hawks
    To find one show
    That I had not watched.

    With every new show that I found
    My brain just said
    “It’s probably not good,
    You’re better off just going to bed.”

    With a sigh of defeat
    I turned off all the lights
    My thirst unquenched
    Just like every late night.

    Fulmore

    8th

  • A Little Loving Here and There
    usp-author : Vianih

    People are like seeds–
    We may take awhile to blossom and grow,
    But all we need is a little loving here and there
    You never know what flow may pop up,
    So many unique blooms,
    From roses to sunflowers to tulips
    And it’s the same way with people,
    So much diversity,
    Such culture, morals and personality.
    Everyone is beautiful in some way,
    All we need is a little loving here and there
    To blossom into the people we will become.

  • her
    usp-author : Nahlaw

    She thinks outside the
    box
    her imagination travels
    the
    uncharted
    deep sea;
    murky water

    flowing through her mind
    twisting and turning

    her mind is a river–
    vast

    continuing on for miles
    bubbles arise

    Pop! An idea lost
    Her mind is a river
    Vast indeed

    Fulmore

    8th

  • Thoughts
    usp-author : Abigaill

    My thoughts are always floating
    Like different colored helium balloons
    In the space within my mind
    Sometimes jumbled up
    Sometimes close together
    Sometimes too much
    Sometimes I can’t find the right words
    And I don’t know what to say
    Like trying to pull a single string
    From a ball of knots
    then sometimes I find too many
    Other times they’re organized
    And I know exactly where they go
    As if I’m sorting books on a library shelf
    They can be smooth and precise
    Like skipping stones
    Fly easily across a lake
    Sometimes they come too fast
    And bubble up like a fountain
    Or spill over like a waterfall
    They can shoot like rockets back and forth
    And I don’t have time to get one idea out
    Before the next comes falling forward
    With more force than a bowling ball
    And sometimes in the dark nights,
    Propped up against my pillow,
    They get a long deserved break
    And as they settle like sand to the bottom
    Of a calm pond
    I drift off to sleep.

    Fulmore

    8th

  • Thrill of the Game
    usp-author : Aidanc

    Cold steel in my hands
    A sword? A gun? A shield? A key?
    I have no idea.
    I walk through valley,
    Scale mountains and hills,
    Ford great rivers,
    As I head to Venus–
    I will rule it all.

    In this new land,
    I run from the guards,
    I trip, stumble, fall right down
    And everything goes dark.
    I fly through space
    As stars explode
    And I watch in awe.
    I recklessly crash my ship.
    I am stuck in the sky,
    The stars are my home now.

    I wander in the dark,
    Behind me a thump
    And I run fearfully,
    Footsteps close behind,
    It seems that I’m the prey.
    I turn to face
    The thing scaring me to death,
    But it was never there,
    Not really,
    Yet a prick on my neck,
    My hairs stand on the edge,
    And the life drains my face.

    Game over.
    Game over.
    Game over.

    Fulmore

    8th

  • As a Female
    usp-author : Zoed

    As a female, I have a certain amount of strength.
    As a female, I run a certain way.
    As a female, I am shorter than most males.
    As a female, I wear makeup.
    As a female, I can’t “throw.”
    As a female, I have more weaknesses, they say.
    As a female, the women before me couldn’t vote.
    As a female, I am dependent.
    But that’s okay because
    As a female, I am also independent.
    As a female, I am also proud.
    As a female, I am also really strong.
    As a female, I am also as smart as any man.
    As a female, I am also more mature.
    As a female, I am also athletic.
    As a female, I can hold a plank for two minutes straight.
    As a female, I have also marched, used my female voice.
    As a female, I am also a friend.
    As a female, I am amazing.

    Fulmore

    8th

  • The Fist of Happiness
    usp-author : Diego R

    Feeling empty inside
    The fist of happiness wants the sadness back
    For the first time in a long time
    The fist needed balance to be fine

    You need darkness to see the light
    And with the lack of light, there is darkness
    With the feeling of sorrow
    The fist’s whole existence is complete.

    The sadness brings a thousand emotions
    Which brings the fist new memories
    The memories he needs to feel alive
    Like fear, anger, joy and love.

    Murchison Middle School

    8th

  • Even If
    usp-author : Emmanuel A

    Even if things seem like they won’t work out,
    I will never give up on u.
    Even if u become blind,
    I will act as ur eyes that will light up ur world.
    Even if u become paralyzed,
    I will be there 2 take care of u.
    Even if u become deaf,
    I will be there 2 listen 4 u.
    Even if people say nasty thngs about u,
    u are still the one I love.
    Even if the world looks down on u,
    I will always look up 2 u.
    Even if u are taken 2 be a problem person,
    I will always love u.
    Even if I don’t have a single penny,
    I will fight 2 provide 4 u.
    Even if fate doesn’t want us 2 be together,
    I’m ready 2 dare fate.
    Even if u’re sick,
    I will never turn away from u.
    Even if u no longer love me,
    I will always love u.
    Even if I have a million reasons not to love u,
    I have that one reason 2 stick.
    I love u.
    Come poverty, death, sickness, money
    Or anything worse,
    I will always love u.

    Murchison Middle School

    8th

  • The Ocean Blue
    usp-author : Clara S

    A place where magic happens
    Dolphins swimming
    Sharks hiding
    waiting to be seen
    Midnight moon illuminating

    Our home
    Far from mankind
    Away from man’s-eyes

    The waves pounding
    on the shore break
    Crashing in sets
    in a blink of an eye

    The ocean Blue
    My home
    I’m a sea turtle
    The ocean’s Jewel

    Murchison Middle School

    8th

  • Ode to the Fridge
    usp-author : Susanl

    It’s my favorite place in the whole house:
    A large rectangular cold stainless steel box
    With pictures and Christmas cards on the doors,
    Where leftovers are served and lunches are stored,
    Where ice cubes are made and water is served.

    Jellies and jams, fresh fruits and vegetables,
    Old Thanksgiving pie and sweet potatoes,
    Butters and spreads at the top of the door,
    One percent milk stored in gallons below,
    Even my brother’s old coffee cup way in the back.

    William Cullen created the first fridge.
    In the past people called it an ice box.
    Fridges can be old, and some can be new.
    Some are dirty like the bottom of shoes,
    One thing I know is they’re full of food.

    My fridge is on the edge of our kitchen.
    Next to the pantry, but the pantry is another story.
    There is no place for it in the fridge.
    The mighty and food filled, wonderful fridge.

    Fulmore

    8th

  • Unmendable Wall
    usp-author : Vincentc

    On the other side there is someplace better
    On the other side the grass will be greener
    There is a place that we don’t know.
    The sun rises to bring forth a new day.

    The town woke up, the morning went
    Same old, same old with everyone
    Doing their routines where the sun did not shine
    Behind a wall. just dirt and darkness.

    Stories have been told of the world on the other side,
    A place where the grass grows tall,
    A place where the sun always shines,
    A place of hope and all dreams imaginable.

    Stories have been told of people escaping
    And seeing the light. Some people believed them
    Others did not. day after day the shadows loomed on.
    But beyond the wall there is a place.

    I should know because I built the wall
    To separate the darkness from light,
    Because in the end it is all gray
    I should know because I’ve seen the other side.

    Fulmore

    8th

  • Family
    usp-author : Diegor

    Family,
    They are the people that comfort you,
    They are there for you when you are down,
    Treating you like you deserve a crown.

    From family reunions,
    like a strong union,
    there are families large and small,
    you know you love them all.

    Arguments here and there,
    later,
    everything is okay,
    “come on let’s play!” we say.

    One is older,
    the other is younger,
    even though they can be a bother,
    they really do matter.

    You love them unconditionally the way they are,
    building memories through out,
    that’s what family is all about,
    family.

    Murchison

    8

  • Life and Death
    usp-author : Axelw

    We are born to live
    We live to die

    For many we live
    For some we die

    Many that are dead deserve to live
    Some that are dead deserve to die

    Many love to live
    Some die to love

    Many wish to live
    Some wish to die

    Many live to die
    Some die to live

    Murchison

    8

  • Storm
    usp-author : Carolineh

    Deafening thunder.
    Phenomenal lightning strikes,
    long, dark, sleepless nights.

    Murchison

    8

  • Bat Mitzvah Day
    usp-author : Samanthaf

    Years of preperation,
    For this big final step,
    Becoming a Jewish woman,
    Childhood to rest.

    Song after song,
    prayer after prayer,
    I can feel the tension,
    rising in the air.

    I read from the Torah
    Excitement on the rise,
    I’m a woman already,
    I can feel it inside!

    My heart skips a beat
    as I say the last words,
    and pass over to adulthood,
    a whole brand new world.

    The service is closed,
    There are hugs all around,
    All of me is smiling,
    From my head to my gown!

    There is food, there is laughter,
    There are presents galore,
    And I finally realize,
    I’m not a kid anymore.

    Murchison

    8

  • Life in Poverty
    usp-author : Javierm

    No food, no money, Poverty.
    May have to steal to eat, honestly.
    Go down the street and you’ll find me, trying to
    find a snack on the side street.
    No home, no friends, no shoes,
    Everyday you’re alive you’re in the blues,
    Wonder what to do with life, got no clues
    Need a friend no one seems to understand.
    Loneliness and homelessness don’t go together
    well at least not without a hand.

    Murchison

    8

  • Snow, Ski
    usp-author : Blakea

    Snow

    Snow piling up high
    While sledding down a big hill
    Makes me want cocoa

    Ski

    Snow makes a deep base
    The mountain is now covered
    Time to ski down fast

    Murchison

    8

  • M.A.R
    usp-author : Lilianab

    She never smiled, yet she was always happy.
    She never laughed, yet she cried tears from laughter.
    She never said nice things, yet she meant them with all their heart.

    She danced, yet she never stood on her own feet.
    She prayed every night, yet never believed.
    She was strong, yet oh so weak.

    She never spoke, yet she said a million words.
    She seemed put together, yet she was so broken.
    She was hurt, yet never damaged.

    She left without saying goodby, yet it felt like she said it too many times.
    She was my everything, yet so quickly she became nothing.
    She was the son to my father’s solar system, yet she burned out.

    She is finally happy, but now we are broken.
    She has finally stopped crying, but now we carry her tears.
    She is finally a caring soul, but now we’ve become bitter.

    She has finally become strong, but we’ve become weak in her place.
    She finally believes, but we’ve lost all hope.
    Now she is dancing with angels as we wait to perish.

    Be free now.
    Sing the song of freedom.
    Be where there is no pain.

  • Stress
    usp-author : Jacyf

    Life is full of stress.
    With every corner you turn,
    There is something new,
    For you to worry about,
    And that will not go away.

    Murchison

    8

  • Cheater Cheater
    usp-author : Lukeg

    Don’t you get that feeling
    Knowing that it’s right there
    Knowing that there is an easy way out
    Knowing that yours is wrong?

    You can look over and be done with it
    It’s as simple as that
    The answers are all there
    It can be finished

    But what if they know
    What if they find out
    What if they punish you
    What if they fail you?

    They will know you as a faker
    They will call you cheater cheater

    Murchison

    8

  • Winter
    usp-author : Adrianl

    Hot cocoa inside
    Frigid cold weather outside
    This is winter

    Murchison

    8

  • Music
    usp-author : Emilym

    Friends will break your heart
    But music won’t talk
    Memories fade
    A recording is forever
    We all die and be forgotten
    But a singer lives through fame and voice

    The notes are art
    In the form of a tone
    A delicate flower that can be forever
    Or just in the moment

    Music can cause fear
    Or take it away
    Make the voices stop
    And the good ones will stay
    Be alone in the dark
    Or surrounded by friends

    You can make it your own
    Or sing along
    Let the voices go
    And hope we don’t fall

    Don’t let go
    Just listen for a tune
    They might not be there for you
    But the music will

    Murchison

    8

  • Journeys
    usp-author : Mackenzien

    Going on journeys
    Traveling the great, wide world
    Take on challenges
    Completing everything
    On the proposed bucket list

    Murchison

    8

  • Chocolate
    usp-author : Audreyl

    Chocolate is tasty
    Chocolate is yummy
    CHOCOLATE is delicious

    When I take a bite
    my mouth feels like dynamite

    Sweet, sugary, good
    one of the best kinds of food

    Dark
    smooth gliding silk

    Milk
    warm and creamy explosions

    White
    pristine royalty of the cocoa world

    Chocolate will never faily
    to bring delight, especially when it’s on wholesale!

    Murchison

    8

  • Hidden Worlds
    usp-author : Amandae

    I’m lost in a world
    No one else knows.
    I’m stuck in a dream
    No one else sees.
    With an unreal friend,
    And an enemy I haven’t met,
    And the sea next to them,
    Deep and blue.
    The salty wind in their hair
    But the foe doesn’t care
    He takes out a hidden weapon,
    And my friend must run,
    But I don’t know how they got here
    Because it’s only chapter one.
    I look up for a second
    From my hidden world,
    And see the flashing lights that surround me.
    Someone is texting, sending “hi,” to a friend,
    Another is playing a game.
    I sigh, defeated, retreat to my world,
    As the one around me fades away.
    Then chapter 2 starts,
    And we get backstory,
    And my friends not a friend anymore.
    The foe is paying him back

    Murchison

    8

  • Why Do We Care?
    usp-author : Alexanderg

    People are born different,
    And treated like they’re somehow wrong.

    But those who believe the different ones are less,
    Cannot say why.
    Which leaves we who think,
    A person is never a mistake,
    To challenge and defend.

    A kid in a wheelchair is the same as one who’s not,
    They won’t start a fight,
    Or at least they don’t want to
    Or maybe they will, anyway,
    Even though they don’t want to,
    The same as the rest of us.

    So why do we treat them as different?
    No one can tell.
    We “normal ones” don’t even react…
    We just watch the show.
    Do they feel the same as us?
    Perhaps we should ask.

    I guess we’ll always wonder,
    (at least I will)
    Why we treat these people differently,
    Sure, they were born different, but aren’t we all?
    They were simply born uniquely different than the different of us all.

    Some of us are short,
    Others are tall,
    So why do we judge them?
    Just to lead them to despair?

    A mouth,
    A nose,
    Ears,
    Hair,
    There isn’t any reason to stare.
    No one should even care.

    Murchison

    8

  • Hardship in 2149
    usp-author : Athanl

    Ashes feathering from the polluted sky
    A deep distinct charred scent filling the atmosphere
    The moon filling the crisp night
    The old man settles under the highway
    Sounds from cars rushing over his shelter Water dripping down from the edge of the bridge
    A car bolts by
    Roaring and reverberating the highway
    Splash
    The old man’s belongings
    Soaked
    Just another day of the year in 2149

    Murchison

    8

  • Aversion
    usp-author : ConnorC

    Hate is everywhere
    People will always spite, but
    we can still get along

    Murchison Middle School

    8th

  • Swordsmanship and Calligraphy
    usp-author : Max A

    The coming of an end long waited
    By sword, by pen
    Both filled with thoughts ever hated
    Hate fueled by the darkness in a righteous man’s soul
    Like a beast kept under watchful eye
    Waiting for the moment the master will die
    Just a pen and a sword to decipher the truth
    Many hours wasted in times of youth
    Forgiveness is needed instead of tooth for tooth
    Forgiveness is already given to those under his roof
    A pen and a sword opposites of one another
    Pen giving life like a loving mother
    And a sword taking it away for a hated brother
    By pen by sword
    The coming of an end long waited.

    Murchison Middle School

    8th

  • Illusion of a Home
    usp-author : Kira O

    The humid air embrace hugs me like a bear
    Sand in my dripping wet salty hair
    I’m in despair to feel the warmth
    I suffocate without the spirit of hope
    Nobody wants to hear it but I’m slowly drowning
    I wish the Jupiter rain could fill me up ’til I see stars and my head is pounding
    It feels much better than knowing the real concept of life has let you go
    The blurry faded faces of people you used to know

    All of today’s world is filled with snow and swirling white clouds of infinite pain
    In the distance I can see
    The swaying palm trees and faint smell of E-cigs
    The lapis paint of the ocean waving for me to come home
    All this expeditive motion produces emotion

    An empty gaping hole floats in my heart from where I used to feel real life and true smiles
    Grasping on forgotten people makes my stomach churn and m fingertips burn
    But irreplaceable humans always turn into memories
    You might lose the thought of them over time
    But once you feel their presence again,
    Your heart instantly remembers and fills

    I swear this to the bone
    I’ll open my eyes in the morning and end up home
    I want to discard the emotion of alone.

    Murchison Middle School

    8th

  • Human
    usp-author : Emily G

    She is white
    Her skin is untouched snow
    She is proud and she is pure
    But she is not flawless

    He is colored
    His skin is like rich chocolate, oak trees, soft leather
    He is strong and he is unique
    But he is not equal

    He is queer
    He is loved and he is loving
    He is content and he is accepting
    But he is not valued

    We fight for those who ar judged
    But we judge those who are judging
    We are organized and we are segregated
    We value uniqueness while we oppress the unique

    A rose is a rose regardless of color
    A beach is a beach despite the sand
    A human is a Human
    And that makes us all the same

    Between the fine, lines, the bars, and the tags
    We are no better, no stronger, no lesser
    Than every person around us
    Because they are humans, too

    Murchison Middle School

    8th

  • The Girl in the Hospital
    usp-author : Kara E

    A whisper
    Echoes throughout my head.
    Words
    Bounce around in my brain.
    An image
    Burned into my retina
    Won’t go away.

    My eyes snap open.
    Bright light fills my vision.
    Tears are escaping my lacrimal gland.
    I blink profusely
    To return my eyes to their normal,
    Vacant state.

    It is loud.
    Voices shout
    Over machines
    That are ceaselessly beeping.
    Everyone is dressed in long white dresses,
    With hair nets
    And blue gloves.
    Why are the wearing masks? Where am I?

    That small image
    Comes spiraling back into focus.
    I remember,
    For the first time
    In three years.

    A black vehicle
    Runs a red light, into me.
    My vision goes black,
    And I lay in a coma
    For three years, until just now.

    Murchison Middle School

    8th

  • Hurricane
    usp-author : Kaitlyn C

    The bright sun is blazing,
    in a sea of blue.
    A gentle wind grazing
    the tops of trees, too.

    Suddenly, blue fades to gray.
    The wind picks up; the rain pours down.
    Trapped in their houses they will stay,
    as destruction occurs throughout the town.

    Houses crumble into piles of rubble,
    water invading all around.
    With storms and floods come great trouble,
    trees are blown to the ground.

    While some of us stayed safe and dry,
    others were affected a great deal more.
    Now all there’s left to do is try
    to restore the city it was before.

    Murchison Middle School

    8th

  • Ode to Buscuits
    usp-author : Jeb D

    Biscuits are my favorite snack
    This is an undeniable fact

    Warm with a golden tint
    Looking over causes my eyes to squint

    At the beauty of the delicious biscuits
    I begin to eat all of them, one by one

    Until my stomach says no more
    And I am done

    Biscuits are my favorite snack
    This is an undeniable fact

    Murchison Middle School

    8th

  • Failure and Success
    usp-author : Emmanuel A

    Failure is the penalty,
    4 continually getting things wrong.

    Success on the other hand is the award,
    4 getting things continually right.

    Failure puts u down in despair.
    Success sends u soaring among the clouds.

    Therefore, I look at myself and wonder,
    am I a success or a failure
    Then maybe I am a bit of both.
    Whichever way the hammer falls
    only u can decide.

    Murchison Middle School

    8th

  • Dance
    usp-author : Isabella S

    Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz and more
    many types of dance out on the floor

    Listen to the music and the rhythm
    Let your body move and sway

    Feel the music, Feel the rhythm
    Let your heart dance away

    It’s a way to express
    It’s a way to entertain

    But it’s also a way to let go,
    just like dancing in the rain

    Murchison Middle School

    8th

  • Bury Me In My Favorite Colors
    usp-author : Dominiqueb

    Bury me in my favorite colors
    Tell my sisters and my brothers
    I hope you know, you’ll be ok
    I’m not going away today
    My biggest fear of leaving you
    But you’ll leave me too
    So please don’t cry
    I will try
    To be with you when my time is neigh
    But you may ask
    Why do we live if we are going to die
    or
    Why do we die and make people die
    To that I say
    Well, when you live
    You can love

    Murchison

    8

  • From Happy to Sad
    usp-author : Sofiac

    It’s now 3087
    We’re far into the future,
    The world is good.

    No wars or fighting.
    No more crazy presidents.
    We are all at peace.

    There are flying cars,
    Robots in every household,
    New technology.

    Nothing can go wrong,
    We’re a green community,
    And no one can leave.

    We have a luxury,
    We have clothes, food, and shelter,
    What more could we need?

    Everything was great,
    Until SHE came into our world,
    And wrecked it all again.

    She was a devil,
    Her eyes were as dark as coal,
    No one could survive.

    And that was the end,
    People were fading away,
    Then it disappeared.

    The world had vanished,
    Everything was a nasty grey,
    No one seemed to care.

    The world had vanished,
    Everything was a nasty grey,
    No one seemed to care.

    The happy times ended,
    The world remained dark again,
    There is no future.

    It’s 3088,
    The future has passed away,
    No one cares, goodbye.

    Murchison

    8

  • Together
    usp-author : Oliviad

    Me and my favorite person are together,
    alone in the dark, quiet night.
    No sounds or humanity around us.
    Everything around us is asleep except for the stars.
    They are sparkling brightly in the pitch black sky.

    Just me and him, together, on a hill, under the stars.
    We gaze upon city lights.
    There’s no people or movement.
    It’s abnormal.

    Me and him listening to the breeze.
    Cold air in our lungs and on our faces.

    Stars scattered across pitch black.

    Me and my favorite person watch everything.
    And because we are together,
    We feel safe even though we both feel so small and pathetic against the big, quiet, dark world.
    We are together.

    And that’s all that matters.

    Murchison

    8

  • The Woman That Was Once
    usp-author : Linnh

    Drip, Drip
    Sounds of
    Rain. I snip, snip,
    The quilt of
    Pain. RIP, RIP,
    That nightmare’s swain.
    Not enough?
    My golly me.
    A touch of rough?
    Why, I see glee.

    I’ve tried, I’m tired.
    I’ve cried, I’m out.
    And once again,
    I’ve cried, I’m done.
    Thank you for my guide,
    Without him I would’ve died.
    But now all he was,
    Was a dream, a dream that turned.

    Bye, Bye,
    To that fickle heart.
    That one has died,
    I now have pride.
    Head held high,
    Eyes wide open.
    A future soon to see.

    Flip, flip,
    The switch to
    light. I grip, grip,
    My loving
    Knight. Strip, strip,
    Them walls of steel.
    A new me will be waiting on the other side.

    Murchison

    8

  • Pollution
    usp-author : Alainad

    Smog gusts, people scream and animals run,
    Wind races, lightning strikes everywhere and it cannot be undone.
    No shelter no protection and no aid,
    Nowhere is safe and happiness fades.
    No clear water and no blue sky,
    Trees are dead, fish have a disease and children cry.
    People will misgive,
    No one will live.
    We have no time to waste,
    We stop this now, before it’s too late.

    Murchison

    8

  • Teamwork
    usp-author : Cyrusd

    Soccer is a game about teammates,
    And a game about teamwork.

    You always need help to score,
    That’s what teammates are for.

    Being selfish is always hated,
    That’s what makes players overrated.

    When your opponent gets a lead,
    That’s when your team uses their speed.

    Winning a championship is sometimes a dream,
    But you could win one with a good team.

    Murchison

    8

  • Time Goes on Forever
    usp-author : Edenh

    We are not forever,
    Nothing is forever.
    But we are give time,
    To spend, and to use,
    on family and friends.

    But what happens
    When time is wasted,
    What happens when time is up?
    We crave more.
    We ask, we beg, we plead.
    But it doesn’t help.

    Because we have always known,
    We can’t turn back the clock,
    We can’t reverse the minutes,
    We can’t slow down the seconds.
    Because we have always known,
    Time never stops,
    It keeps going always

    Murchison

    8

  • Family is Forever
    usp-author : Julissad

    Family is a connection that never ends.
    Makes memories through the years.
    Spend time together.
    Full of laughter and tears.

    Family comes together.
    For always and forecer.
    Where love is shown.
    And will forever be in one’s heart.

    Family means everything.
    Love, happiness, and kindness.
    Family is forever.

    Murchison

    8

  • Scorching
    usp-author : Adrienned

    Imagine a world
    Where this is no more snow to play
    And heat advisories every day.

    The politicians are still fighting,
    But more people are dying.
    The world heats up every second.

    Ice around the world has melted
    Cities and towns abandoned
    For they are uninhabitable.

    We blame
    The old for not knowing,
    Or more accurately,
    Not doing.
    The young will now grow up
    In this world.

    For our children and the next,
    Please,
    Take care of this place.

    Murchison

    8

  • What’s That
    usp-author : Nicholast

    The viola, a wonderful thing, renowned for its jokes,
    What you haven’t heard of it?
    What a shame, it’s a four stringed instrument like the others,
    But don’t be fooled because it’s quite different than a violin
    It’s bigger in size and rich in ton,
    But the biggest differences is our lowest string, the C string,
    We have the low string like our older sibling the cello,
    We can sound alluring to the ear with our beautiful sounds ranging from sweet melodies to gloomy harmonies

    Don’t forget us because we’re still important, every instrument has a part,
    Violins with the melody, violas with harmonies, bass plays the bass line and cello are all of the above,
    Together when we work we create music,
    When we practice together we improve our technique,
    Even when we’re tired we still try our best,
    So please try to remember us,
    The violas the best!

    Murchison

    8

  • Stranded
    usp-author : Reikoa

    water seeps through my brain
    and clogs e v e r y thought
    im drowning
    nowhere to go or hide or take cover

    saltwater in my veings
    I cannot
    move

    i feel like i have been swimming
    for hours but
    my brain cannot communicate with my libs

    where is the solid shore
    i am trying to find my patch
    of land

    the harder i try
    the quicker i fail

    i hopes of land i swim faster
    in hopes of land i am paralyzed

    i begin to doze off
    exhausted muscles loosen
    brain relaxes
    eyes closing

    land appears
    i am no longer
    stranded

    Murchison

    8

  • What Pollution Could Become
    usp-author : Giam

    Look around, up at the sky
    A nauseating blend of gray and black
    Smoke everywhere
    It’s hard to see anything through the haze
    A haze of uncertainty.

    Try to remember the freedom of clean air
    Breathe in
    Cough out the stale stench of smoke
    The smell of a busy industry
    No time for the environment
    Taken for granted

    A tree can only be described as a majestic
    It is not only a home, but a habitat
    Some, with flowers bursting with color
    Now any tree left
    Has withered into a short stump
    No longer is it bursting with life
    The flowers have fallen to the ground
    Their time forgotten
    No water left to nourish them

    The water is no longer a tantalizing blue
    No longer are there gentle, lapping waves in the ocean
    No longer is a body of water as reflective as a mirror
    Now tehre is only harsh currents of mud left
    Swimming through the little water that remains
    Bits of plastic trash
    Glinting through the grimy haze of the ocean
    Cans, nets, and gass
    Nowhere else to go

    A green earth wasted.

    Murchison

    8

  • Me Too
    usp-author : Sallyw

    Me too, a silence breaker
    For equal rights is all we ask
    The cold shoulder is a common response
    For such a simple request

    Not too much to ask
    Just to be equal, common courtesy
    In a world where we can make things fly
    But don’t respect human rights

    Murchison

    8

  • Candy Bars
    usp-author : Tiffanyn

    Candy bars are just so yummy,
    But they tend to be unhealthy
    They don’t really give you that much energy,
    And they also can be sticky.

    These candy bars are just so attractive,
    But they don’t really make you active.

    When I go outside I feel like it’s EVERYWHERE.
    Every Day.
    Every Month.
    Every Year.
    So it feels like I’m breathing heavy AIR.

    Candy Bars. Candy Bars. Candy Bars.
    I see all these kids just eating them with that sound
    So I try to find them but they’re nowhere to be FOUND.

    Murchison

    8

  • A Poem About What?
    usp-author : Alexn

    I’m having a bit of trouble
    Should I make a poem about bubbles
    There are just way too much options
    Maybe a poem filled with action
    Wait I have a conclusion
    I could just do one about illusions
    I could make the words seem larer
    Wouldn’t this make me seem smarter
    I will never finish this
    It’s probably going to end up in a abyss
    This may never bee seen again
    It’s just going to be in my brain
    This is way too much trouble
    I’m just going to make it about bubbles

    Murchison

    8

  • Buzzer Beater
    usp-author : AdrianaC

    Dribbling down the court
    Crossover the defender
    Scoring the basket
    As it falls the crowd erupts
    The clock goes out with a buzz

    Murchison

    8

  • Swim
    usp-author : Kendalb

    It is a commitment,
    It is a challenge,
    It is a team,
    It is hard,
    It is dedication,
    It is fun,
    It is a race,

    It is an accomplishment

    Murchison

    8

  • Rhyming
    usp-author : Davisk

    Rhyming is overrated.
    Rhyming poems are childish and dated.
    Free verse is far superior.
    Rhymes are often so much drearier.

    I say we extinguish the rhymes
    We’ve used them on too many times.
    Free verse is for the more artistic,
    An art system that is truly mystic.

    Rhymes are childish and creative,
    Free verse is so spectacular and imaginative
    Rhymes are tasteless they’ve out done their use,
    Free verse is powerful, complex, and abstruse.

    Children make rhymes, they’re old and tasteless,
    Free verse are convoluted, elaborate, and audacious.
    The definition of art is the application of skill and ability.
    Free verse poems show my artistic agility.
    Not some poem with rhyming, that’s easy!
    Free verse is so intricate we only covered it briefly.

    Murchison

    8

  • Sam
    usp-author : Jackg

    Sam was supposed to be small,
    But that was not the case at all.

    Even though San is so diggity
    We treat him with much cordiality.

    He can almost jump the fence
    he treats my dad with much eminence.

    Without him our family is not complete.
    He can run so fast he is practically an athlete.

    Sam is really great,
    To live with us is his fate.

    Murchison

    8

  • change
    usp-author : AvaM

    we, humans, walk around the earth with no regards for anyone or anything. we stomp around like elephants with no care.
    selfish beings, we want everything to ourselves. we are all hypocrites, but the worst kinds of humans are the ones that think they are not in any wrong. the ones that think they do no wrong.
    be the human you want everyone to be. be the change.

    St. Mark Lutheran School

    Eighth

  • Letting Go
    usp-author : DaneS

    Have you ever just wanted
    To let go to not be here
    That the feeling you have
    Makes you feel miserable and not loved
    That the thing you want
    Could be deadly but you hold back

    That feeling that you’re hated
    Nor loved but also abandoned by everyone
    You feel like it’s over
    You imagined a world without you there
    You think they will be happy
    Because you know it’s a way out

    In the end it’s truly
    Extremely sad when it comes to that
    Point in your life when
    When you have made the choice to
    End it all for yourself
    Because you know that suicide’s right there

    Postscript from DaneS’s mom:

    He wrote it for all the people who feel bad but don’t have a voice to share. He did not write it about how he feels.

    Perhaps his poem will spur conversation and let some child know there are others who struggle like they do and reach out.”

    Murchison

    8

  • Family is like a Tree
    usp-author : marisas

    “Family” is old oak with long branches —
    That stretch across many places —
    And will crumble when one breaks —
    And will continue to grow — and never stop —
    And family — is everywhere — all around you —
    And the pain must be in the breakage —
    That could rip apart the family
    That kept so many of us connected —
    I’ve heard it in the earliest of day —
    And the great dead of night —
    Family is always around you,
    just like old oaks and fresh pines.

    St. Mark Lutheran School

    8th Grade

  • blue
    usp-author : Aussiel

    dark as the depths of the sea
    slow as a deadly glacier
    royal, powerful, grounded
    cold as an icy blizzard on bare skin

    blue is the deepest of sleep, dreamless
    blue is the grace of a ballet dancer on stage, nameless
    blue is a salty taste on your tongue
    blue is steady breathing, calling out in silence
    blue is creases crowning eyes of an elder, frameless

    unsettling as bruises, beaten badly backwards, black and blue
    wicked as the plot of a movie, retching your heart, warping your mind
    calm, quiet, in control
    shocking as the thunder, preparing for petrifying pops of lightning

    blue is mesmerizing paint drenching fingers, now hued
    blue is pouring rain, lingers a sombering mood
    blue is the calm before the storm
    blue darkens the sky towards night
    blue is unknown faces in a crowd, untouched and nude

    blue drags you down to the beach to watch the waves
    ‘cause you may only be alive a few more days

    Bailey Middle School

    8th

  • Like Elephants
    usp-author : Meaganl

    Like elephants
    forcing themselves into cardboard boxes,
    a vessel desperate to be filled with belonging
    snags its fluttering spirit
    and plucks away the wings,
    consulting society’s step-by-step handbook
    for cutting away passionate errors,
    slicing off rebellious streaks,
    stitching on content and blinding unbiased sight
    and throws the corpse
    up, up, up,
    expecting it to sprout wings and fly.

    Bailey Middle School

    8

  • Happy People
    usp-author : Kristiand

    Happy
    Happy People
    Happy People Dying
    Dying in Vain, Pain
    Innocence

    Bailey

    8

  • books
    usp-author : coco

    open a book and you will find
    people and places of every kind;
    open a book and you can be
    anything you want to be;
    open a book
    and you can share
    wondrous words you find in there
    open a book and i will to
    you read to me
    ill read to you!

    bailey middle school

    8th

  • A Thousand Whispers
    usp-author : Meaganl

    Like a saddle-shackled horse of old,
    the people,
    bound and branded into submission,
    bend over, tucking their
    sunken cheeks
    between the spurs grinding beneath their master’s soles
    and kiss goodbye their resolve,
    because the whiney of a horse is but a whisper
    compared to the crack of a whip.

    Bailey Middle School

    8

  • Free
    usp-author : geneviever

    In the beginning life was slow, then as we mature it grows
    Life is like a river, forever flowing on and on, then one day those days are gone
    Poof
    Where’d it all go? It’s like it just disappeared in then snow
    As I keep on looking and looking for an answer, I find out that i’m just a dancer
    I go in circles repeating the same routine, and one day I realize it’s probably in my dreams
    I feel like I’ve been suffocated for the majority of my life, sometimes I look down at the knife
    What if I end it all right here, but that became abundantly clear
    Crystal clear in fact, that I don’t have to kill myself over some rats
    One day I realized that they’re not worth my time, all they’re worth is a dime
    They can’t ruin me, because all I am is free
    Free from the complicated situations, I’m finally free from this suffocation
    For once I can breathe on my own, and i can open my eyes and realize what I’ve always known
    That I don’t have to take all this pressure from everybody, I am FINALLY free from this child’s body

    Bailey Middle School

    8th grade

  • In too Deep
    usp-author : sokole

    Out of sight
    Out of mind,
    in too deep
    Come out blind,
    Reach for the darkness
    See what you find,
    Follow the light
    Leave it all behind.

    Bailey Middle School

    8

  • Holocaust
    usp-author : Derkholm

    With trumpets call and loud parade,
    they praise the hell that they have made.
    They do not dare to be aware
    of awful things they’ve done this day
    Long tongued liars live here now.
    To long tongued liars wronged men bow.
    Long tongued liars walk the streets.
    Long tongued liars in gods seat.

    Lying spiders spin their lies
    when they say walls don’t have eyes.
    Wronged men do just hide their fear
    when they say walls don’t have ears.

    A nation
    caught in devastation
    with covered eyes ate the lies
    that led to hell’s creation.

    Bailey Middle School, AISD

    8

  • The Lonely Island
    usp-author : lindsayd

    The lonely island waded in the ocean
    Drowned in knobbly sand
    Dressed only in broken bottles and rusted treasures
    The sun looked wrong on his weary body
    No glow
    No shine
    Just there

    A traveler at heart
    But with no weight to carry him
    He was immovable
    A lazy blob on a lazy planet
    No feet to walk him
    No wings to fly him
    Nobody to help him

    Everyday though
    Pure white birds would fly above him
    Almost like angels they looked
    He begged for them to stay
    To dance in his no longer shiny jewels
    And tell him about the world he could never see
    They left

    Then one stormy day
    When not even the island could hear his own pleas of sadness
    A ragged bird soared by with feathers the color of dirt
    Almost matching the wreckage on the island’s shore
    Startled by the noises of the clouds
    It dropped something and the island called for it to come back but again nobody heard
    It left

    The “something” only grew from then on
    It became so tall that the island thought it was attached to the sky
    A palm tree
    Birds came from everywhere to marvel at it
    The island became a popular pitstop for them
    They would rest in its leaves and chat about foreign lands
    They stayed

    Bailey Middle School

    8th Grade

  • Dirty Room
    usp-author : lindsayd

    “Clean clean clean!”
    I keep hearing
    but that’s not my wish
    Everything’s in its place
    Right where it fits

    “It’s not that bad!”
    I say
    I know where everything’s at
    from that yo-yo from 3rd grade
    to my darling indigo hat

    Sure it’s not that organized
    and a bit mismatched
    but it fits me and my mind
    It’s pretty simple actually
    Some things are not meant for others to find

    Bailey Middle School

    8th Grade

Entries: 9th

  • My Memory Book
    usp-author : EmilyK

    My memories are photographic
    Never worded
    Always seen
    Containing glimpses of the past
    coated in stardust and sunbeams

    The cold and empty vessel still haunts me
    not the belief that it scared me
    but that I can still see it
    Sunshine through the trees
    on the baby beaches
    Provide me with a photo of happiness
    times never forgotten.

    The photos I keep within are
    who
    I
    Am

    Sandy beaches
    Hope
    Stardust
    Moonbeams
    Fairy tales
    Love
    Family

    They all stand vivid in my mind
    never to share with anyone
    except
    you

  • A miracle
    usp-author : EmilyK

    I fill the air with colors
    They smile wild and free
    The world seems to shudder
    At the thought of losing me

    I am the rock to hold the ship to sea
    A force too complex and ready
    To color the world with melody
    And keep the beat so steady

    I am the way you say goodnight
    Or how you wave hello
    I am your mothers smile
    Or a daisy doused in yellow

    I can be forgotten
    Tossed away and left
    Or I can grow
    And be kept and kept

    I can speak the wind
    Without a single sound
    Yet I stretch all the world high
    And back down into the ground

    I surround the moon and stars
    And love and laughter too
    But the way I share myself
    Is up to you

    So, you, young boy or girl
    Woman or man
    Come roll around in the world so bright
    And never truly understand

    For when you realize who you are
    Only then can you walk in your land

  • Her True Place
    usp-author : EmilyK

    From coves of deep blue to blinding true light
    This beach is now falling asleep
    For the small girl will appear here tonight
    And return to her cove, her home to keep
    The sun will shine and the sky will be blue
    Her heart will take flight and soar on the high
    Salty winds that take her closer to you
    When night falls she drifts off to a sweet land
    Closes her eyes and smiles bright; for she knows
    She will soon be on the beach with your hand
    Holding hers and skipping, her face a rose
    But now she sleeps under mother’s sweet face
    And dreams and dreams and dreams of her true place.

    The Liberal Arts and Science Academy

    9

  • Watercolors
    usp-author : Teresa R.

    You were new at our school, yet you weren’t shy
    A flurry of colors beat in your heart.
    You always warned and wanted to know why
    Hearts and minds are at war and should stay apart.
    Friendship flowered into watercolors:
    Delicate petal pinks, soft baby blues,
    And with the brightest of yellow wonders
    Icy-pale winters turned into light’s muse.
    But watercolors are temporary,
    Running like rivers and fading away.
    Now I never stay, I’m always wary;
    Maybe your goal was only to betray.
    You were wrong, both my heart and mind agree:
    You’re on the other side of the world to me.

    L.C. Anderson High School

    9th

  • Man’s Best Friend
    usp-author : WilliamE

    Man’s Best Friend

    Long before man ‘fore he took his great height
    The earth was but earth unburdened unkept
    Trees stood mightily in day and dark night
    Unfettered wildness in wilderness slept.

    Now rocks we climbed high both rough and rigid
    The Plains our playground in days stretched with fun
    Mountains their majesty tall and frigid
    The forests with paths to be found and run.

    But trees bend,and break to the axe of greed
    Plains once splay now stripped, striped for planes
    Mountains cut, slashed for man’s great need
    Last wilderness wildness bound and in chains.

    sr’nity forsaken for savagery’s demise.
    The worlds nature bought what money now buys.

    Anderson High School

    9th

  • Drowning Fish, Falling Geese
    usp-author : IsabelleL

    Look at the way the waves roll

    Look at the way the water rises

    Look at the way the foam clears See how the sea goes

    When she sets foot on the shore.

     

    Look at the way the fish drown

    Look at the way the geese fall from the sky

    Look at the way the moon hides her face

    See how the flowers feel ashamed

    When she walks nearby.

     

    Look at the way the mist curls

    Look at the way the fog fades

    Look at the way the haze leaves

    See how the fume dries

    When she parts the ferns to look at them.

     

    Look at the way the skies weep

    Look at the way the clouds cry

    Look at the way the sun sheds tears

    See how the stars dim and dull

    When she laughs.

     

    Look at the way the rivers flow

    Look at the way the streams run

    Look at the way the brooks surge

    See the way the creeks overflow

    When she plays her flute.

     

    Look at the way the mountains crumble

    Look at the way the hills collapse

    Look at the way the valley dissolves

    See the way the cliffs fall apart

    When she waves goodbye.

     

    Look at the way the china cracks

    Look at the way the porcelain breaks

    Look at the way the vases shatter

    See how the winecup fractures

    When she walks away.

     

    Look at the way she wipes her face

    Look at the way she holds in her tears

    Look at the way she rips her hair out

    See how her tears slide down her face, and

    Then she doesn’t look back.

     

    A thousand knives slice through a heart

    A million streetlights can’t brighten a pair of eyes anymore

    A billion fireflies dart here and there

    And a trillion butterflies flap their wings, waiting for

    Winter to end, and for Spring to finally come,

    again.

  • Drift
    usp-author : IsabelleL

    People are always drifting

    They fly here and there and anywhere.

    So let me remind you

    Of the time I broke my wings.

     

    Angels go everywhere

    You can never see them but they’re there.

    The feathers that fall on the ground

    They came from somewhere.

     

    Maybe the sky was built on a few dreams

    And yet I can’t seem to ever remember.

    But, say, if I saw you again

    Would you try to find me a second time?

     

    If I walked past you

    Would your heart take you to the past?

    Maybe you’d feel a flicker

    And suppress it with a smile and walk on.

     

    And maybe the river runs in torrents

    Faster than we can blink our eyes.

    See that the sun now burns brighter

    When there are no clouds in the sky.

     

    Let’s take the river to the sky

    We’ll swim through air to our past.

    Let’s take the train with no return

    And let old memories fade fast.

     

    Walk on dried tears

    To leave behind our fears.

    Go headfirst through a drain

    To find our childhood again.

     

    If you find me it’d be in vain,

    I don’t think I would be the same.

    And I don’t think you would disagree

    That you’ve also changed.

     

    Everywhere I go

    Scenes from a tale told long ago

    Run through my mind

    Brushing cobwebs off wounds

    Spinning new stories

    And never forgetting the old ones.

     

  • Sonnet
    usp-author : IsabelleL

    A being consists of more than one hue,

    The impenetrable black of the night,

    One of the colors is the pigment blue.

    Can block the passage of our soul’s bright light.

     

    In February songbirds like to sing,

    Sunsets and sunrises can be dark brown,

    Anticipating a vibrant new spring.

    But let’s all not be sorrowful and frown.

     

    Few things on Earth go faster than a car,

    Rivers run by us in a hurried pace,

    But you’ll find time is more fleeting by far.

    Washing away and burying the past.

     

    People’s hearts may not all pine for the same,

    We should feel neither blame nor any shame.

  • Addie > Boy
    usp-author : Amorellek

    I’ve always dreamt of finding a true love .
    A boy whose heart in purest place ready
    To join with mine that we may reign above.
    We’d live it out as our love was steady.
    He would be my fairytale; my charming
    And daily swear to be forever mine.
    But boys like this are often alarming.
    Lies are spoken to impress – as they do.
    Truth hides a greedy boy who doesn’t care,
    Who plays the royal yet ‘perfect’ I see;
    He takes his treasure then gets out of there.
    Hopeless as it seems there is one for me.
    Now it may not be a dashing mister,
    But thank God I was given a sister!

    Anderson High School

    9th

  • Blue
    usp-author : MariannaB

    It taught her to see in color
    To see the world anew
    Her life used to be much duller
    But now gray was replaced by blue

    Days that used to be a blur
    But now time stands still
    Dreams of happier times would defer
    Her life was only going downhill

    Happiness was wrapped in a capsule
    She holds her entire future in her hands
    More soldiers to fight her battles
    She begins to push through the badlands

    A world one surround by black and white
    She is now unstoppable, she found her reason to fight

    L.C. Anderson High School

    9th

  • Will You?
    usp-author : MariannaB

    Will you be there?

    When I was five and you thought I had cooties
    I wondered if you would still want to be friends.

    When we started middle school and you started having feeling for girls
    I wondered if you would still stand by my side or leave for the first girl that walked by.

    Will you be there when we go to high school and I grow into my body?

    Will you notice me?

    Those little hints I threw at you,
    Will you follow the trail,
    Or go towards someone else’s gingerbread house?

    Even when you have fallen for me I wonder if you will stay.

    Will you be there once we get married
    Or do I not give you enough?

    Will you still be there even when you have seen me at my worst?

    Will you pity me?

    Will you be scared of me?

    What will you do when I am at my lowest point?

    Will I be too much to handle?

    Will you comfort me?

    What about when we have spent years married together?

    Will you wake up one day and decide you don’t want me anymore?

    Instead of reassuring me of my insecurities,
    Will you find the constant need for approval annoying?

    Will you see the stretch marks trailing down my arms and legs,
    And see them as the ugly scars reminding you of how fat I was?

    Will you look at me and just see a stranger lying in your bed?

    Will you walk to the bathroom,
    Stare back at me through the mirror,
    And decide…

    You don’t love me anymore.

    And you never knew if you did.

    Will you?

  • I Believe In Darkness, I Believe In Light
    usp-author : MariannaB

    I Believe In Darkness, I Believe In Light

    Fear. Evil. Screams. Tears. Hate. The Fallen. Exhaustion.
    Destruction. Poison. Harm. Wicked. Silence.
    Sin. Pain. Slipping. Trapped. Crime. Immortality. Fear. Damnation.
    Anxiety. Panic. Insecure. Fire. Fault. Addiction.
    Demons. Storms. Death. Scared. Chaos. Sadness. Darkness.
    I have fallen in love with the immoral.
    Seeking comfort within the shadows.
    There is something interesting about sin.
    Like dancing with the devil.
    The rush that comes from being bad.
    I have fallen in love with the darkness.

    I believe in darkness.
    But I also believe in light.

    Brave. Good. Laughter. Smiles. Love. Rise. Lively.
    Creation. Heal. Pure. Life. Beginnings.
    Warmth. Whimsical. Comfort. Secure. Hope. Family.
    Happiness. Yours and Mine. Protection.
    Positivity. Color. Present. Calm. Compassion. Light.
    I have fallen in love with the righteous.
    Finding joy in my innocence.
    Constantly searching and discovering.
    Like flying with angels.
    The calm that comes from stability.
    I have fallen in love with the light.

    I believe in darkness.
    But I also believe in light.

  • I Am Dead
    usp-author : MariannaB

    I am dead

    I wonder what it is like to be alive
    To feel
    I know I am not alone
    I hear the silent screams of others when they are alone
    The silent plea for help
    I’m like them
    When alone the tears fall like a waterfall

    I am dead

    I pretend to be okay
    How are you feeling
    Fine
    Lie
    How has your day been
    Good
    Lie
    No one can tell
    It’s a mask
    The perfect mask
    I am cracked, broken
    But fine

    I am dead

    I feel invisible, unwanted
    I touch and break everything in my presense
    I just want to be loved
    But don’t deserve it
    I worry I am not good enough

    I am dead

    My mind is a dark place
    If you were to enter it you would get lost in a sea of horror and terror
    The night terrors
    Inner demons scary enough to cause a heart attack
    They have haunted me for years
    Silently creeping through the night
    Moving for hours
    When they leave peace comes

    I am dead

    I am a coward
    NO!
    Act strong
    NO!
    I AM A COWARD!
    It’s true
    The truth always surfaces
    I’m afraid, frustrated , anxious, UNHAPPY
    Conceal it, conceal it, conceal it
    Let them know and you fail
    Let them know and it makes you stupid
    I’m scared
    Scared for those I care about
    Scared of myself
    Scared of my mind
    The potential it has to get lost in itself

    I am dead

    I feeling it building
    Uh oh, the lump starts to form
    My eyes hurt
    Run!
    Be alone
    You have to make it
    A tear falls
    Almost there
    Now find a place to hide
    The bathroom
    Lock the door
    The bedroom
    Block the door
    Now let it out
    Don’t make any sound
    They can’t hear you
    It ocerwhelms my heart
    It aches
    It hurts physically
    Relieve it
    Relieve it
    There!
    Scratch over and over again
    It hurts but feels good
    It’s red but feels good
    They rise
    Focus on that
    Ow
    Keep going
    Stop
    Focus on the new pain
    What emotional one?
    Oh no
    It’s worse than I thought
    Don’t worry
    It’ll just rise then fall
    Rise then fall
    You’re okay
    It is getting better

    I am dead

    Oh no

    It’s building again
    Stop
    Never
    My breath shakes
    I need a distraction
    My arm sure itches
    SCRATCH IT
    I begin to run it
    NO SCRATCH IT YOU IDIOT
    Fine
    I use my nails and dig into my skin
    It feels so good
    Scratch harder, faster
    Okay
    My arm turns red
    I continue moving faster
    What was that?
    I look down and see raw skin
    That’s going to hurt in the morning
    It heals
    But it leaves something
    A reminder
    A scar
    Anxiety is a pain

    I am dead

    They always seem to follow me
    Their curiosity
    Piercing my soul
    Whats your name
    Don’t look at them
    Mari
    Please don’t say something else
    Where did you dmtransfer from
    Shoot
    Short and simple
    T.E.A
    Cool
    Thank God
    It is over

    I am dead

    Stupid
    Coward
    Afraid
    Ugly
    Fat
    Anxious
    Evil
    Psycho
    Scared
    Idiot
    Pretty soon you start to believe it
    You just have to keep telling yourself it
    Stupid
    Coward
    Afraid
    Ugly
    Fat
    Anxious
    Evil
    Psycho
    Scared
    Idiot
    Say it over and over again
    Stop
    STOP
    STOP
    STOP!

    I am dead.

  • Tailored Suits
    usp-author : Teresa R.

    Your ironed suits,
    Always at your best,
    And your sons and daughters
    Following in your footsteps.

    You may be slow on land,
    Only waddling.
    But in the water,
    You
    Slice it, dice it, splice it
    Away from those land predators
    Who call themselves
    Experts, Explorers,
    Humane.

    Their suits crumple within hours
    So they
    Iron it, starch it, dye it,
    Never satisfied until
    It’s perfect,
    For them.

    Filling, wasting, trashing
    The Earth
    They don’t realize
    We live here, too.

    And they cage us,
    Throw us,
    Into a flying machine
    And are flown
    Across oceans
    To San Francisco
    Where there are animals
    From everywhere
    And nowhere.

    Slowly all of our suits will disappear,
    And they will try to match us
    But nature doesn’t answer to anyone.

    Farewell, tailored suits

    L.C. Anderson High School

    9th

  • Wings
    usp-author : Teresa R.

    Birds’ wings flutter in my chest
    Their high trills
    And songs fill my lungs

    They tell me I’m sick
    They tell me I have trouble breathing

    So I am not allowed to run,
    Go up stairs quickly,
    Jump rope.

    But I know the truth,
    I am alive.

    And birds sing
    In my lung’s trees.
    The beautiful trees
    Filled with red syrup,
    Pulsing with light.

    I am told my lungs
    Just don’t work.
    I’ll need to replace them.

    But I’ll miss these birds

    They sing
    Even though I can’t.
    They fly
    Even though I can’t.
    They can live
    Even though I can’t.

    L.C. Anderson High School

    9th

  • A Furry Friendship
    usp-author : AlyssaL

    The loud, impatient scratching at the door.
    A blur of fur from window to window.
    Jumping, barking, spinning, smiling and more.
    Oh, the excitement when you show.
    Kind, gentle eyes that beg for attention,
    Floppy ears listening to every word.
    A wet nose, sniffing what you didn’t mention,
    They speak in a way that isn’t heard.
    Happily wagging their furry tails,
    Slightly tilting their head as you speak,
    Internally laughing at your fails,
    Walking in, for it is you that they seek.
    An everlasting bond that never ends,
    Is a friendship formed with mans best friend.

    Anderson High School

    9th

  • Raining Blues
    usp-author : VictoriaO

    It’s raining cats and dogs.
    The sky is sad and gray.
    The windows have a touch of fog
    And no one’s out to play.
    But soon the sun will shine
    The smell of wet, sweet pine
    And no one will have a clue
    I had the Raining Blues.
    And when the sun does shine
    The smell of warm, sweet pine
    Outdoors will be just fine
    And be filled with great delight.
    And when the sky is a blue
    River of sparkling jewels
    Then there will be no use
    On having
    The Raining Blues.

    Ann Richards School

    9th

  • A Simple Flower
    usp-author : VictoriaO

    Just like a flower
    my heart unfolds
    to find a place
    so cruel and cold.
    They feed me with
    a bitter kind
    but it can change
    a child’s mind
    And as I grow
    the world it darkens
    Threatening scenes
    my petal shockens
    And as I wither
    I’m often mindless
    A scarring thriller
    for the wound widens.
    My roots will dry
    un-crumble down
    You’ll spot a seed
    upon the ground.
    You’ll pick it up
    and truly see
    what it can do
    to you and me.
    Just like a flower
    my heart unfolds
    to find a place
    so cruel and cold.
    Don’t be a flower
    stuck on the ground
    Just find the power
    and be the crowned.
    A simple flower
    Is all it takes
    to show the world
    Its great disgrace.

  • The Light in the Dark
    usp-author : HaleyM

    I am the light that wakes you each morning
    I am the darkness that haunts your dreams

    When you think of me, all you see is happiness
    When you think of me, tears stream down your face in fear

    You trust me to shield you from harm
    You try to stay away from me in fear of being harmed

    I give you hope for a better day
    I give you worry of a day wasted

    The only fear you fear from me is not making the most of the light
    The only trust you give to me is my consistency

    You know me as good
    You know me as bad

    Yet I know only lies
    And I know only truths

    Keep me close in times of need
    Keep me far for life and peace

    I know who you try to be
    I know who you want to be

    So trust me to know and protect you
    So trust me to know and protect you

  • Crystal Eyes
    usp-author : SamanthaP

    your eyes shine like the stars above you
    they sparkle like a thousand diamonds gleam
    colors shift between shades as the winds blew
    shining lights echo from every dream

    blind to the changing world around us all
    as i gaze upon your heavens gemstones
    can you catch me when we finally fall
    falling in your gems endless ocean tones

    but the dark clouds start to conceal the light
    hiding the precious stones from my gaze
    you become hidden from my searching sight
    stolen from me into a hidden blaze

    as the winds change my sight will never shift
    but the winds will never cause us to drift

    Bowie High School

    9

  • Universe
    usp-author : ReaganY

    My Universe, you’re big, confusing, and old
    And how I love the way you expand and fight,
    Too violent and massive to be controlled,
    Invading my mind day and through the night,

    Let me confess you are a beautiful hunt
    You are more revered, lovely and grand.
    Sometimes you are too grandly affront,
    And sometimes too cruel and out of hand.

    How I love you? There are too many ways.
    I love your aesthetic stars, and Milky Way arms.
    Thinking of your large arms fills my days.
    My love is expansive because of your charm.

    Now I watch your sky’s open stars,
    With wide eyes and an open mouth ajar.

  • The Wagering Crush
    usp-author : CampbellR

    Looking back she now knows how she had felt.
    Seeing them in public made her head light.
    She could not handle cards that she’d been dealt.
    He did not know she adored him in spite.
    His love belonging to another soul.
    Her thoughts are gambled, and emotions tossed.
    Without knowing, her heart was what he stole.
    Seeing now, that what he passed up is lost.
    She didn’t think she’d get over the thought
    of surrendering risky bets at hand,
    of not being liked by the one she sought.
    Can one truly notice flaws not so grand?
    She had thought that her flaws should be concealed,
    ‘cause who picks a daisy in a rose field?

  • Will You?
    usp-author : MariannaB

    Will you be there?

    When I was five and you thought I had cooties
    I wondered if you would still want to be friends.

    When we started middle school and you started having feeling for girls
    I wondered if you would still stand by my side or leave for the first girl that walked by.

    Will you be there when we go to high school and I grow into my body?

    Will you notice me?

    Those little hints I threw at you,
    Will you follow the trail,
    Or go towards someone else’s gingerbread house?

    Even when you have fallen for me I wonder if you will stay.

    Will you be there once we get married
    Or do I not give you enough?

    Will you still be there even when you have seen me at my worst?

    Will you pity me?

    Will you be scared of me?

    What will you do when I am at my lowest point?

    Will I be too much to handle?

    Will you comfort me?

    What about when we have spent years married together?

    Will you wake up one day and decide you don’t want me anymore?

    Instead of reassuring me of my insecurities,
    Will you find the constant need for approval annoying?

    Will you see the stretch marks trailing down my arms and legs,
    And see them as the ugly scars reminding you of how fat I was?

    Will you look at me and just see a stranger lying in your bed?

    Will you walk to the bathroom,
    Stare back at me through the mirror,
    And decide…

    You don’t love me anymore.

    And you never knew if you did.

    Will you?

  • Kingdom Come
    usp-author : ZiaM

    Grey stones line the dirty, beaten walkway.
    Flowers burst forth from spattered drops of blood.
    The sun rises; they’ll be here any day,
    dragging her behind them, dress caked in mud.
    Go west, the prophecy said, just go west.
    The people smiled, told her she’d be fine.
    She swore she tried, she really tried her best.
    He hadn’t cared, just said now you’ll be mine.
    But now the sky was falling from its height.
    All the roses wilt and the trees crumble.
    The kingdom cries in his evil, horrid might,
    even as the castle rises humble.
    And even as she screams, he gloats and preens:
    “Come look, my brothers, at my brand new queen!”

  • Affliction
    usp-author : RatnaC

    I am bound in this never-ending game of loss and misery. I’ve been taken never to see my family again. I know that I will never see the true light again.
    I start at daybreak and end at nightfall. I harvest the goodie that people enjoy simply that I grappled to make. As people savor the chocolate I struggled to create I feel as though they eat my flesh.
    The companies that earn big don’t look back at those they’ve throbbed. For there remain, children who’ve been kidnapped or sold, their youths departed in just one tick.
    Some of these children have opened their eyes to the world only to see the pain and agony it endures.
    My pain is expressed through the way a chocolate bar melts, for that is the trail I feel the direction of my life goes in; down. It leaves a path of chocolate and blood. For everything you enjoy, someone struggles on the other side simply to create it.
    Children struggle out there for kids in other places to enjoy. Our lives are not to be used by someone else. Children should not be used for labor. They have a life to live and someone to be.

  • the end
    usp-author : EmmaLS

    You left me again. You have put us to end.
    We grew apart faster than my text sent.
    There’s always a person in need of a friend.
    We grew apart faster than I could vent.
    The betrayal in your voice also found.
    Along with your secrets and trust all gone.
    All is buried in the cold breaking ground.
    Ill miss your vibrant smile all day long.
    You were a bright future lost in sight.
    Our storm caused the light to go out.
    You were the light at the end of the fight.
    We were so mad we couldn’t stop all the doubt.
    All is lost between us we weren’t right.
    But throughout this time we put up this fight.

    anderson

    9th

  • Different
    usp-author : MichelleP

    My heart aches whenever I’m arround you,
    I like you, but we don’t fit together well.
    Like a puzzle piece, broken at one end,
    So the pieces are not connected just right.
    I am a storm, brewing with anger and pain.
    I am a raven, dark as the night and very strange.
    You are the stars, mysterious and bright.
    You are the winter, cold and very beautiful.
    We are different from being perfect,
    But too perfect from being different.

    Anderson High School

    9

  • Will You?
    usp-author : Marianna B.

    Will you be there?

    When I was five and you thought I had cooties

    I wondered if you would still want to be friends.

    When we started middle school and you started having feeling for girls

    I wondered if you would still stand by my side or leave for the first girl that walked by.

    Will you be there when we go to high school and I grow into my body?

    Will you notice me?

    Those little hints I threw at you,

    Will you follow the trail,

    Or go towards someone else’s gingerbread house?

    Even when you have fallen for me I wonder if you will stay.

    Will you be there once we get married

    Or do I not give you enough?

    Will you still be there even when you have seen me at my worst?

    Will you pity me?

    Will you be scared of me?

    What will you do when I am at my lowest point?

    Will I be too much to handle?

    Will you comfort me?

    What about when we have spent years married together?

    Will you wake up one day and decide you don’t want me anymore?

    Instead of reassuring me of my insecurities,

    Will you find the constant need for approval annoying?

    Will you see the stretch marks trailing down my arms and legs,

    And see them as the ugly scars reminding you of how fat I was?

    Will you look at me and just see a stranger lying in your bed?

    Will you walk to the bathroom,

    Stare back at me through the mirror,

    And decide…

    You don’t love me anymore.

    And you never knew if you did.

    Will you?

    L.C. Anderson High School

    9th

  • The Art of Self-Destruction
    usp-author : Marianna B.

    I guess it’s karma
    For all the nights I would purposefully keep myself awake
    My own form of self-suffering
    Of self-destruction
    It was how I kept control
    Taking away the one thing I thought I always had
    Sleep

    Now that’s what I can no longer do
    I rest hour by hour
    Minutes by minute
    Nothing to nothing
    All it does is make the dark circles under my eyes grow
    They start shaping from color to formations
    Now they’re bags
    Insomniac or no

    But in the end I’ll forever be a believer in the Art of Self-Destruction

    L.C. Anderson High School

    9th

  • How Beautiful
    usp-author : Marianna B.

    If only you could see how beautiful you are
    If only you could see what I see
    You’d see the way you light up my world
    By only just existing

    Every time you smile
    I swear my life becomes ten times more pure
    Every time you laugh
    I swear I become ten times more innocent
    You opened me up to a new world
    Surrounded by color and clarity
    I don’t know where my life would be
    If you were not right next to me

    I watch the sun as it kisses your face
    The way it sets your hair aglow
    Or the way it lights up your eyes
    And the piercing black becomes a startling brown in which I wish more to know

    When you secretly tried to hide your tears
    But I catch one rolling down your cheek
    I would do anything to fight your demons
    And hug you into a peaceful sleep

    When you become angry
    And try to hold in your frustration
    All I can focus on is the cute way your button nose scrunches up
    And I forget all of my agitation

    When you laugh
    It sets heaven alight
    You are the cause for all the bright stars in the sky
    That shine clearly in the night

    If only you could see how beautiful you are
    If only you could see what I see
    You’d see the way you light up my world
    By only just existing

    L.C. Anderson High School

    9th

  • Walls
    usp-author : Marianna B.

    She was the girl with the walls that stood tall.

    She was the girl that appeared to have it all.

    With joy in her heart and a skip in her walk.

    She would bring a smile to your face every time she talked.

    She looked like she could fight the dark.

    She was the girl that would leave her mark.

    But one day those walls came tumbling down.

    And with that she lost her crown.

    L.C. Anderson High School

    9th

  • Consumed
    usp-author : Marianna B.

    It’s just a number, right?

    Wrong.
    It’s your whole life.
    You eat exercise.
    You breathe pounds.
    You see in numbers.
    It begins to take over everything.

    First it starts with exercise.
    Minutes turn to hours.
    Then you start to count calories.
    Thousands turn to hundreds until they turn to nothing.
    The numbers start to grow in your head.
    They’re the last thing you think of before you go to sleep.

    Second is weight.
    The first few days your body aches from hunger, but soon you begin to fall in love with it.
    The pain.
    It reminds you that what you’re doing is all for not.

    The first change you notice is your collarbone.
    You notice that it’s starting to pop out more.
    The next is in your hands.
    The bones you used to never see start to move and become more visible.
    Then your ribs start to appear a lot more when you breathe or stretch.
    Your legs then begin to shrink and the gap starts to appear.
    Your arms become skinnier and your face gives it all away.
    The thinness and fragileness of it gives away that you’re dying inside.
    The dark circles under your eyes contrast with your skin and those around begin to see how exhausted you are.

    And there you have it.
    You’re starting to die.
    The pain is gone at this point, but the thing that remains is the emptiness you feel inside.
    You’re hollow.
    A shell with a soul long gone.
    You no longer feel the life, the energy inside you.
    You begin to wonder how long you’ll keep going.
    What’s your breaking point?
    Every pound seems to take away a bit of your spark.
    Pretty soon there’s nothing left.
    You begin to ask yourself, “Will this be the death of me?”
    Will I let this consume me?
    You begin to start thinking yes.
    You don’t care if you’re starving.
    You don’t care if you begin to lose the ones around you.
    Because after all the numbers are what truly make you happy.

    But its no big deal, right?
    You don’t care.
    The other’s around you either took too long to notice or ignored it.
    You’ll be fine, right?
    After all, you’re only dying?

    It’s just a number, right?

    L.C. Anderson High School

    9th

  • I Believe In Darkness, I Believe In Light
    usp-author : Marianna B.

    I Believe In Darkness, I Believe In Light

    Fear. Evil. Screams. Tears. Hate. The Fallen. Exhaustion.
    Destruction. Poison. Harm. Wicked. Silence.
    Sin. Pain. Slipping. Trapped. Crime. Immortality. Fear. Damnation.
    Anxiety. Panic. Insecure. Fire. Fault. Addiction.
    Demons. Storms. Death. Scared. Chaos. Sadness. Darkness.
    I have fallen in love with the immoral.
    Seeking comfort within the shadows.
    There is something interesting about sin.
    Like dancing with the devil.
    The rush that comes from being bad.
    I have fallen in love with the darkness.

    I believe in darkness.
    But I also believe in light.

    Brave. Good. Laughter. Smiles. Love. Rise. Lively.
    Creation. Heal. Pure. Life. Beginnings.
    Warmth. Whimsical. Comfort. Secure. Hope. Family.
    Happiness. Yours and Mine. Protection.
    Positivity. Color. Present. Calm. Compassion. Light.
    I have fallen in love with the righteous.
    Finding joy in my innocence.
    Constantly searching and discovering.
    Like flying with angels.
    The calm that comes from stability.
    I have fallen in love with the light.

    I believe in darkness.
    But I also believe in light.

    L.C. Anderson High School

    9th

  • Blue (Version Two)
    usp-author : Marianna B.

    It allowed her to believe in color
    To now see the world in a light anew
    Her existence used to be much duller
    But suddenly gray was replaced by blue

    Years and moments that used to be a blur
    But now time in her life starts to stand still
    Dreams of happier times would defer
    Her life was really only going downhill

    She holds her happiness wrapped in a capsule
    She holds her entire life in her hands
    She has more soldiers to fight her battles
    She now begins to push through the badlands

    A world once surrounded by black and white
    She is now unstoppable, now she fights

  • Blue (Version One)
    usp-author : Marianna B.

    It taught her to see in color
    To see the world anew
    Her life used to be much duller
    But now gray was replaced by blue

    Days that used to be a blur
    But now time stands still
    Dreams of happier times would defer
    Her life was only going downhill

    Happiness was wrapped in a capsule
    She holds her entire future in her hands
    More soldiers to fight her battle
    She begins to push through the badlands

    A world once surrounded by black and white
    She is now unstoppable, she found her reason to fight

    L.C. Anderson High School

    9th

  • Promise
    usp-author : Marianna B.

    Promise that you’ll be alright

    Promise I’ll hold you tight through the night

    I’ll always be there for you

    Promise that you won’t go blue

    Promise that I’ll be you’re protector

    I promise that I’ll let no one hurt her

    promise, Promise, PROMISE

    Now I have nothing left to give

    But I promise

    Dedicated to my Promise

    L.C. Anderson High School

    9th

  • I Am Dead
    usp-author : Marianna B.

    I am dead

    I wonder what it is like to be alive
    To feel
    I know I am not alone
    I hear the silent screams of others when they are alone
    The silent plea for help
    I’m like them
    When alone the tears fall like a waterfall

    I am dead

    I pretend to be okay
    How are you feeling
    Fine
    Lie
    How has your day been
    Good
    Lie
    No one can tell
    It’s a mask
    The perfect mask
    I am cracked, broken
    But fine

    I am dead

    I feel invisible, unwanted
    I touch and break everything in my presense
    I just want to be loved
    But don’t deserve it
    I worry I am not good enough

    I am dead

    My mind is a dark place
    If you were to enter it you would get lost in a sea of horror and terror
    The night terrors
    Inner demons scary enough to cause a heart attack
    They have haunted me for years
    Silently creeping through the night
    Moving for hours
    When they leave peace comes

    I am dead

    I am a coward
    NO!
    Act strong
    NO!
    I AM A COWARD!
    It’s true
    The truth always surfaces
    I’m afraid, frustrated , anxious, UNHAPPY
    Conceal it, conceal it, conceal it
    Let them know and you fail
    Let them know and it makes you stupid
    I’m scared
    Scared for those I care about
    Scared of myself
    Scared of my mind
    The potential it has to get lost in itself

    I am dead

    I feeling it building
    Uh oh, the lump starts to form
    My eyes hurt
    Run!
    Be alone
    You have to make it
    A tear falls
    Almost there
    Now find a place to hide
    The bathroom
    Lock the door
    The bedroom
    Block the door
    Now let it out
    Don’t make any sound
    They can’t hear you
    It ocerwhelms my heart
    It aches
    It hurts physically
    Relieve it
    Relieve it
    There!
    Scratch over and over again
    It hurts but feels good
    It’s red but feels good
    They rise
    Focus on that
    Ow
    Keep going
    Stop
    Focus on the new pain
    What emotional one?
    Oh no
    It’s worse than I thought
    Don’t worry
    It’ll just rise then fall
    Rise then fall
    You’re okay
    It is getting better

    I am dead

    Oh no

    It’s building again
    Stop
    Never
    My breath shakes
    I need a distraction
    My arm sure itches
    SCRATCH IT
    I begin to run it
    NO SCRATCH IT YOU IDIOT
    Fine
    I use my nails and dig into my skin
    It feels so good
    Scratch harder, faster
    Okay
    My arm turns red
    I continue moving faster
    What was that?
    I look down and see raw skin
    That’s going to hurt in the morning
    It heals
    But it leaves something
    A reminder
    A scar
    Anxiety is a pain

    I am dead

    They always seem to follow me
    Their curiosity
    Piercing my soul
    Whats your name
    Don’t look at them
    Mari
    Please don’t say something else
    Where did you dmtransfer from
    Shoot
    Short and simple
    T.E.A
    Cool
    Thank God
    It is over

    I am dead

    Stupid
    Coward
    Afraid
    Ugly
    Fat
    Anxious
    Evil
    Psycho
    Scared
    Idiot
    Pretty soon you start to believe it
    You just have to keep telling yourself it
    Stupid
    Coward
    Afraid
    Ugly
    Fat
    Anxious
    Evil
    Psycho
    Scared
    Idiot
    Say it over and over again
    Stop
    STOP
    STOP
    STOP!

    I am dead.

    L.C. Anderson High School

    9th

  • I hate you
    usp-author : Michelle.P

    I hate you,
    With evey fibers of my soul,
    But you are me, and I am you.
    I don’t know what I hate it about you.
    Maybe it’s the way you try to steal my boyfriend.
    Or how you are overly nice and pure,
    While I’m very strange and rude.
    Or it’s how you make me want to barf,
    Everytime I hear your annoying voice.
    Or how you like everything that I hate.
    I don’t like it when you talk about how,
    You “failed” Geomeotry test,
    Or how you “draw” really good,
    but only traced anime things.
    I hate it every time I talk about something,
    You have to put your whiny pathetic opinon in.
    I hate you and I will never stop hating you…

    Anderson High School

    9

  • Suspended
    usp-author : fridacp

    *Authors Statement: This poem may raise concerns, but I wrote it for my friend who was going through a difficult time. Things are better now. I’d like to share this poem to raise awareness and let people know that they’ll never be alone.

    Laying in bed wishing I was dead
    unable to decipher the thoughts in my head
    like running water under the ice
    boredom consumes me it’s grip like a vice
    the tug of impulse at the roll of a dice
    a minute decision freedom is nice
    ‘Just come to terms with it is their advice’
    So when will I get the rest of my rights
    ‘Don’t act like you’re locked in a cage’
    They hiss at me with their pent up rage
    Meekly looking up and away-What if it is all untrue
    and looking at me is looking at you
    what do I see, please tell me
    everyone says it’s the ugly truth
    But that’s not what I see when I look at you
    They won’t explain so neither will I
    back to the feeling of wanting to die
    sweet release, comforting fleece
    Would there be a funeral? Who would come?
    Remembering them with their lively dreams
    guilt at the thought of tears making streams
    she would miss me, and so would the others
    bowing their heads and closing the shutters

    To Iason

    Ann Richards

    9

  • Crashing Waves
    usp-author : VictoriaO

    As I stepped into the sand
    my feet went from enjoying the expected
    relaxing sensation of vacation to
    the reality of crushed
    harsh sand
    compromised of sea shells
    that hurt my feet
    with every step.

    Ann Richards School

    9th

  • Living Between Worlds
    usp-author : anam

    I was beautiful, no one cared about my height, or how I looked liked
    But by the high standards of beauty that no one can reach Except models, by those standards and my height was a laugh
    I was accepted at once in my family for my sexual orientation, they didn’t think less of me
    My family still thinks I’m confused my mom thinks it’s disgusting to like two genders that’s great
    In my dream, I could do anything, Play the piano perfectly, sing with a great voice
    But in reality I can’t do any of that
    I’ d live in this world if I could
    I wish I could live in my dreams
    All I want are for my dreams to become…
    A reality

    Ann Richards School

    9th

  • Heart Strings
    usp-author : fridacp

    It started with the doubt that gnawed in my mind to the core
    then the searing self loathing leaving my soul in ashes
    But it was the loneliness that enabled the
    shears to snip strings to shreds

    It sounds like your voice
    tangled in my thoughts
    The shadow of your arms
    wrapped around my waist
    It sounds like the tug of a smirk when you whisper
    into my neck and me into yours
    the feel of your fingers makes shudder
    a look at your lips and my heart flutters
    The way we’d lean into each other

    After all we never went through

    Ann Richards

    9

  • Proof of Fact and Lies
    usp-author : Haleym

    “It never happened”

    The words are burnt onto my tongue
    Its burn, a constant reminder of the truth.
    An ache in your chest, a stinging in the eyes,
    the flashbacks proof of fact and lies.

    I hear sirens blare its sound throughout the hall,
    yet I know they’re not there to save me.

    The end is near, I fear, but with a final push,
    I jump up, racing, the stairs growing nearer as sweat and tears blind me.

    The resolution, I gather, will come as long as I don’t listen to those who yell,
    “It never happened”

    Ann Richards

    9th

  • Past, Unknown
    usp-author : Haleym

    Tears stream down the unconscious child’s cheeks,
    as her hair,
    matted with dried blood,
    flows gently in the harsh winter air.

    Her mother’s arms,
    loosely wrapped around the girl’s small frame,
    are shaking with fear.

    Fear,
    not for the innocence bleeding in her hands,
    but for herself,
    and her own clear conscience.

    The destination grows nearer,
    as does the child’s safety.

    When,
    at last,
    the mother walks in.

    Hesitantly,
    she hands the child,
    her own flesh and blood,
    blood that is now stained onto her hands, clothing, wall,
    to a nurse.

    The events that follow are vague,
    as is what had occurred before.

    Still, the truth is hidden in the family,
    whispers and glances prove to be evidence,
    and tears,
    fact through the fiction.

    All that is known will be revealed through time,
    but, until then,
    the child shall live her life without thoughts of her past.
    Without the torment of not knowing the truth.

    Blissfully unaware.

    Ann Richards

    9th

  • Water
    usp-author : NiaO

    There must be something in the water
    The water that fills the glasses of men.
    Men who dismiss me because I’m not exotic.
    Because you will never find my hair on somebody’s cheap wig.
    Because no one goes into the doctor’s office and asks for my nose
    Because there are lotions filled with bleach meant to lighten my skin
    And Whiten my mind
    Just like how you whiten your teeth to brighten your smile.
    I’m confused
    Does this mean that I need some new double Ds
    And a bag full of weave to make you want me?
    There must be something in this water.
    This water that I’m drowning in
    You’ve filled the pool over my head and I can’t swim
    Meanwhile, there are foreign girls sitting by the beach getting a tan
    Darkening their skin while you tell me to lighten mine
    But I’m fine
    The surgery will only take a little time,
    and some blood to make me the girl that can
    finally, feel wanted.
    Finally feel like more than somebody’s second choice.
    Finally feel like a girl who isn’t surprised when a boy shows interest in her.
    There must be something in this water
    That you force down my throat
    Because now as I look in the mirror it’s harder and harder to resist
    Your grip. This must be the feeling that gets people to slit their wrists.
    When you’re tired of fighting and want to give in because the water tastes like poison, but promises heaven, so you just keep drinking
    Until you realize that you’re not who you thought you were anymore.
    Your hair has been burned and your skin is boiling.
    Some days you can’t even remember your own name
    It’s insane, but it’s true
    You don’t know what to say and you don’t know what to do
    so you just blame it on the water.

    Liberal Arts and Science Academy

    9th

  • Unappricated Notes
    usp-author : Lucasb

    He doesnt play the stage
    The stage played them
    Crying with the unappricated music
    Making a last ditch effort to unuse it
    He wants a half note, not the measure
    Unplayed whole notes, death to a bar
    Heart pounding, with wooden sounds About to burst into a trillion pounds
    On him
    Passion is the first thing he has
    Nervousness is his third curse
    Music second to none
    Best at none
    A slave to the notes
    A rage to the notes condition
    No one listens to a musician

    Anderson

    9

  • Cloud
    usp-author : SamanthaP

    Cloud
    I am a cloud
    Now you probably think I’m joking
    Or a kid who has dreams of flying with nothing holding me down
    No
    I am a cloud
    But not the nice kind
    I don’t float freely in the sky
    I am a cloud that’s chained to the ground
    No I’m not fog
    Nor am I actually a cloud
    Just a kid
    I hold a cloud
    In my band
    It weighs me down
    Like the challenges I face
    I want to be like a cloud in the sky
    Or even the fog on the ground
    Only because
    They are free
    Free to do as they wish
    My cloud it chains me to the ground
    Why couldn’t it be real
    And allow me to float free in the sky
    I am a cloud
    Not the free kind
    But a cloud
    Not a real one
    Just a prop
    Barley noticed on a field of performers
    I’m a cloud
    Who doesn’t float free

    Bowie High School

    9

  • I AM Poem
    usp-author : SamanthaP

    I am like a small crack on a frozen lake,
    Surrounded by other bigger and smaller.
    I wonder if people can see the HIDDEN CRACKS In OUR WORLD.
    I hear the whispers of the wind around me.
    I see the light of childish wonder in those smaller than me.
    I want to be seen for who I am
    I am like a small crack on a frozen lake.

    I pretend that I can handle anything that happens.
    I feel the cold touch of those who have passed.
    I touch the sands of time that fly by me,
    Never able to fully grab them.
    I worry about the past I should let go.
    I cry only when I think I’m alone
    I am like a small crack on a frozen lake.

    I understand that I can’t be perfect.
    I say we break the chains that hold us back.
    I dream that I will be happy forever.
    I try to keep everything together,
    Even when I know I can’t.
    I hope that no one notices the cracks of imperfection I hide.
    I am like a small crack on a frozen lake,
    Not as alone as I thought.

    Bowie High School

    9

  • I am
    usp-author : SamanthaP

    I am like a fire
    Burning bright
    I illuminate wild eyes
    Like an animal
    Ready to strike
    A glint of madness
    In my flames
    I am like the calm before the storm
    Quite until I strike
    I am the insanity of the flame
    Consuming all I touch
    Every thought
    Every action
    I am like the smoke of a fire
    Dark and pungent
    Killing those who stay
    Slowly chocking the life away
    As I burn the wood
    All other thoughts leave me
    All I know is fleeing my fire grasp
    I am the embers of the fire
    What’s leftover
    I am all that’s left
    After the insanity strikes
    I am like the smell of a burnt out fire
    The only thing that tells you
    I was here
    I’ve destroyed all else
    I am a fire
    I burn and destroy all in my path
    Nothing can reach me
    For none can touch me
    I am eternal
    eternal and alone

    Bowie High School

    9

  • When Plate Tectonics Move
    usp-author : RachelP

    When Plate Tectonics Move
    By Rachel Paiz

    When plate tectonics drift apart
    They leave behind a permanent scar
    They eventually form as an ocean ridge
    Which can lead up to a mountain bridge
    That nobody knew would ever exist

    Oh when plate tectonics converge as one
    An earthquake has begun
    In the earth’s surface
    Present and in past
    Isolating and diverging
    Valleys start to form at last

    From the deepest ocean trenches
    To the highest mountain tops
    There is a rising volcano that never stops

    Beneath the earth
    The rocky inner layer core rises up more
    Like it never did before

    Boundaries transform moving side by side
    Eventually connect and glide

    David Crockett High School

    9th Grade

  • Trail of Tears
    usp-author : RachelP

    A million tear drops to be found
    Falling empty to the ground
    Forced to leave the rivers, forest, freedom and their homes
    And nature speaks thru them all alone
    but makes no sound
    Their steps are no where to be found
    Oh their sadden souls
    That nobody else would come to know
    Just their lost shadows
    Who knew would come to grow
    Maybe their melodies would echo their goodbyes
    But you can still hear their soulful cries

    David Crockett High School

    9th

Entries: 10th

  • lost at sea
    usp-author : RachelC

    She doesn’t cry because she doesn’t like wasting time
    on pointless pleas for sentiments never shared
    sympathies stolen
    and things never given.

    She remembers bits of words and lots of letters
    the soft and wrinkled edges of notebook paper
    Gentle curves between the lines
    anxious turning…
    Check the time.

    When she writes, her eyes go blind and somehow
    she feels lost.
    In a place that is entirely her own
    to share and to hide
    I don’t think she minds.

    But when she stops and breathes out slowly
    Bites her lips and turns the pencil she’s holding
    with nails that gnaw into skin
    I am terrified.

    She promises not to cry but
    Nobody’s listening
    Everything wants a say
    and all their little voices and little faces
    Make her so afraid.

    The waves that build inside her eyes
    make me think she isn’t blind.
    Instead she must want to be
    away

    lost at sea.

    S. F. Austin High School

    10

  • Morning Routine
    usp-author : Stephanie V

    Eyes flutter open
    Sunshine streaming in through the blinds
    Swaddled in a blanket of warmth
    Unable to leave the comfort of sleep

    Reach out
    Hands fumbling to turn on
    The phone whose clock reads 8:13
    Overslept an hour

    Rip back the blankets
    Tumble frantically out of bed
    Cold air instantly awakening
    The warmth only a distant memory

    Clothes thrown on
    Teeth half brushed
    Desperately urging the coffee to brew faster

    Folders strewn across the counter
    All stuffed
    Into one backpack
    Hoping everything’s there

    The coffee is ready
    Grabbing the keys
    Glancing one last time
    To make sure nothing’s forgotten

    Out the door
    Locking behind
    Get to the car
    Open the door

    Glancing once more at the time
    And the date
    You realize
    It’s Saturday

    Austin High School

    10th

  • Unspoken Words
    usp-author : Saylbug

    Those pretty, blue eyes
    bright like the cloudless sky
    saying what words can’t tell
    but pulling away as soon as she Fell.
    That sweet, knowing smile
    leaving a daze for the while
    causing for her a dozen emotions
    but creating her own tear-filled ocean.
    So many things that she’d like to say
    uncertainty keeping them all at bay.
    Wishing she could simply spend her time
    with the boy who failed to speak his Mind.

    Austin High School

    10

  • The Path
    usp-author : BlayceW

    We are born on an untaken path,
    We start walking.
    We walk and walk
    Suddenly on the sides,
    We see things.

    We see faces and other people,
    We see art,
    We hear music,
    We taste food,
    We start to grow.

    We keep walking the path,
    We hit obstacles and road blocks.
    We push through.

    We learn to solve problems,
    We continue.

    We meet others walking on paths of their own,
    We create friendships,
    We discover love and companionship,
    We construct families.

    We carry a blanket stick of accomplishments,
    And memories,
    And deeds.

    The path begins to fade and become worn,
    We lose friends,
    We lose loves,
    We find the path hard to follow.

    We reach the end of the path,
    Alone, worn, tired, and broken.

    Finally, there’s the cliff,
    No bottom in sight.

    We plunge into the dark.
    And nothing.

    William B. Travis High School

    10

  • Desk of Stress
    usp-author : DylanG

    Some don’t feel it
    Some feel it
    The pressure of it
    It can be overwhelming
    But once you get it under control
    It will lift a load off your chest
    Don’t let it overwhelm you
    Once it does it will feel like a
    Ton on your chest
    Don’t let it win

  • Wine-Dark Sea
    usp-author : GabrielB

    At the dawn of the journey, a chord was struck, so gruesome
    Odysseus had a ship filled with the spoils of war, but carried an even more peculiar cargo-
    Pride.
    The arrogant sailors provoke the gods and are expelled by the wine-dark sea, so unrelenting
    Odysseus finds himself on the brink of his demise
    Luckily, salvation befalls him
    He is recovered by the nymph Kalypso
    Odysseus remembers his home and abandons the nymph without question. So bitter
    He journeys to the underworld to seek exemption from his torment
    He ventures into the darkest corners of the world
    Upon his sacrifice to the dead, Odysseus gains the knowledge of his escape
    Odysseus is encapsulated by the shrieking and surging of death and destruction
    Finally, after his assessment, a chord was struck, so bright.

  • Good for you.
    usp-author : RachelC

    You’re a self-fulfilling prophecy.
    I’m not the cause but a catalyst
    Of everything you already set in motion.
    Now you’re late to your own pity party.
    We’ve grown bored waiting for you to show up
    Take responsibility.

    Too bad your heart’s too mutilated to feel even this last
    Most shocking, last-ditch desperation.
    There’s so much mean in me these days.
    My best intentions could make your blood run cold.

    Wouldn’t you like to know.
    You fancy yourself so intellectual.
    We’d all like to imagine ourselves as something superior
    One of the gods, even if for only a moment.
    Fine then. Enjoy your moment but
    pay with everything you’ll never own.
    You’ve outgrown the benefit of the doubt.

    Does it taste sweet?
    Champagne mixed from blood, sweat, and tears
    And none of them your own.
    Choke on it. Struggle for breath and
    despise your own failing lungs.
    It’s the closest you’ll ever stumble towards understanding.
    There’s no kindness left.
    Goodwill has gone and is no sooner returning
    Than a sincere word from your mouth.

    We’re all fools for you and I know that you know.
    The smile in your eyes can’t betray the wicked grin in your mind
    While you lay your plans and our dreams bare.
    Your law is no more than a piece of thread
    To twist and to bend.
    You hang our hopes from them
    And beat the last drops of will from their broken remains.
    Is it fun?

    You don’t deserve even the lowest things.
    Not a scrap of love left to toss to you.
    You are a useless, sinking boat on barren seas
    Empty of everything except your own delusions.
    Love your hallucinations, then.
    I will bleed you dry from the cuts you make
    With every bitter word you speak.
    Don’t blame me.

    The chains you hate are the ones you hold
    All your cleverness, has it gotten old?
    Struggle all you want
    You’re the one who’s always had control.
    I’m sure you’d say I’m undeserving of your demands.
    A foolish, stupid creature. Just a beast of burden.
    Carry the weight of your own words, then.
    I refuse to pay the ransom to rescue you from
    Your own sinking sands.

    Let’s be honest, no one wants amends.

  • Then, Before and After
    usp-author : blayce01

    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

  • This Feeling
    usp-author : Blayce01

    This is the worst feeling ever,
    The uncertainty is throbbing.

    What is going on?
    Where is she?

    This never happens,
    I must know.

    I am lost at sea, one-million miles off course,
    I am scared for her,
    I am scared for me.

    I need her.

    William B. Travis Early College High School

    10

  • Untaken
    usp-author : Blayce01

    We are born on an untaken path,
    We start walking.
    We walk and walk,
    Suddenly on the sides,
    We see things.

    We see faces and other people,
    We see art,
    We hear music,
    We taste food,
    We start to grow.

    We keep walking the path,
    We hit obstacles and road blocks.
    We push through.

    We learn to solve problems,
    We continue.

    We meet others walking on paths of their own,
    We create friendships,
    We discover love and companionship,
    We construct families.

    We carry a blanket stick of accomplishments,
    And memories,
    And deeds.

    The path begins to fade and become worn,
    We lose friends,
    We lose loves,
    We find the path hard to follow.

    We reach the end of the path,
    Alone, worn, tired, and broken.

    Finally, there’s the cliff,
    No bottom in sight.

    We plunge into the untaken path.
    And nothing.

    William B. Travis Early College High School

    10

  • When the Moon First Spoke
    usp-author : RachelC

    Wandering over ashen hills
    A forest’s breath of nightly chills.
    My face was cold, my mind aglow.
    So much was there I sought to know!
    I stretched my hands up to the dark
    Guided by nature’s campfire, a starlight spark.
    Then in the silence, I dared speak.
    Though my voice was strong,
    The sound was weak.

    “Particle filament drifting wayward,
    Where has your sunshine gone?
    Dust settling upon the beaten ground,
    Why do you cast no shadow?
    Lights of the skies inside my eyes,
    What do you reflect?
    Glimmering and glistening, an impression from above
    Are you of hate, of war, of… love?”

    Then the moon glow bent down to me
    And whispered frosted sunshine into my soul.
    “Little one of dust and tears
    I am neither, listen, hear…
    I know little of hate or war.
    Love to me was never given before.
    But I transpose what I do see,
    And this is the light given to me.

    Sunshine saw my barren earth
    Tipping toward a world of warmth.
    And so it sent upon me light
    To be a beacon in the night.

    That is why, little one, I do not know.
    I only mirror what I am shown.
    But they are good things, I do dare hope.
    How could I know from my eclipsed scope?

    My vantage high, my vantage cold,
    In this ground is trust I hold.
    Little things and large dreams
    Fill your heart till stretch its seams.

    And then one night come back to me,
    And share all the things that you have seen.
    Show me life and light and love.
    And I will know from far above.

    You speak of love; you speak of war.
    Learn of joy and grief and more.
    Fill your heart, you evanescent earth,
    And gaze with your own eyes
    Upon all the life I see from the skies.”

    Then the moon blew back faraway
    And brought me sunshine, brought me day.
    Upon the ground dew had formed
    Moonlight’s tears now sunlight warmed.

    Then I knew what I wanted to find
    To mirror light
    To bring back love
    To the moon’s place far above.

    I took one step and then one more.
    I understood what the moon’s voice was for.
    To tug our hopes,
    To remind our mind
    Of all it is we dream inside.

    Brightening our shadows
    Until our slumbering aspirations awoke
    This its silvan light illuminated
    When the moon first spoke.

    S. F. Austin High School

    10

  • lost at sea
    usp-author : RachelC

    She doesn’t cry because she doesn’t like wasting time
    on pointless pleas for sentiments never shared
    sympathies stolen
    and things never given.

    She remembers bits of words and lots of letters
    the soft and wrinkled edges of notebook paper
    Gentle curves between the lines
    anxious turning…
    Check the time.

    When she writes, her eyes go blind and somehow
    she feels lost.
    In a place that is entirely her own
    to share and to hide
    I don’t think she minds.

    But when she stops and breathes out slowly
    Bites her lips and turns the pencil she’s holding
    with nails that gnaw into skin
    I am terrified.

    She promises not to cry but
    Nobody’s listening
    Everything wants a say
    and all their little voices and little faces
    Make her so afraid.

    The waves that build inside her eyes
    make me think she isn’t blind.
    Instead she must want to be
    away

    lost at sea

    S. F. Austin High School

    10

  • Honesty
    usp-author : RachelC

    All those days just trying to get out of my own head
    I’m greedy like this.
    With the comforting lies I repeat to myself
    “This doesn’t matter as much to anyone else.”

    I know it isn’t true or fair,
    But with everything I see, read, and hear
    “My teacher made me do this.”
    And
    “I thought it’d be easy.”
    Words like those hurt, and they slander.
    But what right do I have to judge?

    If you can’t try to win, then this must be a hobby.
    But ranking matters to those who writing means something.
    No, I’m sure it is possible to live in interest or appreciation.
    But to someone young and foolish,
    Writing has been that last thread
    From which I hang.
    It’s a delicate place to stay.
    But I fought to be here and I don’t want to leave.
    I live to write, and I write to breathe.

    I want to live off the words I write and that’s why I know
    My writings need to be recognized.
    It isn’t enough for me alone to bask under the words I write.
    Someday soon I’ll need to open my world a little wider,
    And all those precious hopes and broken thoughts
    Will be trampled on and picked to pieces.
    But peace is more than I can afford
    Because I need to write.
    Please prove me wrong.

    For me, “hobby” disrespects the friends and advocates,
    My closest confidantes,
    Who led me slow and scared
    From all those dark and dangerous places,
    The closets and forests in my mind.

    Yes, I take it seriously
    Because I’m writing fearfully.
    I love this so much.
    I don’t want this to end.
    I’m fighting for my future.
    Please try to understand.

    These words are not beautiful.
    They do not win contests.
    But I’m trying so hard,
    And I wanted to be honest.

  • I don’t believe in suicide.
    usp-author : RachelC

    When we fall and stall and climb
    It’s suicide. It’s suicide.
    All the madness in my mind
    It’s suicide! It’s suicide!
    All the words I hide inside
    It’s suicide! It’s suicide!
    The dead can’t speak of suicide.
    The passed can’t see, cannot breathe.
    And that is why I know I live.
    They say I’m dead; I’m meant to die
    Of suicide. Just suicide.
    And yet I see, I breathe, I feel
    In this world that I hold dear.

    I’m not yet ready to change or die
    I don’t believe in suicide.
    So please give me time to live this life.
    There’s beauty here, time preserved.
    Beauty in these spoken words.
    Pay me little mind.
    You don’t need to feel anything at the something that is me.
    After all, I’m suicidal.
    A suicidal in denial.

    Call me cancer. Make me a traitor if you must.
    It’s just that I have a hard time letting go of the things I’m given.
    I was given breath, and life, even love.
    Such painstakingly beautiful gifts from above.
    You still live in bondage to our world.
    But I am free now, nevermind tomorrow
    I was freed by all my sorrow.

    But die they say, I must die.
    I wonder why I must die.
    A time for all and my time is now.
    My worthless misgivings will never show.
    My life, my dreams, they’ll never know.

    So while you may be able to stop me from existing
    You certainly cannot stop me from living.
    I often don’t like living but I’ll live my life
    Because it was a gift love.

    Sometimes, I confess, it gets lonely down here!
    I wonder, does anyone feel what I feel.
    I’m dead, no I’m not, ah–it’s so complicated.
    All my attempts are quickly frustrated.
    To be and belong, these things are not mine.
    No more than the air that I breathe
    Or the words that I rhyme.

    Sometimes it’s hard to keep trying like this!
    All the things I never had I miss.
    Every moment I wonder if who I am is real
    I don’t know myself these days
    I’m afraid when my thoughts stray
    To suicide. To suicide.

    They never look me in the eye.
    They’re just waiting for me to die
    From suicide. Yes, suicide.
    They’ll never cry for all they lost.
    They’ll never know what they lost.
    (Admittedly, it was not much, but it was mine.)
    If it’s easier, then believe the lies
    That I’m already dead from suicide.

    Even now, I’ll live and breathe.
    No longer existing, so it seems.
    It’s beautiful, it’s restless… I am free
    To be absolutely nothing.
    Either way, I won’t quit life.
    I want to live more than to die.
    I’ll try. I’ll try. I’ll try. I’ll try.
    I don’t believe in suicide.

    My blood stops running, my lungs stop breathing
    This new existence is so freeing.
    I won’t die to suicide.

    S. F. Austin High School

    10

  • Sincerity
    usp-author : RachelC

    Arms, reaching, a cradle of thought.
    Melodramatic misgivings are ignored.
    So what if I can’t speak beautifully?
    There’s meaning in every word that I unravel
    To take the fear apart
    And expose all the rehearsed ugliness, the cogs and gears.
    Love is a line you read from a book
    A stolen quote from some unsuspecting author
    Who deserves much better
    Than to have their artistry
    Tarnished once spoken from a mouth like yours.
    I do not need
    perfection.
    But could you find
    sincerity?
    Somewhere among all the beautiful words
    I have found a lonely parasite.
    What am I supposed to do?

  • No thanks, never mind.
    usp-author : RachelC

    We look for things we’ve never known.
    Grieving things we cannot own.
    And it crawls around inside our minds
    And binds away our hope from the inside.
    I don’t want it.

    I want to open my heart to the world,
    But there’s parasites corrupting everything good.
    I need to be kinder and so much better.
    But it’s hard to have a pure heart when you’re a bloodletter.

    If I was a little smarter I’d stifle my own breath
    But I’m foolish and young and oh so selfish.
    I’ll fall a thousand times into myself
    And never once land on my feet.
    Because this is a game I always play,
    And it’s a game I’ll never win.

  • Don’t Whisper.
    usp-author : RachelC

    I’m whispering away the silence
    While my mind is still, my heart is violent.
    Turning in over itself. Begging for freedom over all that is left.

    But these whisperings remain untouched
    Little much that whispering does.
    In all the screaming cries of this world,
    Our quiet whisperings are ignored.

    I need to think and I need to breathe.
    I think I’m breathing, so it seems.
    Please release me now from this binding reality
    I’d rather fall than falter one more day
    I’d rather die alone than be forced to stay
    Beside all that you are.

    The gears that click slowly into place
    Are lost in our graceless world.
    A tasteless void fills me now.
    A life’s objections surrounds me, but how
    Else can I break this silence?

    They trample over all that I am
    Nothing more than a useless, empty vessel trying to stand.
    My heart will bleed onto this page.
    After all, the wrists remember better days.

    I know I mention whispering, but words are all that I am.
    A quiet puff of air, and whispers blow away like sand.
    And so while they are free, we remain ensnared
    All because we tried to care.

    It’s some sort of irony… it has to be, right?
    The way we lose ourselves in this struggle.
    “I want to be good.”
    And so I let life just live.
    But even a little space
    Is more than this world gives.

    Our refusal to conform begins to transform
    Into a terrible hate for the terror.
    Our love for light is lost in the night
    Because we refused to compromise with violence.
    And so, once again, we are left with the silence.

    This silence is not the absence of voices
    More likely the culmination of all our well-intentioned choices.
    When you keep your heart open
    The world has its way.
    Little by little, all the hurt numbs the pain.
    Step by step, we don’t care if they fall.
    If I pause to think… do we still care at all?.

    You’re right, you know. The young are different.
    We adapt very quickly, so we’ll no longer be the recipient
    Of all the chaos of your world.

    We’re tired of the lull after every unanswered word.
    We’re tired of the quiet, all the lives on auto-pilot.
    We’re tired of bad endings, therefore it’s time that we begin
    To be what we need, to accomplish what we want.
    Please forgive us; our love is lost in violence,
    But it’s time these voices spoke and shattered all the silence.

    S. F. Austin High School

    10

  • angels in new england
    usp-author : InayahM

    we were like angels
    our toes carried us
    quick against cold concrete to chipped red monkey bars
    our fingers led us home
    pointing to the swirling circles of light dance in the dark blue
    our noses taught us how
    the pale and bright hydrangea sang under it’s satisfied sun, the soil against my skin feeling like the safest home i knew
    our lips brought us memories
    crying the anthems of our little life
    knowing how to build the words but never what lay behind them
    our eyes granted wishes
    blossoming fantasy into our own palms, shimmers of excitement sprouting from behind the glass and into the dark curls of my hair that shook with each over energetic blink
    our hearts stayed
    stayed as we drove away
    as we felt the creak of that wood one last time
    as we ran with a clueless smile out of that life forever
    we were like angels
    angels in new england

    Austin High School

    10

  • Ode to Dog
    usp-author : MaryJewelC

    She is dark and big.

    Always there for the family;

    Oh, how I love her.

    Austin High School

    10

  • What is Kerrville?
    usp-author : Victorias

    What is Kerrville?
    To me, it’s a sacred ground
    Where songs are the prayers
    and I get lost in the one place I feel found
    There the language is music
    And fingers dance with care
    As they swim across guitar strings
    Fluttering through the air
    It’s a place where you’re not judged
    And your voice is always heard
    A place where you wake up
    And the first sound you hear is a songbird
    Politics and religion don’t divide us
    We are all one
    And we believe we are all connected
    We are apart of the sun

    When you see welcome home
    With beautifully painted white letters
    In front I see him place the stones
    And red, green and yellow plastic
    feathers
    Its mix master with red shirts worn
    Seeing storp written on a stop sign
    seeing this world untorn
    knowing everything is going to be fine

    walking Around the big green meadow
    Searching for my dear old friends
    A year since we’ve said hello
    These friendships that don’t have ends
    kerrparents John and Mary
    giving hugs with a smile on their face
    It’s John finding watermelon unnecessary
    And them giving me a sweet from a peach place
    seeing Ken play at camp stupid
    And eating burgers late at Camp Buyou Love
    being surrounded by folk music
    And bugs I don’t know the name of

    It’s going to the Music Camp for Teens
    lying about my age at 10
    the wonderful John and Francine
    thanking a stick bug for Austin my friend
    It’s the staff giving an opportunity
    For me to get up on stage
    It’s about making a little community
    So that I don’t have to be afraid
    It’s about going on a canoe trip
    With bill Oliver and Noodles
    It’s hoping that the boat won’t flip
    And I won’t get bit by anything unusual

    Mr.pancake singing silly songs
    Jena and Mathew writing poetry
    Susan Roads taking pictures all day long
    The best music of the century
    Loose helping me play the bass
    Annie keeping beat with her body
    Looking at a smile on everyone’s face
    Remember the things that everybody told me

    working backstage for performers
    keeping the green room clean
    seeing Dallis being a supporter
    She’s the heart of this magnificent machine
    She’s standing at her desk smiling
    with Dove Dark Chocolate in her hand
    listening to performers inspiring
    Making it feel like a dreamland
    seeing Rossi, Doc, Fish, and Dave
    Smile as I go by
    black shirts buzzing bees swarming sound waves
    I’m Fascinated by how they fly

    But most of all it would have to be
    Singing heal in the wisdom at night
    another goodbye still hard for me
    We all hold each other so tight
    each note we sing with love in our hearts
    Crying with our fellow man
    We all sing in harmony parts
    “One day together we’ll heal in the wisdom and we’ll understand”

    Kerrville means everything to me
    I wouldn’t be the same without it
    And though this poem is not complete
    I still felt the need to say it
    You may be three hours away
    But there are wonders that you have shown
    Someday I want to be onstage and play
    But forever I will call you HOME

    Austin High School

    Sophomore

  • Ocean Love
    usp-author : SaraV

    Ocean Love
    I walked out into the ocean
    Felt the water rising past my ankles, my hips, my chest.
    Wave after wave
    Furiously beating down
    On my back
    The salt water stings
    But I open my mouth and tell her,
    (the ocean)
    tales of you anyway.
    And after I have finished confessing
    The salt in her body turns to sugar

    Anderson High School

    10th

  • My First Kiss
    usp-author : sk.helm

    Do you remember middle school dates?
    Maybe you touched hands once while reaching for popcorn at the movie theatre
    Or he got up the courage to hold your hand while you walked out of the ice cream shop
    And didn’t drop it until his mom’s car turned the corner
    And you spent the drive home getting interrogated by an intrigued off-duty PTA mom.
    My most memorable middle school date was in eighth grade
    With the very serious “boyfriend” I “dated” for eleven whole months.
    We were three months into our little relationship before we left the texting-only trap
    And decided that, because we were so mature, we should go on a proper date.
    Our moms dropped us off at the Starbucks at the Domain
    We window-shopped while drinking hot chocolate, and I stayed close to him for warmth.
    We had our first kiss outside of Tiffany’s.
    Our lips were so numb from the cold that it felt like kissing a dead fish.
    The first thing I did afterwards was text my best friend. Back then, everything was so exciting.
    We lived for stolen kisses and stories to tell jealous seventh graders,
    And we knew it was real because we used the red heart emoji when we said goodnight.
    Years later, when I text my best friend about a boy, “we kissed!” is not usually the content.
    Freshman year, I lusted after juniors and seniors because they made me feel special,
    Like I was better than the other girls because my hookups weren’t all legal.
    There’s something about being 15 and being okay with feeling used,
    Young enough to be naïve but old enough that the stakes are too high.
    Innocence disappears in wisps, curling away like the smoke
    From the joints we light on rooftops and at concerts and in our bathrooms with the fan running
    So that we can forget what happens that night.
    We watch it disappear into the nighttime air as we convince ourselves we wanted that
    Or drunkenly search for our clothes on the ground.
    And our virginities are like our childhoods: we want to be as far from them as possible
    But letting go of that last doll is oddly hard.
    No kid really knows how young they are.
    And as I’m falling in love and starting to feel okay again,
    Like I’m forgiven for my mistakes, like there is more to who I am than shame,
    It’s hard to remember that not everyone will hurt me
    The way everyone has before.
    I don’t miss kissing outside of Tiffany’s, and it’s nice not having to get rides from our moms.
    I want the middle ground: love without fear, lust without danger
    And finally allowing myself to trust.

    Anderson High School

    10th

  • Room
    usp-author : StormyK

     

    She wasn’t organized says the clothes on the floor
    Joined by school papers scattered carelessly
    She was a teenage girl says charger cords
    and discarded chapstick containers
    she liked video games says the
    discarded pile of cases in a corner
    She loved music says the broken dusty
    CD player tucked carefully under the bed

    She loved small spaces says the closet
    lined with pillows and blankets
    She liked to read here says the pile
    of books scattered under the clothes
    She liked chocolate says the empty wrappers
    Scattered carelessly inside among the discarded socks
    She collected stuffed animals says the
    Basket in one corner with holes in it’s mesh

    She dressed up as a child says the cheap plastic
    jewelry in a container on the dresser
    She liked cinnamon says multiple scrubs,
    sprays, and lotions in a blue plastic box
    she liked figurines says the little dolls
    and action figures littering the surface
    She loved to draw says the sketches and
    color drawings taped to the Mirror

    Something’s happening says the boxes stacked
    on one wall, only half of them filled
    she doesn’t like it says the trash cans overflowing with tissues and their boxes
    They’d already taken the desk says the
    indent in the carpet where it stood for years
    I don’t want to leave says the tears that
    streamed down her face and soaked her shirt

    Anderson High School

    10

  • Weekend
    usp-author : StormyK

    I feel like I could drop
    I stare at the clock

    Will this day never end
    The time just seems to extend

    Minute by minute second by second
    Hurry up I beckoned

    My bag was packed and ready to go
    My excitement was starting to show

    A shrill sound filled the air
    Kids started going everywhere

    They filled the hall
    Wall to wall

    Most going in the same direction
    ‘This is almost like traffic’ I thought in reflection

    I’d honk my horn if I had one
    For the school week was finally done

    At home I heard the calling of my bed
    Netflix glowing a glorious red

    Homework to be ignored till Sunday
    And, who knows, maybe even Monday

    Look I finally reached the door
    I’m so looking forward to video games till the morning hours of four

    I walk hurriedly to the bus
    For if I delayed it I would cause a fuss

    On its route the bus begins
    My music pulsing through my earbuds so loud it sound be a sin

    Eventually we approach my stop
    It would have been sooner if we had a siren like a cop

    I rush home my music even louder
    I don’t think the Flash could have been prouder

    Finally I reach the door
    Of my home
    my favorite place on earth

    Anderson High School

    10

  • Who I am- Mad Writer
    usp-author : MarkM

    Before, during, and after my last adventure.
    I had forgotten who I was, who I am.
    I had just been stumbling through my black and white, silent movie.
    I realize now,
    I am an entertainer.
    Made to entertain the masses and bring joy to my friends,
    Now I must dress in my costume,
    Jeans,
    check,
    Long white socks,
    check,
    Worn shoes,
    check,
    Random t-shirt,
    check,
    Sweat-Shirt,
    check,
    The main pieces are set.
    I take one last look at myself as I walk out the door,
    Oops forgetting something,
    Flash my hand across my face,
    A Smile,
    Now I’m ready.
    Lets see what my next endeavor will hold.
    -The Mad Writer

    Austin High School

    10

  • My Scrawny Nightmare
    usp-author : Taliah

    My dear love is scrawny and a nightmare,
    Glowing eyes like knives cutting the darkness,
    Appeareth grey shadow with matted hair,
    Why she cometh from the trees such a mess?
    A lion’s roar quieter than her cries,
    Begone meowing feline vagrant pest!
    What is this dancing bear before my eyes?
    Persistent, unwelcome hobo houseguest.
    Yet, her wails pluck my delicate heartstrings,
    Caressing my leg with whiskers and love,
    Purring motorboat sprung from its moorings,
    Precious, fuzzy gift sent from up above,
    This unexpected present on my door,
    Barbed thorn now beloved forever more.

    James Bowie High School

    10

Entries: 11th

  • Your Mind Is An Abyss
    usp-author : Savannahs

    Your mind is an abyss
    Sinking, cherishing
    every bliss
    You can get

    Devoid of color
    Constantly switching
    From one shade to another

    Once dark, once light
    There’s no in between
    I wish you could see
    How much the lies
    Won’t leave you be

    You lock yourself in
    The ones who’ve stayed
    Always willing to listen to your sins
    And be the ones you won’t let get away

    Waves rise around your fragile feet
    We hear the silent scream
    Yet you do nothing but let it take you
    To a world with no dreams

    You’ve said it before
    A black and white door
    Waiting to be opened
    Your decision poor

    You’ve been caught in a trap
    Imagination closed with a cap
    Been made to believe
    Safety is impossible to receive

    Bowie

    11

  • Urgency to Escape
    usp-author : Emilyb

    Static before the hurricane hits

    Wrist shaking

    Movement rushes through the container

    The buzz of the aluminum,

    a soft vibrato builds into a violent tremor

    Rattling,

    Shards of light refract off the metal

    Ricocheting in every direction

    With each rapid flick

    pressure builds

    Forcing it’s release

    Expanding,

    carbonating,

    dominating

    With frantic urgency

    It must escape

    Pushing against the aluminum

    Everything feels too tight for air

    The inability to breathe

    Uncontrollable,

    uncontainable

    Resistance

    Metal on metal

    A crisp crack when, against it’s instinct,
    it gives

    Erupting

    Exhaling

    The tension in my lungs remains

    Reaching out

    A grasp for air it can’t contain

    Everything stuck in slow motion

    No concept of time

    A free fall with no clearing in sight

    Until it all fizzles out

    After what feels like an eternity

    Bowie

    11

  • white feminism
    usp-author : averyw

    to be woman
    and white
    is to have the middle of your sentence become the beginning of his

    to be woman
    and brown
    is to have your skin only be considered after
    his
    after hers
    it is to have a poem about you begin with a story that isn’t even yours

    your body

    subject of my sentences
    let my feminism shine brighter
    intersectional
    representational

    your name in my mouth
    chew on it long enough to stain my teeth
    brush it off when I decide it is no longer useful

    and what could be whiter than that

    Anderson

    11

  • I am me
    usp-author : SabrinaM

    I want to be alone but heard
    I want to be loved but hated
    I am never good with words
    I can’t keep a relationship
    I’m not enough for people but sometimes I’m too much

    As of now I love myself
    I love my smile
    As of today I hate myself
    I hate my ache
    As of now I am a dictionary
    I am impeccable
    And as of today my strongest relationship is with myself

    I’m not perfect but I’m not imperfect
    I am in between
    I am the fog, the center of the ground and sky
    I am pollen above all flowers but never the trees
    I am me, in between

    Anderson High School

    11

  • Preen
    usp-author : BelleW

    Autumn auspice daunting from the ash
    Remained cradling teacup so quakes couldn’t take it
    Two of them now, tearing through the trees
    ‘Is it a bad omen?’ I asked
    When morning was eclipsed by the flock
    But the bird in confinement had been pensive
    His warm sable feathers seemed inviting
    Slipping my fingers through the slits of the cage,
    He kissed them and sighed
    ‘When the time comes, you have nothing to fear
    In the eye of the storm or the beholder
    Focus fixed on you is a blessing, not a curse’

    Austin High

    11

  • untitled
    usp-author : ellakuster

    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

  • windows to her soul
    usp-author : ellakuster

    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

  • windows to her soul
    usp-author : ellakuster

    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

    11

  • Condemned
    usp-author : PaytonB

    (inspired by poet Terrance Hayes)

    Hey, I am learning what it means to ride condemned.
    Tossed amongst the eager waves dodging,

    sharks teeth and glaring glass eyes.
    A stain on your neighbor’s apron.

    Under heavy covers waiting, for the sun to rise and stomp
    dreams out to the curb with Monday’s trash.

    Somewhere a child sits criss-cross, Awaiting answers only
    Your instruction could provide.

    But you ignore, and ignorance prevails,
    The cavities triumphing, shining in silver.

    Plato’s cave is home. With sunflowers in the yard
    And bars over the windows.

    The books punctuating the walls are all diaries
    Locked, like the empty seats reserved for ghosts.

    Hey, I am still learning what I’ve known my entire life.
    That you take steps on the moon and I walk on broken glass.

    James Bowie High school

    11th grade

  • Title Pending
    usp-author : SavannahS

    Your mind is an abyss
    Sinking, cherishing
    every bliss
    You can get
    Devoid of color
    Constantly switching
    From one shade to another

    Once dark, once light
    There’s no in between
    I wish you could see
    How much the lies
    Won’t leave you be

    You lock yourself in
    The ones who’ve stayed Always willing to listen to your sings
    And be the ones you won’t let get away

    Waves rise around your fragile feet
    We hear the silent scream
    Yet you do nothing but let it take you
    To a world with no dreams

    You’ve said it before
    A black and white door
    Waiting to be opened
    Your decision poor

    You’ve been caught in a trap
    Imagination closed with a cap
    Been made to believe
    Safety is impossible to receivec

    Bowie

    11

  • Her Again
    usp-author : SavannahS

    She stood on the edge of her world
    with invisible wings, tattered and torn
    slowly patching themselves
    deciding right then
    that she would renew her own scars
    lashes strung with dewdrops of freedom
    she soaked in the power of exisiting
    as life danced under her skin
    color collided with curiosity in her irises
    eager hands stretched
    toward her own future
    that teasingly strut in front of her
    free from the capture of another, she was her again
    she glowed with multi-faceted truths
    she found herself in the gentle lift of her heels from the ground
    fo the breath filling her lungs
    like the filling of a pool with crystal clear water
    and in the sure, steady beat
    of her own repaired heart.

    Bowie

    11

  • My Family Comes From The Sea
    usp-author : LoganD

    We come from salty waters and the buzzing of bees
    We come from sandy hands and scraped knees
    Fresh fruit that melts on your tongue
    Climbing the trees where it once had hung
    Earth underneath our fingernails
    Hair blowing beneath mighty sails

    I was blossomed from the beauty of the tides
    I can see it in the reflection of my father’s eyes
    Warm as the sun and blue as the sea
    I can see the home where my ancestors used to be
    And when he speaks of the ocean I find myself falling in love
    Warm waves, thick air, sun shining from above

    Palermo gently calls my name
    I know my father feels the same

    Yet when I ask why my family left, I watch his eyes go dim
    I suppose the American Dream has died along with a little part of him

    L.C Anderson High School

    11th

  • Stash house
    usp-author : Bellew

    When I could roam the city, the tracks would take me
    Down to the stash house
    With the rusted tin hinged on its edging
    The radiation warded my rougery
    So I always found another way around
    Only till a party would flank me could I muster my strength
    We dressed in the grounds’ gray mud,
    Slipped soundlessly beneath the stakes,
    And left no monument undocumented
    Seconds and minutes passed
    The spores ignited our hearts and our brains
    I forged a blunt weapon in the fire of my blitz
    Bashing the chamber, more and more!
    Anything inside could be mine, would be
    Erupted by the clash of cold metal colliding with my molten arm
    And just like that, we split
    Panicked scratch of a hurried drag out the compound
    My divided party stood against the keeper of this place
    Waned, I exhaled its sick air

    Austin High

    11

  • Whining Chickens and the Scared Eyes of an Old Man
    usp-author : jasminl

    My family are stereotypical Americans.
    Big, fat, loud Americans,
    like overfed chickens in a slaughter house.

    With their gluttonous bodies,
    full of ignorance and
    distasteful opinions.
    Their squawking echos through
    the first class train cabin.

    The cabin full of
    patriotic sods and a lonely,
    fear ridden little, old,
    innocent Czech man.

    Their loud cries of pain
    leaving the beaks
    of my meaty family,
    pierce through metal.

    First class was meant to have A/C.
    Americans love A/C.
    I didn’t know I signed up for a sauna.

    Chickens now hate saunas.

    James Bowie High School

    11

  • unclear solutions
    usp-author : PaytonB

    The hot air balloon gets blurrier
    with each slide until It becomes
    clear again; with a brilliant resolve
    that leads to brown circular frames,
    No matter how much you
    wipe away the anxious
    fog that creeps like a vine
    with the edge of a cotton shirt,
    The bright green
    hills are still visible
    but the truth is not.
    Because the answer
    to the universe
    is not merely 42,
    and betrayal cannot be foreseen
    even through clear lenses
    Or from the vantage of a hot air balloon.

  • Why
    usp-author : katkingston

    Why
    By kahshanna kingston

    Why, why do lie ? why do we make up stories til we’re 6ft under the in a hole, a big grave filled with LIES. why do we cry feel sorrow and hurt ? is it because we’re happy,sad,and mad.
    Why do we laugh , i know why i laugh, because i feel the love. Why do we love ?
    Because, the more we love the less hate there is.
    But, when you grow and your young child asks “mom why do we hate ?” because some do not know what they do, so we FORGIVE. “Mommy why do we forgive ?” so, we can forget.

    L.C. Anderson High School

    11

  • When Will People Realize?
    usp-author : AshleyM

    When will people REALIZE?
    Realize that abandoning someone hurts.
    When will people feel REMORSE?
    Remorse for leaving someone behind.

    Shutting, shutting, shutting doors
    BAM.
    Another tear cried.
    Another child abandoned.

    When will people HURT?
    Hurt for the pain they’ve caused before .
    When will people THINK?
    Think of the trust issues they’ve caused.

    A child’s cry to their mother.
    When is daddy coming home?
    Never the mom replies holding back tears.
    He chose to shut that door long ago.

    A child’s cry to their father.
    When is momma coming home?
    Never the father says through clenched teeth.
    She couldn’t put down the needle.
    The drugs shut the door for her.

    Shutting, shutting, shutting doors
    BAM.
    Another tear cried.
    Another child abandoned.

    W. Charles Akins High School

    11

  • One More Time
    usp-author : AshleyM

    One more time
    One more hit

    I said I would stop
    I said prison changed me

    I said I would do it for the kids
    I said I would do it for my family

    Now I sit begging for another dose
    Heroine
    Meth
    Speed
    Cocaine
    Why do you control my life?

    One more time
    One more hit

    Sirens blare
    Police men yell

    My instinct tells me to run
    My instinct tells me to hide

    On my knees I sit
    On my knees I am cuffed

    4
    5
    6
    7 times

    How many times will I visit prison again?
    Heroine
    Meth
    Speed
    Cocaine
    Why do you control my life?

    One more time
    One more hit

    My eyes roll
    My eyes close

    Overdose takes over
    Overdose takes me

    Now I’m gone
    There won’t be another time
    There won’t be another hit

    W. Charles Akins High School

    11

  • If childhood had a flavor,
    usp-author : amys

    It would not be this: Scraping
    shards of glass into a dustpan
    Dim lightbulbs
    spit out a
    warm light. Sticky, sour,
    fermented lemonade
    mixed with sweat,
    a bottle shaped dent
    In the dirt-brown tile.
    It would be: Blue
    buttercream frosting
    sticking to your tongue, swallowed
    sodapop still fizzing,
    fingerpaints still staining hands,
    even after three or four washes,
    like the faded glow
    of a nightlight
    you’ve already turned off.
    Still, I can’t get
    the bitter citrus out of me,
    Even after three washes.

    James Bowie High School

    11

  • Suburbia
    usp-author : amys

    There’s something
    no one ever talks about when
    they’re in suburbia.

    It’s supposed to be a
    flawless middle class union, half
    metro, half marsh,

    but steel edges
    of silver silos and skyscrapers
    teeter on tearing

    the fragile fabric
    of the starless almost-city sky.
    You hear it most

    nights when the
    street racers wrench through
    pitch highways

    and the crickets
    punch the identical houses’
    plywood shutters.

    You hear it when
    there’s yelling next door, one
    half matrimony,

    one half the
    inescapably loud swarm
    of change.

    James Bowie High School

    11

  • Unearth
    usp-author : amys

    I don’t want to pray for forgiveness
    like I’m pinned by the wings
    to God’s corkboard.
    But when the iron in my blood
    is towed toward the magnet that is
    her in her
    sunny Sunday best, I don’t stop myself
    from choking on the
    Lord’s Prayer.
    Instead,
    I indulge my shame.
    Like a sleepy child
    I’ll never want,
    it yawns
    for frivolous things,
    like fragrant rose bouquets,
    or monotonous love.
    I ignore the tired requests that
    I need to answer.
    Only I can unearth up my roots, hidden
    in the tangled churchyard.
    Only I can sever the rubber bands
    that I tentatively snap against my heart,
    but I have lost both
    the shovel and
    the patience.
    Trying to dig gets me nothing
    but dirt under my nails and
    empty hands. Stubborn
    (or maybe even divine)
    intuition
    say that if there is
    anything left
    of who I am inside,
    it is years
    from being covered
    by wedding gowns and
    tiny, blue swaddling clothes. Still,
    what I wouldn’t give for a frivolous thing,
    like a sham love,
    or a heart
    that didn’t want to hide.

    James Bowie High School

    11

  • Memorobilia
    usp-author : amys

    Observe how he
    presses his hand on
    her lower back,
    guiding her through
    their shared workspace.

    See how she hands him
    her tattered sweater and
    he stops shivering,
    even though
    it’s filled with holes.

    If you squint,
    you can see it in him,
    carrying her
    bobby pins in the front pocket
    of his shirt at a party
    while she dances
    with someone else.
    Think about these things.

    Feel their weight:
    the gentle palm,
    the striped sweater,
    the copper pins.

    Feel their weight
    and know:

    Love is not things,
    you do not carry it with you.
    Still, find this
    secondhand embrace in
    the memorabilia of
    someone else’s love.

    James Bowie High School

    11

Entries: 12th

  • Burning An Origami Box
    usp-author : chloedamommio

    I’m watching you buckle and falter,
    Giving in, weakly, to the voracity of flame.
    Do you remember when I molded you,
    How carefully I folded you?
    Only to give, coldly, you who lacked blame,
    To the sacrifice and pain of my altar.

    If the game is creation, I am the defaulter,
    I’ve burned what I built for the sake of my name.
    But do you remember how I held you,
    How gently I shelled you,
    From a world more callous than tame?
    An irony before cruelty, for you, my exalter—

    For you, who still falter,
    For you, who collapse under flame.
    Do you remember how I called you?
    Do you feel it now I scald you?
    Say my name, say my name,
    My exalter.

  • Into the Frill
    usp-author : NateD

    Sometimes
    Art says love is dead.
    When it does
    it’s right, by the way
    Still
    Cherry lipped, with pointed shoes
    they parade their darlings
    Past the doomsday preppers
    Past the kaleidoscopic billboards
    and into the frill
    of flaxen light.
    To them
    It must mean something

    Gonzalo Garza Independence High School

    12th

  • A Sunday Night in my Bed
    usp-author : CarolynneA

    A brief ease —
    found in vivid blue
    with arms of
    deceiving light.

    hands strike
    into a dark haze

    left with
    a lump of coal
    in my throat.

    I gnaw at the skin
    near my nails

    Where does my head go
    when I rot?

    Did Andrew Tart notice how
    I pronounced “ethereal” wrong?

    A cruel virus —
    glued into the
    depths of my DNA.

    James Bowie High school

    12th

  • The Deal
    usp-author : JulesA

    In the courtyard, many are selling,
    Those with ties, and trinkets and yelling.
    “Hear ye hear ye, the newest cure and ail”,
    To which people a far come and hail.

    And though most will never stop by my cart,
    I cannot say I’ve got wounded heart.
    For there are no ails, no cures, no meals,
    Just me, my cart, and my love for deals.

    A man stops by, a curious wonder,
    “What have you got?” his voice a plunder.
    “I’ve got the finest deals you see,
    Anything you want, just not for free.”

    The man looks at me, with scornful face,
    Walking away without a trace.
    Though there are many carts round here,
    I’m the owner who profits from fear.

    Two days later, while I’m setting my cart,
    A man comes up asking for hearts.
    “I want to marry this woman you see,
    But I’m already married, with children of three.”

    He entrances me, so I draw up a deal,
    “You’ll have a new heart, but after you steal.
    There’s no tricks or follies, you haven’t a worry,
    Simply give wife’s heart to me, and hurry.”

    Signing quickly, trembling with fear,
    The man runs from me to find his dear.
    “Quiet now,” he says holding a knife,
    ”it’ll be soon” he says to his wife.

    A day or two later, I’ve sold some more deals,
    The man shows up, trembling and teal.
    “The heart sir”, he hands it to me,
    “Now my mistress, could you please.”

    Now, I am not a man of the law,
    But my cart and I are one of awe.
    When I saw stains upon his hands,
    I knew he might fill my demand.

    “Yes, I’ll grant you your heart’s desires,
    I switched the bodies of your admires.
    The woman you love, you’re holding her heart,
    It’s bleeding, defeating, it’ll tear you apart.”

    He looks at me without sense of belief,
    And has trouble accepting all of his grief.
    He shudders, he mutters, and falls to his knees,
    “That couldn’t be her,” he begs and pleads.

    “It can’t be her, there’s just no way,
    You couldn’t have switched them, not that day.
    She was sleeping so soundly, I know my wife.”
    He sputters to me about his strife.

    Wanting consoling feelings from me,
    These humans don’t understand, you see.
    My deals are not like other vendors,
    And my profits are not always splendor.

    “Well you see sir, you’ve signed my deal,
    You wanted her heart, now I’ve got a meal.”
    I let out a smile, laughing all the while,
    As he stares back at me, angry and vile.

    “Liar! My mistress is alive and well!
    You spin your lies, deceiver, I tell!”
    Men, and their daftness, I decided to show,
    Force him to watch his wife and love go.

    I show him his wife, waking confused,
    She was not in her house, her home or her shoes.
    Then his mistress, cut up in his bed,
    No heart in her lungs, no life in her stead.

    “It’s alright, now don’t you cry,
    Deals can always go awry.
    How’s about this, I’ll cut you a deal,
    You come with me, and you’ll be at her heels.”

    Shaken, and untrusting he glares at me,
    Though, contemplation I can still see.
    “You actually think I’d come with you?
    Haven’t you seen what you’ve put me through?”

    Sometimes it’s longer to understand,
    But I had only so much time on my hands.
    “You’ll come with me, and you’ll see your mistress,
    I’ll write you a deal, it’ll be in your interest.”

    I knew from his looks he hadn’t any trust,
    So with my parchment and pen I thrust,
    “He can see his love if he comes with me,
    And there will be enormous bouts of glee.”

    He read over my pages, with care this time,
    Looking out for tricks, follies, and lines.
    “This deal seems in my favor, give the pen,”
    Again he signed with glee, and then-

    I became fantastically in joy,
    I took his hand and we deployed.
    Not for a jail, or a cell, mind you,
    But to my home, where brimstone brews.

    I chained his wrists, and gave him a spot,
    Seeing his love, with him she was not.
    For you see, she was up above,
    In a place of happiness, filled with love.

    But here, this man, who I torture and loathe,
    Stays with all the others I stow.
    The vengeful, the raged, the evil they may,
    Chained and locked, no sight of day.

    Packing my cart, parchment ready,
    I walk to their world, and get to setting.
    A man walks to me, alone and afraid,
    I smile and get my parchment laid.

  • Those Cobblestone Streets
    usp-author : JessicaL

    The aged cobblestone streets whisper
    with the sounds of
    feet shuffling in every direction
    Joy radiates
    as flowers bound from buildings,
    Spreading alluring colors.
    The cobblestones were assembled with a memory of centuries past,
    As if the city was attempting to grasp onto every last bit
    of the country’s violent history.
    The statues were discolored with the rebellious remains of those from wars of former times.
    Frozen with the faces of determination and independence,
    Marked with the bullet holes of those who lost their lives to the cause,
    Of independence.
    And now, today,
    The air is contagious with blissful euphoria
    the city beamed with the sounds of talented street performers.
    The bright green blades of grass peaked in between the bricks of the streets,
    As if playing a great game of hide and seek.

  • Pain
    usp-author : KevinB

    Mentally, emotional, and physically
    Sometimes I wonder why does it hurt so much
    Why am I in this position? Why does it suck
    Should I give up, or not?
    Mentally, pain can mess with one’s mind
    But it’s up to the person to let pain take all of your time
    Emotionally, pain can really mess us up
    It could play with our emotions and leave us stuck
    Physical pain, we all know it well
    But it’s not something you would bring to show n’ tell
    But as people say, no pain – no gain
    So, Pain shapes people into who they are
    Even if you have a goal that seems very far
    There will be pain somewhere on your “road to glory”
    Because pain is always present in any good story

    Leadership Academy

    12

  • Alligator
    usp-author : Meghanh

    Hey, I am learning what it means to ride condemned.
    The music is blasting the windows like we are in a cage.
    Maybe I am? A cage plummeting 20 miles per hour over
    To nowhere.
    The tune is good, but not catchy enough to
    distract me from our destination.
    The dog will be hungry by the time
    You get this. Feed her before you leave again.
    I think He just wants to drive. So I’ll let Him.
    We all need something, but
    We usually don’t know how to ask.
    He and I don’t know how to ask, so
    We keep driving until the wind drowns out the music.
    I’ll see you when I see you.

    James Bowie High School

    12

  • Autobahn
    usp-author : justinel

    All that matters
    is the plastic barriers
    between the road
    and whatever lies
    on the other side.

    Six feet tall
    and covered in ridges
    the way some people
    are covered in freckles.

    Graffiti whizzes by,
    a flurry of colors,
    shapes

    Some looping like ropes
    curled up on one another.
    Some chiseled cartoon chins.

    Bridges and barriers embrace
    the colorful art
    but the forests through which
    the pavement cuts hideous streaks
    break the pattern.

    The trees sprout over the asphalt
    like gothic arches.

    The woods ask,
    What adventure will you find?

    The graffiti asks,
    What will be your mark?

    James Bowie High School

    12

  • One last word
    usp-author : justinel

    Plush grass, silky and soft
    underneath my bare feet
    The blades shiver
    listening

    to the hush of suburbia
    that hovers over the garden
    Only chatter over coffee and waffles

    The last of the summer warmth
    a blanket not quite long enough
    cold feet left uncovered

    The chatter fades
    a reluctant decrescendo
    into one sullen word

    James Bowie High School

    12

  • Breath
    usp-author : IndiaR

    I cannot breathe
    But I don’t miss it

    Breathing includes life and life includes living
    Living ends in death and the prick of misery
    It includes ends and beginnings and decisions I won’t make
    No
    That I can’t make

    I cannot be
    But I don’t care

    I have walked this earth as a shell of a girl that I once knew
    Who picked up petals to drop them from the tallest tower
    Just to try and catch them when they fell
    The shell of a girl who believed in the peace
    or rather the peace of people
    But was trampled by the elephant in the room

    This girl could breathe
    Would breathe if able
    I’m supposed to breathe for her
    To keep her memory alive as if she is the weight of a pebble in my pocket
    But she isn’t a pebble, she is a boulder that weighs on my shoulders
    She is the giant that came from the beanstalk
    She is the beginning even if I wish she was the end

    I can’t breathe
    And I miss it

    Anderson High School

    12th

  • New Beginnings
    usp-author : IndiaR

    “The turning point in the process of growing up is when you discover the core strength within you that survives all hurt.” – Max Lerner

    I miss the little girl I once was
    The one who lived and breathed
    She will always be a part of me
    I have hurt and have been hurt
    I have forgotten and forgave
    But I will not waiver from myself
    I will not shrink as others stand tall
    The girl I once was is gone
    Along with the beliefs she carried
    But I will hold her memories close to my heart
    As if they were as fragile as a snowglobe
    I will stand in front of her but also
    I will stand in front of myself
    because
    I can finally breathe

    Anderson Highschool

    12th

  • Mauve Azaleas
    usp-author : SHinthorn

    I watch this place,
    as if I were watching Monet
    in real time.
    Mauve azaleas
    flutter as the breeze swept
    pollen from their pistils.
    Bumble bees decorated
    themselves with flaxen dust,
    humming.
    Take what they want,
    disregarding
    innocent blossoms.
    Indulging until
    once petite bodies,
    become ponderous.
    Stamen:
    anther and filament,
    violated.
    Awkward and cumbersome,
    their stripes disappear
    into yellow daisies.
    The way the pollen
    moved the gentle wind-
    released the dread
    of thunder and lightning.

    James Bowie High School

    12

  • This is What The Moon Thinks About
    usp-author : SHinthorn

    I wish I could recite to you,
    all that I know of Earth.
    Although, I have kept a respectable distance
    from her, for billions of years,
    I have learned everything
    there is to know.
    I envy her-
    everchanging green, blue, gold.
    Rolling cascades of milky
    vapor glide across an invisible
    orb— her halo.
    I am only a descendent,
    of her being,
    the leftovers.
    This is the reason
    I was left,
    half encased
    in an unbearable
    blackness.
    Insufficiently caressed,
    gilded arms pay no matter to
    the darkest of me.
    My only will:
    her ocean.

    James Bowie High School

    12

  • Jake’s House
    usp-author : hitalot879

    Jake’s House

    There was a man whose name was Jake
    Who had a house upon the lake
    Every morning he would wake
    And for breakfast have a piece of cake

    He had a private fishing hole;
    He always used a long cane pole
    He fried his fish on red hot coal
    And served it in a great big bowl

    For a pet, he had a cat

    Wolcott High

    12