I am alive

I feel
My heart a steady rhythm trying to break free
Of the cage of bones that encircles it
The cage that keeps it from exploding out
Into the world and sending out the immense chaos of what is in
The murky depths of my heart
I feel
My breaths coursing through me sending life to every finger every toe
See the rise and fall and rise and fall
Of my chest telling me that I am still here
I feel
My thoughts in my mind twirling away dancing to the music
That only plays in my head as I journey
Through the everlasting and endless journey of life
I feel
My feet cool against the soft grass my toes sinking into the dirt
That for so long was untouched by human skin
It is almost as if for one moment
Nothing separates me and the burning core at the center of this world
I feel
The wind light and caressing pushing through my hair brushing past my face
Reassuring me that I cannot escape
The horrifying beauty of nature
I feel
The heart in my chest and the breath in my lungs
The thoughts in my mind and the ground on my feet
The wind through my hair
And I know that this is why I am here
This is why my existence was chosen
Out of all the endless possibilities and realities
Of a vast universe I am here
I feel
Every second tick by
I feel
The way everything whispers to me just loud enough
Over the roaring wave of existence so that I can make out
Those faint words that one joyous phrase
I am alive

James Bowie High School

9

The Inconspicuous Night

With the sun painting sunsets in his eyes,
his figure as tall as trees made keen shade.

Parted lips, were hues of red at first light.
Hands as soft as picnic blankets, homemade.

Smiling wider than children with their ice cream.
His voice so pleasing, birds cannot compare.

Combined with the scent of cologne, I gleam,
for he and I could be the perfect pair.

With a twisted soul clouding the moonlight,
reeking the stench of the saloon nearby.

His eyes now pitch black as the lonely night,
slurring cold careless words oh my, goodbye.

For the sun may be up and shining bright,
one shall not forget the unnoticed night.


James Bowie High School

12

Honey

“Come, honey.”

Your eyes glistened from the golden sun,
painting sunsets into your eyes.
Only hoping my eyes looked as wonderful as yours did.
You grasped my hand
and pulled me.
We ran through the field
with rows of sunflowers across the vast land,
drops of lemonade dripping down our hands.
Approaching under our tree,
hidden from the sun’s rays;
You kissed me
with lips sweet like honey.

I was addicted.

You spoke in low, soft tones
smooth like honey;
of needing a cure for that sweet tooth of yours.
The sun shone brighter,
as beads of sweat formed on our foreheads;
the heaviness of our breath syncing was thought as light.
Your fingers interlocking with mine,
you kissed me again with those saccharine lips.

“Come, honey.”


James Bowie High School

12

Suffocating

You planted flowers within my ribcage,
and it was beautiful.
But I didn’t see the weeds
slowly entwining around my bones.
I overlooked the thorns on the stems
piercing my heart every time I inhaled.
And so the flowers began to wilt and
the soil began to crack and dry up.
Because my broken-hearted tears
would never be able to revive the flowers
your love provided for me.


James Bowie High School

12

Halloween

On this special night, some people go around to other houses knocking on doors saying “Trick or Treat!”.
When we all go home, we sort our candy and hand out candy!
Halloween is a night for celebration.
Every family celebrates different cultures on this fun Halloween night!
Halloween is a night for laughter and fun for everyone, even if you don’t trick or treat!
But you will only receive candy if you say the magic words “Trick or Treat!”


Fern Bluff Elementary

4

Nature

The way the birds sing
Through the wind and the rain
The way the deer run
Through the big and small
To the short and tall

Through warm and cold
Day and night
There the animals lay
Watching to catch their prey
Coming and going
Listening and watching
Just as humans do
Fighting and killing again and again


Gorzycki middle school

7