Move Hands Down to Heart

© © ©

the title of this collection as a whole, are all lines I found embedded in these pieces.

So as you read, I encourage you to notice the details, the identities, the simple beauty, the intricate webs of emotion and obseivation, and where these formations meet to connect the writer to the words, to you, to your own creativity.

"You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read." -James Baldwin Raki Kopernik, editor

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She, the Moon for the Little Girl In the silky blanlcet of the night, The moon shines high.

A symbol of empowerment in the silent starry slcy.

She loolcs down upon our tired little earth, She thinlcs to herself, How much are we actually worth?

In a world that Changes So fast, Where time Does not relent, She sees young girls, Like shooting stars, Their innocence Misspent.

She's more than just A rock in space, A beacon Shining bright, She's the moon!

A symbol of feminism Showing off, In the lonely night.

But the little girls, Grow up in a hurry, As if they are in a race.

She cries "Slow down, my dears, And let your childhood run its pace."

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Water is Everything Water is everything. Water is The soft spring showers, blooming flowers, the rainbows Bursting like a prismatic pinata Out of cotton clouds and Dew on a glorious green morning pasture.

Water is The 10,000 lakes of Minnesota where Merry memories are made. Down to The endless ocean where the waves never fade. Water is Everything. Water is The crimson blood escaping our cuts and scrapes. The tears We cry to form a river. The sweat releasing Weary weakness from the body. Water is Everything. Water is a serene Sunday sprinkle and a wrathful Hurricane from the midnight abyss of The deep ocean blue to Shiny yellow duck boots splashing in a muddy puddle with Happy children smiling ear to ear like Cheshire Cat. Water is The piercing, perfect icicle Chosen from your snowy January roof, the diverse Dance of snowflakes falling from the sky, to A forceful, biting current of cold and A gentle, forgiving flurry of snow, from The silent white winter sky to Submerged streets you can no longer walk on. Water is A microscopic molecule and a bustling blue planet. Water is Everything. Water is the gasoline for Our bodies and the refreshing taste that never Gets old. Water is A vital tax our bodies require. Without it we Deflate like a flat tire. Water is The giver, the taker, the memory-maker. Water is Everything.

I think about this while 16 Move Hands Down To Heart

Group Remix Poetry White crystallites on the green.

Brown bark swaying in the day.

Sun star moon forever fair like the sand on my feet and breeze in my hair.

Not knowing what the day will hold I look to the time I lived, shining in the night sky.

Missed opportunities haunt and shed tears. Trees glisten with ice and snow; the light of spring's twilight.

Nature is the peace and quiet of the world - change.

Within every dewdrop, a candle - then winds.

Ice forms and winter is here. Leaves on the ground fall - gone.

This is Death's Open House.

The sky is getting gloomy and chilly.

One world of winds blowing with rage that never returns, but where did it travel to? This sad little egg, in rage, transformed into another world.

Puzzled branches intertwine with photographic eyes.

A world within the light is transferred over in rage as gentle flakes drift slow, things unknown, mysterious.

The sand under waits for the sun where the sea ends and meets sky at the illusion of endless, never ending blue.

A poppy blooms with no branches to blow, a fake sort of longing. The trees have moved on from the 24 Move Hands Down To Heart

I Am a Black Girl I am a black girl.

But apparently, to some people, I'm not black I don't cover my face with a black ski mask, or anything like that.

The only thing that's covering my face, are the stereotypes that cover me.

Built up and blocked, they overwhelm me.

She is an Asian girl.

But she's tired of the people who ask her, her grades and she feels enraged when someone tells her to speak Chinese, read Chinese, call her Chinese, when really she's Hmong.

She is an Hispanic girl but she's not Hispanic, she can't be because her family isn't illegal, their personalities have papers and those same personalities are tired of being stripped of their culture.

And her, she is a Muslim girl but it's hard for her to ignore the stares and the questions.

And the stares and like "why do you, or why don't you wear a hijab" even though the religion itself does not circle around what covers your hair, but instead what covers your faith.

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Karma When it happens like a back stab you can't always tell The balance of our life's happiness joy sadness and anger and Our world The golden rule Help and be helped give joy have joy give hatred have hatred Give positivity have positivity give negativity have negativity it can start Bullying and rise Change The balance of our lives happiness joy sadness and anger and Our world Like protective Jedi and angry Sith Dark and light peace & war red & blue me & you Karma's like that swift Taylor Swift song Some say luck is true but It's all karma with zero coincidences Crave cool collaboration Not Hating hollering hello, It will get back at you Because that powerful prowess is gonna haunt you like A slick Stalking silk white ghost In the back out your (not so) smart mind But it is also the castle

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I Am Hmong I am Hmong

My grandparents had to crossed the Mekong To gain their freedom they had lost everything that they've been working on I am Hmong My native tongue is slowly gone My culture is slowly being withdrawn The traditions are replaced with just empty space.

I am Hmong How my mother wishes for me to speak Hmong How my grandma wants me to be strong As being a Hmong boy I am expected to carry on The tradition and culture that is slowly gone I am Hmong My native tongue was not taught to me Yet I am pressured to understand when they speak While trying to speak so they will understand me lam Hmong The patriarchal culture that had been led by men for thousands of years Have yet to recognize my strong Hmong sisters and their intellect lam Hmong I am the change and the next generation to carry on I am the challenger and the acceptor of my Hmong sisters Standing shoulder to shoulder Side by side to carry our Hmong culture on lam Hmong As brave as a lion I try to conquer this all As quiet as a tiger I wonder if anyone notices me at all 44 Move Hands Down To Heart

Walk a Mile in My Shoes Walk a mile in my shoes and have people saying, "Ew what type of food is that," and their friend group laughing around you, I had to pick between a friend group Because "you can't be friends both."

I had to pick between people who understood me or being popular. Having to be pulled out of class in elementary to take a test, because you're Hispanic and, "English isn't your first language sweetie!"

Or going into Middle school and people thinking it's funny to say, "Don't drink the water in MEXICO" just because a man decided it would be funny to put in a cartoon show.

Forced to go with your parents everywhere because they know how to speak English correctly.

Forced to grow up with two different sides of yourself to "fit in" Or just even having to whisper in Spanish because tu no sabes hablar ingles, But having the courage to speak loudly in English so people knew you could speak it.

Walk a mile in my shoes and have people threatening to call ICE on you but it's just a "joke."

Going to school and teaching your social studies teacher the correct meaning of your culture because they don't know.

Going to school and people saying, "OMG I LOVE MEXICAN FOOD" Just because Taco Bell is their favorite. Walk a mile in my shoes and see the beauty of Mexico, The smell when you first walk out of the airport, and seeing people selling flavored ice just to be able to eat that day.

Seeing dogs, cats with one eye, and children dirty playing 46 Move Hands Down To Heart

Where I'm From I'm from those who Wake up before the sun Opens their eyes I'm from those who Put their head on the floor 34 times I'm from those who Pray to the one who gave us life and Will let us rest I'm from those who Don't eat or drink From when the sun wakes up until He greets the moon I'm from those who Solemnly and Solely serve the one who Sits on a throne in the skies Where am I from?

Who am I? I am a Muslim A person who's Prayer for his heart Feels like the sun on a cold & cloudy day If you want safety and peace He is As-Salam, the giver of Peace When in need of forgiveness He is Al-Khaliq, the forgiver When you need something of this world He is Ar-Razzaq, The sustainer As you hear These amazing names Recall to yourself 48 Move Hands Down To Heart

The Boy on Elliot Farms: An Excerpt It was a sunny afternoon on Elliot farms, and Claire, the farmer's only daughter and child, was so tired from her morning chores she fell asleep in the family's barn. Wesley, the farm's only farm hand, went into the barn to millc Polka the cow when he saw Claire. Wesley was not surprised to see her laying there on a bale of hay. Claire very often fell asleep in the barn because she was always staying up until 3 a.m. baking pies, coolcies, cakes and other sweets for the town folk. If you ever went into her house, you would think it was a bakery!

Wesley went into his sack, pulled out his harmonica, and blew it as hard as he could to wake up Claire, and it worlced!

Claire immediately sprang up from the hay. Claire is known as the town beauty. She is very attractive even when she has hay in her hair. Wesley had always been in love with Claire, though he would never admit it. His love for her started when Claire and her father moved in about ten years ago when the poor girl's mother died about the time both of them turned seven. At first Wesley thought Claire was bratty and stupid, but quickly learned to love her with all of his heart because of her sweetness and love for almost anyone, but him. Claire didn't hate him and wasn't mean, but she almost seemed to not notice him. And that was the problem.

See, Claire got into the most prestigious baking school in the country and was leaving in three weeks, so Wesley promised himself he would make her love him and not leave before her school started. It was a big task, but he was determined to do so. So, when Claire woke up she yawned for a minute, which gave Wesley the perfect amount of time to run away. "Uuh, that was a close call, she almost saw me. If 62 Move Hands Down To Heart

"See you later!" said Brett.

A few hours later Wesley just finished washing the farm's herd dog, Rocco, when he realized he finished all of his chores way ahead of schedule and it was only 4:30! So, he decided to get ready for dinner. Wesley only lived alone in a guest house he rents from Brett, so obviously he doesn't make a lot of money, which also means that he doesn't have nice clothes; only a few old stained and ripped white cotton t-shirts and a few pairs of jeans that could really use a wash.

He decided it was a good idea to buy a few nicer clothes with some money he saved for emergencies. So, he took his old pickup truck and drove to the nearest thrift store. If Wesley ever bought anything it was from the thrift store because of the price. He thought that Graham had to buy from all the best, most expensive stores because his family was mega rich.

When he got to the store he decided to buy four pairs of white socks, two flannel shirts; one green and blue and the other red and yellow. Then, he bought three pairs of jeans, black boots, hair gel, and a hair comb. Then he went bade home and got dressed. He wore the green and blue flannel, socks, jeans, the blade boots, and then lathered hair gel all over his hair and tried to comb it straight with the comb, but it just became a heaping mess, so he worked and poked at it until it was close enough. At last he was ready for dinner.

Wesley walked up to the main farmhouse as fast as he could. When he got there Graham had already arrived. He walked in the house and saw Brett and Graham sitting in the sunroom watching football. Brett looked over at Wesley and said, "Hey you made it! Dinner is soon. Claire is just finishing the potatoes." Then, Wesley said, "Okay, thank you. I'll see if Claire needs help." Wesley walleed in the kitchen and saw Claire sprinkling all ldnds of spices over a lump of mashed 64 Move Hands Down To Heart

A Spooky Halloween Night

"Come on Tommy!" shouted Daniel Rose. "This house looks like a good one!" Daniel's friend Tommy Keller came running after Daniel. They both ran up the steps and to the porch.

They knocked and waited.

Suddenly a man walked outside with a big bowl of candy.

"Trick or treat!" said Daniel and Tommy.

"Here ya go!" said the man. "Two candy bars for each of you!"

Both Daniel and Tommy lived in the same city ... the same neighborhood... and went to the same school. They lived in a city called West Valley with a population of 33,126. The County they live in is called Payster County.

When they left the man's house, Daniel noticed a football next to his house. Daniel decided to punt it. He ran up to it and gave it a big kick "That's not your football!" said Tommy.

Daniel rolled his eyes.

The football went up really high ... and came down really fast, and hit a high schooler right smack in the middle of his head. Another high schooler near the one that got hit on the head noticed Daniel and Tommy.

"Hey!!" he yelled. As he pointed at Daniel and Tommy, the high schooler who got hit on the head spotted the two boys.

He stared at them with his big blue eyes... he could hear their panting... he could smell. .. and taste their sweat ... and he could feel their fear.

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Pipsqueak was interrupted by a bad grumble. "Grr Grr grr add!"

"Fly!" Sage screamed as they flew into the open sky. Tears ran down their cheeks as they watched home fall apart. Then Sage screamed at Pipsqueak, "This is all YOUR FAULT!" "I...I didn't do anything!" Pipsqueak stuttered. Startled.

"It happened when YOU got here!" Sage yelled furiously, then flew in silence. Occasionally, Sage would burn a tree, imagining it was Pipsqueak. Suddenly Pipsqueak yelled, "LOOK! A baby unicorn! Another baby like us!"

The two flew down and Sage said, "Hi, I'm Sage and this is Pipsqueak. Who are you?"

"I am called Lucy," the baby unicorn said smiling.

"Wanna come with us? Make sure Pipsqueak ," they gave a look of hatred as they said it, "doesn't destroy anyone else's home."

"I have to ask. Are you guys boys or girls?" Lucy asked.

"Pipsquealc's a boy. I am neither. I am a They/Them," Sage replied.

"Cool!" Lucy replied, relieved that she wasn't the only at least half female.

Sage piclced Lucy up. As they flew Pipsqueak said, "Uh, oh, we have a problem. There was a tornado up ahead.

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The pillars started to glow with a golden light and then the pillar with a wolf standing on it glowed blue. The crowd cheered in either joy or defeat. A tall man with grayish blackish hair and a furred coat stepped forward. "Welcome to the wolf pack," he said. The man pulled him to a small group with similar clothing. He watched Mya step out to the platform. The pillars glowed gold once more. Klondike held his breath.

The pillar with an eagle with outstretched wings glowed blue. The crowd cheered and a feather cloaked figure stepped forward to greet her. "All right everyone, that's the last one, welcome your new members and have a good year," General Kori said. "Alright we've got a long way to go and not much time, my name Kayne and I will be your guide, new members step forward," Kayne commanded. Klondike and everyone else stepped forward. "I want you to tell me your names and then I'll teach you how to transform. Let's start with you" he said as he stopped right in front of Klondilce. "Um... my name's Klondike," he said. Something flashed in Kayne's eyes but Klondike didn't lmow what. "To transform, imagine running through a forest, hunting, and having fun and then you'll find yourself as a wolf." Klondike imagined all those things and then his body changed to the figure of a wolf.

"Wear these, they're your uniform," he said as he handed him a pair of the wrist cuffs that everyone was wearing. "You imagine things you would do as a human and bang, your human, well, not really but at least in a human form," he said.

Klondilce imagined lying in bed, alone wishing Mya was next to him. He changed bade into human form. Kayne did this to everyone and when he was done he commanded everyone, "Okay, transform into wolf form and we'll run 80 Move Hands Down To Heart

So, I tiptoed up onto the bridge with Sandry. Neither of us noticed that the planlcs crealced a little and could barely sustain our weight. Georgia followed my example and stepped on the bridge. Creeeeak! The planks snapped under all our weight.

Georgia jumped backward out of the way, but Sandry and I couldn't. Thanldully, we didn't land on the goslings, but the mummy goose who was watching her goslings got very, very mad. She hit us with her wing. Apparently getting hit by a goose feels like a boxer giving you an uppercut in the chest.

We ran up the other side of the creek before Mummy Goose hit us again. Sandry and I were drenched, but that didn't discourage us from running out of the brook and into the woods. We separated at this skyscraper tall oak and split in different directions. She went up and I went around and kept running. I was sure she followed me, but when I turned around, she wasn't there. I couldn't follow my trail because I had been running, so now I was lost.

I better let Georgia tell the story from here. She's been fuming about us leaving her and I do not want to get kung fu­ ed again. Yes, Georgia kung fu-ed me when I ate her whole bag of crisps! Well, I have to let her tallc and hear her part of the story, the part where I can slip away from her and hide.

Georgia's Story Alright maybe I shouldn't have kung fu-ed Victoria, but I bought those (huge size) crisps with my allowance. Anyway, back to the story. I got mad and felt like breaking something, so I hit a tree. It wasn't the smartest object to hit, but I hit it anyway. I knocked bark off it, but that wasn't the worst part.

It had a hornet's nest in it. The impact I created shook the tree like a rocking chair. The hornet's nest fell, and a bazillion hornets rocketed out. They loolced for someone to blame and found me! So, I nimbly leaped away, vaulted over the brook 84 Move Hands Down To Heart

Once There Was a Girl Once there was a girl named Lucky. She lived in the city. She lived with her dad and twin sister, Penny, who was thirty seconds older than her.

Lucky loved to ride her bike off to the country, but her dad did not like it.

Dad said, "Lucky! Penny! Do not go to the country!" This made Lucky's heart drop like a stone. She loved the country.

When her dad was at work, she would take out her bike and grab her favorite book and then ride to the country. Once she got there, she would sit down and read under a huge apple tree next to two pine trees and a river that could have run all the way to Alaska. But, when her dad would say this, she would say, "Yes, father," and bow her head low. While her sister said, "Of course, father, I'd never think of it."

This might sound a little weird, but her best friend was a goldfinch named Leo. He would come to her window every single morning and happily chirp. Leo had a black dot on his head and on his stomach.

One morning she woke up to Leo chirping. "Hello, Leo," she said happily, and opened the window. Leo flew in and landed on her finger. In time, he flew away. She got dressed into a blue dress, black pants, and put her hair in a ponytail.

She walked downstairs. On her way, she ran into her twin sister Penny's room and woke her up. "Penny! Penny! Wake up!" she said, shaking her sister awake. "Lucky," Penny grumbled, "I want to go back to bed." But, she got up anyway.

Lucky smiled and brushed her strawberry blonde bangs out of her face.

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She stopped by the apple tree and said, "How am I supposed to find my mom anyway?"

And then she remembered, when she was seven, she found a picture of a young woman that had the same hair color as her and she assumed it was her mom. She took it everywhere with her. Then, she reached her hand into her pocket and pulled out her picture.

She jumped onto her bike again and rode to the nearest neighborhood. Once she got there, she started ringing doorbells and asking if they knew the woman in the picture.

But, nobody did.

She came back every single day, but no luck came until three weeks after she started. She grumbled, "My name is Lucky, how does this world!" Almost all hope was lost. But then, she saw a woman sitting on a front porch with... Leo? On her finger? She resembled the person in the picture. She ran up to her driveway and asked the woman "Hello, what is your na...." "Lucky?" asked the woman. "How do you know my name?" Lucky said. "I lmew you would come to find me.

Always a troublemaker," the woman said with a smile.

"Where is Penny and your father?" "Umm," said Lucky. "Ah, I see," said her mom.

"Lucl{y!" her dad ran up the driveway with Penny. "Where were you?" And then her dad saw her mom. "Oh... " "Can you forgive me for when we were younger?" She said, "If you can forgive me," he said. "Deal."

It turned out her dad wanted to live in the city and her mom wanted to live in the country, and they brolrn up over it.

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He set out with Dragon. After a while, he heard a dragging noise behind him. He spun around and his heart stopped. His rope was untied. I should be fine, he thought. I know the way.

But the woods felt different and hostile. He was scared.

Suddenly, Dragon hissed and Jasper saw smoke. The smoke, as Jasper soon saw, was coming from a campfire where men were eating dinner. Jasper had a strong urge to tell them this is private property, but he stood still as a statue. Then a hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey, boys! I got fresh meat!!" shouted the man holding Jasper in place. Jasper could smell his breath. It smelled like rotten eggs. "Nah," the man said, "just kidding. It's some kid and an iguana!"

"No way some kid has a pet iguana!" shouted a guy from the campfire.

"Wanna bet? I'll bring him over," shouted the man grabbing Jasper.

Jasper felt confused. Who were these people on his property? Were they lost? When Jasper was with the other men, they asked him if he had any food. He said no and then asked why they were on his property. "This is ancient times," said the man whose breath smelled lilce rotten eggs. "There are only tribes."

Jasper was even more confused now. Somehow, he had traveled back in time. "What?" he said. "I live over there." He pointed in the direction of his house.

"Then let's go now," one of the men said.

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The Enigma of Revenge The sun wakes me up; blinding rays blanket my eyes. Today, my eighteenth birthday, I can finally do what I've wanted to do all my life. My eyes look for Maa's elaborate music box, a wonderful thing, nothing could give me any more comfort every morning. Papa in the other room is awake, scratching his neck, his sober green eyes looking at me. He shuffles toward my bed, the floorboards creaking, and hugs me.

"Happy Birthday," he says weakly. I reply with a smile and a hug. Papa is the gift I get every day. So, I don't need a gift.

Papa has been depressed and lonely since my mother died. I will never forget that day, the ruthless person abandoning and stabbing Maa, running to Gnome Forest. I know I will find him. And avenge my mother. Tonight, I go to the forest.

I make tea for my Papa and go to milk our cow. Papa's farm has a lot of work with wheat and barley. This may be the last time I see it. So, I will do it without a complaint.

As the clock strikes ten, it's time to go. I take food, water, rope, an axe, and a painting of me, Maa, and Papa. And the music box. I look at Papa soundly sleeping, his back bent from years of fieldwork. I kiss Papa on the forehead and glance at him, taking in every detail of him, from head to toe.

I close the heavy wooden door with almost no sound. I head west toward the Gnome Forest, walking determinedly on the trail, forgetting everything about the world: Just one mission.

Find him. Find him. Those words keep me going. As I walk even faster, my breathing gets heavier. Mud slowly engulfs my shoes. But I don't care. My mind travels from thought to thought, unable to stop. I can see the trees from here, leaves shining in the crescent's light. The cold night air grazes my cheeks as I start running.

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Rivers of Tears When Alula woke, she was tired, as usual. She went over to her mom's cot to wake her. Alula had been taking care of her mom for four to five years. She did not remember exactly when her mom got sick, when the good times stopped, or when the memories of happiness and laughter started to fade, but every day her mom got worse, and every day Alula's hope faded. She had tried everything to heal her, but nothing seemed to work, nothing helped, nothing would make her better, but still, Alula tried. Most mornings she went to the town to see if there were any new healing medicines, hoping, wishing that there would be something there that might heal her mom. Today she went into town to trade things she had or had found for food. She found someone who had soft rice, her mom's favorite. She walked to her home right on the outskirts of town, a small shack, one room, where she had lived all her life. She had never known another home.

When she walked in the door she called out "Mom." She received no response. "Mom... I brought soft rice, your favorite." She tried again. She assumed her mom was asleep, as she was most days when Alula got home. So she set her bag down and, found the small pouch of soft rice she had traded for in town, then she grabbed a wooden bowl with small holes in it and a piece of cloth, and she headed down to the stream behind their house. She draped the cloth over the bowl and slowly poured the rice in. As she dipped the bottom of the bowl into the clear stream its icy water stung her skin.

When she walked through the back door she saw her mom lying on her cot, fast asleep, looking so peaceful and calm.

Alula began preparing the rice. After a while, Alula glanced back at her mom, who lay there just as she had before. She had not moved at all since Alula had walked through the door. Her eyes drifted to where she should have seen the 96 Move Hands Down To Heart

Fighting Trying to survive while wanting to die is like Holding a hand for someone in the underworld Holding a hand and feeling nothing Trying not to turn bade at the last second Only to see yourself in the same place like last time.

A part of you is gone and the other inside Just wishes for their life To be carefree again.

But no matter how much you lceep wishing, how much you keep thinlcing, Nothing will be the same ever again.

But we are not Orpheus.

But we are not Eurydice.

And, we are not turning back to see nobody at the end of the line.

We are like gladiator warriors And we are fighting constantly for our lives.

And we will live to see another day and more days after that.

We are the victors standing At the end of a long-fought battle.

With our weapons drawn, And the crowd roars, We battle to the death for a life that we earned.

If in the midst of battle, should you think about surrendering, If in the midst of battle, should you want to lose, Remember what else you will fight for Remember that it's worth more than just dying for ...

So, raise your weapon, So, fight for your life Like you'll die.

So, fight the opposition Like you'll die.

Heart

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New Chapter Moving on to a new chapter, Leaving others behind.

Meeting new people, Leaving others behind.

Making new memories, Leaving others behind.

Being miles underwater, Feeling crushed by the weight.

Like the tale of a whale pushing you down.

Coloring, drawing, learning the alphabet, Playing, recess, decorating birthday cards, New chapter.

Homework, algebra, stress, Drama, bullies, fights.

New chapter.

Freedom, choice, Balance.

Nostalgia, growth, self-discovery.

New chapter.

Climb a ladder they say, It gets harder as you go, It tires you out and wears you down, But you know you can see the sun best at the top, So, you keep going.

Billions of lanes each going, Filled with traffic,

Heart

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Everyone Is Different Stories that need to be told new and old To make a difference just like being cold on a blizzardy winter day A difference A difficulty And a community There are many differences and difficulties with life Lots of different ways to thrive in your life But everyone goes through some of the same things Young and old Everyone has met someone one that is bold And someone that can never be too old to be mean or audacious But just like gold as a big blazing star Is when you find someone Who is always kind and delightful and bold Differences are what the world is made up of But they are not all good differences Young and old stand bold just like a lion stands in the morning To make sure that no one is frigid And so no one feels lonely or alone Because no one should feel lonely or alone ever 'cause Everyone is different but being different can be An amazing thing as well as being a community of gracious and kind people And being different Is how we are alive right now on This earth 'cause if we were not different Then the world would just be boring and old So, try not to be boring

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Conflict & Genocide Upon this hill I stand, lay the bodies that may lie still; mercilessly killed by our own destruction.

Stinking like skunk spray in the summer's rays stacking taller than the tallest hills.

Who are we to destroy? Who are we to kill?

I look at my weapon; I look at myself.

I see a monster of great proportion.

More destructive than anything imaginable.

The landscape is charred like charred wood, stinking like a burning pile of Garbage.

Riddled with holes like Swiss cheese, the bodies laid like Fallen trees.

I take a deep breath and hope to myself That I see an end to this.

To return to my family.

To have family dinner again.

Am I on the right side?

Is this morally justified?

Why am I fighting? I can't tell, I don't remember But will it end? Hopefully.

I pray that my mind can be at peace.

Like the silent winds at home.

The gentle breeze that may caress my face once more.

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Movie Night We gather to watch A movie late at night We all see the events and worry We all feel relieved When the hero prevails over We all feel the hurry We all cheer for them When they win the fight We all pray For their happy ending We are these characters that we see Feeling their pain, sorrows, hopes, and desires Seeing all the bad that they see Crying all the tears that they shed Wishing For their happy ending We are in our movie Going on our adventures Weaving our stories for generations to tell Little and large combined into one And hoping For our happy ending Our films Rolling and Tolling Rumbling and Tumbling Like rocks in an avalanche whizzing by We are pushing and pushing For a good outcome As everything comes crashing like rocks in an avalanche We are going farther, and farther, and farther And finally, being able to stop And finally, being able to

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Curiosity I've always been a naturally adventurous person, Curious like a cat.

Wanted to travel and see different things, New things mostly, Different cultures, Different people, Have different experiences.

Like Skydiving in Brazil, Bungee jumping in New Zealand, Serengeti National Park in Africa, Colosseum in Rome, Bangkok Chinatown in Thailand, and The Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia.

As a child I was constantly badgering my parents with questions, "Mom, Why do mosquito bites itch?"

"Dad, How does a seed know when to sprout?"

You could almost always find me reading a book Still can Curled up with a blanket and my big teddy bear Reading a Nancy Drew mystery Or "The Human Body for Kids" Didn't matter much to me.

Books grabbed me and whisked me away into somewhere new and exciting I was almost never bored, I was constantly doing something, Like the time I dissected a frog ha, "splat" And then cried about it for a week afterwards Small little science experiments in the backyard With little brothers as my accomplices Going to the museum at the library every day in the summer, And it never getting old.

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InMyWorld In my world, I see division Americans fighting over silly things Brothers enraged at the thought of a differing opinion Siblings saying silly things like "Don't think that" or "How dare you believe that.

People getting offended at every small thing Blowing up in a fit of rage if someone doesn't think that they are the king Kids fighting kids Teens fighting teens Adults fighting adults Americans fighting their own fell ow Americans Yes, there are issues, but nobody seems to care anymore They just have to be right The principal prodigal princes of no peace They simply argue just to fight And look where that's ended up Our country, and our world, in shambles In my world, I see division In my world, I see strife People living on the streets, ruining their lives Drugs, alcohol, gang violence, and the lot All across the world, they seem to dot The fighting in the streets is like a storm that won't relent The whole world seems so violent Substances have taken so many lives Leaving heartbroken wives Knives undoing any sense of peace Guns, a crack of dark thunder that leads to tears Yes, there's been hardship for thousands of years, but shouldn't we be better than that 120 Move Hands Down To Heart

The World Keeps on Spinning The world keeps on spinning like a top on the table that just won't stop That doesn't mean we'll be here forever five mass extinctions Each one deadly to one or another none were friendly A sixth may be looming like a snow-capped mountain over a rushing river But this time it will be different the odd one out Not just an asteroid acid ocean or an atmospheric freeze No, the world keeps on spinning The world keeps on spinning But we are the diabetes, the disease making Our planet works overtime just to stay clean We spew gas into the sky like a teakettle spewing steam We dump sludge into rivers and throw trash in the sea But the world keeps on spinning The world keeps on spinning, and we run around it like ants Massive colonies waging war on each other with Ever-advancing technology so that no one even Cares for our planet's ecology the way a mother should We need to open our eyes as a newborn for the first time And the world keeps on spinning The world keeps on spinning We dig into this earth as if we are huge moles we Fight this world's survival as if we are kidney cancer, we Break down its barriers and demolish its protections, we Think we are invincible, but death is right around the corner Yet the world keeps spinning

122 Move Hands Down To Heart

In My Community I See Teachers In my community I see teachers struggling to pay their bills.

I hear them talking about maybe getting a second job.

In my community I see young adults spotting their teachers And their brain gets so excited And sends messages to their nervous system to squeeze their teacher until they can't breathe.

In my community I see teachers being taken for granted.

They get treated like trash.

They are treated like they are not important.

I bet if all the teachers quit people would be noticing how important teachers were.

In fact people would start begging for teachers to come back.

No one can handle 25 to 30 students in a classroom better than a teacher.

In my community I see teachers working longer than they are supposed to.

I see them walking into their houses and instantly opening their laptop to grade work and answer parents' emails.

Their brain is consistently working sending messages to every signal nerve just like they do with the parents' emails.

In my community I see teachers working as a little bit of everything.

124 Move Hands Down To Heart

My Joy Is In My joy is in kicking The soccer ball of Leather and Steel and Making the score 1-0 At the beginning of The Soccer match we Compare to a Death Brawl My joy is in Scaring my sister and Making her scream like A little mouse that Was caught nibbling a bit Of cheese in the hole In the wall My joy is in Talking a lot while Doing homework On a sunny evening In April And May My joy is in Asking for a Cat so it can Sleep on a mat And so we Can chat While we were chased by A bus of man Eating Bees My joy is in

132 Move Hands Down To Heart

Diagnosis Day

D-day The day normality died Died along with this body All broken now A high is like a sickness except ten times worse It's like I'm stuck in a desert And I'm dying of thirst My eyes get all blurry And if maintained for too long I get ketones and comas And future health all wrong Lows make me weak Like I'm in a dream But this dream is a nightmare Where numbers are deadly The good and the bad Cause seizures and insulin shock Make me weak Make me sick Pancreas Dead Fingers Raw Because of the constant pricking and poking Scars along my skin D-day The day normality died Can't be society's normal This is my new normal Because of that day But it's different now

140 Move Hands Down To Heart