Essence 2017-2018

LUHI

2017-2018

Esse n c e

Dedicat ion Thanks to all who contributed! And special thanks to Mrs. Grene for making it an amazing year, and to Mrs. Martone for helping put together the magazine.

M ission Step after step he pushes as he fights Not quitting even if he feels he should Pushing, waiting to see the peak of light Staying hopeful trying to find the good Standing at the summit feeling success Until he realizes it soon will pass He starts to walk back down inside a mess Missing the point like looking through a glass At the bottom with no motivation He worked so hard but did not see the message Missing the point of the destination He is on a mission, don?t get him wrong His pursuit of happiness was so strong

- Daniel LePorin

Dr agon A dragon on the prowl stealthily moved towards the screaming girl.

Her normally vibrant and jubilant red seemed to turn the color of her now dripping blood.

A gleaming plain of spilled blood illuminated the floor.

The broad lap of the world seemed to engulf the girl?s body.

A gleaming plain was stood upon by the now blood soaked and satisfied dragon.

A small grin spread across the dragon?s face

- Grace Kirtland

Th e Qu ake Numerous generations have passed since The land of the free split From their homes they were ripped The tumultuous tremors made them wince The shaking earth signaled the commence Victims were left beaten bruised and stripped From their damaged fingers their freedom slipped The persistent quake threw them off balance Staggering they tried to regain their strength Every Time they were strong enough to get up they were knocked down Persistent they were as they were never discouraged The trails they overcame were intense They were targeted because they were brown Through everything they remained encouraged - Kayla James

Ch ain s Hard metal tight bonds closed space no air to breathe nowhere to go calling out no answer complete darkness Rust cuts the skin Ground grabs hands and feet Looking for the light For where is my guardian angel?

All I ask for is a second chance.

Never did I fall into a deep pit Until now.

Constant chewing at the chains Weakening the lock Breaking the force that holds me With great power and strength Will they break?

For where would I be without those chains That encourage me to fight Have faith And be determined that there is An end to the sentence A beginning of a new chapter As these chains hold me back I am stepping forward Healing the wounds Of broken skin Never did the chains hold me It was myself.

- Christina Loizou

Love an d Polit ics I think it is a gift given from rain All of the thoughts I have inside my brain The pitter-patters sounding in my dreams Dancing through the light and all its beams The crystal fortress where you?d once reside Was founded on the rain that I had cried The fear you donned upon me made me shout And coil down; a figure that?s without The serpent?s circle reaping its revenge Has summoned me and called me up again Although the thought I had of you was clear These mysteries make it hard to appear I beg of you, leave with your precious pride I?ll be the only one who knows you lied And with this gift, forever hold my tongue I am the apple, am the poisoned one - Sam Winkler

Th an k You Thank you for teaching me that men who yell are not to be trusted.

Thank you for teaching me that boys who hit grow into boys who hit.

Thank you for teaching me to be careful because salt looks a lot like sugar.

Thank you for teaching me that no love is better than fake love.

Thank you for teaching me that real love hurts, though.

Thank you for teaching me that some ?mistakes? aren?t mistakes at all.

Thank you for teaching me that when I say ?no?, it means no (even though it didn?t with you).

Thank you for teaching me who not to become.

Thank you to those who this poem is about - this one?s for you.

- Kaitlin Botaskos

St ar s We are the stars in the heaven above Diamonds that dance in distant dark spaces Hopeless humans will graze on our faces Those seeking solace in search of true love Send upward wishes on wings of a dove We coldly stare down in scornful display And watch these poor beings so wrought with dismay

All their requests are promptly disposed of For billions of days and billions of nights Silently viewing their hatred and plights Celestial sentinels surveying the Earth We will see its?death as we witnessed its?birth We are not here at your beckon call Truthfully we owe you nothing at all - Gabriella Niederauer

Som eon e Et er n ally Rem ain s At night I lay awake as the moon shines With thoughts of you dancing through my heart?s mind My heart stuck in a time when you were mine But away blows hope swiftly as the wind

Even with the moon asleep and sun awake You still remain despite my pleas to leave A hurricane leaving tears in your wake Your words only a method to deceive

My mind consumed with images of you Feelings I had morphing into sorrow Left wishing I could think of someone new Still thoughts of you pierce me like an arrow

Forever in my head you will remain To cause my heart nothing but eternal pain

- Carrie Smithing

Image by Yingdong Wen

11:11 ?11:11 make a wish?

I manage to say through a giggle.

?wish you were h er e?

you manage to say through a smile.

that smile.

the smile that mended my broken pieces.

the smile that broke my mended pieces.

I'm here but where are you?

- Kaitlin Botsakos

Cit y All around me, the glowing city I see a figure through the nebulous fog The earth turns, but I?m still lost A smile or laugh, not difficult to improvise Wearing the city like a neon crown, It?s arms do not surround Its crowds always surround This bustling, faceless city Empty words don?t speak, just improvise Millions of voices, all lost Bring the blackened fog Weary heads that wear the crown Tear them down and topple the crown A booming of cannons will surround Destroy this broken city Take nothing, you must improvise Away! Do not mourn, become lost My soul approaches through the fog There is meaning in this fog Seek another realm, no riches, no crowns Forests bold and strong, only trees surround A green and growing city Build your shelter, improvise Directionless, but not lost Seek solitude, be fearless, not lost A moral compass through dense fog Deny the meaningless city Exist where fallen leaves and moss surround Gold autumn heraldry, a new crown Knowledge in nothingness with room to improvise Life without a script, you will improvise In retreating, the battle was not lost Emerge wiser from the fog True royalty needs no crown Let only nature surround Make the mountains your city In the city you cannot improvise Enter the fog and become lost Choose a different crown, let nature surround - Gabriella Niederauer

Th ou gh t s Thoughts swirled around her head She stared up, looking at the ceiling but her inner thoughts remained unsaid

She was curled in a ball in her bed Was there anyone who knew how she was feeling?

Thoughts swirled around her head

Her chest felt tight and full of dread Anxiety was something she was used to concealing but her inner thoughts remained unsaid

Perhaps she could disappear instead?

Thinking that all she was, was unappealing, thoughts swirled around her head

She thinks too much and craves her deathbed If she spoke about it, it would be too revealing but her inner thoughts remained unsaid

- Brianna Tapia

Rain Relationships are similar to rain In that, there are several aspects there The emotion of peace, rain can sustain And the tranquility of knowing they care

Rain is also chaotic, causing pain What at first is calm turns to volatile Yelling and feud speedily taint the brain Just like thunder and lightning in battle

However, once the storm has subsided A beautiful rainbow has taken its place Both partners are left there, now collided The pain diminishes as they embrace

Rain is necessary for any growth Keep this in mind till the day of the oath - Ian Leopold

Image by Yingdong Wen

M am a You?ll always love me, this is what I know This will stand true each and every last day I love you too, through the rain and the snow In any conditions, helping me grow You gave me a loving home for me to stay And a warm, cozy bed in which to lay For me, there?s nothing in which you?d say no

You?re there to love me, no matter the time You will have my back when no one else will For me there?s no mountain you wouldn?t climb Lending a hand when I?m lacking the skill There?s not a mother better than mine Loving me always until the world stands still - Mark Slezak

Season s The world is like a blossoming flower with seasons changing as fast as lightning.

Fall, winter, spring and summer; All come and go so quickly, bringing new adventures with them.

Fall is a time filled with vibrant color.

Yellow, orange, red and brown leaves fall slowly onto the sidewalk, while friends reunite in the hallways, reminiscing on the adventures of summer.

The crisp days turn into snowy nights as the seasons change from fall to winter.

The arctic weather spreads through the town creating frostbitten hands and ice-kissed noses.

As the snow melts and the sparkling sun returns, the refreshing energy of spring appears.

Flowers bloom gracefully in the wilderness while birds chirp away in the trees.

Farewells are said to friends in time as summer begins to unravel.

Sun-kissed skin and tropical beach days is all one could want during the sizzling season, but soon summer comes to an end and the colored leaves appear again.

- Kayla Ingram

Ch an ge

I wonder where the sun has gone off to; it hasn?t come to visit my new home.

I thought there would endless skies of blue, just like the fields in which i used to roam.

When I was young, I rarely saw a cloud, much less was ever caught amidst a storm.

The constant atmospheric somber shroud that hovers here has seldom kept me warm.

I offer wonder why I moved out here, when I could have stayed in my comfort zone.

There, everything in life was crystal clear, but here, I am uncertain and alone.

But I could not undo if I tried, For time pulls change along, just like the tide.

- Kiana Wilson

Like You Do I will never find a person as true as you My loving brother who loves reggae No one knows me like you do

I miss you so much you have no clue No matter how much I pray and pray I will never find a person as true as you

Oh brother, i miss your crazy views The way you loved to disobey Still no one knows me like you do

You cared for me as I grew Braided my hair and took me to ballet I will never find a person as true as you

I?ve tried to find others but there?s only a few Who can keep me from going astray Since no one knows me like you do

Big brother this has been long overdue I know i will see you again someday Never will I find a person as true as you For no one knows me like you do - Kayla Ingram

Pu r ple I think about you when I?m mixing blues The colour drips and stains what?er you choose It pools around the bases of my feet And from mine heart, hath stolen every beat I think it not a bit of conscious cry Until it seeped the way down from your eye I?d render it a mere unconscious foe Though in my presence, blind to where it goes The red I chose enraptured you from start Had wrapped its veiny vines around your heart And found itself in lands within your dreams Reality?s escape, or so it seems Though in my absence, red has left you, too You wonder how the world became askew But if you close your eyes, I promise you The colour purple will find you, anew

- Sam Winkler

Th e Rediscover y It was her nineteenth birthday when she found Her great-grandmother ?s off-white wedding dress.

She wondered if the lovely dress would fit, So she slowly removed it from it?s box.

She brought it from the attic to her room, And closed the door behind her carefully.

The vestment that was lying in the box Was not the source of magic in the room; Instead, the truth that she had freshly found: That confidence her great-grandmother fit

She stepped into the dress so carefully

Inside the gown, and love had carefully

And as she pulled the garment up, she found

been stitched into each section of the dress.

that every object placed around the room Had become just as striking as the dress, As if the frock had opened up a box Of magic, that in every item fit.

She realized that the purpose of the dress and things in every other attic box was not to just be placed there carefully, forever to remain in the same room,

The gown itself, indeed a perfect fit,

but everything up there had been made fit

Seemed to be tailored to her carefully

to impart love and joy when it is found.

to fit her frame, as if the dated box had by herself been fortunately found At some modern boutique; or if the dress Was sewn together in this very room.

She carefully took off the perfect dress, And well after it fit back in its box, The joy she?d found still lingered in the room.

She danced and jumped and twirled around the room, Ecstatic that her soul and body fit Precisely the dimensions of that dress.

She looked at her reflection carefully Admiring herself, until she found The joy she felt did not come from the box.

- Kiana Wilson

Image by Charlotte Heo

Fr eedom Because you are not here with me I am unsure of where to go; I wish i hadn?t set you free.

I know you didn?t think I?d be just as the sand, blown to and fro? because you?re still here with me.

I tried so hard to make you that you?re the only home i know; and i could never set you free.

You didn?t much seem to agree when i said the days would go so slow if you did not stay here with me.

No, you convinced me, to a degree, your love for me would only grow if i obliged to set you free.

Now you are but an absentee, and i have lost my sway and glow because you are not here with me.

I never should have set you free.

- Kiana Wilson

Silen ce i can?t believe you?re gone and i let you go but here i lay, alone and without you. so i must let the pain be and the tears flow.

it often crosses my mind at night, though. i would never be good enough for you, this i knew. i can?t believe you?re gone and i let you go,

yet what haunts me these days is nothing but your shadow. i can?t blame you - i know this is on me, too. so i must let the pain be and the tears flow.

this is unbearable, each minute passing by too slow. you made me see the world through a new light - only now, it?s blue. i can?t believe you?re gone and i let you go.

i can only hope from this suffering, i?ll grow, but please come back, this is all too much, i miss you. so i must let the pain be and the tears flow.

i fell too hard. i fell too fast. this too, i know, but that doesn?t change how i crave for your embrace, that i do. i can?t believe you?re gone and i let you go so i must let the pain be and the tears flow.

i need more than just your ghost.

- Kaitlin Botsakos

Su ccess Stopped dead in my path, no way to break through.

I see a beam of light that may give me hope.

My heart is breaking as I try to cope.

Strong, weak on the inside, whoever knew.

People say I can?t and that turns me blue.

The road to success is a slippery slope, let?s just hope you can do it without dope.

Not all can do this, you can always fall back.

If you fall back, you must get up and strive.

Many will say you can?t. You must believe.

Once you win, others will give you some slack.

Then your journey to success now will thrive, Now on top, be proud of what you achieve.

- Matthew Harrison

A Poem Abou t L--As i sit here and scroll,

my pen begins to fade,

as I begin to express my role

with this soul.

She consumes my time, my mind, MY TIME. Time and time again.

TIme is money and money is time,

But when will I win?

How far is the end?

What will come to be, Between me and she?

- Raquille Love

Image by Charlotte Heo

Qu est ion

A song is a poem with music A poem is a song without it.

Will I ever turn any of my poems to songs?

The answer to that is, ?I doubt it?

The reason I write the schemes of words With a melody not found through The purpose of my poems Is for tune is up to you

- Robin Lindsay

Wat ch er I?m a watcher A seer An observer My eyes move sideways, up and down, in circles Constantly absorbing information Through my eyesight alone People might think i stare And i do It?s my way of understanding the world around me I spot differences that would fly past other eyes I notice things that were deemed unnoticeable I?m a gazer I?m a surveyor I?m a viewer There?s nothing that can escape my field of vision? except one thing The sole thing that i fail to comprehend Yet the thing that?s always in front of me The thing i can not analyze Is my own being - Robin Lindsay

Nost algia Inside your least expected memory I hide and make a mockery of thee I wind the wind and crinkle all the clouds I separate the quiets from the louds I gaze upon your emerald sea of lust Your world is gone and faded into dust I am a master, one you?ve never known A treasure unlike one you?d ever own My tongue tells bitter truths and sweetest lies You couldn?t shake me with a thousand tries The drum I pound comes with a sacred hum You?d think it was the cry of who has won Though this time, when the star ?s above your head You won?t know which direction you are lead I prithee, take this time to just reflect And treat the world around you with respect

- Sam Winkler

Th e Boy in t h e Dr ess Have you ever wondered what plagues the mind of a male toddler to revolt dresses? Is it an innate reaction to seeing ?girly? colors cascade a ?girly? formed fabric? Or is the masculinization of the young boy by the men and women, the fathers and mothers, the people around him? This masculinization which could ultimately lead to his feeling of entitlement, his feeling of control, or even his loss of feeling as he ages. Some say this is the way ?man? has always been. Man as in human, not as in the gender. Man as in human, not as in the ones perpetuating misogyny. Man as in human, not as in the ones told to stop crying like a little girl. Man as in human. Not as in the ones who are told from birth to man up, while they have yet to experience what it means to just be a boy. What separates a boy from a girl? A man from a woman? It's his incapability to express emotions opposed to her emotions being used to discredit her capabilities. We are taught that masculine things are tough and durable while feminine things are feeble and dainty. The irony of the masculinity being propagated to us since our minds began to mold is that... it's fragile. So fragile that it makes us question the masculinity of a male toddler interested in dresses.

- Tia Butler

Ligh t Where does light go in the dead of the night When no one is there And nothing?s in sight No one to say you?ll be alright As your dream becomes a nightmare Where does light go in the dead of the night Is it hiding in plain sight Or floating through the air Like a beautiful kite That drifts away as it takes flight I just want to know whereWhere the light goes in the dead of the night When the sun isn?t shining sunny and bright When the clouds fill the air And everything isn?t going quite right I want to feel comfort from this bright light So I?ll say a prayer And hope it appears later on tonight To fix everything that wasn?t going quite right

- Tamia Anderson

Image by Charlotte Heo

Let Go Remember to breathe in and out It is something you can bare So let go of all the doubt

Tense moments are about And nothing can compare So remember to breathe in and out

Like boxers in a high stakes bout They will never tear So let go of all the doubt

See everything throughout Even if it?s a nightmare Stay calm, and remember to breathe in and out

When you feel like checking out Do not go anywhere Just let go of all the doubt

If it?s the nerves of a tryout Or challenge of a grizzly bear Just remember to breathe in and out And let go of all the doubt - Thomas Piccolo

Live f or Today Now sleep off the stress until the next day No time to waste, there?s so much you must do Wake up, get started, and survive the day

You must do things you need not want today Responsibilities control your queue Then sleep off the stress until the next day

Your day has ended, rest your head and lay Then dream of what you?ve wanted but fell through Wake up, get started, and survive the day

The days seem like a long, endless stairway Today?s stress has been but a preview Go sleep off the stress until the next day

Time is not your best friend in life they say More work is the only thing in your view Wake up, get started, and survive the day

It?s time to change your life with no delay Do what you want to do to live for you Now sleep off the stress it is gone today Wake up, get started, and conquer the day.

- Zachary Ubertini

Wr it in g a Son n et Writing a sonnet Trying not to fail This is not lit I want to bail

What is iambic pentameter?

I do not know So stressed I need an extensometer

I wish I knew how to write But my grade just flew without a fight

Please let me pass it So my dad doesn?t put me in a casket - Jesse Seaman

M ot ivat ion al Speech t o M yself , Fr om M yself I?m the voice of a generation, shouting from the deepest core to all four corners of the sky I open my young eyes willingly to drink in all the knowledge, the happenings in the world i live in I wonder and ponder every land to satisfy my hunger for solutions, to slake my thirst for a reply, to the never ending questions that keep appearing into my brain, day after day waiting, yearning, anticipating for an answer that you know is out there, but can not find even if there is an answer, do we know exactly how it goes what if it?s not there?

If you can?t find it, what will you do?

If you?ve sacrificed a vast time for something that doesn?t exist?

Well, open your eyes open your mind to possibility and start your search anew.

- Robin Lindsay

Wh at Son n et ?

This is not a sonnet Take it as it is Yes I have done it Get the jist?

This is not an ode to sappy romance Or a foolish, trivial debate It's an exercise in wordplay mischance Linguistic adventures to navigate This is not an attempt to hide my heart Or a sneaky, sly truth censored filter O' Poetry is forever an art That in its haste can keep us off-kilter A powerful outlet of expression That can cure our clinical depression.

- Christina Loizou

Fr eedom White walls surround the room a constant hue Designed to wear only a uniform Confined to a small box, defined a dorm Steel bars entrap, their minds are nothing new The rules in turn deny a rendezvous Beat down when their ideas do not conform The reason that this takes a certain form These people tell you what you?re able to

Constantly needing proper permission Caught up in a routine of which they grieve Not much communication, only some These things all interfere with their own vision Cannot see the ideas they can?t conceive Creatively along with freedom.

- Zachary Ubertini

Fear less Look at the sky and tell me what you are I can?t see much but a star in the sky A star glaring into my big bright eyes Through the clouds I?ll fly and I?ll be so high

The closer I got, my soul became warm It?d been so long since I was free; at least I was free from the hurt, the pain, the harm My journey to heaven began but will it last?

Life on earth was nothing but a hassle It was rough everyday, people died The street were hard and I had to battle Every evening I just sat and cried

But I know like on earth means nothing here I?m in Heaven with God, I have no fear - Tiara Williams

Image by Yingdong Wen

List of Con t r ibu t or s Tamia Anderson Kaitlin Botsakos Tia Butler Matthew Harrison Charlotte Heo Kayla Ingram Kayla James Grace Kirtland Ian Leopold Daniel LePorin Robin Lindsay Christina Loizou Raquille Love Gabriella Niederauer Thomas Piccolo Jesse Seaman Marc Slezak Carrie Smithing Brianna Tapia Zachary Ubertini Yingdong Wen Tiara Williams Kiana Wilson Sam Winkler