T H E POETRY •
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O R A C L E PHOTOGRAPHY •
SP R I N G 2 0 1 9
Bishop Canevin High School
SHORT STORIES
MAGAZINE
Table of Contents 07 "Spark" Danielle DiPaolo
10 "Beijing, China's Forbidden City" Henry Huang
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by Henry Huang
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"I Am Still Big" by Brenna Nolf
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"Mother's Day" by Sophia Charron
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"There’s Always Tomorrow " Makenzie Butler
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"Spark" photo by Danielle DiPaolo
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"Pittsburgh" Alyssa Jozefowicz
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"Shards of Petals" Sophia Charron
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by Henry Huang
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photo by Henry Huang
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"Trust Yourself " by Katarina Mertz
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"Spring Hope" by Danielle DiPaolo
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"Beijing, China's Forbidden City" by Henry Huang
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"Confessions" by Darius Legleitner
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"He is the Wind" by Caroline Colantonio
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"Portrait No. 2" by Janneselle Umalin
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(1) "You are my Sunshine" Ally Correa
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"Evening's Close" by Alex Fleming
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"Love is a Powerful Thing" by Shamyjha Price
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"Forever and Always" Mackenzie Butler
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"Today" by Megan Hirschfield
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"Springing Up to Meet Me" Sophia Charron
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"The Route" by Darius Legleitner
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"Secret Garden" by Alex Fleming
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(2) "Heavy Machinery" Alex Fleming (3) "Manufactured Precision" Alex F. (4) "Open Air" Caroline Colantonio (5) "Happy Birthday" Ally Correa (6) "Tropical Thistle" Alex Fleming (7) "Morning in Prague" Sophia Charron
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"Spark" Henry Huang
15 "Spring Hope" Danielle DiPaolo
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18 "Evening's Close" Alex Fleming
20 "Springing Up to Meet Me" Sophia Charron
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"Love is a Powerful Thing" by Shamyjha Price
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"Scenes from Prague No. 1" Sophia Charron
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"Scenes from Prague No. 2" Sophia Charron
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"Crushed" by Danielle DiPaolo
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"Rain from my Eyes" Theresa Skindzier
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"Shattered" Theresa Skindzier
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"Still Life" by Theresa Skindzier
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"Diamante Poem" by Gillian Golupski
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"China as Shown from the Airplane" by Henry Huang
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"Pittsburgh" by Matthew Mell
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"A Good Day" Ally Correa
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"Crushed" Danielle DiPaolo
24 "Shattered" Theresa Skindzier
25 "Beijing, China's Forbidden City" Henry Huang
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Hello & Welcome
O
racle is Bishop Canevin High School’s Literary Magazine. It is a showcase for Bishop Canevin student writers and artists. Each year, Oracle publishes two volumes of poetry, prose, short stories, artwork, and photographs created, compiled, and edited by Bishop Canevin students. Oracle offers students the opportunity to share their voice and vision with the rest of the Bishop Canevin Community. The e ditor and staff me mbers me et after school weekly in workshop writings and develop new ideas in a collaborative setting. The Oracle truly provides a warm and welcome space for students to express their creativity and talent and an essential platform for student ideas. This magazine has inspired a new appreciation for writing and art in me and I can only hope that the same joy has been relayed with every issue. My wish is that next year's staff will receive just as much pleasure in producing this piece of the Bishop Canevin puzzle. Thank you for supporting the Oracle this year; continue to do so as it grows. Best wishes,
Sophia Charron Editor
"Central Park, New York City" photo taken by junior Henry Huang while on a trip to New York City in the summer of 2018.
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STAFF MODERATOR Mrs. CHARLOTTE Smith
EDITOR Sophia Charron
CONTRIBUTORS Makenzie Butler Sophia Charron Caroline Colantonio ally Correa Danielle DiPaolo Alex Fleming Gillian Golupski MEGAN HIRSCHFIELD
Henry huang Alyssa Jozefowicz Darius Legleitner Matthew Mell Kate MErtz Brenna Nolf SHAMYJHA PRICE THERESA SKINDZIER
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"Spark" by Danielle DiPaolo
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Pittsburgh Alyssa Jozefowicz
Passionate about everything Welcoming to everyone Loving and caring Beautiful, bold, bright Beaming with culture. They say there are too many hills. They tell me the weather is bipolar and ugly And the sports teams are horrendous. I say to that, have you seen our hockey team? They won back to back. You much have never experienced one of our lovely summer days, Or one of our gorgeous snowfalls. There are many flat areas, and our hills are full of adventure. This city is as wonderful as any other, if not better. This city has rivers as good as your oceans and lakes. Charming Pretty Lively Exciting Fantastic After every hill, an adventure awaits. After every snowfall, a sunny day arises. After every river crossed, another unique town emerges. After every game is a hometown celebration. Passionate about everything Welcoming to everyone Loving and caring Beautiful, bold, bright Beaming with culture.
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"Scene in New York Citty" by Henry Huang.
" Beijing, China's Forbidden City" photo by Henry Huang
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Trust Yourself Katerina Mertz
Have you ever sailed across an ocean? On a sailboat, surrounded by sea, with no land in sight. Without even the possibility of sighting land for days to come. To stand at the helm of your destiny. I want that. One more time. If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you But make allowance for their doubting, too, Sitting around miserable all day won’t make you any happier. I couldn’t dream this up, even if I tried. We will build the wall anyway. It’s going to be okay.
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I Am Still Big Brenna Nolf God, keep my head above water And never breathe a word about your loss. I can’t believe that happened. They say I won’t last a day in the real world. I tell them they wouldn’t last a day in mine. When you grow up, your heart will too Because in this sorry world, The night undoes the work of the day. But I am still big. It’s the picture that got small.
"Mother's Day" by Sophia Charron
There’s Always Tomorrow Makenzie Butler If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Sometimes in our lives, we all have pain, we all have sorrow But if we are wise, we know that there’s always tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a better day. Remember God is good all the time And all the time, God is good. "Shards of Petals" Sophia Charron
Don’t think about what you’ve lost. Think of how much you have to gain. It is amazing.
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"Chinatown, New York City" by Henry Huang
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Confessions
"Spring Hope" photo by Danielle DiPaolo
Darius Legleitner
I don’t know who I am To that I must confess My path is unknown The details are a mess And I feel like I don’t have a point. What if I’ve already died? What if in surrendering myself to the world I’ve done away with the hope for Some master plan to unfurl And the person I’m looking for is nowhere to be found? 15
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He is the Wind Caroline Colantonio He feels distant, yet he is here with me. His presence emulates the wind. His center is far from me, yet I feel the effects of his breath. He chills my entire being. My hair stands on end as he brushes past. He does not hurt me, but I am constantly on edge. The feeling I get when he is present starts on the outside. First, in my fingers. Then, the effect runs through my veins and freezes my entire body. I feel as though my body cannot take him anymore. I go inside to try and get away from this inescapable cold. But, no matter what I do, the cold never leaves.
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"Evenings Close" by Alex Fleming
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LOVE IS A POWERFUL THING
Shamyjha Price
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting That very much means you’re in love. Love is a powerful feeling. Love means never having to say you’re sorry. Being hurt all your life until someone appears to do all your healing. Growing old together, the best is yet to be. Having someone who doesn’t judge is the right person for me. Love is genuinely a powerful feeling, all we’ll have to see.
FOREVER AND ALWAYS
Mackenzie Butler
You raise me up so I can stand on mountains. I love you forever and always. If you can dream and not make dreams your master, Don’t ever let somebody tell you that you can’t do something, not even me. I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future. We are not alone.
TODAY
Megan Hirschfield Ten things to know for today Tough enough to drown it away If you can dream and not make dreams your master It’s a fine line between stupid and clever I’ve got too many things to say He’ll find out some day.
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"Springing Up to Meet Me" photo by Sophia Charron
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The Route
You got on the bus before you could remember You don’t know how you wound up there Whether it was by chance or a loving hand led you there You sit in an aisle seat and watch the passengers Every day new ones come and old ones go You don’t quite know where they go or why All these years you’ve been flying blind, not knowing what lies outside those doors But for a small fee the man sitting in the window seat will tell you what he sees Everything he says seems so sweet and comforting He speaks of sun and happiness He talks with a voice like honey and words so sweet He weaves such a sweet tale A vision so much different from the stuffy squalor of the bus The tattered seats, the sour smells, the dinge and dirt But if this ride is so awful, and the world beyond so alluring Why are you so afraid of what happens when your stop comes?
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"Secret Garden" photo by senior Alex Fleming
By Darius Legleitner
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What’s Next Darius Legleitner
I lie awake at night and to myself I think Of questions that I cannot answer I wonder what it’s like on the other side of the veil What awaits me when I pass from one existence to the next I feel the world around me fade away
"Scenes from Prague No.1" photo by Sophia Charron
And in its place is fear and anxiety I don’t know where I’m going I don’t know what comes next Is it a paradise of never ending joy Is it a hell of eternal punishment Is it the beginning of a life brand new Or is it simple nonexistence And I’m not sure what I fear more Everything I ever dreamed of Or nothing at all. "Scenes from Prague No. 2" photo by Sophia Charron
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"Crushed" photo by Danielle DiPaolo
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rain from my eyes Inspired by William Charles Williams
Theresa Skindzier
So much depends upon a single crystal teardrop like solemn streaking rain rolling down my face.
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A Diamante Poem Gi l lian G olupski Sea S o ot hing, ca lming Sai ling, stretching rol ling Waves, f ish, water, s ai lors Swimming, f lowing, chur ning Vast, blue
"China as Shown from the Airplane" Henry Huang
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PIT TSBURGH
Matthew Mell
The creator of steel and industry City of bridges and rivers Bustling, busy, inviting Black and gold City of champions. They tell me that you are too polluted. The city’s skyline used to be pitch black. Many citizens were injured because of this. And they tell me you are overpopulated. There are too many just walking around with nothing to do. And they tell me there are better cities to be. They say you can find everything that is here somewhere else, but tenfold. And I say to those people who say those things about my city, beyond a shadow of a doubt, this city has changed its whole life. It has become one of the most green places in the country. Come and show me another city where everyone you meet is like a neighbor. There is a lot to do in this city, and it is also very culturally diverse. This place is the best city around; it is like a diamond in the rough. Lively Vibrant Modernized Industrialized Beautiful This city is incomparable to all others. None come close to what we are. This city is a melting pot of all different people with different backgrounds and ideas. This city has something for everyone. No matter what they like. This city is the best city. Period. Our city is the creator of steel and industry, city of bridges and rivers, bustling, busy, inviting, black and gold, but most importantly, the City of Champions.
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The Oracle is a proud member of Quill and Scroll and the Pennsylvania School Press Association.