Animas High School 9th Grade Poetry

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Table of Contents I Am Acacia Bryson War of the Wildflowers Marilyn Short Grind of Life Evan Glogowski Tolerance Garnet Smith 79 Cents Lydia Blaisdell Consumed Finn Stowers We Don’t Say it Enough Gus Kidd War Lucius Anthony Like a Girl Caeley McClain The Flow of Happiness Andy Munroe Sea of Tunes Autumn Ford The Ups and Downs of Responsibility Dylan Ridgway Rain or Shine Trudy Mickel The Nature of Socialization Amaya Holiday Between Words Brigid O’Brien Garden of Life Atlantia Aquarian

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Hidden Below the Tide Soma Smith Happy Carter McQuinn Backwards Thinking Sam Southworth I need a fork Jack Baker Apologize Saige Rasmussen Hands to Shape TJ Ehlers Faces Malcolm Kelly An Apology to Society Ava Stills Threat Sierra McCall A Universe in Motion Analise Gates Dream of a Safe Place Memo Verduzco Searching Baylee Beals Once and Now Ryan Colley Materialistic Kindness Alma Wolf How to Not Write a Poem Cady Bright Happiness In My Eyes Tanner Reeve Facing the Beast 3

Mady Brand Reformation Nat Prugh So What?

Aidyn Hankins The Hidden Forest John White Sensitivity Eli Parker Skin Sareth Grunert Yellow Paint Ashley Carpenter

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I Am Acacia Bryson

When I was eleven years old I was told stupid would get boys.

I was told that pretty girls were thin And ugly girls thighs touched.

When I was eleven years old I was told that I would never Reach my dreams And I should stop reaching For the constellations Because clouds were my limit.

When I was thirteen years old I looked into a mirror and saw It stare back with daggers piercing every part of my body that I thought was whole.

When I was thirteen I learned What a woman should be Magazines were my bible And social media my church Ten commandments Laid out like a map Of how I should be One Be thin because thin is in but Never skinny or They’ll say you have An eating disorder Two Have curves in all the right places And fat is okay But only where it’s sexy Three Be smart but never smarter than him

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Four paint your face with foundation and lip gloss but Never let the fake paint look fake Because everyone loves the perfect girl And we don’t want to believe that she Is noting but cosmetics and photoshop Five Have an opinion but never ever open your pretty pink lips to express it Because the men are talking sweetie Six Be yourself they say but only if that self is tall, skinny, and hates herself.

Seven we all love a confident girl Who doesn’t care like a leather jacket biker But if you say love yourself we’ll Call you a conceited bitch Eight Put out because you don’t want to be a prude Oh But don’t put out too much or we’ll call you a slut Nine Let men in power decided what you can and can’t do with your body Because it’s theirs Right?

Ten Show skin but don’t show too much Or they’ll say you were asking for it.

But I’m not asking for it I didn’t ask for any of this I was a girl with bright eyes Wide with curiosity who wanted to save the world I didn’t ask for my body to define me I didn’t ask for the stares of men on the street Inspecting me like a piece of meat And I sure as hell did not ask for my self worth to be measured by a number on a scale.

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I want to be a girl with bright eyes.

I want to save the world And reach for the constellations Because I know that I can reach them And don’t you ever tell me what I can and can’t be because I am I women and I am smart I am a women and I have an opinion that I will voice And not apologize for I am a woman and I will show off my skin because I think it’s beautiful But it is not an invitation for you And I am a women and My thighs touch but That doesn’t make me worthless Because they keep my hands warm in the winter And I am more than My body I am a woman And I love myself.

Go ahead and call me a conceited bitch I really don’t care Because I am a woman

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War of the Wildflowers Marilyn Short

Keep picking wildflowers and there won't be any left Kill the weeds to set the chosen ones free Only the beautiful are allowed to live But they retaliate and choke our fate Wrapping their twisted roots around our own Suddenly suffocating in the soil we drink We have to kill the weeds To set the chosen ones free Yet their grip remains strong they're still holding on to that silent song Sounds melting around our dying tears Not even noticing what had been done Keep tearing petals off and there won't be any left Who are the weeds Who invented beautiful In this madness we survive But nobody thrives Petals flutter to the ground As different as they may be We realize all our roots are the same And wildflowers...

They’re beautiful weeds, aren't they?

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Grind of Life

Evan Glogowski

A sensory overload, Messes with your mind A confusing world full of unknown faces Mind is racing, close to insanity Only your ignorance keeps you sane A world of pain in your mind But it allows no escape Not for me Not for you But the light can be seen A place you can run to A place you can start over But you can't hide forever It will find me Forcing you back into a confusing world The weekend comes, The bad days ends The peak moment of your week It will find you Full of boredom Full of responsibility Full of hate Time to recuperate Time to enjoy yourself It's the time for yourself Let the stress fade away The week to weekend Then you start it all over, The grind of life.

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Tolerance

Garnet Smith

We don't remember, The crusades that killed millions, The thirty years’ war that ravaged our lands, We don’t remember.

The centuries of indifference, Detaching us from one another, Festering pool of animosity, Laced with thorns and lies.

Society continues blindly, As years of bloodshed, Can’t be swabbed up, With a filthy rag.

Firm and beautiful faiths, Unlawful misplaced hate, Shattered and bleeding world, Cruel intolerance of beliefs.

We define our religion, Endorse the act of tolerance, Fellow man liberated, No longer shackled by intention.

No longer unfairly subjugated, Blossom into aspiration, Righteous in our new vibration, We are finally free.

Passing through a forsaken tunnel, Ascending into light, The judgment road, Filled with cracks and potholes.

The gift of religion, Should be embraced, Foreseeable passage, Into our retrogression.

Broken and unused gyroscope, Simple notion of human hope, So many perceptions, So much deception.

There is no one truth, And that lies,

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In the eyes, Of the beholder.

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79 Cents

Lydia Blaisdell

Equality, Freedom, Impartiality Words this country is based on Supposedly They say everyone is equal They say everyone has equal opportunity Inequality, Sexism, Discrimination These are the words I think about These words all describe the 21 cents That every woman doesn’t receive because of gender When this country is mentioned According to society, Women are only worth 79 cents When every other man is worth a dollar The wage gap is a like a gap in your teeth Constant and never changing No matter how you might hope 21 cents It’s almost a laughable amount But I’m not laughing This 21 cents adds up Women lose thousands of dollars a year Is everyone really under the impression And why?

“The wage gap is getting smaller” That women can’t handle A real occupation We’ve been here before Hearing the words I’ve been hearing this forever Society has an image of women An image that prevents change From ever taking place We are portrayed as delicate objects Not having the capability to have a real Respected career The gender wage gap has lasted for decades No amount of protesting seems to make a change No amount of questioning the system No amount of complaints seems to be heard seems to have any effect No amount of objection,

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Seems to do anything.

I’m sorry, I really am To bring up this issue To every woman's dollar I’m sorry that adding an extra 21 cents Seems to be an impossible feat When I ask the question why This issue is still relevant All I hear is the silence Of thousands of people Not sure how to answer 79 cents They say you’re worth 79 cents

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Consumed Finn Stowers

A quality that is hard to let go It’s appalling in our society And even though we know Our desire for things continues to grow Hoarding items of all variety Commercials entice us to buy Get it now, you need it, definitely Useless products, it’s insanity You don’t need it, just give it a try Buy it today, throw it out tomorrow But wait don’t listen it’s a lie You don’t need more plastic, you won’t die Reuse, recycle, share or borrow Just stop shopping, one will do Your storage unit’s full, it’s true Down size. I’m talking to you.

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We Don’t Say It Enough Gus Kidd

Even among the beauty that earth offers Among the love that people share And among the friendships that are held It’s still not said enough Even after happiness has been experienced After achievement has been reached And after meaning is found in life It’s still not said enough Even though obstacles have been met Though hardships have been endured And though losses have occurred It’s still not said enough To criticize is easy Whereas to appreciate seems hard Maybe that's why It’s not said enough It may be due to fright It may be out of spite But in the face of each day I’m not afraid to say I am thankful.

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War Lucious Anthony

War! War drags people by their feet Pries their long grimy fingernails out of their life, Commands them to stand up straight, make their beds And kills people in cold blood, without mercy.

War makes you big, War makes you tough, War makes you crazy Makes people realize what they have done Makes them realize that people are people And not just objects.

Old men smoking their slow burning cigarettes Until they realize that it starts to burn through their throats Because they have no sense of when to stop, And no sense of what they have done.

We no longer live in a world, We live in a nation A nation that takes the name of America And when you hear the name America You don’t hear people whispering cautiously Into one another's ear.

No no no, you hear America being screamed just as loud As the screams of the people flying out of 1000 foot tall windows Yes. this is what our country takes pride in Killing for everything we need or everything we want, Just as if we have become 6 foot toddlers That will cry their eyes out until the get what they want.

Boy I sure do remember, if I didn't get what I wanted It was bad news for the people who were always there to help The people who cared the most, The ones that would always be there to clean up after myself.

Whether it was not breaking the piñata or getting only 10 pieces of candy They would always be there to help.

When it comes to being the president of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA You better hope that you don’t start crying about the problems that they through on your desk, With no one to guide you as you go Or be the light in your never ending dark.

Meanwhile we have presidents that don’t know any better than to solve their problems with war And just for fun,

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We have George bush's brother from another mother That is promising to protect us By building a wall that is greater than China's greatest wall And if foreigners refuse to pay for this wall, Well than Bang Bang, just like that world war 3.

Forget the fact that 3 of our huge trading allies are all military allies with Mexico.

Going back to 1975 the United states army enlisted 365,000 abled men Because of a dream of ww3, Too many men and women lifting weights And shooting guns. Leaving 49,933 homeless veterans on the streets Robbing multi-millionaires pockets With an occasional gram of Colombian grade A cocaine.

Once the war is tired of you It will crinkle you up and through you back in the dumpster With no needle or thread To sow the holes that you carved yourself.

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Like a Girl Caeley McClain

I look in the mirror The reflection full of beauty and adventure My feet covered in mud from the trail going to the peak of the mountain My legs full of power and muscle from running up and down the field My hair wet from jumping into the moving water My arms moving to the beat of the music Years go by and the toys slowly disappear Social media becomes the inventor of a new disease Insecurity and self-consciousness The disease spreading here and there Everyone focusing on having tight waists And having a perfect body image Faces covered by masks, our identity hidden in a dark cave The outdoors and family become my solidarity, my truth They remind me the person in the magazine isn’t the person in the mirror I hear comments, Before they would shatter me into millions of pieces, Now I realize their insecurities can’t deal with the girl in the mirror They say we aren’t gifted like boys That we can’t accomplish the same things as them They say the phrase like a girl like it's an insult Ready to cut into our skin and spread the disease to our head So yeah, I run like a girl Kick the black and white ball coming towards me like a girl Hike steep mountains like a girl Jump into the murky water like a girl Row a raft like a girl I am a girl and nothing will ever change the reflection in the mirror.

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The Flow of Happiness Andrew Munroe

The flow of life we all feel You feel the yearn To go outside and never return Your heart is blissful Do you have the power to find it?

It pushes us to the brink Makes our hearts lighter Turns us into colorful ink Poured into a bowl of transparent water Do you have the power to find it?

The sun has risen from the ground You can feel the happiness flowing As if you’ve found The treasure to your soul Seeing the world as if it has unwound You have the power Your thoughts are swirled Do you have what it takes?

To explore that vast world Swim across those deep lakes Can you unfurl Do you have what it takes?

When sitting by the rivers edge Watching the water flow, This is all that I am, I can feel my mind glow, I’m in the zone You’ve been shown You can feel it now Its beating tone But how?

It happens when you’ve overthrown The doubt inside of you You’re in the zone It leaves you breathless

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Flow is the river of life Crystal clear blueness Swift, Makes you feel ageless You’re like the swing of a knife Effortless Life is but a journey You can feel the flow, of happiness

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Sea of Tunes Autumn Ford

Listening to pops and blues Reminds me of tap dancers With clickety shoes Each note draped and dragged on the ears of us the ears of whoever it snagged Skin turning pale from an eerie voice We turn our body, faced towards the noise Feeling each lyric like sky and moon Gliding over a sea of tunes We dance to music Like fish swim Clapping louder as Lights dim Even the waves have a beat White foam licks at our feet So we keep the jazz flecked rhythm on repeat Each note adding to the songs Like drops of water All of it belongs

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The Ups and Downs of Responsibility Dylan Ridgway

As we age, we are continuously given more responsibilities.

This is because people think that as we age, We somehow just immediately figure out how to function efficiently all the time.

So instead of teaching us how to do these things, our society just decides to award people with Now for some people, this may be true, but not always. responsibility anyway.

We are given these responsibilities and then expected to follow through to our best ability.

And what happens when your “best ability” just isn’t good enough?

People begin to get upset with how you’re performing.

When too much of this happens, all of the new responsibility you were given gets stripped away.

Leaving you, where you started.

At the bottom.

Responsibility, is a continuous cycle.

You start out with none, and as your life goes on, you slowly begin to obtain more of it.

However, it’s holding onto responsibility that is the challenge.

All it takes to lose it, is one mistake.

Even losing a small item of little meaning, can be seen as an act of irresponsibility.

In this sense, keeping your given responsibility is even more difficult than receiving it.

I have found that irresponsibility, is often associated with laziness, and for that reason, But on the other hand, trying to do too much can frustrate people as well.

Where is the median that will keep you from losing everything you worked to obtain? is looked down on even more.

So where is the balance?

And more importantly, How do you stay in that position of safety?

You don’t.

No matter how hard you may try, Living your life while holding onto all the privileges you’ve ever been given is an impossible task.

Spending your life while clinging to the past won’t get you anywhere either.

If you live your life in fear of losing your old authority you gain anything new.

It’s like you’re trying to climb a mountain by always walking downhill, it just won’t work.

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Rain or Shine Trudy Mickel

Some people choose to look at the rain Surrounded in pain without any gain Looking at the bad, overwhelmed by the negativity Never too clear with productivity Others choose to look past it into the sunshine Always positive and never there to whine Accepting the rain and creating glow Soon your journey will start to flow You won’t have to walk along the path, Searching for happiness that will not last Appreciate the cleaning, chores and more There is a roof over your head, a bed and A place to call home A yard for fountains and gnomes Appreciate the cloths that fit too tight There is enough to eat to be alright Your shadow watches from below You're in the sunshine full of glow Complaints about the government mean freedom of speech It's not hard to hear, the words aren't out of reach The beautiful sky becomes bright blue Appreciate the home and love surrounding you Just thinking about it can put you in a whirl Perspective really can change the world

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The Nature of Socialization By: Amaya Holliday

Socialization is a tree, You start with your roots, Perpetual and strong, going deep down into the earth, Through generations, Centuries old, Roots drenched in perpetuating fear, confusion, insecurity, and ignorance.

Roots make you believe you are not pretty, like that model who has been mutilated by photoshop, You will be happy if your legs are so skinny, it looks like life has been sucked out of them, You will be loved if your face is not a face, But a cacophonous concoction of foundation, mascara, and blush, You will never be good enough for society As you follow the tree towards the twisting trunk, You continue to believe, because you are a girl your self worth is based on an A, B, or C, cup size, Inside you feel the slow demise.

The trunk -the worst part of the tree, covered in snarly knots of evil, Like a never ending collection of filthy bark and ideas, It’s the part where you continue to believe that a thigh gap is currency sold to you by the media.

And your stomach should be as flat as the mirror you judge yourself in, As you grow up and climb the tree You reach the branches, You start to spread, Stretch--away from these fabricated ideas, Away from the media’s chilling oppressive voice whispering hostility You expand Towards the sun, Towards accepting yourself, Towards love, To love’s golden voice singing acceptance into you ears

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Between Words Brigid O’Brien

Silent is violent But you uselessly use up your words And they mindlessly Bleed out of you like a red sea And when your words mean nothing You waste them Silence is the dark Are you afraid of it?

I want to bleed truth Like I would in my youth What silence gives my words more meaning But what does silence do For the free heart suddenly Changed by world view For the child whose bones are more of his body Than his skin For the people Who feel what is real Run as fast as you can Like your tears flee your cheeks Desperation consuming like fear Yet they are not weak What does silence make me?

I want to bleed truth Like I would in my youth I am not a dead red sea

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I just want to be free

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The Garden of Life Atlantia Aquarian

Happiness is a garden that grows When I first arrived everything was unfamiliar Empty Out of the ordinary It was all interesting but strange.

Now we’ve settled in Security The dogs will bark The feeling of family members in the house at night A warm place A safe environment We built this farm With love We built a garden My grubby hands Touch the sunflowers Big rounds The flowers of tomorrow Are in the seeds of today The different kinds of lettuce Pumpkins Cantaloupe The fresh smell of parsley We grew cabbage and tried growing broccoli Cauliflower, too Basil, with a fresh smell that comforts, And sometimes has white flowers Snap peas, big and a little Sour and sweet Worked the land With love Happiness is a garden that grows Now I get to pick my own food And knowing that I have the capability I love being connected to the land It feels like a home To take care of myself So plant your own gardens and decorate you own experience With love

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Hidden Below the Tide Soma Smith

Our Brain Our Brain is supposed to keep us aware when we’ve made a mistake Our Brain Our Brain can’t help it but to dream while the stars are still awake Our Brain Like an owl, relentless to sleep in the dark When I walk alone distractions are all I think about I hear them...

They follow me whispering secrets upon the day But, I can’t see them Should I still listen?

Or just walk away The touch of small red feet meet my left shoulder On my right, My ears meet the soft sound of white wings fluttering I ran straight into the glass door not knowing that it was there My nose was bruised but I just stood there and stared I didn’t know what to think But to just look at my reflection and glare It hit me… in this moment How distracted I truly was from these problems in the world...

I guess, we just don't care Maybe if I could live in space where I would find the world to look at Maybe if I stood really still, planted my small feet deep in roots of the soil and let the breeze dive around my arms Maybe, Maybe, I would finally know who to listen to Sometimes our shoes don't always show us What we’ve tracked into this house, This home that is not even ours That we think we own

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Just because we can’t see the dirt on our shoes Doesn't mean there is none, It means that we Can’t always see what's hidden below

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Happy

Carter McQuinn

Why are we happy Why are we sad If there was no meaning in our happiness Would that be bad?

To be happy you don't need to try Enjoy the small things Let life pass you by Let people know you are one happy guy And your whole life is sweet Like a fresh apple pie Some say the only way to smiles Is when you have money Piles and piles But no the truth seems to be bent Cause you can be happy with no more than a cent Happiness is addicting We always want more You can find it anywhere It's a wide open door Be free, let your happiness soar Let it make you feel good right down to the core There's different ways to be happy Just explore It's not something you can buy in a store You can always be happy don't ever frown Keep looking ahead and never look down Keep walking along this happy track And there's nothing that can hold your happiness back Every minute Every hour of every day Just be happy There's no more to say

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Backwards Thinking Sam Southworth

We are all ignorant to color of skin It baffles me when our society says Michael Brown was wrongfully killed After Looking at facts like How we promote our racial equality It is misleading To accept we notice skin color We desperately needs To say Racism is gone It is a lie Minorities aren't seen in the same social class we are in The truth is Hate crimes don't deserve that title The empty pockets of immigrants is their doing, Racism fell with Abraham Lincoln, We carry these ideas that The KKK is still prominent in this world But It is evident Acceptance is the only mindset Politicians promote the idea that Were are on the same ground So it must be true, unless I have it backwards Politicians promote the idea that Acceptance is the only mindset But It is evident The KKK is still prominent in this world We carry these ideas that Hate crimes don't deserve that title The empty pockets of immigrants is their doing, Racism fell with Abraham Lincoln, But the truth is Minorities aren't seen in the same social class we are in It is a lie To say Racism is gone We desperately need To accept we notice skin color It is misleading After Looking at facts like How we promote our racial equality Michael Brown was wrongfully killed It baffles me when our society says We are all ignorant to color of skin

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I Need A Fork Jack Baker

I need a fork My noodles sit dry and stale I stay inside away from the hard wet hail I need a fork The water has finally boiled I pour it in with the noodles that coil I need a fork I cannot stir it, for the water is too hot But the noodles stay warm and soggy they're not I need a fork I do it for the chicken flavored ramen. Not the beef, shrimp, or pork.

For my quest has begun to find a fork I need a fork The ESS has stopped carrying this tool I must find it before the Water becomes cool I need a fork I step outside and the hail fills me with fear A child far away sheds a single tear I need a fork I fall to my knees halfway there, but I get up in a scurry For the skies have warned me it’ll get worse if I don’t hurry I need a fork I get to the other building blood dripping from my hand I find the fork, I’d grip it as I stand I need a fork All has become clear now, My wounds are healed and the hail comes down not I make it to my awaiting noodles that are thankfully still hot I found a fork

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Apologize

Saige M. Rasmussen

My fingers cover this name branded on my skin For I am made to believe that it is not mine My eyes stare daggers into others For I am afraid to be fragile My throat burns with the will to cry But I am weak so I must force my strength My hands become wet with rain from the clouds in my eyes But I walk on blind I will not apologize for these feelings Because these emotions were my choice I choose to be angry And I choose to be depressed And I choose to be in pain...

My fingers uncover this name of mine For I am free of the fear of vulnerability My eyes turn soft with tears of joy For it is spring and a new beginning My throat sings the words of my heart But don't worry I won't wake the neighbors My hands become wet with spring rain from those sunny clouds in the sky But I don't mind getting my favorite dress wet.

My spine straightens with pride And I will walk in confidence down these dark streets My face will brighten even in a cold morning chill And I will blush at this notion My mouth with crack with a smirk and I will speak, "I will never apologize for being me, society never forced me to be this way."

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Hands to Shape TJ Ehlers

Ambition is our lonely foe, We’ve shattered our trophies and forgotten fortunes, We’ll tell no-one, we’ll never show, Green gardens grown are far from faux, Eclipsing immensely our presented portions, Ambition is our lonely foe, Echoes in our heads shout ‘quid pro quo’, Every assertion furthers distortion, We’ll tell no-one, we’ll never show, These emotions merely a bag to stow, Our balance shamed by our wild proportions, Ambition is our lonely foe, Arranged like books, in uniform rows, Our faces twisted in agonized contortion, We’ll tell no-one, we’ll never show, Lost among our labours, the final blow, Our comrades only gave us extortion, Fixation is our lonely foe, We’ll learn nothing, we’ll never know.

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Faces

Malcolm Kelly

Putting one foot in front of the other The music blasting only loud enough for me to hear Looking but not seeing faces not making eye contact The smooth face of the well dressed business man The weathered face of the homeless man And me In my world The world that I am the only one Absorbed with myself focusing on me My life My worries Not pausing to think About the homeless man About the business man My phone dies and I pauses take the headphones off I notice I notice the sky with a draping of clouds The birds singing to thank the earth for this day The wind in the trees making them dance like the earth is their club I notice the face Of the business man, dark bags under the eyes from late nights spent at the office and his mind on things left behind The face of the homeless man with the unkempt beard his eyes hoping someone see his sign and pauses for a moment The sun shines on all of us We lay under the same night sky, illuminated by stars We walk on the same soil, no matter Where our mind may wander We are from the same place We all share this home We are not the same Yet we all have a place A place we share this Let’s come together

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help each other Till we find our place

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An Apology to Society Ava Stills

We are told that it’s our fault, We are taught to hide ourselves, We are scolded for our bodies, I’m sorry if my shoulders are too much, I’m sorry that you teach us to cover ourselves but don’t teach them not to stare, I’m sorry that it shows that our education is valued less when you send us out of class because they cannot handle seeing our skin, We live thinking that we are not good enough, We learn to take their critiques and wrap ourselves in them like a blanket, We are thought of as prey but are treated like we were wanting to be caught by the predator, I’m sorry that our precious skin is a problem, I’m sorry that they grow up with the idea that we are simply a blank canvas for them to paint their desires on, I’m sorry that they are not taught to respect us like the humans we are, We have to learn to protect ourselves from them, We have to start everyday planning and packing for the worst to happen to our bodies, We have only a whisper against their roar of accusation, I’m sorry that you teach us how to hide but don’t tell them not to do the seeking, I’m sorry that when I love myself you are offended, I’m sorry if my body contradicts the notion that we should be a Barbie, We must start to be at home in our own skin, We must learn to welcome in the love as if it was a dear friend,, We need to fight for a say in ourselves, I’m sorry that your teachings are opposed by our self-love, I’m sorry that these are our bodies and our decisions, I am so very sorry that we love ourselves for everything we are worth.

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Threat Sierra M

They asked her what she’d been wearing The memories come rushing back She remembers all his threats and swearing Wishing that she could stop caring He turned her innocence to black They asked her what she’d been wearing She could hear the fabric tearing They all asked her how she acts She remembers all his threats and swearing The blindness in her mind was glaring His gravelly voice the threats and smacks They asked her what she’d been wearing Parts of her not meant for sharing Is was her fault she showed her back She remembers all his threats and swearing She could not seem to get her bearings It was her fault her modesty lacked They asked her what she’d been wearing She remembers all his threats and swearing

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A Universe In Motion Analise Gates

I remember when the world broke in, To rip apart my soul, and years after that one event, I didn't quite feel whole.

I ripped the hearts around me To fill in all my cracks Until I finally realized That there is beauty in what lacks.

I stumbled on each word And let my hair grow free I took the time to realize Just who I want to be but still You think you can define me That I am another toy in your box Like my being is a door That a single key unlocks That my body's a canvas For only you to paint But I want you to realize That I am not so daint.

I have stars between each eyelid And galaxy for a soul My mind is ever flowing Like the pull of a black hole So let me tell you I am a universe inside I hold an untamed ocean with an ever changing tide So never shrink my universe Tell me my vast expanse was wrong And that I had to make my life much smaller If I wanted to belong.

Never tell me that you know me That “this is who you are�

For I am a universe in motion I was born amongst the stars.

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Dream of a Safe Place Memo Verduzco

Imagination is a dream, not reality.

Dreaming of an bright colorful sanctuary, shelter, and hope.

But why do I dream of these, while I live in America.

I dream because I want these thing, but I can't get them without the truth.

Truth, the intense word that our nation is based on.

Being through in this dark gloomy interrogation room, just to torture the truth out of Well, we should be interrogating the equality and rights that different races receive from people. our nation.

Well, I am waiting.

I WANT THE TRUTH NOW. The truth that is behind the reason we still promote this dream.

The truth that hurts.

The truth that is honestly not there.

This dream is in a UTOPIA not this DYSTOPIA we live in.

We fight over the dream that does not exist.

We lie to people, that seek a safe place.

But why America.

We’re not safe.

We’re not the American dream you seek.

We are a pile of empty soul and false hope.

False hope with in a dream that doesn't exist.

The pile of empty bomb shells that have been neglected for centuries.

Bulldozers, pushing out migrants.

We Are, the bad guys.

Well I am waiting, for the reasons we do what we do.

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Searching

Baylee L. Beals

I searched and searched and found nothing I found no gold I found no treasures I searched deserts and oceans Still no jewls or riches I tried something different I fell so many times I had to sew the skin back together I wanted to lay down and never get up I was tired and more importantly I was done I closed my eyes and started to fall I was scared And the more I fell the darker it became Then when I had hit the bottom I was then in a black well The impact had bruised my sides and hands I was scratched from head to toe My chest felt as if it was about to cave in I couldn't move I knew I was Unable to crawl out But I realized that I couldn't quit I wasn't going to let pain stop me Not now not ever I was going to get out of this dark hole I looked around and I saw vines going up the side As I clung to the thorned vines on the wall I could feel the thorns digging into my hands Drawing blood with every grab I struggled to the top of the well And as I came to the top a bright light blinded me I could feel the warmth of the sun on my face once again As I climbed out onto the edge I could feel the green grass in between my toes And the cool wind blowing through my hair Falling in that black pit It changed me It made me realize that Even the simple joys in life can make anyone happy And we shouldn't take these things for granted And if you have to fall into a black hole to realize that

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Just remember the feeling of that warm embrace and comfort You feel when you lay under a shady tree Over the feeling of thorns digging into your hands Drawing blood

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Once and Now Ryan Colley

Once Like a dark green sapling Watered with care from the world around Praised like a king's golden crown, In the ancient stone castles of France Once As boundless as the cosmos And the stars above and below us, As unknown as the underbelly of the blue sea And as innovative as the first automobile Once Surrounding every living man, woman, and child Entering the heads of everything with a breath And maybe even those without, Opinion and thoughts used to be free and beautiful Now Restricted and shallow The dispersal point of evil and destruction Thoughts have become the weapons that kill young men And separate the innocent families of the middle east Now Simply stating your opinion raises several knives to your throat With the slightest move sliding your life across the counter You use your opinion as a rusty machete infecting the wounds Of everyone you come into contact with Now The beautiful ideas sprung from the waterfall of thought Is now your one way ticket into prison of the system Opinion and thought needs to flow through the minds of people Without the parameters set by society with to possibility of bigotry Let your ideas flow, once and now.

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Materialistic Kindness Alma Wolf

What if Kindness was currency.

What if Kindness was currency and your salary was based entirely on compassionate actions, You were paid in kindness.

There were no banks, only video cameras One cup of coffee cost one kind action A house? Cost 4,000.

You bought groceries with compliments And flowers? They were free.

What if We turned our incessant passion for money into an incessant passion for kindness We gave up stock markets, monopolies, the economy, Dollars, pennies and quarters became kind actions, kind words, and kind thoughts Compassion, consideration, care.

If kindness was currency, There would be no exchange rates Because kindness is universal There would be no underpaid workers Because kindness knows no discrimination.

If kindness was currency, Everyone would have equal opportunities for wealth Jobs would not be monotonous daily occupations, yet opportunities to improve each other’s lives People would truly care.

And the simple act of making another person happy Gratitude in their eyes That feeling of warmth that spreads from your chest A shared smile...

It’s more valuable than Bill Gates’ bank account.

If kindness was currency, We would feel acceptance, freedom We would be comfortable in our own skin

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If kindness was currency, We would share smiles, Luminous and carefree Warmth, generosity, friendliness, affection, love.

We could spread our folded, cobwebbed wings, people would thrive We could seek our dreams instead of the job that pays the most Our lives could have meaning All Through Kindness Sometimes, we don’t think about the effects our actions have on others.

Sometimes, we only think of ourselves.

But with kindness as currency?

Imagine the size of our GDP.

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How to Not Write Poetry Cady Bright

Let us start with the first of all, you definitely shouldn’t gasp in appal, the due date approaches, so do not stall.

If you do, you will most certainly bawl.

And when all your tears definitely not shed you would then finally go to your bed, but don’t suddenly find a thread of something hidden deep inside your head.

Don’t come up with the grandest plan that doesn’t make you completely deadpan, write a poem short as your attention span, and throw your emotions into a trash can!

Don’t panic if you can’t find words that could just possibly rhyme with absurd, because you forgot one preferred, what slurred unheard nerd would look for a third?

And thank goodness that you won’t stop there, cry once more and almost pull out your hair, one bad grade, life in disrepair!

You couldn’t get colleges and jobs from there.

That decisions made are forever, is pressure beyond the greatest measure.

In reflection through retrospection, deciding indecision is inception, suggesting infection within my cortex-eption.

Now that’s not a word, but I’ll make an exception.

The verses and rhymes fall apart you don’t know if it’s born of pain or art, But are they one and the same, for aren’t we playing the same sort of game?

We just want to win, win we might, but could we just stop this endless fight?

Fire and screaming and too much death, why wait when any could be the last of breaths?

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Cease be the voices and violence, memories like treacheries, light ultra-violet, echos behind closing eyelids, what to give for one moment of silenceBut of course, you don’t have to worry about that.

Don’t have that existential crisis, avoid at all costs dealing with vices, then you won’t catch the deadly virus, the one that will drop even the finest.

I don’t suggest you write dumb rhymes that just end up wasting people’s time, don’t lie and say that you are fine when in fact you’ve already crossed the line.

But what about what you should do?

When you write, make mistakes, and more than a few, speech is a right, born unto you, it can even be used to change world views.

Don’t stress how to properly convey that which you try to keep locked far away, don’t edit out what you mean to say, even if it might be easier that way.

So if you do take the advice, laid out in this list, (mostly) neat and nice, it's okay your rhymes aren’t quite right because poetry is just a part of life.

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Happiness in My Eyes Tanner Reeve

I took a deep breath Counted to three Had a picture in my head Of what I wanted to be The speed started to pick up I was racing down The snow splashing all around The grinding sound of ice underneath my Skis was like a knife Cutting across the terrain Then everything went quiet And I exploded into the air On a bluebird day I like to fly While my whole life flashes in my eyes I took a deep breath Counted to three And I froze It was warm out Like in the middle of spring I saw above the trees And above mountains I started to relax And gathered my thoughts My skis touch the snow And my heart started pumping with Excitement and relief I took a deep breath Counted to three Had a picture in my head Of what made me what I wanted to be

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Facing the Beast Mady Brand

Found all alone, he took me in He raised me all these years He told me where I was to go He ask I shed no tears Together in my room, wee Gwyn His castle large and grand It was right there he’d watch me grow Exactly as he planned To the market, he’d leave me home He picked out all my clothes “Try this one on” he said to me He always asked I pose He shunned the sports I’d play outside He ask I be refined The things I do in my spare time Only what he’d assigned From my window, I watched them come With their pitchforks and spears I warned my master as they marched On guard he now appears My heart now beating like a drum And then I saw a hand My window he now arched To my floor, I’d then land This man I saw was here for me “You must leave here at once” I said I’d stay, I couldn’t leave He wasn’t pulling stunts It was then he told his story His brother was taken By a horrible beast, master A well life forsaken Consumed, so master might gain youth Truth turned into silence I saw his eyes, I now believe His past gained him valiance I stilled refused, though I saw truth My fear not mistaken

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Scared master might reign disaster He returned to his men It was that night my fear would grow I’d keep my voice down low To seek my master out that night What he’d do, I must know I saw him let out one loud blow He screamed, “The time has come I cannot wait any longer I must consume that bum” In my heart, I knew I must leave I couldn’t feed that foe I tore the drapes with all my might From my window I’d throw My whole life I had been deceived I’d leave where I’ve come from And down the drapes, I soon would wander I ran as I grew numb To the village I soon arrived They welcomed me that night The choice I made will serve me well At last I’ve won this fight My happiness had soon thrived A knight, I then became To save those who may face the beast Who found and took me in

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Reformation Nathaniel Prugh

Martin Luther’s theses symbolised A turn from church power to divine And giving the common man His rights to worship at his own shrine Excommunication with disobedience to papal rule and so god will damn the heretic But man may not pass judgement on his neighbor For it shouldn’t be That people alone will decide The divine decree A religious war that raged thirty years Whose aim to bring back the catholic monarch’s reign To the hubris that split the faith; Though nearly the same they still all fought in Jesus’ name It’s clear to see The world shamelessly put our spiritual separations Further apart Like Moses and the Red Sea.

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So What-

Aidyn Hankins

So what if I’m a girl Society tells me what to be They don’t see that I’m a pearl Because I’m not allowed to be me I will have a husband I can’t have a wife Even if I want her hand Why can’t I decide my life So what if I can sing Yes, I’m a good cook I don’t want your ring Just let me read my book I don’t want to stay home all day I’m not your washing machine I want to choose my own way All this nagging isn’t for me Are we still in the medieval times?

Can’t you just let go?

Ignore all the societal lies?

I’m not the ideal you’ve come to know So what if I like baseball And I’m not a size five I know I’m not tall I don’t have a high sex drive I’m different from you I’m not in the mood to play games I won’t act like I’m two And take all the blame So what if I can’t take the pain Yes, sometimes I cry You’ve made me stand in a freezing rain Yet you refuse to tell me why I won’t take this anymore Yes I dare For you, I won’t open the door I don’t care if people stop and stare So what if I’m not like you There is no such thing as “us” I feel the fresh morning dew

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And I realize that individuality is not unjust

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The Hidden Forest John White

It was a cold dark winter evening, A soft blanket of snow covered the mountains and fields, And snow glimmered in the faint moonlight, The only noise was the light breeze, creeping among the trees The only sensation that could be felt was the cold winter freeze, The tall trees stood lifeless like frozen statues, No clouds in the sky the starlight twinkled, No signs of life for all the animals were hidden in their lairs, The vast landscape stands untouched by man.

A blank whiteness of untrampled snow, As winter ends Spring has sprung, The animals fill the fresh air in their lungs, The sunlight gleams through the tall trees, Through the leaves that shine bright green.

While civilization is far from sight, These woods remain untouched, Far away from any humans, These woods remain unseen

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Sensitivity Eli Parker

People are different I cannot lie People might see me as a really tough guy But I’m a gentle giant I would never hurt a fly I’m shy When my friends see who I really am I’m treated like a doormat There words beat me with a baseball bat, shoot me with a gat Got less respect than a brown rat Makes me wish i live under a sea mat The life I have been live’n made me feel depressed I wished I could take all of my shattered feelings and repress I felt frail, like I had Noodle arms, I couldn't do a bench press Didn’t eat for a week straight cuz’ I felt I couldn’t digest Sensitivity is the way I feel Negativity is the thing that hurts Passivity Is the way I thought.

But I can recover And we can all uncover The power of caring for each other We all want the fighter to lose against a lover No makin fun of the obese It only takes a little bit of elbow grease To make love a masterpiece i just want peace I want to stop this war No calling people whores No teasing the poor Doesn't this sound like a choir?

Happiness is what we need Bliss is what we need Madness is what we don’t.

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Skin Sareth Grunert

Over exposed a slut Underexposed a prude My only purpose in life is to serve you Because of my age I can’t legally be considered a human And because my gender is dictated by a male I am denied a female In my own skin I am ashamed That I’m not what you want me to be Sitting in my prison With scented lotion to sooth its decay My age is shoved down my throat beside the toothbrush that makes my stomach empty And every magazine that put it there Every model that told me how to be beautiful How to be a conformity Manufactured with blue eyes blonde hair all the desirable assets And how to be invisible Because in this world as a girl The pursuit of happiness is dollars on a stripper pole Without a man by my side How am I to succeed by myself?

I am put on a pedestal far away from the real science, math and anything else I might ruin Because my place is in the kitchen My smile has been taxed with flavored lipgloss Since the age of 6 The crinkle in my eyes that only happens when I smile Is lined with black poison Because I don’t think I am Trivially beautiful

I wear velvet duct tape across my mouth Soft enough to kiss you But harsh enough

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To silence my plea Every sale That tells me I can buy beautiful in a shade of lip gloss Which might as well be a glue stick It holds my mouth shut just as well I feel degradation through every contact lens Under your microscope I am imperfect Because your microscope sees only my prison cells We need to teach our women how to be Not what to be And I do not speak of tutorials on how to be invisible I talk only of the beauty that doesn’t come off with makeup wipes Because if I would have known That the vomit was optional I would have chosen my sanity

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Yellow Paint

Ashley Carpenter

The grey skies remind me of when we lost you The tears following the rain As time moved on The pain never did I think about you My friend My very happy friend This world creates pain And the tragedy that comes from it You deserve the world And I hope you see it now The beauty in the skies In the trees In the tiny pebbles beside me I hope you see The beauty in the art that Surrounds us The art that pieces this world We lost something truly beautiful that day A piece of art And although we can’t see it We can feel it It surrounds us You were art You are art Painted with the most enlightening colors Stroked with the sweetest strokes You are the art that supports our white canvas The art that has meaning in every detail You are the art that we could once see The art that covered our minds with beauty And although that art is no longer visual The feeling it gave us is The warm strokes that cover your canvas Have transferred to mine You guide me to light In the darkest times Your warm strokes of paint Will always be on my canvas Even if it’s colored like a, grey sky.

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