zEntangle

Elená C. Martinez, Grade 11

Time

Cristiana V., Grade 11 the being that beckons day after day without interruption chasing me through every thought every moment captured by seconds every achievement overshadowed by minutes daydreams seized by deadlines its ticking chorus thunders in my head as a eternal reminder that continuously time moves forward always it choses for itself, without falter spinning my mind to an exasperated lull I don't desire a marathon, nor a race why must I follow time’s pace?

Poet Note: The beat of time has long ticked inside my brain, making me realize that I am on a continuous clock Every moment of my life is measured by a set of numbers that repeat themselves Every action must occur within certain limitations, many times out of my control. It's the reality that everything must keep moving forward, leaving you without the choice to pause. To this I ask you, why must we follow time's boundaries, why can't we follow our own pace?

Rulebook

alternate title: the inside conversation emily cortese, Grade 12 longing, but not for that hurting, but not for long what is ideation? what is need? what is the urge to do something permanent, just to see? why am i here, why are they not? why shouldn't i die, tell me, whos that judge? the preacher says God, and he smiles brutally, blunt teeth for breaking, screwed eyes in effort of shaping, remaking the preacher tells me it is God, but also that i am all wrong continued on next page the stars say it is the Moon, with her patience and resilience, they say: "look, look happily down that road of lessons!" a friend, a conscious, a thing without body but still real, still mortal she will chime in too, the Moon, and claim the Sun is strongest all of them you can see; that the stars are the universe; that the universe is meaning She says God is the stars and the Sun and the tears i cry, she says pick a name an old friend, she is rougher than the others; spitting truth i know, but havent yet discovered, like pulling strings i feel but didnt see. the moon says, "where is god? why does it matter?" in incredibility, the moon screams, "silly girl, what could you possibly mean? you want to find God so go to the trees! you need a ground to fall into, so find mud and dirt and debris! you want to be okay, then make yourself so! you want to be in pain? well, you already are " check, says the Moon If there is a list, cross it all off if there is a revision, forget it and let it be lost you don't need numbers, or reason, you don't even have to do it just like them, but living isn't the kind of thing you achieve. it isn't like learning the best, most productive way to breathe. it's not about God, not really, or the Sun or his endless brothers and sisters deep in the galaxy it’s learning and hoping and trying. "pick a name! check it off! be done, be done!" longing, but for what? hurting, but for how long? the Moon almost chuckles "get used to it," she says, "you will miss it when it's gone"

Poems by Rebecca A Dolin, Grade 11

Flows into Serenity

In the middle of the ocean, on this boat, on this terrace, as I sit alone with my thoughts and the ocean, everything seems serene. The lack of sense provides a sensation of clarification and transparency There isn't a pattern, a reason one wave crashes into another These waves, so harsh and loud, collapse with no purpose, no underlying reason that is going to pop out later They crash and they fall and they break and they get put back together and everything is alright, and somehow there are fish living beneath it with no idea of all the craziness that lies above the surface. They don’t seem to see the struggle, the people, the repetition of everyday life over and over They don’t see the waves crashing and rising and falling and the brutality with which they slap against the boat. Underneath it all is a level of tranquility I wish I could understand. You have to get through the dissatisfaction and the hard part to get to the calm place we all want to be. The water crashes and shocks and pushes its way to the surface and lets out all the anger So the ocean takes a breath; in and out and winds up with white clarity that flows it back into serenity

Downpour

It’s just a drizzle, I’m fine. This light drizzling of rain that hasn’t decided whether it’s ready to fall or not. The type of rain you don’t take an umbrella for because it is so soft and delicate that it doesn’t really bother you, the type that makes the air smell like wet concrete. It waters the plants so we don't have to, and makes the slugs and frogs come out of hiding. A light drizzle that created a rainbow in the sky, reflecting the light into beautiful colors of hope.

That light drizzle turned into a thunderstorm that has been descending on me for weeks. This downpour of everything I thought had evaporated, everything I thought was gone but was really just being stored until it was ready to come back. It’s blown away my umbrella, got mud inside my rain boots, and soaked through all my hoodies. I have no protection from the storm anymore, it’s just me versus the sky. An imaginary concept that I can never fight because no matter what it will always win.

Back When I Cared

I used to think that black cats were bad luck. I used to think that sadness was temporary Thought that bad things wouldn’t happen. Back when I cared. Back when black cats were my biggest problem. Well, black cats turned into bad grades and a backlog of undone homework. Blue skies and billions of friends became black nights and being by myself. Back when I cared. When black cats were my biggest problem. Blissfully ignorant, beautifully unaware. Bad things happen. Bare back broken from that blank truth. All alone blanketed by the fact brave babies turned into broken adults who don’t belong. Barely getting through the week, blanking, forgetting to breathe. But don’t worry bout me, because I’m okay. Only, open wounds still bleed, organs still ache, and oxygen can’t reach my lungs. Obligated to lie and be okay. All the time, my brain overflowing like an ocean in a storm. I took an oath to obey the objective. Lie occasionally, never offend. Always be okay.