A Cautionary Tale

by Hannah Payne 

 

Fire and frost,

Riddle and rhyme,

Tell your truths three 

Or your name be mine.

 

Wind and waves,

Query and line,

tell me a story

Or your name be mine.

 

Stone and moss,

Brandy and wine,

Give me a rumor

Or your name be mine.

 

Sun and sky,

Starlight divine,

Pay me your passage

Or your name be mine.

 

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Ass

 by Emily Treibs

 

This is not a poem about donkeys, or even

The posterior of a beautiful woman

So, if you are interested in the equine,

Or getting your rocks off

This would be as good a time as any to visit

The rodeo, or watch a pornographic film.

This is a poem about how, when I was a girl

“Ass” was a silly animal or a name my mother

Would call my father after a long day of getting no help around

This damn house.

It was a bad word, too, mostly unused, until

The boys at school began noticing that I was

Kind of pretty, but didn’t really have one.

I thought somebody calling me a name like that, cowering against the lockers in fear

Of being called out for my body shape was

The last I would have to deal with it, and that would be that.

But then I grew up, and got curves, and got used to

The men who would accidentally brush up against it and

Place their hands on the small of my waist to get around me and

Tell me I needed to smile more.

A world so strange, so unforgiving, that even a tiny, three-lettered word could

Remind me of all these negative connotations

But now I can, with my knowledge and confidence, confidently say

That they are, in fact, the ass.

 

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Construction

by Morgan Reese 

 

Ever since I can remember I was obsessed with taking apart manmade objects.

Deconstruction, dissection, and disassembling.

I wanted to know how things were made and I wanted things to make sense.

I couldn't move on until I put it back together

But I didn’t stop with just things.

The mind of a person can be so easily broken.

I always felt like I needed to help fix it.

They never asked for it and they never needed it and they never wanted it

But I know they need help and I think I can solve it. 

I need to do something,

So I pick and pull and push.

I make attempt after attempt to understand and fill in the empty spaces.

It’s an invasion of privacy 

But I’m only doing what I believe is best for everyone.

I’m doing what needs to be done.

Puzzles and construction

Building and fixing and filling and helping as much as I possibly can.

Looking at people under a microscope and analyzing every move.

A problem that needs to be solved.

 

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Dance

by Diane Naylor 

 

Dance, dance, dance

Let us dance

To be happy every day. 

 

 

        

Dandelion

by Amber Harris 

 

Tangled hair, no porcelain face,

Sweatpants, no mesh and lace,

No body pumped of silicone,

A dandelion all alone.

A weed that grows beside the flower bed,

Violets, tulips, pink and red. 

You would look at me if I was a rose,

But this is not how the story goes.

 

Dirty shoes, no glossy lips,

A far-off look, no curvy hips,

No silver, gold, or pearls, or beads,

Just a wish upon dandelion seeds,

Blown away, my thoughts are scatted,

My leaves are brown and heart is tattered,

You would look at me if I was a rose,

But this is not how the story goes.

 

To fight each day, each sun, each moon,

To wait until the day I bloom,

But you won’t love me for I’m not a rose,

This is how the story goes.

 

 

 

Dream

 by Hannah Payne 

 

A cloudless day, warm and soft and sunny.

The flowers shone, the moments passed like honey

Everything drenched in a golden hue,

I stared out my window, but what caught my eye was you.

A guitar in your lap, its pick in your fingers

Framed in flowers, a memory lingers.

As I step outside, your eye catches mine

And just for a moment, I taste a memory of wine.

I ask and you nod and you hand me your guitar

And the dissonant sound of tuning fills the air.

But finally, my hands find a memory of a key

As the strings are fixed to a tuning more familiar to me.

And slowly, I draw out a song from ages past

Sweet and somber, of its kind, the last.

Your knee brushes mine, then stays there, familiar,

As you carefully listen to the song I deliver.

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Enemies to Lovers Speed Run

by Hannah Payne 

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Oh, what a pickle I’m in

They told me,

“Keep your friends close

But keep your enemies closer”

And that wasn’t a problem

I kept you close,

So close I could feel 

Your endless warmth

Your breath on the back of my neck

Your heartbeat under my hands

And

Oh no

You weren’t an enemy anymore,

Were you?

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Failure. 

by Trianna Brock 

I feel like I can never do anything right.

Whether it’s my grades, my feelings, my actions or just being there 

For the people that need me. 

I feel like I let everyone down. 

I don’t know if I can handle all this stress.

If it’s not one thing it’s something else.

School is too much right now because I don’t have the right mindset 

And I feel if I make one wrong move, I’ll let everyone that believes in me down

I don’t want to feel like I’ll never be successful in my life.

I just want that one person to come back and tell me they’re proud of me 

Or just see all the things I’m doing. I just want to be happy and successful

But that’s very hard when I feel like I’m in a constant loop of sadness and stress. 

I don’t know how much more I can take.

                          

 

     

Good Night (Inspired by Dylan Thomas) 

by Andrew Ward 

 

Faces scarred

By tireless fight,

Do not go quietly

Into that good night.

 

Limbs heavy

From jarring might,

Do not go quietly

Into that good night.

 

Eyes darkened

By frightening sight,

Do not go quietly

Into that good night.

 

Hearts shaken

By unending blight,

Do not go quietly

Into that good night.

 

Bravery shines

With valorous light,

Do not go quietly

Into that good night!

 

        

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Darkness

by Dejah Smith 

 

I am the darkness & the fear   

I wonder what humans are  

I see the darkness  

I want love  

I am the darkness & the fear   

I pretend to be strong and fearless  

I feel empty without a soul  

I touch my empty shell  

I worry I’ll forever be alone  

I cry for the loss of love  

I am the darkness & the fear   

I understand life is short for many but me  

I am eternal  

I say I don’t need love  

I dream to have a family  

I try to be strong  

I hope to replace my emptiness  

I am the darkness & fear  

 

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My Eyes are in Jars

by Elizabeth Aldaco 

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The eyes of my past lives live in jars on the shelves.

They watch me as I go about my new life day after day.

Once my lifetime ends, I pop out the old ones and place new ones in my head, so 

I can see the world anew. 

Another pair of eyes on the shelf.

 

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The Divine

 by Brandi Yarbrough

 

So much wasted time

Spent on worshipping the divine.

Why does it feel so sublime

To dance around an open shrine

When every movement is a crime;

Come and take a sip of wine

Tell me are you like this full time?

Am I crazy or seeing a sign?

Is it God that makes you climb?

What about me and mine?

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Who I’m Meant to Be

 by Anonymous 

 

My favorite color is yellow, the color furthest from anything mellow. 

So why do my insides flow without reasoning?

I need some spice in my life but can’t seem to find the seasoning. 

I cope in ways some may call unnecessary. 

But the only way to describe this emptiness is by saying it’s scary. 

I am not a sad person, and I use to spread sunshine,

But now I keep lying to myself saying I’m just fine. 

They say the toughest battles make the toughest soldiers,

But sometimes I can’t even get up because of the weight on my shoulders. 

I don’t know if it’s school, or my faith, or just all in my head,

But most days it’s hard to even get out of bed. 

I thought I was doing so well, learning again to love my appearance, 

But the emptiness inside is something I never thought I’d experience. 

I feel numb, weak, and have no sense of drive.

It seems like there are always tears escaping from my eyes.

And the crazy thing is, I don’t know how to ask for help

Because so many people are living with the cards they too were dealt.

But here I am crying out to whoever may hear me.

I can no longer breathe with such weight pressing down on top of me.

I need something, anything to change,

Because sometimes I can barely even make it through the day.

So here I am pleading, to whoever is listening 

Help me find my sunshine, bring back the best in me. 

                            

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What is in My Head

 by Eli Carter 

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A common motif in my thoughts is the question: “What are my thoughts?”. Each word that is stated, my mind quickly rushes to analyze and break them down. It was similar in the way that sharks have feeding frenzies when they smell blood and have prey in sight. Well, my thoughts were the sharks and my words were my prey.

In my mind, I observe fireworks. Not just fireworks that you typically see exploding, they are even more vibrant and colorful. The explosions were much different, though. They were like skinny streaks of color, yet they are so indescribable. Within these streaks of fire, there are colorful stars that are persistent in their light emission. All while, blotches of rainbow present themselves between the stars and fireworks.

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