Growing up is like driving down a curvy dirt road.
Sometimes you get a flat tire and have to stop.
We always take a step back and remember its not the end of the world.

Life is like homework. We try to erase the mistakes but it’s always faintly there.
Sometimes you lose important papers, it fills us with regret.
We all need to start over sometimes.

Finding love is like looking for a pin in a pitch black room.
Sometimes we think we have it, only to realize it’s not there.
We will always keep looking, even when we feel like giving up.

Dreaming is like getting a present.
Sometimes it can be perfect, others can be disappointing.
We all have that hope that maybe someday it will come true.


MES

Nearly twice as tall,
And just as thin,
You hold me in your arms,
And the whole thing begins.

"Today was just awful!" I cried into your shoulder,
You kept me sane the entire time,
My eternal holder ,
You helped me through my darkest days.

You move me to the couch,
And pull me farther in,
I tried to resist your help,
But I knew you'd always win.

You wrapped your knee around me,
Locking me in place,
I never wanted to be free,
From your loving embrace.

Kissing the top of my head,
You whispered comforting words in my ear,
Saying they weren't getting this worked up over,
Killing my fear.

I wrapped my arms around your shoulders,
Burying my face into your chest,
I never knew a guy that would be any bolder,
Then to hold me close and make the whole world disappear.

A soft kiss on my lips,
Wiping the stray tears from my cheeks,
The warmth from the fire spreading over us,
I hadn't felt this safe in weeks.

Until you took me into those arms I felt as if I was hanging by a thread,
But I know from your soft kisses and deep embraces this will never end.

             ~E.M.

If only I had been alert
then it would not have hurt
but I had felt so sure
and let it lure
me into false hope
so now I have to cope
with the rejection
if I had listened to the projection
then it would not have stung
or felt like the shot of a gun
straight through my heart
forcing my dreams and realities apart

-Jamie F

Maturity doesn't come with age
It comes with experiences
Age is just a number that means nothing
Experiences
either good or bad
make us stronger.
Being strong makes us mature.

-Andrea Christine

The Wilderness
The vast trees tower above
All looking down
The bird sing and fly
The animals scamper through

The fish swim about
Down river into the pond
All to see
The fishes nemesis
The king of the forest

The mighty bear
Not far over a moose
Towers above
Above all this a eagle sores

Then a roar
Everything quiet except for
A diesel truck storms through
To call the wilderness

Home

Orange
poetry hates it
nothing rhymes with it
a lonely word
bike and hike laugh at it

Orange
a fruit
construction workers wear it
pumpkins
fall leaves

Orange
an awkward word
that many dislike
or even hate
except for me

~Javier S.

Launch- I leap to the ball as fast as I can
Anticipate- I adjust to stop the shot
Crash- I deflect the ball, it hits the post
Reset- I see the defense recover
Offense- I watch the effective cradling and passing
Steal- I get ready commanding the defense
Success- I am protected
Execute- I'm proud to be a goalie

-MMM

A beautiful contradiction
a necessary part of the machine
left weak and unprotected
except for a fickle flesh barrier
dust diminishes them to nothing

A beautiful contradiction
immobile yet moves all the same
from within their confinements
are plural yet act as one single unit

A beautiful contradiction
useless alone
yet the body would be crippled without.

Kylie D

What I want is
Enough money

To have what I want
What I want is

What I wish is
Enough stars

To have what I wish
What I wish is

What I need is
Enough time

To have what I need
What I need is

All I want is something I wish
Enough time

To have what I want
What I need is

To believe in myself


- MMM

- From C.G. Hanzlicek's poem "What I want is"

I feel excitement about my new Ipad
I feel like I have achieved something
I got to excited about my new Ipad

We all watch me open up the gift
We all see the huge smile on my face
We all say happy birthday

You cant explain how excited you are
You wont forget this day
You say thank you at the end of the day

"I kissed the scars on her skin
I still think you're beautiful
And I don't ever wanna lose my best friend.
I screamed out, "God, you vulture (you vulture),
Bring her back or take me with her."

so many times i can recall
wiping her tears away
so broken and so small
her frail heart, betrayed

repeating myself over and over again
just one more night
one more day
keep trying

i told her
if i can do it you can too
baby just for me
without you

there would be no me

~anonymous

Jealousy
Ripples through me
Why can’t you see
That you and I are meant to be
And we could live so happily
If you could just fight through all my misery
I will make sure to treat you gingerly
Because you are for now and forever my baby.

Sweet n' sour is the taste you get when you drink lemonade,
Sweet n' sour is the taste you get when you eat Sour Patch Kids,

Sweet n' sour is the feeling you get when you think someone is telling you the truth,
Then you find out that they aren't,

But somewhere in between the sweetness,
And the sourness of it all,
You find the happy medium,

Not sweet,
Not sour,
Just somewhere in between,

Kind of like the color grey.

Darkness surrounds us,
with no sign of light,
until colors burst around us,
simple creations of light,
their beauty astounds us,
spreading hope through the night,
all you need is one spark,
and the fireworks will ignite.

Closed eyes cannot save
The young and the brave
Cries of agony lingers
As enemies become victors
There exists no code of honor
As men destroy and conquer
Can heaven truly exist
Or are we caught in the midst
Of paradise and hell
Neither angels nor demons dwell
As the innocent are piled
We search for a Star child
-KJB

Life is unstable
It can come crashing down at any moment
You pick it up and try again
But it all falls
Killing all patience you have

It can come crashing down at any moment
One struggle after another
Hitting everything down as it goes
It falls apart like dominos

Life is unstable
Theres nothing you can do
Just set it back up again
And try to pull through

              -Beth M

The waves roll onto the beach
while the sun grows higher.
There’s only us and a few others
but the day will be packed with fun.
We set up by the high water.
It will be relaxing and calm.

The sound of the water is calm.
More people are slowly filling the beach.
Kids and seagulls splash in the water,
and the sun can only get higher.
Many people are having fun.
But it may not be with others.

The beach is filled with others,
they seem to be calm.
The children splash with fun,
as we spend the day at the beach.
The sun is not going higher,
and later it will reach the cool water.

The temperature has dropped in the water.
There has been lots of scurrying by others.
The sun is no longer higher,
and the children have grown calm.
But at the beach,
there is still more fun.

Every last moment is packed with fun,
even though there is no warmth in the water.
We are alone at the beach,
the seagulls are the only others.
Our vacation is just getting calm,
as the moon rose higher.

The moon is forever higher,
and the children never run out of fun.
When we get home, we’ll remember the calm,
and the salty smell of the water,
after the crazy others
rushed away from the beach.

~Kaylie

I can see myself a NHL hockey player
I can see me haveing millions of fans
I can see me scoreing the game winning goal


We will all see me as a superstar
We will all see a huge smile on my face when I win the Stanley cup
We will all hear the crowd chanting my name


You feel like a god at the end of the day for giving that kid your autograph
You feel completed when your coach tells you great game kid
You feel amazed at the end of the day for who you are

One drop
Two drops
Three drops
Four

The rain drips, down the door,

Five drops
Six drops
Seven drops
Eight

It yells, "get out of bed, and don't be late."

Nine drops
Ten drops
Eleven drops
Twelve

It falls cold, and wet, to the ground

Thirteen drops
Fourteen drops
Fifteen drops
Sixteen

Oh how much the rain did miss me

Seventeen drops
Eighteen drops
Nineteen drops
Twenty

No more rain please,
We have plenty
-Madi.S

Creeping lower,
beneath the clouds it hides,
one second its there,
the next,
****! its gone,
bright colors dance across the sky,
as the sun sets over the ocean blue.

The waves roll in on a melted sunset,
Bringing new treasures onto land,
Tropical flowers bloom in the dew sewn grass,
Palm trees sway lazily in the gentle breeze,

Summer clouds dreamily float past in a daze,
***** scuttle, claws unclenched, relaxed for once,
All your worries have washed away,
Bottled, tangled, and rolled up into the ocean blue.

Fast fiery flicks fly forward
Immediately intense infielders implode
Everyone enthusiastically emerges
Lively leaders let loose
Determined defenders deny dangerous drives

Hustle, hard hacking hits
Outstanding offense overpowers opponent’s obstacles
Clever corners control circle
Kibosh! Knocking knuckles
Explosive energy excels
Yippy!

- MMM

Reaching for safety,
Wanting help,
Waiting,
Wanting,
Needing,
Safety from,
The fears of an unknown world.

Waiting,
Wanting,
Needing,
Someone to face
This unknown world.
Prepared to be the hero
Or to fail.

Waiting,
Wanting,
Needing,
The next hero
To walk into this new world
And overtake it
With courage and grace.

Waiting,
Wanting,
Needing,
Someone to
Leave their own safety,
Take risks,
And live.


~LV

She was a girl
no one ever chose
for teams or clubs
dances or dates

Upon a rock solid bench she weeps
hair cascading down her back
covering her face
and hiding her pain

A very adventurous girl she was
full of hope and joy
but her true feelings not shown
covered by the smile plastered on her face

She played the drums
to the beat of her heart
from the harp she would lean upon
each song, each string, each note, simply tore her apart

She was a girl
no one ever chose
for teams or clubs
dances or dates.

The feeling so dark, bitter
I feel all the sadness of the world
In the end I drink out all the pain
I wish, I could, have a second chance to rethink everything, but...
All the sunshine fad away.

John/Crazyjc

The world above her shined,
And wonder filled her eyes.
Nothing could mess with her mind.

The clouds were reassigned,
New creations rised,
The brighter the world shined.

She laid there as the clouds combined.
She stayed calm and the moon cried,
Nothing can mess with a simple mind.

Just the peace of mind,
That flies.
The brighter the world shined.

The sun fell from the behind
The wonder appeared in her eyes.
Nothing can mess with her mind.

The night soon ended,
Closing the girl's clock that controled her eyes,
The world above her shined,
Not even sleep can mess with her mind.

~Kaylie

A walk in the park
after dark
the ghosts come out
and the dogs don't bark
scared in the dark
the body lays dead or alive
in the depths of the soul
in the gallows they scream
the dreams don't matter
anymore than a walk in the park
the walk in the park that changed my life

JNL

Wooden fences,
 broken and cracked,
  maple trees,
   with wires collecting sap,

    Blooming flowers,
     red with rust,
      old country houses,
       beyond the narrow dirt road,

        Sacred memories,
         and timeless treasures,
          are hidden inside,
           I'll forever remember,
    
            Our old pastimes.

She was elegant
As she makes perfect marks with her blades
On the stage of the world
She doesn't look tough
But she accelerates
With speeds of a race car driver
She takes harder impact
than a rider being thrown from  bull
She handles more G force
than a fighter pilot
She does the extreme
Being extremely graceful
She was gold
Gracie Gold  

-Andrea Christine

She got lost here once

Ran off into the forest without thinking twice

It was February third

She left, and went onward; forth.


She became one with the woods

She got used to the cold winters

She was like Robin Hood

Who had been withered.


She lived without living

And died without dying

The forest, she then learned, was unforgiving.

Before she knew it she was crying.


She got lost here once

Ran into the forest without thinking twice

It was April third

When her soul went onward; forth.

The magic is over
Everything once creative is still around
But like the 4 leaf clover
it's rarely ever looked down

People cry and moan about losing creativity
The problem is, we don't look for them
Amazing work is a wonderful activity
but it comes around like a rare gem

All we see is darkness and sorrow
the love, the horror, the happiness, and an object
Instead we wait and rant by tomorrow
and now this occur, it's now a wrecked

Poems is something that could be taken many ways
But there's only one path that there can be
the life of a poet, is just to make another phrase
"The lovers, the dreamers, and me"

John/Crazyjc

Running
Running from my fears
Too scared to face them
I'm running down and alley
That never ends
My fears are chasing me
And they never stop

-Andrea Christine

No
never
not
ban
veto
forbid

The world is full of it
negativity
a distraction
a way to procrastinate
a waste of time
yet it takes a chunk out of everyday
things would get done if people couldn’t say no

~Javier S.

She was a girl
No one ever chose
For teams or clubs
Dances or dates

She was a girl
No one ever noticed
Sitting in the corner of the room
Always alone

She was a girl
Left outside in the freezing rain
For the longest of times
With no one to hug or hold

She was a girl
That held everything in and let nothing out
It was only her eyes that revealed the story of her pain
Being left out like garbage everyday

She was a girl
Who never spoke
Yet didn’t need words to be heard
One day you will finally notice

-MMM

Holding onto the smell of your t-shirt,
Remembering the life in your smile,
From this day on I swear I’ll remember,
The light in your eyes.

You swore you’d never leave,
Something foolish I chose to believe,
When the walls came crashing down,
Silently.

I knew all the mistakes we made,
Troubles faced,
But you kept my hopes up every day,
Moving forward.
Through tear streaked eyes,
Starry nights,
Painful goodbye’s,
And a sinking feeling,
You kept me going strong.

But I never knew,
This perfect life would end,
Unraveling,
Just like a thread.

My head keeps spinning.

And that one time,
You no longer love me,
I’ll say I’m fine,
Continuing on.

I knew all the mistakes we made,
Troubles faced,
But you kept my hopes up every day,
Moving forward.
Through tear streaked eyes,
Starry nights,
Painful goodbye’s,
And a sinking feeling,
You kept me going strong.

You were my summer love,
Come and gone,
Just like a sunrise,
You never knew,
The things I’d do,
To keep you from falling...

... When I already fell.

I knew all the mistakes we made,
Troubles faced,
But you kept my hopes up every day,
Moving forward.
Through tear streaked eyes,
Starry nights,
Painful goodbye’s,
And a sinking feeling,
You kept me going strong.

You kept me going strong,


But now my summer love has come and,
Gone...

             ~E.M.

Alone,

But not really alone.


Insanity,

breathes down her neck.


Insanity,

“I will win! I always do!”


Crying,

“No you won’t you can’t win!”


Chuckles,

“I always win. I’m winning right now you see.”


Denial,

Insanity can’t win!


Brave,

“Everyone has to win and it is your turn!”


Insanity,

“I’ve already won. Look around and tell me where you are.”


Looking,

She didn’t know where she was.

She had lost after all.

Sunny skies
Rocky mountains
Puffy white clouds
Beautiful view
Lake glistening
Birds chirping
Trees budding
Fish leaping
Kids running through the trees.

Gentle Rainfall
Wet mountains
Light gray clouds
Foggy view
Lake misty
Birds chirping
Trees budding
Fish leaping
Kids splashing through the muddy puddles.

Nature is beautiful,
Won't you come enjoy it?

Its dark im trapped
im stuck im fadeing
im bleeding im stuck
I need someone to pick me up
I see a man he's in a robe
he has a scythe and has no soul
its death he said hes has saved the day
I cannot find the light of day

JNL

Staring at me
Loud quiet, laughing
Pulling pushing
       Killing
Trampling down
Crying shreaks
Hopless souls
Live no more

     -Maddie

For the bottle that I bottle my feelings into has exploded,
And I am left alone,
So I fill up the glass and drown my sorrows,

I get a can of black spray paint and do as you say,
Paint the black hole blacker,
So now I am,

But this time I am inside the hole,
And you are painting over me,
I am intoxicated with the fumes,

That you are spaying on me,
But I embrace the black hole killing me,
For I have already been ****** so far into it I'm already gone.

the worst moment in life
is when the magic and wonder of childhood is taken from you
when you finally are forced to put two and two together
and see that everything you once thought was real
was just tricks and lies from everyone,
your parents
your favorite shows
your relatives
it was just fun and games they all went through it too
but age has subdued the pain
and secretly they too want to go to a simpler time
were fairies and easter bunnies thrive
and you’re so innocent and pure that you will believe everything said to you
and don't we all want to take away the pain of deception and lies
to be a child again to not ever know of deceit
ignorance is bliss

Kylie D

"On summer nights the world
moves within earshot
on the interstate with its swish
and growl, an occasional siren
that sends chills through us."

On winter nights the world
rests within earshot
on the country roads with its bumps
and houses, an occasional patter
that sends warmth through us.

On fall nights the world
sneaks within earshot
in the neighborhoods with their friends
and monsters, an occasional growl
that sends fear through us.

On spring nights the world
blossoms within earshot
on the growing trees with their buds
and flowers, an occasional buzz
that sends joy through us.

~Kaylie

I've never seen
Something to bring
Me to tears;
Only pain

The feeling that wallows
Inside us
Destroying us
That feeling can bring us to tears
                                                                -Adam

"We all have something to say, or something to ask
I don't live in a cage, it's none of your business

Gonna say this clear so you can get it straight
You don't know a thing about me"

I've lived in this skin
through all the days you haven't
trying to fix me
break down all my walls

these wounds aren't healing
these cuts i'm feeling
this emptiness is filling

each wall is being broken
torn down piece by piece
your beginning to see
who i really am

aren't you scared

~anonymous

Life is like a game,

There are few simple rules,

As long as you try,

Life will go by ,

Why because you tried,

With all of your will,

With will you will,

Go far in the greatest game of all,

Life.

I look at the pictures
Wishing I was with her
It shows me of what we are
I can hardly wait for our reunion to reoccur.

I sat on the swing,
Shifting my body weight,
Coasting higher by the seconds,
leaving all my thoughts behind,

Finally I am soaring high,
Wind hugging my body,
And the blue sky outlined with white clouds,
Creating an instant shock of insanity,

Making me feel like I'm about to be swallowed,
And I might never come back down to earth,
Because I'm finally happy,
Here on this swing alone.

Shoveling the snow
creating songs out of nothing
playing with old sticks and stones
Don’t You Remember?

Inside that small room of yours,
watching countless videos online of the same band
laughing and pretending
Don’t You Remember?

Late night snacking on sugar
Catching your goldfish
Exploring in our own backyards
Don’t You Remember?

Walking through hidden paths in the graveyard
Singing random songs from that same band as we walk
Reading each grave as if we knew them
Don’t You Remember?

Sitting on your bed giggling about random nothings
Dressing up your dolls
And patting your dog
Don’t You Remember?

You lay here
Forgotten by the world,
Waiting,
for someone to stumble upon you

You lay here
Watching the hours tick by
Waiting,
For someone to notice you

You lay here
a forgotten flame
Waiting,
To set fire to your surroundings

You lay here
Just a corpse in the ground
Waiting,
for nothing

-Madi.S