I watched her walk the halls day after day at school
Dumpy, frumpy with a beautiful smile
The boys called her names I dare not mention
She continued to be bubbly and laugh at their taunts*

Funny though, no one though she was dying inside
Did not know every single tease tore another building block from her body
Never showing how much it hurt, the smile contageous but everyday she suffered

People would pass her in the halls and the guys would cough with some obscure name
They waited at the bottom of the stairs during lunch just so they could tease her more

She wasn't ugly not at all
Not skinny,not fat
Just above average

She would perserverate over what to wear
What would make her look her best
Each outfit would hit the floor as her own mind would say words worse than the boys could think of

She had one boyfriend
Her friends teased her so badly she gave him up
That seemed to bring the dogs on more
They thought it was fun

Everytime I saw her she smiled and laughed ignoring them
I used to tell her she was beautiful and they were just immature
Prom came around and she bought a beautiful dress
Thought for sure she would go

It didn't matter how sweet and thoughtful she was no one asked her
Why?
Because she wasn't a popular kid nor a geek
Just short frumpy Sue of a dairy farmer

She graduated with honors
The frumpy girl was replaced by a beauty
Yet she could not see it
All she could see or hear were the names those boys called

The Valedictorian speech she gave was full of promise for all
Including the ones that didn't know beauty from a hole in the wall
A few weeks later we were all gathered again
This time for her funeral as Sue had taken her own life

She left a note alright
Thanking ones by name
I wish I had done more yet she thanked me for being her friend
I guess she got the last laugh

Her note was no joke
But she made sure to point out every vile thing about those boys
Every mistake they ever made
Each embarassing thing brought them down a few more pegs

We buried her today
I gave the Eulogy
About the girl with the most beautiful smile
That reflected all she was on the inside

Magazines, movie stars, text books, and tv shows
They show the beautiful people on the outside
Teaching children that is what matters most

Teach your children beauty is from within and really has nothing to do with the outer shell
Tell them do unto others as they would want done to them
to befriend the little people whose smile or words inspire them

Most of all teach them everyone is beautiful in some way or other
So they don't have to bury their friend one day or worse yet
You don't have to bury them before their time

your touch is like electricity in my veins
i crave you
you're like the sun
radient, warm
your smile is contageous
it could cure anthything,
it cured me

they say boys are made of snakes and spiders,
but they haven't met you
you're sweet, you're sensative.
everything about you invites me in.
the way you caress me when we say our goodbyes,
to how you stroke my smoothe skin, showing me that you love me.
but what you probably don't know,
is that i would cross the 7 seas to kiss you one last time
i would climb mountains to see you smile,
or to feel your kind embrace
because i've never loved someone like i love you.

but i'm cold
and you burn.

"I know it's back. I can feel it;
The pressure behind the eyes..."*

He's sixty. Missing front teeth
Make his grins cartoonish

And contageous. Some days
Colleague, others

Father.
Now, hammer-steel

Eyes well up. Hands like
Shovels pretend to scratch the

Bridge of his nose.
Devil Cancer. Ugly, old *******.

When he passes on, Valhalla
Awaits.

Don't tell me there's no battle
In this.

I probably don't remember everything
about my first day in college
or the fisrt time that we met
sometimes i even forget
the date my birth is celebrated
.
but for that day i rember everything
from your low heel black strap shoes
sounding the beat everytime your
feet touched the ground
as you walked towards me
and there was the glowing white
emanating from your blouse
the matching was impecable
and although
they call me color blind
but even then i saw it
.
then there was your voice
soft and articulate in speech
yet still firm and stern
accompanied by a contageous laughter
.
at first i thought you
were about to cry
that was when i noticed
that natural glitter in your eyes
you had just plaited your hair
it was sprayed and shiny
holding to a pony behind
.
thats when u spoke to me
then i kept saying "ati"
not because you were unclear
but the sound of your voice
was so soothing and comforting
somewhere between opera singing
and a choral verse recital
.
you were still a young girl
but thats when your wings grew
somewhere the july cold
and you flew away from us
we still miss you every august
.
i wish you were here to see
how she has grown since
she nolonger plays with small
dolls like she used to
but i know you are looking
from up above you see us
alot has happend between
and some day i will tell you all about it.
She talks about you sometimes
but i am still unable to explain it all
i dont know if she will understand
i even dont know what to tell her
but if you were here
you would know exactly what to tell her
like you she is perfect
.
sometimes i cry alone
and preffer to be left alone
not because i like being alone
but because its easier
to immagine by myself
what you would do or say in such situations.
fly safe my friend.
and keep passing by
dont be gone too long.

like dust catching sunlight

those swirls we're floating on

never let us touch for long

always carried away by life and its plans

where we end up none of us knows

but you looked so magnificent up close

that golden guilded flash of you

it was contageous and after circling around we saw our moment

and we held on to each other as long as we could

it wasnt enough.

maybe next time when I see you after floating in the sun

our dust specks will settle in just the right way

and may we lay there forgotten

for the rest of our days.

LIFE IS MERE LUCK.
He walked along the moor to soothe his mind
and think about the sense of life on Earth.
He saw a girl; she ran away from him
as she was scared of kin who sought her trace
to take her to a house she loathed to see.

Her charm was really rare that he could not
let her escape as that would bring him woe
for being lazy bones when he could act.

He stopped her and they sat; they talked for long.
He found some traits in her that he looked for.
His love was clear and shone in his fond eyes.
It was contageous to her hungry soul.

He was so pleased she was fit as a wife,
and she was glad to meet the man she wished.
They went to where they called their cosy house,
convinced that life was just a lucky chance.
BY JOSEPH ZENIEH
____________