I Remain

I
give, share, provide -
You take, use, and
Consume me whole.

I
grow, dig deep, reach out -
You gnaw, shallowly saw, and
Cut me down.

I
renew, replenish, clean -
You poison me with ignorance and
Fill me with mindless waste.

I
breath, exist, sustain -
You breathe to exist yet
Suffocate and smother me in pursuit.

I
weep, warn, even surrender -
You dig, persist, and
Rape me from the inside out.

I
weep
breathe
renew
grow
give
to remain.

Me Myself and I

by Paula I., Grade 9

I can't tell you how to live your life
Nor can you mom or your dad
Or any friend you ever had.
There will be sometimes when you feel lost
But pretending to be others is not the way to go
because you are special and you have your own glow.
Some people become envious of this glow you have
So they will tell you things,
that will make things go bad.
It's because of this that you should always listen to advice
But if you don't like it
don't do it,
I cant tell you how to live your life
But this is some advice from me to you,
You can take it or leave it if you want
But there are three people that will always be there for me is
Me Myself and I

Yourself

By Maria P., Grade 9

Don´t feign love
friendship or
happiness

Be yourself,
express what you feel

Don´t follow other people's paths
Make your own path

Life is full of disappointments,
open the curtains,
whip the tears off
and see the new world

Don´t be neurotic
Be unfettered

You are the writer,
of your own story.

Dear fellow friend

By Sabrina R., Grade 9

Dear fellow friend,
Life`s a maze
You´ll never find the end…
But you will find the present
You will find yourself stuck in it,
Or better said,
you will see yourself enjoying it,
never try to look beyond,
never try to look back
but do feel the breeze,
that´s passing right through you,
at that moment…

Life´s not about the apple you will reach,
Life´s not about what if…
What if I fall in the climb?
Life´s about how you reach the apple,
How you climb
Each step you take,
How much force you exert between each step,
Between each obstacle,
Each challenge,
Each memory.

I wonder if you´ve heard,
That second guessing retains your will,
The will that comes from your heart,
Not from who surrounds you,
Not from exterior influences.

Believe in yourself.
Believe.
Don´t second guess,
Live the present moment,
Feel the breeze go through your skin.
Feel it.

Teenage Advice

by Maria M., Grade 9

Don't take things for granted
Don't try to be ambidextrous if you are not
You can't do everything, you know
Don't do things that give you a bad feeling
Say what you need to say
Eat as much chocolate as you want
Never buy drugs, because you could be supporting Al Qaeda
Don't stay places where you get bad vibes
Do what you want
Don't let others change the way you think
Eat delicious food
Make a scene if you feel like it
Don't pretend or fake ANYTHING
Exercise
Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery
If you really want it, you can achieve it.
Be fair
Never trust anyone too much
Don't tell other people's secrets to anyone
Live in the now
Who cares about rumors?
Never lie to your best friend
Ignore people that annoy you
Try to do your homework the day it is given
Never eat skittles on a road trip
Don't try to make people like you, if they don't they won't
Try your best all the time
Be clean
Don't waste too much time on Facebook
Always have a plan
Everything ends.

My Routine

by D.H., Grade 9

En las mañanas canta el gallo.
Making me rise and shine.
Waking me up from my dream.
Haya sido bueno o malo.
And then I begin my routine.
Me lavo los dientes.
I wash my hair.
I brush my teeth,
y salgo por la puerta.
To begin a new day
with a sonrisa on my face.
I don't know what to expect from today,
pero sea lo que sea.
I'll expect with open arms.
Today is a gift,
por eso le llaman presente.
And I promise to make the best out of it,
o si no, mañana es un nuevo día.
The rooster will again sing in the morning.
Giving me esperanza for a brand new day.

Unknown Future

by A. C. A., Grade 9

When you are in love
Tu estas en las nubes
You forget about the rest of the gente
And there's only una persona en la cual tu piensas;
Una sola.

You wish to be with that person
Pero piensas que nunca pasara
But always remember,
Con el futuro nunca sabes que pasara.

A mi me paso eso
I thought nothing would happen
And even try to olvidarlo
But soon we find out
That we could not live without each other.

No te estoy diciendo
Que la persona you love is coming to you;
Pero algun dia the right person
Will come to you
Or you just find it

Ser paciente en el amor
is important.
You should wait for love to come to you
Pero nunca tu a el.

Last Tear

Last
night
I
cried
my
last
tear

which is not to say I won't cry again

but it will be
from a different place
for a different reason

for something that is
not for something that wasn't
and was never supposed to be.

K.Renae

Ode to Basking in the Sun on a Rock

by Michelle Fajkus

You are loyal like the sun
You see the leaves
Moonlit ripples
Hungry minnows
Lightning in the distance
Past the green mountains

Growth is where we overlap
Sprout with giggles; fail with intensity
Soaking up the details
A lizard scampering across the path
Bright and tiny yellow wildflowers
A white blanket with red doves
Candles flickering in a watery cave

We are content to sit
In a jade pool
Water rushing over our legs forever
Abandoning petty stresses
Inhaling presence
As we slip into the future
Smart and clueless

With the wisdom of three decades
Sadness passes
Joy lies under the water
We sit
And then move
Toward no destination
At all times

A Bent Desire

I am different,
I see beyond the scheme that society puts before me.
Love is love, no matter who it is directed to, isn't it?
there's people telling me it's not that way,
they tell me it's wrong,
they tell me that we're meant to love the opposite
but what if we're tired of being misunderstood?
what if we want someone who fully understands us?
why is it wrong?
this concept has existed since the beginning of time,
we've existed since the beginning of time
feeling attracted to anyone from our species.
who are you to tell me I'm not allowed to love who I want to love?
who are you to tell me I'm not allowed to dress how I want to dress?
who are you to tell me that I am abnormal, a freak of nature?
EXACTLY... NO ONE
how am I disgusting?
how am I less?
how am I abnormal?
how are you better?
it is my right to be happy
I'm happy this way
just let me be
that's all I ever asked for,
maybe even a bit of understanding
a bit of comprehension, might help.
why give me dirty looks for what I am?
why not treat me the same for what I'm not?
believe me, it's easier to pretend
but why should I apologize for who I am?
I am just fine the way I am
and I'm not changing because of people like you
I can love who ever I want  and NO ONE will stop me.
It's my decision to take;
it's my move to make
it's my choice and YOU have nothing to do with it.

~By L.S., age 14