Honor the Worms

Droplets of rain fall on the scene assuredly,
Heavy clouds cover the sun, winking demurely.
Obscurity of vision banishes all light
Drizzly sheets recall a dark and stormy night.

Gray dreariness settles as the oceans fill the view,
Endless water begets moist torrents anew.
What was once an early, playful dawn,
Has now (like empires and swirling stars) gone.

But whilst the sky falls, plummeting down,
The earthworms appear, with neither smile nor frown.
Slithering, slinking, oozing annelid slime,
They sidewind and move in concertina, 4/4 time,

For wiggly worms, both big and small, cannot survive,
A toasty sun with burning rays that knive,
Nor can they in flooded homes linger long,
Expatriates, they search for a new place to belong.

Days hence, the sky clears and azure smiles again,
Green blades stand firm, they stretch and do not wane,
But the worms, oh the worms! Poor souls
They’ve dried and fried more than ancient scrolls.

A single worm, desiccated and dead,
Adheres to the sidewalk, stuck from tail to head,
How pitiful a sight, what heartbreaking sorrow,
This little fellow shall never see the morrow.

So if ever you’re saunt’ring and a rainbow’s out,
After a storm’s blustered and blown away,
Take care to observe your step on the route,
And pay homage to worms in decay.

Watch out for piteous Billy worm, who could be under your boot,
The bloke’s journey never came to full term, so don’t squish him; salute.

-Submitted by Vivian Chang

Freedom

I feel like a wild animal
born in a cage;
a cage too small to move in,
to breathe in
to spread my wings in.
I am trapped.
I have never known what it is to run
to leap
to fly;
I have never known
FREEDOM
I have never known what it is to survive
to find food
to fear danger
I have never known another of my own kind
I don't know what that would mean.

I feel like a wild animal
bred in captivity
in a cage too small to move in...
...except...

except the door is hanging
hanging loosely
open

Submitted by Miriam Hitchcock

Away

Trust in the wind to blow where it will
Fall into its gusts
away, away, away...

Trust in the tides to keep their own rhythm
Listen and feel it
come away, come away...

Trust in the stars to sail through the sky
Bind their paths to your souls
Come away, come away...

Trust in the Earth to sing through space and live
Sinking into its orbit
away, away, away...

Trust in the leaves as they fall to the ground
to gust every direction
Fall away, fall away...

-submitted by Miriam Hitchcock

the wind and the rain

a little girl playing in the sand
dancing with joy in the light
twirling away in the summer's wind
and everything was beautifully right

a single drop falls right on my head
and upwards she glances, stunned
but it has passed and onwards she moves
basking with grace in the sun

the smallest of puddles down at her feet
she stomps just to watch it move
she tries to hold some in her hands
and laughs as it falls through

but the little girl's not laughing now
as the storm comes flooding in
knees to her chin, hugging them close
drenched through clothes and skin

everything's lost to the wind and the rain
there's nothing but darkness to see
the little girl's gone and all that remains
is the shell of what was to be

submitted by "the Face of Boe"

Memories

Memories are locked up into a
little box that only
we have the key to.
Some memories
we bring out all the time,
others we never allow to escape.
Memories can reopen
wounds that we never
want to feel again,
but they can also bring back that
special moment,
that we love and want to relive
over and over again.

Untitled

The sky is gray and light is gone
Darker days are soon to come
Something lingers in the air
Too many problems too little care
A sliding tear, a dropping word
Normal changes to absurd
Some whispered lies
A new world dies
A life to live
A soul to give
A new defeat
A failed retreat
My life is used
I'm consumed
The light is gone and the sky is gray
Soon to come are darker grays

Trust and Love

Trust is hard to gain
Love is hard to lose
I hate going through this pain
I hate missing you.

Trust is time
love is blind
I wish you were here
I wish you were mine
Trust is blank
Love is bold
To me you're so fake
I've also been told.

Trust is love
Love is trust
Both of these combined
Is a must.

-Submitted anonymously

The Stranger

I take the picture in my hand
Looking down at a stranger
A little girl almost three
Unaware of future danger.
In a little pink dress
She swings from a tree
Hair glistening in the sun
She seems so free
Who would have known this little girl
Would grow up to be behind bars
She gave up on being good
She never reached for the stars.
She was twenty-eight that awful day
when she hit a pedestrian
And she was thirty-two four years after
When she got her life back again.
But the girl chose a darker path
And pays now every day
Wishing for a better life
Wishing for a way.

People who Like and Dislike Poetry...

People who like poetry
wear berets
Eat healthy
And are open to new ideas
They follow the ideals of trancendentalism
Protecting and enjoying nature
They will always continue
To enjoy poetry

People who dislike poetry
Are too cool to enjoy poetry
They are busy with parties
And friendships
They do not realize
What they do not know
Poetry speaks to them
but they do not listen

-Matt Mansfield

Nature

Nature

As the fire makes the forest ashes

An idea emerges

And time continues on

Nature has a funny way

Of making ideas

Rising like the phoenix

A thought drifts high above uor heads

Brilliance doesn't always come from us

But from the beauty surrounding

Nature

As the fire makes the forest ashes

Growth begins anew

One sprout

Green among grey

Refreshing

Like rain in the desert

Like fire on a glacier

Life will carry on

Purpose

What is our purpose?
In the vast expanse of this universe,
Our existence is less than a blip
on the universal radar screen.
For all we accomplish
At the end
What do we have
If it were to all end tomorrow
What difference would it make
What we did with our lives.
But before we question purpose
We must first question existence
And what it is to exist
Are we not just a makeup of atoms,
Interpreting other atoms
Is anything really real
Or is it just an illusion
Whatever we do
At the end
Did it really matter?

What If?

What if you could step back into yesterday?
Would you change your regrets and lock them in a box?
Or would you leave them alone and hide the key?

What if I could step into the future?
Would you want to see the treasures you gain?
Or would you want to take back what you've lost?

What if you stay where you are?
Will you sit there and not change the world?
Or will you stand up and leave a legacy?

What if you changed the world?
Would you quench the flame of hate?
Would you feed the hunger of any kind?

What if you watched and never did?
Would you understand how the dying woman on the streets felt?
Or would you know the thoughts of the wounded heart?

What if?
If only...

-Sarah Hernandez

People Who Like/Don't Like Poetry...

People Who Like Poetry...

A stereotypical poet.
Sitting in a cafe,
a cup of black coffee in hand.
A beaten old journal almost full,
open and ready to be written in.
This artist has somewhat of a stoic look,
contemplating what to write about this day,
trying to concentrate, and start to decide
what insight they can give to others,
who may stumble upon their work,
and read what they have to say.
A stereotypical poet's words
just seem to pour out onto the paper,
their metaphors, similes, and rhymes,
all working together in perfect unison,
creating a masterpiece no one else can manage.
These stereotypical poets, these passionate people,
write these poems, giving us a small piece of wisdom.

People who don't like poetry...

Some people don't like poetry,
they just like to hear things how they are.
No metaphors on life, or love.
A blunt statement is good enough.
Some people prefer other forms of expression.
And then they will just poke fun
at poets, and all their written work.
I guess poetry, just isn't for everyone.

Categorizing

People who live poetry...
See the world in an artist's eyes
Are alone while amidst friends
Touch the pen, not the brush
Feel the pain hiding within beauty

People who don't like poetry
see the surface, and are satisfied
Find joy in all aspects of life
Can do the mundane and not complain
Love the world for what it is

-Jacob Martin

Lost In My Own Thoughts

My mind tends to overthink things.
My mind ilkes to jump around
from topic to topic,
person to person,
place to place,
as if there isn't enough time in a day
to think everything through.

My mind is right.

Sometimes I think so deeply,
that I lose track of time,
I forget about where I am,
I forget about what I'm doing.

My thoughts ilke to trick my mind.
They start itself off on a tangent
thinking abuot every single detail and aspect,
to the abslute utmost,
full of thoughtless thought bubbles,
and right when things start to make sense,
my favorite song will come on,
sending my mind in a whole other direction.

It's like dreaming when you're asleep.
You're in the Olympics,
Standing on the edge of a diving board.
The crowd is shouting your name,
signs and smiling faces surrounding you,
your adrenaline is pumping faster and faster.
You take a deep breath,
the crowd falls silent,
and just as you leap off the diving board,
Your alarm clock goes off.

Welcome to my life.

The World Between My Ears

I like writing where I am
On my own planet
That lives inside my head, and shows itself
As I travel through its chamber
Marveling at what lies within
Music whispers thruogh its halls
Strange beasts turn to look at me
I stare back in fascination
Each room its own continent
One a field of gymnasiums
Where I can watch my playground and childhood
Another an island, great beasts surrounding
My fears realized, miles-deep water only meters of sand
Another a forest, a hayride, a bonfire
Surrounded by friends, joy defined
And then the exit
Where I leave my head
Dumping it onto my paper
And return to the not-so-real world
Where I am forced to live

The Definition of Depression

The autumn leaves turn into dust
The living slowly dies
The moon sweeps softly into place
As the sun begins to rise
Embers of fire begin to burn
Fading into black
New lives are born to grace the world
Making up for those who lack
Birds of song drift through the air
With melody of life
Cautioning of what lies ahead
Pre-warning of the strife
The calm is broken; afternoon
The tart but sweetened air
The gathered go about their lives
With nothing of a care
The lives consumed are soon released
Letting go of hope
Causing all but pleasant thoughts
Leaving nothing left to cope
Life at its best is life at its worst
An act of calm aggression
The peace of love is the hate of war
The definition of depression.

-Emma Hein

Snow

Delicate, peaceful
A glaze falling so gently
Like icing on a cake

Poetry

People who like poetry snap
their fingers instead of clapping.
They see the world around them
in an entirely different way.
People who hate poetry don't
notice the rhythm of words.
They don't notice the rhythm of
the people,
the city,
the world.

Broken

Miracles are beautiful;
surprising one at a perfect time.
When we are struggling most,
Someone is looking out for us
And making life a little easier.
When we are broken,
Miracles pick up the pieces.

Burdens are beautiful;
Thrown upon us at the perfect time.
When we least expect it,
A side road opens in our path
And our detour of life begins.
Burdens give us the opportunity
to pick up our own pieces

-Amy Kiminas

I Like Writing Where I Am

I like writing where I am
When I am in my bed
I am snug under my warm covers
I rest my notepad on my lap
And think of all the possibilities
That I can write about
As I sit in my bed
The room is quiet
I like to be alone
It helps me think more
And I don't feel judged
By people reading over my shoulder
As I come up with a topic
My pen glides on the paper
And letters become words
Which then become sentences
And at the end
I am pleased with my new entry
In my notepad

I can't breathe

I can't breathe
someone help.
The air is dwindling,
so is my heart.
Too many decisions,
too many people telling me what to do,
how to live,
too many people being cruel to me.

I can't breathe.
My lungs are kept shut,
from the words people say to me.
My mouth is kept shut,
from the fear of dying if I say a word about it.
Someone help
I can't breathe

I Live Poetry

Poetry is a valve of mine
It sticks out the small of my back, waiting for a twist
Pressure builds and builds, and waits
A giant sitting on my shoulders, crushing my spirit
Until I sit and think, and the valve is opened
Poetry flows into my life, whether on a page, or in the world
Like a book I am opened as the world opens to me
The beauty of a rainy day, the sadness within a sunny field
Truth flows as a river through me, and I am gifted a ladle
To draw life

Wonderings

I do not understand
Why so many people were given voice boxes
Why pizzas need tiny tables
Why tofu is such a hit
But most of all, I don't understand
Why people are so blind
The world could be (and is) falling apart around them
And they could still find a way to complain
When life gives them lemons
They pull a sour face
And blame someone else
What I understand the most are rocks
Who sit on the ground
And let life happen
Who do not whine
And when the world changes
They change to fit its needs
Whether a tool, a table or a seat
Useful until the sands of time wear them away

My Grandma and Me

There are so many ways
I can see myself in you.
We are alike it's so true.
We love to watch TV,
You like Jeopardy
And I watch MTV.
We act alike.
We talk alike.
We're on the phone at least
One hour a day
Just to chat
And blow some time away.
We pass time together
on the swing
As we
Laugh
Cry
Smile
Frown
We go through life together.
But when we need each other
We come running to the other.

Big and Small

Big things are beautiful;
a canyon gorge deep
a breath-taking view.
The mountain side steep
and ocean so blue.
A great redwood tree
and vast prairie plains
as far as I can see.

And small things are beautiful;
A butterfly wing,
the beak of a bird
that breaks open to sing.
An opening bud,
the veins of a leaf
a baby bunny,
one child's belief.

Flames of Life

Everything I knew is now in the flames
My life has changed forever
And nothing is the same
It seems that life, as I know it is over
But if it is, I am too numb with shock to care
I want to run to my room and hide beneath the covers
To dream and dream that what is happening now is a dream
But now there is nothing
There is no coffee no sugar no cream
What is happening to me?
Fate has called attention to me
But I wish that it never thought twice walking past my door
Poor poor me

Wait

What am I doing feeling sorry for myself?

I have lived and I am alive
I am solid and unbroken
Yes, my life is disrupted and it will never be the same

But I am me and I am granite
Nothing can break me down
And there are no cracks in this piece of perfect stone

I am proud to be alive

I am well
And with my family
This is nothing at all except a bend in the road of life
I will never forget this burning, blazing, freezing morning

But I will move on

And I will not feel sorry for myself

-Ashely Issacs

we've split in two

we've split in two,
I'm sure you've noticed.
it's time to separate,
but how do I tell you this?
you lost your interests
mine are just growing.

so how do we stay together when you're like this?
and how can we love each other when I'm like this?
we're different now, we need to let go of this thing.

you hold a special place in my heart, and I hope I'm in yours too.
but I think we killed it this time, all the intimacy gone.

but after a year of being with you,
how do I cut this off? how do we stop?

breathe in, breathe out, I guess I'll eventually figure this out.

it's the end of something reliable, and safe,
but now it's the beginning of something beautiful.
and for once, I'm okay with that.

I think I'm just ready to give up the good,
so I can replace it with the great.

-Arielle Knapp

The Morning

Shrill piercing noises,
Ring through my head,
I open my eyes
And wish I were dead

Six in the morning,

Did I even sleep at all?
I feel sick and get up,
And make my way to the hall.

"Why do I do this?"
I think to myself.
But my eyes are still shut,
And I run into my shelf.

-Scott Daily

Flutter

flutter

it went by.

I hear a chime sing in an off-key melody
whistling to the wind that bears
a scent, the scent

of spring

ready to live with joyous cry
that is not alive, but ALIVE

as I race amongst the awakened
who still lay quiet
unbroken by the mist,

a mist that curdles
in defiant surrender
to remain so still;

and so you too are alive
without being ALIVE

flutter

it went by.

-Ryhan Hassan

Broken Pencil

The words flow out of me
Onto the page
Coming from my brain
Electric signals
Move down my spine
Across my back
To my arm
Arriving at my hand
Which moves so eloquently
Across the paper
Gushing line
After line
After line
After line
My pencil breaks
...
Kill my day

-Jacob Martin

New Born

Tiny Fingers
Tiny Feet
Watch her sleep
Watch her eat
Bring her warmth
Bring her love
Show her things
Show she's tough
Make her laugh
Make her smile
Tell her secrets
Worth the while
Sing her a song
Sing her a rhyme
Tell her she's beautiful
All the time

-Jen Coppola

Screaming and Yelling

Screaming and yelling
Tears streaming down
Chest is a-heaving
Up and down

Eyes blurred red
Voice worn raw
Heart falling to pieces
All to the ground

Wishing that life
Would seep out of me
I'm worthless
And disgusting

No right to continue
No reason to care
'Cause no one else will
When my beat becomes still

Lighthouse gone black
Davey is laughing
Almost I run
To that locker of Darkness

Nothing is right
Trying doesn’t help
Starting out just fine
Only to drop under the line

-Ashley Issacs

Praying for Death

Praying for Death
Wishing to be cold
With pale blue lips
And hair gone frayed
Eyes glazed over
With the Peace of the everlasting Silence

Silence would comfort
Whether in blazing light or
Eternal heat
Glory and good
Or heat and demise
That’s all that I want
Silence forever

Tears wouldn’t stream
Voices wouldn’t cry
Hearts wouldn’t break
And minds wouldn’t sob

No one would care
Life would go on
No one would notice
If my heart became still

To be Nothing
To be Alone
To be Broken
and used

Silence is what I pray for

-Ashley Issacs

Our Nation

I’m staring off into space and I don’t know why I even care

Nothing seems right and everything sucks

This poetry sucks too

But who cares

I don’t

Because there is no reason to care

Because there is nothing left to care about

The hurricane came and left

But the destruction is still here all around me

My family and I barely scraped through it

Unlike so many others

I can’t imagine why something like this is breathtaking

But one hardly knows how much there is to lose

Until you have lost it all

Supposedly hardships bring people together, but all I have seen is greed, violence, and the need for self-preservation

Nothing brought this nation together

Not even the destruction of entire cities and states

Not even the destruction of September 11

Well, at least not the way it should have

It should have made this country turn and look at itself

And say what can I do to help my fellow Americans

But all people could do was cry, and scream for loved ones

Not that that is a bad thing, but we should be crying for all those lost

There is nothing that can hold this nation together

Long enough to get us back on our feet

And defeat the enemy that attacked us from the inside out

What is happening to us as a nation?

We are slowly decomposing, and the strength that we once had is fading

The power that we imposed on other nations, creating new strength in others

The soldiers that look to us for support

Are now lacking in that

Because we as a nation have decided to turn our backs on them

They need us, and all we can talk about is how much we need to stop the war

We demoralize everything that they have fought for in these long years and we strip them of the purpose that they felt that they had

How can this happen to a nation so young?

We feel so old, but we are still as immature as five-year-olds are

At least the men and women at arms, know why they lay their life on the line

While we sit back and watch, and criticize

At least they have grown up trying to set an example for us, to show us the way

Yet nothing seems to show us the light

We need an Enlightenment

-Ashley Issacs

Rwanda

The eyes burn
the nose itches
the belly craves, and
the bones in the wrists, ankles, and legs throb--
but the joys of the body are not unknown
as the mind grows, and perhaps
even a little wisdom is honed
I wake breathless in the morning,
deep from the warmth of sleep,
I hear the birds chirping in the dark,
think about God,
wonder what It is all about,
name my ten gratitudes,
try not to be cynical
or shrewd, try to remember the surge of spring in the veins,
the passions, the love,
All calm now, tempered
with disbelieving almost everything taught to me
by man.
What a brain-wash it all is,
steeped in the illusions of "our way"
which is the way
that has led the world to such
a catastrophe as Rwanda.
Saw a movie last night on the million dead,
created by our greed, our culture, our Christianity. the solution?
Forget the UN, propagated by our commerce,
Take all the Western Colonialists
(who thrive more today than ever)
add them to all the western-educated Rwandans,
and put them out of their misery.
Perhaps hen the 10,000 years of peace
will descend on Africa again.
When our civilization has failed completely
as a humanitarian enterprise,
why do we think we can solve
the problems we have
created? We don't.
We,
the generals and suited elite
enjoy the problems as "the great game"
like the British were playing
all around the world
in the old days,
destroying one culture after another.
Enter.
Divide.
Incite racial hatred --
and they'll kill each other.
While we stand by moaning our Christian hymns,
mouthing our hypocritical paeans of peace.
Whoever made enough money art war games
in peacetime? Greed is the creed.
Even though the birds still sing
in the pre-dawn light.

- Abel Araya

To Live

How can I describe myself when I do not exist? I am the wind; cold fingers running through the trees like a comb through a lady’s hair. I am the fog on a spring morning; too fine to feel and too thick to see through. I am a shadow dancing alongside a flickering flame. I have no heart to circulate blood or to feel emotion. What is heat? What is love? What is pain? What is grief? I am but a wraith. I can never know.

The man approaching his home is whistling a jaunty tune. Though his apartment complex is new to him, the building has stood for many years. It is not the austere castle or majestic cathedral expected of my kind. Even so, within these walls hearts have broken, trust has shattered and dreams have been cast away in despair. These forces which hold me here are at once eternally foreign, for I can neither love nor trust nor dream.
Upon reaching the elevator, the man is silenced by the other occupants’ irritated glares. His soul-light is so brilliant that it blots out those of the others. This light draws me to the man as gravity holds mankind to the Mother’s surface. Perhaps it is like hunger or envy, but it is not a longing; these are all human things. Instead, it is the light which is an objective force from without pulling me toward it, forcing me to follow. The elevator stops and the man enters the hallway with me following. Only once I have consumed that light will I be whole.

When the man reaches his bedroom and comes to his bed, he will find a deep shadow resting upon it. The melody he whistled with such cheer before with return in a slow minor. I await him; the shadow he will see pulsing eerily to the beat.
“Know me.” If I have voice, it is the wind. He is still approaching. And now we touch. With the night-song flowing through him, we begin to merge. He feels me at last, though I am made of nothingness. His light bursts through his fingertips and at last I can feel. We feel each other. And now, together, we dance. The music quickens with his pulse. We skitter through the room, through the night and her sky. I am the moon and he is the tide; I dictate the rhythm of every steep. He is the autumn leaf and I the wind as we skitter and swirl to a new life.
We are twin threads in finely sewn lace. We are tow drops of rain in the sea. Falling together we are one.
I am the harp and she is the music; through me she lives, through me she breathes.
He is the candle and I am the flame.
I am the cloud and she the rain.
I am the altar.
I am the sacrifice.
I am. I live. I breathe. I feel. Now I know bliss, for my voice is more than the howling of wind, my face as bright as the moon, my presence solid and absolute.
So this is what it is to be alive! It is the soft, silken fibers of a flowing dress swirling lightly with every step. It is the swooshing of breath into my newly formed body.
I am. I can walk across the room and I am not a shadow; I cast one. I feel. True humility accompanies my awe, this for he who gifted me with life. I know. I know heat and I know love, have fallen deep into its berth.
From the window comes an icy draft and for the first time I know what it is to feel cold. And there is blood on my hands: all that is left of Him. I am alone with only memory for company. And I taste. I taste the salt of tears. So this is life: despair. And memory! It is a wraith flitting cruelly through the shadows of the heart.