The Great Sword of Okundevlance
By Hudson Barocas
“No One”
By Bridge Chase
the last bell rings;
not like it changes anything
not like it changes
what I feel
or who I can talk to
no one could understand
no one
“why are you acting so depressed?”
no one
“what’s wrong?”
no one
“are you okay?”
no one
all I can do
is wait
for sleep to finally come
where I can retreat
into my cozy confinement
from the presence
of nothing at all
sleep will help
sleep is my friend
sleep will fix this
A Collection of Drawings
By Mia Hardiman
"Enderwoman"
"Shroom"
"An Ode to Nostalgia"
"The Creature"
By Kenichi Flores
By: Liv Mendelsohn
(Tune to Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift)Lemons dream high in the quiet of the lemon tree, you know that I´m sour.
Sour, sour lemon shiny juice with the price, you know that I’ll be plucked.
Keep your head low in the lemon tree, never wanting to be plucked by those dirty humans.
They never know what it's like to be used to squeeze my guts out.
I'm a sour lemon, I'm juicy, I'm yummy, I´m not free, and mistaken by a lime, I'm a sour lemon.
I'm new, that's what I try to tell them, but they don't listen, I´m a squeezable lemon, but ooh oh oh I'm a sour lemon.
Oh yeah.
I'm squished in the back of the truck, and I smell really funny because it's so hot. Oh oh.
Said I'm fine but it wasn't true. I don't want to be squeezed, that's not what I do.
And I tried to sneak out of this truck, but every step I took, it just wouldn't work. Oh oh.
And I scream for whatever it’s worth, I don’t wanna be lemonade. Then I hear the truck drivers say,
“10 miles left,” and I don't wanna be lemonade. I'm a sour lemon about to become lemonade.
You’re cruel, that's what I try to tell the humans, but they don't listen. I’m a squeezable lemon, but ooh woah woah, I’m a sour lemon oh yeah.
I’m really warm, in the back of the truck, and I'm crying for the truck drivers to let me free. Woah ohh.
When they say 5 miles left, I feel like I'm about to faint.
Then the truck stops, and I’m like what? Then they take us out, and I hear them say, oh oh. We are taking the lemons out, and when they do I jump to the ground.
And I see, my lemon parents, and I scream and run for my life, cause ooh oh oh I'm a sour lemon... Oh yeah
By Valerie Lyons
Credits: -... -.-- ---... / .-.. .. ...- / -- . -. -.. . .-.. ... --- .... -. --..-- / .--. . -. -. -.-- / ... .. . --. . .-.. --..-- .- -. -.. / ...- .- .-.. . .-. .. . / .-.. -.-- --- -. ...
I type in the first word.
All the letters are grey, my mind is buzzing.
“Think, think, think,” I whisper to myself.
I’m as helpless as a toy on a shelf, my mind waiting to be opened,
I stared up into the cruel sky as I yelled, “What do I do!?”
It feels like I’m stuck in sticky glue.
Slowly, barely moving through the game.
The vowels and consonants,
My mind goes blank.
I try again a word that starts with B,
But I don’t see
The puzzle pieces come together in my mind, as I find the word to spell,
The word is Dwell!
... .. --. -- .- / -... --- -.--
As I select each group,
My heart beats fast.
Will it be correct?
The first four words chosen.
One away…
So close.
Yet,
So far.
Sweat dribbles down my fivehead...
Strands;
Strings of words,
Unknown,
Guessed.
Blue.
Then yellow.
The colors that can be.
Will I complete?
Or will I rage quit.
The odds are 50/50 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Credits: -... -.-- ---... / .-.. .. ...- / -- . -. -.. . .-.. ... --- .... -. --..-- / .--. . -. -. -.-- / ... .. . --. . .-.. --..-- / ...- .- .-.. . .-. .. . / .-.. -.-- --- -. ... --..-- / .- -. -.. / .- --. .- - .... .- / ... -.-. .... .. .- -.. .-
A poem by Camila Dominguez
(a poem about a random person, not me)
I slam the door,
Drop my bag on the floor,
Grab a book and flop on my bed.
Books are all I have sometimes.
When I’m at school, I feel invisible;
I feel like every day I get ignored;
Constantly being sat on.
At home, it’s no better,
My family just focuses on my older brother and younger sister.
I’m the forgotten one.
I'm invisible everywhere.
I would do anything to feel like I matter.
They get me through,
My books are my friends,
My books are my life,
My books are all I need.
A poem by Anika Harberle
TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of suicide and depression. Also not real
I stare at the ceiling,
My stomach in knots.
My parents call me lazy, but they don’t understand how it feels.
They don’t understand the pain I go through;
My stomach churning whenever I'm called on.
The shadows that I wish I could disappear into,
The lockers I'm always shoved into
At school--I’m seen as the loner boy,
The boy who can’t get a grip on life.
I look over the edge.
Is this my future?
Is this where it ends?
The darkness envelops me like a hug,
The wind whispers in my ears,
Is this what it feels like to be happy?
By Anika Haeberle
I sit near the fireplace, my nose red from playing in the snow.
My feet against the fire, my toes curled.
I think back to summer,
Closing my eyes trying to feel those moments
When the days seemed to last longer.
Memories fluster through my mind.
When I could go outside in cut-off shorts and a tank top with my tan lines showing;
When I would go to the beach, laying on a beach towel with a book in my hands;
When I would have to eat my ice cream fast to make sure it didn't melt;
But it’s winter now,
And all my fantasies are gone.
I’m still in NYC,
But now's it cold,
My tan lines gone,
My rosy cheeks still stay.
All my bathing suits stashed away for next year.
By Adam Beaudry
Everything is good at BUGS and hardly anything ever went wrong... well, except for the turkeys eating the kids and Hornzilla but whatever. However, what happened today, May 22nd, was something no one knew was happening.
Dimension 0: that's what people call it. The dimension that took over BUGS. Dimension 0 had a history of fashion, money, and evil…
It all started during period 3. Everyone was bored to death, figuratively. What they didn’t know was that they would be actually dead in 5 minutes. For years, the Dimension 0 has been planning to take over the world--for years--and it happened to be today, May 22nd, 2024, that a portal opened in front of the BUGS hallway.
Red wisps from the portal collided with the real world as armies and armies of people came over, slashing at the kids with their swords and their gu-
This part is too explicit
The screams of the children, the last remaining kids, still filled the rooms as the-
This part is also too explicit
The bodies on the floor were carted away as one by one the people in Dimension 0 shapeshifted into the kids (I forgot that they did that).
They morphed into them one by one and they took their lives. Poor parents, they would never know the truth that happened to their kids.
By Anika Haeberle
Crunchy grapes:)
My hero, my savior
Crunchy grapes are there for me when no one is
Crunchy grapes
The Kiwi Bird flies
Basking in the light of fame,
That birdy show off.
By Teo O'Neill
By Penelope Siegel
By Mena Ross
Adults take charge and lead- Children do it too.
Adults are exposed to inappropriate content- Children are too.
Adults have to work jobs- Children do it too.
Adults fight wars- Children do it too.
If children were able to prove that they were worthy of anything an adult could do, would the world finally accept that the children they raised have faced hardships just as them?
If children fought in enough wars, would their parents still be proud of them after seeing their battle scars?
If children weren't home enough because of their jobs, would their older relatives reach out to help them?
If children were good enough, would they be welcomed to adulthood properly?
By Adam Beaudry
There was once a monster beast that was born in the great, hollow earth under the school of BUGS. It looked up at the students playing, laughing, and walking around. Its stomach rumbled; oh how they look like chicken nuggets, but bigger.
The last time it had chicken nuggets was when it robbed McDonald's' chicken nugget supply. They were really good but they were way too small. But these seem big, and there are about 300 of them to gobble down.
So, why not? It needed a meal.
It was 4th period and literally every kid in the school was starving for lunch. Then, the ground started rumbling and a 30 foot Hornet popped out of the ground. It started eating up the kids. Some kids thought they heard the hornet say, "mmm, chicken nuggets."
Child by child was eaten by the hornet. All hope was almost lost until Hornzilla finally looked back and headed into the ground.
They survived another day.
By Mia Hardiman
By Riley Maduro
Cheese is a hero, cheese is a savior.
Orange, yellow and white, cheese prolongs all life.
A block of lactose, mozzarella and feta.
Beemster and muenster, swiss and cheddar.
Cheese can’t be beat.
Triangular dairy, so very sweet.
-
Hahaha lactose-intolerance can’t beat me!
BUGS Stories:
The Snowball Battle
By Adam Beaudry
The cold winter snow covered the school and the cold breeze was seeping through it. Right in the cafeteria, the 6th and 7th graders were doing what they were forced to do: obey the 8th graders. At BUGS, they were always the rulers since of course they were the oldest in the school.
But, today, the 7th graders were done with it. They weren’t going to wait another year to change things. They want freedom now! So, they went over to the 8th grade tables and challenged them to a snowball fight. The 8th graders laughed and cackled saying that "they will never win."
The 7th graders were still confident. They will have the 6th graders too. But when they came to them, they shook their heads in fear. The 7th graders tried convincing them but it didn’t work. Now that the 7th graders didn’t have the 6th graders, they lost their confidence. They knew that they were going to fail. But they couldn’t back down.
After ten minutes, the 7th graders were facing the 8th graders at the other end of the school yard with snowballs in their hands. They waited until the deans finished the countdown... then, they started.
It was an ambush.
The 8th graders destroyed the poor 7th graders one by one, burying them with snowballs. The 7th graders knew it was all over, they have basically lost.
Just then, the doors opened, and the 6th graders poured in with snowballs in their hands. One by one, the 7th graders and the 6th graders started destroying the 8th graders and in just a few minutes the 6th and 7th graders won. The 8th graders agreed that they will make BUGS fair.
The 6th and 7th graders cheered. They finally got their freedom.
By Adam Beaudry
Once upon a time, there was a great feast at BUGS. All of the kids shared a great big turkey. They laughed and smacked their lips as they put more and more turkey in their small mouths.
While on the top of the Greenwood Cemetery big hill, The Turkeys watched as their friend was getting devoured. Some mourned, some cried but the Turkey Queen was full of rage.
She was done with the kids eating her people each year. All she wanted was revenge.
So, when the school ended, they ran down 19th street, their gobbles filling the area. Some kids ran, some kids screamed but it was no use as the turkeys' little hands took the children.
When they got all the children, they went back to Greenwood and put them in their little turkey oven. That night they had a big feast.
The Turkeys were laughing and smacking their lips as they were eating the poor children while the Queen let out a smile. While down at BUGS, the dean's watched the turkey feast. They learned a valuable lesson... Not to mess with the turkeys.
Uh Oh
By Teo O'Neill
The clock is ticking
Ticking in my head
Ticking to tell the time
The time I have left
The time I have to say my goodbyes
The time to think of my sins
My life going past me in a blur
Because we all know that feeling…
Of your mom asking to come talk to her
Artist Statement:
We all know that feeling when your mom asks to talk to you and you think she's about to bust you for something bad that you did and you relive all of those things but it ends up being nothing lol.
Untitled
By Clark Scheihagen
When darkness wins
The separation begins
Follow the trail
You will prevail
Onion
By Clark Scheihagen
Onion is love, onion is life
If I could only eat onion, it would suffice
If I had three wishes and an onion I would wish to eat it twice
Between onion and cinnamon I wouldn’t choose the spice.
By Teo O'Neill
When will we realize what we have done
When will we realize that this affects everyone
We are killing our planet and we don't think twice
The more we hurt the more we roll the dice
It's scary but true
Some people have no clue
We say we want change but just sit around and blame
We blame other people but this is our problem
We want the world to blossom but just wait till we’re at the bottom
All that I say is true I’m not here to lie to you
The earth needs help and we should rescue
Extraterrestrials look at our planet
Do you want a good review?
This planet is of value
We need a breakthrough
So here's my question:
Did I get through to you?
By Adam Beaudry
Each person has a gem
That shines in us
All of the gems are completely unique
It can either be a
Diamond
Ruby or an
Emerald
Some may have one
Some may have two
Don't worry if you can't find your gem
Just know its there
Somewhere
In you