The Dragon by Midnight
In his castle, dark and dreary
Sat the king, old and weary.
He sat and thought upon his throne
To assemble the knights he’s truly known.
For the Dragon’s wrath and army’s throng
He knew the dragon was just too strong:
“Doth thou the courage o’ noble knights --
For soon we face our greatest fights”
He called down to the knights below:
“For the wretched Dragon’s all we know
And this I know that we all fear --
The creature taking what we hold dear.
I beseech you, knights, for this is dire,
Don your swords and your attire”
The knights began to cheer aloud
And began to form a giant crowd.
Clad in armor, and fueled with wrath
The knights marched on the perilous path.
Continuing on the path unknown
Their hearts and minds were set in stone,
For the Dragon’s life is at its end.
The knights of old will soon transcend.
The Unpleasantness of Society by Angelo Del Toro
Society is the hardest thing to live
Unless you have a sliver pin
You will fill with the rest of them
Unless you have a chin
You wanted to cry yourself
But you can’t be by yourself
You want to be happy
But people make you unhappy
You want to fill in
You know, you can’t
You have to face the visionary bigot’s rant
Which you try to get out of it
This is why Society is falling off the well
Unless you can tell
It could be your final farewell
I know you are free infinity to dwell
everything was just going swell
Unless you forget the unpleasantness of society
Wherever They May Go by Evelyn Reid
My fingers
If I let them roam
Wherever they may go
Will they write something nice?
Or will it simply come out wrong?
My eyes
If I let them roam
Wherever they may go
Will I see something beautiful?
Or will I see the grey and dreary?
My mind
If I let it roam
Wherever it may go
Will I realize something new?
Or will I get nowhere at all?
My feet
If I let them roam
Wherever they may go
Will they take me somewhere new?
Or will I trip and fall?
Let My Mind Wander by Evelyn Reid
If I let my mind wander
To where it wants to go
Will I ever make it back
To where I had left from?
If I let my mind wander
Far beyond my train of thought
Will I be lost
From the tracks of my thoughts?
If I let my mind wander
Wherever it may go
Far past what I let it
So many years ago
If I let it wander
Let it wander to and fro
Would I find the train of thought
I had lost so long ago?
If my mind were to wander
Back to that damp spring night
Then maybe I’d remember
Why the moon had felt so bright
If my mind were to wander
Through my memories of trees
I find the tallest one
And look out over its leaves
If it were to wander
Back through the web of time
Maybe I’d find something I
Had left down deep inside
So when my mind wanders
And I think of dew strewn nights
With moonlight glinting off
Of the flickering fireflies
When my mind wanders
Back to peace of mind
Maybe I’ll find that again
With the memories of another time
Decay by Evelyn Reid
The sky was blue,
The clouds were white,
And vultures circled,
Black as night
Down below
On the ground
Lie something small
And russet brown
A stench in the air
And white of bone
Red pooled on the ground,
Stark contrast to the snow
Flies are swarming
Buzzing round
And maggots crawl
Without a sound
Up its nose
To eat its brain
At least the poor thing
Is not in pain
The vultures circle tighter
Closer to the ground
Ignoring the flies
And the maggots all around
They swoop in
And pick it clean
And then take off
To circle again
Dragonfly by Evelyn Reid
Four wings
They spread
And on a breeze
The legs, they lift
Drifting with ease
As the creature
Flies away
Yet to come back
Another day
And so my sweet,
My dragonfly
You soar above
Up in the sky
Making your way
To other days
And so my sweet,
My dragonfly,
My iridescent,
I
Look forward to
When you get back
From what you’ve
Been through
So I’ll be sittin’ here
Waiting for you
And so my sweet,
My dragonfly,
With iridescence
In your eye
Your wings,
They spread
And on a breeze
You drift along
With certain ease
Returning
Back home to me
You begin to tell
Me of your tale,
Your travels too
And I sit still
And I listen
And you tell me
Of your mission
You found the world
You held the truth
You felt the skies
And sea spray too
Seen the colours
Heard the trees
Flown along
With birds and bees
And so my sweet,
My dragonfly,
Your iridescence
In my eye
I watch as
You leave again
And hope you’ll meet
A few new friends
Be sure to come
Another day
And stop on by
To say ‘hey’
Farewell my sweet dragonfly
Life by Evelyn Reid
It’s what you want
It’s what you need
It’s what you hear
It’s what you see
When you realize
When you learn
When you notice
When it burns
The light
The love
The hate
Their torn
Torn apart
Conflicting
One looks up
One drags down
And in the end
It doesn’t matter now
This roller coaster
This wild ride
The ride of life
It hits in strides
The feeling high,
The feeling of pride
Of loss
Of pain
Of hope
Of gain
In the end
It doesn’t matter
So long as we understand
Understand the versatility
The versatility of people
Of emotion
Of experience
Of life
¨flawless.¨ by Alyssa Joseph
....
flawless.
her long cinnamon hair
was so tender and fair.
each end was twisted
and she was the most beautiful
who ever existed.
she had light olive skin
pretty it's ever been.
she was also very smart
and had a very kind heart.
perfectionist.
the tint of her eyes was an ocean.
very big and very blue
and very magnificent too.
out of all her features
everything about her,
was flawless.
but she was a bit of a romantic
everyone would fall under her spell.
even though she sounded like a jewel,
inside she was a bit cruel.
everything about her
was ¨flawless.¨
....
heather.
¨sweet delilah.¨ by Alyssa Joseph
….
she walked down the great halls
fairest of them all.
straight hair, straight a´s
plaid skirt, turtleneck,
and her little black tights,
always read
always smart
always pretty
and had a big heart.
everyone loved sweet delilah.
her ginger red hair
sparked her beauty
she was quiet
but also a cutie.
everyone loved sweet delilah
nature and fairies,
and creatures and flowers,
everything around her
gave her so much power.
graceful.
....
sweet delilah.
Cycle by Evelyn Reid
Down it falls
Trapped beneath
Waiting for its time
Its hit
Its wet
And it begins to rise
Poking through
It’s made it out
Stretching up
Higher
Trying the reach the sun
It can’t go any higher
But that’s fine
The growing’s done
It unfurls
For the very first time
It unfurls and feels the sun upon it
The sun, so warm
Hits inside
Deep violet
A splash of red
Centered with yellow
And filled with pollen
Its surrounded
Not by enemies
But by friends
Family
Everything green
Clouds obstruct the sun
The rain begins to fall
Misting everything
Droplets here
Drizzles there
And colour abrupts everywhere
The grey rocks have a tint of brown
The brown trunks have bits of red
Not just the trunks
But the dirt beneath the grass too
The dirt has some yellow as well
And it,
Well,
It has all
The violets gain hints of blue
The reds, pink
The yellow, orange
And there’s more
Its petals are covered
Not in constant water
But in tiny little dew drops
That run off in streams
The flower closes at sunfall
And unfurls at sunrise
And continues for its life
Before its time to move on
It drops some seeds
Down they fall
Trapped beneath
Waiting for their time
They’re hit
They’re wet
And they begin to rise
Well... by Evelyn Reid
Waiting
Everyone does it
Whether they’re patient or not,
Well…
Time
Everyone has it
Whether they use it wisely or not,
Well…
Energy
Everyone uses it
Whether they waste it or not,
Well…
Facts
Everyone knows some
Whether they accept them or not,
Well…
Information
Everyone can learn
Whether they choose to or not,
Well…
Passion
Everyone has one
Whether they pursue it or not,
Well…
That’s up to them
“Who I Am and Where I’m From” by Gavin Henderson
I am from late weeknights with friends after being scolded for not going to bed
From being terrified of almost everything
I am from paying close attention when I didn’t have to
From the stained yellow and white painted house that didn’t fit in with the others on the block
I am from the laundry room that no matter what was used always smelled like a deep chlorine
From trusting everyone with open arms to distrusting everyone new I meet
I am from brotherly love and rivalry that turned into a team working at Ann’s choice
From watching my brother help my dad in the backyard to us all working together
I am from the memory where I thought my mom said we were moving to Party City and I cried
(It still makes everyone I talk to laugh till this day)
From being deathly terrified of the ocean and being forced to jump in to now being the last one to get out
I’m from six year old me saying he’ll never drink coffee to me having half a cup every day
I am from being told change is a good thing but never wanting anything to change
From going out to breakfast at IHOP on Sundays and getting their warm and fluffy neverending pancakes
I am from pretending to be wise by saying “The cup isn’t half full or empty, it’s a cup of water” not realising that it might be
From being shy and timid to finally opening up about myself
I am from living by Murphy’s law and learning how to deal with “bad luck”
I am from renting the same Spider-Man cartoon from the Blockbuster around the corner on the weekends
(Does anyone know what a Blockbuster is anymore)
From late night chats with the person I adore but I can’t tell how I really feel
I’m from the people who taught me to put others before myself and told me to be selfless
From not wanting to be seen but trying to stand out and make a name for myself
"It's always a pleasure when the rain comes" by Anonymous
In silence, the rain moves in over the city
The air changes and swells with humidity
The soothing hum of Thursday afternoon traffic mixes well with the smoggy cloud-filled sky that looms overhead
Though, the rain dulls down the smell of exhaust
That sweet and comforting smell awakens everyone as they stay indoors and avoid the puddles that gather outside
The dirty brick buildings are stained red with help from the wet weather
The city is more dense and evident underwater
The women gather under awnings as they wait for their next customer
But the rain forbids it, as long as it's here, things seem to come to a complete halt
The rain brings peace
I am thankful for the rain.
"Capulet Contemplates" by Kate Smith
Juliet my lovely, little girl,
The time has come for her to wed.
Count Paris is quite the whirl;
So she will never find someone instead.
She disagrees!?!? Fine by me;
For the ungrateful being shall be out of sight!
How does she not behold glee?
This is the best news of any night!
She may need some time to change her views,
But she must think straight before Thursday.
Alas! She will no longer refuse!
I cannot wait till it is underway.
Finally, the time has come.
Juliet must be awoken soon.
Oh my! I cannot look at my lifeless girl without feeling numb,
I cannot believe her funeral is in the afternoon.
How can a day with such excitement take a turn for the worse?
I wish I hadn’t been so mean.
I cannot stop this curse,
But I can stop the feud between.
The Modern Greek
I pass a group of college boys on the street
It is eleven o clock, past closing time
I hear one shout “carpe diem”
I laugh to myself, it’s such a cliche
The most fitting phrase in our language for
Taking life into your own hands, and it’s in Latin
I think Greek would be more apt
Dionysus, god of wine and revelry in all his bacchanalian glory
Icarus and his youthful folly, Orpheus and his mad devotion
The gods are so much more fitting for these boys
Than that antiquated tongue known for being spoken in church
The gods old forms are dead but they live within these young men, they live in us all
Hermes survives in the lanky track athlete, who says a prayer before each match
Apollo’s bright glory shines on in the glint of the artistic one’s eye
Ares’ fury is matched by the boy who feels cheated by life, bloodthirsty in all his endeavors
The gods did not make us in their image, we made them in ours
And our libations to them shall be to live as passionately, as intensely, and fervidly as they
"Somber Sunday" by Kate Smith
So early yet late,
I ponder everyone’s fate.
Why couldn’t you live for much longer?
Why do I have to prevail with heartbreak?
I ask myself as I scan every now and then,
Scan the church of melancholy men.
Tears pouring down their face,
Pains me to observe my own blood with sorrow.
Will it ever get better?
Or am I stuck constantly re-reading your very last letter?
I wish you were still here.
Everything has changed.
From holidays to birthdays,
There really is no praise.
Even though you aren’t with us, I’m happy with the time we had.
I miss you already and I’ll love you forever.
"WHO AM I" by Ready Labbe
I am one of many daughters from the first country in Latin America to win independence
A girl who walks abroad carrying a piece of the heart of Haiti
Still trying my best to understand its heartbeat
And I will keep trying
Who am I?
I’m a girl whose volume is like a broken stereo
Too loud or cracking
With confidence, that swings too fast for the flash to catch up to
My emotions just that of my confidence.
But always on extreme (X games mode)
I’m a night owl and my own best friend
Staying up till the morning
Past 12 is when I focus and do my best work
I’m notorious for being annoying in my house
When boredom comes to me, which it does often
I bake to fulfill my insatiable sweet tooth
But art and crafts are my jam
Who am I?
I’m an overthinker, sometimes a chaotic mess with too much energy.
To teachers and acquaintances, I’m quiet.
To friends and family, I’m considered too much
I’m Ready Carmelite Labbe
A name that I really love and is meaningful to me.
"A New Beginning" by Maya Caggiano
We all are aware that 2020 has not been the best year,
But 2020 is now in the past, it is behind us, and we cannot look back on it,
We are now in 2021, which starts the beginning of something new,
New opportunities, new opinions, and new obstacles are sure to come,
So we need to be prepared for anything, we need to stick up for each other and watch each other's backs,
We need to help one another, and we need to support each other in times of need,
I understand that we are in the middle of a pandemic,
And this pandemic has made us feel down, and it has made us miserable,
But 2021 will give us hope, it will give us hope that this virus will finally come to an end, it will give us hope that we can finally treat each other as equals and not treat people one way or another simply because of the color of their skin or how they act,
2021 is a new year, and we need to make the most of it,
So let's start now, let's put all of the bad memories behind us, let's leave all of the negative energy behind, and move forward,
Because 2021 gives us a chance to do this, 2021 is a new beginning.
Just Waiting by Evelyn Reid
Just waiting
Waiting for the sun to rise
Waiting for the sun to set
Waiting for the moon to wax
And waiting for the wane
Just waiting
Waiting for the clouds to come
Waiting for the rain to drop
Waiting for the river to rise
And waiting for the fall
Just waiting
Waiting for the seed to grow
Waiting for the blossom to bloom
Waiting for the fruit to ripen
And waiting for seeds to fall
Just waiting
Waiting for the day to come
Waiting for the time
Waiting, waiting, waiting, gone
I’ve waited for too long
Predicament by Evelyn Reid
What a pickle
This predicament is
What a problem
It is indeed
You see, I was sitting
Sitting on my rock
And that’s just when
They came by the flock
Minding my own business,
That’s what I was doing
And down they came
Like drops of rain
Pickles and problems and such
They fell and now they’re here
I have to deal with them
For if I don’t,
Well then who will?
I’ve got predicaments by the bunch
I’m rid of my predicaments
My problems and my pickles
The pickles made good sandwiches
And the problems good solutions
Just one predicament left --
I seem to have lost my rock
When It’s Time by Evelyn Reid
What do you know?
Nothing
What have you felt?
Nothing
What have you tasted?
Nothing
What have you heard?
Nothing
Where have you been?
Nowhere
What have you seen?
Everything
What will you hear?
Everything
What will you taste?
Everything
Where are you going?
Everywhere
What are you going to see?
More
What will you hear?
The world
Will you learn?
Definitely
How will you learn?
By doing
What will you do?
Something, I’m sure
When will you do it?
When I go
And when will you go?
When It’s Time
And... by Evelyn Reid
The clouds gather
They block the sun
Shadows envelop the land
And down come the drops
The water falls
Down it runs
Down the leaves
Hits the ground
Down beneath
And something awakes
The ground is moved
Green pokes through
Taller, taller
It grows up
Reaching for the sun
And petals unfurl
The flower
Now bloomed
Smells sweet
Makes me think
Of lovely summer nights
And the buzz begins
The bees fly by
Some land
They carry pollen
Fertilize the blooms
And then comes the juice
The flowers
Were touched by bees
Now they close in
Becoming fruit
Full of juice
And down fall seeds
The ground welcomes them
The seeds as they fall
Under the ground
They await the wakening drop
And then it comes
The rain is back once more
With it the drops
That hit the ground, wakes them up
The seeds, they sprout
Flowers once more
And the cycle begins again
Too much. by Kaitlyn Buono
Too fat.
Too thin.
Too tall.
Too short.
Too much time spent debating my own self-worth.
Sure I dream of satin skin
Icy eyes and golden hair
But no matter what you look like
There are unattainable beauty standards everywhere.
Just because I dream these things
Doesn’t mean that I should change,
And if I’m being honest
Society is to blame.
"Servitude"
The calliope man drove his steamboatAcross the colored divideMusic, sweet musicOf southern naugahyde.