Sometimes I wish that we could have stayed.

Living where we spent most of our life.

Where there is everything that we miss.

But I like that this place is home.

Sometimes I wish I didn’t worry.

That the monster will go away.

Even though I have struggles

 I always know it will be okay. 

Sometimes I wish that I could change the past,

Erase the bad moments

And try to be more tough.

The past is the past and 

I like where I’m at.

Sometimes is a word that connects to feelings,

A word that doesn’t reflect how life is,

I will always know that I love and feel happy where I am.

I am from leotards to dance shoes

From Bloch and Capezio I am from a brown house in a neighborhood 

large, warm, the smell of ocean breeze candles 

I am from orchids

The little purple flowers that my mother loves 

I’m from family Christmas‘s and short people 

From Meehan's and Krajci’s  

I’m from the anxiety and strong emotions 

From the ”keep your wits about you” and “dance your heart out” 

I’m from going to church every Sunday, the little pew I would sit in for hours 

I’m from Ireland, Poland, Czech, England, and Germany, 

steak and mashed potatoes, chicken pasta 

From the dancing in a diaper on the couch 

To getting hit with wooden spoons 

In front of our large brown house 

I am from moments in time of the things and people who made me what I am.

I am from a noisy vacuum

from dishwashers and Clorox wipes

I am from the big room

the feel of carpet beneath my feet 

I am from the honeysuckle bush

the elephant foot tree as tall as the sky

whose long gone limbs I remember as

if there were my own.

I’m from the pool parties and being one of the first ones to leave

from Stacey and Kevin 

I’m from a hurry and a mosey   

and from working hard.

I’m from hurry up and wake up

and sing sweet nightingale 

I’m from Valley view farm 

I’m from Delaware and Maryland 

blue crabs and banana bread.

From all the story’s 

of my family’s past

pictures

all on a computer.

But, most of all I am from a red brick house 

between two hills and two schools

one school in my heart forever 

I am from a house that I do not own.

But, forever mine.

Fishing is fun but it's boring waiting

Two hours just for a small catfish

Under 2lbs. waiting for two  hours

For a carp waiting, waiting

Long day to catch only three small fish

Wasting food that I can eat all day

Like corn, bread, jello. Only for a

3lb fish. Wasting $100 on a fishing

Rod boring but fun catching big fish

But they're small.

Wasting my time just to catch fish

I could be driving to another country in the

Time it takes for a fish to take the bait.

How long this fish will not eat my bait

The fish is lighter than a cup of water

But fast as a cheetah.

Do you really want to know? 

What’s behind the river

and what’s behind their eyes,

It’s a flood of creatures

dying in disguise.

Do you really want to know?

What’s behind her mask 

and why she cries to mama

because behind a shield of shame 

Is a certain load of trauma.                                

Do you really want to know?

Why she screams

Equality!

Because all we really want

Is peace and tranquillity.

Are you ok? What don’t you want to say?

Why does wanting to be equal...equal drifting away?

The strike of an axe with no thought of mind

A human comes to diminish a home that helps mankind

A tree that once grew taller and taller

Holding friends in its arms keeping them safe from predators

Providing a home for animals to stay

Creating a pathway for squirrels to runaway

When a tree has sunken it all goes away

Its friends would need to find a new home to stay

All for our needs

Our needs that could be solved an alternative way 

Our needs that could be decided to build a new building 

A building that would increase energy 

A building that would increase air pollution

But keeping the tree is the best way

Who would provide shade

Who would flush out the sound of cars 

The tree would replace it with the rustling of leaves

Why can't we not only think of our needs

Trees have a major role in our planet

The trees must stay

 If we marched instead of walking we could feed the change,

let it grow with a vibrational message,

that comes from our heart but refrains from the brain,

to fight for what’s right 

and for what is true,

to never let your skin describe you.

Just like when climbing the rocky hill,

you will trip and fall,

but at least you can inspire all,

to take the same step as you did.

The message grows louder and louder,

and bigger and bigger, 

till’ it’s no longer a message,

but it becomes a saying.

Your skin can’t tell your personality

It will repeat,

It will inspire,

It will teach,

but when it is forgotten the cycle starts, 

once again.

What if..                                Instead of relying upon trees,

                     we made our own breath

What if..                           Instead of stealing the voice of others,

                     we each make our own songs

What if..                               Instead of looking at the outside 

                                                    we looked on the inside 

What if..                           We taught others to control themselves 

                                       Instead of teaching the victim how to hide

What if..                       Instead of taking the smooth rode we crawled upon the            rocks

What if instead of walking we marched

As I step outside into the

Breeze

The frosty snow is like

Glittery ice cream

Back inside

I go to the fireplace

With my luscious hot cocoa

DING

My oven signals

My warm, buttery, cookies melt in my mouth

My cozy sweatshirt, furry socks, and blanket warm me

inside

I dip them in milk that is

As white as the snow outside

My bitter siblings couldn't even ruin my mood

The nets are lurking

The turtles are choking

Getting caught up and thrown overboard 

The people don’t care we’re just there

We are bystanders just sitting there

The earth is dying let’s stop driving

The gases are hurting the ozone 

The earth is warmer

The ice isn’t colder

The algee leaves 

The corals are bleaching

The coral reefs are dying

The water levels rise

The beach’s are flooding

And what do we do

NOTHING

I love to play video games.

My favorites are the ones 

that are fun!

Minecraft is a survival game 

Kind of like life

Minecraft is fun. 

They keep adding new things 

To make it interesting 

You need to find food 

And kill animals to survive 

You play with your friends 

And try to survive 

If you want to fight them you can 

Or just live and enjoy the world!

Grey clouds rampage across the sky

darkness overrules the sun’s rays, as the star fights to be seen

Miniscule droplets turn into a vertical stream

Individually powerless, but together, they rule the seas

They prey on the ship struggling to stay afloat,

Large but weak, almost crumbling,

Engulfed by the waves that once guided it,

Too worn out to challenge the ruthless storm,

Tossing in the waves, trembling

Attacking the scarred hull like a brigade of bullets,

Agitating the once calm waves into bloodthirsty beasts

Surrounded, the vessel has nowhere to go but down

It finally gives in, as the sea rips it apart, devouring its feast

The once majestic ship descends despairingly to the dreary ocean floor

Abandoned in a realm of darkness and gloom, hopeless and alone

With rough, splintering wood and gaping holes,

It lays restlessly on the ocean floor for an eternity, forlorn in the shadows

Closing its eyes and sighing longingly,

it remembers the encouragement of the sun’s glow,

the joy of blue skies, the glimmer of hope,

It remembers the sound of children growing old,

The sounds of the old feeling young,

The sounds of people from all around the globe.

...

The dark silhouette of a diver observes the wreck,

lit with anglerfish,

From hidden crevices and yawning cavities,

creatures of all kind emerge,

Buried in barnacles and sand, a rusty metal plaque reads,

The Rebirth

“I’ll never look like her” is a line said often

Social media says,

You have to look like her to be successful

Look at those models

You’ll never look like them

Starve yourself

You’ll have to act like them

Lose yourself

You’ll only succeed if you do so

But that’s only what they say

Sometimes, you have to lose yourself to find yourself

Sometimes, you have to break the piggy bank to get the money, to get the value.

And that’s when you’ll succeed

That’s when others will want to look like you to be successful 

They’ll starve themselves

They’ll want to act like you

They’ll lose themselves 

You won’t be the slave

You won’t play the game

You’ll be the coach 

And then you’ll be ok

When you stop following others, they’ll follow you

And then, you’ll be the leader

But only if you go your own way 

Only if you strut the runway you make