Love for the Past
Keeli Loeffler ('23)
Ghosts of the Family Past
Kathryn Viereck ('24)
A Message to the Past
Olivia Rizzo ('23)
My grandfather's parents traveled on a crowded boat
They opened up a restaurant in a small town to help keep them afloat
The one bedroom on top of Rizzo’s Pizzeria was more than enough
They did not speak English so the beginning was rough
As you know, locals named Rizzo’s Pizzeria as the “spot”
The word spread and business was hot
My aunts and uncles had no choice but to spend their summers there
They giggled while folding pizza boxes in the summer air
As everyone got older
You created the idea of running the restaurant grow colder
Although, my grandfather’s passion never came to an end
He still brings up the “good ol’ days” to every family and friend
So I ask you this once, can the legacy live on?
Signed, Your Angel
A Response to Taylor Swift's "Bigger Than The Whole Sky"
Caroline Alegado ('23)
Mama, you never heard my voice,
but I heard yours all my life
I know that when you lost me,
it cut through your heart like a knife
Thunder roars inside your heart
In my nursery, cold and dim
You don’t hold me there, but don’t blame God
I’m sitting here with him
Hush! Be strong as the diamond that you wear
For Sissy, wipe your tear
Live a life of love and laughter
Until one day, we meet up here.
It’s not your fault, don’t blame yourself
You were the greatest home
A perfect, peaceful paradise
But now the clouds above I roam
You didn’t know me very long,
Didn’t get a happy birth,
but I felt all the love I’ll ever need
in my few short weeks on earth
Signed, Your Angel
Amanda Motta ('25)
Grace Forbes ('23)
Graduation
Casey Sabolsky ('23)
Think of all the memories you made
All of the lifelong friendships built
The new bonds you formed
All of the moments that make up 4 unforgettable years
All of the lifelong friendships built
Friends you now cannot live without
All the moments that make up 4 unforgettable years
The quickest 4 years of your life
Friends you now cannot live without
Enough laughs to last you a lifetime
The quickest 4 years of your life
Only 2 months left till graduation
Enough laughs to last you a lifetime
The new bonds you formed
Only 2 months left till graduation
Think of all the memories you made
The Value of Misfortune
Vanessa Schimony ('24)
Everyone talks about the potential of “right person, wrong time,”
But no one ever talks about the idea of “wrong person, right time”
People come into your life for a reason
Some you will live to die with
Some come and go like waves on the beach
Others come to teach you a lesson
Some appear during times in your life when life is not at its peak
And sometimes they leave when life couldn’t be better
But at the end of the day,
People that don’t end up staying are people who are here to teach you about yourself
Your values in yourself,
And the values you see in others
To help you see what you should expect from someone who wants the best for you
Part of life is losing people you didn’t want to
That you weren’t ready to say goodbye to
But when it comes down to it,
They entered your life so you could learn something
And it's up to you to figure out what that something is.
Gripping for Life
Gabriella Cuciniello ('26)
Faraglioni, Capri
Ms. Brady
August Third
Vanessa Schimony ('24)
On a warm August night
sitting by the Jersey bay
Feeding ducks stale bread
while watching the sunset over the glistening water
I received a text
“I’ll be there at 4”
I didn’t believe it, I couldn’t
“He’s bluffing” my best friend tells me
“All boys do this”
I figured she was right
But surely enough, you came
Right on time
With that gray hoodie I asked for
And your guitar you knew I loved to listen to
You brought with you your laugh
Your smile
Your jokes
Your talkative, carefree nature
And that night, that August 3rd night
As I went to bed that night, sleeping in your sweatshirt
I thought to myself
“This is only the start”
A Shade of Grey Called "Cloud"
Kerry McCullagh ('24)
Everything’s okay now.
Everything's fine.
Everything feels clean.
Everything’s alright.
The music is playing,
Probably too loud.
Bothering the neighbors,
Like we used to know how.
They say snow is in the forecast on Monday,
But I haven’t seen you since July.
Seasons change and people change too.
Do you remember the summertime?
Have I mentioned my walls are grey now?
But sometimes I walk in the room,
Force of habit, my eyes think they’re green,
And it reminds me of you.
The furniture is all different.
It’s like a brand new house.
You wouldn’t even recognize it,
Like a stranger to you now.
Pulled up the carpet.
Got some new flooring.
Pulled down the wallpaper your mom helped put up.
Took down the picture frame,
Over the couch,
Because in it was a picture of us.
Have I mentioned my walls are grey now?
A shade of grey called “cloud.”
But at the end of the day now,
They’re the same old walls in the same old house.
The furniture is all different,
But the house feels empty sometimes.
The new chandelier, it sparkles,
But nothing’s as bright as your smile.
You said you’d never forget,
But I think I have to now.
I have to repaint the walls,
Before I tear them down.
Bone Chilling
Emily Ryan ('24)
What About Me?
Emily Ryan ('24)
Glass Half Full Empty
Jacob Sowden ('23)
That Spring Feeling
Jake Magarity ('23)
As our time nears its end
Old friends go and new ones arrive
Like blossoming flowers
It is time to start anew
Old friends go and new ones arrive
Will I be worth their time?
It is time to make our own path
Let go of the stresses of the past
Will I be worth their time?
Will they remember me when we split?
It is time to make our own path
But I do not want to forget everything
Will they remember me when we split?
There are even greater times ahead
But I do not want to forget everything
Soon, we will only have ourselves.
Ghosts of the Family Past
Katie Viereck ('24)
Soft Ice Cream
Delaney King ('23)
Poppy always wore a smile.
And lit up every room he entered,
Greeting you with a big hug
That squeezed you too tight.
Every single time you saw him,
He could never let you forget.
How much he loved you,
“Even more than soft ice cream.”
His room was dark reds and yellows,
The bed always perfectly made.
The closet was now empty
And the drawers were now bare.
There's only one thing,
That I truly want in this world.
To be able to tell him that I love him,
“Even more than soft ice cream.”
When You Wrote Me a Song
Kerry McCullagh ('24)
It’s been a long time since I saw you.
It’s been a long time coming.
Ever since I packed my bags, took them off the kitchen floor,
And started running.
But every now and every then,
I hear a melody in the back of my head.
I still know the chorus and every verse.
I remember it like it was the…
First time you played it for me,
I was sitting in the passenger seat,
of your wanna-be-cadillac,
I just want to go back,
To where I belong.
Do you remember the song like I do,
Even after everything I put you through?
I’m sorry that I ruined us.
Now I know I was wrong.
So can we go back to when you wrote me a song?
It’s been a long time since you saw me.
You’re probably better off for it.
Maybe you finally got the car of your dreams,
I was always hoping you could afford it.
Maybe you’re driving down the interstate,
With a new girl in the passenger seat.
Maybe you forgot about the song you made.
Maybe you forgot about me?
Or maybe every now and every then,
You hear the melody in the back of your head.
You’d still know the chorus and every verse.
You remember it like it was the…
First time you played it for me.
You were sitting in the driver's seat,
Of your wanna-be-cadillac.
You just wanna go back,
Because you miss it just as much.
And you remember the song like I do,
Even after everything I put you through.
And you forgive me cause you know,
I wasn’t the only one in the wrong.
And you say,
“Can we go back to when I wrote you a song?”
Maybe that was the best song you ever wrote.
Maybe it’s muscle memory for every note.
Or maybe you’ve written better songs since then,
Platinum albums about your new girlfriend.
She’s probably better looking than me.
She’s everything I could never be.
Your meant to be.
You’ll be together forever
And she will always remember the…
First time you played it for her.
You were sitting on black leather,
Seats of a cadillac,
You love her to the moon and back,
And she loves you just as much.
And you’ll sing this song for eternity.
The melody will bring back memories.
She will do everything right where I do everything wrong.
And she’ll say “Remember the day,
You played me the song.”
I remember.
The first time you played it for me
I was sitting in the passenger seat
Of your wanna-be-cadillac
I know there is no going back
So I wish you the best of luck…
In your new life without me.
It’s hard to say but I hope you know I mean,
Every bit of it,
You deserve the very best.
I hope she is better than I was.
I hope she doesn’t take for granted when you write her a song.
"There is a crack in everything; that's how the light gets in"
Photo by Ms. Brady
Trust
Manny Santos ('23)
You’re fragile,
It’s not necessarily easy to break you
But with the right power by the right force
You’ll never be what you once were
When the glass shatters,
Anybody can glue it back together
But they’ll always see
The cracks,
The shards,
A glass which will never be the same.
You’re responsible for a strong friendship
You’re responsible for a heartbreak
You go hand and hand with almost every emotion
Both love and hate
Almost every characteristic
Both loyal and traitorous
Nothing stands firm without you
Without you…
It’s just a waste of time
—–———————–———————–———————–—————
The Desk Across From Mine
Kerry McCullagh ('24)
I look up from my pen and paper.
I see you smiling at me from across the room,
And I can’t help but to smile back at you.
You broke your pencil so you could ask me for a sharpener.
Your eyes are bluer than the Atlantic waters,
I got the clue.
I’m gonna marry the guy,
Who works at the desk across from mine.
They say I’m dreaming,
But I got a good feeling.
Soon enough, a couple years went by,
You got a new job; no longer at the desk across from mine.
And I couldn’t believe my eyes,
On the Sunday when you got on one knee.
I tried not to blink; you reminded me to breathe.
I remember it like it was just last week.
You worked at the desk across from mine.
Our eyes met and It was love at first sight.
You are an angel in disguise,
And I can’t believe you're mine.
60 Years Later
Funeral procession,
I pray to my love in heaven.
What I’d give to go back to the past;
Relive the years that went by too fast.
Meet the guy at the desk across from mine,
Stare into his eyes one last time,
I wish I was dreaming.
This unbearable feeling.
54 years married to the guy,
Who worked at the desk across from mine.
Felt like I was dreaming.
It was the most marvelous feeling.
Now I’ll tell the grandkids about the guy,
Who broke his pencil a million times.
Then one day he said to me,
“I love you Eileen.”