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.”

𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞

𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲

𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟

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