Poetry corner

What am I saying?

By Star Henwood '25

I want to write but don’t know how,

the music ebbs and flows,

I’d dance on stage and give a bow,

I’d sing and play at shows.

I want to write but Can’t seem to rhyme,

The words escape my grasp,

I think and think to take my time,

the stress causing relapse.

I want to write but I won’t,

and maybe that’s my fault,

the words are there but still I don’t,

they have less worth than salt.

Photo credit: David Schratz '25

Venti Chai with Cold Foam

By Star Henwood '25

I went to Starbucks this morning,

it makes me sick with regret,

now my morals I am mourning,

And I hate the drink I get.

I want to be more punk,

Minimalist and spikes adorning,

so I ditched all my stuff,

but still get Starbucks, how boring.

I rant and I rave about how I hate the 1%

I say lower taxes and drop the inflation,

But I still get the chai with milk 2% .

Falling Suns

By Star Henwood '25

You’d think it’d be pretty,

To see a falling sun,

Yet here in the city,

It seems much less fun.

There’s nowhere to hide,

From the heat and the fire,

No oceans to find,

Only jobs looking to hire.

Yet the pay is atrocious,

And everyone is depressed,

The manager has halitosis,

And there’s civil unrest.

Justice is dead,

The courts have All said as such,

Maybe I should go to bed,

But we can't do that much.

What is Reality?

By Ava Humphrey '28

I feel the weight of my body drop

My breath quickens

My eyes begin to blur the line between truth and lies

The fear in my heart feels like a shadow engulfing the sun

It threatens the light I hold so dear

I fear the dark will destroy my light

I fear there is no hope

Then I hear a soft melody

To my defense comes a symphony of words

It tames the dark beast within my soul

It frees the dear light

I feel my breath slow

again I see reality

An Ode to a Hoodie

By Marrissa Heath '28

A hoodie shields me from the bitter air

its warmth protects me from the world outside.

Through storm and chill, it stays beyond compare

Within its fold, my soul finds rest inside.

It's fabric soft, a shield against the cold

A quiet place where I can just be me.

It keeps me safe when life feels harsh and bold.

A place to breathe, to rest, to simply be

No hate can reach me when I pull it close.

No pain can break the wall it builds so high.

It holds my heart, the thing I need the most

And keeps my warmth beneath the clouded sky.

Within its seams my heart remains concealed

From all the wounds the world has yet to yield.

Photo credit: Kayla Black '26

Animal's Words

By Sophia Ranalli '28

We've depended on animals

relied on them

needed them

befriended them

But do we thank them?

Cages

Hunting

making them into decorations

They were here first

This is their home too

So why do we treat them this way

when they welcomed us?

Invited us

Befriended us

Depended on us

Like it or not we need them

and they need us

So why are we making it impossible

For us to coexist?

This I Believe

By Gabby Carvens '28

I believe that family is chosen, not only given. Blood does not define who you call your family, nor how much you love them.

Growing up, I was a very outgoing and social kid. Over time, I developed a strong bond with a girl from my school. We did almost everything together, and it even got to the point where if one of us were absent, people would ask the other person where we were. We got so close that we started to tell people we were distant cousins as a joke. Even though everyone knew we weren’t truly related, they all went along with it. That was the first time I considered someone outside of my blood family as my family. Although I moved schools and no longer talk to her, she is still someone who I would consider “chosen family”. Even now, I wonder how she is doing, and pray that she is safe and healthy.

This year, coming into Saint Joe’s, I thought I would never find a bond like that. I felt like I knew nobody, and in a totally new environment, I was too shy and scared at first to try and make friends. At freshman orientation, I recognized a girl who I played volleyball against in the past, so I went over to say hi. My former teammate and all of the people she was with were really nice. They all made me feel welcome. I got really close with one of the girls who was in that group, and we became best friends. Now, I hang out with that girl in school a lot, and text her everyday. My mom loves her, and her mom loves me. The bond is a bond I wouldn’t trade for the world. I care for and love her like a sister.

Sometimes, you need chosen family to feel like you belong and that you are loved, and that’s okay.

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