POEM 6

 
*loneliness  (Spud)
 
a segmented moon 
hung above like an orange
torn apart by an immigrant
mother
the only way she
knows to show love a strawberry
wine cooler passed between adolescent
hands beneath a comforter 
in the soggy heat across from the closet 
where she tried to hang 
herself with a belt grapes
i’ll always crave 
but never dare touch  

resting on the counter

i watch
her slice the pear
with confident fingers
and wonder
if she
could learn to love
as brazenly
 

*Light Falls and Never Gets Back Up (Gracie)
 
The backyard was covered in lawn chairs and empty cans 
Everyone was looking up at the sky 
Light that ascends and then disappears 
As if it was nothing to begin with 
Dogs whined under the chairs  
Mosquitos ate at our ankles 
Someone laughed too loud 
As if noise could stitch the dark to a close 
I tasted metal in the air 
Something bitter and gross 
Watched the final light rise and fall 
The sky kept no memory  
Only a wide unlit ceiling 
Where smoke drifted like unspoken truth 
And water ran like it depended on speed 
Trucks started and pulled away 
Leaving tire tracks flattened in grass 
The night compressed on the earth  
A paper weight pressing down on a stack of pages 

*Desire (Maggie D.)
 
It’s summers like these that make me and my sister
Age 10 years backwards until we aren’t adults anymore
Just pendulums on the swing set 
Before we reduced it to planks 
The castle where we’d grind leaves 
and grass with pestle stones
But never the plants from the garden 
Full of fruit and vegetables
Including the strawberries but not the other berries 
Who were spread out everywhere else 
My favorites were the black raspberries
And I’d abduct them from their stems
Even when the white thorns scolded my fingers 
It was worth it to slurp purple juice off my fingers 
Even if it mixed with red like the leaves of the bush 
In the front yard during autumn
The one in the back yard was only of the plainest green 
Sandwiched between two windows 
And right next to the basement pit
Where a chipmunk crawled in and died
Too deep for the neighbor’s balding cat to eat
But too open to be a grave

*A Quiet Bend (Luis O)
 
When Oxbow Park holds 
morning fog over river bends
I follow dirt paths
through wet leaves
and bicycle tracks
trees lean close
like quiet friends
water carries clouds
past fishing lines
and slow boots
ducks slide over shadows
across green skin
my breath mixes with the creek 

and cold air
bridges hum softly 

creaking
under waiting shoes
and the world jerks
like sleep moving
inside my chest
at oxbow park

*

 

Start here on 3/9

 
*Teenage Greed (Haley)
 
The frogs have begun their anthem
In the ravine past the wood
That fuels our fires
The stars light the fuse
Then roar to life in our pit
The damp heat wets my face
Toppling over blades of unkempt grass
Notifying the audience of my incoherence
Tales of mistakes in the past

Unwind throughout the night
Opens the atmosphere like a backyard therapy session
We pollute the dawn with aluminum cans
Boozy with courage
We wake to birdsong
Flooding the foggy windows
The barn loft’s worn planks
Moan under the weight of several teenagers
A lone crow is perched on a beam above
Our hungover heads 
We look up at the morning's blackness
The attic littered with dusty stars
Stirred up by his flight
 
 
*Desire (Hudson Borzeniatow)
 
A giggling laughter is emitted from the void
Cutting through the air it pierces my chest like an arrow
Spinning like a hand-auger I rest my eyes onto her
 
A pale face and soft eyes stare me down
I see her gentle hands reaching out for me
The wisps of her hair floating like summer clouds
 
A storm is on the horizon
Its hideous green light
Casts itself upon her beautiful face
 
We stand together on the side of the cliff
The fog obscuring my view and seeping into my head
like a poison 
 
I take her hand
The storm is upon us now
I am afraid
 
The look in her eyes
Tells me to jump
Tells me it will be all right
 
Her soul takes the leap
Falling into the chasm
Her fingers slipping from my grasp
My feet still anchored to the ground below

*Loneliness (Mar’te)
 
In my small quiet space 
The television is playing a show 
even though no sound comes out 
Ambient light illuminates the bed that I lay on 
Wanting to rise and be stronger 
Thoughts flowing through my mind 
From time to time, I can hear 
the taps of a cat walking 
breaking my isolation 
There are clothes and clean dishes 
that were supposed to be put away 
but my brain has other plans 
These thoughts 
eat away at me like a swarm of flies 
on garbage 
Eventually this silence will pass 
like it always does 
If I’m lucky 

it won't last as long as it has today

or come at all 

 

 

 
*Suffering (Garrett)
 
It’s winter in the nameless town
A place known by many but not as their own
Throughout it plots of cedar and limestone
 
So many lights have been nested here
In the priory and under its carved arches
Shadows born from stars in passing
 
I’d been here along the pathway
In these copper walls that had broken down
I’d been there when we tore it piece by piece
A learned helplessness which oxidized
Crenulations jabbing at the sky
 
It had been a ragged year
With many falls and slumps
Only made better by the homemade bread
We broke with friends
 
The wind blows through the paved streets
As I huddle up with my neighbors
And our little barncat compadre
 
I’d sometimes find friends here
Who aren’t really friends
A Stanley to my Mitch
Would come along
Proving the need of the broken wall
 
(NOTE HERE: I think I went too abstract with this one, the town is me, but also I am me, it's confusing, I know)
 
 Romance (Francine Coffer)
 
The user manual is open
In the dark room with a soft glow caressing my face
I wasn’t using it to fix or review it was open to remember
Remember the time I felt lost like a child in a store
Cause my manual didn’t explain instructions clearly like others
Friends would talk about them with such certainty
To them it was clear as glass
But my manual just held a beating heart in it
It talked about not feeling the need for another hold
It talked about friends and families
And yet it never explained why
It was just an organ pumping blood at uneasy rhythm
It didn’t tell me who the one was
It didn’t turn into the google map app for me to find them
But as I rested
As I reviewed the manuals of others
I learned my manual wasn’t broken or empty
Just different
 
Loneliness (Jaelyn) 
 
The bookshelf leans as if to fall 
A pile of clothes collected on the floor 
A song plays from the stereo 
That sits by the closet 
The curtains are shut 
Only a strip of sunlight reflects on the wall 
A bottle of water  
Sits beside me 
The phone stays silent 
A candle is lit on the desk  
Smelling of cinnamon and apples 
The flame’s flickers of light dance on the ceiling  
Following the melody of the song 
The door is cracked a cat peeking through 
The cool air freezes me 
Icicles grow from the shadows in the corner 
I hear faint sounds of laughter  
From the other side of the window 
I stare at the painted wall 
From my spot on the bed 
 
 
*Desire (Megan)
 
A moment in time
Creates such a stillness
That it's impossible to harbor hatred
Like a drug that I use
Or the softest sleep 
A nice bath for my exhausted body
Watching the tall grass sway in the wind
Hidden under the pine trees I climb
A type of beauty that's serene
That is hard to replicate 
A moment of freedom and want for more
A want to fly
A want to bask in the sun
A want to never be found
A want to be swaddled by all that I love
A want to forget
A want to remember
I yearn when I am in that tree
I yearn for the day that I can finally rest
And just be
 
 
The steam of the water (Yesier)
 
carelessly through the rocks
Rustling trees have an eerie sound 
The woods never felt quiet 
Muddy rocks sitting so close to my quiet end
Is there a sign that someone is there
Clothes with holes that were filled before
Torn into pieces, sitting on top of the rocks
My screams fade away like the steaming water, I run from
I felt safe in the warmth of my clothes
Wind flowing through my dreams
Landmines everywhere I think I have to step
Lying on the muddy rocks thinking of my path
Birds shot out of the sky for being so free
Calling on a chord phone that was never connected
Warmth of steam was my only comfort in the woods
In front of the sink with hot water on my hands
I never knew that it would be my ending
Falling inside the water that gave me comfort
Closed off on all sides
Sinking into an abyss where I thought I would be happy
My happiness has now turned into a nightmare

Canye / The Lonely Brick Walls
 
The afternoon presses against the windows
sunlight leaking through blinds
Sound of the morning dove's lullaby hits my ears
the grass lifting its hands in the wind
brick holding old warmth of happiness
Mom hurrying to get ready for work
Don't leave I say.
The floors squeak due to ghosts
the stairs reverberating with footsteps
while bowls glow brightly on the table
cereal floating in milk
spoons clinking against the porcelain 
​​The TV is speaking of nostalgia
People who I can barely remember
Smell of soul food in the air
Green box holding heat in the cold
Playstation roaring loudly
 I won't forget the road
But maybe it's time to discover new ones.
 
 
 
*Suffering (Vinny W)
 
The desolate road ahead screams at me to walk its way
Neon lights in the distance soothe my busy mind
A dog sits in an alley eating a discarded lunch
It smells of gasoline and rotting rat carcasses
I can’t help but notice an overwhelming stench
Trash covers the sidewalks like flies on shit
The darkness seems to deepen the further I walk
Littered across the ever-expanding sea of concrete

Cans and bottles look like stars in the night sky
A man lays next to a garbage can covered in yesterday's news
No one cares about yesterday anymore
Consumption is our god now
(No need to even worry about the future)
The street grows longer with each step I take
The puddles on the ground tell what kind of story? 
The doors on the buildings are uninviting
Brick walls line the streets like giant waves
They hide what will remain unseen
It is an unforgiving hellscape
I have no desire to stay here any longer
This is no place to call home
 
 
*Desire (Zoie)
 
It’s a place that has always been known
carrier of sand and water

a place that is loved
a fish jumps onto land
and back into lake
as a fisherman chases 
it with a knife
these rooms are cold to the touch
yet filled to the brim with people
and memories
When night arrives
a boat leaves its port
taking people on board to see
the stars
gather round the fire
the smell of pizza pies fill the air
on the walls are photographs
the story of us
watching for hibernation to end
the house on the lake
waits patiently for many of us to return
fill us up on love
 
(an alternative title to this could be 'Nostalgia')
 
 
*Uncanny (Lilly) 
 
A chilling van sits at the end of the street
Calling to me on the other end of the phone
It has been 19 days
My brothers yelling downstairs 
Go out and play it says to them 

in the cold and rain
Still there is no one inside the van
Hasn’t been for a month
I have to go downstairs and eat
My body moves but my mind stays put
There’s a man hunting for you 
Stay inside and forget the van 
Someone will come to pick it up
No they will come to get you 
I look out the window and see
Not just the van but a crazy old man
His crooked smile and no eyes
Still he can’t look away
His presence sends a chill down my spine 
I turn away but then where did he go?
Behind me chewing my clothes 
That I used to wear before he took me 
Before the van made me vanish 
 
 *Addiction (Autumn)

 
The cold white snow soft against my body 
wind whistles loud and strong this high up
nothing for miles to block it
I wonder what could lie beneath this beauty
perhaps crystalline treasure but on these
dark mountains no one can know
snow piled so high it's like an ocean
I try to imagine that beauty is under me
I try to envision a frozen kingdom under my cold body
yet in my soul I know what's true
others lie beneath me
those who've also experienced thought and feeling
people who may have lied 

just like I have atop this enormous, towering rock
people who could not make the climb
people who could not bear the cold
swallowed up by the treacherous white powder
so much like cocaine this white fluff that swallows you up
promising beauty and pleasure
only to return as death and despair
alas maybe my only destination coming here was
not the peak but the bottom of this cold white sea
 

 
*
 
Fear for what’s to come (Ava)
 
When we enter darkness fills the room
It feels like rats might run out under your feet
Screams come out from ahead
Chainsaws rev in the distance 
I close my eyes and grab onto my sister’s arm
Clowns pop out at us neon painted faces
They laugh at us as we scream 
It seems never ending like a bad dream
The actors love their jobs
Everything looks so real in the dark
Dim light leads us 
Actors scream in our ears
Suspense builds up within me 
My sister longs for the exit
And so do I
Loud noises come out of speakers
Our hearts jump a mile
We want out of this house
The floor under us shakes
Finally we see the light
We are at the door to the outside
But we chose to do it all over again
 
 
Dark Hole (Marisol)
 
When the moon shines
Like a diamond in the crowd unintentionally
The howling in the dead of night 
Creates an odd feeling of despair
The quiet but loud presence of a phantom
Creeping onto my shoulder
Almost biting my ear off
The overlapping mountains 
Making it hard to see clearly
The burning smell of charcoal 
Is causing me a deadly migraine 
The deepened voices overflowing
My brain on the verge of exploding
As the light glistens I form a face
A very familiar face that has vanished 
In the back of my empty mind
The sounds are telling me to turn around
But that face moves my legs closer 
Suddenly I am at the peak of the mountain
Ready to jump into an endlessly hollow pit
Full of disappointment and sorrow
 

Anxiety – By Pancho Garza
 
The room's silent except for the rumble of the boiler
Interrupted by the distant sound of hammer strikes
The murmurs of chattering kids
There is a smell of sawdust with props crammed against the wall
Distant memories played on with each shelf
Praying to be used again
Hoping to be in the spotlight once more
With heavy flats filled with what once used to be
Forced to change
Tubs filled with unchangeable décor
Sit idle with little use
Each taken down a tight spiral staircase
Barly big enough for our own bodies
Each step thundering
With quivering feet rumbling
As though to warn others of our descent
Alerting others to how we feel
Though no words were spoken
Demand we go with haste
With their tall wooden spires
Rushing with little provocation
Snaking our way back
To the old and forgotten
 
Fear (Cesar)
 
A dark cloud hangs over their faces
Muffled underwater, moving through tar
They fear being unique
Walking through a dark forest
Afraid of getting lost with no crowd
They get lost within the crowds
Sheep being herded in a field
A school of fish in the ocean
All being pushed by one imaginary force
The fish schooled, by dolphins
The sheep herded by dogs
They share the same wet dog
For them throwing insults is common
Like chucking rocks at a sick animal
Blood spewing out, volcanos erupting
The same roars are heard when watched
Some watch with barbed wire choking them
Some laugh with glee
Society tortures us, like ancient romans
Practicing the best way to kill
Flesh tears, people burn
Constant pain, no mental fortitude
Cowards all around
 
 

Fear (Charles)
 
A shriek of terror
A musty smell
A sweet sickening aroma 
The bite of copper 
A shade of vermillion 
The padding of feet 
Striking the ground with 
Frantic fervor 
The rustling of leaves
The splashing of water
Branches creaking 
As wind howls above
The panting of rest
Rustling of clothes against bark
The snap of a twig
The swish as the air parts
The ripping of cotton
A harsh sigh escapes
One more time
 
 
Fear (Olivia)
 
The shop was full of  
a grey emptiness 
dust so prominent making 
the space between shelves 

seemed to be thick with fog 
Silence was a heavy presence 
until the ding of a bell on a bike 
pierced the veil between  
thought and reality 
A man on a scooter 
in familiar clothes 
a distinct memorable odor 
that the fan wafts down 
columns of shelving 
With hopes of answers 
I ask if he remembers me 
when a ghastly expression  
warrants the chills that crawl 
The unease takes its chance 
to burrow under my skin 
 

Lexi

Lexi Simon 

02/18/26 

Anxiety 

The bright cold classroom where my knee doesn’t stop bouncing while I wait 

 thinking the teacher might call on me afraid and twitchy I sit in the corner anxious 

 that I might have to have everyone looking at me while I talk the bright yellow sweater 

 gives me a headache of the girl sitting in the front the crickets in the silence que’s she  

is about to call on someone the awkwardness in the room shows no one is willing 

 to be called on not because we don’t know the answer but because no one wants to talk 

 aloud the freezing chill I get down my spine I can feel the peach fuzz stand on the back 

 of my neck a cold needle feeling flows through my arm creating a numb tension I sit 

 there wondering if anyone feels the way i feel in this moment of Russian Roulet most kids 

 look down in their lap playing on their phone while i wonder if they do and that is how they 

 get out of answering the question although they don’t know she will call on them 

 for not paying attention the tingle in my arm slowly goes away while i look at all the kids 

 on their phones I look at the teacher as she glances at me my breathing gets rapid  

then she looks at the kid in the front on his phone he does not pay attention so doesn’t 

 even know she is looking at him she is wearing a brown vest that isn’t flattering along  

with skinny jeans and flat black shoes she stares and ponders on her career choices 

 i can see it in her eyes she eventually looks back at the kid on his phone and sighs 

 he looks up and has a worried look on his face she calls on him and he doesn’t even know 

 the question she asked in the first place the boy looks at his book glances at his phone  

and then looks right back at her again  I sigh quietly in relief knowing at least it isn’t me 

 this time.