The Ride

My legs shaking like Jell-O

Face white as snow during winter

Eyes frozen with fear

My friends excited and gleeful couldn’t notice my fright

The gate opens for us to board

I pull down my harness as far as it could go

my stomach filling with butterflies

Hands gripping on for dear life

Eyes shut

We slowly make our way up the lift hill

The endless ascension brings fear to my mind

I open my eyes for a spit second to see the enormous drop right in front of my eyes

I open my mouth to scream

Yet not a sound comes out

Paradise

By: Kaurvaki Bajpai

 

Stress slowly consumed me, gnawing at my mind.

But it disappeared like a cry into the wind.

I was in paradise.

 

Ocean breeze gently blew the hair from my illuminating eyes.

Barren land stood in front of me.  Fluffy, cotton-like

clouds slowly drifted away like tumbleweeds.

 

Colors of the sky and hints of teal shimmered

from the great, vast ocean. Untamed

rays scorched my skin.

 

Running at the speed of light, I reached the forgiving water.

The icy, arctic elements cooled me in an instant.

Deeper and deeper I went, but the waves were resilient

and pushed back. Water splashed and sploshed around my neck.

 

Majestic birds flew gracefully into the sky, echoing their song of freedom.

Stunned, breath escaped my mouth.

I was in paradise.

 

Nostalgia

By: Maritza Baptiste

 

I feel the rain wash over me as I watch my colors fade

I feel the memory embrace me with songs of my past days

I know we must keep walking onward we must go

But leaving time behind is not easy I should know

For some it is abundant but I never seem to have

You’d never know it’s something that can only pull or grab

I want to be rid of this fever but I just can’t seem to shake 

The villainous evil that only wants to take

I feel it closing in on me like walls nearer by the day

And as much as I wish it just won’t go away

I plead and I plead I beg and I beg

I think it must be better to be dead

I feel the water falling faster as it goes

I mustn’t carry on like this I know I know I know

The only thing to do now

The only thing I know

Is wipe my tears and blow my nose

The Effects of Middle School

By: Ronit Malhotra and Areeb Khan

6th Graders                                                                                                                                     

8th Graders

5th grade was out of this world!

                                                          7th grade was an avalanche that suffocated me.

Fortnite! Fortnite! Fortnite!

                                                            Fortnite’s dead.

I’m a big kid now?

 

Some kids “like” each other.

Some kids are dating.

I hope I’m a “cool” kid.

I don’t care if I’m cool.

No recess?

What’s recess?

I have lunch at 12:00.

I have lunch at 1:30.

I’m hungry.

Middle school will be a thrilling expedition.

High school will be the end of me.

I have a tower of homework!

I’m not doing my homework.

So much work.

You wanna have a play date at the library?

You wanna hang at my place?

We have a test today. I studied 24/7!

We have a test today?

They have soda for lunch!

Switch is trash.

Things are changing.

Joyride

By: Carter Neely and Sumeet Saini

 

What’s this ride called?

The Terrifying Tower I think.

Sounds fun…

Why is this line taking so long?

This line is nothing.

All we can do is wait…

We can always back out.

We have gone too far to back out now.

Let’s go then…

Can we make the belt tighter?

Why is this belt so tight?

Are you ready?

This hill is as tall as a mountain!

I wish this hill was taller

Woosh sound effect

AHHHHH     WEEEEEE

Oh god not a loop…

Finally a loop!

It’s way too late to turn back

Finally, that’s over…

Just wait until we get on the next one

Why does the hill on the next hill look taller than the last one?

Because it is…

Oh no…

Ode to my Cleats

By: Marielle Thyen

 

Tinted gold laces

Wrapped so tightly.

Mud stains and ripped seams.

Galloping like a stallion

On my field of dreams.

 

You’ve taken me many places.

With grit and glory.

From snow to sand,

In rain and heat.

Yet you still manage to hug my feet.

 

You’ve been stepped on

Like a forgotten insect.

Kicked as hard as a rock.

Despite the pain,

You are a fighter.

 

The aroma you produce

Like a cup of spoiled juice.

Soaked like a sponge, chock full of turf.

But those memories of determination,

Will take us to the ends of the earth.

Christmas

By: Gurnasib Rataul

When the Thanksgiving decorations go down,

And the Christmas tree goes up, Christmas is here.

Carrying the tree down gently feeling its’ flaky and spiky bristles

The walls take in the sharp, fresh smell of the pine tree.

The tree so glowing and radiant, a rare sight to see.

Waking up from the aroma of sweet and fudgy brownies,

Rushing downstairs to see the perfect square shaped treat

Begging my mom to try the delicious dessert as it falls right into my mouth.

Savoring the taste of it forever.

Waking up the next day to Christmas morning, a day everyone wishes came faster.

Tearing the beautiful, glossy wrapping paper so quickly like a roller coaster,

Cheerful, joyful smiles, and laughter, a sight every parent wishes to see.

Ending the day by spending every second with family as the decorations are begging not to be put away.

Happiness and memories scan through my mind,

Wishing I could relive those moments for an eternity

Every little moment is worth to be happy about.

 

 

The First Time

By: Sanjana Annapureddy

The first time I went to a concert,

I was thirteen

The sun was slowly setting, creating a rainbow colored sky

There was a slight breeze brushing past us,

picking up everyone’s excitement and carrying it through the air

Finally, the singer came on stage

A jolt of anticipation went through my body

The arena roared with adrenaline

and you could hear the strumming of the guitar,

the low notes ringing through the crowd

signaling the beginning of the song.

The music echoed a spark,

and as his powerful voice filled the atmosphere around us,

people screamed the lyrics and danced the entire night.

The Eye of the Storm

By: Pratha Ravani

The wind tore through the air

screaming and smashing everything in its path

howling with no mercy

the rain

smashing with the same amount of fury

drenching everything

as it lays its wrath

when suddenly

for a fraction of a second

it appears

like an angel shining its light

in a war zone

as the sun shines bright

the trees smile

the birds appear

and the ground

sighed as it was not attacked

but not for long

As it was chased

by a monster

who tore through the trees

bring back destruction

but it still stayed

A little light remained

giving hope

A Day in Spring

By: Isaac Yoo

As I walk home during the desolate, cold days of spring,

I hear the lonely wind howling in the air,

The pine tree is as still as the lamppost and the crunch of the rust-colored twigs beneath my shoes occasionally break the silence,

I finally reach my home, exhausted,

 

The red bricks of my home seem agonizingly similar as I walk up the old, crumbling stairs,

I grasp the black, unstable rail,

I set my sight on the doorknob,

Before I ring the doorbell, time stops,

Doubts break into my mind slowly, but leaves like the car sprinting past me,

I am prepared to hear the same meaningless assurance, words that mean nothing,

 

“Ding”, I hear the ring of the doorbell,

I reassure myself there is nothing to hope,

I am a prisoner chained down by doubt, negativity, and hopelessness,

I drag myself onto the vibrant red carpet only to be welcomed by the pounding footsteps of my mother,

Suddenly my mother rejoices like church bells in a wedding,

I experience a wave of relief, knowing that the pain of waiting for the results is over,

 

As the blanket of night covers over the Earth,

I hear the sound of crickets,

I see the leaves outside dancing in the wind,

As I see the moon, a shimmering diamond rise,

I look forward to another day full of joy and happiness.