By: Eric Wilfong

Violence doesn’t build people up

It breaks them down

Why can’t there be peace all around

There’s good in everyone

You can see it in their eyes

But the decisions that some people make

Can hurt others inside

It’s not the person that does it

It’s the weapon they use

And the precious time they have to stop

Is like a bomb with a short fuse

Guns are our enemies

But we shouldn’t be scared

If we only could control them

Then our world would be repaired

Moans of despair will be no more

Instead the sound of joy will start to roar

Finally people have put the guns down

Now we can have world people all around

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

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.

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

By: Ryan DelVecchio

I stepped off the bus in a state of fear waiting for my friends to get off

I could see the mysterious building from where I was standing

My legs were shaking just like jello

My heart was beginning to race and beat faster and faster each second as I approached the frightening building

My hand had reached out and touched the greasy handlebar on the door

I swung open the door and took one step into the school

The scent smelled like spoiled food left in the refrigerator

If I had listened closely, I could hear the walls surrounding, laughing at me as I continued down the hallway

I felt terrified as I was enclosed by ginormous students

My friends and I had split and began to walk in opposite directions to our microscopic lockers

Our lockers were like small DNA strands in a cell

I quickly opened my locker and continued to my first block

I had caught sight of the smallest room in the distance and made my way over there

I sat down in the nearest seat and my heart beats began to weaken feeling relieved when the bell rang

By Ava Allen

You who watches our children die

But who claims gun control is the reason why

You who speaks words forged in someone else’s mouth

While the bullets rain down

You, disgusting you who claims to care

While overlooking souls that were once there

You who is controlled not by care but by your bank account

Who hides the skeletons in your closets but brings other people’s out

You strut around like a queen in your expensive wares

While our borders are invaded without a care

You are vile

How can you claim the ones who save lives

Are the ones that should be jailed for using their rights

You cower like a child while others die

You make me sick

You claim to give all that you have

But that wall around your mansion says otherwise

You may have once known what we are going through

But those memories are long lost to you

You will always be what you have always been, a coward

Hiding behind the the legacies of people that are as vile as you

God bless America the red white and blue

By: Rashmi Admala

Plans, hopes, and dreams

Eighteen-year-olds waiting to graduate

Holding onto their grasp of freedom

Summer plans waiting to be conquered

A few more days felt like aching years

The roaring conversations of students filled the room

The volume ticks higher; increasing and increasing

A lion could roar and no one would hear the sound

Suddenly, word travels rapidly like the thoughts in one’s head

One by one each student powers down

Like there’s no battery left to use

All they remembered was lockdown:

An intruder has entered the school

The silence was deafening

Students were shaking

Like the trees in the wind

Lights; off

Doors; closed

Windows; covered

Mouths; shut

Footsteps and footsteps stomp like elephants

Still bodies with closed mouths

Eyes wide with fear, staring at one another

Like the souls have already left

The cold, metal doorknob violently shakes

There he is with the eyes of a maniac

Memories are clutched onto

Times of happiness come to protect

Special family moments engrave minds

Appreciation sinks in

Maybe there’s still plans, hopes, and dreams left

By: Amrita Lal

Take it in; that luscious new smell.

Just one touch and you suddenly feel secure.

Their warmth spreads like an epidemic.

You wrap your arms around for comfort

clutching your best friend like you

grab your phone after a long day.

Oh the things you do for your

new intriguing partner;

Dressing them up like a Christmas tree

and giving them treats as good as

homemade ice cream.

Their eyes

innocent and harmless

they illuminate like stars in the night sky

It brightens your day coming home to

a puppy wagging his tail.

When it snows they leave tiny imprints

on the ground

so tiny and precious

that imprint will soon melt away

but will stay with you all the way.

Cold,

Cold, Vile you,

You who ends lives at the age of sixteen,

All it takes is a sound,

Then Gone,

Empty,

Selfish you,

Feeding off lives of youth,

Don’t open the doors,

You could turn around,

But you won’t,

And you don’t,

Silence,

Rings of fear,

You who ignores warnings of dread,

You could stop,

End your fit now,

But you can’t,

You’re lost,

And you can’t be found,

Echos of warning rings through the halls,

And you break down all the walls,

You don’t care,

But I do,

I do care for the lives of which you choose,

Those helpless ages of life and youth,

You who declares them bootless,

Evil,

Evil, horrible you,

You who terrorizes the terrorized,

You who walks in and ends all,

All it takes is a thought,

Then gone,

Empty,

Selfish you,

Tearing down dreams of gold,

Don’t walk into that room,

Please turn around,

You’ll ruin your life,

You’ll ruin their life,

But you won’t,

And you don’t,

Silence,

Rings of fear,

Run!

Run now I say!

There’s warning in the air!

Helpless child run!

And you,

You of fear,

You built to destroy,

You did this to yourself,

Please if your here,

Listen to me,

There’s so much life I see in you,

To destroy their life and dreams to,

Just to think that is a sin,

And you know that from within,

You,

You have dreams,

You have life,

So why hurt in order to achieve?

Achieve what I say?

When all you will achieve is locked bars, and misery,

Now,

I will take a knee,

And beg you with my plea,

You,

You of darkness and unholy wrong,

Please stop this now,

But instead you prolong,

All it took was a breath of air,

Then gone,

Empty, utter despair,

Malevolent,

Malevolent you,

You who ignores my pleas,

You who ends lives of the innocent,

You who destroys hope,

You who thinks those awful thoughts,

You,

Yes you

You could have been at peace,

You chose this path,

Don’t look back now,

All it took you was a second,

Then an innocent life ends,

Yes,

You are cold,

Listen close before this ends,

Don’t turn into this thing,

This thing that feeds off darkness,

And misery,

Help,

Don’t hurt,

You.

By: AJ Rush

The snow is cold as ice

the ground is a blanket of white

we hear angry yelling

then snowballs came from every direction

AMBUSH

my friend was hit

now we go

our captain said throw

we all launched our balls of snow

now we charge

they charged too

dodge

throw

dodge

throw

don’t get hit

by the snow