The Beach
A cool breeze, whistling to me
Water vapor softly cooling my face
Sand beneath me, between my toes
Not scorching, as it usually is on a hot day like this
But giving me warmth
Spreading throughout
As I lay, looking out
Into the vast, glistening ocean
Sparkling, as if a thousand crystals were dancing on its surface
Certainly enjoying themselves
As am I
On this wonderful afternoon
At the beach
Water trickling down jagged rocks.
Birds jumping from tree to tree.
The sun edging through the trees.
Moss permeating through the dead plants.
A light mist hangs in the air.
Deers convene in a spring.
The water glistening under the sun.
Clouds racing through the sky.
The wind howls by.
A panther calls for his kind.
This is the jungle.
By: Ella Keenan
Once young and bright
Your formerly pink, blush fur
Now matted and gray
From all those late nights
Protecting me until day
Stuffing now lost
From countless hugs,
Trips, and washes
Now your back is curved
To fit under the crook of my chin
Your short, clumped fur
Once lavish and bright
Though faded,
Still soft and soothing
Like a feathery pillow against my skin
Your gentle aroma
Only noticeable by me
Releases gusts of my childhood
Smelling like laughter and play
Your light brown nose
On the tip of your pure white snout
That could once pass as a mound
Of freshly fallen snow from the wintry sky
Now dusted with gray
But still manages to retain its softness
Due to endless kisses
Causing it to feel like velvet under my skin
You were always there
In every moment
From when I was on cloud nine
To when I felt like I hit rock bottom
Your floppy ears
Danced in the air
When you soared
Around the room
Like an angel
In my arms
The top of your head
Has absorbed what feels to be
Waterfalls of tears
Over what seems to be
Endless years
And although invisible
To the human eye
I can see your compassionate, tender smile
From light-years away
You watch the days go by
Watching all the endless dawns
Of morning rays
Followed by ceaseless sunsets
Revealing the lavish night sky
Each day, you sit and look back
On the good old days
The days where we would do nothing
But sit and play
Now,
You sit at home alone
From the crack of dawn
To the pitch black of night
I see you watching from the shelf
With pity in the black voids
You call eyes
I sometimes hear you
Call out in sorrow
As our laughable moments
Slip away
Day by day
Years go by
Less laughter
Less tears
You wonder where you will be
In the next few years
You watch the scary movies
From your spot in my room
You watch in awe
As I no longer pear over the covers,
No longer hiding my face with fear
You realize that I no longer
See the shadows of the trees outside
As monsters
From under my bed
You watch as I no longer
Jump from chair to chair
Fearing the floor
Is a pool of lava
Waiting to sear my skin
All you see now
Is my lifeless room
Until the day’s chaos slows
And the late night starts to show
Except now,
When I leave in the morning
I can almost hear the faint whisper
Of your non-existent voice
Soothing, gentle
Softly begging me to stay
Although worn with age
Your once pink, blush fur
Now matted and gray
From all those nights
Protecting me until day
Then it dawned upon you
No one could love you
The same way
By: Emily Lam
I nervously reach the leather seat.
My fingers tremble above the white and black keys.
Without further thought, I brought myself to play.
My fingers swiftly run across the piano,
in accordance of each note in my music sheets.
From flats, sharps, and naturals,
I gradually play at roaring volumes.
The cool, cold pedals enhance the sound,
while I occasionally check my pace.
I make a mistake,
and desperately attempt to continue playing.
My body gets much tenser,
and my fingers feel like a doll’s.
I end the song carefully,
then I slowly stand up to bow.
By: Elise Chang
The sun shining
A flashlight in my eyes
The aroma of a pink, cloud like treat roaming through the air
As I wait in this never ending line
My hands shake tremendously
A gust of wind passing me
Carrying the sound of screams that came by
All of a sudden I am in a metal cart
A metallic bar separating my escape
The cart thrusts forward following the tracks to my doom
My eyes petrify with horror as the cart takes an unforeseen turn
The cart comes to a halt as I slowly regain consciousness
The silver bar now free as I make my escape
My feet relax on the motionless ground that is below me
As I turn to take my next journey of torment
By: Carter Steadman
I am a dog I am a cat
We are total opposites
My owners give me any things My servants are good at many things
they just built me a new wooden They always kick me off my throne
home
I love being scratched I get no sleep
behind the ear When they are near
We have nothing in common
I am grateful for My servants lock me
my wonderful family In my mansion
And all the luxurious food With nothing fun to do
I wake up early and I sleep late until I am hungry
stalk the colorful birds then scream until my cry is heard
I only dislike the vet This “vet” is an twisted person
Who puts stuff in my arm That tortures fellow creatures
Well, maybe one thing in common
But you’ll find
That despite our differences
We are both equally great pets
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: Shivang Kulkarni
Shades of green all around
Covers people from the sun
Bright, beautiful trees
By: Shivang Kulkarni
Roaring like lions
Sending shivers through the ground
Waves endlessly crash
By: Shivang Kulkanri
White, wispy clouds high
Like a canvas in the sky
Staring back at us