2016 Teen Poetry Contest Anthology

8/17/2019 2016 Teen Poetry Contest Anthology

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Half Moon Bay Library

Teen Poetry

Contest

2016

Sponsored by Friends of the Half Moon Bay Library

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2/52

First Place

“Song to the World” by Lani Southern

Second Place

“Wonderful Monsters” by Willow Gelphman

Third Place“We Fight” by Logan Jaeger

Librarian’s Choice

“Flakes” by Elyse Abramson

Honorable Mention

“When the Night Comes to Life” by Samantha Aguilar

Honorable Mention

“Red Black” by Mikey Neves

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3/52

Song to the World

By Lani Southern

This is a life of beauty

This is a life of pain

Of glorious moments, high up and flying A shadow painted into the clouds

Of brokenness, grief, spent curled up crying

With my broken wings on the dusty ground

But the words remind me I’ll never stop writing

The words remind me I’ll never stop fighting

And through the dark I’ll remember the light

I’ll stand on my own, I’ll put up a fight

I’ll write my way outI’ll write my future, my hope and my truth

I’ll write the end of my still living story

The words are the voice, the words are the glory

The glory that I'll never see from my corner

From my place in the dark with my pen as my sword

But that doesn't matter because I give myself

To the ink on the paper, to the voice, to the words

Words are the voice of the voicelessWords are the way that I write my pain

And through rising and falling and dying and breaking

Words are the things that remain

This is my song to the world

The world that will hear my voice

The world that will know I came here by choice

The world that will keep my flame

Remember my passion

Know my name

The world that will keep my words alive

Long after I am dust and forgotten

My words will be the things that survive

Through trial and storm and dark of ages

Even when I take my bow

And step off the stage

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4/52

Wonderful Monsters

By Willow Gelphman

They come in the dark

When the clock strikes two

When I’m tucked away in bedThey make their debut

The sky turns bright orange

My head turns to static

Light on the walls

Flicker shadows erratic

They seep under the window

And door like smoke

They reach out striped tendrils

Their talons evoke

Crazy thoughts tucked Away for the day

Mortal insecurities

That incite me to pray

A novel I had once

Aspired to write

Vibrating wings bound

Down to break flight

Dreams of the future

Regrets of the past

A lost opportunityEvery face a mask

A boy captured in

Youthful idealism

Set aside thanks to

A taste for surrealism

Dali whose spidery

Elephants stand tall

Far above our small lives

They must see it all

Like those long-legged beasts

Snickering at my bedside

Sending sparks as they laugh

They feel complied

To disrupt my slumber

My health and wellbeing

With addictive mind tangents

And neon zigzags guaranteeing

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5/52

A sleepless night

A wasted day

In which feeling exhausts me

And emotions are held at bay

So as they laugh and they torment

I am left with no choiceBecause while the visions enchant me

In my head a voice:

“Don’t give into the darkness

The confinement of now

Come morning the sun will

Scare them off anyhow”

So I open my box

And a soft golden light

Sucks them away

Like egg yolks out of sightI lock up the box

Stow away the key

So my wonderful monsters

Will never find me

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6/52

We fight

By Logan Jaeger

I laugh

I joke

I kidI go too far

She is angry

I apologize

I cry

I plead

I ask for forgiveness

She spurns me

I yell

I sob

I hateI feel remorse

She won’t respond

I tell her I care

I tell her it won’t happen again

I tell her I’m sorry

I tell her I love her

She says the same to me

We fight sometimes, but it’s okay

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7/52

Flakes

By Elyse Abramson

Dark, silver snowflakes fell diagonally against the window

She put on her galoshes and red hat-

clutching her beige leather bag to her side.Grabbing her daughter’s hand,

she thrusted herself through the doorway-

wincing as the biting wind collided with her face.

The icy rain immediately found its place,

creeping under our clothes and

disseminating across our bodies.

We hiked the two, tense, blocks to the elementary school

You couldn’t miss it- a bold crimson building

vibrantly glistening

standing alone amidst the blanket of snow that covered the ground.She pulled at my wrist, signalling it was time I let her go.

She briskly skipped off.

I stood there for a moment, alone, in the bitter cold.

Watching her turn around and raise her arm-

giving me one last wave of her hand.

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8/52

When the Night Comes to Life

By Samantha Aguilar

I always forget them. They’re in my bag I tell myself as I make my way out of the door just in

time to get to school. I block it out for the rest of the day. The day goes on, as it always does, it

waits for no one. The clock ticks and the day slowly walks by me. The once warm envelopingwind slowly gets colder, the sun’s once bright beams have become only streaks of purples and

pinks illuminating as much as their light allows them too. As I walk up the stairs, and make my

way to the door, I reach my arm into my bag, my fingers play with the random wrappers, and

pieces of paper that were once important, but now sit in the grave of my bag. The more I feel

around, the more my heart races and the more frustration I let out. It’s shape is so distinct, it's

hard to miss. I have no choice now, but to sit in the cold. It happens more than it should. If I’m

lucky, my mom should arrive in any minute, but I’m not. The wind gets colder, the unwanted

leaves thrown off the branches of the nearby rattling bushes scrape against the hard ground

and float out of sight following the way of the wind. The hairs on my neck stand stiff. Soon

enough, the orchestra of frogs and crickets begins, and they play so in sync with one and other.The tall graceful trees come to life and dance under the light of the moon, and the moon has

finally comes out of its hiding place, inviting the stars to join along. I am swallowed by the spirit

of the night, harmony of relaxation and beauty and I didn’t know if I could ever be brought back,

but I didn’t want to, nor did I care to be. I was trapped in a maze of memorization, and I wanted

nothing more but to live there forever. A quiet ring interrupts my thoughts, the ring turns into a

roar, and my eyes are slapped by the sharp light of my mother’s old blue Passat lights. She

tosses the keys my way.

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9/52

Red Black

By Mikey Neves

Black is Jordan

shoes.

Red is Jordan socks.

Black is Jordan

shirt.

Red tastes like

Jordan cake.

Black smells like

Jordan stickers.

Red sounds like

Jordan devil.

Black feels like

Jordan Black Power.

Red looks like Jordan

is fire.

Black makes Me Happy

like Jordan.

Red & black is

Chicago Bulls, Jordan #23.

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10/52

Forever and a Day

By Eddie Acosta

Under the weeping willow

I sulk in a dampened pillow

Wasting awayOver what once was

The light of my day,

The color to my gray--

But alas,

She would not stay

My forever and a day

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11/52

RAINBOW

By Michelle Ahumada

GOLD IS WARRIORS

BROWN IS BASKETBALL

BLUE IS STEPHAN CURRY

RED TASTE LIKE CANDY

GREEN SMELLS LIKE

GRASS

ORANGE SOUNDS LIKE

PUMPKINS GROWING

PINK FEELS LIKE A BIG

HUG

YELLOW LOOKS LIKE THE

SUN

PURPLE MAKES ME HAPPY

WHITE IS A NEW PAIROF SHOES

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12/52

Years Of Salt

By Emma Bradshaw

I have been sitting here

Drowning in my old, young tears

Over a small girl’s stupid fearsEven though it’s been two years.

Two years of silence,

Remembering the sirens.

I almost lost your beating heart,

But you’re still a living tyrant.

Salty water burning my lips,

Faking a smile, letting reality slip.

To the music I sway my hips.To the beat of your heart the clock still ticks.

A third year I don’t remember you.

By the fourth you’ve forgotten me too.

Year five there’s nothing I can do.

When six comes my sorrows have drowned me,

and my lips are a deep blue.

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13/52

Playing with friends

By Siobhan Calboun

Let's play a game

Hide and seek of wit and pride

I can win if I am cleverThey play with blunt knives and dull fists

I play with sharp words that slice their souls open,

freeing their ghosts

I have no want or need for these weapons they covet

Because a game of wit and pride

Is a game to be won by breaking hearts

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14/52

My Soul

By Erika Camacho

My soul is in search of sight,

My soul is sitting in darkness,

My soul stumbles through thestreets of loneliness,

My soul hides under my

emotions, worries and, anger,

My soul bellows and screams yet

no one could hear the shrieks of shame,

My soul is full of depression.

My soul sees the bright light, yet

Cowardly avoids it.

My soul slithers away from the

Bright door.

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15/52

Spark of Life

By Tomas Castro Santos

What if every new life was a bright spark,

And time drew these sparks into lines,

And choices made lines into curves,

And love made curves cross

What if greatness made lines thicker,

And intelligence made lines brighter,

And health made lines longer

And empathy made lines sparkle

What if evil made lines red,

And stealing made lines blurry,

And Good made lines golden,

And giving made lines clearer

What if a line is lengthened by memory,

And is brightened by the quality of the memory,

And is thickened by the quantity of the memory,

And it fades with loss of the memory

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16/52

In this artwork of life,

Civilizations are bright thick lines that grow, thicken,

brighten

Then inevitably fade into darkens


Earth is but a point of brightness,

In a seemingly empty vastness of the abyss.


When seen from far enough away,

We nothing but black canvas, and we are insignificant.

Live your life to nurture your spark.

Make it bright,

Make it last.

Be so great as to be seen on the canvas of

infinity.

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17/52

Sail

By Kiera Cullen

Sailing, is an amazing sport

The wind whips through my long hair

The waves splash along with the screams of portExcitement fills the salt air

The whistle blows, chaos sets in

All the boats rock to and fro

Watches beep, skippers yell “watch the pin”

Your mind is screaming Go! Go!

Voices rise as the mark draws near

Boats turn towards the finish line

The boats quickly pass Romeo’s PierI soon pass boat number nine

The wind is gone, I lost the race

But the day was not a waste

I still have a huge smile on my face

Next time I’ll be back with haste

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18/52

Maui

By Drew Davison

Wood chairs and short hair

Eating food in Kauai

The restaurant named Mona's lairMy mom's camera spread array

On the table with bright red shirley temples

I later started to cry

My mom wouldn’t let me get another shirley temple

But this isn't visible

Because it's just a photo

And now I’m miserable

Looking at this picture

Wishing I could be in Kauai

Miserable and without a shirley temple refill

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19/52

Untitled

By Rodolfo Etchart

Blue eyes, short black hair, friendly and healthy

Son of Antonia and Rodolfo

Lover of my brother Christian, my mom and my dad

Feels happy, strong, and sporty

Needs Chinese food, movies, and phones

Gives smiles, candies, and handshakes

Fears storms, barking dogs, and being lost

Would like to see my uncles, cousins and a movie

Resident of Moss Beach, California

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20/52

Untitled

By Lillah Ferriera

Where his heart should home is void

All heat is cold

All cold is lonely

His mind is sullen

The only presence is the whisper

The whisper of the reminder

The reminder of insanity

Much like the calm before the storm

He smiles with the aroma of desperation

The passing of days

Verifying he’s still being

He looks into the bathroom mirror

Above the sink

Deprivation jerks at his eyelids

Eyes watching themselves

He places another dose in his hand

Like a machine

His carcass drips

Pulling him down like a broken slinky down stairs

His mind is the moving train

In the middle of winter

Tracks slippery from warmth

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21/52

All light is dark

All dark is lonely

He remains in the light

The flicker in the middle of the room draws him closer

The only darkness among him

All whispers are loud

All loud is lonely

The wax whispers

“I’m so cold”

He jolts forward

Ensuring his footing on the crumbling thought

The walls form shape

Going in every direction

Music is found

Loud music

He sees a face

The face multiplies

They take forms of loved ones

He whispers to them

The desperation drips more

They glare in his direction

They fade out into the light

Never to be seen again

He looks up

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22/52

All up is down

All down is lonely

He sees his childhood home

It starts to pain and shake

Twisting into blood

Dripping faster and falls

Falls up

The music stops

The beat of an incomplete song

He is tugged out

The mirror is dropped

No one notices long enough to care

Its dust may be swept up

But only to be disposed

All is nothing

Nothing is lonely

He is nothing

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23/52

Let’s Go Warriors!

By Bianca Garcia

Roses are red,

Violets are blue.

I’m going for the Warriors, And you better too!

We’ll collaborate with mates,

Hopefully they’ll put back in Speights.

We’ll try to cheer Curry back in key,

With the help of Dave Lee.

Steph Kerr will lead them to the right path,

So they can calculate the right math.

LeBron James better stop complaining,

So they actually do some gaming.

We might not be the perfect team,But we’ll try our best to pursue our dream.

We deal with our fouls,

Not like LeBron, who goes crying for hours.

He may think he’s the best to this day,

But he forgot about the rest of us in the bay.

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24/52

Rats

By Tom Gilmour

Rats are found at the bottom of the latter.

How they found a place in my heart, is doesn’t matter.

My first rat Oreo was black and white.She was strange but she brought me delight.

Holes from her teeth littered my clothes.

But if she had been a flower she would’ve been a rose.

Her claws were sharp like nails.

She also must have had one of the longest tails.

Her sister named Tipsy was brown.

When Tipsy pasted it seemed Oreo forever wore a frown.

They were two when they were bought.

Until they died happiness is all they brought.

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25/52

What Is Life

By Brittany Gutierrez

What is life

Life is the memories we make

The times we failThe times we succeed

When we go to our first concert

Or our hundredth

When we cry

When we laugh

Life is many things

My life is basketball

And dance

Getting dropped

Spraining my ankle All of this makes us who we are

The moments when our bodies are throbbing

The moments when we get no sleep

The moments we laugh so hard we cry

Memories are moments that we remember for ever

Whether it's at the beach

At the park

Or even at the dump

Memories are memories because their special

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26/52

Disneyland

By Makaela Hanson

Disneyland is Beautiful

Disneyland is The Happiest Place

Disneyland Tastes Like The Largest Cup OF Coca Cola Soda

Disneyland Smells Like Love

Disneyland Sounds Like Big Band Jazz

Disneyland Feels Like Soft Bunnies

Disneyland Looks Like A Wonderful Castle

Disneyland Makes Me Cheerful And Light Hearted

Disneyland Is Wonderful

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27/52

I Am

By Alexis Hernandez

I Am Mexican and hard working

I wonder if I will work

I hear the bang of the can

I see classrooms

I want to earn money

I am Mexican and hard working

I feel good

I worry about my family

I cry when I get mad


I understand I can count on my family

I say funny things

I dream of Star Wars

I try lifting weights

I hope for a better life


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28/52

School

By Molly Jenkins

Sitting

Do you get this

Can you help meThanks for nothing

I’m going to fail

Great another test I have no idea how to study for

Diiinnnggggg

Why do I care to struggle to carry all my useless belongings

Great start today

People I used to know

People I will never know

Were all strangersExcept for the few

With who all I do is argue

Building peers sit

Diiinnnggggg

Notes again? Big surprise

I don't really care about JFK or his decisions about atomic bombs

Ignorant people with their ignorant comments

Why is everything said with a judge

Scramble for informationRunning out of time

Diiinnnggggg

10 minutes

That's it

10 minutes of freedom

I can't enjoyably eat a snack in 10 minutes

I can't have a conversation with a teacher about any given issue in just 10 little minutes

Might as well not have 10 minutes at all

Diiinnnggggg

Physics will be the death of me

What is the universe?

How did the big bang happen

Thing I will never know

Saying what i think would be immediately shot down

Keep your hand down

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29/52

Living in confusion is better than living in failure right?

Diiinnnggggg

I wait for however long it takes for him to walk my way

He passes me by like a ghost

The one who broke her heartThe ones who don't care anymore

The one that got away

The new generation

Diiinnnggggg

Lead by example

You should know better

Get all this work done in this small amount of time

Don’t forget to smile

Diiinnnggggg

Do you ever feel like walking from one side of campus to the other is like entering a social war

zone?

Everyday

Everyday during these 5 minutes bullies hunt for prey and when they make a catch, everybody

laughs like it's a practical joke

Disgusting

Diiinnnggggg

Immediate disrespectBickering turns into yelling

Write as much on a random subject for 20 minutes

Do one thing wrong and you're done

All this work gives you no time for you

Diiinnnggggg

Young people lean up against lockers sweet talking their boy/ girl friends

Feeling untouchable

If only they knew what the real world was

The worst part is- I can't help but dream like them too

Of love, of the future.

There he is, stop walking

He gives you the most simple smile while enough to make your head spin for days

Diiinnnggggg

I'll just rest my head for a second

Diiinnnggggg

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30/52

Untitled

By Elijah Lurie

Picked up by a gust of air, And blown about on tufts of hair; Hoping someday just to land, On a

patch of dirt or sand; Once it lands for you should know, Our little seed begins to grow. It's

flower beams as bright as sun. The cycle once again begun.

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31/52

He’s So Gangster

By Annabella Lynch

He's a young man

With a gun

And a plan

He had not a prayer

But the gang was there

Got in some fights

When he lived in Logan Heights

With a lock n' a sock

On heads he'll knock, knock, knock

When the Sons hoped for Silence

He hoped for rain

But no amount of water can wash away his inflicted pain

And when you have the need he'll sell you speed

That you can burn up the road with

Be you blue or red

There's a price on your head

You were red when you bled And you'll be blue when you're dead

Street life is rough

But it made him banging tough

A brother's mother cried

When that brother's spark died (it's okay that he died, it's all for group pride)

We all wore black to the funeral

And to the boot party right after

They'll off ya

When your in the Mafia

Violence

To Silence

MC

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32/52

OG

MOD

ABZ

One. Three.

OMG

Latin KingWa Ching

Now the hat and bat

Has taken his gat

Thought he'd be twenty for life

Now he's serving the same

Cause' you can't rewind bullets

And you can't rewind shame

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33/52

Where Dreams Go to Die

By Victoria Martinez

There is a field of flowers

Where all the children go

There is a hole in the groundWhere an old man lives

He hoped the children would stay away

Wished they would go back and play

Back to fearing monster infested closets

And holding mommy’s hand

He warns the kids, but they don't listen

They throw their dreams, imagination and innocence

Down the hole

Down, down, down they go

The man saves the dreams, files them awayHoping the children would come back one day

And retrieve the childhood they handed over

Years go by

More children come

More files are stored

But the children don’t return

They grow sad and tired

And soon forget about the flowery field

Where the man still waits

Hoping, wishing, waiting for nothingThe children are all grown

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34/52

Sea of Colors

By AJ Morrell

sitting on the edge of the cliff

everything is more visible and clear

from the darkening brown sandTo the ocean like glass whose end is unclear

Shadows are cast from the bluffs I lie upon

Creeping from the sun almost gone

water rushes back and forth across the shore

Leaving white foam littered on the edge

While slow waves roll in from far offshore

slow waves roll in from far out at sea

The calm intricate seas

Meet up with the colorfully glowing sky

Putting me at great easestreaks of deep red and orange drift along the skyline

illuminating the once white clouds in a yellow tint design

the scene stretches on forever in either direction

providing the same view for anyone along this California section

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35/52

A Simple Day

By Isabel Muirragui

The bed was red as I sat down on my head

I saw my dog leaping over a frogSo I ran my hand through some sand

And a cricket chirped as someone burped

The frog jumped over a log and my dog fell into a bog

What a hog, that little sod

Who tried to trod upon the log

So I grabbed my horse feeling a little morose

And trotted away into the day

That was the way, they all say

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36/52

Bitter

By Julia Neal

Non filtered

Some say youare cheap

That’s just

a label

You can be

hot

Tempered

with your decisions

Don’t listen

Cool or hot

you are still you

If not now

they will see

The completeflavor you perceive yourself

To be

You will

change with influence

Everything

does

Days you

will feel valuable

Almost too

much to believe

Some days

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37/52

you will be trash

Don’t forget

Everyday is

new and different

No matter

what happens

You will

always roughly have the same idea of yourself

Thoughts it

was a human?

Going

through life

Confused and

slow

Foolish

Twas just a

cup of joe

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38/52

Recapturing my Love Lost at Sea

By David Pantera

Have you ever had that feeling,

Of a deep calmness within you that’s hard to fight?

And no one could stop you from calming,Even the one that keeps you up all night…

Have you ever sailed on an ocean,

Thats colors stayed deep within your heart?

For deep within this ocean,

Lies a silent whisper, where all love starts.

An ocean of love, an ocean of dreams.

Where you can find peace and humbling truth

Though struggle resides even if you might not dream As the existence of love grows its fruit

The fruit of adventure, blues, and wonder

With the seed that’s buried down below

Like a pearl that lies down under

The ocean of love love starts…”hello.”

Upon this vast ocean, it humbles me to the truth.

Over the waves and into the mellow…

I found a love this true.The ocean of love is a wondrous place…

Anytime, I would have gone with you.

When I cannot handle the salty pain of missing you anymore,

I will seek you out from deep within this ocean of my memories.

I shall drift in the waters of time until it leads me to your sandy shore

Where I shall await your tender love after what has felt like centuries.

This is where our battle ended-yet love will once again be reborn after our war.

I will gaze out across this vast ocean that I once felt so accustomed to

Then breathe in the winds of hope and 2nd chances.

I will close my eyes and cast the nets of love and faith once more

Then reel in the visions of past circumstances.

For the ocean can be ever so cruel, yet equally as forgiving to those who care for it.

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39/52

In one precious moment

I shall surrender my soul, my heart, my being, once again

To the remembrance of the fragrance of your body, down to every pore

Rediscovering its secrets. Its scandals. Its purity.

I shall drift with the waves back to your shore

And all the while, bathe blissfully in the ocean of our memories.

We shall become one again as I drift.

A million seagulls take flight above us

Flying along to the rhythm of our heartbeat.

Shimmering schools of fish streak below us

Teaching us that our love can once again be concrete.

Together, we shall embrace the power of love's waves.

Ride its barrels of ecstasy

As each wave of passion hits the shore,

We surf its many levels of treasuries, bringing us the peace of a dove,

And we forget the pain that tore us apart with such quickness.

It becomes just another drop in this ocean of memories, love, and forgiveness.

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40/52

Serial

By Kitty Perlsweig

The way you stare at me unblinking,

Sends a chilling shiver through my body,

Hand in a pool of red falls sinking,Stabbed with golden steel appears too gaudy,

The lights of red and blue make me dizzy,

The men in blue walk loud and rudely,

Look at me and then at you and feel fizzy,

Taste of disdain in their mouths prudely,

The cuffs pulled tight it is me the suspect,

Last look at a crimson and flaxen you,

Look ahead to me my future’s prospect,

My hundredth victim slips away from view,

No more to deal with the reaper so grim,Till the day I die and go be with him.

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41/52

The Lively Stream

By Carly Pomeroy

The frigid and clear liquid bounds and leaps as it passes alongside the rolling hills of the

countryside

Crystal clear and untouched by humans Along the road it winds, surrounded by vibrant green, sparse trees

The sound it makes as it springs from rock to rock is delicate and musical

The road continues, the trees become scarce

The stream loses its clarity

Buildings appear on the sides of the road

The stream becomes dark and muddy, it's liveliness reduced to a sluggish flow

Plastic and cardboard float along, unaffected by the streams once vibrant song

The land itself loses its life as life becomes more evidently present.

The once lively stream is now lifeless, sucked dry by the presence of humans.

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42/52

Perspective

By Elizabeth Pyle

The narrowing of perspective kills the mind

To take in thoughts collective; to not be socially blind

The wider one looks, the greater that is reapedThat knowledge one gains is the knowledge one keeps.

Day by day many narrow their view

Thinking smaller and smaller until they can't think anew.

They spend their days in the same routines

Forgetting that adrenaline keep the mind serene.

Why do people lose their perspective?

Individuality takes second to society's objective.

The objective to make all and anyone conform

Until one acts with others in uniform.

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43/52

Atlas’ Shoulders

By Sam Reynolds

The weight of the world on our shoulders,

Stacked like a thousand boulders.

We work and live in the dark,peasants under Oligarch.

This mountain of pain,

A storm cloud ready to rain.

It gives us a life of sadness,

Only desperate vices bring gladness.

Everyday waking up scared,

That yesterday was the last time you cared.

Once the motivation’s gone,You’re “burnt out” till the summer dawn.

When the fire scorches our friends,

They drop like divers with the bends.

To let their shoulders sag,

They lost more than the ability to brag.

They can no longer hold the weight of the world,

And the fighting tiger inside them is curled.

These poor souls are faced,With the greatest struggle humanity has ever traced.

Their furious task is to come back from brink,

To stare at failure and no blink.

These are the greatest soldiers ever slain,

Those who got up and fought again.

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44/52

Love is "Beautiful" or "Bad"

By Viviana Rodriguez

Love is a something that is

beautiful in your life. Love is like

the wind, you might not see it, butyou may feel it. Love is just one word,

that has many definitions. Love can

be hard as a rock, but that one rock can

make you having many feelings for it.

Love is bad sometime, you might not

living the love you wish, but from

that love, you are knowing that love

is real. Love is a word that you might not

show the meaning of it, but you can have

feelings for someone that makes you thinkyou really love. Love is bad that can make you

to go depressed, people can be taking love as a joke,

which makes people don’t believe in love, and make

it a bad love. Love is reality for some, but for some

is unreality.

44


45/52

Faces

By Kiely Saunders

Who is she,

She is her.

She is me,We are them.

They are you,

You are she,

She is us,

And we are her.

45


46/52

A Pi-Ky

By Bailey Steger

Bought 22 pies.

Seven people devoured them.

That’s Pi slices each.

46


47/52

MY DREAMS

By Madelyn Swanson

I OFTEN DREAM OF

SURFING,

AND WISHING FOR

WAVES,

I THINK OF FLYING ON

WAVES,

AND, WHEN I DREAM OF

SURFING THE

WAVES,

I FEEL EXCITED!

I OFTEN DREAM OF

SURFING.

47


48/52

Help Me

By Frank Toby

he calls in the night, howling for his next victim

every step he takes echoes out to the world,

left without guard, he can be a dangerput in chains, he is a danger to himself

must we cast him out?

entirely, we must embrace him and save him from himself.

48


49/52

My Favorite Sounds

By Alejandra Vazquez-Carrillo

I like to listen to the sounds

Of people talking, kids laughing, and students singing

I also like the gentle whispering

Of my mom

Once I heard the noisy sounds

Of a goat and a cow

I like the giant bells

Of Cunha and the High School

But I also love the tiny cheep

Of a baby chick

My favorite sound

Of all is my music class

49


50/52

Blue

By Xiadani Xochitemol

Blue is a color

Blue is my blouse

Blue is my pencil

Blue taste like

berries

Blue smells like cool

air

Blue sounds like b

Blue feels like cool

breeze

Blue looks like dark

night

Blue makes me happy

Blue is my favoritecolor

50


51/52

Hard Work

By Ryan Yerby

Someone once said

Hard work beats talent

if talent doesn’t work hardBut talent is always

beaten by those who have more drive

those with more hunger

those with more fight

those who are willing to work way late in the night

Talent is weak

Talent is flawed

Hard work is the value everyone must seek

Talent without effort is destined to fail

And those work hard will surely prevail

51


52/52

Memories

By Bracen Young

Memories

If we don’t remember

Do we still feel painFriends made are always lost

Would forgetting fix

If we ride the river Lethe

And the memories be gone

Would pain we still feel

Or would the pain multiply

To the point of surreal

Would we search

For what we lost

Would the worth not fit the costTo forget

The painful

Memories

Would it be to forget

Ourselves

To forget the painful memories

To forget life itself.

2016 Teen Poetry Contest Anthology

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Transcript of 2016 Teen Poetry Contest Anthology