your vision, your voice
Ocean Love
I walked out into the ocean
Felt the water rising past my ankles, my hips, my chest.
Wave after wave
Furiously beating down
On my back
The salt water stings
But I open my mouth and tell her,
(the ocean)
tales of you anyway.
And after I have finished confessing
The salt in her body turns to sugar
Anderson High School
10th
Do you remember middle school dates?
Maybe you touched hands once while reaching for popcorn at the movie theatre
Or he got up the courage to hold your hand while you walked out of the ice cream shop
And didn’t drop it until his mom’s car turned the corner
And you spent the drive home getting interrogated by an intrigued off-duty PTA mom.
My most memorable middle school date was in eighth grade
With the very serious “boyfriend” I “dated” for eleven whole months.
We were three months into our little relationship before we left the texting-only trap
And decided that, because we were so mature, we should go on a proper date.
Our moms dropped us off at the Starbucks at the Domain
We window-shopped while drinking hot chocolate, and I stayed close to him for warmth.
We had our first kiss outside of Tiffany’s.
Our lips were so numb from the cold that it felt like kissing a dead fish.
The first thing I did afterwards was text my best friend. Back then, everything was so exciting.
We lived for stolen kisses and stories to tell jealous seventh graders,
And we knew it was real because we used the red heart emoji when we said goodnight.
Years later, when I text my best friend about a boy, “we kissed!” is not usually the content.
Freshman year, I lusted after juniors and seniors because they made me feel special,
Like I was better than the other girls because my hookups weren’t all legal.
There’s something about being 15 and being okay with feeling used,
Young enough to be naïve but old enough that the stakes are too high.
Innocence disappears in wisps, curling away like the smoke
From the joints we light on rooftops and at concerts and in our bathrooms with the fan running
So that we can forget what happens that night.
We watch it disappear into the nighttime air as we convince ourselves we wanted that
Or drunkenly search for our clothes on the ground.
And our virginities are like our childhoods: we want to be as far from them as possible
But letting go of that last doll is oddly hard.
No kid really knows how young they are.
And as I’m falling in love and starting to feel okay again,
Like I’m forgiven for my mistakes, like there is more to who I am than shame,
It’s hard to remember that not everyone will hurt me
The way everyone has before.
I don’t miss kissing outside of Tiffany’s, and it’s nice not having to get rides from our moms.
I want the middle ground: love without fear, lust without danger
And finally allowing myself to trust.
Anderson High School
10th
She wasn’t organized says the clothes on the floor
Joined by school papers scattered carelessly
She was a teenage girl says charger cords
and discarded chapstick containers
she liked video games says the
discarded pile of cases in a corner
She loved music says the broken dusty
CD player tucked carefully under the bed
She loved small spaces says the closet
lined with pillows and blankets
She liked to read here says the pile
of books scattered under the clothes
She liked chocolate says the empty wrappers
Scattered carelessly inside among the discarded socks
She collected stuffed animals says the
Basket in one corner with holes in it’s mesh
She dressed up as a child says the cheap plastic
jewelry in a container on the dresser
She liked cinnamon says multiple scrubs,
sprays, and lotions in a blue plastic box
she liked figurines says the little dolls
and action figures littering the surface
She loved to draw says the sketches and
color drawings taped to the Mirror
Something’s happening says the boxes stacked
on one wall, only half of them filled
she doesn’t like it says the trash cans overflowing with tissues and their boxes
They’d already taken the desk says the
indent in the carpet where it stood for years
I don’t want to leave says the tears that
streamed down her face and soaked her shirt
Anderson High School
10
I feel like I could drop
I stare at the clock
Will this day never end
The time just seems to extend
Minute by minute second by second
Hurry up I beckoned
My bag was packed and ready to go
My excitement was starting to show
A shrill sound filled the air
Kids started going everywhere
They filled the hall
Wall to wall
Most going in the same direction
‘This is almost like traffic’ I thought in reflection
I’d honk my horn if I had one
For the school week was finally done
At home I heard the calling of my bed
Netflix glowing a glorious red
Homework to be ignored till Sunday
And, who knows, maybe even Monday
Look I finally reached the door
I’m so looking forward to video games till the morning hours of four
I walk hurriedly to the bus
For if I delayed it I would cause a fuss
On its route the bus begins
My music pulsing through my earbuds so loud it sound be a sin
Eventually we approach my stop
It would have been sooner if we had a siren like a cop
I rush home my music even louder
I don’t think the Flash could have been prouder
Finally I reach the door
Of my home
my favorite place on earth
Anderson High School
10
Before, during, and after my last adventure.
I had forgotten who I was, who I am.
I had just been stumbling through my black and white, silent movie.
I realize now,
I am an entertainer.
Made to entertain the masses and bring joy to my friends,
Now I must dress in my costume,
Jeans,
check,
Long white socks,
check,
Worn shoes,
check,
Random t-shirt,
check,
Sweat-Shirt,
check,
The main pieces are set.
I take one last look at myself as I walk out the door,
Oops forgetting something,
Flash my hand across my face,
A Smile,
Now I’m ready.
Lets see what my next endeavor will hold.
-The Mad Writer
Austin High School
10
My dear love is scrawny and a nightmare,
Glowing eyes like knives cutting the darkness,
Appeareth grey shadow with matted hair,
Why she cometh from the trees such a mess?
A lion’s roar quieter than her cries,
Begone meowing feline vagrant pest!
What is this dancing bear before my eyes?
Persistent, unwelcome hobo houseguest.
Yet, her wails pluck my delicate heartstrings,
Caressing my leg with whiskers and love,
Purring motorboat sprung from its moorings,
Precious, fuzzy gift sent from up above,
This unexpected present on my door,
Barbed thorn now beloved forever more.
James Bowie High School
10
A ginger snap.
Spicy.
It’s stale,
it falls apart
like sand in your mouth.
You were expecting
a crunch.
The ginger snap looks
like a tea cookie.
When you dip it,
the liquid rolls
off the oil
and you end up
eating it dry, again.
By the time they are all gone,
the cinnamon numbs
your tongue
and you have forgotten
what you were eating.
Bowie High School
10
Many fear you, but I find comfort in your dark endless feel
To be alone with your mind at such an hour can help
Your thoughts organize themselves into good and bad.
It’s just me, myself, and I in a room I know all too well.
No one comes knocking with dishes that need doing
Or with animals that need walks or clothes that need folding.
From 11 to 6 there is this silent peace is the world that
No one pays attention to-those hours due to the sleep
We all succumb to due to the day’s work mere hours earlier.
In those hours society expects nothing from you.
Those are the few hours you are truly free to do what you wish.
You hold more secrets than the universe holds stars:
Secrets between lovers, and conversations with friends
That will never see the light of day.
I can thank you for the open door to creative works that come
From the loneliness you bring.
People say they change when you come, but I think they feel more free when the sun goes down and
You lift the pressure of daily expectations,
You offer a sort of freedom when the city sleeps and
Only few dare to wander the streets
In fear of those who don’t.
You are the lonely person’s love
And the couple’s cover.
People use your acceptance to hide what they do
From the accusing light of day.
So many compliment your beauty
But don’t stay awake to truly admire you.
Then the sun rises and those who slept
Wake to the sun’s warm embrace and
Those who didn’t excitedly await
Your next arrival.
Anderson HS
10
I look up and I see a trail, singing with the sounds of stubborn birds,
an illuminated beam of sunlight falling on the trees.
A scratching carpet of leaves form below, asleep for winter.
Colors materialize all around, warm amber and cool gold.
There is life everywhere, in all arrangements and stages.
We sense moving, an oscillating rhythm, a non-threatening ritual.
It is indeed radiant, blossoming and luminous;
In truth, it seems almost perfect
And yet, I am aware of something else here too.
We are aware that where there is light there must also be shadow.
Still nothing, no matter how beautiful, can evade that truth.
In this swirling world of intricacies hides a villainous adversary:
It is something looming, waiting in shadow.
Concrete and wires creep up out of the foliage, out of the life.
And we still mourn for the words, never heard,
Swallowed in this oblivion
McCallum Highschool
10th