lhs-poems-2019 – Page 64 – "2:25 PM" – Poems from Lexington High School Class of 2018

Jennifer Li // LIGHT

Light is a wavelength of radiant energy,
The flicker of a lamp within sightless night,
A flashing streak of brilliance followed by the grumbling of the sky,
The glowing of coal which bursts into flame.

Light is a gleam of white sun upon a frozen lake,
A glinting reflection suspended in ice from a frozen rooftop,
A droplet of water slipping shyly down a freckled window,
The sharp crack of crystal upon pavement.

Light is a brilliant blue sky,
A delicate red rose bathing in winter sun,
A crumbling orange leaf forgotten from the month before,
A shuffling indigo boot through flakes of white.

Light is a weightless feather carried by wind,
A fluttering winter bird gliding through whispering air,
A green balloon lazily adrift in winter sky,
A delicate snowflake in search of earth.

Light is dead weight lifted from the mind,
The touch of fingers dancing across a piano,
The gentle hand of a friend resting on your shoulder,
A small joke shared between friends.

Light is what you make of it.

Nick Porter // WHAT WE DON’T SEE

Like a baby bird
Harnessed to its nest
Humans when young
Cannot see much else

Blind at first
Their eyes only see one thing
The bright light of the sun
Is all that seems to be

With the passing of time
Comes the gain of sight
Now there is darkness too
That consumes the light

Jumping out of their nest
They fall far from home
Hurt by this cruel new world
Seeing past what’s bright

Jocelyn Hsieh // THE LAST TIME

The timer went off at four years, so we moved.
Past green, picketed flatland,
Past yellow stalks yearning towards the East,
Past wide highways wandering West.

My parents promised my weeping sister
It was the last time!
Her fragile fumbling roots could rest,
Teetering on the banks of the Atlantic.

I was freshly ten, a budding daffodil
Exhausted by monochromatic peers, and
Looking forward to the city lights that surely
Would illuminate the thrill of the threshold.

The car sputtered.
Five years passed in five miles:
The Mormon church, the high school,
The Hawkeyes sign, the muted college.

A burst of speed to the unknown:
Nothing but corn, hills, and glimpses.
Past Indianapolis, Cleveland, Philadelphia,
And arriving in Boston.

I set my timer for 8 years.

Jiyoon Choi // SLEEP

The world will be on pause.
The darkness blankets your sweet eyes,
Eyes that now see the nonsense of static and color.
Colors dancing across the screen of your mind, eyes closing.
Closing time is coming soon,
And soon the base of your brain will get heavy,
Heavier than the curtains with eyelashes for tassels.
You are in limbo.
The junction between on and off.
The last moment before you drift into dream.
The last moment before the world is on pause.

Oriane Cayron // AWAITING

My hungry cat Mowgli

Who proceeds so slowly

On the crunchy dead leaves

Hoping for a slight breeze

So he can spring and pounce

With that amusing bounce

On his prized catch

He’s yet to match

Collin M. // THE RING OF KERRY

Rolling hills, filled with green
Water rolling in on the shore,
Sunlight reflecting a golden sheen,
Climbing to the top, making me sore

One day lapsed
Only 7 more to go
Exhausting heat, I almost collapsed
How much more can I take? I don’t know

The third leg of the journey is underway,
Slightly late, overslept
Headed west all day,
Towards the sea we crept

Got lost, not surprised
Started to dim, we could see
A never ending night,
On our way to Killarney

Joshua Lo // MY SONG

Every season, I would try to sing, but

Out of tune,

Out of rhythm,

Out of breath.

I never wanted to learn-

What’s the use?

Out of pitch,

Out of harmony,

Out of tempo.

Day by day,

I would play out onto the open field, where my next meal lay

Innocent like a pig,

Ravaged by a group of humans.

Month by month,

The leaves would fall,

Just like the feathers of my youth.

Year by year,

While the others were learning:

Articulation,

Dynamics,

Melody,

I wouldn’t care.

Spring,

Summer,

Fall,

Winter.

Five years have passed,

All my friends have families-

Around spring,

I see them build their homes,

For their many children-

Why don’t I have a mate?

Ella Wheeler // PA

Wednesday, February 14, 2018, 12:00 pm
The intercom cracks over the PA, “Happy Valentines Day, students,” says
a booming voice. “May cupid strike your heart today.”

2:19 pm
Nikolas Cruz’s footsteps slam the ground
A 223-caliber AR-15-style rifle in a soft case by his side
With a clear trajectory down the familiar hall, he marches
like a stolid robot, with one job
To kill
He throws open the door, 20 eyes point directly at him, then at his gun.
BAM
one is dead.
their faces become ghosts
petrified, plan-less, pain filled

2:24
The fire alarm is pulled down
The discord of a wailing siren is followed by a procession
They disperse and he shoots
BAM
another dead
petrified screams,
covering,
BAM
another
BAM
a teacher protecting his students

2:26 pm
The intercom crackles over the PA. The once booming voice trembles,“We have an active
shooter. Take cover now. May nothing strike you.”

2:33 pm
He races
Students run, they are
thrashing and
fighting and
sobbing and
trying
trying to play an unwinnable game of hide
and go seek

BAM
a boy accepted into his dream college
BAM
another
BAM
Flung
across the ground from a bullet’s strike

3:00 pm
The intercom crackles over the PA, “I repeat the school is on lockdown.
Ambulances are
stationed in the front. The police are here. Stay under cover.”

3:40 pm
BAM
another dies from blood loss
BAM
another in the hospital hours later,
BAM,
BAM,
BAM,
a final.

Thursday, February 15th 2018, 6:00 am
Nikolas Cruz is charged for seventeen counts of premeditated murder
seventeen lives done
seventeen families
seventeen innocent dreamers
slaughtered.

Nikolas makes his first court appearance in Broward County via a jail video. He says nothing

except to confirm his name.

Kat Mooney // FIFTEEN

15
When I was 12, I thought 15 was the perfect age
But is it?
Most are sophomores or freshmen
Studying and homework, new relationships,first jobs
Learning to drive and pineapple cups
These are the times people look back on
Adults reassure me 15 is perfect
15 is perfect
until i’m 16…