Your
floppy ears
and fluffy golden fur
Sunday evenings
seven thirty
Seinfeld on CBS
You
on my lap
Body curled
paws tucked
Your
eyes closed
soft snore
My sadness
soft cured by
Your
infinite supply of love
and kisses
Robin Erikville // SATYA
Mark Gianino // I AM SORRY
This is just to say
I am sorry I have upset you.
I am sorry about what I said.
I am sorry for what I did.
I didn’t mean to hurt
your feelings, to hurt
you in anyway, so
for that
I am sorry.
But to be fair,
let’s remember
that you
started it.
Lucca W. // OVERSEAS
South of the long lake lies
A city surrounded by rock
A tower looms over the sky
Casting shadows over every block
Both lake and city are struck by storm
And thunder cracks as hail becomes thorns
Coastal waters rise and crash
As skyward islands start to quake
The calmest waves whip and thrash
And harrows the deep, blue lake
The tower stands devoid of pain
As buildings are befallen with rain
The ice cold water blitz urban sprawl
As rivers run down cracked asphalt
But bitter clouds won’t stay for long
As westerly winds push them on.
And civilization can start anew
The restart seems quite overdue
John Nordman // POMPANO
The plane touches the pavement as it starts slowing down
The seatbelt sign blinks and blinks until
You slow down to the terminal
One step outside the plane and the new air surrounds you
Through the airport down to the car
The car ride takes minutes,
so it feels,
You ride over the intercoastal and towards the sea
The sky reflects on the water
As you arrive you’re greeted with a warm welcome
Into the elevator and go
All the way up to the seventeenth floor,
Open the door and immediately, the stress around you fades
But the as night approaches its time to sleep,
A day filled with excitement
Wake up and start the day
You open the balcony door and look out
Onto the large waves of the sea in the morning,
And on the beach you see the beach goers playing volleyball and soccer on the warm sand
Palm trees blow in the wind dropping coconuts here and there
People walk through the street stores and restaurants across from the beach
They laugh and smile as they walk and talk,
A day filled with life
As it gets darker
the wind cools
The night begins but only,
with more light
People crowd the street with dances and music
All kinds of people join in the fun at night
You smell the sweet scent of from the Italian restaurant
that has been there for decades,
A night filled with joy
As the days go by
The joy only grows
But as the vacation ends
It’s time to leave
You go back to the cars and all the way to the airport
And as you board, your flight back home
You say goodbye for now as you take your last steps for now in
Justin McCarthy // SNEAKERS
You buy us in the store
Each with a large hole
To put your feet in
Pretty soon I will go with you everywhere
Protecting your feet like armour
Through day and night
And rain or shine
I’ll be like a friend
As we will play during the rainy days of April
And relax in the shade during the hot days of July
We will jump into the piles of leaves we rake in October
But all fun must come to an end
When the first snowfall of December rolls around
There will no longer be a need for me
I’ll watch dolefully by your door
Remembering all the fun we had
As you walk to school
In your new winter boots
Cynthia Fu // THE CONTINUOUS CYCLE
People look down on me,
never looked up to.
Sometimes they kneel down,
to help me.
Only when I’m a mess.
Do they care?
No.
Only when I get in the way,
in the way of their comfort.
Sometimes I’m perfect,
I feel pretty and people feel satisfied:
a win-win situation.
But most times
I’m just stepped on.
Dragged
through rain or snow,
dirt or mud
But
when I’m weak and tangled,
they will pretty me up into a bow,
maybe twice or thrice. However,
in the end
I will become loose.
Dragged and stepped on.
In a cycle.
So please,
be careful and mindful
of our feelings.
When we are stepped on,
kindly help us get back up
to be the beautiful selves we are.
Your shoelaces
Shaina Z. // SICK DAY
Hey there boss man!
This is just to say
I am not coming
to work today.
I tried to get up,
I showered,
I dressed,
but I just could not be bothered
to go through the rest.
I was so tired
And my bed was
so warm,
I hope you can do without me
this morn.
-Employee
Boss:
Hi there employee,
this is just to say,
you are losing your job,
and you are losing it today.
I covered you last week,
And the one before!
I hate you now
Right down to the core.
I had to wake up,
and cover for you.
It is as if you thought
My bed was not warm too!
So have fun on your sick day,
It will be your last
For our working relationship
Is something of the past.
Peyton H. // THE CABIN
From the city, to the opposite
From millions, to hundreds
From buses, cars, and motorcyles
To an SUV or two a day
Birds chirping endlesslly
In the big oak tree
Rocky Mountain air
Mountain ranges fill the sky line
The deck’s paint
Bleached by the sun
Benches and chairs
Weathered down from countless storms.
Sit down and take it in
This is peace
This is tranquility
This is the cabin
Violet Nabbanja // ELEMENTARY
In the heart of Lexington
After the poor old stop sign
And a swift left turn
Follow the signs and
Don’t forget to wave to the
Nice crossing guards
That withstand every lousy
Morning with smiles on their faces.
Upon your arrival
You are met with flowers
Blooming from every bush
And trees towering over all
Who walk under them.
Those who come should embrace
The nice hellos every morning, and
Cherish the janitor that remembered
Your name, while looking out for the
Squirrels that scurry by every morning
And the birds that follow in the evening.
Finally, you have to leave.
There is not much there to do
Except remember the place you grew up
And move on.
Roshan Syed // I JUST FLIPPED THE SWITCH
I get hit before sleep,
and after the sun
beams through the window
My identical twin,
controls the spinning blades,
The scary ones on the ceiling
I get rid of the monsters
under the bed,
and in the closet
Prevent stubbing toes
Againstthe corner
of the bed
Without me,
dark stairs
become menacing stairs
Control if you see
nothing or everything
If I’m flipped up or down
I don’t know nobody else thats doing this