Etc. Magazine 2023

Etc Magazine Publicati Team

Shana Erika Ignacio

Jack Kydonieus Isabella Odina Maddy Reda

Mason Utset

Etc. is Notre Dame High School’s annual art and literary magazine. The publication is a showcase for the creative talents of Notre Dame students and includes poetry, prose, artwork, and photography.

The staff of Etc. would like to thank the students who submitted their art and literary works. We extend special thanks to Mr. Ken Jennings and Mrs. Joanna Barlow for their continued support of the Arts at Notre Dame.

Etc. wishes the Class of 2023 all the best in college endeavors and beyond.

The 2023 Edition of Etc. is dedicated to Mrs. Brittany Brydges for inspiring and nurturing her art students to express their individual talents and unique style.

Literary C tents

A C tents

Expre i

Issy Timberlake

She hadn’t been able to blush for 5 years. Her eyes never cried not when she was sad, nor when she was overjoyed. Not even when it was cold outside and the wind blew at her open face, carrying a tide of seasonal allergens. When she was embarrassed, no one knew, and the calls of “you look tired” never came.

At first she’d been happy- no more self consciousness for feeling too much, no more special treatment for an emotion she couldn’t help. She used to hate crying in front of people because their concern just made her feel worse. The unwanted attention made her feel so small and helpless, but now she chose when to turn to others and ask for aid.

But she never expected how much she would miss her smile. People used to tell her she was cute when her nose scrunched and when her eyes disappeared under a sea of crinkled skin. One look and her family would know what she was thinking, that she was ready to leave or laughing inside. The feeling of brightness that was almost physical every time her jaw widened to a grin and the sound of her laughter that echoed through her memories, The face can hold our entire vulnerability. When you’re happy, that feeling is shared, but that must be taken with revealing when you are angry, sad, ashamed, or scared. She knew her blank face made it so much easier to ignore her now- her flaws and tempers and moods, but also her excitement, relief, and pride. The things that made her human. She knows she would take it all- the embarrassment, the loss of control, the looks of false concern anything over the blankness.

He Cries Too Mackenzie McCarron

Le Doigt Dans L’oiek Lou-Victoria Martens

Toxic Masculinity Sarah Colon

Mia (a poem in Italian)

Mia Ludwig

Premurosa, gentile Sorride, ride

La musica, amici, diverte Tranquilla, calma, amata

Mia (English Translati )

Mia Ludwig

Thoughtful, gentle Smiles, laughs

Music, friends, fun

Quiet calm beloved

My M sters’ W ds

Isabella Odina

My monsters often single me out: All eyes are on me

All fingers point at me

Silently judging

Hoping I change for the better

They always tell me:

“You’re not trying hard enough.”

“You look horrid.”

But they don’t realize the sleepless nights I spend

Staring at the mirror

Studying until my head hurts

I try not to show it

But their words often get to me

I don’t realize it myself

Until I transform into someone

I don’t recognize

A Shadow Veil

Jack Kydonieus

Darkness is a revealing thing

In shadow, appearance is worthless

In twilight, secrets come to light

In shade, lies are meaningless, and deceit falls through

In this gloom, you can see yourself only for what you truly are

Not what you seem to be

Here, only truth is shown

Darkness is pure, because it tells no lies

Maybe the world needs a little more darkness

Because if the earth was blanketed in shadow

We would all know, at least, who we truly are

Maybe you should ask yourself

If the lights went out, and a shade covered all

If a shadow veil was draped upon you

What would your truth be?

Who would you become?

Who are you?

If only we all knew our truths

Maybe then there would be no more need for this shadow veil

The Traveler Mason Utset

Reborn Mason Utset

Breath

Maddy Reda

I like to think that the Universe feels with me.

When in despair, She opens her skies and mourns with me. The rain has never failed to make me smile.

Misty mornings bring a breath of fresh air, of relief.

The sun holds my face in sweet, innocent adoration. The Universe breathes with me.

Bu erfly Flu er

Shana Erika Ignacio

My butterfly, you incline me to write. How I love the way you fly and flutter, Invading my mind day and through the night, Always dreaming about the bright clutter.

Let me compare you to a shining day? You are more gilded, beautiful and bright. Light breeze flaps the tender dancers of May, And the springtime has a colorful rite.

How do I love you? Let me count the ways. I love your pattern, uniqueness and wings. Thinking of your quality fills my days. My love for you is the subtle playthings.

Now I must away with a specious heart, Remember my white words while we’re apart.

Danaus Plexippus Abby Lobis

Butterfly Barn Teagan Ahearn

Trapped Samantha Renda

Broken

Rebecca Method

Broken by time

Broken by faith

How am I

Ever gonna get away

From the person I wish that I was

The person I miss that I was

I miss the hopeful girl who danced on daffodils

I miss the passionate child who spoke with a tongue of fire

I miss the fearless girl who ran up every hill

I miss the ambitious child who always wanted to climb higher

Time has stripped away the bright parts of me

Time has peeled off the light parts of my body

Time has torn me down

Time has pushed me into the ground

I wish I was a prettier girl with lips like petals

I wish I was a kinder girl with words like sunsets

I wish I was a smarter girl with a mind like metal

I wish I was a cooler girl who never had to say ‘not yet’

I wish I was the kind of girl people wished they were

I wish I was the kind of girl I was long before

Faith used to mean everything to me

Faith in myself

Faith in family

Faith in friends who would help

Faith in the people surrounding me

The people surrounding me laugh behind their hands

The friends who would help me don’t take a stand

My family tells me to move on from everything

But I am stuck in the moments that sting

Broken by time

Broken by faith

How am I

Ever gonna get away

From what people say

Maybe it’s all in my head

Maybe their words are long dead

But I miss the person I was before their words

I wish I could be a new girl and

fly away like a bird

W lds Apa

Isabella Odina

We walk together in a magical field of flowers

And I want to hold your hand in the midst of the hyacinths

But you just seem unreachable

Untouchable, even

I even wrote a song that we would have sung together

But perhaps I should’ve saved it for another life

We stand next to each other, worlds apart

Unable to love, or even cry with each other

Kylie McCabe

Cake Smash Lauren Wargo

Piecing Reality Together

AP Chem

Lucia Samuel

The hardest classes I tend to take Are the ones in which I can’t stay awake

Whether its Gov. and Gib or Dr. B’s voice Rubbing my eyes the most natural choice

A rubber-band snap, a slap in the face

Everything fails to keep me on pace Sometimes a lap helps me open my eyes

Or else some cold water and gum would be wise

Oh today’s not the day, I just want to rest Try as I might, I’m failing this test

I know I’ve got plenty of grades still worth keeping But none quite so pressing that I can’t be sleeping

There’s only one trick that I’ve tried and it’s true And if you come close, I’ll share it with you

The best way to keep my tired eyes from closing Is taking a break for poem composing

Fire and Ice 1 & 2

Maddy Reda

Starry Lights

Maddy Reda

Untitled Lauren Wargo

Shoreline Mason Utset

March C es In Like A Li And Goes Out Like A Lamb

Shana Erika Ignacio

When the winter time shrivels, out comes the month March. Where people expect warmth, starting off the days harsh.

You don’t expect anything interesting in this uneventful time. Making the days go by smoothly, with the echoes of animals ready to chime.

The temperatures begin to rise and launch. With the sun shining bright and people mowing their lawns.

A beautiful and wonderful time of the year.

Where people take a sweet moment for the birds’ chirps, they hear.

Odino (Italian Poem)

Erin Ahearn

Pelo  castano scuro

Grandi occhi marroni

Muso grigio morbido

Odin (English Translati )

Erin Ahearn

Deep chestnut coat

Big brown eyes  Soft gray muzzle

Remy Portrait Elena Abreu

Koala

Jenevieve Gopez

Harley Olivia Borrero

Remy the Hunter Elena Abreu

Today, however, she had to go into the hallway, and, more importantly, into his room. The King and Queen had a new child, and they were requesting a special mask from The Mask Maker, so today, Myra, the Royal Messenger, had to inform The Mask Maker. She walked nervously down the marble hallway to The Mask Maker’s stone door, his mumbling voice creeping into Myra’s ears. She cautiously opened the door and walked into the room.

The Mask Maker’s room was one of the only in the palace with color. Most of the palace was made of white and black marble, entwined together in a beautiful

Alluring Mortality

Mental Health

Bella Carrero

A Sunset State of Mind

(English Translation)

Olivia Pomin

I always loved sunsets

Especially at the beach

The rays bouncing off the glistening water

The birds soaring in their patterns

Almost like a puppeteer

swaying them from side to side by their strings

I felt like an art critic

watching an artist’s latest work

But it was real

It was in front of me

I could reach to my side and feel the sand

I could see the roaring tides

Crashing against the shore

I could feel the wind

whipping my hair into a frill

Not to mention the sky

bursting with hues of orange red and yellow

like an explosion in the far far distance

This was the most magnificent thing

you could ever see

Then it sunk beneath the horizon

And released the knights in shining armour

Left to dance across the sky

Stan Umysłu O Zachodzie Słońca

(A Poem in Polish)

Olivia Pomin

Zawsze kochałam zachody słońca

Zwłaszcza na plaży

Promienie odbijające się od lśniącej wody

Ptaki szybują w swoich wzorach

Prawie jak lalkarz

kołysząc je z boku na bok za pomocą sznurków

Czułam się jak krytyk sztuki

oglądanie najnowszej pracy artysty

Ale to było prawdziwe

To było przede mną

Mogłam sięgnąć do boku i poczuć piasek

Widziałam ryczące przypływy

Uderzające w brzeg

Czułam wiatr

zwijające moje włosy w falbankę

Nie mówiąc już o niebie

pełen odcieni pomarańczowej czerwieni i żółci

jak eksplozja w dalekiej odległości

To była najwspanialsza rzecz

jaką kiedykolwiek mogłeś zobaczyć

Potem zapadł się pod horyzont

I wypuścił rycerzy w lśniących zbrojach

Pozostały, by tańczyć po niebie

Concrete Forest Mason Utset

Carolina Sunsets Maddy Reda

St my Emoti s

Shana Erika Ignacio

Laughter surrounds my problems; the sky begins to turn silver-gray. I can’t let the people know, I must make the clouds look the other way.

Trust is such a fragile thing, the thunder grows stronger. One wrong move, the chance for sunlight, assumed smaller.

People remind me of my success, the rain starts to parade. Is it worth creating a show? My tears now considered rain, displayed.

I’m at my breaking point now, lighting begins to sing. I allow my heart to admit. There, a ray of hope blings.

Estate/Inverno (A Poem In Italian)

Kevin Scarborough

Estate

Giocare, senza preoccupazioni

Sole, che ride, amaca

Gelato, freddo, ghiaccio, congelare Cioccolata calda, pattinare sul ghiaccio, biscotti Accogliente, nevicare Inverno

Summer/Winter (A Poem In English)

Kevin Scarborough

Summer

Playing, no worries

Sunny, laughing, hammock

Ice cream, cold, ice, freeze

Hot chocolate, ice skating, cookies  Cozy, snow  Winter

Water Lilies

Lauren Wargo

The Chocolate Frog

Bella Carerro

Dear Lord Maddy Reda

C fined

Rebecca Method

I judge you, you judge me

Putting each other in boxes

Of what we think we should be

Following the age-old rules

What lunch table I sit at, what group you’re in The clothes I wear, the parties you attend

I judge you, you judge me

I call you names behind your back

You laugh about me behind your hands

We pretend we don’t play games of attack

When forced together, we don’t take a stand

We sit in our boxes and stay behind lines

We wear masks and lie that everything’s fine

I judge you, you judge me

I wish you were kinder

You wish I were cooler

We’ll say “Don’t mind her”We act as if we know one another

You’re good at sports

I’m good at theater

She’s friends with them

He’s dating her

I judge you, you judge me

I box you up in what you’re good at

I box you up and compare you to myself

You’re beautiful, my chest’s too flat

You’re intelligent, while I need help

I categorize you by the friends you have

I categorize you for the things you say

I categorize you as so much better than me

I judge you, you judge me

I judge the parts of you that don’t deserve to be

You judge the parts of me that you don’t understand

Both of us are foolish, hiding behind our hands

If we stepped out of boxes or looked past our lines

Maybe we’d see more than the signs that say “everything’s fine”

That’s a lie

No one is fine

No one is fair to themselves

Every box I force you into walls me in too

I judge myself, you judge yourself

Both of us need to be freed from the places we’re shelved

Y ’re Still Y

Isabella Odina

In the midst of panic and distress, of anxiety and isolation, you look into a mirror and you see yourself.

Because after everything you’ve been through, you’re still you, and that’s enough.

Untitled Lauren Wargo

Two Simple Texts

Isabella Odina

“good night!!!”

“good night i guess”

two texts that mean the same but differ in tone

these two texts can define a relationship and can also destroy one they can mark who’s committed, and who’s not who’s enthusiastic, and who’s bored who’s forgiving, and who’s bitter these two phrases have the ability to change or ruin a relationship

The Light Above

Jack Kydonieus

A storm is coming

A greater one than any has seen in centuries

A fell wind sweeps over the land

And an inky cloud sends a shadow as far as the eye can see A boom of thunder spreads like a plague

And a great, bright spear of light

Pierces the veil of gloom

Like a torch in the darkest night

A force of nature, a force of death, Yet there is still beauty within it

A beauty reserved for something powerful For something ancient beyond reckoning

Every gust of wind, although savage, Still carries the sweet scent of spring

The shadows thrown across the ground, though eerie, Can still be seen as something alluring

The crashes of thunder, while at first seem cacophonous, Have a musical element only some can hear And a bolt of lightning from the heavens

Is deadly to any who meet it

But all accept the beauty it brings in even the darkest storm

Though a storm brings darkness, It can also show light

To all those who can see beauty in the clouds above

Melodrama Olivia Troiano

Untitled Gianna Timberlake

Home Sweet Home

I

Identity

Hailey Suschke

Notes App

Maddy Reda

I write about you in my Notes app. A pocket field guide to this messy mind of mine.

I tell it things I simply cannot say aloud.

Secrets. Confessions. Banana bread recipes. Feelings that are just too feely to admit that I’m feeling. You are squashed between “Microsoft Excel Password” and “Things to Tell My Therapist.”

I sip my 99 cent Arizona Iced Tea while I type furiously all of the things I simply cannot say to you. I’ve titled it “Groceries” as not to raise suspicions.

I write about you in my Notes app. A diary, an editorial, a memoir, Commemorating the awful feelings I’ll never have the courage to say.

Inverno

Adriana Ciccarelli

E’  freddo fuori

La  stagione e’ qui

C’è la neve ogg

Winter (English Translati )

Adriana Ciccarelli

It is cold outside

The season is here

There is snow today

Solo Bunny Sofia Fuller

Hand of a Businessman Elena Abreu

Unbroken Certainty Leena Chang

Unreachable Standards

Shana

Erika Ignacio

“Thousands of fish in the sea,” they assure. But what if I can’t find one in my zone? There are some who can’t see they’re immature, while others have lost their minds on their own.

There is that feeling of strong attraction, when young souls find themselves a simple “crush.” It fills them up with sweet satisfaction. For what, is it even worth the subtle blush?

Now I think there is nobody for me. No one who will fit the rubric I give. I’m not willing to look far in the sea; searching within the high thousands to live. My standards are beyond the seen surface. Maybe there won’t be need for that purpose.

Most Sundays

Maddy Reda

Some days, and most Sundays, I sit and ponder this Body of mine. For She is my own, sweet and divine. Lovingly, I call this Body mine.

Jellyfish Sarah Colon

King Midas Act III

Yuriani Calderon

Untitled Lauren Wargo

The M sters Inside

Jack Kydonieus

Once, there may have been true monsters

Things that slithered in the shadows

Flapped through the sky

And crawled out of the darkest pits

Now, however, there are no real monsters

But therein lies the problem

Man stayed human because they had something to fight against

A monstrous, evil enemy

But now that the monsters are gone

What does that make the men?

Humans can become monsters in the blink of an eye

A trigger pulled

A knife thrust

Another dead

Leaving only the once-human, and a whisper of something else

A whisper of monster

A whisper of violence

A whisper of death

The whisper grows into a shout

And soon, there’s a new monster born

But what if it was always really there?

Just dormant, living quietly, sleeping within

So if there was always a monster inside

Were the humans monsters all along?

So what is the difference, really, between a man, and a monster?

Or is there really no difference at all?

Norse-Gael Mason Utset

The Truth Within Abbie Hwang

The Price of the Race Teagan Ahearn

Turning Stone

Isabella Odina

Rules

Amaya Kulessa

Don’t walk on that road!

Says who?

You can’t drive in the rain!

Then why do you?

These rules were made to protect you. Yeah, maybe that’s true.

Why don’t you follow them?

Because you can’t tell me what to do.

Fashi able Abn mal Love

Isabella Odina

my beloved wears a snake as a scarf and crows decorate my shoulders

a scorpion inhabits my pocket while moths surround my lover’s hair like a halo

our fashion choices seem repulsive and abnormal but for us, well, we’re just very much in love

Vacanze Estate (An Italian Poem)

Stefania Pugliese

Scuola

Classi Insegnanti

Apprendimento Scrittura Lettura

Esami Uniforme Oceano Sabbia

Rilassante Surf Nuoto

Caldo soleggiato Estate

Summer Break (English Translati )

Stefania Pugliese

School

Classrooms Teachers

Learning Writing Reading

Exams Uniform Ocean Sand

Relaxing Surfing Swimming

Hot Sunny

Summer

A Whole New World Leena Chang

Player 067

Mackenzie McCarron

Fine

Rebecca Method

How are you? They ask As if the question is simple

How are you? They beg

As if the answer is plain

How are you? They wonder As if they really care

I’m fine, I say As if that explains it

It’s a Monday, I complain As if that makes everything worse Anyways, I deflect As if that stops me from asking

How am I?

I’m usually a happy person, surely I am today

How am I?

I’m pretty tired, but I’ll push through

How am I?

I’m mad at myself, but I’ll ignore that

They are like the faceless people that laugh in sitcoms

As if the joke is really funny

As if they are really listening

But they never respond with more than a whoop or a holler

They never shout the names of the characters

They never call for help when someone is lost

How are you? They ask I am programmed to say fine

They wouldn’t know what to do if I didn’t If I told them that I am not fine

That I am complicated and broken

That sometimes I’m happy, but sometimes I’m screaming

They wouldn’t know what to do if I was honest

If I told them I am more than just tired

I am at my breaking point, but I keep going because of the voice in my head

They wouldn’t know what to do if I was real

If I told them there are good days and there are bad days

But today just feels like a maze

How am I?

Oh, me? I’m fine. Just fine.

Pages

Amaya Kulessa

Flip, page one is about the sunrise how the orange-pink glow gets into my eyes Flip, page two is about the rain how there won’t be flowers if we never got rain

Flip, page three is about the future how I wish the springtime would come sooner

Page four is about aspirations how our dreams contradict, yet forever are changing Page five is about connections how much of ourselves are more or less remaining Page six is about regret how we turn a blind eye to those with no voice Page seven is about what we forget how eventually all our regrets wind up in a net

Page eight is pretend it’s written like a story, but it’s really the end

Most books have upwards of 50 or more pages But poems are different, lengths have no set ranges

Dandeli Rejecti

Shana Erika Ignacio

(A poem in response to the song Dandelions by Ruth B. in the perspective of the significant other)

Say, “it’s love that comes once in a lifetime,” but how can you be sure that is the case? Repeating that “you are the love of mine.” Keeping me in your thoughts, ready to chase.

I am glad I can make you feel cheery, but it is nothing more than that I hope. Knowing someone “likes me” makes me query. I know this response will be hard to cope.

Maybe you were confused in a small way. Over thinking these fantasies of yours. You’ll find the love you wish for, not today. The “darling” stands waiting for you, secure.

They’ll be in a field of dandelions, wishing on every one with pure ions.

Running on the beach

Glaring at the people

Just out of reach

Swift little sandpiper

Faintly starts to cry

A small child sees it

And gives the bird a fry

Untitled (Italian)

Julia Becker

Fiorellini blu

In un bel campo grande In primavera

Untitled (English Translati )

Julia Becker

Blue little flowers

In a beautiful big field In the spring

Bluebells in the Wind

Teagan Ahearn

Wildflowers

Teagan Ahearn

Paint Me In Y r Hues

Abbie Hwang

Paint me in your hues

Filter me the way you do

For I know there’s a possible crime you’re willing to pursue

You’ll shade me in the color of darkness

See me for only the dimness within

You’ll judge my character, judge my flaws

You’ll judge the origins of where I’m from You’ll place me in a spotlight meant only for criminals to see

You’ll strip me of my identity

The entitlement you keep

To freely discriminate against those unique

Will be the boundaries that keep you beneath

For who told you you’re the master of my seas

Who told you you’re my regime

For your crown of invisibility holds no power over me

There’s no need for you to knock me off my feet

I’ll ask you once again to paint me in your hues

Kaleidoscope

Isabella Vilarelle

Pretty Girl

Olivia Troiano

Untitled Lauren Wargo

Friends With The Shadow

Isabella Odina

sometimes, i wake up and find a shadow standing, watching over me though i never really paid it any mind

…

the shadow began to visit more often and it even followed me throughout my day i barely made note of its presence, although it sometimes whispered in hushed tones and after some time, i would whisper back … slowly, the shadow gained confidence in its voice it gave me advice on how to live out life i sometimes listened to its quiet words since the tips it gave helped me live a better life at least, i think they do but now, i can barely remember what life is like without this little shadow by my side

the shadow began to give me advice daily, and it screams at me to make sure i’m listening i have grown to rely on the shadow’s advice making sure to take note of everything it says one important lesson i have learned from the shadow is to stop and overthink before doing anything the people around me think there’s something wrong with me they think i’m crazy they think i talk to myself they think i imagine this shade beside me but they’re the crazy ones, not me because all i’m doing is following the shadow’s–my friend’s–advice

Dani California Maddy Reda

Wearing My Heart Like A Crown Lauren Wargo

Palm Lined Streets

Maddy Reda

The Path Samantha Renda

Sha ered Gla

Jack Kydonieus

We are all glass

Each of us unique

We all start with a crack

An imperfection at our heart, at our core

A single break

And over time, this flaw grows

As we age, our glass wears thin

Our break branches out and reaches through us

A time comes where we must all choose

Should we file away at our glass in hatred of these cracks

And leave a perfect shard

Yet one so small that it is barely even there?

Should we relish in our flaws, Batter and beat ourselves to grow even more faults

But become in the process so broken that we are unrecognizable?

Or should we give in to our cracks

Give up entirely

And allow our glass to shatter under the weight of abandonment?

There is one more option, however

One that does not rid the world of another pane of glass

Another imperfect, precious, beautiful pane

We can live with our cracks

Not denying them

Not relishing in them

Not giving up altogether

But simply acknowledging that our flaws are a part of us

And once we learn to love our breaks

We have won the war against the possibility

That each of us could become nothing more than shattered glass

Venezia

Isabella Martorana

La bella città

Per tranquillo ritiro

Netti ricordi

Venice (English Translati )

Isabella Martorana

The beautiful city

Calm place

Cool memories

Highway to Limbo Maddy Reda

Disconnected Leena Chang

Mechanic Elena Abreu

Ava Stazzone

Smile-A Korean Poem

Smile-A K ean Poem

Abigail Hwang

Abbie Hwang

웃으면아마눈물을보지못할꺼야

웃으면아무도모를꺼야

웃어그리고세상의자비안에숨쉬는것처럼살아

웃어봐그리고세상에가장고귀한존재로상상해봐 웃어너의모든근육이아파도

웃어너의모든에너지가낭비되고소멸될때까지

웃어봐그래도이거짓말이너를속일수도있잖아

웃어어둠을밀어내기위해

웃어그래야내일의새벽까지버틸수있어

조금더밝게웃어봐슬픔에잠식되지않도록

웃어봐너의온전함이끝까지널구할수있게

웃어과거의악몽이널삼킬수없도록

그냥웃어

Smile (English Translation)

Abigail Hwang

Smile (English Translati )

Abbie Hwang

smile and maybe the tears won’t show smile and perhaps they won’t know smile and pretend that the world’s mercy holds you in the palm of her hands smile and imagine you’re the fairest of these lands smile until all of your muscles hurt smile till all of your energy lays wasted and burnt smile because lying to yourself might actually work

smile and maybe the tears won’t show smile and perhaps they won’t know smile and pretend that the world’s mercy holds you in the palm of her hands smile and imagine you’re the fairest of these lands smile until all of your muscles hurt smile till all of your energy lays wasted and burnt smile because lying to yourself might actually work smile to ward off the darkness that lurks smile a little harder to see the dawn of tomorrow smile a bit brighter to not wallow in your sorrows smile in hopes that your sanity will last smile not to linger in the horrors of the past just smile

smile to ward off the darkness that lurks smile a little harder to see the dawn of tomorrow smile a bit brighter to not wallow in your sorrows smile in hopes that your sanity will last smile not to linger in the horrors of the past just smile

Forever and Always

Leena Chang

Never Jack

Kydonieus

I lived in this little town all my life

I was Born in this little Town

And I will die in this little town

And Because of this there’s so many things I will never do

I’ll never find my sister lost

I’ll never see my father’s grave

I’ll never leave this country mine

And see the lands across the sea

I’ll never build a family

Or see my children before me

All these things I want to do

All these things I’ve never done

All these things I’ll never do

Because as the bombs burst overhead

And hellfire rains from above me

I realize that before I died

There were so many things I could have done

But because I was too afraid to try

I’ll die knowing

That there were so many things I should have done

That I will never

Never

Never get to do

And no one is at fault but me

Fast Fashion Ava Stazzone

Fast Fashion

Tapes y

Shana Erika Ignacio

We are like a tapestry

Something so symmetrically frayed With all the threads intertwined In the coming years to be framed

Each thread symbolizing, a monumental moment in life From our childhood, adolescence, To aging and overcoming strife

When we meet new people

We interlace with their masterpiece Creating an unbreakable Community with great peace

And near the end of our years

The creation begins to complete Rich in cinematics

Perfectly ready to be sealed like concrete

Due Viste (A Poem In Italian)

Alexa Brown

Costiera Amalfitana

Bellissimo, Luce del sol

Scogliera, Oceano, Spiaggia

Scogliera, Nuotata, Storia, Città Vaticano, Colosseo, Impegnato

Romantica, Cibo

Roma

Two Views (English Translati )

Alexa Brown

Amalfi Coast

Beautiful, Sunshine

Cliff, Ocean, Beach

Unforgettable, Swim, History, City

Vatican, Colosseum, Busy   Romantic, Food Rome

Memento Morí Mason Utset

Amalfi Coast Emma Tallo

Panda Megan Kelly

Frozen In Stained Gla

Natalie Zamirowski

It’s been about ten years since I last stepped into a church. Even longer since I stayed in one for more than an hour. But I’m sitting in an empty one now. I went numb from the cold, hard pew a long time ago. I sit, as still as the figures, frozen in stained glass. As a kid, I’d always loved when sunlight shone through the windows. My mother and I would make up our own stories for them as we were waiting for Mass to start. But the light stopped shining through the windows when the sun set hours ago, and this place lost some of its magic.

I look up at the crucifix, hanging above the altar. Watching. Listening. An anguished look is frozen on Jesus’ face. My years of religion class tell me that that wouldn’t have been true. That Jesus accepted his death, even if He didn’t really want it. I wonder if my face shared that anguish as six people carried my mother’s casket out the front doors hours ago.

I wish my mother was sitting next to me and we were making up those stories now. But she’s dead. And there’s nothing I can do to fix that or make it any better. I take a deep breath before putting back on my jacket and grabbing my purse.

As I walk out the back doors of the church, a painting catches my eye. It must be new because I don’t recognize it. There’s a man, Saint Someone, sitting alone, looking as light floods through open windows. I wish I had half as much clarity as him. But I don’t feel any clarity, so I let the heavy, wooden door close behind me.

The News is Lying!

Beautifully Toxic

Eyes on the Sky Teagan Ahearn

Nurture

Elena Abreu

Maddy Reda

Maddy Reda

Only Bleed Inside

Rebecca Method

Before

I am young, pigtailed, and dressed in pink

I watch my sisters dance across the floor

Their smiles perfect, their toes pointed

Twirling and leaping

I want their smiles and their skirts

But most of all, I want their shoes

The First Year

Silk ribbons, smooth base

Pointed toes, light smiles

Clinging to the barre

Wondering, hoping, praying

Do I look like my sisters?

Do I look like the perfect girls?

If I don’t now, will I ever?

The Second Year

Worn slippers, torn ribbons

Bloody toes, forced smiles

Moving slowly across the floor

Jumping, spinning

Am I light enough?

Am I pretty enough?

Am I good enough?

The Third Year

I am not dancing this year

My leg won’t let me

I fell on a ski slope, I fell and now I am lost for eternity

My toes itch to go up high again

My arms wish to fly again

My body aches to blend with the music once more

I miss my pointe shoes

Mostly though, I miss myself

Return

I lace up my slippers once more

Slowly rise, find my footing

Callused toes, authentic smiles

I am not a perfect dancer: tall, lean, and unblemished

I am a human performer, and I am not afraid

I might trip or tumble

But I will rise on my toes again and again

I will twirl and leap and fly

The pointe shoes still hurt, the same as they always did

But it matters not

I am wearing them

I am a dancer

I am myself

¿Es que ?

Evan Abreu

Hola, mi amor

Hola, mi amor

¿Quién es que veo, mi amor?

¿Mientras tú te paras solo en la lluvia, mi amor?

¿Mientras tú te paras sin mí, mi amor?

Quizás no quieres estar solo, mi amor, Quizás te gustaría que me une contigo?

Hola, mi amor

Hola, mi amor

¿Es que ? (English Translati )

Evan Abreu

Hello my love

Hello my love

Who is it that I see, my love?

While you stand alone in the rain, my love?

While you stand without me, my love?

Maybe you don’t want to be alone, my love, Perhaps you would like me to join you?

Hello my love

Hello my love

En Pointe

Kayla Smith

On the Docks Maddy Reda

The Road Not Taken Maddy Reda

Acro The Water (Two Voice Poem)

Jack Kydonieus and Christopher Valentino

I used to live across the bridge

In a perfect world

In a beautiful, clean, controlled city

A place where one could eat forever

Sleep forever

Be placated forever

A place where peace came

With the price of freedom

I still want to live in that perfect world

But when my brother fled

My world began to flaw

And with a revolution brewing across the bridge

The first gun fires

The first body drops

My friends and subjects

Fall and die

And as the bodies begin to pile up

I ask myself something new

How can perfection

Rise from this much death

As yet another life is lost

I look to the bridge

And the water below

And understand

Nothing good can come from this

And only I can stop it

I start to walk to the bridge

And as I do I see a man appear

Just a single, solitary man

Walking towards the same bridge

And then I realize

It’s my brother walking towards me

I reach him and see

The sadness

The pain

The loss

The regret

The want in my brother’s eyes

I reach my hand out

And I take it

And I finally understand

That freedom

That perfection

Can not live long without its brother

Fire in a Hivemind Kylie McCabe

A Fisherman’s Peace Mason Utset

Canals of Venice Abby Lobis

An Untitled Ode

Violet

Williamson

You are a painting. A perfect, framed, masterpiece nailed to the wall

I could sit for hours, Trying to find the deeper meaning in it all, And still walk out in shock, in awe. You are a symphony. A colossal, moving, composition heard by the masses

I could listen to you, Losing myself in the sweet sound of your passages, You are not my creation, I am not a painter nor a composer, Yet I feel as if you were created just for me, My muse, my blooming flower, Every version of you I stumble upon, I can’t help but to consume.

Background Noise

Run

Amaya Kulessa

I need an excuse

A way to escape

The door is wide open

Now begins the chase

You thought you were fast

That’s a cute idea

No one runs as quick

Like someone with a task

I need a fresh start

Not a change of heart

My regrets are long gone I can finally move on

So if you wanna keep up

And you’ve thought it all out

I’ll give you a chance… Run!

Leena Chang

Lionel Messi Mason Utset

Untitled Lauren Wargo

Not So Apple-y Ever After

The Winding Path

Amaya Kulessa

The tall grass of Fork Road sways left and right

The land is foreign and differs in height

The first path is long, but it’s speckled with lights

The second is short, but the town’s out of sight

I already know they both lead to one place But the easier path is guarded with a gate

Climbing the wall of a gate that’s too tall I safely land without causing alarm

Though a few broken shards brutally scraped my arm I travel the lit path to a beautiful lake

Looking over my shoulder and walking fast-paced After a brief detour, I waste no time to stall

In fifteen minutes I’ll be at a local mall

Left, right left, right, Staying awake is like losing a fight I stick to the path and a little while down Finally, I make it to the town

I watch the rainwater drop

The left path ends near a crop I spot the sign by a public phone It reads “Fork Road-Port Town Bus Stop.”

S net 1

George Lobis

Limited I have seen of this marvelous earth, The girl’s age makes her see little too Both obstacles and displeasures rise like bamboo

Through these troubles, she somehow brings me mirth. Trivial tasks I forget to do she takes up with flame

I fail to do the same

The girl is oblivious and she tends to misconstrue But her beauty and elegance are simply just the frame

Then I leave her for a brief new life

We love each other despite every meaningless strife I remember I loved her so but constantly failed to show Frequent in this unfamiliar habitat I have missed her Heed my arrival! This epiphany facilitates my affection to glow, I return when leaves start to brown, every brother needs a sister

Hippo

Lenny Aviles

Kylie McCabe

By the Lake Teagan Ahern

Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing Bella Carrero

Untitled (An H s French 4 Poem)

Karishma Helsel

J’aime beaucoup les fraises

Je vais en manger treize

Et quand c’est l’après-midi

C’est quand je finis

Untitled (A Poem In French)

Honors French 3 and 4

Ma mère est originaire du Finistère, et son frère habite Quimper.

Elle est belle, comment elle s’appelle ?

Elle s’appelle Michelle, elle adore Noël

Oh combien elle aime Noël !

La saison de Noël est très belle

Elle est belle pour Noël

Elle est belle avec ses lunettes

Ma mère voyage à Paris et mon père travaille à New York city

Mon père et ma mère ont voyagé au Canada hier

Ma mère et mon père ont visité mon frère l’année dernière

Mon frère nage et parle avec ses amis à la plage

Mon frère est francophone pas espagnol

Il a voyagé au marché et a acheté de la nourriture pour manger

Ma grand-mère, c’est un caractère

Elle s’appelle Clarabell et elle est très belle

Ma grand-mère préfère ma mère, ma mère préfère mon frère, mon frère préfère mon père mais mon père préfère mon chien

M chien

Untitled (An H s French 4 Poem)

Karishma Helsel

J’arrive en classe de géographie

Le monde, c’est ce que j’étudie

Après, je vais prendre mon sac à dos

Et je vais retourner chez moi à vélo

Un jour je travaillerai au lycée

Et j’enseignerai pendant l’été

Untitled Lauren Wargo

Untitled Delaney Stahl