Updated final 2015 unwritten

Thi si swhe r eyours t or ybe g i ns .

Ther e s ti ss t i l l . . .

Unwr i t t e n Poe ms

S hor t S t or i e s

APubl i c a t i onoft heDe nt onHi g h S c hool Cr e a t i veWr i t i ngCl ub Ma y2015/Vol ume1I s s ue1

Letter from the editor Dear Reader The collection of poems and short stories you hold in your hands was created by an amazingly talented group of students, all of whose I am proud and honored to publish this year. The works in this magazine are based on a range of subjects from the authors’ personal experiences and imaginations. Everything in this collection was derived from the brilliant minds of the Denton High School students.

My hope for this magazine was that it would provide a creative outlet for all the talented students at the school and give them all a platform through which they could express themselves and be inspired to share their craft with others. It is my hope that through this process they have grown to become better and more confident writers and learned to embrace the power of the written word and the influence it can have on others’ minds and the world.

It has always been my belief that writing is one of the most important and beautiful means of expression there is and having had the chance to read these works has allowed me to be more appreciative of the plethora of ideas and experiences around me.

When I began working on this magazine I had no idea how much closer I’d grow to the community of writers around me and how in love with writing I’d fall again through this process.

The title of the magazine very well expresses what my hope for the magazine was when I created it; that everyone who took part in it would share a little piece of their life, their story with the world, because though many more pages are left to be written of their stories, a small part of it can begin here.

This magazine, these pages of words and ink, are an amalgamation of personal battles, failures, and triumphs, everything it means to be a young adult fighting for a voice in a large world. So as you read this, allow yourself to be open-minded to the numerous and ever-changing perspectives of those who’ve faced the world from a different angle than you.

Sincerely, Adinawa Adjagbodjou Editor-in-Chief Creative Writing Club President

Table of Contents Poems Quiet by Amethyst Kegan…………………………………………………………………5 Horror by Sam Garcia……………………………………………………………………..6 Clarity by M.T.T…………………………………………………………………………..7 Before I Met You by Zakiyyah Ibrahim……...….………………………………………..8 Sunrise by Jared Finney...…………………...…………………………………………….9 Landscapes and Landlines #5 by Jackie Wostrel.......………………………………..…..10 Night by Amethyst Kegan………………………………………………………….…….11 Close to the End by Vanessa Jimenez ………………………………………………..….12 Last Words by Adinawa Adjagbodjou………………………………………………..….13 Lonely and Free by Annika Ellis………………………………………………………...14 Bonded in We by Amethyst Kegan……………………………………………….……...15 Landscapes and Landlines #4 by Jackie Wostrel ………………………………….……..15 These Four Words by Dhenai Tunstall…………………………………………...………16 All the things by Annika Ellis……………………………………………………………20 Changes by Amethyst Kegan…………………………………………………………….21 Road of Bad Choices by Caitlyn Major …………………………………………………21 The Doorbell by Nicolay Pershin………………………………………………………...22 Error by Cherise Williams……………………………………………………………….23 Ballad of Trafalgar by Madeline DeHeart……………………………………………….24 The Waters of the World by Annika Ellis.………………………………………………25 Peace by Sam Garcia…………………………………………………………………….26 Don’t Tell Me by Jordan Gill……………………………………………………………27 The Old Memories by Lupita Montoya………………………………………………….28 To My Fantasy by Amethyst Kegan……………………………………………………..31 Chaos by Annika Ellis…………………………………………………………………...31 Pas de Deux by Adinawa Adjagbodjou………………………………………………….32 In the Midst of Hell and Heaven by Vanessa Jimenez…………………………………..33 Mercy by Sam Garcia……………………………………………………………………34 Bullets by Annika Ellis……………………………………………………………….....35 No Change by Cherise Williams………………………………………………………...36 Words by Caitlyn Major…………………………………………………………………37 Why? by Amethyst Kegan……………………………………………………………….37 1|Page

Daydreams in a Vacant Sea by Adinawa Adjagbodjou………………………………….38 La escalera by Vanessa Jimenez…………………………………………………………39 Utopia of the Dead by Amethyst Kegan………………………………………………….39 Was it wrong? By Caitlyn Major………… ……………………………………………..40 Numbers by Sam Garcia……………………………………………………………...….41 The End’s Not Near by Adinawa Adjagbodjou …………………………………………42 Ego by Amethyst Kegan…………………………………………………………………43 Writer’s Block by Annika Ellis………………………………………………………….43 10 Word Poems by Caitlyn Major, Jackie Wostrel, Adinawa Adjagbodjou…………….44

Short Stories Bad Luck by Nathaniel Robinson………………………………………………………..46 Anonymous Letters by Amanda Clark…………………………………………………..47 Rain by Caitlyn Major …………………………………………………………………..48 A Midnight Promenade by Adinawa Adjagbodjou……………………………………..49

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Poems

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Quiet Let the silence whisper in your ear.

Just listen. Just hear.

Silence is a dead man’s language.

Silence’s words never changes.

Silence is not about communicating.

It’s about understanding.

It is known. It is there.

It just waits and stares.

And you know that it is there, Watching you everywhere.

And you will never understand, Until you become a dead man.

Silence is the dreadful end.

Death is Silence’s best friend.

So don’t be quiet! Don’t be silent!

Be as loud as a crowd and start a riot!

Show the world that you are here!

Make them listen! Make them hear!

Cause if you are silent, if you are quiet, You will only be here for a while.

You will start to fade away, And silence will come to take your place.

-Amethyst Kegan5|Page

Horror I can see the faces, pleading for mercy.

I can hear the screams, crying out in agony.

I feel the pain, tearing mind & soul apart.

I smell the decay, the death of innocents.

I wish I could stop the fall, I wish I could save them all.

But I can’t, I’m just one man.

Being buried in the dry desert sand.

This desert, once an oasis of peace & hope, Now a birthplace of pain and suffering.

Everyday brings a new hell, Everyday, another sad story to tell.

I wish I could re-grow the plants of life, With the water of hope.

I wish I could end the endless fight, But few see our plight.

I watch mother earth die, day by day.

And look in horror, as there is nothing left to save.

They speak of healing and re-birth They speak of promises and pledges.

But whatever they speak of, It does not lie on the path they walk.

And if they do not correct their mistake, If they do not realize what is at stake.

There will be no recovery, not for them, not for anybody.

-Sam Garcia-

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Clarity That which you had wrought.

Oh, Beloved I (And though no one may know it, Have sought with eyes blind, And never will you show it.

Have fought with arms bound, You had loved me, Have thought with tongue tied, In a peculiar way) A love, not to be, Yet anon shall I move on, Of purest form, born from thy breast.

And anon, will love again, And happened it that my chest Perhaps another Had failed me.

As tenderly as I did you.

That your eyes had not sought, And though I shall miss you much Your arms had not fought, And upon occasion, think of such Your tongue had not thought, Things as could have been...

But to appease my tortured mind, Of wanting of you.

Lover,

But Beloved you had forgiven

Even you will love again.

In my helplessness, hopelessness,

- M.T.T.-

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Before I Met You

Before we exchanged numbers,

Before I met you,

I only got calls from people,

You were just a blur of wondrous colors,

With good intentions for me,

Zooming past me.

So why, when your name appears on the

But now you stop, and I see the colors

screen

clearly,

I hesitate to answer?

I’m not quite sure how much I like that.

Before we embraced, Before we started to greet

My body gave into warmth,

I saw you in the hallways,

Your warmth, I swear, is cold underneath,

And passed you without a second glance,

Shivers and goose bumps raid my skin,

But now I know our eyes won’t meet.

But I don’t know why.

Before we became “friends”,

All these things,

I smiled when I wanted to,

Before we said hello,

Now I feel forced,

Changed so swiftly, after we did,

Just so I am accepted,

But why do I write them down,

But not for who I am.

And not face you and tell you how I feel?

-Zakiyyah Ibrahim-

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Sunrise

All the angel cry

As the sun rise

Your soul flew

As the sun glow

Leaving your body

As the sun shine

As the sun rise

Through your hair

As the light shine

As your hair glow

Drowning your eyes

With your big smile

Making my face black

Eating a grape

As the light left your soul

Laughing with me

Leaving me alone

How can this be

As you die

How can I see

Leaving me too much pain

How can I live

With you

How can I be free

Is a breath of clean air

Oh yeah

Every day

I’m going with you

You are my breathing machine

I’ll be with you

You are perfect

You are a part of me

As God made you

I’ll be free

Perfect for me

Just like you are

-Jared Finney-

I am a man with wings So are you Let us be free

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Landscapes and Land-Lines #5 Don't ever change We'll never love you as much As we do in this moment Don't ever leave You won't be the same when you come back Hold me closer However not too tight because wings are crushed easier than dreams and sticks and stones can break some bones Like rib cages But roses have soft petals and sharp thorns

-Jackie Wostrel

10 | P a g e

Night When all the music slows down, and the lights get dimmer, I’ll be waiting for you in the background when the air is crisp and the moon is lunar.

When all the music slows down, you’ll hear my heart beating. I need you here with me right now, meet me when everyone is sleeping.

When all the music slows down, let our passion run through the sky, let us burn our hearts to the ground, and let our love blaze the night.

When all the music slows down, and all the sounds drown out, our hearts are tied and bound.

We’re finally together now.

The sun shines; it’s solar The moon is gone; the night is over.

-Amethyst Kegan-

11 | P a g e

Close to the End

Why is this so difficult?

I walk into the room It is so heated I hope I don’t commit an error But I do

I look at you You look at me The fire is on I’m burning

I see you

I’m melting away

You see me

And I can’t tell

And that is when I look down

I wish I could tell

So down

But I don’t see the end

As if I wanted to burn the ground So down

I just don’t want to see you I simply don’t

My glance attempts to fade away

I don’t hate you

This is an annihilation

But I don’t want to merge

I want to escape But why do I want to escape?

At least I had more time

Why do my eyes want to look into the

At least I could love you in another time

ground?

But I can’t

There is nothing in there

I wish you could

There is no exit

I wish you would never vanish away

stand still

-Vanessa Jimenez-

I must endure it 12 | P a g e

Last Words

That we were ever there

It started when we were small

Floating.

And our feet could barely touch

Floating and whispering.

The bottom of the stream

No one knew how cold these hands were

And you caught me swinging from the tree branch

And how tightly they had to hold on to yours

With no water beneath my feet.

To not sink to the bottom,

So you taught me to swim.

To not lose the blood.

And we’d sneak to the river

It’s always the blood,

So you could teach me to count the stars

That mingles with the water

From beneath that clear broken glass

And makes it dance deathly roses around your neck.

That ripples, The waves.

We laughed for a bit about it.

Then it came.

Winter.

And I cry and I beg you And all you say is “I’m not dead, am I?”

I was cold.

And the fires made me cold.

Your heart pumping made me cold.

Breathing air made me cold.

Not the “beauty held frozen in time” cold, But biting, Choking,

And so I wait until it kills you

I want your heart and every other piece of you

And tell your dead body “I told you so”

Cold.

As we both float into the river.

But you kept me from jumping

And no one finds us

So that you could do it first.

Because it’s winter

And now who the hell is there

And we’ve both turned

To show me to the bottom of the sea.

Into statues once again.

-Adinawa Adjagbodjou-

And still no one knows

13 | P a g e

Lonely and Free

No fears of them

Most days I like being

Leaving me

Staying in my

But I will soon see

Tranquility of mind

After being thankful

My problems

Of being free

No days to remember

I will see two

No plans to make

Holding hands

No dates to set

Laughing softly

I’m free to be me

Whispering quietly

And I don’t have to worry

Secrets only they care to hear

About looking “pretty”

And I think to myself

And nobody pressuring me

As they go on their way

Alone

Being alone

All mine

Alone

“Love me

Sure is

Love me

Lonely

Love me!”

-Annika Ellis-

14 | P a g e

Bonded in We What’s good for thou brother is good for another.

We cannot break, for if we were to separate, we would be nothing without each other.

If one is in pain, then all shall ache.

I’m the “w” and you are the “e”, together we make the great “we”.

No matter how hard we try to change, we will always stay the same.

We are all, and we are one, and sometimes we’re called everyone.

Bonded in we!

-Amethyst Kegan-

Landscapes and Landlines #4 Of course I lived here Who else would hang up their smiles at the doorway?

Did you think someone else Lines the stovetop with trinkets from the sea And volcanoes?

Those footsteps at the shore were mine Now you can have them I'll let the waves rock me to sleep Lover hater fighter breather Mountain Mover, Sea Divider I won't drown in the salt water

-Jackie Wostrel-

15 | P a g e

These Four Words Condescending, Conniving, Manipulative, Liar These are the adjectives you used to characterize my personality Condescending Having or showing a feeling of patronizing superiority Conniving Given to or inspired in conspiring to do something immoral, illegal, or harmful Manipulative Characterized by unscrupulous control of a situation or person Liar One who does not tell the truth Because my truth is not your truth but the truth it is not worthy Because I can speak words so slick you slip on them as you walk by me Because you call my confidence patronizing superiority I was not born this way you know God did not inscribe it in my DNA You say I get these traits from my natural parents Which is partly true But don’t forget that these are learned behavior And since they were never there to teach me That leaves you I don’t blame you for my lack of sensibility I don’t even deny that this is who I am

16 | P a g e

It does anger me greatly that you would have the audacity to openly accuse me I have never used these attributes against you I’ve ever always been in your favor I have fought battles for you using my wittiness and deceit I have gotten us out of extraordinary situations because of who I am You said you molded me into someone you would be proud to know When did that change Is it when we split from being conjoined at the hip Was it when I realized my wings were strong enough to fly into my own tree It was when I found out on my own that it gets cold at night I was always there for you with a blanket of security But here I was in the middle of nowhere freezing Alone My heart too shattered to attend to the clinking and chattering of my teeth Praying that it didn’t get shattered too I don’t blame you for not being there to pick me up out of the pool of blood I laid in In fact I blame myself for being arrogant enough to say “It’ll never happen to me” But it did, Over and over again What makes it worse is that I was not even conscious through it all The only thing that gave it away was the pain And the broken fingernails from fighting too hard

17 | P a g e

You said I changed I did It was after the 3rd war Or maybe it was the 5th or 6th I can’t remember I changed after I couldn’t trust that my secrets would be taken care of properly in your hands My secrets are not your secrets to share After a while of being deceived time and time again, You tend to become the deceiver All of that bottled up pain becomes too much to bear You say I haven’t experienced real pain Well explain to me what fake pain is My pain was not being able to walk because my legs were pressed into pretzel shaped positions My pain was not being able to see the bruises But definitely being able to feel them My pain was regaining consciousness in a room full of people you don’t know because the ones You do know left you there My pain was the aching of the organ behind my rib cage every time you said “I don’t want it to happen to you” Well guess what It happened What hurts most is not being able to tell you So I became the thing I loathed the most

18 | P a g e

All of the demons that I faced I became them Self-consciousness disguised as arrogance became my personality I used my eyes to seduce My lips to convince And my knowledge of people to be deceitful I became my own friend because I wasn’t smart enough to keep the ones I had Every monster you could dream of I made look like a saint I became this horrible person because I could not defeat the ones around me Not alone Condescending, Conniving, Manipulative, Liar This is who you made me

-Dhenai Tunstall-

19 | P a g e

All the things All the things I never wrote All the things I never saw All the friends I never made Are all lost to me now For even in the night The sun’s light shines bright I can see it between the stars And it calls to me so clear All the voices I never heard All the voices that have deceased All the voices I once knew And ones after my time too Though the call so clear I cannot go there now I’ve so many things to do All the things I’ve never done

-Annika Ellis-

20 | P a g e

Changes Road of bad choices Forever changing, Icy air Never lasting,

Blows past

Always moving,

Freezing my

Never Stopping.

Heart

Not truly looking, Not truly seeing.

Nobody stops Offers help

When was the last time you stopped to smell the air?

When you gawked at the clouds or was awed by the sky?

Tomorrow it may not be there.

Don’t let it pass you by.

As I trek down this road So many others have been here Down the beaten trail Of choices like Slit wrists Rude words

Change can be good, Change can be bad.

So be glad with what you have.

It may not stay for long.

Accept it and move on.

-Amethyst Kegan-

Lost friends Forgotten help But then it branches off A final easy escape And I run for it But it’s gone For this is my road And I’m still looking For an exit

-Caitlyn Major

21 | P a g e

The Doorbell Once at night, the doorbell I hear, I thought there is nothing to fear, I went outside to see and felt a breath on my neck behind me, A small whisper like a tapping, on my shoulder like it was snapping, For me and try get me napping, forever, I turn back and see.

My empty house and nothing else, I looked outside and tried to see, But there was just darkness and me.

Back inside - ,I locked the door, just wind it was and nothing more, I thought, then I felt there is more, a sound I hear what could it be?

What is this and when will it show? All these answers I want to know.

Is it good or bad I don’t know, then a small shadow I could see, Behind the bookshelf it might be, I get closer and try to see, But the threat is not that, but me.

-Nicolay Pershin-

22 | P a g e

Error I do not know what my name means.

I always get an error.

Am I an error?

A glitch or something that went bad or wrong.

Error I put for job applications, scholarships, and many more.

Will I know what really defines me?

Does my name define me as anything except an error or my heart a vital in living a fulfill a successful life.

My name may define me as an error.

However, my heart defines me as friendly, happy, motivated, honest, positive, ambitious, and confident.

I lock all these traits up in an impenetrable place in my heart‌my soul.

So really, I am not defined as an error or a glitch.

I am defined as what I lock up in‌my soul.

-Cherise Williams-

23 | P a g e

Ballad of Trafalgar

A crack! Is heard,

A call to arms,

Shot strikes the ground.

Aloft, make sail.

“So step assured, men,

“Beware of harm, men,

Wounds abound.”

‘Else could fail.”

The cannons all boom Lord Nelson sends word,

With chaos to make;

“Head Trafalgar ways,

Ships sink with doom

To face the Spaniard

And death in their wake.

And French in but days.”

Lord Nelson ‘as won, “O see those sons--,”

Though cost be paid.

The officer calls,

“Ma mourns her son, men,

“Prime the guns, men,

“Though land be saved.”

Powder ‘n balls.”

So revel in Victory, Form windward party

‘N care for your dead.

And leeward ahead.

Each man do his duty,”

Each man do his duty

As England has said.

As England has said.

-Madeline DeHeart-

24 | P a g e

The Waters of the World

Turning

Standing before the

In a spiral

Waters of the world

Whirling

Watching the blue-gray waters

And I’m still standing

Flow in and out

At the waters of the world

Like lungs

Absorbing the sound of its breathing

Breathing

The waters simply being

Like a lion

It soothes me

Sleeping

Calms me

I’m standing on the edge

It holds me

Of the waters of the world

Loves me

Watching it swallow my feet

And I’m standing

Caressing me with liquid

At the waters of the world

And giving me sharp kisses

And I feel my feet

From shells

Being swallowed up

From weed

And so the cycle begins

From fish

-Annika Ellis-

From the sea I’m being taken up By the waters of the world Until it retreats and releases my feet Returning to its snake-like coil Folding

25 | P a g e

Peace I saw nothing but emptiness, A swirling void of anger and grief.

A black cloud of pain and confusion.

No joy was to be heard, no joy was to be seen.

But then the sound that changed it all, Suddenly started to fall.

It was a feint sound, Small and unknown, almost like a memory.

But it grew louder and louder, Until the point it was screaming for me to remember.

And I did, and for a moment, it was silent.

But then I felt something, a force of some kind, Pushing and pulling yelling at me to move, So I used my strength to break free of the darkness.

I moved towards a light, while it grew bigger and bigger until I was blinded.

Then I had a feeling, as if it were somewhere else I opened my eyes and saw the forest, my paradise.

And then I heard the sound, but this time I recognized it.

Birds. Beautiful birds whose songs you could not compare.

And all you could do is stand and stare.

I was mesmerized, sitting and listening as they sang their songs.

Wishing I could sing along.

But Then I realized where I truly was, I was at home, I was at peace.

-Sam Garcia-

26 | P a g e

Don’t Tell Me They tell us to listen to our elders because they’re the only ones who understand the wonders of the world.

They tell us to clear our plates because over one billion people will go to bed hungry tonight.

They tell us to study hard because, as Ben Franklin said, “an investment in knowledge pays the best interest”.

They tell us to stop listening to our music so loud or we’ll damage our hearing.

They tell us to learn all the history before it repeats itself.

They tell us that love can be very real or very devastating.

They tell us that if you can’t perform well in school, you can’t perform well in anything.

They tell us to pretend to be happy.

They tell us that a few lies won’t hurt anyone.

They tell us not to make too many mistakes because scars are permanent.

They tell us that before you know it, you’ll be 40.

They tell us that we should be grateful for our ignorance because if we knew what was to come in this world we would crawl into our beds and never leave.

They tell us that the arrogance of youth is a blessing.

So I tell them, stop telling me.

-Jordan Gill-

27 | P a g e

The Old Memories Close your eyes and take a breath Think of old memories, the good and the pain.

The night is dark and silent, as I sit here alone.

Thinking out loud in the midst of summer And the cold.

You see one thing, but I am another If you could only notice how alone the World could be, you could also notice The old sad memories.

The person I am now, has changed through time.

I can feel the tears running down my face As if they were having their own race.

I can fake a smile, in the hardest of times.

I can force a laugh, when I go back through time.

I can only think about all of The challenges I had to face and The memories I can’t erase.

That’s what’s made Me who I am now.

My heart is screaming as I crash and break down.

My soul is saying hold on, you’ll get through it in time.

If I fall no one will catch me.

All I will do is bleed and let to old memories Carry me down to the ground.

The words are swirling in and out, There’s a monster inside me and it can’t get out All they are doing is cause wounds in my heart.

28 | P a g e

The stabbing, the cracking Is all a game in my mind.

The old memories take me back to pain and tears.

I fear and feel as if I were nowhere to be found, all I am is stuck in darkness, broken and alone Where no one can find me.

All I do is sit in silence Breathing and living in a world filled with noise.

The tears in my eyes, make a hurricane inside.

I can feel myself drowning with no way to get out.

The memories inside make me want to scream out.

The quietest of people Have the loudest of minds.

I scream at the top of my lungs And I can feel my chest getting tight.

The memories left me alone In the dark, and I can feel Them chasing me around with no escape to get out.

The clock is ticking and I am out of time.

The old memories got to me And I can’t move on.

The bitter words once spoken to me make me Feel and be broken.

I see the colors fading fast, So I know it’s time, to turn a bright city black and white.

29 | P a g e

Too much to handle, so I let go, The weight of the world is all my memories combined.

My life and last breath may leave my lungs.

All the memories are a curse that have Been following me around.

And they followed me until I was nowhere to be found.

-Lupita Montoya-

30 | P a g e

To my Fantasy I don’t ever wanna wake, because I love to dream.

Chaos I hate the voices in my head

I don’t know how long I’ll take, I think I’m stuck in my fantasy.

What if my reality is all but just a dream?

Then I would wanna wake, and return to my fantasy.

But the more I consider leaving them The more I think how empty I’d be without them For what is a mind for if not to criticize one’s own work?

Every night I travel through worlds, For what is a mind if not for comparison?

Back and forth I go between.

Sleep is just another word for a portal in my dreams.

Fantasy or reality, which one is real?

My head keeps on spinning, my life is surreal.

For what is my mind if it doesn’t shout at me?

What a desolate a peaceful place my mind would be A dry kind of life For what is a mind if not a prison?

I’m stuck within my dreams, For what is a mind if not a place to be kept?

Or at least that’s how it seems.

Forever trapped within my own fantasy.

-Amethyst Kegan-

For what is my mind if not a cell with no windows or doors and that I never try to escape because I’ve grown accustomed to the screaming Maybe I’m at peace in chaos Maybe the clawing and drawing blood in my brain is a soothing pulse like a massage of the soul Maybe the madness is all that’s keeping me sane

-Annika Ellis-

31 | P a g e

Pas de Deux 1

2

She walks in

I leave again

Like she always does

And like every time

Her shoulders back

He doesn’t see me

Her stance strong

As I see him.

Each step a dance

Brave,

A queen’s grace.

Calm, strong, kind

She is beautiful

Beautiful.

She is kind

The one person

I wish I could tell her

In the world

That she’s brave

That I would give

And not so broken

Everything in the world

That she is the one memory

Up for.

I would keep if all others were erased

But then I remember

That I need her

That we are lost

That I love her

To one another.

That she means the world to me,

And that he would

And always will.

Never forgive

But she leaves again

Me if he could remember

And I never get a chance.

All the things that I had done.

-Adinawa Adjagbodjou-

32 | P a g e

In the Midst of Hell and Heaven

You want to run

In the midst of hell and heaven

You want to escape

There is a war

There is no run

Bombs fall down from the sky

There is no escape

Invading the space

You have to wait

You want to escape

In the midst of hell and heaven

You want to hide

There is your faith

You want to run

Just hold it a little while more

But there is no in between Don’t be afraid You have to stay

You can do it

You have to be strong

You have to do it

You have to do it for yourself

You must do it

For the ones who care

You have to learn You have to pray

You feel alone

Understand you have to make it until the end

So alone

Because there is no more

Nobody can hear The screams in between

You have to stay

There is no door

You have to care

There is no escape

You have to do it because you know that’s the best

You have to stay

In the midst of hell and heaven It hurts, I know it hurts I’ve been in between I wanted to disappear But I have hope still

There is a war Sometimes battles are lost Sometimes soldiers are gone But you’re still Fighting until the end

-Vanessa Jimenez33 | P a g e

Mercy I saw him, the edge of a clearing, The sun searing the ground.

Neither of us made a sound.

Gray & white, he crept through the grass.

As he emerged from the brush like a ghost, On his chest I lined up my scope.

My finger on the trigger like a blood craved chigger.

But then he saw me, sitting in the blind.

I looked into his eyes, and he looked into mine.

And we both crossed to the other side of the line.

I saw the forest as I had never seen it before, Untouched by man, even the rain soaked floor.

And he saw the world he knew being torn apart, Little by little being squeezed from existence.

And in this moment, we understood each other.

Both hunters, trying to survive in the changing world.

And I knew, I had to let him go.

That day he spared my guilt, and I spared his life.

And since that day, I listen to the forest, Telling me who has to go and who has to stay.

Time will tell, day by day.

-Sam Garcia-

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Bullets

Always the places that hurt

I normally dodge bullets

And when I do doge bullets

Bullets that make words

The bullets that scream phrases

But they’re invisible

They hit important places

So most times I get shot

Those most important places

I get shot and I bleed

All the important places

But no one seems to see

But no one sees I’m broken

Or hear my anguished screams

No one sees the wounds

I get shot down

In my head

I’m crippled

My heart

I’m crying

The wounds

I’m bleeding

They’re morbid art

I’m dying

Just because I’m sheltered

In the dark anywhere can be a mark

Doesn’t mean I’m safe

While standing in a black room

People slip around barriers

Chained to the walls of my mind

And blow holes in the foundation

And I can’t bear to hear the gunshots

With their damned screaming bullets

The bullets screaming through the air

Fleshy guns with transparent ammo

I wince as they come nearer

Though the fodder cannot be seen

Some hit the wall behind me

Through cracks

Some make their mark

It makes a sound so loud

It’s only a shot in the dark

My ears bleed

But they hit the places that hurt

My mind breaks

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My world shakes Whoever told us words were nothing That they should never hurt us They’re all damned liars That’s the truth of life Yes, those bullets hurt you

No change I do the job just the same.

This is not a game.

I am not just a go-getter, I’m better, I’m better.

We are women that are strong Hiring guys for the job is all wrong.

They think they are the hulk

Though almost no one sees

But all they do is sulk

But that doesn’t mean

I want to make it rain

You can’t still heal And get back up again So yes, I can’t dodge every bullet They are not for the eyes to see And when I hear the screaming And I get shot and bleed I’ll stay low for a moment And get back on my feet again Because yes, Words can damn well hurt you Words can damn well break you But while bandages and glue exist I’ll make damn well sure

So listen to my campaign About how I need equal pay On this very day.

Women can give birth to a baby.

So maybe.

For what is a woman worth To sit and watch guys inflate?

In this world today guys say women are domineering.

Women are waiting to start cheering For someone to start blaring that unequal pay is nearing Its end.

It’s time for women to not just spend But make a lot of money And can a handsome honey.

Now that you know that I can do the job You don’t have to call on Bob.

You get up again

Women can now earn many

-Annika Ellis-

A penny.

-Cherise Williams36 | P a g e

Words

Why?

Words fall

We are always searching for answers,

Like raindrops Soaking in

The reason behind life,

Pinpricks of something

Like the reason for cancer,

We usually like

Or why we are full of strife.

But only in small Portions

The question we always ask,

When used warmly

Is the reason why?

Words like

Why do we wear a mask?

Good job Way to go

Why do we watch life pass us by?

Awesome

The answer is unknown.

That make you feel

Left forever wondering,

Good Until it gets cold

I can’t answer it alone.

And you hear

This thirst for knowledge is burdening!

Stupid

Why do I need an answer?!

Jerk Retard Until you start to hate words And maybe words aren’t Like rain But the tears

Why can’t I stop asking questions?!

It’s poison to the mind, almost like cancer.

Eve bit the forbidden fruit, now this is our lesson.

Caused by them

A curse in our blood passed down to generations.

Are

-Amethyst Kegan-

-Caitlyn Major-

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Daydreams in a Vacant Sea

am within its empty skies.

I’m gazing out at the sky

I lay in its grace,

From the middle of the sea

And time fades slowly before my eyes.

The sky is an empty blue

I see a horizon dipped in gold,

A vast and endless bowl of blue

And night sets its first shade

Laughter fills the air from shore

of darkness upon the sky.

And chimes like bells at a tower door

I gaze at the stars

The breeze is light and full of joy,

and can see the reflection

The wind is whispering to the trees,

of our world within their eyes.

Of maidens lost and treasures found,

I can see light and freedom and hope;

but I hear only waves, crashing onto land.

can nearly hear all the wishes made and

Clouds take blows at my imagination.

all the dreams whispered into the night.

Rainbows dance in long top hats,

I remember what it was like to gaze at the

while elephants fly in angel’s wings.

sky

I’m in a different universe,

Wondering what it’d be like to fly,

one that has embraced

and wishing on those stars

the beauty of tranquility.

for wings that could take me to paradise.

And all around me

Now a day of dreaming has come to pass,

from sea to sea

and there are only crackling fires

The world is silent,

and crickets playing symphonies

the world is distant

to the harmony of the night.

And I alone,

-Adinawa Adjagbodjou-

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La escalera Es hermoso sentir el aire rozando tus mejillas y ver el horizonte Es hermoso poder sentirse segura Es hermoso tener fe en una misma

No es que trate de ser optimista Es que el optimismo es el que mueve mi vida El que me hace vivir como antes Poder como antes

Utopia of the Dead I know a place where we can go away.

Somewhere far, far away, Some place where we can stay,

Vivir la vida con alegría Superar todos los obstáculos Vivir al día

And remain the rest of our days.

This is no ordinary place.

No one will ever change.

Quiero subir y subir para aprender de la vida Para saber que todo está bien y que seré grande algún día

-Vanessa Jimenez-

Everyone stays the same.

We sleep every single day.

We don’t go outside to play.

There is no crime within this place, Because we all lay in our grave.

In the end, we all come to stay, A place for us to rest and lay.

The one place where we will always remain.

A place where we are welcomed to stay.

-Amethyst Kegan-

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Was it wrong?

Your eyes pierce like daggers Into my soul

Loving her Because whether you See it or not

Telling me I’ve done wrong

Our love in genuine

When I haven’t

And perfect beyond

All I did was kiss her

Compare

Was it wrong because

I love her more

You were in the room

Than all

Can I still do it

The stars in the sky

When you’re not

And all the

Watching

Pearls in the sea

Or are you still going to be

Because she is my sky

Mad

Surrounding me

For nothing

Wonderful

But I know

And she is my sea

In reality

Waving me along

The opinion

Always different

Of one person

And fun

Can’t stop me

And surrounding

So I will kiss

Seemingly endless

Whomever I want

And I would

No matter what

Leave that for

You try to say

The likes of you

To stop me from

-Caitlyn Major40 | P a g e

Numbers I can’t see the numbers, no not at all.

They lie on the other side of a wall.

I’ve climbed high, but never been able to see the other side.

I’ve only caught a glimpse, but haven’t seen it since.

There is a wall to climb, not a fence you can hop.

And even if it was, it’s got spikes at the top.

And it hits you like a train you just can’t stop.

And I’ve been left like a fish to flop.

Pulled out of the Sea of Knowledge by an unknown angler, I wish I had a bottle of life detangler.

I can’t see numbers, no, not at all, Whenever I try, I always fall And when my walk is slowed to a crawl, It’s like an endless game of dodge ball.

I wish people could see my predicament, But no one reads the many letters I’ve sent.

My brain is spent, living on borrowed time.

Just trying to fake like a mime.

Using language of an unknown kind, Stretching the limits of the human mind.

I’ve said all I can, I won’t say more, Because I can’t deal with numbers anymore.

-Sam Garcia-

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The End’s Not Near

Would you say hello to everyone you

What would you do if the world as you

Never met or wave goodbye to those you

knew it, was no longer?

wish to forget?

Would you pray to the Gods you thought

Would you cry in solitary or die in embrace?

you believed in?

Would you hope to be the last one standing

Would you find peace of mind in the stories

or the first to go?

you were told to have faith in?

If this was the last breath you’d ever take?

Or would you stand at the crossroads

Would you try to accomplish every dream

waiting for the world

you ever had

To fall to pieces?

or pray to be forgiven for every wrong you’d

If you woke up tomorrow and found

ever done?

That the wars were no more,

What if this was the last chance you’d ever

That the soldiers could sleep at ease?

have?

Would you still find purpose in every battle

Would you fight to be remembered or lost

lost,

among the forgotten?

Every body slain, every tear dropped?

Would you plead for perfection or realize

Would you still believe in peace

that we are a race of imperfection,

If you knew how many lost souls wandered

that maybe we are the aliens, not the colored

On empty battlefields not knowing what

figments of our imagination,

they died for?

That for every bridge we’ve built and

What would you do if the world ended

crossed, we’ve left another world behind.

tomorrow?

What would you do, who would you see,

Would you give up your comforts to help

what would you remember?

those in need?

And what would you say of all the men

Would you feed the hungry and clothe the

who’d tried to build wings so they could fly

naked?

to the moon,

What would you do if today was your last

When they could barely walk the Earth.

day on earth?

-Adinawa Adjagbodjou-

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Ego

Writer’s Block

The king sat on his chair with a big, prideful stare.

Pressing countless Pens to paper

He had an ego bigger than his land.

Never knowing what to say He was a tall, brutish man.

How to start His name was Hubris.

An invisible wall His kingdom was Imperious.

In my mind He thought himself a God. Blocking the muse He believed he was unflawed.

From flying free

-Amethyst KeganLike she’s trapped For the only reason That she wants to be And it frustrates me That wall that Doesn’t exist Blocking creativity Stifling individuality

-Annika Ellis-

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10 Word Poems water splashes on my shoes

when you find

and slides off

a new

they're waterproof

favorite character and they die I'm falling into the depths of a dark place

rain falls

music flows

inside

into my ears

soaking in

a melody

my clothes

perfection is

making them

organization

wet

with a good

of utter peace

dose of pure CRAZY

-Caitlyn MajorSet me adrift So I can find my way home

The road of the lonely begins with a broken heart.

-Jackie Wostrel-

-Adinawa Adjagbodjou44 | P a g e

Short Stories

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Bad Luck Here I sit, surrounded, people asking me what happened, what I saw, and who was there. I can't say anything, I just think of what was there, just faintly hearing the questions they were asking me. I remember the men running out of the house, hands bloody, he pushed me out of his way, I stood there looking at the house, it's silent the talking, that's usually loud and noisy at this time, silenced by that man. It started raining so I went to the sheltered porch and set down and called police and told a come. So I'm back in and the present and the police and they're asking me questions in this version of what happened there. I was largely resolute night, it took me home while I couldn't sleep because I knew what happened to that man on the floor with a knife in him. I felt like someone or something was watching the source for laying down in my bed not moving except to breathe slowly, I was into war was outside my window that breathed slowly making no real noise making me scared than there was a rustling outside I heard A hiss the many sound of metal against bone and then A hiss no more which Turned into a thud, silence, was a trick or was it the truth that the thing was gone. There was no more sounds until the morning when a neighbor founder cat cut in half and my yard. I didn't go out at all because the never thought I killed her cat that there's no rigid edges and the weapon would have to be very sharp.

-Nathaniel Robinson-

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Anonymous letters Before I knew it my world went crazy but at the same time still like a chaotic scene but just paused. You want to keep up your regular image just so you won't worry others but how can you try when everything's so lost and out of place ? The past is exactly what it is: a glued picture in our memories, no such thing as going back. It's like reading a book; how can you read the next chapter if you keep re-reading the old ones? Yes it hurts but there's a whole story to be discovered and it's yours.

It begins and ends with that light, the one you first see or even feel, then the last when it’s all over. But in between those lights there's a story, there is life, full of events and experience for that one person. Even though the bad times outweigh the good and it's best to just think of the positive even when it's negative. Everyone has their own special story between them; they matter and forever will since the day the first light came. Each and every day you impact something or someone so make your story something to be told.

-Amanda Clark-

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Rain I can feel the rain soaking in, the way it makes my hair a few shades darker, and has my clothes sticking to my body. Any hope I had to keep my papers dry is gone, but I can’t seem to care. That's a common side effect of losing your job. In fact it’s a common side effect of losing anything, but jobs tend to be the worst.

See, I live in England, and I have four younger siblings. We aren't the closest family, and I'm not always the best big brother, but we pull through. My mom, sometimes I think she forgets we exist, too caught up in her little world caused by drugs. My dad? The few times we've seen him was no more than three days between when he got out of prison and when he went back in.

It doesn't help that I'm poor. The rich have it so easy, finding a job for them is as easy as taking over the family business and money is no worry for them.

They don't know the hardship of being poor and struggling to work through each day, or the strength it takes to keep your siblings happy and fed. They also don't know the joy of being able to tell their siblings that tonight, they can have seconds at dinner, or that you brought home a toy that wasn't missing both arms and covered in teeth marks. The way their eyes light up on Christmas when they get new glasses and coats, and sometimes a few pieces of candy. They don’t know the relief you feel when you can cover the apartment bill and still have enough left for school supplies, or the horror when your sister gets sick and you have to pick up a second job to get her medicine.

They don't know the sadness you feel when you lose that sister to a horrible disease called cancer, and you’re too distracted at work to keep the job. They don't know the memories you see fall with each raindrop onto the pavement as your legs want to give up. Here I am now, leaning against this wall, broken glass at my feet and broken sobs ripping themselves, ugly,

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horribly from my throat. I need to let them out though, but I can’t at home. Because if there’s one feeling I can't stand to see on my siblings faces, it's the worry.

-Caitlyn Major-

A Midnight Promenade The sound of a gun goes off in the distance and sends her heart into a frantic race and her legs begin to move, almost on their own. With each step she takes her heart pounds into her chest and the sound of her feet hitting the cold hard concrete are the only indication of passing time.

She finds herself in a dark forest, her feet thatched with twigs and crawling critters; a whimper escapes her throat as some unknown specimen brushes again her legs and the sound pierces the silence around her. A cloud of darkness now surrounds her. She stops, turning, listening to her panting breath echo around her, waiting for a light to be switched on, the sun to rise, but alas only darkness. Then out of nowhere she hears a twig snap, and her ears perk up. She spins around quickly looking for the source of the sound but her eyes serve no purpose in the surrounding darkness. The goosebumps pilling up on her arms give in to the crisp cold air and her racing pulse and the uncertainty of the intentions of the approaching stranger. She trips on an unsuspected branch behind her and falls. Her body sinks into the cold, wet ground and she quickly begins scrambling backwards, crawling through the dewy grass until she feels the hard stump of a tree in her back. The sound of her heartbeat in her ears fills the now silent forest. Her mouth puffs out rapid clouds of cold air into the space in before her eyes. A drop, and then two, then three fall on her back, some unknown substance falling from above. It trickles down her back, leaving hairs raised as it crawls. Drip, drip, drip. She puts her hand to her neck, wary of the substance’s identity. She brings her fingers to her nose, sniffing with caution the substance on 49 | P a g e

her fingertips; the smell of honey. She brings her shaking fingertips to her lips, slowly, and places it on her tongue, but the taste she’s expecting isn’t there. Instead she tastes the grainy, coppery taste of an unmistakable fluid: blood. Her heart slams into her chest but before she can rush to her feet she feels the tree behind her come to life, growing warm, twisting its branches. It grabs first her arms, then her legs, lacerating into her flesh, and before she can let out a bloodcurling scream the tree yanks her into its grasp, making her one with the shadowy, rigid trunk.

Her voice is stolen from her throat, leaving space where before there were words, and then the forest is silent once more.

-Adinawa Adjagbodjou-

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Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank all the amazing writers who submitted their work to the magazine this year; the magazine would never have been possible without your contributions.

Next, a very special thank you to Mrs. Morris who has from the very beginning supported both the Creative Writing Club and the literary magazine and has been provided meaningful insight and guidance through each step of the publication; this magazine could not been possible without her help. Next I would like to thank the Journalism team here at Denton High School, especially Rebecka Frey and Ryan Carr, who both provided helpful suggestions and solutions to problems encountered throughout the publication of this magazine. Finally I would also like to thank the brilliant Denton High School English Department who helped disperse news of the magazine with students and helped with the publication of the magazine.

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