St. Louis Community School, Cordarragh, Kiltimagh, Co. Mayo

Bitter Bliss

The grey clouds don’t dampen our spirits
We leap out of the car
Barefooted,resented by the tough tar
Yet the damp soggy sand is welcoming

The strenuous wind pushes us onward
As the rocks leave us behind
The soothing horizon grows closer
As the sun parts with the day

The smell of the sea invites itself
As an icy wave impulsively washes over our ankles
And a few howls escape but quickly
Turn to dazed laughter

I am the last to immerse myself
All the while water pulsing and pushing me
The feeling in my fingers drain
And the wind whips my hair covering my view

Making memories

Róisín Mcloughlin

She

She was sick of wearing makeup to feel pretty,
She was tired of having to have the best clothes to feel cool,
She hated that her body wasn’t what she wanted.

She just wanted to feel good in her body,
She wanted to feel wanted for her personality not her body.
She wished lads saw her for how funny or nice she was.
She was told it’s what’s on the inside that counts but lads don’t seem to know that.

If only she was born the way she wanted to look.

Anon

Mend your Heart

Why do boys think being weak is wrong?
‘Gay’ means writing a letter, a poem or a song
Thinking to treat girls like crap is the right way to act
No regrets, no sympathy just believing its fact
It’s hard to take and we all know that
Just remember this poem when you’re falling apart
You’re Important, you matter, take time to mend your heart

Anon

What it’s About

I started my teen years getting in trouble
Drinking as an escape from my problems
I hated myself
Three years later I realised I could love and be loved
Altered my hate into love for another
Before I didn’t bother
It’s not about looks or popularity
It’s about what you have to offer from the inside

Anon

Why

Why do some fear to thrive?
To be truly themselves and stand,
To seek enjoyment in each other
And not be shy to lend a hand,
To those who are weak
Or looked upon as weird.
Why don’t we speak?
Speak for our beliefs,
Why not be you?

Hana Ueno

Life is a Circle

Life is a circle, and we’re all inside it together,
But everyone’s trying to pick their own corners,
It just doesn’t work. We hurt each other, but it’s because
Of our own pain, we feel like outcasts, even though
We’re all exactly the same, can’t we just talk?

We all walk on one path in life, so don’t act like there
Are crossroads. We’re surrounded by people, so why
Are we alone? We should learn to have some understanding,
Let’s just talk, you and I…

Rory Keane

Today

In today’s society girls are looked down on
And feel like they should settle for less
While boys are out there expecting more and more from girls.
Girls have to have big breasts, big ass, and skinny
But yet curvy, good skin, nice hair, always looking like a Saturday night girl
Instead of a lazy Sunday evening.
They put pressure on you to send images of yourself or you’re known as to ‘dry’
Or if you send them to a good few people you’re known as a slut.
On a night out girls can’t shift more than 2-3 lads without getting slut shamed
Where boys get clapped on the back for it.
Girls can’t wear certain clothes or it’s slutty.

Anon

Hippity Hoppity

Hippity Hoppity
You’re the divine’s property
You have a moral obligation not to kill yourself
Not only do you forever impact everyone else’s life
In one of the most horrible ways
But as the bible says you are made in god’s image
And what makes you think that you have the right
To damage or ruin something with so much divine potential

Kyle Byrne

Coping

Cheating is never the answer
You shatter their hopes and their heart
You put your all in for them,
You love and respect them,
But apparently you’re not enough,
You lie there shattered, wondering what you’ve done
Blaming it on yourself, maybe you deserved it
Thinking that you’re not good enough,
That you will never find love again,
But you’re wrong,
You are good enough,
You deserve someone who appreciates and loves you
You deserve the best,
It’s not your fault,

Remember that.

Anon

Untitled

It’s like going into war,
Hair tied back,
Boots on tight,
Ready for battle.
No one believes we can win, nobody,
You can’t run, you can’t kick a ball, you have no talent,
You’re a girl what are you doing on a football pitch,
Go paint your nails and do your make-up,
You don’t belong here, and you never will.

Sarah and Leanne

In this Cage

The rest is gone it’s down to two
They waited for the ground to be dry
They waited for a while but time flew by
They walked out heads held high
But in 2 hours on one would cry
They bowed their heads at it had started
This fight wasn’t for the fainthearted
The bell rang it had begun
The rest is gone it’s down to two
In this cage we’re animals in a zoo

Kurtis King

I Promise

I have no problems within my family
But rather one with myself
The feeling that I could do more
The feeling I could help someone else
With so much ability to help others
But not enough help given.
My brother has Down syndrome and depression
And I am going to help him every day to get better
I promise

Anon

Better

To be better is like a constant newsletter telling you what to do
Do this do that do this better don’t do that
It has a personal effect on doing more reps, running these steps
Burning your biceps, doing these push ups
Being told to speed up and not to let up
To get up and do more
Because I’m not finished or am I
I feel diminished, extinguished.
Out of it
So as I try to be better
Maybe this is why I’m writing this letter to myself

Conor Óg Dennedy

Her Heart Dropped

Her phone flashed
Her heart dropped
She was all over the screen
And suddenly everything stopped
She ran for the door
A fear she’s never felt before
She was called names and slut shamed
By people who never bothered to know more than her name
Tears streamed down her face as she wondered
If she could erase myself from this really shitty place

Erin Russell

Every Clock

Every clock shows the same time
Every clock that shows a different time is wrong
If I made a mistake I could set it back to zero
But everybody else’s time would keep on going on and on without me
And time would keep on telling more about me

Caoilfhionn Little

Listen

You’re ruining your life
Listen to me, listen to them
Anything I do I get condemned

You will be nothing
Open your eyes
Your telling yourself lies

I’m a good student
I’m doing okay
Only okay after today

Next time I’ll do better
Next time it will be good
Next time I’ll pass, I should

Or maybe I won’t
Maybe I’ll still be a failure, in my parent’s eyes
I hope they won’t take long, when I say my goodbyes

Parents say it’s the best for me
You will see your friends on weekends
All your relationships you’re leaving, you will be able to mend

Just go and learn and come back better
Than you have ever been before
Oh of course I will, I tell them, myself I’m unsure

Ciaran O’Brien

All I Wanted

When you put everything into your life,
Only for it to get to get taken away
Oh God, why did this happen to me?
What did I do to deserve this?
I worship you everyday
All I wanted was just to play
This is just a setback
Just wait till my comeback
I want to make you proud
And I’ll scream it out loud
Because this is just a setback

Liam Cassidy

Life

Life isn’t always fair,
They say that your teen
Years are the best,
No, no they are not
Bullying, abuse,
Nothing is really fair about your teens
Which makes it unfair

Lulke Groarke

Live

I am so grateful
I am happy in school, at home.
Maybe I can just see,
Am considerate and empathetic.
But I believe we all can thrive,
But I am not blind
To the horrors in this world.
But let’s try.

Hana Ueno

I’m Happy to Say

We met when we were four
I hit her with my hurl
Because of an annoying girl
She acted like my friend
I didn’t know it was all pretend
Until it all crashed and burned
That was when we learned
We went our separate ways
Through the rest of our school days
Until we met again
She hated me with a passion
But I was in my own world; I’d gotten away
We met again through our friend
She thought she would never see the end
Until the day she spoke her mind
Told me she hated me and I was unkind
Its 11 years later and I’m happy to say she’s my best friend

Aoife and Kayleen

School

Here we are
Right into a war
Will we ever finish what we start
Make the best of what we gave to you
Otherwise you’ll never get through

Anne Kleier

On the Pitch

I have been on a pitch that has felt like war,
I have felt the joy for winning,
I have felt the pain of losing,
I felt like I did not belong there,
I got name called and felt sad,
But if it wasn’t for hard work or friends
I would have stop playing,
But it isn’t my way I always try never stop,
Be strong and try failure is needed,
Success is rewarded.

Diarmuid Kelly

Life and Love

Love, love is beautiful and scary
Cause you fell in love with someone you’re gonna marry
You are gonna spend your life with Harry
And then he is gonna dump you to marry Kelly
That’s life
Ah well

Lara and Camila

Sir/Miss

Why, they said why.
She said, he said why
Why is for wales
Who questions “Why?”
They know the answers
And still ask why

The dog didn’t
The notes nothing
The excuse is everything

Ava Keane

Mayo for Sam

May For Sam
Dublin for traffic jam
Moran ripping holes
When the ball goes into the goals
Kicking scores

Anon

My Poem

I’m not a creative person
So this is my poem,
Short and sweet,
Hope you enjoy.

Natalia Kowalczyk

Untitled

I’m bad at poems
But they help us say good things
So I try my best

Ethan Breslin

I Wanna Cry

I want to quit school
Cause that crap ain’t cool
I need my sleep
Cause otherwise I’ll weep
I like this guy cause he’s hot
I know I don’t have a shot
Only the ones in my arm
I want to smash my alarm
Please just give me a firearm

Anon

Untitled

Roses are red
Violets are blue
I am so pretty
What about you

Anon

Imagination

Me no imagination
This my poem
Enjoy

Cara Walsh

Untitled

I’m a fake Mexican
I fake the melanin
I’m gonna take it off
And put it back on again
I love my tea
With three rich teas
And that’s all from me

Orla Quinn