Scrolling and Scrolling
As I sit in my warm bright room, feeling fine
I scroll and scroll
I see people, I see places
But I don’t have a clue who they are?
Or what they do?
But thousands and thousands love them
And for what?
Because they are skinny
And how they are pretty
And how they get driven around in fancy cars
But unlike me
I’m not them
I don’t have fancy cars nor will I ever
I’m not skinny nor have a tiny waist
And yet from sitting here, scrolling and scrolling
But how I’ve gone from a warm bright room
To a dark empty’s one
Leighlia
Come and Gone
You’ve come and gone
You weren’t here for very long
I don’t know what I did so wrong
You were my best friend
But that all came to an end
I wish there could be something I could mend
But it’s a new season
And I believe everything happens for a reason
Keeva
Growing Up
Growing up accepting this is normal
Everything you do getting watched and judged
“You only live once”, but what life
Real life or your other social network one
Living a life set up for pain
Pretending everyone has money like rain
Everyone passes comments and thinks they know
As if they can judge what they don’t
Trying to be someone you’re not
Not realizing how much you’ve got
Going through a lot
And concealing it to live the Instagram you
Rachel
Do Not Tell Me
Do not start with roses are red, violets are blue
Do not tell me it’s going to be okay, try your best
Do not tell me that the letters A,B,C,D,E,F define our future
Do not tell me they aren’t the same letters that we as a unit jumble together to not fail
Do not tell me that I have to pass to succeed
Make money, make money
It wafts through the air like the scent of cheap coffee, almost as pungent,
As it crawls up our nose and projects out of too a sheet of paper
We use those letters, we drink that coffee
But if roses aren’t red and violets aren’t blue then what’s teen spirit all about?
Broken smiles, chipped nails, this is what we are, we are those letters.
Teenage years are the best of your life. Right?
Alexandra
Don’t Tell Me
Don’t tell me how to be,
Because I won’t.
Don’t tell me you know what’s best for me,
Don’t tell me how to feel,
That I’m not ready to love, to hurt, to live.
You tell me it will get easier, but how?
Tell me that you know how it is, but you don’t really.
You want me to be nice, use proper language, look good, be good, do good.
You don’t know me, you only know what I allow you to, but,
That isn’t the half of it.
So, don’t tell me how to be.
Eva
My Body
My body is my own.
It’s not for you to gawk at, honk at as you drive by,
Driving me to insanity and insecurity.
Shaming me for having femininity and a womanly body,
But I’m young, not just some young one on the street to feast your eyes on.
I don’t want you to make lewd comments,
Rude comments to show off to the boys behind your back.
The grown men backing you up, laughing and cheering you on because “g’wan, you mad lad”.
Don’t touch me with your hands, hands sliding up and down my back backing me into a wall.
Walls closing in making it harder to breath.
In and out, in and out but there’s no way out.
It’s out of my control because you want to fill and empty hole of your chest
Because of your loneliness and pain.
Because while society teaches you that sexual harassment is bad
They say “He’s only a lad, he can’t help it”.
That you can’t help think with your micky, but let me tell you, this has happened to your mammy.
If this doesn’t stop it’ll happen to your sister, your neighbour, your cousin
Because this is what people mistake harassment for what love is.
They’ll be growing up with a thong over their heads
Being told that if they wear this they’re heading for trouble, that they’re asking for it.
They don’t want it. We never asked for it, we will never ask for it.
We are not objects for you to object, we’re your sisters.
We’re your aunties, your mammies, your classmates, your best mates. Your fellow man.
Saoirse
People
People do crime to make dime but always receive time
The place is dive shops won’t even stay open till five
Robbed cars burning rubber turning fast around corners from blue lights
Drugs being sold, as much as kids being told the sky is blue, no one has a clue
This is my home I have grown up here, from every tear from far to near
Hard workers to dark street lurkers, who walk through that big green park
Broken windows, weed toking and property stroking, never be heart broken
Chelsey
Untitled
To them who care
I play it fair
I always breathe air
But I don’t care
Alex
Tallaght
Tallaght is a place,
People call it a disgrace
Fellas running around with blood on their face,
For beating up a fella who said something about his mate.
Tallaght is the spot,
Everyone’s Da smoke rock,
Garda racing against the clock,
On the way to raid your dealers gaff, tick tock
Emma Masterson
In the Night
I feel safer at night
As strange as that seems
There’s something about the streetlights
The way the cars seem to gleam
Not a sound to be heard
Or a person in sight
That is the reason
That I love the night
Anon
Untitled
Horses go nay,
Boats dock at the bay,
Food gets brought out on a tray,
Let me ask you, how was your day?
Mine was good, I didn’t do much,
Someone passed me a ball and I took a good touch,
It bounced once and I kicked it and top corner it curled,
They will be talking about it all over the world,
For lunch, I had a chicken roll,
I took one bite and tasted some mould,
I threw the roll straight into the bin,
But the after taste of mould was still very grim,
That’s about all that happened today,
Actually the horse died it no longer says nay.
Sean Byrne
School
I hate school
We’re always under so much pressure
Getting the bus in the worst weather
School days never get any better
Never have homework done
It’s just always thrown together
Being on holidays is what I treasure
My friends and me
Will be together forever
Wordddddddddd.
Anon
Untitled
Going out on the yard later for a big game
Think someone lost the ball don’t know who is to blame
Tadgh probably kicked it over the fence with his blocks
Keith’s loves showing off his odd socks
Philip always batters the second years
And he doesn’t think the teachers care
Jay sits upfront moaning his legs are sore
Kyle said he can’t take it anymore
Moo went up and slide tackled him
Adam said to him go to the gym
Tiarnan
Killinarden
Killinarden is the spot
Especially if you’re on the hop
If you’re drinking don’t get caught
Cause if you do they’ll call the cops
Anon
Wannabe Thug
People growing up around drink and drugs
Young men strive to be wannabe thugs
Gettin all this money pumping communities with drugs
That money they make takes a minute to bug
It’s not all that fun being a wannabe thug
Anon
Untitled
That song was a belter
But my ma thought it was a melter
I got me dog from the shelter
I thought I could help her
She made a sound it was a purr
After that it’s a blur
Philip
I Come From
I come from a council estate
Playing on the streets with a ball at our feet
Not like the kids nowadays with a phone in their face
Growing up not getting expensive things
Didn’t bother me it was all g
Anon
Friday Night
Friday night
Lights are bright
Makeup on and all
Underneath the disco ball
Drinks all free
Because she’s pretty
He thinks they’re going home together
Definitely not in this weather
Taxi waiting at the door
Feet are getting sore
Passed out on the bed
Looks like she’s dead
Dreaming about the next night out
And the pose she’ll do maybe a pout
Molly
Starving
You put bread in a toaster and it comes out as toast,
You put chicken in a stir-fry and it comes out as chicken stir-fry,
Starving
Sean Byrne
Untitled
I like a Tipperary boy
I really think he’s sexy
I think he uses me as a toy
But will never get along with my bestie
He likes to smoke a lot of weed
Sometimes he get hammered
But to kiss him is what I need
But he was very badly mannered
He doesn’t play county
Or wear Canterbury trackies
I hope he doesn’t eat a bounty
His friends are all crackies
Niamh McCudden
Food
Chicken satay, noodles chips and rice
I’ll get some Chinese, what’s the price?
Chicken nuggets, chips, Fanta with ice
Ooh and shredded chicken that’d be nice
I’ll have some curry and taste the spice
And get a pizza id have a slice
Have a dessert that tastes like paradise
I want food but what I want is impressive
Adam