Colaiste De Híde, Tallaght, Co. Dublin

Underestimated, Underappreciated

We are the lower class,
The smart ones, the kind ones.
The ones who don’t go to parties,
The ones who work hard in school.
The ‘shy’ and ‘weak’ ones

Day to day we get picked on,
Because we are different.
We have no interest in staying out late,
Or going to town drinking till the early hours.
And we’re Underappreciated,
Because we’re not like you.

Instead we’re at home staying up studying,
Working hard for the big exams.
We wear baggy hoodies and jeans,
Instead of crop tops or expensive trackies.
Because we’re Underappreciated,
Because we’re insecure.

For years you pick and tease us,
Because of our high grades,
Because of our lack of style.
And told us we were weak.
You underestimated us…

Little do you know that you’re the reason,
You’re cruel words broke us down.
Made us feel worthless for the longest time,
Until we realise… You underestimated us.

We soon realise we’re better than you.
We have a goal we want to reach,
A goal we’re working hard for.
No time wasted going out getting in trouble,
Instead we stayed in, working hard to achieve,
To achieve the job of our dreams.

Few years from now, we’ll have a well played job,
Good money and a great family.
While you’re working a low pay job,
Living in a small flat wishing and thinking,
You could’ve done better.

We were at the bottom of the ranks,
But now we’re at the top of the league.
Your words made us stronger and we now realise,
We are no longer underestimated or underappreciated.

Tara Brett

Succeed

I come from a place
So small but so big
A place where you’re told
The only was to succeed
Is school or the streets
Your peers tell you school
But the boys tell you
The streets.
They say the choice is yours
But we all know the truth
And now it’s time to choose.

Anon

Friendship

Friendship is laughing over nothing,
Singing and making lots of noise
Friendship is making funny Tik Toks
And crying over boys
Friendship is being there for each other
Through the good times and the bad
Friendship is being loyal to each other
And cheering you up when you’re sad

Anon

Envy

It’s the bitter taste in your mouth
When you see someone succeeds
It’s feeling deep and consuming
Something dark and unruly
Envy
A primal desire
To watch other people go down in the fire
A selfishness that craves others possessions
The sick gut wrenching obsessions
Envy
The green-eyed greed
The unfillable feeling of need

Anon

The World

I grew up with rainbows in sky
Now the world is in decline
From bonfires Halloween
To Australia, alight
Now the world is in decline
It has been a blaze for 3 months
But the world is focused on hostilities
There is no more time for possibility
Now the world is in decline

Josh Colclough

My Darling Husband

On the first of May, watching him set sail.
Sailing away, his mission “the frontline”.
With weapon in hand, wishing to prevail.
With his hope to return home, to be mine.

Fighting for his country, with all his might.
Praying for God’s forgiveness, for killing.
His fellow soldiers have died, in this fight.
Burying his men, with guns saluting.

My darling husband, who never gives up.
Led the frontline, against the enemy.
In the battlefield, entrenched in Europe.
He fought gallantly, now returns to me.

Stepping off the ship, half of his squadron gone.
Being thanked, whilst putting his medal on.

Ryan Clarges

I Grew Up

I grew up in a home around alcohol.
As a child in my room listening to my Mam and Dad arguing.
I never thought it would get easier.
Being in school never made it better
But after a while my Mam and Dad split
And my home is much more quiet now.
I miss my Dad being around.
But I’m happier now.

Anon

Growing Up

Growing up in this day and age
We have a lot to live up too
Grades,friends and popularity
When all else fails we want support
But instead were left with broken backgrounds
Never in my life did I want someone to trust more than right now
I see everyone with their friends and me in the background

Anon

In a Place

I grew up in a place where my friends rather get high and swallow pills
Rather than swallow their pride and tell each other what they dearly hide.

I grew up in a place where boys fake to be businessmen
Rather than work hard and make an honest pay
They rather grow their name in an infamous game.

I grew up in a place where men use a brass knuckle to cos trouble
Rather than use their words and make they’re way out of this bubble.

Anon

Waking Up

Waking up earlier then I’d like
The noise of the alarm dreading the day ahead
School is 9 classes,
5 days a week
Noise of lockers closing
Wish I had of stayed in bed
Homework stressing us out
Head filled with doubt
Work all day still go home and do the same
Learning things and still don’t understand

Anon

People may Think

People may think I act like I’m hard sometimes as if it was for nothing,
People may think I act like this for nothing that is not the reason at all,
Something happened that I had gone through that I had never felt before,
I hadn’t always been so hard to my feeling as I might seem now,
My mam had answered the phone,
Sometime after there was horrible screaming sounds ringing through the house,
I lost my uncle I hadn’t thought I’d see go and my dad lost his brother.

Anon

My Generation

My generation are wearing clothes that cover every inch of their skin
Or wearing so little, that it can barely be classed as clothes at all.
We’re being called ugly for having acne
Or being called worse for having our faces caked
We’re told we’re the most accepting generation,
Except we can’t even be our true selves,
Because we’re afraid of the backlash from our own nation.
We’re being told that we’re trash that belongs in the bin
To the point where nobody believes they can win

Anon

It’s Hard

It’s hard when you put in everything you’ve got and get nothing in return
It’s hard when you see everyone succeed even when you work so hard
It’s hard to continue working hard and keep going at what you know you love
Even when you doubt yourself
It’s hard to keep going keep putting on the gloves
And hitting the pads when it feels they should go back on the shelf
It’s hard to keep pushing kicking and punching, crying but fighting
But even when it’s hard I keep going keep fighting and I keep competing
But it’s hard

Zara Jones

School

School is boring and cold
But sometimes fun because I have my friends
I hate waking up early and getting into a uniform
Exams I hate very much and studying is the worst
Going on trips every Tuesday isn’t too bad though

Ella

Untitled

While mam thought I was cozy in my mates watching movies or talking about boys,
We scaled the fence hoods up and heads down,
Into the dark stone structure where once a business lay,
The hollow building where we ducked beneath
A kicked in wooden board into the derelict drippy cavern,
As we ignored the caution asbestos tape,
We crouched into an empty doorway where a locked door sat long ago,
Once needed correct authorization now is non existent,
And we sat there on the old office chairs,
Speakers screaming house music,
As stress free as we had ever been,
Since I started in secondary school in 2016.

Anon

Untitled

Number 10 on the hurling field,
Nothing to hide except my meals,
Eat like crap and cannot stop,
But it won’t stop the hurler I am,
Running through straight for goal,
Top of the corner it will be told,
The other team screaming at us all,
But after all it’s only stick and ball.

Anon

“The Goalkeeper”

Grass and blood
Stain my cloths
Dirt and mud
Stain my skin
Batters and bruised
My bones ache from use
But the last wall of defence
Will not break not today

Evan Nolan

Our Journey

On the 5th part of the journey
We had to get past the Milan
But Maldini scores and Crespo roared
And the shit had hit the fan
Any other side would’ve called it quits
But that’s not the Liverpool way
And in came Didi
And up stepped Stevie
And the reds began to play
But see we went to Istanbul for a football game
And destiny called us again
3-0 down the whole world would’ve called it a day
But they hadn’t found out the Liverpool way

Ryan Fahey

Life is Simple

But we insist on making it hard
There are so many twist and turns
Sometimes you rise and sometimes u fall
We put up a wall to try protecting ourselves from being hurt
Because life is not easy for any of us
But we live and we learn
Being hurt only makes you grow
The best lessons are learnt through pain

Amy

These Walls

The good old times
The funny and sad
The times where we laughed or cried
Or laughed till we cried
The times where we hid and lied
And the times where we messed

Ellie Iveagh

Ready to Win

Playing with the team, ready to win a game
All the scouts watching, you tryna impress,
You get the ball and pass it long,
Your mate shoots and scores,
The scouts watch on as you ain’t playing well
You think what the hell what am I doing?
You get the ball and dribble on,
Then you bang it in top bins
You celebrate like you won a final
But then remember your still losing
But all is well you’ve played very well
And now you have been noticed
Your hopeful for the future
And you finished the game well

Ryan Clarges

I Don’t Feel

I don’t feel happy,
I don’t feel the same.
I don’t feel angry,
I just feel insane.

I realise now that I have no one else,
That I’m the only that I have to myself.

I remembered the time I didn’t know pain
Now I know there’s different types but they all feel the same.

Daniel

Untitled

Sunflowers reach,
Up to the skies,
Algae are green,
And so are your eyes.

Foxgloves in hedges,
Surround the farms,
Seatbelts are safe,
And so are your arms.

Daisies are pretty,
Daffies have style,
My thing is cute,
And so is your smile.
A nanny is beautiful,
Just like you.

Katie Shiels

Untitled

Who’s drink is that? I think I know.
It’s owner is quite angry though.
He was cross like a dark bitter apple.
I watch him frown and run around.
I cry hello from within.
He gives his drink a shake.
And screams I’ve made a bad mistake.
The only other sounds the break,
Of distant creaks of wood and birds awake.

The drink is warm, sharp and deep.
But he has a promise to keep,
Revenge is lonely and oh so sweet.
Tormented with demons and evil signals all he can relate to is cheap sprits.
Awoke with dark thoughts in his head.
He arrives at the shore with not much more.
He leaps from the border with a big jump forward.
Next thing you know there’s a body in the water.

Saoirse

School

Sitting in class first thing Monday morning teachers moaning
Weather is gloomy teachers are moody
Everyone’s attitude is putting me in a bad mood
Can’t open my mouth cause teacher is shouting
Don’t want to be here just want to go home
And It doesn’t help that teacher gives us homework
Oh how I hate
When it’s the end of summer holidays

Anon

Tallaght

Tallaght is full of dotes
Rapping like Tupac with a dodgy haircut
Being apprentice fixing electric circuits
Working in the cartel you better believe it

Ryan Fahey