The Ashes of Change
She always felt scared of change,
Preferring to dwell, ignorant,
Confined to her wishbone cage.
They arrived,
Coercing selfish reform,
Their methods of alteration cruel and wrong.
She knelt down, head bowed,
Keeping herself lowered to the ground.
Yet hidden, her bravery fortified
Their evil adding fuel to her flame of spite.
To ensure their power,
They used pain and sizzling fire.
Like a rising phoenix she emerged,
To scourge all foes and reclaim her world.
Oriana O’Shea
True Reflection
You are looking in the mirror,
Not seeing your true reflection.
Just seeing all the ways you could be someone else.
Through the lens of cruel words, judgements,
Reflecting hatred and self-doubt.
It’s an illusion.
Stop.
Your eyes are foggy and glazed over,
You’ve been hoodwinked, trucked, lied to, led astray
Stop.
Close your eyes.
And look again…
Larissa Di Lucia
Untitled
Millions of thoughts bombard my head
Fear clutches my heart in its trembling, cold grasp
They say taking deep breaths calms the mind
My focus deteriorates
Doubt poisons my confidence,
What if I fail?
How will I win?
Am I out of my depth?
My conscience screams that I wont know until I do it,
Hope overpowers the dread that controls my mind,
Ambition builds a dam, brick by brick
Stopping the flooding thoughts.
I step out into the open,
Ready to conquer my doubts
Into the blinding light
Emma O Dwyer
Home
It sat there for a time out of mind
A barnacled hull, listing away
Peeling paint and worn wood
It had known the sea too long
Three boats gurgled on the water,
Rocking as they enacted their chaotic dance
I teetered back on my heels
Ground on shore was too calm for my racing thoughts
I floundered down the ladder
Dad pulled the coiled ropes loose and ignited the engine
It stirred. Crashing waves broke the bow
We wafted away from the pier
He steered us away from the harbour,
Rounding orange buoys that bobbed in the blue
I looked skywards
Auspicious light peeked through hues of grey
Gulls cried and soared, an echo in the playful breeze
Salt and spray, wave after wave
The Pure Drop bounced on the rolling billows
My burdens swallowed under their frothy crest
Land behind, I was home
Oriana O’Shea
The Misunderstood
From the bottom of my heart,
To the bulbs of every tear,
For the rest of our lives,
Till we’re old and dear.
When the light disappears,
And the earth grows cold,
Till the sun goes out,
And the oceans fold.
From the rock bottom of my heart,
When even hell looked good,
You rescued me,
From being misunderstood.
Ciara Mulligan
Burning
See the burning in your eyes
You can only see the brightest side
But when you get the wrong idea
Your daydreams mutate to nightmares
And when you cannot sleep at night
I need to bring the light back
From my darkened soul to rest
Katie Haugh
A Diamond
A diamond like you is rare
Uncut
No shine nor twinkle can compare
But when I come in
I am the highest
The well I find is the driest
Why you have to do me wrong
My feelings poured out into the song.
My blessings have so much worth
Then all the diamonds on this earth
Devone Fonseka
Change
Slammed doors,
Screams that fill up the room,
‘You have to change’
Nobody can change.
Change yourself, change yourself
Anger in your corner of the court,
Hits you like a bombshell,
Change, change, change
Repetitive words weighing you down.
People wearing masks,
Of their own faces melted to their own perfection,
Follow the pattern,
Stay ahead of the others,
‘But you can’t’
Do not put a foot out of place,
Start to pretend.
And when it comes to the end,
Do it all over again.
Because nobody cares.
Theruni Jayasinghearachchi
Mother to Daughter
From a Mother to a Daughter
I wish I hadn’t given up on life so young,
Wasting away, too high strung,
Living my life as a failed dreamer,
Yearning, praying for things to get better.
Spread your wings to crash and burn.
Dash away your thoughts, they will return.
When your being screams to stop,
Don’t be like me; don’t give up.
Ciara Miesle
Deep Inside
Deep inside, where nothing can shine
I am slowly losing my mind
I walk the desolate road that leads far away
And wait for the stranger to lead me astray
The Far-off lights fade into the mist
I think of the first and last time that we kissed
The pleasure of our love, as quick as a crime
But in return a scar that will last for all time
Amy O’ Sullivan
Trapped
I feel trapped.
I want to say something
But I can’t.
I want to express myself
But I can’t.
I want to just be myself
But I can’t.
Because they won’t let me.
They say tell someone how you feel
But when you do they say tell someone else.
They say don’t keep it to yourself
But when you say something you’re told to shut up.
So what can you do
When they keep trying to keep you trapped?
Catherine Gorman
Night Takes Pawn
I don’t know where I am in life
A stabbing blade as cold as ice
A chilling feeling all alone
Through the skin, right to the bone
Regret, despair is all I feel
A hamster on a spinning wheel
A battleground, a player born
Your game of chess, last standing pawn
Lauren Gardiner
Untitled
I am toxic,
I cannot believe that somebody can be authentic.
I am only living in a charade,
In your world of selfish crusades
In your kingdom of disgust,
Because I cannot learn to trust
I cannot stay away
But I need to…
From you…
When it came to your last goodbye,
A million tears fell like diamonds
From my darkening eyes.
TherunI Jayasinghearachchi
Far off Lights
I watched the far off lights
Escape beyond the day
My path drew darker still as I walked a wicked way
You inflict a grin through a wary hand
I stand safely behind
Bulletproof glass
I walk a lonely road that leads so far away
I watch as dying embers
Slowly turn to grey
Caoimhe Downey
Plastic Smiles
Long distance phone calls
Endless flights
Broken tears and sleepless nights
Glaring sun
Beating rain
Empty words that show no pain
Happy faces, plastic smiles
Shattering truths
Exploding lies
Hoping for change, knowing there’s none
The epitome of normal
When you’re gone.
Ciara Mulligan
Questions & Answers
Questions
They eat you up
They set you free
Who are you? Who do you want to be?
Answers
The ones I’m scared to find
Mess with my mind
Don’t leave me behind
Don’t leave me alone
Because that is when the questioning starts
My soul departs
To a place where I don’t know
Who am I?
Want to clarify
I will not lie
I will find my truth
Super soul sleuth
Maybe, leave me alone
I will come home
Like the moon alone
I will go through phases of emptiness
To feel full again
Katelyn Cusack
Stand Alone
Stand in line
You’ll be fine
Replays over and over in my head
As all the others drift away
The line gets shorter
Only the freaks are left
Freaks like me
The captains struggle to choose the best
Of the leftovers
I am split from the group
With girls talking
And boys sniggering
I stand alone
Katie Haugh
All around Me
You are all around me, but you’re not really there
No other person could compare
Sometime this could take, as too many mistakes I have made,
Your cut my heart with a razor blade
Alone is all I feel,
A girl who is hurt,
A girl who isn’t always as strong,
But for you I will play along
A black hole is what my world revolves around,
The same black hole in place of my soul,
But with you I am whole.
Lauren Gardiner
Untitled
Arguing with a woman
Is like getting arrested
Anything you do or say
Can and will be used against you
Don’t fight that,
You are only sorry because you got caught
His drunk words were his sober thoughts
That he kept captive inside his head.
My knight in shining armour,
My vision partially impaired by tears
Overthinking over-drinking
Laying on the floor of oblivion
He didn’t appreciate my drunken texts,
Even as I sprawled
With whole world spinning
I was always thinking of you.
Anon
Untitled
Angel and devil fighting on your shoulder
Not fading away as you’re getting older.
The angel is friendly, she’s gentle and helps
But the devil is trying to drag you to hell.
You are hurting people, and as you’re being hurt
The devil is leading you deeper into the dirt.
‘Cause it works this way, the evil is winning
The devil celebrates, he’s cheering and grinning.
You were never meant to stay,
And for your sins you’ll have to pay.
Antonia Storr
The Same Hurt
He sits in his seat,
Lost in his mind,
His eyes on his feet,
He’s been left behind,
His parents are gone,
His friendships have burned,
He’s been used as pawn,
His lesson is learned.
She lies in her bed,
The silence rings out,
The thoughts in her head,
They build in a cloud,
They twist in her gut,
Like knives in her heart,
The gate has been shut,
As her soul departs.
Two of the same,
One girl, one boy,
Trapped in a game,
Life void of joy,
They can’t see a way,
To outrun their fate,
Their life, dark and grey,
They are way too late.
Katie Duson
Too Late
You should learn from the past,
Before life races by too fast.
As you cannot see without the dark,
Without the night there is no spark.
With your mind unclear and out of place,
Just know that you can win this race.
While I was running scared from you,
I guess you came to see me through.
I have lived my life for all it was,
Now it’s your turn to fight the cause.
Life is but an empty dream,
And nothing is quite as it seems.
You should learn from the past,
Before life races by too fast.
As you cannot see without the dark,
Without the night, there is no spark.
With your mind unclear and out of place,
Just know that you can win this race.
While I was running scared from you,
I guess you came to see me through.
I have lived my life for all it was,
Now it’s your turn to fight the cause.
Life is but an empty dream,
And nothing is quite as it seems.
Carol Ann Finn
Untitled
For you, I’d turn my life upside down
But you just look at me and frown.
I miss talking to you, but I’m glad that you’re gone,
‘Cause you hurt me too often and now we are done.
Without you here, I feel so much lighter
And now I can see that I’m truly a fighter.
The problem, it has always been you
And I hope one day, you can see that too.
It’s always been you, it’s never been me
And when you finally left, I really felt free.
Antonia Storr
The Difference Between Us
Her hand seems so small, so frail against mine,
She doesn’t eat much, she’s as thin as a vine.
I know of her plights, her face holds no frown,
Since the disaster, her life has turned upside down.
This girl’s eyes are tired, there’s no bounce in her step,
She’s so different to the people I’ve already met.
Her smile lights her face, her world seems so dark,
She reminds me of a fading ember’s spark.
I stand with my friends, who are chatting together,
Her walk back home will take her forever.
I wonder what secrets she’s hiding inside,
The girl who looks as though she has died.
Katie Duson
Shadow
When I was ten, my best friend was a cat,
A black cat, who I had helped down from a tree
After seeing his lonely eyes, like my eyes,
Staring hopelessly down at me.
I dubbed him Shadow, was he a he?
I never fed him, never even knew his name
But he followed me wherever I went,
We were bonded, one in the same.
We went to the horse field, the end of the road,
He even risked timidly straying
Into another’s territory, just to walk with me.
I always stopped for him, waiting.
Shadow would meow when he met with me,
Widened green eyes, just like to mine
We would sit together, I talked, he purred.
From winter to spring, autumn to summertime
For two whole years, my best friend was a cat,
But then, one day, I went inside for the last time,
My Shadow waited outside for an hour,
All I know is, he eventually resigned.
A year passed, two, three, and then
I was fifteen when I met a cat,
His eyes, so lonely, so unlike mine,
Looked at me, and a stranger stared back.
Ciara Miesle
Fierce
Her love is fierce
There’s plenty of it.
She loves her friends,
Her family.
Their love consumes her
Takes her captive,
Not letting go.
She smiles a lot,
She laughs
Surrounded by people she cares about.
But when she’s alone,
There is no love left.
There is no way she can love herself.
She hates it,
But her love is fierce.
Antonia Storr
Eternal Lens
Cotten candy tear drop skies
Moon blue early morning rise.
There is nothing to compare
To the beauty and the splendour time
Shown only to the naked eye
The eternal lens, a living lie.
The eye brings the earths beauty to be
Myriad colours for all to see
Devone Fonseka
Untitled
I fell in love with death
And all his chilling charms
For he stole away my breath
When he took me in his arms
For at last I now could see
That my ideals were all misted
The person I was dying to be
I was the bride that he had twisted
For life had gotten oh so dull
Some would say life was fine
Death seemed much more peaceful
Like a shiver up my spine
Now we dance with death together
In a life to which we cling
When pray to live forever
It is to death we sing
Hannah O’Brien
Upside-down Frown
Don’t dismiss me till my tale has been told,
Look at the events that have been in your life,
We’ve been told to be plain when we should act bold,
Free yourself from the past with the swish of a knife.
There’s a reason for life, and a reason for death,
I am as innocent as sin, though I look like a child,
If you look to the future, nothing has happened yet,
You’ll never get far if you’re afraid to be wild.
So listen to me, don’t give in to the pain,
When you attempt, happiness outshines the anger,
I assure that your story will pick up again,
Be so strong that their mocking won’t dent our armour.
Katie Duson
Raspberry Picking
Late October given moist rain and thunder
The raspberries would ripen
At first just one a rare red clot
But then others moist, hard as a slice of pan
We ate the first one and its moist skin
Like thickened jam, springs blood was in it
Leaving stains upon the lips
And the urge to pick
Then red ones inked up the hype
Alison Fennell
That Orange Label
When I see that orange label
A shiver runs down my spine
Trying to contain my excitement and pretend that I am fine,
Because if the old hags catch wind
That there’s a bargain to be had,
There’ll be gaggles of women
Really, really mad
I set the game plan in motion,
Grab the trolley and run,
Headed straight for the bargains,
Whipping out my gun.
I knocked them out of the way,
Allowing time to take my pick,
With guards on my back I didn’t have all day,
So I legged it with some ladies stick.
I ran into the multi-storey,
Picking and choosing my car,
Clutching my discounted pou pourri,
Searching for my crowbar.
Ciara O’Halloran