I Am the One
I am the one who freezes in the moment
The one whose breath suddenly vanishes
The one who suddenly is overcome by emotions
I am the one who puts up with this problem
The one who discovered the answer
The answer, which is to cope and move on
I am the one you call anxious
I am the one you call worried
I am the one you call emotional
But above all I know I am me
Blake Fitzgerald
Rainbow
I was twelve
When I first thought kissing a girl
Wouldn’t be so bad.
I liked boys,
Boys were loud.
Boys were witty.
They lived in the moment.
And girls,
Girls were soft,
Girls were strong.
I didn’t like girls.
I wasn’t gay.
I just admired them.
Right?
Gay for me was black and white.
Girls or boys.
Pick one and stick by it.
No room for indecision here.
No room for a confused teenager
Who finds boys so beautiful
But who finds that girls keep catching her eye.
But she just admires them.
Right?
When I was fourteen,
I met a girl
And she was smart.
She made me smile with her wit.
She was beautiful.
And she made me question everything.
I told my friends.
I think I might be bisexual.
Are you sure?
They said.
And I wasn’t.
I didn’t know.
Am I gay?
Or am I looking for attention?
Am I just confused?
I was fifteen when I first told someone
I’m Bi.
Tentatively.
Everything resting on this moment.
And they were okay with that.
Cool
They said.
I was Bi and that was cool.
At sixteen
I took a train
With some people I’d never met
To a course where no one knew me.
One of them told me
I’m Bi.
I said ‘me too’.
And it felt right.
It felt like trying something on
And finding that it fits.
Somehow this was right.
This was me.
I am sixteen.
I am gay.
Girls are beautiful.
Boys are beautiful.
I want to love both.
I don’t want to choose.
I think I am bisexual.
Maybe I’m something else.
And that’s okay.
Gay isn’t black and white.
Gay is a rainbow.
Anon
Breathe
Blood pumping
Hand shaking
Head racing
Nerves
I overthink
Care too much
About what people think
Instead of me
My opinions of myself
But hey being a girl means you need to look pretty right?
No
Being a girl means being more than looks
Confident
Clever
And to be clear I can look how I want thank you very much
I may overthink
But my brain is my superpower
Amy Warrington
Untitled
From when I was young, to this very day,
I struggle to believe a word that you say.
Left me in the cold, with the lies that you told,
You made me believe your heart was of gold.
All of your words couldn’t be further from the truth,
Now I want nothing to do with you.
Hope it was worth it, Dad, I hope it was,
Now you want to love me, but you’re left in the dust.
Anon
Age
Age,
It’s just a number,
Just because I’m sixteen,
Doesn’t mean you can be mean,
Just because you’re older,
You can’t knock my opinions with a boulder,
Just because we were born in a different year,
It doesn’t give you the all clear,
Just because of my age,
You can’t lock my ideas in a cage,
Everyone should be on the same page,
Not based on religion, race or age.
Juliet Mulcahy
The Eyes
The eyes are the window to the soul
Hers were clear blue
A shade shared by many
Yet her feelings were not
Constant isolation
Shattered the iris
The pupil
The whites
These pieces that fall
Break her down
Pick her up
Fix her
Break her
Fix her
Break her
Until the pieces are no longer
Recognisable
A copy of a person she
Is not
And yet
She remains
Clodagh Hannan
Wake Up
I wake up breathing
Not knowing whats next
Living each day
Not a life, but a test
My history unknown
To those who surround me
My future unknown to those
But who find me
Lost in a world
Of spiralling thoughts
Like a mind map expanding
Dot by dot
Trying to escape
I hope for the best
A long list of emotions
Left unexpressed
But life goes on
I’ll live til tomorrow
There’s hope for my future
With more than just sorrow
Aoife Duggan
Teenage Years
When I hear that your teenage years
Are the best of your life
I hear lies
The best years of my life
Were the end of primary school
When your parents weren’t suspicious
Of everything you do
The best years of my life
Were having fun was running around outside
And you didn’t care
If you didn’t get a certain amount of likes
The best years of my life
Where when you didn’t care what you wore
Or how you looked
Because no one really gave a damn
Anon
People
People judge
People compare
People bitch
It’s up to you
How you view people
It’s up to you
How you treat others
It’s up to you
Whether you want to be like these people
Or be your own person
Anon
Locked Gate
I stand behind this locked gate
Looking for its key but can’t seem to find it
The heavens open leaving my skin drenched, soaked
My open soul closes shuts itself
Don’t open!
My vulnerability is something that’s sacred
Don’t hurt me
But you hurt and have me guessing
You endure pain
What do you gain
I can’t seem to shake you
You exist in my brain
That voice echoes
Runs through my veins
I can’t live in this state of mind again
You go from a one to a ten in a second
I wish I could stand the power you hold over me
So I shut people out
Live in this bubble
I will be safe if I give in and suffer
So I disappear into cloud that’s nothing like my chateau
And when I come out
I am simply a shadow
Anon
The Way It Is
He gives his opinion; he is clever.
She gives her opinion; she is full of herself.
He takes charge; he is a leader.
She takes charge; she is bossy.
Is this how it is? Yes.
She is easy to talk to,
He is too sensitive.
Is this how it is? Yes.
This is set in stone.
There is no other way.
Is this how it is?
Maybe.
Íde Ní Ifearnáin
I’m Sorry
I’m sorry for always texting you at the wrong time
I’m sorry for making my love for you an inconvenience
I’m sorry that I care for you
I’m sorry for thinking of you day and night
I’m sorry for being clingy and possessive
I’m sorry that my love is stronger than yours
I’m sorry
Jennifer and Leah
This isn’t bout Me
At first everything was normal
We tried to carry of as we did
The little things changed but the main things stayed the same
I couldn’t believe this had happened to us
The fourth time now.
I tried to help out, to do my part,
Make this easier for everyone involved
But I couldn’t, not for long
I found myself slipping back into thinking about myself,
I forgot that someone else had it way worse than I right now
Another was the crutch
The other getting away with doing nothing
His way of coping I suppose
And then there was I
I felt bad when I tried cause I wasn’t trying enough
I felt horrible
Like the worst on the earth
when I thought this made me different
Like a licence to treat me differently
Like this was something good
It isn’t
And I felt evil for ever letting that thought
This isn’t about me
Let yourself go
Let go of that selfishness
Sometimes I find myself, wanting to just complain
Or even just to talk
But I can’t
Because the people who know either ignore
Or tell me that I have to be there to support
That is what matters the most
The others dont know and that isn’t going to change
Because I can’t bear for anyone to look at me different
To think they can’t talk about it
To treat me like a delicate flower
But maybe I am
Turning into fine glass
For two days
I wasn’t myself
My silence a cry
For someone to notice
That something had changed
And they did
But they didn’t
All at the same time
I was angry
And sad
And confused
And just there but not really
I was trapped in my own head
Trying to figure it all out
All I said was “I’ve been weird for a while”
I got a nod and a reply
She was too busy doing what we needed her to do
If she hadn’t been there, we would have fallen apart
And I know that I can’t think of myself right now
And if I do, to keep it to myself
This is not about me
And I say that over and over
But I can’t help
The thoughts that creep into my head
I just want somebody
Someone who understands what I am going through
Right at this very moment
They would get what I mean
No judgment
Because they would know why
But this isn’t about me
Muireann Ní Shé
All these People
Seeing all these people so unhappy and upset,
I don’t know how it works, the human mind is complex at it’s finest,
People backstabbing each other every day,
And at this point, I don’t even know what to say,
But I can’t say much because I’ve been there before,
I’ve even tried to do it once and I closed the door to the light,
Life is just a matter of priorities, and unfortunately, the happiest are the minorities,
So respect everybody and love what you got,
You only got one chance at life so don’t waste your shot,
Being sad all the time, thinking about what you’re not,
Cause despite what you think, people love you a lot,
And I swear that’s true, nobody can tell you how to be you,
In this world full of negativity and hate so don’t take the bait,
You’re not a fish, you’re a shark so never give in because things seem dark.
Dara Murphy
Beauty
Beauty in your eyes
Beauty in your fries
Beauty in your bloody nose
Beauty in your rusty hinge
Beauty in your blueberry smoothie
Beauty is all around take the time to notice
Beauty is all around stop to smell the roses
Anon
Over the Horizon
Over the horizon
The flow
The fall
The breath
The freedom
The landing
The relief
The rush
All of these when I kayak to a beat
Robbie Geary
To the Person
To the person I used to call a friend,
We were happy until you made it end,
But now that you’re gone out of my life is better,
Hope it was worth it,
So long to someone I used to call my friend.
Bethany and Orfhlaith
The Group Chat
Type, click, send, receive.
What a weirdo, what a mess,
State of her you’d never believe.
She’s as clingy as a leech,
As loud as a horse,
So opinionated, someone to preach.
Who does she think she is?
She’ll never go away
Hide, run, don’t listen to what she says.
Then she sees her worst nightmare
A group chat of hurt and despair,
Whatever happened to friendship, love and care.
Now she doesn’t know where she belongs,
Watching her friends turn into strangers,
Wondering where it all went wrong.
Anon
On the Side
I stand on the side
Out of breath, sweating
Trying my best to hide
The agony in my legs, my feet, my insides
Watching my friend give it all
Arms straight by her side
This is the beginning of the ride
Because the old me has died
7 years, twice a week
Us hopeful kids would walk into the hall,
Huge, cold and bleak
He would stand there, taking the money
Ready for another night of baseless shrieks
You would think a dance teacher would care
About his pupils excelling, reaching their potential
All he could offer were brief remarks and a stare
Hours of killing myself
Not being corrected
Just for another useless medal on the shelf
This wasn’t enough, I strived to win
Tired of his laziness, I got up and walked out myself.
I moved to a new dance school,
With two compassionate teachers,
Two of my friends followed, which was cool
We can’t wait for the competitions to start
Which we are going to rule!
Ava Horgan
Limerick
Shannon boat house on the street
With all the boys rowing to a beat.
Spice bag spice bag all you can eat
But chicken hut you cannot beat.
Of course
Tom busking on the street
And that’s what this city means to me
Finn Pearse
Untitled
One two three four
A loud knocking on my door
My father calls me
To get out of bed
Or I’ll be hit across the head
School starts in an hour
The first day
Where new friends will be made
Some of whom I have never met before
And others I have known since childhood
Ethan O’Flaherty
This Is
The sound of horses clapping past
Lads on motorbikes thinking there gas
Battering cars and windows with eggs
Best of friends then clashing heads
This is my block this is not my past
This is where I live and it’s class
Stephanie Bowen
The One
I am the one who freezes in the moment
Who’s breath suddenly vanishes
Who suddenly is overcome by emotions
I am the one who put up with these problems
Who discovered the answer
The key to my freedom
Which is to cope and move on
The one you call anxious
The one you call worried
The one you call emotional
But above all I know I am me
Blake Fitzgerald
Sometimes
Sometimes, I feel alone
Mostly when my friends aren’t there
Sometimes people leave and they don’t say why
Was it my fault? Why don’t they care?
Sometimes, I feel empty
On the inside and out
Sometimes you see your friends with everything
And question why you’re without.
Though it doesn’t matter because they make me happy
Without them I’d still be broken like glass in the streets
I love them all for they are unique
And if anyone hurts them they hurt me so to speak
Dara Murphy
Untitled
My back is heavy
With other people’s baggage.
I wish that I
Was strong enough to hold it all
But I am only as strong
As the body that encompasses me.
I feel like a sponge
Soaking up everyone’s water
But unable
To control when it is squeezed.
My bottle is full
Of a mixture of drinks
And some of them fizz
When the bottle is moved.
I am scared that my bag will break
That my sponge will be squeezed before I am ready
That my bottle will break before it is drank.
I wish that I
Could be more like a maze
With the prize for those who reach the middle
Instead of
Small prizes for those
Who get lost on the outskirts
Of the maze of life
Joe Tanner
Why?
You’re smile was so innocent and beautiful
You’re eyes were the bluest of sapphires
Sapphires that shone in the light of the midday sun
I trusted you and I depended on you
But that smile is now a grin
A grin of malice and cruelty
Your eyes are now coals that burn in hate
They illuminate the darkness with a sickening glow
Why?
What did I do to deserve this?
Lochlann Kenny
My Pain
Its my pain, I come and go every chance I get.
I hit during the night or during the daylight.
I’ve seen you cry and i’ve seen you sigh,
And I’m never leaving.
My words to you are I’ll be hear in the long run,
So sit tight my love we are going for a ride.
Peace.
Mercy Oyewo
Untitled
Its so hard to right this poem
I just wish I could go home
This class isn’t that bad
Monday mornings make me mad
I dont realise why transition year
I would get in trouble for not being here
The year is such a doss between activities
I just got off detention, give the principal one of these
Seán Carmody
Always Felt
I’ve always felt different
Because of my long hair
When people look at me
All they do is stare
I’ve always felt so isolated
Because of my emotions
When people respond to what I say
It feels like they’re giving me demotions
Even with these feelings
I know that people still like me
And it is with these people
That I can talk to carefree
Anon
Untitled
I thought it was going well
Until she hit me and I fell
She hit me in the face
I took tackie down to mace
Everyone was at the rocks
But I had just got a box
The lads came to save the day
And said it was time to hit the hay
In the end, it was all good
And I was just misunderstood
Eveanne Reid
School
We all go to school,
Although it’s not cool
There are lots of ground rules
That are followed by fools.
We’re all in the same boat,
Just trying to stay afloat.
Don’t have on the school coat?
Sure just give them a note.
And did I forget to mention
Any English is a detention.
If you attract any attention,
You might aswell be from another dimension.
We all want to bail,
Just because we’re afraid to fail
Don’t wanna be the let down
But we still have to sail.
Eoghan Carter, Aoife Guckian, Saoirse McArdle
I Wish
I wish I could be as free as the sparrow
Who flies across the ocean blue
I wish I could see the big green fields
From an ants point of view
I wish I could be
Be anything but a human being
In our race against time
To put halt to our oblivious crimes,
I wish I will live long enough
To see the ocean blue
I wish I will live long enough
To see the green fields from an ants point of view
Meabh
Demagoguery
Democracy
Like a ship lost at sea
Captained by you and me
Bound to meet a grim fate
Sinking at an ever increasing rate
Not just anyone can command a ship
Let alone a nation
Leave the sailing to the sailors
For the sake of our salvation
Cullen Toal
The World that We Live In
The world that we live in is neither right nor fair,
Full of hate, inequality, death and despair.
Both men and women inhabit our planet,
So why should our gender divide us? And can it?
Upon further reflection, I believe that it can,
Create divisions between us, be it woman or man.
Society teaches us how to behave,
With the unstoppable force of a great tidal wave.
A man must be big and as strong as an ox,
While shutting his feelings away in a box.
If he shows emotions in a public place,
Then society shuns him and dubs him a “disgrace”.
A woman’s role in our present day,
Is to sit at home while the men are away.
If she wishes to play sports like rugby or soccer,
Then society will judge her, dislike her and mock her.
While it’s clear to see that things are changing,
There are those who don’t care and aren’t bothered with arranging,
For men and women to be able to say:
“I’ll express myself in any way”
Óran Morley
Our Hope
Our hope is to the future
That they change how we’re seen
So we will be seen as equals,
That we’re not just here to clean.
I’ve been told that I run like a girl,
That it’ll help if I tighten my shoe
I said maybe if you were a little faster,
You could run like one too.
This is the attitude to make a change,
To change our lives for the good
All it takes is to get off the pedestal
Where you so proudly stood.
Emma O Dwyer
Opinions
I have opinions,
But they’re never heard,
I have thoughts and feelings-
About this world
We live in.
But we’re not living,
We’re barely surviving
Comprising
On our happiness,
Living life through a screen,
So concerned with our appearance,
How others see us,
So much importance put on the outside,
That the inside grows dull.
Our sanity fades,
We hide behind a masquerade,
Unable to form our own thoughts and feelings,
Our vision is blurred-
But I have opinions,
And they need to be heard.
Síofra Minnis
What’s Wrong with Me
What’s wrong with me
Is that I cannot see
How beautiful I can be
I do not have the key
To feel glee
Because I want to be free
Free from this doubt
Body image, I want a way out
My confidence has been wiped out
I wish my self-esteem would just chill out
I’m always trying to figure it all out
Day in and day out
Anon
Global Warming
The sun is powerful,
Burning through
To things and places where life once grew.
The polar bears are dying the ice is now water,
Think about the world you’re creating for your daughter.
Life is changing so this is your warning,
Protect the world from Global Warming.
Ally
No Reason
Three cans down and the drink is kicking in…finally.
I’m starting to feel bouncy and light,
My friends tell me it’s normal but it doesn’t feel right.
That same feeling gathers at the bottom of my stomach,
A feeling of guilt because I have no reason to drink,
No heartbreak or sorrow to wash away.
Something is being washed away though, my innocence perhaps.
My friends tell me it’s cool to be drunk.
Apparently, it’s attractive to forget where you are or who you’re with.
I mean if it’s cool then I’ll do it.
Anon
Rugby
From the freshly cut grass
To the mud on my boots
I stand here in the middle
Just waiting for the ref to blow the whilst
The high pitch sound, bleed our ears
As we jump up and down surrounded by our cheer
We gather around to sing our tune
Emma O’Malley
Poetry
Poetry is hard
Poetry is tough
I cant think of anything
So this better be enough
Joanne Egan
My Best Friend
Girls love their hair.
I’m a girl but,
I cut chunks of it off.
Because I was told I was ugly.
I cried and cried and didn’t stop,
Nobody should know.
Nobody cares
I wish that they could see.
The pain that’s underneath,
My smile, ponytail.
I wish my friends would see,
And they did.
My best friend saw my pain,
And helped me through it,
I’ve never felt better than I do right now,
But the pain is still there.
The pain that bubbles over,
Like a boiling pot on a stove,
But she’s always there to turn down the heat.
I don’t know what I’d do without her.
Anon
Untitled
The ocean crashing against the barren rock
The sea life bubbling and creaking under the barren rock
The sea grass swaying in the current beside the barren rock
The birds squeaking in the wind above the barren rock
The foxes hunting in the woods on the barren rock
The badgers sleeping inside the barren rock
Sea life swimming land life running
None of us are barren rocks
Dara O’Sullivan
Little Legs
‘Chicken legs’
‘More meat on a salad’
I mightn’t look the part,
But I make that invalid,
I don’t have much going for me but I do have one perk,
Nothing can stop me when I put in the work.
Gary O’ Donoghue
November Rain
We first bonded over November Rain in the November rain
He made me feel elated like I’d just snorted cocaine
Bulmers, Linden and Smirnoff naggins
Punching glass windows and having the craic and
I gave him a hug and we almost kissed
But the opportunity was long gone and missed
As the months went by nothing had happened
I gave him multiple chances that just fell in his lap and
He was too scared, said “She’s out of my league”
Little did he know, he was all I could breathe
I let him know how I felt a good year ago
He thought I was taking the piss and let it go
He got a new girlfriend, I thought I was over all the pain
But the smile on her face was enough to drive me insane
I screamed and I cried and I listened to Iris
I was in such pain it felt like an act of violence
All the songs he made me love did nothing but trigger
Metallica and Guns n Roses made the hole in my heart bigger
A year and a half later, my heart is somewhat healed
I know I was overthinking but what else could I feel?
We never talk anymore and it hurts
But would us being friends and nothing else be worse?
I’m over all the heartbreak, hurt and pain
I still tear up to Iris sometimes, but it’s not the same
I hope I don’t see him again and fall for him again
Because I know it can’t be like how it was back then
Makayla Ryan-Wade
Saturday Night
Saturday night out in the town
With about four cans left to down
Leaving the discos, getting a load of chips
A bottle of Lucozade and a bag of hot lips
Morning after, dying sick
Few Panadols do the trick
In bed all day on Sunday
Trying not to think about Monday
Kayleigh Sheehan
My Team
A ball and gloves is all I need
With them I will achieve
Running up and down the wing
Trying to make my team win
Chantel Pearse
Results Night
It was the 15th of September
A nerve-racking day for all
We sit there quietly
Waiting for the call
As we hear
We head to find out
Listening to the principal
Our names he shouts
One by one, we all go up
He calls my name I stand up
I walk up fast, as I was the last
Not able to wait no more
I open the letter
To see my grades
To my shock
I had gotten all A’s
I ring my mam tears rushing down my face
She said I knew you could do it since before 6th grade
I was excited to go to the disco that night
But still surprised, as I never knew I was that bright
Results night, a night to remember
The whole weekend
A 3 day bender
Sarah Peters and Sarah De Bhailis
Untitled
There once was a boy he name was boris
He went to the circus and bought a horis
Boris’s horis went over a field,
He broke his leg and then it healed
He went to the shop to get a snack bar
And on his way back horis got hit by a car
Horis was dead with a load of bystanders
He looked in the car, it was Ned Flanders
Leon Power
Untitled
From training on a Monday
To a match on a Sunday
From the mothers on the sideline
And the coaches yelling all the time
On the pitch
Some girls bitch
Pulling hair
And acting like they don’t care
At half time
The coach says a few lines
He can’t wait to leave so he can have a few pints
At the end of the match
Can’t wait to go home
To have a lovely ice cream cone
Leah and Sarah
Food
Eating food is what I like to do
Chips, pizza but not tofu.
Vegans eat grass,
But don’t smoke hash.
Lactose intolerant people don’t eat dairy.
Smokin’ crack can make you weary.
I throw salads in the bin
Meat for the win
#NotAntiVegan (no shade)
Aliyah and Aoife
The Boys
We’re the boys
In fact, we’re the homies
We don’t act like men
We act like gomies
We don’t show emotion we decide to bin it
That’s how it is as a boy, innit
Pull up on us with the moneys
Then we take your girls,
Make them our honeys
Mup out de fog we said, yup
Oran, Louis, Jordan, and Tom
Spaghetti
I once ate spaghettI out of a can
All I had was a fork at hand
I popped open the can with a flick of the wrist
It was as the can opened that I noticed it
This ugly bubble
A slimy cyst
My Mam said “it’s grand it’s not out of date”
I glanced at the can ready to meet my fate
This slimy juice pouring down my gullet
I’m gonna get sick
Lochlann Kenny
Untitled
I was grinding up on some biscotti
They be calling me bascetti
My mama be saying I’m loco but,
I just be chilling fam
I think I just popped a half xan
I bought a brand new white van
It only cost half a grand
Now I be rolling up on yo block
Got my glock and it goes pop pop!
Anon
Blue
The sky is blue
My skin is white
Live in a blue house
The whole world is blue
And I feel like I should look inside to the moment
Grew up in blue school
All the assignments are blue blue blue
But I just need somebody to listen to
I feel just like I don’t belong in a blue world
I’m blue dabodeedabodie dabodeedabodie dabodiedabodis
Daragh Keating