The Ticking
The ticking of a broken clock finally stops
Angels creep on you to take your breath away
I stand still to focus on you but see you slowly fade
My heart breaking, my mind shaking
As you slipped through my fingertips
Left me here with three words slipping
From my trembling lips
Tara Moore
Overachiever
I strive for my best, not for the best,
But trying to get others to understand that, is an even bigger test.
I don’t want to stand out from everyone else, I just want to blend in and be the same,
But the girls in school think I’m being fake and playing some sort of game.
It might be obvious that I’m clever, work hard, win awards and whatever,
But because of this I feel like I’ve been bared forever
From lunchtime tables and a seat beside someone in class,
It’s been like this since the start and I never thought that my reputation would last,
But it always will.
Anon
Suffocating Darkness
The suffocating darkness starts to close in
I am surrounded by the shadow of sin
Bitter loneliness lies, where vulnerability spawns
I will lie here awake until the break of dawn
I’m going to die a lonely, cruel and unforgiving death
My mind fights itself for every breath
We start with a new beginning
Forgetting our lies and denying mistakes
Sieving through old memories like polaroid fakes
I want to be wrapped in your powerful arms
Protected from the dangers of the world outside
But I’m too scared to speak or move
So I would rather stay sheltered in shadow and hide
Hannah Byrne
Untitled
The wardrobe stands ajar,
Revealing dusty books and memories long forgotten.
The past oozes out, grotesque and rotten.
The world is shut out, fiction seeps in.
Those that have failed, and those that will win.
Walls reflect dedication and delusion,
Heroics and stupidity.
Placed by the one who longs for serenity.
The mask peels off, the truest self is revealed.
For the room that sees past all that’s concealed.
Isabel
The Monsters
The monsters under your bed have become your friends.
They protect you from the awful silence
Because the sea of loneliness is drowning you slowly
Yet the people that surround you most can’t notice
Our hearts are so locked up in our chests
That our rib cages are starting to cave under the pressure
Where the people who were supposed to protect you most
Leave you fighting on the floor
The muffled sounds of tears at night become the fake smiles of the day
The struggles of life slowly suffocate us
Taking our breath away
We die achieving nothing because we were always afraid of not achieving anything
We shut ourselves off from the world when we still have years to go
Because we break ourselves more than anyone else will ever know
Ailbhe O’Brien
Untitled
The trees that fall in the gusting storm,
My vision a blurred distorted form,
Not quite happily ever after
More your fairy tale disaster,
A fire exploded in front of us,
And all The trees had turned to dust,
This all started a while ago,
Before the winds of change did blow
Aoibheann Campbell
My Vision
My vision is distorted,
Everything looks to be disproportionate.
I see things that are not there,
This feels like a nightmare.
My mind always gets the best of me,
I don’t think there’s a chance of feeling free.
Glass smashes, it falls to my feet like rain,
Jealousy creeps up behind me,
I know it cannot feel this pain.
I drop to the ground, defeated,
My shattered reflection speaking
In ways, I could never.
Megan Moore
The Real Me
Information processed from hours of pointless study comes and goes
This system is corrupted, hardware malfunction, students at an all-time low
I keep all my darkest little secrets safely stored
They cannot know how i really am, that I can’t afford
I keep my thoughts locked, so I don’t show the real me
You can’t stand out and not be judged in this society
My insecurities are hidden so I don’t come across as weak
Acceptance and validation are the only things I seek
My downfall begins to unfold if I do not express who I am
For now, I put on a brave face and smile for as long as I can
Anon
Trapped
I figure out what I want to be and how I have to try,
To find a path true to me, trying hard to get by.
Surrounded by others is where I feel most alone,
Plastic smiles and voice echoes the same old dreary tone.
I figure out where I want to be and what I want to know,
And everything that I want to see, the places I shall go.
So I shut myself off in fear of actually speaking,
So here is the thing- why is it attention I am seeking?
Trapped in my mind, trapped in my head.
But really all I am is trapped in my bed.
Ella Rogerson
Plastic Heart
I meet new people who I’ve never known
This is where I begin to grow
Reality now is taking a turn
Things begin to crash and burn
It begins to feel like make or break
And peoples true colours come out as fake.
Jess Jordan
Kicked Around
We go every day to be kicked around
Like dirt on the ground
Teachers teach us to be the same
They tell us how life without education is a life of pain
All of our creativity is swept away
To try and keep our imagination at bay
Self-expression is dismissed
An opportunity to punish is never missed
We are made to feel less wanted
Because we feel so daunted
Gayle Ferris, Sophie Sheeran, Ava Healy, Hannah Foley, and Josie Farrelly
Untitled
Our minds are corrupted by those who teach us right from wrong
There is voices running through us like a darkening song
We escape from those who hold us down
Struggling for breath, about to drown
I lose my mind and focus on the road ahead
Or I’ll crash and die helpless in bed
Dreams start becoming a reality
Our lives are better, no longer a fatality
The past is forgotten and the future a mystery
The poison of sadness confined to history
Laura Kernan
Eczema
I go to school
I be cool
I sit on stool
I almost dropped my croissant
That is something I do not want
I got bronchitis
I got tonsillitis
I spend money on unnecessary things
I didn’t even want those chicken wings
My friend got eczema
I got with your dad.
Alannah
We Eagerly Wait
We eagerly wait for the ticking clock to reach ten to four,
Spring out of our rocky chairs
And grab our book laden bags
From the dusty wooden floors.
Rebecca MacNamara
I Am
I realised how amazing I am,
Then it hit me like a bus, BAM!
It all came to an end,
When I knew she wasn’t my friend,
I knew it wouldn’t be the same,
I tried to beat her at her own game,
I really wanted to kill her,
As I watched her lure.
Her lies flowed down the stream,
It felt like the heart
Of a psychopath’s dream…
Caitlin Smyth
I Stopped
I stopped to breathe and took a pause
I was so shook with what I heard
Not a sound from anyone, not even a bird
I knew it wasn’t going to be the same
It was only her I had to blame
When my heart dropped to the floor
All she was saying was more and more
Then I realised it was the end
Not anyone ever could replace my best friend
Milly Clarke Carolan
The Chains
The chains are broke
I break free,
At last I feel
What it means to be me.
The rules are set,
The game is made.
I’m stepping our
From the shade.
Skin is cut,
Bones are broke,
Tears are shed,
By supportive folk.
Molly O’Brien
My Life Unfolds
My life unfolds, it all takes place
I need to set it at a steady pace
Where all the good times began
I hope I find the perfect man
I live my life to be the best
There is no time for me to rest
I hope my dreams and hopes come true
Come along and join me too
At night I look into the sky
And count the stars
But don’t ask why
Aisling Kavanagh
Untitled
This is where we begun
This is where we have fun
This is where I have made my friends
This is where we make amends
This is where it all ends
Anon
Untitled
I look at myself,
Then back at you,
I don’t feel safe
Because of what you do.
You’ve a plastic face,
But a heart full of gold
And a soul that has fragments filled with mould.
Tears roll down my face
You call me a disgrace
But I couldn’t care less because I’m your mess
Laura Mcenery
Summer
The summer or a lifetime is incoming,
Hiphip horay we all scream running,
Cold drinks and ice cream all day long,
Then we gather round the beach and sing song.
Building sand castles and jumping in the sea,
Then coming home and drinking ice-tea
Pool parties and tanning under the sun
oh wow summer is so much fun
Naoise Collins
The Only Thing
The only thing
Giving our relationship
Energy
Was a daily can of it.
We sit on the wall,
Outside Melt,
All chill, all mellow,
He texts me later,
Greeted with a ‘Hewwooo ;3’
Body pics he sent,
To a gender he does not like.
How could she refuse?
He’s a boy,
But he’d prefer if her name
Was Mike.
Not pleasant to the eyes,
Oh, how they fit each other.
Or do they?
If only she would realise,
He’s more into
Her Brother.
Clodagh and Sophie
Locked Eyes
The first time I locked eyes
It gave me a surprise
I had a deep sty wedged in my eye
It was given to me by a guy that lied about his sty
So then I called another guy to get it out of my eye
But instead he gave me another sty
It stung like a bitch and made my eye twitch
This guy was sick he even asked for a pic
I’m so done with all his hormonal politic
Michelle Nevin and Julie Davidson
Limbo
We are born in Limbo
And eventually die,
Some smoke weed and get really high,
People enter with fear
And leave with high hopes,
A roller coaster of dreams
That go up in smoke
Rebecca Tully and Didi Bashford
Red Paint
The table was shoved to the side, crashing into the wall,
It was a loud noise that could be heard from the hall.
I heard the scream that could shatter glass,
And everything was happening too fast.
The bloody hand print was caked across the floor,
Oh, how I wish you were alive once more.
I found your cold stiff body coated in red paint,
The picture was perfect, but my life was the taint
Sarah-Ann Troy
In a Box
I am sorted into a box
To fit their own starchy mould.
But I was not born to be confined
It is I who shall defy and define.
My name is X
And your name is Y
They say who you are and who you will be
Before even reciting their own ABC’s
They look down upon you and judge every move
Your are the pawn and she is the queen
One wrong turn and you shall be stopped
You shall not destroy what they shall concoct
Years upon years of modifying standards
Till eventually no one can really stop crying
You were told to create an environment
That welcome your students and opens their minds
Yet you have destroyed their wishes and dreams
Along with their confidence and high self esteem
Are you proud of what has been constructed?
Stay in your line, as straight as can be.
No one will love you for being who you are
God won’t accept the ones who are far gone
Luissa Guinane
Post Anxiety Exam Paper Blues
I see papers flick,
I hear pens click,
My heart starts to flicker,
All of a sudden, the clock is moving quicker.
I find it hard to breath,
My stomach begins to heave,
My hands will then shake,
I feel like my whole world has been rocked by an Earthquake.
I skim through the sheets,
I’m so red and overcome by heat.
I put pen to paper,
I will worry about the result later.
I remind myself it’s a test,
All I can do is my very best.
Jodie Everard
Unfair
I found out the world is unfair,
It all changed with just one dare,
“I’d never to that again” I swear.
My mind began to play tricks on me,
A part of me wanted to flee,
I knew I would never going to be glee.
The earth crumbled beneath my feet,
As I stumbled down the street,
I thought: “I really didn’t mean to cheat”.
Bad things began to occur,
It all became a big blur,
It all happened because of her.
All the good times end,
I try to convince myself it’s all pretend,
I’ve now lost my best friend.
Aisling Cummins, Lucy Maloney, and Elizabeth Flynn
Dublin City
Thousands of people gather to educate each other on their passions
We come here for retail therapy and to share new found fashions
We go to experience heritage and all our different cultures
Then in the summer the tourists flock like vultures
There’s Gino’s, Bershka, Brown Thomas and Lush,
When the lights are on the tree at Christmas there is such a holiday rush
The people here are lively, proud, drunk and witty
There’s no other place like it, it’s Dublin City
Didi Bashford and Rebecca Tully