Our Lady of Mercy College, Beaumont Rd, Beaumont, Co. Dublin

Cracked and Cold

My creativity runs cracked and cold
It feels like my minds growing old
My left side has drained so low
My heart has lost it’s fragile glow
Why do I feel so alone
Out here on my doleful own
Down deep in this darkening hole
I only went for a short stroll
But I lost myself, I lost control
This change is worrisome
Why am I unwelcome
Look what I’ve become
I’ve gained no wisdom
I cannot find my way back home
Please help me navigate this storm

Jemma Byrne

Closed Doors

I am free to say what I want
I’ll say it now, I’ll say it once.
The doors are closed
The windows open,
The walls are nailed down
The glass is broken.
Men and women are not equal in pay,
We fight for justice, a bright new day.
We are expected to set out our future plans
But can’t live up to society’s demands.

Niamh Keenan

Concrete Jungle

We call this concrete jungle home, where creatures of Collinswood roam.
We breathe the air but we do not live, no other planet like this exists.
We call this planet paradise, we litter with plastic parasites
Calm but aggressive, small but possessive,
Why are we like this I don’t understand.
We strive to be successful, but school is so stressful.
We put each other down and have mastered hiding our frowns.
Here is where we call home;
It has become a place where we let others control our souls.

Michelle O’Loughlin

The Seeds of Love

Our ability to learn is based on a piece of paper
Handed out in the morning, handed back later
I can make friends and not be afraid of what they think,
Staring at the future too afraid to blink
We grew closer than ever and made lifelong memories,
Playing tag in the garden around the old trees
Journey to journey we’ve flourished and grown,
Through the hardships and laughs,
Are the seeds of love sown.

Sophie Walsh and Erin Doyle

We Forget

We forget what we have and want so much more
The future we dream of is worth so much more
We are ungrateful and discard those who we need
We cover what is gold, rewarded for greed
We moan and complain about a simple task
Equal opportunities is all that we ask
Everything else is taken by wealth
But selfish people is not good for your health

Maya Aviles

Untitled

Not expected to be what people want me to be
I’m tired of hiding who I am
I get the power to change to show the real me
I will stop hiding who I am to fit into your plan

Angela I Lan Ng

Anyone’s Guess

We are force fed information that is really no use,
At the end of the day it feels like abuse.
A woman is less for just touching a man,
Are we really giving into society’s demands?
Teenagers drink, toddler’s smoke,
The government have your kids by the throat
Bundled into Garda vans, we still seen the flats
The junkies, the Guards and the Ballymun rats.
They’d rather us fall asleep than be late,
Go on and sit down, learn how to be fake .
Don’t dare to be happy, concentrate on your grades,
You’re not good enough, so take out the blades?
Pushed to the limits of our broke mental health,
Only to achieve all this synthetic wealth.
Happiness is rare and suicide seems clear,
Washed down with a needle or a bottle of beer.
Learn how to deal with it,
Learn how to kneel.
Forget that you’re lonely
Forget how to feel.
No place to call home, times running out
Need someone to talk to, but no one’s about.
Men who can’t find the courage to cry,
Sleeping in doorways, waiting to die.
What you wear is consent
Your cleavage means yes.
Justice for women
Is anyone’s guess.

Kayleigh Lawlor and Kate Farrell

Untitled

I grew up with my family
And made lots of friends.
I got my education, I never knew
The power of education can change my life.
My life came out to be what
I least expected it to be.
I learned some life skills from education
That helped me to become who I am.
Education helped me to
Grow my confidence.

Fiona Vasilache

Wonderfully Strange

From making the most amazing friends
Where all of the bad memories end
From the good and bad things in life
Some are nasty, some are nice
I am who I am and who I should be
I am the most beautiful version of me
I am imperfectly perfect
No reason to change
I am not what you think
I am wonderfully strange

Carla Brennan