The Pointing Game
Pointed fingers whisper pointed words
Behind the shield of the hand;
No lines are blurred,
Nothing left unheard.
Pointed words snag at the leg of innocence,
Innocence that was left murdered,
Left torn and butchered.
The heart broken and quivering.
Under the grave lay shredded confidence,
But those pointed hands are built for snatching,
They dig below the bleeding flesh,
Shreds ripped away,
Vulnerable, bones left exposed.
Broken as the cheers of torment gather round,
The finger beginning to raise.
But what is behind those pointed fingers?
Are they too exposed?
But pointed fingers create pointed fingers,
Pointed fingers that one day must pause
One day must turn the finger around and ask
Why?
Maura Tobin
Drowning
Iron sights provided insight,
But the trauma was lessened by bigger issues,
Solely responsible for saying ‘I miss you,’
The real effect was a slower plight.
I lost my world, lost who I am,
Because of the snowball effect from a grander plan,
All melted into a river of despair.
The pain of adjustment is still clouded
By my longing for what was torn away,
Because for all of its flaws,
The worst place is the only place I can appreciate a bright and sunny day,
Not a land that turned out to be drizzling in my dismay.
For every positive, I have two opposing,
And for all friendly faces, loneliness remains my biggest agitation,
Drowning in a river of emotions misunderstood,
The only thing left was to maintain my resolve
To smile it off,
And wait for the damp to evaporate.
Wesley Demaine
Troubles and Feuds
The rebellions and wars may have ended long ago,
But tensions can still grow.
My mum is English while,
My dad is Irish,
And I’m a mix of both.
An English accent but Irish slang,
Can often bite me in the back.
“They treated us like slaves,”
“It was their bombs that sent us to our graves” they say
I’m told to pick a side,
Decide, are you English or Irish?
Don’t be childish,
I’m not 100% on either side.
Yes, the troubles and feuds ended long ago,
But tensions can like poison ivy grow.
Maria Hogan
Dysmorphia
As you go into the bathroom to brush your teeth
You are revolted by your own reflection.
You hate what’s in front of you and you want to be different
You want to change what you see,
But you can’t.
Even putting on your uniform is difficult,
Seeing yourself in the mirror again,
Not liking what you see, again,
Feeling fat but you just have to ‘get over yourself’ and move on.
Friday night, you put on the dress you have always felt confident in,
You do your makeup all nice, just the way you like it,
You look at yourself in the mirror, it’s like a ritual,
You find yourself looking beautiful for once
Then it happens, someone thinking it’s okay to call a girl name
Not knowing how insecure and paranoid you are
But they knew, they knew exactly what to say,
They knew how to hurt you
And they loved that.
Your confidence is low once again,
You feel down and insecure.
And you don’t know how to help yourself,
Finding yourself drowning in your own insecurities, again.
You will then meet someone,
Someone that will make you realize how beautiful you are,
Beautiful in your own way,
That person will appreciate you for who you actually are.
They will promise that they will love you unconditionally,
And you will make that promise in return.
A few years go by and that person will still be by your side,
Still motivating you
And making you feel beautiful just the way you are
Treating you just the way you deserve to get treated,
And you will be happy.
And that’s all you have ever asked for,
You will finally have confidence.
You will find the beauty within yourself.
Anon
Discovering Yourself
It is not easy to be alone,
It is not easy to need people who are no longer around,
And you cannot have everything,
But I ask you to understand me.
Separate yourself from everyone,
Separate from you,
And realize that you are a different person,
That you can stand more than you think.
Reflect on you,
Reflect on the people around you,
And realize who’s left over,
And who does you good.
Wrap yourself in the new,
Remember the above,
Do not think about the next thing,
And live now.
Do not listen to comments,
Neither good nor bad,
Because at this point you only care about yourself,
You feel alone or not.
Give vent,
Cry everything you have saved,
And do not fear the tears,
Well, they are the way to show that you are alive.
And when you have discovered yourself,
And you have to go back,
I know everything you’ve discovered that you are,
Because there is no better version of you
Than the one with which you are comfortable.
Lucia Suarez Afonso
The World
The things we see,
The people we meet,
The world that turns beneath our feet,
The problems we face,
Racism, sexism, the human race,
Discrimination, prejudice, gender inequality, slavery,
War, hunger, poverty,
The land grab for personal property
Gun control, school shooting, terrorism,
Human rights, human trafficking, violence,
Riots, screaming, deafening silence
Global warming, deforestation, extinction,
Homelessness and eviction
Animal cruelty and corruption,
Volcanic emotions
The final eruption,
What can I do to help?
Katie Coady
Untitled
See the future in money
Also in his eyes
We change beautiful fields
By cement blocks
Shortly the scams will come
And we will regret with the passage of time.
Telmo Blazquez
Life
They say they are the best years of your life,
Why do so many kids turn to a knife?
The system is full of oppression,
No wonder the worlds full of depression.
Grandparents say “back in my day”,
Weren’t you in France in a beret?
“You never show any respect”
What do they really expect?
All we do is try our best
These dinosaurs should give us a rest.
Cian McCormack
Boys
Boys are pretty hard
They always have up that guard
When they try to talk
They always get that block
‘You have to man up’ they say
But they can’t help feeling that way
All people have to say
Is ‘how are you today?’
Four simple words
But they could mean the world
Aimee Dwyer
I’m Fine
I’m fine.
The sentence we are all guilty of using to hide our insecurities
The sentence that we use to hide how we really feel so we don’t seem weak
So we don’t seem vulnerable
I’m fine.
The 2 word phrase that we repeat so many times that even we begin to believe it
People begin to get confused of why they have to walk on egg shells around you
But little do they know even just a small bit of concern can put such a big smile on someone’s face
It can mean so much to you
Sometimes people try to show that they care
But then they just compare their problems to yours
Say you’re being dramatic
Maybe I am being dramatic but this is how I am
It doesn’t matter how small or big your problem
It’s how it affects you
It’s how it makes YOU feel
I’m fine.
Maybe we should all try and stop using this sentence we use to mask our problems
Maybe we should speak
Tell people what’s going on in our head
Someday someone will care enough to put your problems over theirs
To put themselves in your shoes
Be the person who makes you feel better and clear your head
And then.
Finally.
It will really be Fine
Anon
Dear Friend
I wish I had been by your side
Every time you cried
From my heart I tell you that it’s true
I’m sorry for not to be with you
But alone again you won’t be
And happiness you will surely find
If something goes wrong
Always keep in mind
That I’m next to you
Despite distance.
Don’t give up, life is about that
Reach and start again
Live life and accept the challenge
Remember, you’re not alone
Cause I love you
Gabriela Panizo
An Irish Cross
Saw through wood as best it can
Done for any beast or man
Piece as elegant as a bluebell
Or a meadow home to a gazelle
Smell as old as father time
Hoping to make this portion mine
Lumber left for many a year
While the rest of us live in our own little sphere
For timber will always wait
As it will always know its final faith
That you, yourself, the creator, the boss
Will eventually create an Irish cross
Luke Butler
Untitled
From the thundering of hooves
To the intricate dressage moves
To the rattle of a show jumping pole
And the loss of control
The disappointment of elimination
And the standing ovation
For the winner
Gives inspiration to the beginner
Tom Hayden
The Cup
The ref knocks on the dressing room door
We go out head down doom inevitable
But little did we know it would be are most memorable day
We scratched and clawed and fought for every ball
Everyone said that the two teams were mismatched
Just before half time are dreams were found as we went ahead
Sixty minutes in I thread a ball through midfield which led to the goal which led the win
When the final whistle went we jumped in delight as we won the cup
Jack Hindley
Music
My music has been so put down,
Its been trodden in the dirt.
People have put me in the ground,
But their words never hurt.
People say that people can change,
They can, but when people put other people down,
There just scared of being put down themselves.
I’ve learned so many different instruments,
Just to impress people,
But that won’t do anything,
It would have been easier just to be me.
Daniel Quin
A Way of Life
Addicted by the sound
Driven by the power
The beating sweat controls tempo
Controls the raw excitement
Involved in a passion
That many like but only a few admire
As a purpose and a way of life.
Ciaran Maher
The Dawn of Day
From the dawn of day
You think about how you’re going to play
Hit your shots
Watch the clock
Beads of sweat
And bursting breath
Play your heart out till the death
While the whole world
Seems to stop
The clash of men
Bodies drop
Danny Dunne
Out of Bed
Getting up out of bed
Is harder than actually said
People say it’s easy
When really I feel dead
I’m tired and exhausted
I need this to end
Just leave me alone
I’m going back to bed
Ciarrai Lalwor
I Should Be
Come home from school
Sit on my chair
Curled up in my little lair
I play for hours while having fun
I see the enemy, grab my gun
My parents shouting “food is ready”
But I’m busy sitting weapon-steady
You wonder how I play games so much
“You should be doing other stuff”
But what you say is double Dutch
Cos in this world I’m super buff.
Sean Clinton
Playing Sports
Me playing sports is better than making cardboard forts
Training hard playing football
You know that I’m no ten foot wall
I see a big high ball come in I don’t have time to stall
I’m up off that bitter ground to catch that breaking ball
Take that ball down into my chest
Give it off I’ve time to rest
Dearbhla Morrissey
Hurling
Hurling is life
Anner Gaels to the grave
Players play
Prayers sung
I play bench football
Easy games
Never score
Early training
Sundays off
Shut down time
#TimeforTea
Luke Fox
School
Getting up today
Is a repeat of yesterday
It’s the same stuff different day
Heading into school with the fakes and the snakes
Slithering away my intent to concentrate
Homework, we’ve already done schoolwork
Do they not know how the clock works?
Waiting for that bell
This place feels like hell
I wanna go home
Just leave me alone
Laura Hayes