Fear of the Unknown
The different, the strange, the weak are excluded
Judgement created by fear of the unknown
Where the young are trained to be copies, imitations of unachievable goals
Created by the person who helped you stand
Courage crushed by insecurities, loud screaming voices, blurred masks
In your face, in your phone, in your head
Image received – it is not the same as the intention planned
By the soul of the individual that sent it at hand
A colourful mask covers the deep dark broken insides
Held together only by a single strand of string and glue
Innocents and creativity is lost to something else
Changed and formed into something new
Only you can decide what happens now
Jamylah Folan Greaney
Taken its Toll
Back to the classwork,
Not saying a word,
But at the same time
She wants to be heard.
Shedding a tear,
Wiping his knee as it bled,
He’s sitting on the football field,
But he’s dancing in his head.
She hides in the bathroom,
Hoping no one will hear her move,
She covers her blackened bruise,
Knowing her mother would disapprove.
He closes the yellow bottle,
Swallowing them whole,
He lies on the bed,
The bullying has taken its toll.
Anon
Priorities
This is where the music of gunfire rattles through the hall
Where precious young lives are taken, and listless bodies fall
They blame it on the minds of those behind the trigger
Never stopping to wonder if the issue may be bigger
Like the outdated rights that devalues a child’s life
Or a learning system where harassment is rife
Where someone is made feel that the only way out
Is a tragedy ending in parental grief and a shootout
Year after year and this devastation is still happening
All that stands in the way is an amendment that needs unravelling
The problem of bullying that needs battling
And a country’s priorities that needs challenging
Anon
This is Where
This is where my nightmares lie,
Where darkness surrounds my psychotic mind.
This is where my screams and shouts are muffled by my tremendous doubt.
This is where I climb that wall only to always crash and fall.
This is where toxic thoughts destroy all ambition I had left
This is where I lay trapped, living inside my own head.
Grainne Daly
The Curtain Opens
The curtains open, the lights come down
I look out and see locals from my town.
The music hits a beat
I begin to use my feet
Positivity fills my soul
Energy really taking is toll
My hearts beating fast
I want this moment to last
Taking a bow out to the crowd
As they roar loud
Oh what a show it has been!
Anon
School
The creaking radiators rust and the students are left to freeze
The thin windows do little to block out the biting breeze
The slow clocks are smashed so we never know the hour
Our thick books are stacked in an impressive tower
Your attention wanders and your tired head falls
You can clearly feel the oppression within these walls
Our young hands ache as the pen scribbles all day
The pain lasts through the evening and never goes away
You spend these long days waiting impatiently for June
But by the time you’re over the trauma, school starts again soon
Hannah Best
This is Where
This is where you fall in love by accident
This is where you forget all your sacraments
This is where you find the soulmates you will never meet
This is where you feel you never have to compete
This is the place that is hated by the earth
This is the place of my rebirth
Ella Kelly
Summer Walks
Cherry blossom trees hang from the clear blue sky,
Small birds above sing and fly so high.
The small crumbling road winds and crawls,
Floral mosses and plants bloom and shoot from the walls.
My little puppy pants and waddles behind,
Then pop’s into the ditch for a paddle, may be hard to find.
These summer walks I will remember forever,
Nothing could replace them, no, not ever.
Áine Keaveney
My Soulmate
It was 25 years ago when i met my soulmate
I was 17 and I was out with my schoolmate
We started out in clubs
We went on to drink in pubs
It ended up to be a long night
I was done with the night but there was one last stop
That one last stop was Supermacs I was ready to drop
At least until I seen him
He walked in the door
In that moment my head picked up off the floor
He was walking my way I thought what I am going to say
He said hey my names KJ
We exchanged numbers he gave me a kiss
Its 25 years later and I’m still his
Anon
Ed
Sheeran on Sunday
Cans under my bed
Hope mom doesn’t find it
We’re buzzing for Ed
No tan and no outfit
What will I wear
How will I do my hair
Anon