I Am
I am what you are
I try what you do
Because all that you do
Is ever so cool
I breathe what you breathe
I copy your moves
I try to relate
To everything too
Whenever I feel some laughter or pain
I mask it, unless you are feeling the same
I try to stay with you throughout the day
Because when I’m alone all I’m left with is shame
The shame comes in fast
I wish there was help
For being someone else
And not being yourself
But can you blame me
I mean is it a sin
To want so desperately
To try and fit in
For you it was easy
You laugh, you smile
You tell a few jokes
They stay for awhile
For me it was hard
I never had a shot
What if life gave you lemons
But you didn’t have a pot
What if life gave you sails
But you didn’t have a breeze
What if life gave you fishing rods
But you didn’t have the seas
Well life gave me nothing
Now I’m stuck here with me
So what’s wrong with trying to be someone
That life brought much glee
I am what you are
I try what you do
Why be myself
When I can be cool
Lockdown
Lockdown has been rough,
My sister doesn’t leave her room,
Because something happened that was so so cruel,
I lost my aunty last year due to a stupid tumour;
She was the greatest and best person I’d ever met,
My da and my brother could not keep it together,
So I had to stand strong like a 250 pound bodybuilder.
When actually, I was broken as much as my family
Because I miss her more than anything
And yes this is my reality.
“Figured Out”
Everybody thinks they have me “figured out”
That they know me and everything there is to know about
But there’s something about me
Hidden in the deepest parts that nobody will ever see
The time has come that I let it all go
And show the world that maybe they don’t know
Many people have shared their unwanted thoughts
“Pick a side” and “You’re so selfish”,
Not knowing who they could hurt getting their point across
I can’t hide it anymore and I don’t listen to those lies
And I’m proud to say that I love girls and guys.
My Message
I may have had a good few tough years in secondary school
I know it definitely does not change who you are.
I have shown strength, resilience, confidence throughout my time.
I know myself that times have been challenging.
I am now looking to brighter days in the near future.
I can pass on my message to other people who are in the same position.
A Voice
Have a voice
A platform
(I guess)
But nothing to say
Upper middle class
Advantaged
Good primary
Good secondary
On track for uni
“Join the conversation”
My life is fine
Sorry
I’m fine with me
But
Wish I could say I wasn’t
Not passionate
Not angry
Not pissed
Not sad
Or depressed
Content
Not a rant
Really could not care less
Just wish
Just once
I could say something
Anything
Of substance
Stand Out
7.30 I get up and I’m finally awake
New day
Running late
But I’m feeling okay
At least that’s what I say
To the people who surround me
My friends and family
I Head to my classroom
Where I have no room
To be myself
Because the school doesn’t care
How we differ or compare
They just treat us the same
No matter who is to blame
So I sit down pipe down
And say my name for attendance
And try and blend in
Even though I want to be me
I just want to be free to express myself
And shout everything you don’t know about
But I cant because it’s better to fit in
Then to stand out
Reach Out
I’m still just a kid
You may think I don’t know pain
Cause the fact is I’ve got a lot more life to live
Yet I got something to say
I’m still just a kid
Yet I’ve felt love with all my heart
And cos I thought she was the one
That tore me apart
It sent down a dark path
Spiraling outta control
Falling deeper and deeper
Left me feeling alone
I’m left thinking, no one knows
No one understands
No one can ease my pain
And worst of all I was left thinking
That no one feels the same
But people do know
And do understand
And people do feel the same
And I got lucky
I found a way out
So what I’m trying say
Is that heartbreak is tough
It can drive you insane
I’m only young
You may be too
But age knows no limit to pain
But no matter what your feeling
All that pain inside
That thing that can leave you feeling
I’m just worthless
That’s a lie
Because you are meaningful
As are we all
And although you’re feeling low
Reach out friends
Reach out parents
Just please never let go
Just hold and I can promise you
Things will improve
Just talk to people
Search yourself
And rediscover what it means to be you
Cause I know that when you lose someone
And that the love you thought would stay
Because yes I may still be a kid
But I’m no stranger to the pain
My Teens
As I’m late into my teens just turned 16
Being a teenager is not really as it seems
Getting dragged into school trying to fit in
And having to make sure my work is handed in
Meeting new people and playing sports
There’s really no better feeling of course
But then with the good comes the bad
Heartbreak and failure makes us so sad
But with the right people by your side
You’ll surely get through this emotional ride
And in the end it will all be clear
That it’s ok to not always cheer
Tested
Schools been hard
And so has life
With Covid around we’ve had to think twice
About where we go and who we see
And where our life is soon to be
Our morals our tested
And so is our time
We all hope it will turn out fine
Lost In Words
Lost in words without meaning,
The things you said scar my mind,
They say there’s light at the end of the tunnel,
But it’s that something I cannot find,
I’m stuck in my room without motivation,
Two different minds in the same location,
Feel like I’m staring down into an abyss.
Im not depressed, but I shouldn’t feel like this.
And now I’m drowning in obsession
Finish the drink in succession,
Now I’m lost in words without significance,
Look at the bigger picture that I’m insignificant.
Leaving The House (without Glasses)
Why the did I wear ASICS outside the house?
That person in that car over there is looking at me,
They can see I haven’t plucked my eyebrows, I lost the tweezers though, I wish
I could explain that to them.
Every face has ill intent, it seems,
Why does everyone keep looking at me?
They know, don’t they?
I hope there’s no one around this corner, no one must see me,
How do people do this all the time so nonchalant?
Why did I even bother? this walk isn’t therapeutic, I should have
just stayed inside, it’s nicer there, I know the people there.
Oh my god, twelve o’clock, two teenagers, just walking there… menacingly.
I’m gonna have to walk past them, do something, look at your phone, look in your pocket for something. I wonder if they know?
I know, I’ll cross the road.
There’s nothing across the road why would I be crossing it?!
I’ll just go by them, it’s normal to just walk past someone.
I’m edging closer, the figures become clear,
What? It’s 2 auld ones, nothing to fear.
This wasn’t like this 3 years ago,
I can’t believe I was so nervous,
Two Grannies out on a stroll.
I should turn back now.
What an Odyssey
Dejavu Lockdown
Dejavu lockdown is all we can see
The foreseeable future looks suitable for me
With face masks and sanitizer
You might think its alot
but still with this lockdown
The time still goes tik tok tik tok
With endless TV and occasional snacking
These small little things keep me from snapping
With 5k runs and fitness calls
To video games and unseasonable snow fall
From takeouts to late nights
To house chores and ans tea
The end of this lockdown
Is clearer to see
Teenagers
Out of the blue puberty hits,
Unwanted hair starts to grow in the pits,
Your phone becomes your best friend,
And your childhood comes to an end.
Locked away all alone in your room,
These teenage years bringing you total gloom,
School, drama and girls,
All making my mind do twirls.
Those are just part and parcel of the teenage years,
I can’t wait for it all to disappear.
Why Don’t People get This?
I’m writing this poem
While sitting at home
In the middle of a lockdown
Stuck in my hometown
What happened?
I thought the curve was flattened
Why don’t people get this?
It’s not the government making a joke
People are denying
While others are dying
Calling it a scam
While I missed my exams
Why don’t people get this?
Why don’t people get this?
Real
I may not be the most exceptional
Not the best nor the worst
Not the one with all the answers
Or the one with none at all
This may seem very boring
To someone looking in
But at least I’m being myself
Not pretending to be anyone
As someone who is pretending,
Is not a real person at all
I See a Family Member with an Addiction
He acts like he is in a world of fiction
As he recognises me
He snaps out of it
“How are ya son?”
“How’s the sports?”
“Are you as valuable as quarts?”
I’ve nearly seen him dead
As he bled from the head
I see a syringe fall out his pocket
I began to see the sad life
Of and addict who’s saving is out of sight
I hope he isn’t dead soon
But the reality sinks in and it’s destined as the moon
People see someone on drugs
They walk by them like a couple of bugs
Nothing is Open, Nothing to Do
I am in my prime
Yet I’m here trying to rhyme
Wasting my time
I want to play my sports
Yet I’m here doing work of sorts
Trying to get good report
My trips are abandoned
I’m left here stranded
With my understanding demanded
Fourth year is almost gone
With minimal experiences undergone
I hope there a new dawn
Northside
I’m from the Northside
The poor side the rough side.
Where you’re cool if your hard
And we’ve to prove it on yard
If you talk like this your posh
And have to have some dosh
But if you talk like dis your rough
And don’t seem to ever have enough
Everyone has an opinion
And we’re all like little minions
And we’ve to follow the latest trends
Or we’re not gonna have any friends
Where GAA is a religion
And we all seem to have a vision
Of lifting the Sam Maguire
That image sets my heart on fire
But this is my home
A great empire like Rome
And I’ll stand by it till I die
Until I say goodbye
As I Sit
As I sit in my bed board as hell,
With thoughts going through my head but nothing to tell,
Wondering about the past and what the future has to hold,
Will it be the same old story or is there something new untold,
Netflix is getting boring and matches just aren’t the same,
The past has been uneventful and that is just a shame
As time goes on and I’m wondering how I’ll cope,
I guess the only thing we all need right now is hope.
Isolation
Isolation, 14 days,
Public masses stay away,
No more church, cancelled plans,
Sport in front of empty stands,
Work from home, sick leave
Everybody on the street,
Panic buying everything,
All events postponed until another day.
The Perfect Balance
The teachers shout, the principal detects
Parents want us to do our best, whilst friends laugh when we try
Balance of our days are tiring,
You don’t want to miss out on fun, but not focusing on school,
Will lead to regret in after years
You fear hope will not bring joy itself,
But always accentuate that joy will come with
Laughter, excitement, fun and hard-work,
The perfect balance to adjust
Online school
Online school
Making me drool
Feet kicked up on the bed
Teachers wrecking my head
Mic on mute
Camera off
Assignments
Building up
Causing stress
Putting me to the test
Life
Life is bad
Sometimes it’s sad
When tears fall
I feel so small
You’re told the teenagers years are the one to remember
But really they’re the worst of all
Everyday you try harder
In order to climb the happy ladder
My Happiness
Got in with the wrong crowd
Realized too fast who my real mates are
Hoping that the real friendships would last.
Got caught out, and pushed away
The realization that I would not be mates with any of them.
Quickly recovered, found my happiness looked after my family fought through the crappiness
We Sit
We sit waiting for an answer, they tell us not yet
We follow every rule but they say we’re not
We watch them break rules that we have followed
and they say they have an excuse to break them
It gets worse as the days go on and all we can do is watch as the monkeys play
But as the days go longer we struggle to find the answers we want
When will it end
Follow the Rules
I wake up at six to go to school
I don’t mess
I follow all the rules
I’m not the smartest
I’m not the best
I do my work just like rest
When I get out of school
I do my homework just to get it done
Then I go to my games
Because that is where I have my fun
I Wake Up
I wake up to the annoying alarm
I have to do all the useless assignments
They just don’t teach you the important things in school
When I go home, I have to deal with all the pointless homework
And then the next day
Gotta repeat everything all over
But in not too long we get to the end of the week
And school is finally over
School Days
As you walk through the doors just about awake to the sound of banging lockers,
Wishing you were in bed.
You head to your room for the first class, rushing before the bell rings,
The day gets longer as the woollen jumper agitates you off your arm,
Then later the urge to get home gets worse.
Finally, the day ends as you run out to get home,
And throw yourself down to rest for another day.
The Game
I caught the ball from a box kick
Then went down the wing very quick
I sidestepped the fullback
As if he was on an ice rink
His head fell in the muck
Seven points is what I took
To the bench he went
Full of discontent
Untitled
Peppa Pig is dense
My name is not Dave
This poem makes no sense
Microwave