Behind
Behind the fake smile is someone who is slowly crumbling down
Behind the makeup is natural beauty that is not seen by others
Behind the false story they are making
Is someone who is slowly breaking
Behind closed doors she slowly suffers
Behind that frown is a beautiful smile
Even though it has not been real in a while
Behind the fake smiles is someone who is slowly crumbling down
But there is always somebody to put everything back together
Katie Melia
Alone I Sit
Alone I sit
On the bathroom floor
Another story I start to knit
Then there it comes- a knock on the door
Are you alight? I hear
The noise is ringing in my ears
The world is spinning
The air is thinning
I try to stand up tall
But I can do nothing – I fall
The next day, all I can remember
Is that it’s the end of November
As I sit in all the fuss
And the mess that I’ve made
Through the water I try to wade
All the shame and all the blame
Begins to surround me
Swallow me up
And all of a sudden
Alone I sit
Once Again
Ciara
Some People
Some people think the world is great,
Full of joy, love and no hate.
Some people think the world is a dream,
But I know that the world can be more than it seems.
Some people think the world can be sad,
I know this is through as I have lost my dad.
Some people think they should feel bad for me,
But I don’t need that, I don’t need your pity.
Some people think joy is in drink,
But my joy, my passion is to think.
My world was broken, broken in two,
But the rest of the world will move on even you.
Rory Williams
All I Want
I see her think she’s all I want,
Green eyes and a perfect smile so pure,
But underneath she is broken and haunted,
By the death of her brother last June.
I’ve told her exactly how feel,
And she told me how I’ve helped her through tough times,
Even though she mightn’t feel the same way,
I know this is how love is defined.
Glen Singleton
She Looked
She looked to him and then to the sea
Instinctively she walked slowly toward the waves
Then she stood still and decided
She would brace the waves just as she had braced him
She would be fearless.
Fearless to the inevitability of it all
The wave would inevitably become all consuming
Dragging her into the depths of the ocean.
This was a risk she was willing to take
All for the thrill of the ride.
Eliza Powell
School Experiences
It all starts with a name,
Or a fist, or a game,
No matter the method they use,
You feel like it’s abuse.
“Try to ignore them”,
Teachers will always say,
But when it comes to them,
You’ll always be their prey.
One day you decide:
“I’ll fight them back,
I’ll stand my ground!”
But then comes the smack,
And you end up on the ground.
You cry, you scream,
Hoping it’s all a dream.
You don’t know what to do,
And you feel like saying adieu.
Your parents try to support you,
They always tell you:
“Stay strong, my son”,
Makes you feel like you won.
But when school finally ends,
You finally feel strong.
With no more descends,
You have finally won.
It gives you a smile,
Or a chuckle, a short while.
Looking back at those times,
You feel stronger sometimes.
Alexandru Sortoc
Football
Football is something I’ve always loved
It helps distract me from my problems.
Although there are cliques just like school,
We are forced to come and work together realising we are stronger as one.
I get out my anger and stress,
But, I can spend time with friends.
Football is something I’ve always loved
It helps distract me from my problems.
Anon
Imperfection
Imperfection is a disease of the nation
Imperfection is an addiction
Imperfection is an injection
Hydra Karla
For Now
For now they see me,
In a mirror dimly,
But then face to face,
Now in part, once I finish,
And make my mark,
On this earth,
And show everybody,
What I’m worth.
Noble Thomas
Belief
Belief a single belief has the ability to change a life despite what others will tell you,
A single belief can spark a flame and send you towering as high as crane and higher,
A passion, a pursuit, a belief.
From childhood to adulthood, we all have dreams
But many of us don’t believe in ourselves.
Maybe we are scared,
One thing is for sure it’s not the end results that counts
It’s the journey and the possibility that counts.
Alan Culligan
Untitled
Sorry, hype and visceral passion isn’t my thing,
And I say sorry because it’s what you want,
It’s what everybody wants. I don’t know why,
Is it necessary? To be pumped about things,
I don’t get it. No one can explain it to me,
Can’t people just enjoy things without screaming,
Passion is necessary but I dont think hype is,
Hype is exaggerated passion isn’t,
But you want it, hype, pour in everything ,it’s tiring.
I don’t want to condemn anyone for passion,
I don’t want to condemn anyone for hype,
But I also don’t want to condemn myself for not hyping things.
But others do and it’s fine.
Evan
Looked through Books
Looked through book,s flicked through pages,
But all that flew during the ages,
Was a mind full of boredom,
A mind full of waste,
That what the others thought anyway.
School failed to realise life is much more than books,
And parents didn’t think to look,
Past my skin through my blood in my veins,
How I could go and reign,
The world full of grace.
History geography biology and sociology,
Not good at one, not good at two
Not good at any of these,
But through my veins ran the blood,
Rich and richer than any other gift.
Anon
Untitled
I used to like football
When it was silly and fun
Until it became serious
And the messing was done
I have to try for the team
Even though I don’t like it
I don’t like the try-outs
And they make me want to quit.
Anon
The Pitch
The pitch,
Where you try, fail and try again
Where you shout, give out and shout again
Where you listen, be bored and listen again
Where you run, be corbed and run again.
The pitch,
Where you try, succeed and try again
Where you shout, encourage and shout again
Where you listen, be interested and listen again
Where you run, be happy and run again
The pitch,
Where you find yourself
Where you find enemies and friends
Where you are yourself
Where you have best friends
Daniel Carroll
I’m Grand
Smile for a moment.
Laugh for a time
Then it all falls away
Is that such a crime?
The switch happens quick
No obvious change
Until it builds up
What about that is strange?
My heart starts beating
My breath unsure
It hits me at once
and they say there’s no cure
In a room full of friends
They don’t understand
Happy one second
Then suddenly sad
I sit in a corner
Catch my breath quick
Return to my friends
Pretend I was sick
Why say anything
When they wouldn’t understand
I’ll just say I’m happy
Till they believe I am “grand”
Emma Madden
The Schoolyard
In the schoolyard is where it all begins,
When all the students make you feel like you belong in the bins,
Pushed down by teachers and the school rules,
The everyday struggle tryna be cool.
Looking around at all the peoples faces,
Seeing all the different students races,
Some students on drugs and obsession,
Others struggling with everyday depression.
Some students like English, Irish and Maths,
I walk around shy hiding in my hat,
Students with their straight A grades,
I watch my parents under drug raids.
I get slagged for wearing rags,
Sometimes not even a bag,
And at the end of the day,
I just wanna hit the hay.
School a place where I’ve lost all hope,
I feel calm between two lanes ropes,
Everyday the classrooms dim,
I find my happy place every time I swim.
Ciaran Mythen
That December Day
Do you remember,
On that eventful day,
In the middle of December,
Still don’t know what to say.
You were standing there all alone,
When I walked up,
I couldn’t believe what I was shown,
I’m gonna miss that old pup.
I could see the tears,
Pouring down your cheek,
They were our worst fears,
Oh, what a week.
I did everything I could think to do,
But nothing I said or did,
Could comfort you,
After all, there was no life without Sid.
We both hoped he’d be in a better place,
That worked for me,
But there was no putting a smile back on your face,
Without making you see.
That even though you lost your pet,
You needed to see,
You need not fret,
For you still had me.
Keith Collins
A War Zone
The ring a war zone where you get hit,
Illegal and beating the daylights outta you.
You get just on the pitch.
By height colour and races.
At it is another universe,
Where a different language is used by different people.
People see what you are no one talks to you, to get to know you,
Just judge what you do and what you believe in
What you put into the world that’s what you’ll get out.
What matters is how you do it
And how you achieve it is up to you.
Anon
School
Half our school is gone,
Feel like we were conned,
New school coming soon,
Gonna be cool,
With times they’ll be down,
We can hit the town,
Now we’ve come to realise,
It’s all a pack of lies.
Denis Healy
I’m not a Poet
I am not a poet,
And boy did I know it,
Can’t even rhyme,
Half the time.
I try to be funny,
Or sometimes even punny,
Takes too long,
For me to write a song.
I am not smart,
I am not clever,
When I have to write a poem,
It takes me forever.
Ben Roche
One Minute
One minute, two posts,
All it takes is one ball down the west Kerry coast,
One hook one block,
Heads on the chopping block,
One shot, one score,
There won’t be anymore,
One team, one pack,
A county medal is what they lack.
Mark O Donoghue
Believe
That gift was one, one so dear,
Which helped me live through what I fear,
The power to believe, believe in myself,
That help me get through the school I dread,
And I believe I can be great,
Not necessarily with school which I hate.
Amal Jaimon
Untitled
I took up the bow and put the fiddle beneath my chin.
The crowd went silent nothing dropped not even a pin,
After two seconds, a sound began to sing
It was Darragh O’Mahony on the banjo playing a jig.
I was amazed by his skill but I could not see him
He was in the front row and I was in the back.
I just wished I could be up there one day.
And now I sit here wanting to start and the realisation hitting,
It was a wish worth wishing.
Emmanuel Blayil
The World
The world is lying,
Bet companies are still supplying,
Can’t you see what you are doing will kill us all,
But you keep going till we all fall,
Dumping all your smoke into the atmosphere.
Anon
Life
Life is like a rollercoaster
There are many highs
There are many lows
When you get knocked down
Pick yourself back up
Sometimes you’ll win
Sometimes you’ll lose
But the one thing
That is true is that
You will always be you
Mike
Two Little Fishes
Two little fishes swimming in a tank
One named billy and one named frank
All they did all day was swim around the bowl
And I have a new fish his name is noel
Ellis Cunniffe
Daisy
Daisy is a really good dog,
She has so many toys
but she plays with a log.
She runs when she hears a noise.
She loves a scratch on the ears,
She is very friendly,
Daisy has no fears.
Too bad she is nearly 20 🙁
Cliona Hynes
Goldfish
Goldfish goldfish swimming round the bowl
Does anyone ever ask does he like that bowl
Oh little old goldfish who never talks
How will we ever know
Claire Donohue
Smoking
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Im going to quit smoking and so should you
I know its hard but I’ll get through
Nicotine chew should help too
I am sorry for smelling like fags
when when I should smell like roses
I can’t help my addications…
Stared smoking cause I wanted to fit in
This led to an unbreakable addication
I hope to stop to healthy myself
Ula
Smile
Smile, even though you’re not happy
Laugh, even though its not funny
I hate school its really cruel
Don’t question what you cant understand
People say it will get better
Truly dismissing the matter and knowing they know no better
Minutes to hours, days to weeks
I learn nothing but sadness
Sometimes there is good times sometimes there’s bad
But through all this crap I manage to survive
Some people are snakes and slither amongst the crowd
Some people think they know what’s best for ya
Trying to dictate your life
Some people say to get over it, that you’re overeating
But you yourself know you’re just not happy
And for this I say thank you next…
Cairistiona, Oriana, and Rebecca
School Life
School is 24/7
Bed before 11
Years filled with study and homework
All to be a desk clerk?
Should we really be afraid
Of not getting that A grade
Sitting in the bathroom at lunch
Too afraid to receive a punch
Teenage life is already hard
Never mind the dreaded report card
They cause problems at home
It makes us feel all alone
But this is what we call school
How can it be this cruel.
Sophie Smith
The Love of My Life
She was the love of my life
She played the fife
And I want her to be my wife
But she stabbed me with a bread knife
I took her to the bar
And told her she was a star
But she stole all my cars
And was put behind bars
And now look where she is now
She just looks like a cow.
Sean Brennan
My Bottle
This is my bottle, from which I do drink.
And all this water helps me to think.
When it is empty, it will be thrown away
For now, though I think I go and play.
A round of Fortnite with my friends,
Will I enjoy it? I don’t know it depends
All on connection, yano the sort.
I think my hotspot is where ill resort
Cuz really you can’t play on 900 ping
Unless you are Daniel cuz then you’re a king.
Brian Costello
The World Today
Living in the world today,
Is harder then what anyone can say,
There are things that adults don’t have today,
That have caused problems for every day,
Be careful for what you say,
As it may come back another day,
The worries that us kids have today are spread through the world straight away,
The word today has no security,
On the kids that are alone or on the kids that where born another way,
I just wish I was born another day,
When things where easy and you didn’t have to worry.
Michael Duffy
Ted and Ned
The man lives in a caravan,
With a short attention span
He wants to be superman,
But he is a weatherman
His cousin is a caveman,
In Afghanistan,
Ned is a young man,
But has no game plan
Anon
Mind Map
As I lay sprawled across the bed
I began to take the time to explore my head
I view my mind as though a map of the world
Some areas so shockingly barren
It was as though I had been experiencing a drought since birth
Other regions so deep and overflowing
No one would ever dare tread those waters
In the fear of being drowned by all-consuming thought
Eliza Powell
This is not a Cry for Help
I’ve been thinking,
If I’m the way I am,
Why am I getting complimented?
I know it’s not true,
Why are people lying to my face?
My doubt is all that I usually feel,
When it’s forgotten,
The worst feeling is when I remember,
God, I really hate mirrors,
I’m content with this though,
Others have it worse,
I’ll just keep it in my head,
Maybe write it in a poem,
To keep under my bed.
Anon
ICU
Lying in the hospital bed
My body feeling like it’s almost dead
ICU is a depressing place to be
Feeling stranded like I’m in the black sea
Nurses bombard me with information
Feeling overwhelmed with the constant frustration
A single tear streams down my face
This reality is hard to embrace
Lying in the hospital bed
Having diabetes fills me with dread
Conor Gallagher
Rocky
Rocky, my boy
Crazy man,
Loves his toys,
Away he ran,
Into the garden,
Chasing the birds,
Excuse me my dog, pardon
Roisin Gallagher
Untitled
I try to slitter like a slime in the scum I lie,
Darkness is deep, dull reality
Paranoia assaults who puffs the tobacco out their mouth
The helicopter is after me, I’m hunted he grunted,
Tic Tac, a foe while he swallowed the dough.
Stress is gone, all what’s left is to be done
Done with the insults, with the place that wronged him,
Done with the girl that hurt him
Poor guy can’t sleep, his mental state is steep,
Bitter taste in his oesophagus, diagnoses?
Roses in the coffin lie, the love ones cry when apple pie rots,
Eyes like two black dots,
The junk doesn’t belong in the Utopia
Jakub Bilski
Untitled
I don’t know what to write, but anyway
I’m here now, and this is what I have to say
I’ve never liked English or poetry
So when I heard about this workshop, it did not excite me
I sat down in my seat right after lunch break
And was told the activity in which I would partake
“A Poem!” I thought and my mind hit a block
“Whatever shall I write?” “Oh No!” I thought
But I soon started to write anyway
Here is my poem, what I had to say
Liam Lennon
Untitled
Megan and her dog an inseparable bond. Sitting together,
Gazing at the pond what a fine day to spend with whom you love,
Cuddling and smiling, at the clouds above.
Megan Brogan
Untitled
I am the king of small people,
I don’t think there is anyone who can bait me.
So i’ll wait for you, ya dirty fool,
When you threw a snail at my window,
You went pale once ya saw me,
When you got stuck on my roof,
I helped you down.
So this is an invitation to you or anyone in the nation,
If you want to die, I will gladly comply.
TK out.
Mark Moriarty
Dream
I dream,
Good dreams
And bad dreams.
Dreams where you feel things,
Dreams where you wake up unable to breath.
I like to dream,
But not all dreams.
Claddagh O’Reilly
Liverpool
I support Liverpool
We got to the final but Karius was a fool
Some legends for the pool
Van Dijk, Mane and Milner were all mules
Salah was a jewel
Bale was cruel
Already won in Istanbul
One small rule
We are going to win it soon
Taylor Kelly
A Poem
I cant write a poem
So there that ill split you open like a rat
Now before you blow your top cool it & stop open your eyes
And be happy now one die
Wish ya luck ya old duck
John O Brien
~Respect in Rugby~
The whistle blows, as ten kicks,
We all run forward no matter how quick.
All we want to do is win.
We put our back into it, sweat falling from our skin.
We give blows, and take some.
We get a break before a scrum.
When the games done and we hang up our jerseys,
We all shake hands, and go on our different journeys.
Ryan Buckley
Down the River
Down by the river, we go together
Running along the field whatever the weather
Going at a mighty pace, feeling the wind on my face
We run so fast its such a blast
I hope this day will always last
Sarah Murphy and Alice Kelly
I Sit
I sit on a chair in a big, full room
The walls closing in like an ancient tomb
The ink in my pen is water waiting to burst from a dam
The test trying to define who I am
The paper is blank just like my mind
I wrack my brain for whatever I can find
The ink is dark on the page
I feel like I am in a cage
Anon
School
School is fun,
Most of the time.
And the best part of the day
Is lunchtime.
Homework sucks,
But we’re in TY!
So this year
We don’t have to cry.
We can have fun with our friends
And have a good time.
This poem is great.
It evens rhymes!
Anon
Untitled
I cannot rhyme,
Neither can you.
So give me your money,
Or i’ll play the kazoo.
Daniel Hogan
Some Things go Together,
Bread and jam,
Three and four.
Cheese and ham,
Freedom and war.
Other things go together too,
A shout of his name,
A bang at the door.
A face at the window,
While he’s crouched on the floor.
And then there are others,
They all gather round,
While his pleading worth null.
And they all see the bullet
Shot into his skull.
And our final pairs,
The cries of a child,
And the soft, soothing tones,
When she’s told that her daddy
Is not coming home.
Seoighe O’Neill
The Waft
The waft of food creeps down the hall,
The food is so heavy with grease,
The smell is strong enough to make you fall,
It would even kill the farmer’s geese.
Twice a day she comes in a van,
The wheels are rolling slowly,
To her left sits a 6 ft man,
Whose name I believe is Tony.
Boild water costs 65 cent,
Rice and curry costs 3
Its such a rip off even ask the government,
I know kids these days getting fat but are they trying to starve me??
I look at the menu in delight,
I see my favourite meal,
But the lack of real food gives me a fright,
So I decide to get a Supermacs five euro deal.
Kayleigh Halligan