Sanctuary
I know you are desperate for anything,
For something
For someone
To hold on to
But do not look for healing
At the feet of those
Who broke you
Look for sanctuary
In the solitude of the room
Deafening silence
Feelings the darkness
Cannot exhume
CJ O’Neill
This is Where
We kill ourselves emotionally,
When we destroy ourselves inside.
Situations such as these often
Lead to suicide.
We battle ourselves on a daily basis,
Trying to strike for perfection
Because we are too caught up on
Our own reflection.
Society’s standards lower our self-esteem,
Demolishing our true selves.
Looking at the distorted image that is
My unbearable self.
Our anxiety and depression reaches
Its cruel peak,
Leaving us too fragile and without
A voice to speak.
Caoimhe O’Reilly, Ada Chromik and Sophie Bentley
Status Quo
You look up at the ceiling trying to let sleep take over,
Even though you know it won’t come,
That feeling that takes over and you hide under the covers,
You know once you fall asleep, you will welcome it.
You listen to teachers and get an education,
You sit all day and move when the bell goes,
This will be over once it’s your graduation,
But now in the moment you have to wait till it all blows over.
Friends break up over the most stupid things that can be fixed by themselves,
But no matter what they can’t get over what was done,
They will not make amends,
Since what was done was done and they forgot someone.
You dress like one another to be apart of this community,
Everyone is different in their own way,
But in this uniform shows everyone else the unity,
The only time they are like this are on school days.
You are going to be alone to look back on what you have done,
The good and the bad, the helpful and not so helpful moments,
Everything is running in your mind like a home run,
But to make it stop you need to own it.
Rita-Marie Murphy
Brother
Away he flies,
While his family cries,
He waves,
They all think he’s so brave.
He wonders who,
Will be his new crew,
Over sea,
He feels so free.
Back at home,
She is all alone,
No older brother,
Where is her mother.
She sits and prays,
While counting down the days,
Till her brother comes back from war,
Waiting for her mother to come through the door.
Elizabeth Kent
Morning Bridges
We stay up all through the night
Trying everything out for the very first time
Here everything we do is a serious crime
We stay up until the first ray of light
Here we live our very best lives
Where friends are lost and then reunite
Burning bridges and open doors
Who could ever want for more?
Emma Keegan
Pain
You are judged by the image you portray,
Reminisce on those childhood days.
The boy goes to hide his pain,
I go to hide the shame.
I stay till all my fears are gone,
For what I fear will make me strong.
Mollie Graham
Desperate
Desperate for anything,
Something to hold on to,
But don’t look for healing
At the feet of those who broke you.
CJ O’Neill
Concrete Towers
I go to school every day for several hours,
Where we’re made to believe everything is like concrete towers.
Watching and waiting for the time to pass us by,
Ignoring those comments and trying not to cry.
People could see that look in her eye
But nobody ever wanted to pry,
She went to her locker all on her own
Where none of her emotions ever were shown.
She was classed as weird in society
Which really only added to her anxiety
But then one day she was gone
But everyone else’s lives went on.
Emer O Toole
The Important Things
I didn’t know how much I appreciated you, until
I opened my eyes and you were gone, I just want
To let you know; you mean the world to me.
No one will replace you.
I’ve learned that it is not what I have in my life,
But who I have in my life that counts. You helped me,
Protected me and taught me with great care.
And every time I needed you, you were always there.
If I had a second chance, I would let you know
I love you and beg you not to go. You were
A guidance, a teacher, a best friend.
Sometimes when I am thinking of you I close my
Eyes and speak to you in a thousand
Silent ways. Although I often smile and seem
Care free, there is no one who misses you…
More than me.
Mollie Graham
Pressured
I spend most of my spare time,
Comparing myself to others on life.
Our whole lives are on display,
Pressured to look a certain way.
Hurtful messages are thrown back and forth,
Strangers try to diminish our worth.
We create an image of how we want to be perceived,
But often forget how much we can be deceived.
Jade Connors
Untitled
No pressure can find me, where I can hide
But my thoughts suffocated by the meaning of life.
Our bodies go tense, emotions run high.
The future is exciting, but here I must lie.
We are wrapped up in cotton all for our safety
Until morning, I dream and nothing can faze me.
My conscience shames my thoughtless decisions
But it’s all in the past, for I have ambition.
Freja Kavanagh and Maeve Shortall
Demands
We go to listen to things that will never make sense
To prepare for hours on end for unnecessary tests
We go to do what we are told
Not to be brazen not to be bold
Though we are forced to listen to things are needs do not demand
It isn’t easy to do exams on things you never understand.
Georgia
School
This is where time never passes, my mind disappears
Some things in this place never seem clear
We are brainwashed into thinking we are not good enough
They set us up for failure, unless you’re a perfect plus
Useless information, in one ear and out the other
Self-expression, creativity, they really can’t be bothered
Sarah Clarke
The Lights Peak
The lights peak out the windows and hit the outside pavements
She sits in class listening to all the poison statements
The loud pounding bass can be heard from up the street
“I can still remember dancing to the harsh pounding beat”
Your nose goes numb from the smell of all the cans
It was that night that destroyed all her hopeful plans
His touch sends shivers up your spine
“Was I the one who was out of line?”
She opens her mouth but no sound comes out
“Ah will you get over it, you can’t just sit and pout”
Women are expected to sit in silence
Live in this “society” and accept the violence
Alana McHugh
2019
Young people come together in protest
To change the broken world
Images of the bleak future leave us all disturbed
Your followers and likes on social media determines who you are
Your social status of your friends become your rising star
People are mercilessly killed in the place they pray
Children wielding their plastic guns in the playground as they play.
Anon
Bored
I get bored listening to teachers all day,
When we barely even listen to what they say.
I get into bed when I get home,
And sit for hours on my smartphone.
Then the weekend goes by too fast,
And us students don’t notice that its passed.
Then back to school on Monday, beat,
Hoping for an ejector seat.
Then we repeat this for nine sad months,
Then no more pulling the ‘I’m sick’ stunts.
We all get happy for the holidays,
We jump and dance to songs of praise.
Leah
Attention
I see girls wear nothing for the attention of lads,
Clearly not approved by their dads.
Lads get high just to fit in with the group,
Not knowing they will be more prone to getting croup.
They rummage through the bins in search for something to eat,
A good day is finding some meat.
They sit trying to feel the warmth from the shops,
Even though they are cooler than the sweatshops.
They keep swimming trying to find an iceberg to sit on,
We will only care after they are gone.
Anon
Tackle and Run
We tackle and run where guys make fun,
That women and girls who swing their hurls,
Are too fragile to play sports,
Insecurities and lack of confidence to batter back your compliments,
Vulgar language and cat call whistles,
The words of men cut deep as thistles,
Sitting around teachers all day,
Who talk about things we’ll never need,
Evolving at a turtle speed.
Alicia Cullen
Short Skirt
She bows he head in shame,
The length of her skirt,
She tried to explain,
He made he feel endless hurt.
She wanted to hide,
And forget the heart break,
The range inside,
But how her heart aches.
She never gave consent,
Just laid there still,
Unsure what a signal meant,
And now she has lost all will.
This is her,
A story shared,
That night a blur,
But no one cared.
Elizabeth Kent
Where
This is where time never passes, my mind disappears
Some things in this place never seem clear
We are brainwashed into thinking we are not good enough
They set us up for failure, unless you’re a perfect plus
Useless information, in one ear and out the other
Self-expression, creativity, they really can’t be bothered
Sarah Clarke
The Wind Listens
Her words aren’t complete
Her mouth won’t speak
Her heart stops too broke to beat
And the ground can’t touch her bleeding feet.
She bows her head with no goodbye
Her brains an ocean sweeping tide
But words like thorns dig deep inside
Reality just a passer-by.
Memories blossom, flower and die
Her lungs are filled
Her tongue is dry
The sunsets in the mournful sky
But only the wind can hear her cries.
Grace Campbell
Untitled
My pain is hidden behind these walls,
Through my sobbing, I dismiss my mother’s calls,
Like poison, burning lines down my face,
The accused, avoiding captivity as they drop/terminate his case.
Anon
Demons
Demons lurk behind closed doors,
I see them more and more,
Each day I pray they’ll go away,
I look in the mirror when I wake,
And my heart begins to break,
I’m not the same I used to be,
Then I notice them smiling back at me
I crack a smile when I’m with my friends,
But the smile I crack is only pretend,
I’ll take some blame, I’m not my best,
But you caused the gaping hole in my chest.
Danielle Kirwan
Some People
Some people are blessed
With good looks
Some people are blessed
With wit
Some people are blessed
With neither of these
And that’s why their lives
Are crap
Anon
If
If you’re too kind you’re used.
If you’re too mean you’re disliked.
If you’re too weird no one likes you.
If you’re popular people avoid you.
If you’re just the right amount of everything you’re just basic.
If you’re too smart you’re bullied.
What is wrong with us?
Why do we treat others this way?
Everyone should be equal but it will never be that way.
This is reality.
Karina
Match Day
The player that runs up the field,
Using his body as a shield for the ball,
The screech of the fans,
As they throw their hands in delight,
The kick of the ball over the bar,
While a hole is played three strokes under par,
A ball flown over the net,
Sweat dripping as the players fret,
The heart thumping out of their chest.
Caoimhe Doyle
Untitled
I am six
I cycle my bike down the road
Speeding, the wind blowing through my hair
Faster, faster, faster and
SMACK
As the tears stream down my face I look around
He’s not there
I am ten
In school, we’re doing history
The teacher calls out
“Everyone fills in your family tree”
Everyone’s tree filled in bright and colourful
Mine half empty
He’s not there
I am fourteen
Boys start to show interest to me
Walking down the street, I hear vulgar things:
“Hoop on her”
“I would”
I feeling scared and unprotected
He’s not there
Alana Mchugh
Worlds
Worlds like thunder clouds collide an insignificant celestial slide.
We are so blind to the things that shine but fade to dust in space and time.
To ash and rubble an expanse of our industrial bubble.
When oceans and cities rumble, tectonic plates and mountains tumble.
We run through trees winds roaring a gentle breeze.
The oceans freeze, the cliffs edge looms, covered in blood red blooms.
You control everything, the worlds, the winds,
The water yet your world is not so kind to the cruel mechanics of the human mind.
Petra Van der Wel
Our Minds
Our minds can wonder and discover new things
We learn about others and spread our wings.
Our thoughts race with riddles of stress
Drowning in puddles and muddles of mess
They run you down and make you think less.
Despite the voice that you hear in your head
You’re not all that bad despite what they said.
Nian Mac Cormaic
Escape
We go to escape the outside world,
Our feelings and emotions become all twirled,
Only our thoughts float around in our head,
Thinking about what other people said,
We are surrounded by our hopes and fears,
Hateful words melt into tears,
The day ends and we try to fall asleep,
But those words are scars that cut too deep.
Erin and Stephanie
Our Imaginations
Our imaginations can flow throughout our heads
We could be in the front line of a war or simply in our beds
Your brain expands and you discover more about the world
But you may not be that happy
From what you are being told
You can learn more about yourself
And others through your thoughts
But may not be ready for their lessons
That suffering has taught
We can be at our quietest
But at our loudest
All at the same time
And create a whole world
By fine toning every mind
Karina Costello
Für Eilse
I wanted to yell after her before she walked away
I told her it would be okay.
I saw a phone call make her cry
And I realised the world is a harsher place than i was told,
That we can vote and tell ourselves
It’s gone but reject the children we raised
And made for the people they love,
I saw a mother bring up her daughter
And break her down with a phone call
Because of who she caught her holding hands with,
Just holding hands.
I was told it was gone.
I was told love was free
And we pat ourselves on the back for unlocking its cage.
I tell myself I’m not broken
Yet I sometimes wish I were a boy
So i could make things work.
So tell me love is free.
Tell me those who reject their children aren’t products of their time.
tell me the boy who screams dyke is an outlier,
Tell me you wouldn’t treat me any different if she were a boy,
Tell me it’s gone and people aren’t dead
And going to die anymore because it’s gone.
Tell me I wasn’t lying when I said things would be okay.
Liadain O’Sullivan
Untitled
The youth of the world fight for survival
Drained of emotion they wait for revival.
We conceal how we feel
Even though our emotions swell up inside
And once they overflow
Our search begins
For someone with whom we can confide.
Our own ideas are disregarded
And notions of what we should believe are drilled into our minds
Biased opinions and tales spun from lies,
Propaganda takes over, the truth is nowhere to find.
We hide behind the comfort of our muffled screens
Incapable of change is what is thought of teens.
Some much is expected yet no support is found
Teens these days need to make a sound.
Leah Weldon
Moonlit Love
I move to España to speak my native tongue,
And thus I go to find him, our love still is young.
I prance along the moonlit beaches gazing into my lovers eyes,
I begin to feel ever so peckish, oh god I’d love some fries.
Love makes fools of us all.
Hand in hand together we walked, overhead a seagull flew,
I looked up in awe and a strong gust of wind blew.
A wave came, it took me, and I quickly found,
My lovers hand was clasping mine as I sadly drowned.
Love makes fools of us all.
Andrito and Ellito
Global Climate Strikes
Changes are made, right now, right here.
People will protest without any fear.
We all came together due to concerns.
We all shout forever, the same simple terms.
Students fight for a future for generations following them.
“But will it keep happening?”, asked women and men.
We’ll see if it is, worth fighting for
Or if it’s not working, we still need more.
Sarah Sedlbauer
Call Us
The pixies and trolls call us into the bushes
She stumbles through the long green rushes,
The body is found on the banks of the river,
With a steak knife piercing the side of the liver,
The crows fill the sky with raging anger,
Down the twisty road where the darlings meander,
Our scream echoes the corpse cold woods,
As the shadow comes to gather in there death black hoods.
Leah Carty Walker
Untitled
The acrid perfume of death suffocated the living
Angst and suffering flow from tears of the forgiving
Individuality comes to waste the centuries away
It tries to keep voices, thoughts, feeling at bay
The innocent are left to fend off certain pain
And are told to stay quiet, makes secrets of your shame
Man tries to flee but carries history on its back
We can try escape the future, but ahead is cold and black
Lucy Paul
Our Thoughts Whizz
Our thoughts whizz around freely bouncing off each other
Each and every one making war with another
All our information stacks up overtime in large piles
Archives of information flow like rivers of old files
Our emotions brew in pots that only overflow
Anger and aggression for nobody to know
We battle with ourselves religiously about how we look and feel
Hoping that the rumours going around just aren’t real
Caoimhe Doyle
Untitled
Teachers force boring information into our melting heads
We’d be better off sleeping curled-up in our comfy beds
I spend 7 hours of each day carelessly day dreaming
When I could be out with my friends to feel the sunshine beaming
I plan my weekend with my friends
Because the school week never ends
I have spent half my life in here
And watching my childhood disappear
Chloe and Amelia
What to Write
I don’t know what to write
My brain can’t think right
I cannot rhyme
And that is my crime
I feel like a bin
And that is my sin
I wanna go home
And be all alone
Anon
The Teenager and the Girl
See the swimming of the teenager,
I think he’s angry at the stager.
He finds it hard to see the chalk,
Over shadowed by the grand hoc.
Who is that chirping sheep?
I think she’d like to eat the rem sleep.
She is but an enjoyable girl.
Admired as she sits upon a pearl.
Her instructional car is just a bee,
It needs no gas, it runs on idiosyncrasy.
She’s not alone she brings a girlfriend,
A pet camel, and lots of denned.
The camel likes to chase a rock,
Especially one that’s in the roc.
The teenager shudders at the cheerful tiger,
He want to leave but she wants the geiger.
Katie Mooney
Cabbage and Potato
Bubble ‘n’ squeak shoved down my throat
I shrug off my cares,
Shrug off my coat.
Our opinions are viewed as unworthy
To the world
Our fighting fists
Clenched and curled.
Too young to think, too young to know,
But they’ll be dead while their fruit
Are tortured, watching it grow.
Young people come together
In protest to change the world
The images of our future leave us disturbed.
I fiesta, salsa and celebrate her quinceañera
While we stand shoulder to shoulder singing for
Éire.
Anon
Pat Had a Cat
The cat was curious so it went for a stroll
Having all the time in the world
It jumped from trees to buildings
While getting cared by adoring little children
The cat kept going and going
Traveling far and wide and the cat never came back
To poor old sad Pat
Rose Van der Wel