I can’t tell which is worse:
a fire or a flood.

at first, there doesn’t seem to be a difference;
you lose everything in both.
when you take a second look, the monster has grown.

the fire is insatiable. 
it devours what’s in sight. 
in the end, you have nothing to come back to. 
it’s not a choice you get to make.

the flood is curious. 
it touches everything within reach.
like a chi...

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there is a splinter in the pad of my thumb.
I don’t know how or when it happened, 
but do know where.

our house has no floors thanks to the hurricanes. 
the bottom is concrete;
it collects dust faster than we can sweep.
the top is subfloor;
we have to wear shoes inside to prevent splinters.

my little sister forgot.
one got stuck in her foot before school.
she was only getting out of ...

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there’s a saying that I've heard,

something about ‘the silence of the sea.’

but I can’t figure out what it means.

the sea is not silent

as the waves crash onto the shore.

it rages and fumes as it batters down

the door.

the sea is as loud as thunder,

as deafening as a plane’s engine.

it is anything but silent,

its presence always known.

but maybe ‘th...

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Sweep me off my feet,

Carry me through this dreamlike state, and

Spin me faster than I’ve ever spun before.

Call me yours,

Call me his, hers, or

Call me mine. I do not care.

Shower me with golden rain,

Bathe me in the sin of mortality, and

Let me retain this tiny bit of humanity I still have.

Do not remind me of my greater purpose

For I do not know what...

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On the farm, it's rabbit pie day

But the poor little rabbit didn't know that.

She missed the memo, too absorbed in gathering carrots

To think about the path she took home.

The farmer was out with his friends, laughing with a cigarette

Dangling from his lips. He was looking for the perfect morsel for his

Wicked pie when he saw the little rabbit snuffling around in the bushes.

...

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“I don’t dance,”

I told everyone who asked.

“I’m terrible at it.”

So I didn’t.

I sat on the sidelines and watched.

I used to dance.

I didn’t question it when my feet

Would tap of their own accord and my body

Would wiggle around with delight.

“I was young and I was stupid.

It was embarrassing.”

I’m still young and I’m still stupid.

I’m still terribl...

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One by one, I rip off the

Glossy red gel that coats my nails.

Underneath, the soft pink has given way to white

As the polish tears away the calcium that gives it its color.

Four fingers down, six to go.

I wonder if I should stop.

I’ve only had them on for two weeks, after all.

But that’s one week more than I did before.

Besides, it’s better for my nails to be ...

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I’ve always been told to

Color inside the lines.

Ever since I was little, it was always

Fit into the box.

                                                Don’t rock the boat.

                                                                                                Stay in your little corner and

Don’t come out.

They said, “keep your colo...

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I’m screaming at the top of my lungs

But she can’t hear me.

I might as well be yelling in French or Spanish because

She just doesn’t understand me

When I tell her I can’t do this.

She doesn’t get it when I tell her

I don’t know—

Je ne sais pas,

Yo no sé

—how I’m going to see this through.

It’s like my brain es en fuego from all

Of the información being ...

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I have shed my thick armored plating that hides my ridiculous

True nature from the rest of the world,

Revealing my God-given form to everyone around me.

I have forsaken the comfort of obscurity, instead choosing to

Shout loudly and clearly “I am here!

Gaze upon me for all my mortal sins!”

I have suffered without my protection, taking blows to my carefully curated

E...

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Flies gathered around its tiny body,

Its feet turned toward the sky

As if preparing to continue the

Never-ending rat race among the clouds.

People walk past and turn up their noses.

The only good rat is a

Dead rat, but why?

They exist just like us, their little hearts

Pumping just as fast as ours.

They scurry from place to place, ducking between

Giant meta...

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It happens as quickly as it ends, a muffled slam and a splintering of cracks.

Night has fallen quickly, the dull glare of the streetlights hidden by the blinds.

I barely stir when it happens, only waking when footsteps race past my door.

“What’s happening?” I ask groggily, surveying the urgency of my parents.

My brother replies “A car crashed through our fence!”

With both excitemen...

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Solitude used to be an escape route

from the chaos of life. 

My room was once a safe haven 

from the scary world around me. 

My house used to be a welcome sight

after a long day. 

None of those things are what they once were. 

Being stuck in one place for 59 days does that to a person. 

My house is no longer home,

the blue walls no longer friendly and welcoming. 

My r...

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It's been a while since I dove

deep into the world of poetry. 

It's been a while since I wrote

words that meant something to me

for everyone else to see. 

I forgot how it felt to put myself on display. 

To feel the words under my wings and fly. 

I disappeared into reality, never to be seen again. 

I swam in vast oceans of my thoughts. 

I drove across highways of expectat...

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There’s a great big Something sitting at my door,

it sits there and watches but no more. 

Somethings are rare and don’t happen very much, 

so of course I’m confused as to what to do with it.

As I look at the Something, it looks back at me

and shows me the wonderful things it could be. 

It shows me what I could have done,

could have been,

could have bought,

could have see...

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The low hum of the washing machine

assaults my ears as I try to sleep.

The rustles and light snores coming from my sister 

makes it even harder. 

I have difficulty trying to sleep, 

but now more than ever. 

Too many demons to run from.

Too much darkness.

Too many imaginary ax murderers that could

jump through my window and kill me. 

So I disappear for a while.

Into...

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Take a step.
Where does it take you?
Where can it take you?
Where do you want to go?
How many steps does it take to get there?
It won’t be an easy journey,
For there are many twists and turns.
Forks in the road
And challenges you will face. 
The brave don’t give up. 
You are brave. 
Remember that and take those steps to achieving your dreams.

But how do you know which path to ta...

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I am desparate to escape the cage in which I am imprisoned.

Every day, I scratch a mark on the wall to keep track of how many days had passed. 

I've written my way out of this before, 

but I don't think my words will save me this time. 

The demons keep me in with their cold, clammy hands. 

They put fear in my mind,

despair in my heart, 

all to keep me in my jail. 

I have sc...

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Swirls of stars

Soaring high

Flood the night sky

They pass through clouds on their way by

As they leap across space. 

Over the sea,

as they make their way, 

They watch over turtles coming ashore

And dolphins jumping over the waves. 

They see the fish of the deep

And the fish in the shallows. 

The sea slugs and the sea snails. 

The anemones and the coral. 

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I’ve picked up the pieces

of my broken heart so many times

that my fingers have never healed

from the cuts. 

They were destroyed by the jagged shards 

of a broken heart. 

My dream of writing becomes harder and harder 

as again and again, my heart is broken

which makes my hands bleed

as I pick up the pieces 

again and again. 

I hold them close to my chest

as I go...

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When a person thinks of bravery, 

their answers vary on what type of person you’re 

talking to. 

Some may say that bravery is an act 

of heroism. 

Some say it’s courage.

Some say it’s doing what’s right,

even if everyone else will hate them for it. 

Some tell you that bravery is to 

be in the military. 

Some tell you that bravery is being who you are, 

even if soci...

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I stand on the hard, black dirt, 

watching the thick fog swirl around me. 

I hear the voices of my family and friends, 

the meows of my grandma’s cat, long since dead, 

and the barks of the dogs, most of which have passed on. 

I watch the memories unfold,

seeing faces, some of which I haven’t seen in years. 

I smile and laugh at some, 

cry watching some, 

and remember al...

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They tell me I’m too young. 

Too young to know

about the horrors of the world.

Too young 

to make decisions of my own. 

Too young 

to be thinking at the level I am. 

Too young 

to hear about politics. 

Too young 

to be worrying about the things I worry about. 

They tell me I have an old soul. 

They tell me I think like a 32 year old. 

They tell me to stop wor...

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Hair in a low bun, 

dressy shirt on, 

new backpack on my shoulders. 

The girl from yesterday is gone. 

The girl from yesterday cried in public. 

The girl from yesterday let the bullies get away. 

The girl from yesterday let her depression 

catch up with her. 

But then tomorrow came. 

Today I laced up my white converse 

and put in my earbuds 

as I made my trek over ...

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People have started to notice. 

I look sad. Depressed, even. 

Which prompts them to ask the dreaded question: 

“Are you okay?” 

I always reply with: 

“Yeah.” 

Or “I’m okay.” 

Or “I’m fine.” 

But those are lies. 

I am not okay. I am not fine. 

I need help. And I need it now. 

I can’t get it though.

They say to talk to the guidance counselors. 

Lets be serious....

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The alarm bells screamed in my head. 

A number 1 showed up to tell me

that I had a message from someone. 

My friend had just sent me a screenshot of the chat 

he’d had with our other friend. 

My heart froze. 

And then started smashing. 

I’d just read her post about how 

she wanted to end it. 

She was going through some of the 

same things I am. 

But unlike me, she ...

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They tell me it’s good to be different. 

Embrace your differences! 

No one will bully you for it.

No one will shun you. 

Thats what they told me. 

And then I realized the truth. 

They lied to me (as usual) 

about it. 

Because the world is a dark, cruel place.

And to survive you have to be cruel. 

To make it,

you have to fit in. 

To fit in, 

you have to be fak...

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While I walk through the 

open hallways of my school, 

I am trapped. 

Yes, school feels like a cage 

to most, 

but for me it is different. 

I am caged with the ‘popular’ kids, 

the bullies, 

the ones who throw things at me in the lunchroom

and talk behind my back. 

They too say school is a cage. 

But it’s different for me. 

While they can speak, 

i am forced ...

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They tell me to be happy. 

They tell me that ‘no one sits alone’ 

that there’s ‘no bullying at this school!’

but I can tell you firsthand that that’s not true. 

Not one bit. 

At night, 

I cry. 

I cry myself a river, as they say

because I cannot cry any other time. 

They will just tell me that I’m sad

or to cheer up

or the awful ‘what’s wrong?’

It just won’t do. 

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As I walk down the sidewalk, 

I wonder how many people 

are as honest as they say. 

They tell us to tell the truth. 

That we won’t be punished for it. 

That it’s always right to tell the truth. 

But do they tell the truth? 

I can’t help but wonder 

if they are hypocrites. 

Because no one can tell the truth all the time. 

Even the most honest person 

has told a litt...

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Fallible,

what a word! 

No one has a clue what it means

unless they look it up. 

You see, 

this word 

is a wondrous word 

for it most nearly means ‘imperfect.’

For example: 

humans are fallible. 

Its a true statement. 

We are not perfect, 

nor will ever be. 

But we can try to be 

the best person we can 

to improve the lives of others.

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There’s a window. 

The sun always shines through it. 

On rainy days, there is always a light. 

The sun shines through it whatever the weather.

When the curtains close, the light is gone. 

But the curtain never closes. 

Until one day some unsuspecting guy

closes it for his girlfriend. 

The light is extinguished. 

And so is the light in a little girl’s life. 

Be careful...

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Many miles I have traveled.

The years go by. 

As do the miles. 

Whether it be moving

or soccer

or as simple as going to the grocery store. 

They fly past me, 

waving as they go by. 

I’ve made so many memories,

both good and bad. 

I’ve hated how fast the miles zoom past me. 

I’ve loved it how I’ve already traveled so many 

while so young. 

It all depends on th...

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They tell us that the little things don’t matter.

That words can’t hurt us. 

That we need to let go. 

But what if the little things matter?

What if they play huge parts in our lives? 

Because they do. 

The little things make up vast portions of our lives. 

Maybe that’s why some of us don’t let them go.

Maybe that’s why we won’t let them go, 

no matter how hard we try. 

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Help me.

The darkness is closing in,

sucking all the light out.

Wiping out my hopes,

my dreams,

and replacing them with sorrow and sadness.

The darkness is suffocating.

It’s choking me with tears

and regrets and apologies.

It’s tormenting me with the things I did wrong

or I thought I did wrong.

Save me.

I want someone to take my hand.

Give me a flashligh...

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A girl is trapped on a lake

that has been frozen over.

The ice is thin, 

and shatters easily. 

The ice all around her is broken into pieces 

and cracked so much that it was hard to find

the way they fit together. 

The girl balances precariously 

on a small piece of unbroken ice. 

But if the piece breaks,

she either dies by her own hand 

or falls into to abyss of in...

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Hope has been lost.

It has disappeared from life as I know it. 

The sad songs you hear on the radio make me cry. 

I have given up on trying to beat back the demons that live inside. 

I have tried in vain to hold onto the hope, 

to tell myself that it is all

going to go uphill from here. 

But it never does. 

I tried to hide it at first, 

but I realized that I needed help....

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The clock strikes midnight, 

but I don’t see it.

I am too busy inside of my own world to care. 

The clock takes me all the way to around two in the morning. 

But i still do not care. 

The connections to the real world are 

just too hard to put down. 

I feel filled, 

Yet still empty. 

I feel joy, 

but hollow sadness at the same time. 

I am reflecting on the things I...

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The last drops of the sweet tea

in the bottom of the glass 

seem to have a message. 

Telling me to go refill it, most likely. 

But it also shows me a work of art. 

The dregs of the glass are hidden under the ice, 

much like how our true selves are hidden under 

those people we pretend to be. 

Every day a new lie

to tell them. 

Every day a new lie told 

to you. 

...

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We all hide scars 

underneath the tough skin we have formed. 

We all have flaws, 

but we choose not to tell. 

To wait for them to reveal themselves. 

We all have hopes and dreams, 

but we say they’re stupid and that 

we’re never going to achieve them. 

This is the common person. 

And their way of thinking. 

We are all guilty of it.

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A tree. 

Flowers.

The clouds. 

A bench. 

Soft, green grass. 

A far off castle is visible from the top of the tree. 

A girl sits cross-legged, 

in deep meditation. 

She feels the world turning upside down. 

And then silence. 

She slowly opens her eyes. 

My meditation garden,

she thinks. 

She gets up and goes to look through the viewports into her mind. 

Tha...

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As she mills about the streets,

Millicent the cat watches lives unfold.

Joy fills a boy’s face as he receives a note from a girl.

A girl wilts at the sight of a boy talking with another girl.

She watches as lives are created,

a girl begins her journey into the world of a writer,

and destroyed,

a boy commits suicide because of the pains of life.

She knows everyone in town,

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if I had a star in the sky for everything I’ve done wrong,

the sky would be filled with them.

I’ve messed so many things up,

killed too many opportunities,

but hey, 

we’re all fallen stars. 

We fall for a reason.

I’m still not sure what mine is, 

but it has something to do with writing.

I want all you other fallen stars to know,

we are all amazing the way we are.

I...

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As I stand on the balcony,

i stare at the world

or at least the tiny part of it that I can see.

The hotel is grand,

a truely magnificent display

and I feel small just in the lobby.

I feel out of place amid the happy tourists

ready to have fun for the rest of the day 

and tomorrow.

I wish I could say the same,

but this is a one-night stop

at the hotel of my dreams.

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Staring at the dregs of her glass,

wondering whether the world will change

like the little girl said.

The woman thinks about what she said.

The girl has proven to be a knowledgeable 

person, wiser than most of the people her age and 

above. 

But what will it take?

The woman is a lowly photographer

for the local paper.

She only took the photos at this meeting. 

But ...

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Capture the moment 

in a single photograph.

Keep the memory 

of a loved one 

in a framed picture on your nightstand.

Take a beautiful picture 

of scenery or people.

Freeze the world and time

for just one second.

A fleeting moment 

of stolen elegance 

and beauty.

Take a photograph.

It lasts longer.

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Jeans in the right drawer.

Shorts in the left one.

Soni was unpacking her life for the seventh time

in sixteen years.

It was close to midnight,

but she wanted to get it done now

or else she’d never finish.

Her eyes drooped and 

she fought the tiredness. 

But it won and she was soon 

passed out on the mattress on the floor that

served as her bed.

She was soon dre...

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Tell me what you think of my words,

my poems,

the stories I create.

Tell me what you think of my wit,

my worlds I make,

the way I write.

Tell me what you think I do well,

could do better,

give me another outlook on my writing.

Tell me what you think because

your opinions matter.

They help me realize how well I write,

what I do well, 

what I did or wrote wrong...

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I have realized my wrongs and 

am now trying to right them. 

My head was foggy when I wrote that the future was female. 

It’s actually going to be a joint effort,

both male and female and 

everyone in between.

I have seen the universe from a different angle,

and I can see my mistakes better.

Some I still cannot solve,

I have no idea what to do and what I did.

But thos...

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In, out.

In, out.

I calmed my breathing.

I righted my head.

I pieced together my thoughts and read.

But I couldn’t focus.

I had the urge to write. 

About what?

I had no idea.

I have the night to myself.

So I thought about my worst-case scenarios.

And the events that had happened in the past few days.

Discrimination.

Racism. 

Sexism.

ARGH!!

I wanted t...

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