Fall 2000 Webslam, Round 1 Volley #1, October 30 - November 2 (Choose only 1 and respond to it) Imagine you are invisible. Write a poem about what you see and hear there. Use a favorite line from another poet as the first line of your poem and write from there Use a piece of "found" writing-this could be a part of newspaper article, letter, note, overheard conversation, etc. that is found by the poet and turned into or incorporated into a poem. Untitled I was watching. Sometimes unwilling, Sometimes unwanted, I was watching. Every child born, Every child gone, Every cry, every laugh, Every song, I was watching. I was there. Always unseen, Sometimes sensed, If they knew it or not, I was there. Every heartache and funeral, Every wedding and birthday, Every kiss, every hit, I saw it all. I was there. If you sense a soft touch But see nothing there, It was me, the one unseen Who sees it all From good to bad, All that human nature ever had. I was there. -Angel Cherryholmes, St. Pius X (Rating: 9.65 Votes: 2) About a Wall Something there is that doesn't love a wall. And there is a wall (cold stone, cruel line) Too tall to see over. There is a wall (deep scar, hateful sneer). Is it there to keep something in? Is it there to keep someone out? Something beats and tears at it Until his fists (smashed apple, closed hope) Are broken and bleeding. Someone hears something pounding And she pleads (song bird, caged sky) to know what stands between. Something and someone climb up And they look (apple orchard, pine forest), And someone understands: The wall is not there for walling in or walling out. The wall is there to give offense. Something there is that doesn't love a wall; Someone wants it down. -Colin McIlvoy, Las Cruces High School (Rating: 9.55 Votes: 2) If only I Weren't Invisible Touching a tree… Never. What I would give, To feel The rough bark, Run my fingers over it. The curves of a face. Nose. Lips. And eyes, Lips soft as cotton, To touch with a finger tip… Never. Dew on grass, To stroke with my hand. Thorns on a flower Oh! To feel the prick. Never. To know love, To feel love, To be seen, To be touched, To share affection, To have hands ran through my hair. Never. If only, I weren't invisible. -Barbara Evans, Animas High School (Rating: 9.40 Votes: 2) Antiques of the Sea Ancient relics, broken down, Cursed to sink and ocean drowned. Mightly ships of past and yore, Trying to find an unseen shore. Resting now in rust and rot, Sailing now in dreams and thought. Splintered wood that once was mast, Useless now in daily task. Beauty she, when she was crowned, Black and battered when she's found. Silent now on ocean floor, Remaining now in sea-men's lore. Storm's fury - the ships are caught! To the sea bed they are brought. Sleep in silence everlast, You rotting ships of the past. (Prompt 3-"silent now on ocean floor," from a Discovery Channel program on the Titanic.) -Wesley Hodgson, Rio Rancho High School (Rating: 9.35 Votes: 2) Invisible If I was invisible, I could blow in the beautiful, multicolor leaves. I could go swimming in the Niagara Falls, Or I could touch the heavenly clouds up above in the sky. If I was invisible, I could listen to other conversations, I could go in to the places where I shouldn’t Or I could roll down the beautiful hills in Taos. Patricia Gatlin Freshman -Patricia Gatlin, Valley High School (Rating: 9.20 Votes: 2) untitled Fierce anger rips the belly Of a young mother; The rusty medicine will heal Her deep seething wounds. They scrub her face numb- She doesn't see herself now. Suffocated by a burning hatred The children of Tibet are no more. -Lisa Brown, Las Cruces High School (Rating: 9.15 Votes: 2) Top Right-Hand Drawer Rainbow stickers. Shiny paperclips. Cakey lipsticks, lids half-off. I rummage for a butterscotch, sweet pale moon-milk in crumpled cellophane. My fingers brush it accidentally, I pull it out, I read. I become hollow. Acid stings my tongue. The paper writhes, a hatching snake. Angry slashes, frantic letters claw the margins in a desperate quest for Truth. Blind sentences collide and recoil in sudden, snarling resentment of their own Uncertainty. Words hinged on faulty joints cry for warm wet oil, plead for Resolution, Resolution. Phrases slur, they slide, they melt together in nonsensical harmony, in viscous, vibrant Rage. Incoherent scratches drag against the cold smooth paper, hot frightened barbs of Failure. I fold the sheet and cry. The Loss, the Pain, the Hopelessness smear my eyes with screaming salt. I hold out my hand to empty air. I never knew, I never knew. I struggle to breathe. Please let me help! Please let me help! My speech is tangled and silent. I don't know what to do, I don't know what to do. I am alone. I don't know what to do. The dark song echoes, echoes, echoes, cleaves the horizon. The world is dead. I slide the paper back into place and turn my face into jerking hands. -Jo Schumacher, Las Cruces High School (Rating: 9.10 Votes: 2) untitled If I were invisible , how Puck-like I would be To do things never dared, things completely not me I'd hide keys and remotes to where you'd never look And turn the heat up to burn what you cook Constantly turning down the volume on your t.v. Could only be done by one as transparent as me I'd switch the lights back on when you just turned them off. I slap you on the back just to make you cough. I'd jump on the scales when you weigh yourself Just think of me as the tricky, transparent elf -Molly Staley, Las Cruces High School (Rating: 8.85 Votes: 2) I See You I see what others can't see in you, I see no hope, behind your tears. I see no faith behind your fears. I feel your pain, stabbing me in the heart. Your pain is sore, like a prickly thorn, cut from a red rose. Red as your blood, that beats heavily, through your shredded heart. I know you miss him As much as a mother, missing her dead child. I see you sitting there, tissue drenched, eyes burning, heart broken, and hatred toward that man who killed your father. I wish I could comfort you, hold you so tight no air left in your lungs. But all I can do is see and feel your pain. I know your pain. I can see it. But you can't see me. I am invisible. -Robin Richins, Animas High School (Rating: 8.80 Votes: 2) As a Child I Walked As a child I walked through the graveyard of my hometown and listened to the soft voices whispering through the trees. I would sit by the big oak and watch the birds circle the sky. It was there, sitting in the shadow of that grand oak that I would find the peace I craved. # 2 "As a Child I Walked" by Jewel Kilcher -Kathryn Eyer, Onate High (Rating: 8.80 Votes: 2) untitled I could tell you what I looked like If my mind could suffer such abuse I could tell you what I look like now If I could find which words to use My hair's the color of the wind My tread is softer than the moonbeams My voice is less than a whispering breeze I can only talk to the living in their dreams I am the unseen, I am the unknown I am the unthinkable thought My soul's cut loose to wander the Earth My body's been buried to rot The stories of "unfinished business" Are entirely untrue I stayed behind cause I was blind To what I had to do I don't remember how I died Does it matter in this twilight place? I think it was a hit and run That dropped me from the human race I should have gone to Heaven But I chose to stay around Even when my family ignored me And they stuck me in the ground I have been here an eternity And an eternity still to wait Oh, that I would have gone to Heaven Instead of staying, and sealing my fate Cause there are things in here with me, you see Demons I cannot name Even before my corpse was cold in its grave The spirit-suckers came I know not what horrors await Beyond my comprehension At their taloned hands In their hellish home dimension They are the end of all I'm a helpless wraith They'll get me soon That alone holds my faith But now a disturbed teenager Unknowingly shares his life I draw precious power from him I am a poltergeist He must finish writing this soon My power over him wavers Soon I must go back out into the world To face those soul-stealing slavers I am confident my message is out No more will I sit here and wait I will face down every hell-spawn If it will save just one person from this fate I leave you with this warning Death will come for you one day And if you are without faith, I know too well There will be hell to pay -Mike Price, Clayton High School (Rating: 8.70 Votes: 2) The Missing Person Frantic whisperings, pubescent groping, A smell of musky cologne and pizza. Dim hallways cloyed with screeching juveniles, their greetings shrill as a halting train. They run through, idle yet complacent with this stagnant life. The lonely wander aimlessly, their eyes crying a tragic plea for companionship. Shouts grow to a dull roar, all individuals drown in this puerile sea. And I am out of sight, out of mind... -Christi Stack, Las Cruces High School (Rating: 8.70 Votes: 2) Figures of Love *The two eye each other silently For an eternity they share a single moment A brief soft feeling of reborn passion, The segmentations of their serenity Broken by time’s recalcitrant ways. A simple dissembled gaze is present, So are fantasies of a perfect relationship, Love at first sight, A future of forever togetherness. The thought of recapitulating Those three words Hovers between them. The two eye each other silently, Both tremulous to say a word, Break the silence or enjoy it? This may be the last to deny existence, Forget about the militant ideas Or the start of another eternal love- Ordinarily what they both plead for. The anticipation boils As no words are exchanged. Precarious to move a muscle, Let alone show true feelings. Two worlds come together sharing everything. The palpitation begins to show In their sweaty palms But never will it become again. The two eye each other silently. No sound is needed for what they share. Time is irrelevant in their unspoken world. Then in the moment of a blink, They look away. *The Two Eye Each Other Silently by Andy Isabella -Kimberly Laster, Onate High (Rating: 8.55 Votes: 2) Invisible to the World Do you remember the day your cheeks burned? The day they all laughed at your mistake? I remember the day they laughed at me. But no more! Now I am invisible, Never to be seen again. My humiliation will go unnoticed Forever more. Now I can sit under the tree, And listen to the birds chirp For hours on end. Responsibility, no more! See those foolish kids? Playing and laughing? I don’t have to join them. Wait? I can join them no more! Forever I’m stuck, Invisible to the world! #1. Invisible prompt -Tamara Bryan, Onate High (Rating: 8.50 Votes: 2) Look Behind The Curtains . . . I see women, bruises decorating their pale bodies. I hear children crying behind locked doors, The world has forgotten them. I smell alcohol on old men's breathe. They weeze out the stories of their lives. They are resigned to this fate, I can taste it oozing forth from their souls. This is our fate, And I sit, ivinsible and helpless, behind the Curtains. -Kumori Shiino, Santa Fe Preparatory School (Rating: 8.50 Votes: 2) Ashes [First line (in quotes) taken from Varg Vikernes' poem titled "Aske", or "Ashes"] "That fire Which never burns out. Yet burns low Which flickers out." The vermilion flames rise With anger and hate. Yet dying embers form When vengeful fires abate. Inside this blaze Tongues of fire remain. Underneath the ashes Disguising the pain. Softly glowing embers Aching so very sore. Dreaming of becoming A great inferno once more. In the ashes remain These embers themselves. There is such a fire Burning within ourselves. -Nida Stewart, St. Pius X (Rating: 8.40 Votes: 2) War She sent him off With hugs and kisses With silent prayers And hopeful wishes They took him away her baby boy And gave him a real gun Not like his old toy They told him to "suck it up" To be a "Real Man" So he grinned and bared it. While to the battle fields he ran The loud bangs in his ears The tears on his face The "Man" in front of him falls He must step up to take his place With fear in his eyes He hears one last boom And falls to the ground…… His families doom. Back at home they say "This is for all he’s done" As they hand her a medal In the place of her son. Marissa Luna Freshman -Marissa Luna, Valley High School (Rating: 8.40 Votes: 1) Not to be seen nor heard Not to be seen nor heard As I walk beside the world To sneak upon each child and bird and swirl each hair that is curled As I blow into a stranger's ear And gently brush against their spine while whispering secrets no one can hear for I know what's upon each mind I hear the secrets that they speack for no others to know or hear I know the truth that others seek and the answers to all their fears I know the world like the back of my hand yet no one knows me nor do they care for I'm the mysterious foot prints in the sand bringing of chills upon necks and raising of hair I was ment to be unseen, unknown to make faces and whisper a simple word To bring an eerie comfort that they're not alone Yet not to be seen nor heard -Jennifer Parkinson, West Las Vegas High School (Rating: 8.35 Votes: 2) Birthday Man, this is the best birthday I ever had..... Can't you see the sadness on my face, dad? All I hear from you are yells and screams. Can't you see the shattering of all my dreams. Yesterday I thought you were the man, But now all I can see are the stains of blood on your hands. You killed the last bit of hope I had. Thank-YOU dad. This is the best birthday I ever had. Thank-you for your present. Thank-you for my gift. Now that I prepare to die, I take another hit to get high. Say goodbye. 17, what a good age to die. Lay me down in this crypt, Be careful, don't let me slip. As my last breath comes as a sigh, As my last look goes from my eye. I thank you Dad, This is the Best birthday I ever had.... -Jody Reeser, Clayton High School (Rating: 8.25 Votes: 2) Invisible You can't see nor feel me I wonder why Because I am invisible You may never know when you just might walk through me But I would and to let you know it hurts Because I once knew you loved me And you lost me (Pause) Now can you see me? No! For everyone else around me I don't exist How do I know that is because when I look in the mirror I can't see myself either It's sad but it's true -Valarie Johnson, St. Bonaventure (Rating: 8.25 Votes: 2) Invisible Invisible Walking slowly Along a lonely street. People sitting like statues. Little children- Skin tight on their bones- Watery eyes Dirty faces Mouths open with hunger If only I were not invisible I would feed and comfort them. Then violence Teens taking drugs, shooting heroin in their veins Little kids with guns Real bullets. Real wounds. People growling over scraps A man with a knife on his hand, Taking a woman's purse. And I, standing right by them, Unseen, unheard. I am helpless All I can do is see. The invisible me -Patricia Armendariz, Animas High School (Rating: 8.20 Votes: 2) Untitled "To be invisible is a wonderful thought, but it may also hurt." To love someone so much, and for them to not even know you are there. They see you in the world you walk on, but they never see what world they walk on. To be invisible, to touch the world at no cost, to see things you have never seen before. But to also get hurt, because the one you love never sees you. But to be invisible, one can only dream on how it would work. It may be wonderful to some people, but to others, it is nothing but pain and sadness for the one you love never finds you and will never see your heart's dreams, never see your mind's power, never see her world in heaven, but maybe one of these days, she will walk in your world with you, and your lost soul will finally rest. -Steven Garcia, Wagon Mound High School (Rating: 8.15 Votes: 2) A dove flies way above our heads He comes down from his nest And bids me the best. He says goodbye and I say good luck And he'll be on his way. The following day has come and gone But where did that dove go? So I wait awhile to see if he comes back But strangely he has not. So I go to his nest hoping for the best But when I get there I find my poor dove is dead. -Sophia Martinez, Wagon Mound High School (Rating: 8.10 Votes: 1) Invisible Tears What are the gang members really like? I must know before I judge them. Traveling to fearsome places Where gangs hang out- Ghettos in L.A., N.Y.C, Chicago- Graffiti marking territory Shards of glass Secret signs T-shirts Blue and yellow Tattoos Hidden meanings Life No family love Lonely cries Shadows Shimmering silver knives Hatred Scars Brotherhood Alienation Courage to cover Their grief I feel bad. I can't Show my love For them. I weep Invisible tears. -Luz Maria Armendariz, Animas High School (Rating: 8.10 Votes: 2) Touch me like you've never touch a woman before I'll make you want a little bit more. Look into my eyes and I'll make you feel wise. Tell me the words that I want to hear, My love, do not fear. Walk with me by my side, Speak to me but do not lie. Love me tender, love me smart, Kiss me and I'll break your heart. -Amanda Vigil, Wagon Mound High School (Rating: 8.05 Votes: 2) Past Me When I think you'll touch me You reach right through me. When I think you'll see me You just look past me. When I think you'll hear me You turn away from me. I hear you I see you I feel you And I miss you. I miss you when you're there Because I am not. In your eyes I'm but a blank stare. In your eyes, I'm never there. -Amber Woods, Santa Fe Preparatory School (Rating: 8.05 Votes: 2) Is There a Choice? The very absence of all signs of man suggests that the sovereign elements here are rain and rock and sea. It takes passion. The greatest risk is not taking one. I have no reply... except from the mouths of my cannons and by gunshots. People of heaven? Heirs to violence, Monsters designed to kill. Silent stalkers digging into the past— Exploit or explore? Is there a choice? Found Poem -Richard Jimenez, Onate High (Rating: 8.00 Votes: 1) Some "Some are born to endless night", Some flourish in the dark, prefer the cold, let it consume, don't bother to shiver. Realizing minds limitations, fighting back through excess. seventy & eighty hours, listening to the sky mindlessly repeat itself. Ascetics shunning nourishment, depleting for the sake of understanding. Laughter of lucidity, menthol, metaphysics, giving in, twilight & Vera Lynn. -Quoted Blake's Auguries of Innocence -Mateo Gutierrez, Las Cruces High School (Rating: 8.00 Votes: 1) I'm Not Me How different this world is to me, when others cannot see what is me. They walk on by without a glance; they see air, though I see them. My shadow is cast across the way, my hands are still mine, just as large as before. Yet though I am still what they saw, I am no longer here. It is lonely in this crowd of people. I get no warm smile, no 'hello' or 'wassup'. They do not believe what they do not see. They don't see me, and do not believe. I do not exist, and so is the punishment for my wish. -James Klarkowski, St. Pius X (Rating: 8.00 Votes: 2) Perfection Dances She was the Universe In all of the dreams that I had. My mind is infested By thoughts of her world, infested with hopes for survival. She is a sorceress, the Creator of Laughter, an image echoed in space. Her perfection dances to me, forces a belief of better lives, Unreachable as her, but for my earthly Sleep. (prompt 2-"She Was the Universe"(Lord Byron) -Hallie McCormick, Rio Rancho High School (Rating: 8.00 Votes: 2) Invisible I'm an invisible man. Things seem different from where I am. I have sounds in my head that keep me awake at night. I have no reflection which scares me a lot. The only other thing is, I wear a Diamond ring that my mother gave me. That is the only thing I can see. -Robert Herrera, Rio Rancho High School (Rating: 8.00 Votes: 2) transparent violence How can you see me if I'm transparent Unlike you my words are coherent Listen to them and you will begin to see The aspects of our lives: ironicaly, clearly In the begining everything was fine Slowly I faded away, you became blind Once the blindness set in, you could hear the cries Of the children in the street, who were getting beat Beat black and bloody like my soul My transparency as a whole -MARK MULDER AND GABE MADRID, St. Pius X (Rating: 7.95 Votes: 2) JUST FOR YOU If for some reason the lord were to take away your sight I’d explain the vision of the stars and how they twinkled just for us at night. If for some reason your smile faded away I would put up a fight to guarantee your smile would see a brighter day. If your heart ever left mine I would surely die to prove true love just so I could sit on a cloud amd watch you from the heavens above. If there was a possibility to go back in time I would have made sure you stayed mine. If you ever said "I Love You" and truly meant it with all of your heart then I would know it was true and the Angels would never let us part. Rebecca Chavez Freshman -Rebecca Chavez, Valley High School (Rating: 7.90 Votes: 3) Untitled When I was a child I used to imagine I was invisible Now when I speak to you You are busy and you don't have time. I feel invisible. I don't like it So you better be careful what you wish for. It is hard not to see the person you love Or they are too busy for you. -Ben Lopez, Wagon Mound High School (Rating: 7.90 Votes: 1) The End is Nigh "The end is nigh, Repent! The end is nigh," He stands with his placard, Sure of his stance. The world spins around him, Unaware of his dance. Some stop to listen and waste their time, Others simply snicker, Hidden under heavy coats of smug assuredness. Suddenly, it all becomes clear to him, Nobody is going to change. His stomach falls along with his gaze, His purpose overthrown by inner discovery. Suddenly, it's very cold outside. I watch, invisible and warm as he looks to me, Suddenly scared, Looking for something, someone to hold on to. He cannot see me, and he tries to run, Run quickly to find a new purpose, Damn the world! It can end! he thinks. His eyes become crazed as he tries to Run from the cloud of reason he has manifested. But it is not to be... For his placard is too large for his gate, Down he tumbles, his head striking unfriendly ground, Flowing suddenly, pouring out physically just as It had only moments ago in thought. For his end is nigh. -James Hausman, Santa Fe Preparatory School (Rating: 7.90 Votes: 2) Invisible I'm invisible I can see all, I can do a lot but I can't fly through walls. I feel the same only I can't be seen. This must be magic or maybe a dream. I can't tell though cause it seems so real, I see all reality and it's such a big deal. I look around the corner and what do I see? A fullgrown man dealing in the streets! I see a lot of thugs turning little kids onto drugs! That's not right, what's this all about? They can't see or hear me so I gotta stop them somehow. I wonder how long they've been doing this; killing themselves along with little kids. Just as I'm thinking this has got to come to an end, just right then, the man starts to bend. He falls to the ground, and someone calls an ambulance. GOD must of heard me thinking cause he helped them children out,I made myself visible and told them "drugs aren't what life is all about." Then I said "look, kids, at what drugs have done to him. God will forgive you just don't ever do it again"... -Leona Baca, West Las Vegas High School (Rating: 7.80 Votes: 2) Always Right O'Captain my Captain, our fearful trip is done, I now know why It's you who's always won. You're always right Even when we are doing fine, Even when we're not in a fight. You always prove your point, 'Cause, lord knows, you're never wrong, I could never truly express my ways, I never could sing my own song. I realize now that no matter what I did, No matter what night, I was always wrong, So you were always right. After lying to family, Telling them I tripped down the stairs, I realized that my pain was The least of your cares. I would say it was dark, But you would demand it to be light, And so it happened, 'Cause you, You're always right. -Jennifer Sparks, St. Pius X (Rating: 7.75 Votes: 2) Being the Unseen Being the Unseen Being the unseen, I can go places where never have I been before. I can peruse familiar faces and find out all they have in store. However, These scribbles and jots are just a cliche of previous thoughts. My wish, if invisible, is to find new information however incredible or incredulous about me. So, I want to learn their opinion of where I need to improve, of what I need to correct, to expand, to perfect about me. But, I am not that important to the self of others. I want to know their wants, their desires, their needs. Because Character is who they are when no one is around. When the mask of the day is pulled off and then laid. I want to be there when no one is around. I want to see the truth of who they really are. When "Alack" and "Forsooth" become just another star of who they want to be and are yet to become. For by themselves, they will say what are their worries, what are their dreams, that they hide from the world except to the unseen. -Sean McVey, Clayton High School (Rating: 7.70 Votes: 2) Unable to be Seen and Heard My spirit glides just like a bird. People tell their life stories to me Not even knowing, since they cannot see. I calmly listen to the wise old men Their brave tales and where they've been. Without ever being noticed I listen to a lie. A teen tells her mother she wishes to die. Tears and sorrow is what this world holds. Imperfect figures is what the master molds. Through my invisible eyes I see all grace. I also see the terror in a mother's face. I hear the whispers of a working man. I see his potential as he develops a new plan. I see the kindness in a housewife's heart. But in her prayers you'll find out that from this world she wishes to part. I hear a teenage mother screaming in fear. She knew not what to do but dry her baby's tear. Love and peace is no longer found. From all happiness we have been bound. Since now I am invisible, I seem to have a clearer visual Of not just what I see and hear, But also what we mortals fear. We do not fear the guns and knives, Instead the burden of living our lives. #1 -Janel Irvin, Onate High (Rating: 7.70 Votes: 1) The Opinion of the Child The Opinion of the Child. Mathematically the world would be a zero, Never looking to God, but trying to find a hero. They see, but they are blind. They walk, but they are crippled. And this is the Opinion of the Child. When others get shot, we survive. When others die, we stay alive. When will we realize to strive for that high prize? And this is the Opinion of the Child. Raise up, be proud. Speak up, speak loud. So I can hear. What? The Opinion of the Child. You say that you believe in God. What happened to Jesus? Go through the Son to get to the Father. Miscommunication leads to complication. So listen to the Opinion of the Child. So know to be educated. Look at the world and then take charge. Hey, it's funny how much you know in a situation if you stay real, know yourself, and see that Jesus is alive and he lives in you and me. I am the child, and this is the Opinion of the Child. (prompt 2-"miscommunication leads to complication," from a song by Lauryen Hill.) -Nicky Giovanna Bradford, Rio Rancho High School (Rating: 7.65 Votes: 2) Untitled I can't be seen Since the day I was born I became invisible. No one can see me But I can see everyone. I wish I could be seen sometimes But I am glad I can't be seen. I hear people say, They feel someone is here in the room, But they cannot figure it out. They will never know Because, I AM THE INVISIBLE ME! -Patricia Sanchez, Wagon Mound High School (Rating: 7.65 Votes: 2) The Electric Circus The Electric Circus Blue walls encase it It’s warm heart embraces It’s bright soul, insightful Sweet dreams forgotten They imagined a new world Lights full of trick thoughts Eyes deep and gleaming Desire filled sounds Looking for new ways To change their fellow man Relive society Without it’s complexities They wanted to do so Without it’s consent Generations later Their dreams have aspired The audience has listened Their dreams not forgotten -Jacob Subotick, Santa Fe Preparatory School (Rating: 7.60 Votes: 2) 21st Street Walking down 21st Street, L.A. Gunshots in the background. I glide toward the shrieks. A dark haired little girl Crying, "Mommy!" Middle-aged woman Lying on the street, Gunshot wounds. Blood everywhere. Ambulance sirens Closer and closer, Help on the way. Paramedics rush around, Strapping woman to stretcher A female cop, "Your mom will be fine." The woman dies. The girl, Scarred for life. -Teena Johnson, Animas High School (Rating: 7.60 Votes: 2) Prayer to a Savior Sweet Jesus carry me away To a better place where I can stay Apart from hate and evil deeds Away from shoutings, cries and pleads Where love shall be what people know Where struggles cease and kindness grows Where mighty lions lay down with sheep Where strong no longer feeds off the weak When wars and violent acts shall cease Where everyone shall live in peace Take me to this beautiful place Where my savior and I shall both embrace Oh heaven, yes heaven shall be this site Where Jesus dwells adorned in white I know for sure my afterlife fate Lies beyond the pearly gates I wait for Jesus to appear For his kingdom's drawing hear I wait ever ready on earth until Jesus takes me to heaven to forever dwell -Taylor Weeks, Rio Rancho High School (Rating: 7.55 Votes: 2) Enigma An uncomprehensionable individual I seem to be and how I live is what I know No one knows me and no one sees me But I see all and I hear all People talk in distress This meaning has much more than less I tell you insanity is what I see Running lives here, there, and everywhere They run and yell frantically Losing their mind-it's insanity Trying to talk but no one hears me Please oh please stop the wrath Invisible to their views Nothing, just purity I'm not there to be seen One must comprehend seek and you shall find Many are too spiritually blind All is captured in the eye of the beholder All is there but still I am invisible -Jose Armijo, West Las Vegas High School (Rating: 7.50 Votes: 2) The War on Earth Shall Never Cease The war on earth shall never cease, Life and death struggle for supremacy. The souls fight the dead, The minds fight the living. The war on earth shall never cease. Life replaces the dead, Death claims the living. No end in sight, but still they fight, For none are willing to intervene. The war on earth shall never cease. Time passes in its everlasting current, But never placates their battles of pride, For none want to escape life to enter death, And none want to escape death to own immortal life. The war on earth shall never cease. #2. "The war on earth shall never cease," from "Cold, Cruel, World" by Chris Sexton -Alvin R. Abbott III, Onate High (Rating: 7.50 Votes: 1) Untitled Broad stripes and bright stars waving silently in the night black space, Precous and valuable as the finest silken lace. All the pride and beliefs of a nation wrapped up in that simple cloth square, So plain, yet so meaningful; dull, yet fairest of the fair. Prompt 2: from the national anthem The banner of the free flying over our home, A symbol of our beloved independence and the love the land, all our own. -Stephanie Abercrombie, Rio Rancho High School (Rating: 7.50 Votes: 1) Invisible I am invisible in another world, A world that stems from my imagination. I see people and hear people but they do not interact with me. I walk across great plains and see leprechauns playing with the fairies. I want to see what they have to say. but I can't. I can only observe. I am like Thoreau at his pond. I study. To everyone else, I am invisible. -Michael Moss, Santa Fe Preparatory School (Rating: 7.50 Votes: 2) I know they turn to you I know they turn to you I know they turn to you because you are the only one they turn to, perhaps your honesty, perhaps your quietness, I don't know, but they do turn to you. -Kimberlynn Ramone, St. Bonaventure (Rating: 7.45 Votes: 2) You and Me I am invisible you cannot see me you cannot feel me only maybe, can you hear me But I can see you as you cry in the corner And I can feel you as you stare straight at me And I can hear you as you speak in your head I watch as you weep and as you laugh I also watch every night as you sleep I listen as you speak thinking you are alone at the moment you are weak I am here I feel your eyes upon me your personality and your emotion- cutting through me I can see you and I can feel you I can hear you and I can hurt you You cannot see me and you cannot hear me But please, feel me for only you do hurt me. -Amanda Culver, Santa Fe Preparatory School (Rating: 7.45 Votes: 2) Next 50