2010 speak your mind

Spring 2010SPEA

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Speak Your Mind

Spring 2010

& Shape Your World

Speak Your Mind & Shape Your World 1

Speak Your Mind & Shape Your World

All Rights ReservedCopyright © 2010 Speak Your Mind & Shape Your World

Petit Printing, Buffalo NY

Sixth EditionSpring 2010

speak your mind (v.)1. To consciously convey thoughts, perceptions, emotions and memories2. To willingly express one’s imagination and opinion

shape your world (v).1. To give definite form, organization, or character to.2. To direct (one’s course, future, etc.)

Note from the Project CoordinatorsThe above definitions certainly sum up the goal of this project. Both the process of creating this journal, as well as all the wonderful work dis-played within, give voice to these students so they are better able to ex-press themselves and direct their futures. I believe it is extremely impor-tant to provide outlets for young people so they are able to channel their emotions, energies, and frustrations creatively and productively. Few feelings compare to seeing one’s work published, and I am so pleased that numerous students from all walks of life will be able to experience that joy, excitement, pride, and feeling of accomplishment. A great deal of time and dedication goes into making a project like this materialize, and I feel fortunate and honored to have been a part of making this happen.

~Shana

The best part of working with the 2010 Speak Your Mind and Shape Your World project was the opportunity to work closely with a diverse group of creative, bright, dedicated, energetic and hardworking students. I was also struck by the incredible number of other multi-talented students, whom – through the encouragement and support of their teachers and peers – eagerly submitted their works to the project. I applaud each and every one of them for displaying the courage to put their thoughts, feel-ings, and artistic ability on paper. Most of all, I would like to encourage all of them to reach for the stars and continue to follow their dreams, wher-ever they may lead.

~Donna


Speak Your Mind and Shape Your World 2009-2010

Student Editorial Board Literary Editors Dacarianna Curry Nakiyah Holman Elizabeth Kendrick Rachel Smail Corey Threet Donte Trezevant Sierra Wilson

Visual Art Editors Brazil McGee Chelsea Brown Alexandra Lance

Cover Image“Despair ”Chelsey L. BrownMcKinley High School

Staff

Project Coordinator/Managing EditorDonna J. Dobbins and Shana Williams Medaille College

Project AssistantLaura ComstockMedaille College

Project Advisory Board Project Consultant Siobhan Mulvey

Project Management Support Dr. Mary Ellen Mulvey Medaille College

Editorial Consultants/ Literary Awards Dr. Ted Pelton Medaille College

Visual Arts Awards Courtney Grim Medaille College

Photography: Marten Czamanske


Speak Your Mind & Shape Your World Sponsors

Arts Council in Buffalo and Erie CountyArts in Education InstituteBuffalo Public SchoolsD’Youville CollegeHSBC BankMedaille CollegePetit PrintingPFLAG: Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays

Cover Art: Despair by Chelsey L. Brown

Description

AcknowledgmentsSpeak Your Mind & Shape Your World extends a giant thank you to the following people and groups for their involvement with this project. Because of your support, we published our sixth edition of the journal! We are very proud of the journal, spoken word CD, and artist note cards.

Again, THANK YOU for making this happen!

Medaille College

Buffalo Public Schools

Every teacher and student who submitted work

Student Editorial Board

Siobhan MulveyLaura ComstockDr. Ted Pelton

Steve AnsellCourtney GrimTony Caferro, Deep Thinka’ RecordsPetit PrintingDr. Mary Ellen MulveyDr. Mick Cochrane, Canisius College


Architecture Projects

HSBC Arena:“Let’s Go Buffalo!”

Architecture Unit of Study

PROGRAM OVERVIEWThe focus this architecture program is the HSBC Arena. The Arena is the home of the Buffalo Sabres (National Hockey League) and the Buffalo Bandits (National Lacrosse League) and the venue for numerous sports, music, and entertainment events. The program has been developed by the Arts In Education Institute for grades Pre-K through 12 and consists of four teaching artist lessons, a field study trip to the Arena, and a student design project. Students will be assuming the role of architects, forming design teams, and participating in a design process that will involve proposing an idea for an entertainment facility based on study, research and fieldwork. Students will then construct a model to illustrate and communicate their ideas.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The program’s learning objectives are as follows:

• To understand how clients, architects, engineers and builders worked together in the design and construction of the HSBC Arena.

• To understand the aesthetic and structural elements of the HSBC Arena and how those elements meet the needs of sports teams, musicians, performers, and event-goers.

• To learn visual communication skills that architects use to explain design ideas.

• To appreciate the design of HSBC Arena and understand how it shapes event-goers experiences and is integral to vitality of the city.


STUDENT DESIGN PROJECT

Students will form design teams to design an entertainment venue that will showcase the talents of sports teams, concert performers, figure skaters, actors, magicians, circus performers, etc. The entertainment venue should be designed to be an exciting and memorable destination for event-goers.

Students will work in teams of three to develop a plan for an arena and construct a model to represent their ideas. The Institute will provide each design team with a 20” x 16” cardboard model base, a diagram of an arena bowl event floor, flexible corrugated strips for the walls of the arena bowl, and construction paper. In addition, each student will need scissors, and each team will need a black marker, ruler, magic tape, white glue, and a glue stick to construct the model elements.

See photographs of the Student Design Project on page 44.


Table of Contents: Poems & StoriesAlexander, Brandi Everlasting Peace, 119

Banks, Kendril Daddy, 68

Battle, Asia Untitled, 24 Untitled, 83

Blackwell, Kswana Meredith Untitled, 61

Blue, Catilin Japan, 14

Brown, Ariana Tears, 71

Brown, Brian My Journey So Far…, 54

Buckley, Zena Pushed, 66 Signs up high for you, 74

Clark, A’Diamond Re-Written, 98 Memoirs of an Uncrowned Queen, 103

Collier, Alejandro Stepping Stone, 28 Therapy, 31 One Heart-Shaped Balloon, 49

Concepcion, Zoraida The Love of a Mother, 22 Yet Another, 76

Curry, Dacarianna The Letter (Inspired by Joelle Rosso), 68 Untitled, 73 Yes (Signed an Angry Poet), 74

Dahlke, Dina Lady Macbeth, 91

Denecke, Joe Perfect Day, 112

Eberhardt, Melany Grace, 25

Figueroa, Deliana Corrupted World, 80 My Final Goodbye, 87 His Necklace, 115

Gardner, Noelle Brittney Fathers Song, 23 The Decision, 56Hall, Asia My Story, 19

Hollingsworth, Teshana Confused, 55

Hybicki, Aliah Confessions of a High School Student, 117

Jones, Erin Suicidal Tendencies, 85

Jones, Tiffany D. Walking in Our Shoes, 94

Lance, Alexandra Horrible Day, 113

Lucas, Brittany Drowning in Nail Polish, 50 And you feared that tree branches were monsters at night clawing at your window, 88

Luman, Christina Untitled, 72

McGee, Brazil Child’s Play, 86

Mitchell, Yvonne Teenage Mind, 16 It’s Love, 106

Moore, Sumeka Forgotten Sorrow, 26

Nunez, Amber Breakaway, 57

Plaza, Destiny Poem, 97

Pompey, Mercedes Satisfied, 111

Ransom, Alisha Knocking on the Devil’s Door, 90

Richardson, Erika Scrambled, 67

Robbins, Alenah No Use for a Name, 118

Schwinger, Alyssa Please, 84

Simmons, Chris Misunderstood, 70 The Saint, 101

Smalls, Jordan Tate A Neighborhood Shouldn’t Determine Your Future, 19

Staples, Reneé A Question of Identity, 116


Table of Contents: Art Ayala, Clarissa Seasonal Confusions, 44

Blue, Catlin Japan, 115

Brinson, Lamond Eye of the Tiger, 25

Brown, Chelsey L.. Cars, 43

Carroll, Anthony Anthony, 93

Christian, Alexis Maralyn, 51

Cruz, Ray City Sky, 81

Dahlke, Dina Mardi Gras Mask, 91

Davila, Carmen Byron Brown, 12

Fields, Tiffany 2010, 39 Untitled, 47

Graham, Domenique Compass House “A Safe Place”, 38

Gribbins, Niall Untitled, 108

Grochowski, Mike Reaching for You, 47

Hall, Daniel Lilly, 35

Hunter, Stephant The Front, 62

Ivey, Jaida What’s in a name, 34

Lah, Sein My House, 14

Martin, Heather Winters Joy, 71

Martin, Tommy Moon Light in the Summer Sky, 33 Asylum, 33

Martinez, Jazmine Haiti Relief, 13

McCarter, Jordan Untitled, 105

McDaniel, Steve Butterfly Girl, 27 Penguin, 31 Joker, 85 Skeletons, 89

Table of Contents: Poems & StoriesTerrero, Christian 9th Grade, 32

Threet, Corey Compute Her System, 52 Snowglobe, 58 In Their Shoes, 77 Immature Maturity, 97

Trezevant, Donte In Pursuit, 21 Fire is His Hero, 78

Tsegaye, Dawit I am Love, 17 911 (From a Muslim Girl’s View), 79

Vargas, Khrissmyra Well…, 110

Vasquez, Brianna Unless You Were There, 64 Poker, 82

Ward, Josh The Interview, 104

Williams, Carlos Unknown Future, 93 Watch my Future, 95 Happiness, 98

Wilson, Sierra Closed Eyes, 30 My Reality, 62

Young, Tiauna Sherman, 63 Dear Mr. Jackson, 107


McGee, Brazil Dog, 86 Swan, 106

Mingo, Savion Self Portrait, 45

Moo, Doh City on a Hill, 65 The Coast, 105

Osby, Maya Self Portrait, 48

Pena, Emilio Keys, 30

Pershyn, Dillon Faces, 40

Rai, Lalita Untitled, 120

Reyes, Anthony Lost in Stereo, 36

Reyes, Nohelys In the Sky, 57

Roche, Angel Untitled, 76 Untitled, 109

Rodriguez, Anemlie Symbolic Profile, 13

Sams, Brenda Shakira, 11

Schreiber, Kayle What!, 44

Scott, Jermaine Untitled, 40

Smalls, Jordan Tate The Preparation, 41 Work out of the House, 121 A Night Out Part 2, 19

St. Surin, Michael Transformation, 10

Suliman, Abdullah Untitled, 35

Tsegaye, Dawit Love Is…, 17 Hopeful Girl, 79

Turner, Joshua Twist Ties, 42

Valez, Jessica Winter Calm, 60

Whitt, Spencer Infected Legend, 10

Williams, Carlos Arro in green, 95

Williams Jr., Frank It’s Just Me, 92

Willis, Jordan Aspiring Artist, 64


TransformationMichael St. SurinBennett High SchoolGrade 12

Infected LegendSpencer WhittLeonardo da Vinci High SchoolGrade 12


ShakiraBrenda Sams

South Park High SchoolGrade 9


Byron BrownCarmen DavilaRiverside High SchoolGrade 11


Haiti ReliefJazmine Martinez

Lafayette High SchoolGrade 9

Symbolic ProfileAnemlie RodriguezLafayette High SchoolGrade 9


My HouseSein LahBurgard High SchoolGrade 12


To get inside my head,It’s a scary place in thereWhere my thoughts come together,Where my fears are laid bare.

Where I’m most vulnerable,Where my weaknesses are betrayed,Where my thoughts turn to feelings,In my mind is where they stay.

It’s a place to escape reality,To think of the impossible,Where I’m not afraid to be myself,A place I’m most unstoppable.

But often I wonder…Who I am and why I’m even here?In this place of great wonder,These questions float inside my headAnd left unanswered and unclear.

Yvonne Mitchell Grade 12Leonardo Da Vinci High School

Teenage Mind


I am LoveI am lovedI am hated I confuse youI consume youI suck you in, chew you up, and spit you out.Leave you stranded and lost, in a world of doubt.You think you’ve lost your mind, but I grasp it.Reaching for the common sense held by the inanimateYou may or may not find me, and you will never see my lovely face.Without I cupid’s arrows would go to waste.I am LoveChaos at its best.Flinging fiery arrows through fields penetrating chest.

Chelsey L. BrownGrade 10McKinley High School

Love Is...Dawit Tsegaye

Burgard High SchoolGrade 11


My Story My song My story, My life.

1 thing I can’t do twice, but

2nd on my list of priorities

3 years in high schools, but

4 years since I’ve lived in Buffalo 5 years since my grandmother’s death

5 years trying to heal from it

4 thousand too many tears shed.

3 plus dreams lost 2 many family members lost

1 confused child left behind

I am lost

Nowhere to go

Zero options left in life.

What to do?

Asia HallGrade 12East High School


I don’t live in the fanciest of houses, and I don’t wake up with the newspaper on my lawn, waving hello to the next door neighbor. Things are not as easy and simple on my block as they may be in suburban communities.

There are multiple empty lots and numerous abandoned buildings. A visitor’s eyes can’t help but wander around looking at the young adolescent boys adding their latest gang sign on boarded windows. It’s hard to sleep at night between the gunshots and police sirens. Unbeknownst to whom it is, whether they were deserving or not. After so many assassins, you kind of stop caring. Life is no longer appreciated.

Trying to make it out is easier said than done. So much weight on my shoulders, don’t want to let down my friends, my family, myself. But with so much around, you try so hard not to get pulled in. I refuse to give up the fight.

A neighborhood shouldn’t determine your future, because doesn’t determine mine.

Simone SolomonGrade 12East High School

A Neighborhood Shouldn’tDetermine Your Future

A Night Out Part 2Jordan Tate Smalls



He sits on his bedWaitingWatching out for his entourageAs his radio signals fledAnd he’s lyingPlays deadLike a belly unfedHis pain pushes up to his eyesForcing them to leakHis tolerance reached its peakHe knew she was a creepButShe promised to give herself to himHe knew their future was dimBut it was her who was in sinThat night when his radio diedAs he laid there and criedShe moaned and criedAn exhale of reliefIt was all that briefThis pleasure she urgently gainedCaused her man painBecause he didn’t knowThe strength he showedIn the woman he lovedWas the one who causedHer satisfactionShe gained in vainWith fear in his heartAnd anger in his brainHe searched her address bookName by nameSaw a man he never heard ofAnd his number he didn’t recognizeSo his frustration grows in sizeSo the gas peddle he pressedAnd he followed the address…….to be continued

Triflin’ Prt. 1

Donte TrezevantGrade 12

East High School


The past,A discordant and melodious symphonyLosing track, trying to recall what should lastIn truth, trying to remember my ties, all I do is think of you

A present filled with “whatcha’ calls” and “what’s his names”?All from the tongue that tuned me into my beginning, my baseThe pursuit and longing that I feel,Unmasked in the journey of self

In the presence of what I’ve become,I’m losing my family, the people who made me strong.If you would only look me in the eyes, the ones of the typical German girl,The eyes of a mutt, I’m still your little girl,The one you raised and helped to grow

I am an inked wild flower,Parts of me blotted outInteresting to look at, yet not liable for feelingRun your fingers along my imperfections,Feel where I’ve cracked, where my foliage has dried out,A part of my beauty lost, what has made me beautiful, is broken, cracked, like the petals of my flowerI know that this is me, but not all of me.

Put me in a group and I will stand alone Stick me by myself; you will see how strong I can grow

Rachel Smail Grade 10Leonardo Da Vinci High School

In Pursuit


So much time gone by, I can’t believe I’m still cryingSo many years gone by, I can’t believe I’m still trying…To make myself believe that I’m fine, knowing I’m notWondering if it’s a coincidence that circumstances brought me to this same spotA spot where only three years prior, I sat here, distraught.Having dreams of my mother dressed in all whiteRepeating the phrase “forget me not”

Never would’ve thought that she’d be gone so fastTrying to search for answers to questions unspokenTrying to find excuses for the pastLooking for strength in the midst of sorrowPeople trying to get close to helpBut I push them away, isolatedA mood so dark, yet outside it’s bright as dayForever will my inner being be shaded grayShe practically died in my armsI could’ve sworn I could feel her slowly slip awayIt was just a battle that she couldn’t winMy reflection, a constant reminder of the fact that she’s no longer hereThat I lost the one and only person who I have ever held dearCould’ve sworn that, in her last moments, our hearts beat in time with one anotherWe still share that bond, even if she’s in one world and I am in anotherI show no fear but that’s just a mask to cover so many insecurities, feeling like darknessfollows meBut she’s still here with me, like a good mother should beWhen I look in the mirror, I don’t always see me. She will never forsake me, like mysteady beating heartAnd this bond will never end; not even when my life does.

Zoraida ConcepcionGrade 12 Riverside Institute of Technology

The Love of a Mother


Father, come back to me For I have too long been without you. So young when you were taken away Father, come back to me Come back to me so I can feel your strength, learn your knowledge, and drink your love so it can flow through me. Father, come back to me Searching my mind for a memory of us but none come to mind.Father, come back to me so I can learn the culture of what is mine.Father, come back to me so I can see how you look and compare our features I want to see if I am anything like you. Father, come back to me I no longer want to wonder if we shall ever meet again, so I shall call out to you Father, before life reaches an end.Father, come back to me so together our lives can begin.

Noelle Brittney GardnerGrade 11Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts

Fathers Song


I held out hope for you,My light burned incandescently for you.For the longest, You were the strongest In my heart.

From the start-The moment I met you I thought it would be forever, and ever,but to have you sever those tiesand deny me,hurt.Never have I felt a pain so deep.Never have I felt so empty.In my entire life.

I held out hope for you. Hear me form these lines.

My light burned incandescently for you.For the longest You were the strongest in my heart.

Feelings change,and I can’t hold out hope for you and I.

If this is what you wanted it to be,Deny me.And I’ll deny you.

Asia BattleGrade 11Buffalo Academy of Visual and Performing Arts

Untitled


I’ve been through so much,So many struggles,So many losses,So much pain.

Too many times Have I fallen,Then had to pick myself up,With no one there to help.

All these things,You can’t even relate to.

How many pills?How many scars?How many bruises? How many tears?

Too many for you to count,Too many for me to remember.

And every time I think about it,I get sick to my stomach.Yeah, I could be worse,But I’m not, because I’m strong…

I’ve weathered the storm,All by myself.I’ve crossed the ocean,With no one else.

GraceI’ve done it all,And still I’m standing tall.

By the grace of God, I’m here.I’m living.That’s how I know, I was put here for a purposeBy the grace of God,I’m here.I’m living. That’s how I know,I was put here for a purposeI’m not sure what it is yet,But I have a good idea,It’s to help those who feel like me.

Melany Eberhardt Grade 12

City Honors high school

Eye of the TigerLamond Brinson

Bennett High SchoolGrade 10


The tears stream from her eyes,

Full of sorrow and despair,

Memories of her life when it was free of care,

The tears, full of pain

Releasing all of the sadness

The wetness of her pillow,

As she falls into deep sleep

She awakens, forgetting what the tears were for.

Sumeka MooreGrade 11East High School

Forgotten Sorrow


Butterfly GirlSteven McDaniel

McKinley High SchoolGrade 9


There are so many wrong answersTo these hard to know questionsAll I want is an answerTo my unsolved questionLike why I went through these horrid thingsThat changed my life foreverIt took me some time toGet my life togetherWho are my true friends ‘cause I’m so confusedWhat am I supposed to doRib, grab, or choose?When are things going to be better?‘Cause life never changesWhere am I supposed to goWhen things rearrange?How am I supposed to take it when things go wrong?Why is the majority of me a slow and sad song?I never knew what killed my motherShe suffered so much depressionMy dad was an addictwho left in full aggressionI do not know how a beautiful marriageCould lead to an ugly divorceFrom there it is an empty harmonyFrom a bass only chorusI’ve slept outside in parking lotsUsed mom’s arm for coverThen abandoned by everyoneJust me and my big brother

Stepping Stone


Grandmother played favoritismAnd took in all my cousinsAnd left us in a foster home in a house of a dozenIt took me a while, 11 yearsTo get in school and finally prevailBut just like my past yearsExcept my education failed I was a laughing stock to all my friendsThey used me as a jokeThat’s why I was always to myselfAnd never ever spokeAs things progressed over these years1/1/06 brought back the tearsMy father was pronounced deadHis music mentality was brought to my headNow those tears are tears of joyOf all my past yearsNo more fears of past years On to other careersI use my life as a stepping stoneTo show me the wayYou will hear of Alejandro CollierTomorrow if not today

Alejandro CollierGrade 11Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts


People walk around With closed eyesNot awareOf who they are orWhere their future liesThey walk around in a dazeDrunk off lies in a neverEnding mazeToo afraid to open their eyesFor fear of what they Might seeNot knowing who they are Or what they appear to be So they close their eyesAnd choose to be blindAfraid of what they’ll see

Closed Eyes Not knowing what they’ll findSo they stay a puppet Being pulled by strings Walking in a circle not thinkingA thingThe puppet master choosing What’s whatIs feeding people lies toKeep their eyes shutSits in his castleOn top of the hillBlinding our peopleAnd thieving our free will

Sierra WilsonGrade 11McKinley High School

KeysEmilio Pena



Our love comes in one guaranteeWhat happens to you happens to meWhen you’re stressed and you need therapyDon’t hesitate to think of meLet’s set up a private sessionA tempted, tender, feeling, affectionThe art of your beauty is so explicitSo out spoken, so legitYour heart is cold my hands can tell youThese gentle hands can never fail youBe my hands and return the lustIf I were to fall can I count your trustBe my mindBe my cryBe my eyes if I am blindBe my voice if I can’t speakBe my sense if I can’t thinkMake me believe your love is magicI want to feel a shock a kiss of staticA touch, a feelA heart of steelNo one can breakA heart at willMy body’s in pain can’t you seeI need your love and therapy

Alejandro CollierGrade 11Buffalo Academy for theVisual and Performing Arts

Therapy

PenguinSteven McDaniel



9th GradeI thrive like a contender,Facing everyday challenges:Teachers, students, and work.

I am a doll emotionless.It protects meFrom the badness of people.

I am like a memory card-You need to add information,But as you add, it gets full.You need to delete.

I am like a rockYou can’t break meUnless you turn me into glass.

Christian TerreroGrade 9Leonardo Da Vinci High School


Asylum Tommy Martin


Moon Light in the Summer Sky Tommy Martin



What’s in a nameJaida IveyRiverside Institute of TechnologyGrade 10


UntitledAbdullah Suliman

Riverside Institute of TechnologyGrade 10

LillyDanielle Hall

Leonardo da Vinci High SchoolGrade 9


Lost in StereoAnthony Reyes

Leonardo Da Vinci High SchoolGrade 11


Compass House “A Safe Place”Domenique GrahamBurgard High SchoolGrade 10


2010 Tiffany Fields

East High SchoolGrade 10


UntitledJermaine ScottBennett High SchoolGrade 11

FacesDillon PershynCity Honors High SchoolGrade 11


The PreparationJordan Tate Smalls



Twist TiesJoshua TurnerMcKinley High SchoolGrade 11


CarsChelsey L. BrownMcKinley High School Grade 10


Seasonal ConfusionsClarissa AyalaRiverside Institute of TechnologyGrade 10

What!Kayle Schreiber

McKinley High School Grade 11


Self PortraitSavion MingoBuffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing ArtsGrade 11


A completed Arena Model created by students at Northtowns Academy as part of the Arts In Education Institute’s Architecture Unit of Study - “HSBC Area-Let’s Go Buffalo!”

A work in progress. Students at Cleveland Hill Middle School creating an Arena Model as part of the Arts In Education Institute’s Architecture Unit of Study - “HSBC Area-Let’s Go Buffalo!”

A work in progress. Students at Cleveland Hill Middle School creating an Arena Model as part of the Arts In Education Institute’s Architecture Unit of Study - “HSBC Area-Let’s Go Buffalo!”


Reaching for YouMike Grochowski

City honors High SchoolGrade 11

UntitledTiffany Fields

East High SchoolGrade


Self PortraitMaya OsbyBuffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing ArtsGrade 11


Emotional day, black and whiteTears and sniffs, of an endless nightCrushed hearts of saying goodbye

It’s hard to say I’ll miss that guyAs they let go and watch it leave

One heart shaped balloonGets caught in a tree

It made us believe that he was aroundWithout a sight but with clues and sounds

Winds and breeze, hurricane seasonsIt was coming fast as we were leaving

Things get depressing to the memorial and weatherBut it was just that, which brought us together

But it was the winds that ruined the dayAs the breeze snatched the balloon and took

It awayBut all I could do was think of the pain

Of that innocent balloon in the demanding hurricaneI can’t believe we were leaving soon

But when we take off I’m in search of that balloonBags packed, on our way, and ready to go

Away from the beaches, and back to the snowHeart in my hand, fear in breath

Of boarding a plane in this hurricaneI can’t find myself

The winds roaring and the rains pouringThe skies whitening from the lightening storms

I felt an urge, an overwhelming surgeThat caught my attention of a joyful verge

Hands pointing, crying tearsFamily staring with no more fears

I turn my head and look towards the ceilingI squinted my eye and felt this feeling

Wow is it me or is this deep?I’ve seen a lot of things but this is to keep

I finally see what they see too!It was a heart shaped balloon saying I love you

Now I see I’m not alone…That the balloon was my dad’s spirit

That will carry me home

Alejandro CollierGrade 11

Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts

One Heart-Shaped Balloon


Drowning in Nail Polish

Females belong in the Kitchen!“Screw you”“You’d like that No, you wouldn’t”“You’re right”Because if these words could mean anything, I would want them to mean fresh air.

You said you wanted change. Well, the moth’s wings are beating frantically against the back of your rib cage and the cocoon it sprung fromcould serve as a replacement for the lung that your nicotine additiondisintegrated.

You said you wanted change.Listen, with all this abuse,your heart will surely reject youLike a bad surface piercing.Like heroin shot upthrough shared needlesLike everything else around you.

Bruised eyes suit you well.

Honestly, I wouldn’t mind being the dirt under your fingernails.

Drowning in Nail Polish


MaralynAlexis Christian


When you trip too far,I’d like a front-row seatto youclawing out your eyes.

And maybe you kept melike a marionettewrapped around you hangman’s knots

because change is mypocketful of larva and butterflies and my mouthful of stale air.

Brittany LucasGrade 12Hutchinson Central Technical High School


She wanted someone real who could synchronize with her ac-cessibilityHer body was her temple and her new man wanted to browse her towerShe looked to him as a hot male but knew he wanted to yahoo then escapeBut in his words of soft wear he wanted to get in her net and explore herHis main goal was to serve her and be her clientBut she felt he was going too fast and she wanted to back-space and shift and alter his directionHe saw so many windows of opportunities but just couldn’t get onlineIn her mind she liked him but she didn’t want a quick time player that raged onto her like a fire foxHe had so many things to confess in her And the only way for him was to use his yahoo at his messen-gerStill in her mind she knew he played hearts but now he was a mind sweeperSteadily paintin’ this design and starting to make her moral climb steeperHer friends told her not to deal with him for he was a real playerAnd once he’s finished with her free cell he’d leave her in soli-taire and never play herHe needed to keep tabs on her but his keys wouldn’t insert in her home And it wasn’t that he wanted control he just didn’t want to have too much spaceShe didn’t want to pause or break but she began takin her

Compute Her System


friends’ words intoconsiderationSo soon she took the micro soft words from the Mac and told him to search for moreShe couldn’t stoop to the level and leave her name in his fileOr insert a bookmark so he can return anytime because once it’s done she can’t undo herchangesShe did however love his word art but told him to change stylesIf you want to save your relationship with me and open a new fileHe felt that it was a strikethrough his heart and made a bold statementAnd told her she’d have to find someone to replace him be-cause he wasn’t changing casesFiguring it he cut out the nice guy act and paste in the firm manShe’d put her words to a close and minimize her stand against himShe knew that he belonged in a quick access tool bar but she wasn’t the oneWaiting nervously about when she’d edit her wordsBut she had to manage her own and put an end to his taskThe relationship was over because she took pride in her towerAnd this time her friends didn’t have to console her because she soon found a newOperatin system

Corey ThreetGrade 11East High School


My Journey So Far…My drive for staying is fadingContemplatingHow much longer should I be waiting?Trying to claim this world and theDream among the starsTraveled so far but it’s Not enoughNot enough motivationAmong the vegetationFighting my way outGrowing as they doThe thought I could just start flyingNot thinking it all through‘Till the weight of leadershipCrashed intoRealitySo much is expected of me I doubt myself repeatedlySo here I stay on the groundMind racing mile after mileAfraid that I might collide with this groundShattering to pieces of failure to manyThe higher the flight the harder you fallNo one to call onJust stares and anger upon my impact, my implosionDisappointment’s explosionWe never accomplish if we fearBut if I can say this then why am I just standinghere?My journey continues…

Brian BrownGrade 11Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts


Here I sit with many emotions surrounding me I try to stand and face this confusion But I have to sit back down Thoughts and feelings pilling up Building this wall in my mind Being mentally weak doesn’t make it any better Trying to gather strength to knock this Wall down, cause’s frustrationsWhere have I led myself?It feels as if I have come to a dead end And now I have to figure witch way to turn Love, pain, sadness and confusion…how am I feeling? All these emotions at once – me trying to be free Has caused me to be confused Because of the situation I put myself in I can no longer hide from my thoughts, my feelings It’s eating me and I can’t take this How do I choose witch way to turn? Fighting these tears coming down has me feeling blindsided Straining my eyes from shedding these fears of love, pain, sad-ness, and confusion My head is spinning, I feel like I’m slowly bursting instead of instantly…Confused

Teshana Hollingsworth Grade 11Burgard High School

Confused


Your friends pressure you to do it Even though you don’t know how But you do it anywayTo fit in with the crowd You know its stupid You know its wrong But they told u if u do it Then you could come along Come along to the party With the popular girls and jock guys to have fun But little did you know Your life was almost done Why did you take that weed??You put your hand over your chest Because now you can hardly breath Riding in the back of the car going to the party Unsuspecting and unknowing your hardship had just started You begin to get woozy and now your lightheaded Your thinking in your mind You can’t go on without it You look at the driver and he’s high on cloud 9 You turn back around and start to change your mind You don’t want to party you just want to be safe Then the horns blare and he slams his foot on the brake I’m the only person that died that night Because of my decision I’m walking towards the light But don’t worry mom I’m still here No more tears, wipe your eyes and conquer your fears Walk the aisle to my coffin and gently kiss my cheek Write on my grave “Always So Sweet.” So stand to your feet and feel my love Then look in the sky because I’m smiling above

Noelle Brittney Grade 11Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts

The Decision


I can be as secludedas a turtle when broughtupon something new.

At times, I want tocrawl into my shelland hide.

The want to exploreovercomes all lonesome feelings,bursts through like fireworks

to submerge fromthe isolated shell,break free and let loose.

I become as excitedas a butterfly flying.All that was once felt of sorrowis locked away in a shell andsomething new is released.

Amber NunezGrade 9Leonardo Da Vinci High School

Breakaway

In the SkyNohelys Reyes

Leonardo De Vinci High SchoolGrade 9


On the shelf I sat put on retail for a dollar. We knew because our neighbors were sold and told us how much we cost. I live in a land of constant cold, and snow is triggered at a simple shaking of the Gods. None of the people go to school because by law it is too risky to send young ones in an area without a legal guardian. So instead we are in our own homes.

Excuse me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Glacier Snow and I live in a world formed like a dome. On the top outside is written words that look like (KROY WEN). Soon we learned that it was read backwards and actually said New York. So we call that our world.

Not too long ago we were sold two Colombian Gods and shipped to their land in Ohio for their mother. The whole way there it snowed, so workers had an off day.

Though we may seem insignificant to some, we are an advantaged species with very limited resources. We sort of have or shall I say had a pleasant view of the outside and the discussions and conversing between the Gods. It was dark but we were released from our isolation when a Goddess with Snow white hair and jagged teeth opened our packaging. She sat us in a shelf next to other Globes. Some were reading Canada, China, Finland, etc. We immediately prepared for communication between ourselves and the other globes. We were sat next to New Jersey and Missouri. The Goddess looked very excited when she began opening an envelope with red, white, and blue stickers on it. She read it aloud saying, “Dear Mom we are in New York and we’re sending you this snow globe that we’ve found. We know how you love them and we wanted to show you how much we love you. Kate and Alex. P.S. If you pay attention to the snow and shake the globe that’s literally how it looks here.” She gave us a good shake then

Snowglobe


sat us back down. She grabbed an almanac studied it for a moment then propped us in between Boston and Philadelphia. We had great height and visual of the whole room.

We began communicating with our neighbors and set up alliances with our neighboring globes. Sometimes her children, I guess, would stop in and they’d feast and party. We actually enjoyed the amusement and atmosphere so much that we’d even party. On certain days she’d put up different Globes. One had a fat guy named Claüse and the other had a big pink bunny named Easter.

Oh I forgot to mention her dog Fluffles. They love each other; they even had some unspeakable practices that they did. Now on one unusual day, we were sitting there watching Mary Ann’s TV; that’s her name. It was a snow with about four ladies called “The Vow” or “The View” or something like that. Anyways she always watched it. So the door buzzes and she lets some guy in. He had a jumpsuit with a big box. He had a tag on his shirt that said Harry. Harry looked scary and afraid of him I was very. He was a fat white guy with dirty blonde hair. He had an earring in his left ear and a tattoo on his neck that said Viper. So they walked into the unviewable room and Mary Ann came running out butt naked screaming help. Harry in after her then began doing some very inappropriate acts to her. He hit her, as she cried then smothered her face with a pillow. Fluffles screamed and screamed until the man eventually started stabbing him with a large sharp icicle looking thing called a knife. Harry grabbed some of her things then fled.

For days on end the phone rang and the door continued to buzz. The house began to reek with the stench if the dead carcass. Finally one day the door buzzed until it finally opened. The two Gods walked through the door and were flabbergasted by the smell of the dead corpse lying on the


Winter CalmJessica ValezLafayette High SchoolGrade 11

dark blue carpet. The woman, Kate, screamed hysterically as Alex soaking in tears tried to console her. For hours they cried until they informed the authorities. Days went by and all of us knew what had happened. The police told that they’d continue the investigation. They said quote “It is a very unfortunate circumstance and we don’t have any witnesses.” The funeral arrangements were prepared and on that week they went to the funeral and returned hours later. The two entered the house and grabbed a picture of Mary Ann. They wept over it a short while then as Kate was placing the picture in its frame. She rubbed our Globe and said, “If only the Snowglobes had people that could talk.”



I’m not mad at you I did this to myselfI knew this whole “Love” thing was bad for my healthshouldn’t have fallen so hardshouldn’t have been so naïveknowing that you can’t give me what I needpromised myself I wouldn’t do itso in all actuality I made myself crystuck here loving you and I don’t know whyGot countless reasons to leaveyet not one good one to stayyet my heart won’t let me leave this way

If I quit I lose my baby and my friendbut if I stay I lose my sanityyou didn’t make me so I can’t let you break meyet I let you take things out on methings I have nothing to do with

And love must not conquer allbecause my mind has love in a deathgripchokeholdgaspingfo-rair in my vacuum sealedheart

We were doomed from the startbut we kept goingnow it feels like it’s gonna end and I can’t lie, I don’t want us toI want youI want loveI want usI want all the things I know I’ll never be able to have…

Kswana Meredith BlackwellGrade 12Bennett High School

Untitled


My RealityI close my eyes toEscape my reality Seeing all that goes downIn these streets it’s a tragedyI walk down the street and seeol’ heads getting highwalk pass all the abandoned buildings and put my head downwith a sighI feel bad, but you will NEVER see me cry Cuz cryin’ is for b!#*%es (even though that’s a lie)I close my eyes and I just Try to inhale, but its hard to inhaleIn hellso I exhale out comes a bigass cloud of smokeso every time I inhale I just start to choke.

Sierra WilsonGrade 11McKinley High School

The FrontStephant HunterEast High School

Grade 10


ShermanWhere were youWhen I graduated from 2nd grade?Where were youWhen I graduated from 8th?Will you be there when I graduate from 12th?Well June 24th is the date.I would love to send you an invitation,But I don’t even know where you stay.I want you to come home sober,So every night I pray.You come around from time to time,Making promises you could never keep,Alcohol or family?How could you trade us for a drink?A wife,Seven kidsAnd one grandson,I believed in you,But now my hope is gone.How can you call yourself a father?When you barely been a dad?You missed half of my lifeAnd I find that pretty sad.You were supposed to be my role model,My hero,And my friend,But now you’re just Sherman,When a father you should have been!!!

Tiauna YoungGrade 12East High School


Unless You were ThereWhat’s wrong with me?Do you have to stare?

The marks are there for a reasonA reason you wouldn’t know unless you were there

Did you feel my pain or see me cry?Did you know I gave up and turned a promise into a lie?

Can you tell me what I’ve been through?Can you share my fears?

Did you change too? If so you were probably thereDo you remember what I was before?

Before the marks appeared and the thoughts emerged?Well that’s not me anymore, I’m completely submerged.

Surrounded by darkness, this was my fearYou wouldn’t know what it’s like

Unless you were there

Brianna VasquezGrade 11

Buffalo Academy of Visualand Performing Arts

Aspiring ArtistJordan WillisCity Honors High SchoolGrade 12

UntitledCaitlin HoffmanRiverside Institute of TechnologyGrade 10


City on a HillDoh Moo



PushedI’m sorry honey, but you’re addicted just like the rest of us.There’s no difference between you and the regulars at the bar.

When your telephone rings, you know what’s on the other end of that line.

You know how bad you want it.It’s no good for your health.Forget about pride.

Some of us larger beings, and those like mice,pain is going to find them.and follows the appropriate device.

Hope? or Cope?It’s all up to you.

You know how bad you think you need it.You can live off your heart beating like it used to.It gets you high. It gets you where you need.

Pick up that phone girl. I know you’re jonesin’.It’s going to ring the same way, everytime.Just as loud and sharp like a knife against your conscience.

The voices in your head have nothing to do with it.Nor do the demons in the darkest most secluded part of your soul.

It’s just you and that telephone.That ringing telephone.

Will picking it up make things any better,right now?Right now.

Zena BuckleyGrade 11Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts


ScrambledI always wished something would happen to me ever since I was little,It hasn’t yet.I get sick of the deep heart-to-heart poems sometimes too,But this one’s no different.If one person was just like me I think I would her?Because at times I hate what I see when I look in the mirror.I feel like no one was ever loyal to me,Even after I’ve bent over backwards and got taken advantage of plenty of times.My life has more than enough pot holes, speed bumps, and detours. When I look back from where I’ve come from it was pretty hectic.So she left me at 3 days old, came around for every birthday and every bluemoon.Thanks for nothing or should I say thanks for that extra dollar every year-you don’t deserve the name mother.I love him and he loves me back!Father for 14 years and still going strong, never showed weakness or doubt.Hi knife meet fork, fork meet scissors, scissors meet hands.When it came down to the wire, death never came.I’ve been through the volcano and back and always past the reaper out-sidethe gates of hell.Waiting for heaven now living day by day, been stopped planning my future.Lightning scares me while the dark kills me, night light on 24/7!School is supposed to be the family stress free place,But never stress free anywhere except scrambled in poetry.

Erika RichardsonGrade 9Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts


DaddyWhere were you when you abandoned me?Where were you when everything fell apart?Where were you when we had no food on the table?Where were you when we needed money to pay bills?Where were you when we had nowhere to go?Where were you I put those scars on my arm?Where were you when I needed someone to talk to?Where were you when I almost ended my life more than a hundred times?All I needed was a father’s love…where were you?

By Kendril BanksGrade 11Buffalo Academy of Visual and Performing Arts

The Letter (inspired by Joelle Rosso)

See I have this dream,And I’d hate to admit itBecause I know it seems mean,But you’re just not in it.It’s the truth that I’ve fought with For longer than you know,But it’s a reality that didn’t fitAnd so,You had to go.It’s been eighteen years And every dream came true,I couldn’t allow my path to success


To be hinderedBy you. He doesn’t know it either Because I hid from him too,So he has no ideaWhat I had to do to you.I could write a list of grievances But that there would be meaningless.Because I had other optionsThe avenue of adoption,Some would call it selfishBut criticism isn’t helping.So think what you wantAnd Call me what you may,But it was my decision And That baby couldn’t stay.So with all that saidI regret it daily And here I present to you a letter from a messed up mother,To her baby.

Dacarianna CurryGrade 12Leonardo Da Vinci


People stereotype me all the time. Honestly people stereotype

me to be gay, just because I don’t sag my pants. Or I’m not the

typical boy in school, so that makes me gay. Let’s think about

this for a second. Just because I don’t act like you, dress like

you, talk like you, or think like you, how does that mean I like

other men? Exactly. It’s not even everybody that stereotypes

me. It’s mainly the kids of East High. They are so damn rude;

that that’s the first thing they see when they look at someone

who is different. It’s so sad that they even judge me by the

music I listen to. They call it “white people” music. I don’t find

what they listen to appealing. Why do they have to listen to

“gangsta rap”? Why do you try to control the music I listen

to? The fact that my character and personality is being judged

by the music I listen is a stereotype in itself. You can’t judge a

book by its cover. A book with the cover of a grain of rice could

be the best book in the world. Stereotyping is like assuming

what you want to hear, hoping for better or worse. Bottom

line stereotyping can’t always end well.

Chris SimmonsGrade 11East High School

Misunderstood


Winters JoyHeather MartinRiverside High SchoolGrade 12

TearsTears from the broken girl who is scared of her fears as it waits in the corner for her,

Letting the tears fall from the insults from her classmates The stares she gets from her family,

Telling her she’s not normal.

Letting more tears fall hoping it will drown her troubles of life,

But she holds it all in and puts on a smile,

Ignoring the tears and holding back the screams.

Ariana BrownGrade 11East High School


You see the pain that lies in her eyes,But alas, her eyes are dry,She won’t cry.No, she won’t cry.

You see the anger that burns from her gaze,The madness that sets her eyes ablaze,She won’t cry.No, she won’t cry.

You see the fear that closes her eyes,The smile she wears is but a disguise,She won’t cry.No, she won’t cry.

You see the hope that is finally dead,She cannot trust for her heart has been bled.She won’t cry.No, she won’t cry.

You see the love that lies within, But she shall never love againShe won’t cry.No, she won’t cry.

You see death’s hand that has glazed her eyes,No one saw her die insideThey won’t cry.No, they won’t cry.

Christina LumanGrade 12East High School

Untitled


Slipping into depressionCutting’s become my obsessionCan’t stand to live with myself until I’ve made this confession

I’m not yet ready For the world to know.That I’m a statistical cutterAnd’ve managed to sink so low

I guess I should mention I occasionally bingeThe thought of pushing 200 lbs.Really makes me cringe

I fear my surroundingsI feel my heart poundingActions astoundingAfraid of reboundingIn the end I’m sort of sounding crazyBut in reality. It saves me.


Untitled


Was told that everything I touch becomes worthlessSo I asked God if I could be breathlessHe must didn’t get the message Cus I’m still here fighting the battle of the sexesExistence within me, serves no purposeLife, not deservingDeath, certainly earned itLast breath, I’m yearning


No matter how far you’ve come from what you thought,People will always remember the things you’ve saidand everything you’ve put in your mouth.

And how far we’ve come from habits and activities,They’re going to know it was you with me, those days men-tioned.Looking back on it,even I knew it was me with you.I never was embarrassed.

Let alone surprised.

Yes (Signed an Angry Poet)

Signs up high for you


And even though I walk the streets myself.There will always be someone in front of me, or behind me.But I don’t see you anywhere near.

In the basements at midnight.The alleyways at sundown.The Corner Store.I never see you anymore.

You die or somethin’?You faded away so fast, I didn’t get a chance to mourn.

So I’ll pretend for a second.This is your funeral.And I’m closing this eulogy off with,

Who my friends were, and who they are now.The existing die once, the questionable remain phantom youth.

I’m going to let a little liquid flow to the ground.Not because you’re underneath it.Just because we use to stand upon it,sometimes sit. for hours on end

Zena BuckleyGrade 11Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts


Yet another life ended A life not innocent And yet innocent tears are shedYet another dead Killed over miniscule reasonsYet another child to grow up without a father to guide themAnother person to get lost to the streetsYet another funeral date to keepYet another life taken-maybe life’s not so sweetYet another being who won’t get to see another dayOr see their child growYet another who won’t be here tomorrow A promise of death granted early by cause of another Yet another sidewalk to be swept clean of blood and bulletsWhen will it end?Probably never-humans killing humansBut as they say ‘We’re all birds of a feather’We all have our friends but we die together.

Zoraida ConcepcionGrade 12River Side Institute of Technology

Yet Another

UntitledAngel RocheHigh SchoolGrade


Size eleven and a half on the leftAnd slightly a size 12 on the right…But I never thought I’d fit into a six againI grew the foot of a woman, and walked in her shoeEven as a youngster I never felt shoes like these though,Very narrow and small,Maybe it was because I’ve once fit into the shoe of a manI couldn’t believe how uncomfortable it wasHow it felt, I almost cried from the way my toes were bunched,High heels too, so I couldn’t run, couldn’t excel my speedI could only go a slower than normal paceThe way my heels treated me, what it did to meThey were supposed to make me feel beautiful,But instead they broke and twisted my ankle,I can just barely walk on my own,But I don’t think I’m ready for any new shoesThey hurt me once, why buy new ones that’ll only do the same thingThe bandages tried to help my foot recuperateBut they weren’t enough; I needed to be able to walk outside,As much as they hurt I contemplate on wearing them again,Maybe if I try and paste them together again,They’ll work better and last longer than the last timeI used to wonder why women complained about their shoes,But that’s only until I walked in them myself.


In Their Shoes


I’m speaking to the world you better listenEyes looking to heaven they better glistenLike the boy who spilled PizzenHe missin’The objective that God laid outHe was living in a droughtBut he calls it a recessionSmoke blown to the heavensAs he deals with his problemsThe weed is his inspirationThe fire is his heroAs he kept upMoms said he would be a ZeroHe’d rather be a 5No I meant a 10The girl called him 6Think what that did to himThey teased him it please him to a certain extentHe loved the hatersBut anger reached 110His listens to his heart beat from the chronicHis heart beat fasterRacing like sonicHe falls in the same street he ranHis head hit the canNever knew if that was the planTo faint after the shots3 minutes after they were poppedFrom the wrong young manThat’s not what he had in storeAnd now that boy don’t live no more

Donte TrezevantGrade 12East High School

Fire is His Hero


911 not only made the headline newsIt left a lot of people bruisedIt made a lot of people confused People don’t know what Islam is really aboutWe encourage peace, but this event lead to doubt As a Muslim American, am I fighting the war?People look at me to place the blame For their lives that are torn I was in shock and awe just like youBut because I’m a Muslim AmericanPeople think I knew I learned to let go of all (of) the anger inside (of) meBecause I know that I could never accomplishWhat society wants me to be Those terrorists didn’t care about the lives of you and I Most Muslims, afraid to speak out But It is my deem not to be shy This is an issue that needs to be discussedBut you and I can’t make it better without any trust What about the innocent ones?Now is it fair to them?I keep hearing that things will get better, I’m waiting… When?


911 (From a Muslim Girl ’s View)

Hopeful GirlDawit Tsegaye



Corrupted WorldFear, Sorrow, Careless in this worldCold,Never warm.Knowledge but thoughtless,I wonder offI look at what is right and what is wrongI sense what people feel,I see,I hear,I face.This world that we live in shows no faithNo courageNo strengthThis world is so weak.The people who are careless,The screams,The cry,They show no fear,They say we have knowledge,But the knowledge is used towards bad,Even religious matters go wrong,We show no sympathy,The world could soon come to an end,Soon we would all go crazy,Trying to get what we want,Trying to stay strong,We would hunger for the wrongs,We would kill for no rights,


Those who are religious would hide and wait,And those who don’t believe would drown in hate.People would be savages,Killing,The world every day,It’s sad to say,That earth,Will become a corrupt world.

Deliana FigueroaGrade 10Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts

City SkyRay Cruz

East High SchoolGrade 12


Darkness follows in shallow mindsNo one even happy down inside

The world makes us change to fit the moldBut I’m done trying, I choose to fold

You think you know when you’ve got it allBut the truth is you better be ready to fall

You can’t be perfect so it’s your callYou fight a losing battle or you stand tall and stay strong

Leave the darkness in the pastWalk away and deal a new hand

Brianna VasquezGrade 11Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts

Poker


I held out hope for you,My light burned incandescently for you.For the longest, You were the strongest In my heart.

From the start-The moment I met you I thought it would be forever, and ever,but to have you sever those tieshurt.Never have I felt a pain deep.Never have I felt so empty.In my entire life.

I held out hope for you. Hear me form these lines.

My light burned incandescently for you.For the longest You were the strongest in my heart.

Feelings change,Deny me.And I’ll deny you.

By Asia BattleGrade 11Buffalo Academy of Visual and Performing Arts

Untitled


Tears are made to cry You said it would be the last time

We thought you would, but you didn’t try Now your moneys all spent, down to the last dime

One night you were drinking beer Next thing you know, you’re in an ambulance

When I saw I was in tears

You were massively bleeding I wish it would stop This I am pleading

Instead of drinking beer, could you maybe drink pop?So now I am on my knees

Saying…..Please

Alyssa Schwinger Grade 8School #81

Please


JokerSteven McDaniel


You keep telling me you wanna kill yourselfAnd I’ve tried everything I could think of to get you not to

I’m so worried one day you won’t show up I want you to see how important you are

I want you to see what I see in you I want you to trust these words

Cause I’m not the only one who cares You’re much more than you think you are

Erin Jones Grade 11Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts

Suicidal Tendencies


Child’s playChild’s play ledto panic, fear, and painon that day.

I scream butam unable to speak inthe immense pain

I endure. Rushedto fix my clipped wing,I feel unconscious

Told that Icannot use the brokenlimb properly any

more. I pushedand healed. Now here Iam, my mind

and body scarredfrom the memory wheremy child’s play led.

Carmelo GangarossaLeonardo Da Vinci High SchoolGrade 9

DogBrazil McGee



As time passes by, we grow older and older until that specific day comes when we all have to say goodbye. I gave this world all that I was made for and in return it failed. Now I am off to a better place, somewhere different, somewhere where I am alive. Throughout the past years, I listen to the sirens, scream-ing kids, and political interests. But I have to retire from all of that. As I sit here in my death bed I can explain to you what I felt, but it seems like you know what had happened. My heart had completely fallen, but for life, for this world, I would die for love and peace. Let this message keep you all alive as this is my final goodbye.


My Final Goodbye


and this would be so much moresimpleif your mouthwas sewn shut.if your eyes and earsremained open (for once).

--to you,our vomit ismerely a rainbow.today,we’ll pressleavesbetween sheetsof waxwith smilesthat mean something

to you,any day can be madebeautiful(which is more easily saidwith a handful of pills).

to you,shadows are justfriends you haven’tyet madeand your hollowglaze over(again)like snowfall.

today,you found yourmakeshiftlight-bulb-bowlcrackedon the floor(remember when you foundyour bones that way?)and i failedto mentionthat i was the culprit(behind bothincidents)

--

And You Feared That Tree Branches Were Monsters At Night Clawing At Your Window


listen,maybe snortingcloudsreally isn’t thebest optioni can onlystopyour nosebleedsand menyour broken ribsfor so long(while you stareinto oblivion,pressing starsto your lips)

listen,i know there’salways saltclouding youreyes. buti’m begging youto understand:there are things we spewthat are so farfrom rainbows.

Brittany LucasGrade 12Hutchinson Central Technical High School

SkeletonsSteven McDaniel



Standing on the door step of hell,

I feel like a dead body that disappeared from plain sight without

even a smell.

Knocking on the devil’s door.

Carefully I counted how long it took me to dig my own grave,

But as the hole got deeper I started to feel the pain.


I have to go, I have to leave,

I’m at the gate screaming “please take me!”

Awaking at the hospital,

Paralyzed from my neck to my knee.

I sit in agony.


And finally he answered; now he’s got me

Dark black smoke filled the air,

As my flesh burned, and tore.

I’ve hit rock bottom, and only the devil’s there.

Standing on the devil’s living room floor.

Staring into his eyes, made me realize,

That from my ashes, I will rise.

Knocking on the Devil ’s Door

Alisha RansomGrade 9Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts


Sneaky, evil, backstabbing, and mentalWife of MacbethLover of Macbeth, the dark side, and insanityWhat she wants and the feel of a blade stabbing her victims.Who needs to sleep at night and to forget that dreadful night.Who gives into her demons.Who fears the guilt will take her over,The fear that people will seethe blood stains on her hand, the murder weapon tothe king’s death.Who would like to see a good night’s sleep.Who lives at Dunsinane CastleLady Macbeth

Ariana Brown

Lady Macbeth

Mardi Gras MaskDina DahlkeLafayette High SchoolGrade 11


It’s Just MeFrank Williams Jr.Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing ArtsGrade 11


Knowledge is power

Power is control

Control is law

Law is dominance

Dominance is Survival

Survival is life

Life is pain

Pain is everything

Carlos Williams Grade 9 Burgard High School

Unknown Future

AnthonyAnthony Carroll

South Park High School Grade 10


Silk, Lace, ChiffonParis, London, MilanTime will always changeBut Style and Fashion will always remainSketching, Designing, and ShoppingPrice tags, Ideas, Styles are droppingTime will always changeBut here we are fashion creators remainingOne by One new ideas are comingEvery Season styles are runningAs Always time will changeBut fashion stays hereCombining strengths and feelingsSilent but Loud, Confident but timidWalking, talking and wearing our shoes proud

Tiffany D. JonesGrade 11Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts

Walking in our Shoes


Watch me fly,Watch me soar, To look back on my past, it would make it too painful to say goodbyeI’m not afraid to dream beyond belief any more.

I’m proud of my colors,I’m proud of what I’ve done, I’m proud to represent just what I mean,I AM PROUD.

Your hurtful staresThe times you haven’t caredThe words you’ve tried to burn in meThe days you’ve tried to make me see.

Diapprovement doesn’t faze me anymoreI know my destiny; I’ll do as I please; I know what I am here for.

Rachel SmailGrade 10Leonardo Da Vinci High School

Watch My future

Arro in GreenCarlos Williams

Burgard High School Grade 9


Immature MaturityThe three Fates ain’t cut the strings yetSo why I gotta end my youth and jump off this swing setI’m not in debt over a ring betSo what is this hard life that nobody can bring wetLike fire that burns through when the Phoenix’s wings metBut I control it’s power ever since it was caught in the king’s netA vast nebula of fireflies dancing under a solar midnightNoctowl’s city wings sheltered the mind of a kid rightInternally the 28 sings the songs of the legends dreamThe Dragon filled with Gold came off like none that it seemsWalk through the valley of thoughts into the vault of questionsBlatantly remain oblivious to the lies of the so called recessionThe views of an adolescent is the greatest memory everybody forgetsThe treasure greater than that of Black beards and the Red Baron’s sweatMaturity is often disguised as serious behavioral activityBut I’m sorry but being one that has a fun lack isn’t meMy childhood is the most precious aging is too far awaySo I’ll continue to hold the Knight’s and fly Kirby’s star away



[Keep mouth shut while eating.] As, it annoys me[Use fork, not hands.] As, I don’t know where your hands have been[Love manners.] As, I love them at the table.[Say thank you] As, in when I give you something.[Be pleased.] As, in I didn’t have to do it If I didn’t want to.

Destiny PlazaGrade 9Leonardo Da Vinci High School

Poem


Re-WrittenI pick up my pencilAnd I just writeThinking memories FeelingsSpelling out wordsNODrawing out lettersWriting out the words of my lifeReal LifeReality And I fade awayInto a world …Beyond this pencilBeyond pink decorative paperAnd Beyond purple, blue, and black inkA place where there areNo limits on what’s saidWhere they way I feel is no rated RIt’s rated meWhere the line of my life are written out,In this placeMy past is erased And my future is scripted out in a beautiful inkEvery moment or memoryEvery kiss or touchAre drawn out by this pencil This pencil with an everlasting lead pointOr my blue pen with never ending inkAnd NoFor my paper will never need more roomBecause when things screw upI just erase and draw out another life to liveSeeking back to that place whereEverything is everything


Anything you want it to beWhere there is not such a thing as failureAnd my success is always guaranteedIt’s writtenThis place where happiness is a factAnd heartbreak is there when you need itFor a taste of reality But the pain isn’t so badI wrote it Anyone can live in the shoes of the BarbieAnd the story of my lifeThis fairytale is mineI told itThis is lifeMy storyOnly I can mold itSo the next time things get badI’ll just pick up my pencilAnd I’ll write Memories FeelingsSpelling out wordsNope drawing out lettersI’ll write out the words of my lifeReal life Reality And I’ll fade awayI’ll live in a worldBeyond this pencilWhere my pain is unwrittenAnd happiness is always guaranteedIn a place where my life stands-Rewitten

A’Dimond ClarkGrade 11Buffalo Academy of Visual and Performing Arts

Down the HallCharles Martin



HappinessThough I’m in a prison My minds as free as a bird If flies to happinessWaiting for the body to catch up The body wrapped in pain But there’s a light of hope The mind is tied to it Through ribbons of memories Can’t wait until we reunite The joy is overflowing As my eyes fill with The burning flame of happiness This prison feels like A graveyard for the person I became, and there I shall bloom to who I once was I shall fly into joy I shall run through dreams I’ll breath in my hope And swallow my wishes Now my mind and body meet To enjoy the freedom of happiness And finally live

Carlos WilliamsGrade 11Burgard High School


They ask if the name “The Saint” is worth keeping.

They don’t know that “The Saint” has a real meaning.

I lift up my chin, I stick out my chest

The Saint just means that I’m different than the rest.

The ‘S’ means I’m Strong. I will not die.

The ‘A’ is for All the deep thoughts I keep inside

The ‘I’ is for the ideology that I consume.

The ‘N; is for my Never-say-quit attitude.

The ‘T’ is for the Times I try until I’m done.

I’ll try, try, try until I get what I want.

So “The Saint” doesn’t necessarily mean I’m holy,

But I’m The Saint. Do you really think you know me?

Chris SimmonsGrade 11East High School

The Saint

Dream RoomsDiscovery School #67, Grade 4


She didn’t stand tall

But she always stood strong

She was born as a Libra

Good-looking all around and honest

That, she was

Standing at 5’1, with a caramel complexion,

A small frame and a head full of

Thin, silky, fine, Indian- like hair

Which was the color of salt and pepper.

Each strand of gray represented

Every moment of stress she held

& the 3 wrinkles on her forehead

Told the story of a painful past,

Left far behind

Her hands were small and wrinkled,

Which represented the years

That she spent raising the children that she bred

3 girls and 3 boys

The time and patience

The love and faith

And the 2 sons that she lost

No more than 1 year apart

This showed a heart

Taken over by strength and courage

But she wasn’t just important to her family

But to many others as well

And she not only represented a woman

Memoirs of an Uncrowned Queen


With wisdom and much class

But a strong African-American woman,

With wisdom class and so much more

To many she was that

But to us she was a savior

On her lips lay every strong and meaningful word spoken to us

And on her shoulders and chest laid the heads and tears cried of many

people

whom she had consoled and comforted

As well as the weight of the world she once carried

And yet she still walked with her head held high,

As if every step she took was being taken on gold

In her heart rested the trust, from many secrets told to her

And kept just as well

A’Diamond ClarkGrade 11Buffalo Academy of Visual and Performing Arts


Heart pounding

Taking some tic-tac

Hands are clammy

Did I floss,

Waiting in the line

Am I ready?

Here he comes

He asked for my name

We shake hands

All that time

It was quickly done.

Job is mine!

Josh WardGrade 9Leonardo Da Vinci High School

The interview


The CoastDoh Moo

Burgard High School Grade 9

UntitledJordan McCarter



It’s the feeling of high, without the drugs.It’s the feeling of comfort when you’re warm and snug.It’s the blush on my cheeks from the sparkle in your eye.It how when you’re around, I don’t have to try…Try to be happy or try to fit in.I just have to be myself and that’s how I win.I have no need to impress or worry that I’m lamebecause you and I are one in the same.It’s like feeling high, without the drugs.It’s seeing your smile or feeling your hug.It’s knowing I’m happy, that I’m not alone,That it’s not just your words, but what you’ve shown.It’s what has healed many wounds and stopped the hurting.It’s when you told me I’d be okay when I wasn’t certain.It’s what helped us get through problems that went wrong.It’s the best feeling you give me, better than any drug…It’s the feeling of love.

Yvonne MitchellGrade 12Leonardo Da Vinci High School

It’s Love

SwanBrazil McGeeMcKinley High SchoolGrade 11


Your kissYour touch,I love you so muchYour trust,You make me blushI’m addicted to you,And cannot get enough,This four-letter word is so strong,That’s why I askIs this love or lust?Or maybe it’s justThe heart of the game that lives in us,Love and basketball truly explains us,But will that interfereWith the feeling that we have for each other,Is this for now?Or will we be together forever?Two athletes,One is you and one is meMr. and Mrs. JacksonWe both share the same hear bet,Through thick and thinWe still remainBut I have to knowCan you feel for me the,Same way you feel for the game?Am I as equal as ball as you claim??

Tiauna YoungGrade 12East High School

Dear Mr. Jackson


UntitledNiall GribbinsFredrick Law Olmsted School


UntitledAngel Roche



I love you,Well, that’s a big wordAlthough it’s true.

Maybe I doand maybe it’s not true,but I’m confused.

Love never dies,Well, that’s what they sayUntil it’s goodbye.

It’s really hardto say goodbye when maybe,I love you.

Khrissmyra VargasGrade 9Leonardo Da Vinci High School

Well…


I’m not fashionable My hair always So unusual I don’t wear makeup I don’t have a cell phone My skin isn’t flawless I’m not skinny I don’t fit in I don’t try to I’m anything but normal But I like me Just the way I am It’s not the outside Its how you’ve Always been Its being satisfied With who you are And not wanting more Than what you need And I’m satisfied

Mercedes Pompey Grade 9 Burgard High School

Satisfied


The perfect day inthe life of Joe would haveto include sports and food.

You must pig out andspend your Saturday watchingcollege football with dad.

You must toss the pigskinwith your brotherin the yard.

You must get momto make a huge turkeydinner with potatoes and gravy.

You must get your sisterand her little friendsout of the house.

You must end theday watching the SportsCenteras you fall asleep.

Joe DeneckeGrade 9Leonardo Da Vinci High School

Perfect Day


Sally came home from school crying and highly upset.Her face was beet red. Her nose was dripping snot.

Her eyes were puffy and blood shot, her shirt soaked from tears.

Her mom asks her, “What’s wrong, did you get in another fight with your boyfriend?”

She says, “No, I killed a worm.”

Alexandra LanceGrade 11Leonardo Da Vinci

Horrible Day


I’m as culturedAs a mixed mutt.Loving my culture,But wishing to have another.FascinatedBy the taste of OnigiriAnd intrigued by theSound of visual kei

Wondering if I would beLooked down upon ifMy name was MomokoAm I betraying my race?A strong black femaleFalling in love withThe Japanese culture.

Where do I fit in?Loving the skin I’m in,But confused to Be a blasian.Oh---I wish I was in Japan.

Catilin BlueGrade 9Leonardo Da Vinci

Japan


It’s not on him but a piece of decoration on me.It is not nor would ever be in a place where it shouldn’t be.It’s like the hole in my heart that is missing.The veins that show his blood in me,It’s not in the sky with him where all the angels can see me.It’s on me to show how much he really means to me.


His Necklace

JapanCatilin Blue

Leonardo Da VinciGrade 9


More elusive than yesterday’s dream,With the sincerity of a well-told lie.Brighter than a window’s gleam,More to me than meets the eye.

The target of misconception,Receptor of forgotten dreams,Arrogant in my perception,Always heard but never seen.

I lurk just around the bend,Always just out of reach.I’m impossible to apprehend,And never one to preach.

This is a question of my identity,Not of my ability To solve this mysteryAnd be set free.

Reneé Staples

A Question of Identity


I walk through these halls like a zombieI try to ignore the pushing and shovingWishing I could blend in with the lockersWishing and hoping to just disappear

I walk further and nearly tripI feel graceful as a bull walking in those hallsI feel like I’m going to burstOne more push and maybe I will

I make it to where I’m goingI sit waitingI zone out knowing soon I’ll be backOnly hoping I make it without falling over myself

Aliah HybickiGrade 9Leonardo Da Vinci High School

Confessions of a High School Student


She says the hidden must be found And the shattered must be repaired But the one who disobeys her Will find only but a frown But when she finds her peace All shall be calm Because they were constantly together All along

Alenah Robins East High School

No Use For a Name


Everyday is a different fightA fight to live Or a fight to dieSome in constant painAs they ask God whyPretty hair, make-up, and shoesThese things help cover up he truthSmiles mean nothing because most smiles are liesThey cover the pain of what’s felt insideSome take shelter and run and hide Others go out blazing and die with prideThen the day comes when all goes wrongWhen every second is filled with miseryAnd “I love you” makes ears bleedWhen lies become the truthAnd the truth becomes liesWhen darkness falls and the sun will never riseWhen children shriek and yell awful criesWhen jumping in hot lava is your only prizeWhen every time you talk there is no one there to listenWhen there is no more moon or stars to glistenThen there is silence A sound never heardNo heartbeat, no snorting, no killing, no screaming, no fault, nopain, no heroin in veins, no people, no hurt, just peace on earth

By Brandi AlexanderGrade 11Buffalo Academy of Visual and Performing Arts

Everlasting Peace


UntitledLalita RaiRiverside High School


Work out of the HouseJordan Tate Smalls



Hi! My name is Brazil McGee. This is my third year as an art editor for Speak Your Mind & Shape your World Journal. I am currently a 17 year old junior at McKinley HS and I major in advertising art. I love skating, singing, belly dancing, playing sports, and hanging outside with my friends. I also like to go to GLYS (Gay Lesbian Youth Services). I am usually an upbeat person and in a great mood. And I have God and love ones to thank for that. Especially my gram, my best friend Sierra, and my baby Dally.

Hey, my name is Alexandra Lance, A.K.A Marilyn Monroe/Barbie/Elmo. I am 17 years old and I’m a junior at Leonardo Da Vinci High School. This is my first year doing Speak Your Mind and Shape Your World. I love it because art amazes me. I like looking at the many different and creative ways people create art. In my spare time, I am usually reading a book, doing math problems, dancing, or messing with my hair. I dye my hair like every month, always-crazy colors, and I am always styling it different ways. In approximately a year and a half from now, I will be on my way to college, hopefully Duke University, majoring in Architecture. Only time will tell!

Meet The Editorial Board of Speak Your Mind & Shape Your World

Hey! My name is Chelsey; this is my first year on the Speak your Mind staff. I’m currently a sophomore at McKinley High School. I’m an advertising art student and have been drawing all my life. It’s one of my favorite things to do. I also enjoy writing. I write stories and just started writing poems last year. I LOVE to shop and music is a major part of my life. I’m hoping to act when I’m older, or even get a book published. This summer I’ll be reading every book in the library and seeing as many plays as humanly possible.

Not much to say I guess…I’m an ambitious writer whose only dream in life is to spread the word of true peace throughout the Earth, through any means necessary. I’ve been studying with Jehovah’s Witnesses for years and my mind state is heavily influenced by the brothers and sisters in the congregation. Most know me for the poetry, the stories, the music, the artistry. I am Corey Threet…the second coming.

Hey I’m Rachel, and I’m Bi and proud. I row at WSRC and am part of Buffalo Select Chorus. I’m a writer and a singer. I love my friends. I respect most people. My motto is “what doesn’t kill us is making us stronger.” I’m fun to be with when you get to know me. I also love sports and anything that involves a good time and fun people.


Hey it’s ya girl Dacarianna Curry but no need to struggle with that pronunciation (da-Car-ree-Ah-na) because most of the homies call me D.Curry or DORA! I am on the Editorial Board for Speak Your Mind and Literary is my thang thang! I cut class at Leonardo da Vinci High School and have been doing so for the last four years (for all those who feel that math needs to grow up and solve its own problems: I am a Senior; yay class of 2010!!) I love writing poetry, singing, and TRYING to dance.

Nothing is better than hanging out with friends so I tend to do that often; chilling, movies, or the mall with my peeps keeps me sane. My phone is always by my side, my iPod touch is my best friend, Facebook is my current addiction and Twitter is my daily medication so I suppose you could say that “technology is helpful” (in an old creepy voice :D). Dora just so happens to be the best chica out there (SHE IS REAL OK!... just like Santa), she’s pretty cool and my obsession with her ( nothing stalkerish) is how I got my nickname (and they say we look alike, but I don’t see it). Anyways, I want to go to college to study languages so that I can be a translator. Aside from the three languages I can speak, I have three words that translate pretty well: I AM AWESOME!!

I don’t contain the stereotype of The average black man cause I’m more mellow laid back Calm cool and collected Not forgetting I’m very socially connected I own my own dance crew, called Undefined D.I.C.E and East High School are all combined D.I.C.E is Diverse in Creative Entertainment East High School is my place of business

This is not a poem Why do you think it is? I worked with who are now my friends This ain’t the show biz We connect to each other Even though we act a fool That makes us one That makes us Cool

My name is Elizabeth Kendrick, but most people call me Lizzy. I am currently a senior at Leonardo da Vinci High School. I am 17 years old. This is my first year on the Speak Your Mind & Shape Your World editorial board. My plans after high school include moving to Vancouver to attend fashion school. There is no specific reason why I am going to Vancouver besides the fact that the further away I am from my family the happier I am (just kidding). I plan on creating my

own line of clothes for everyone to wear. So in the future, if you see my name on the tag you should buy it because you love me and you should want to support me!

Hey! I’m Sierra Wilson and this is my second year at Speak Your Mind & Shape Your World. I’m a junior at McKinley High School and carpentry major. I love writing and hanging out with my friends and my dog Skyler. She’s the cutest little thing! My favorite colors are green and gold and I love football. I can’t wait to go to college and become an English major and an English teacher or journalist.

-Donte Trezevant


18 Agassiz Circle, Bu�alo, NY 14214(800) 292-1582 [email protected]

Medaille prepares students for a lifetime of learning and personal growth, with:- Quality Academics

- Hands-on Learning

- Extensive Internship Programs

- Student-Faculty Ratio of 17:1

- Associate and Bachelor’s Degrees

- NCAA Division III Sports

Congratulations to the students of Speak Your Mind and Shape Your World

Student Editorial Board 2010

Chelsey L. Brown

Dacarianna Curry

Elizabeth Kendrick

Alexandra Lance

Brazil McGee

Rachel Smail

Corey Threet

Donte Trezevant

Sierra Wilson

2010 speak your mind

Documents

mind shape

world project

project coordinatorsthe

world sponsorsarts council

ones work

numerous students

hardworking students

multitalented students