First it starts off with the text.

Maria’s phone dings as she makes her way up the stairs into her high-school. A text from Shelly, her ex-best friend who is the most popular girl in the school. Upon clicking on Shelly’s profile, she sees that she has updated her profile picture; she is huddled with the other cheerleaders, her blonde hair pulled tight in a high ponytail. Trying to shove down feel...

Praying for an end in sight,

Help me God, show me the light!

Overstating our ill circumstance,

Beseeching for that second chance.

Into darkness my heart goes,

Always, never, though He knows....

Room always tidy,

But never truly organized.

She keeps it clean to the eye,

But when digging deeper, one finds…

a mess.

Always wearing clean clothes,

But never taking care of herself.

Her toothbrush is barely used,

She always wears her hair up, because it is…

messy.

She shows her parents her homework,

Because her test grades are low.

Her older siblings have straight A’s,

But she is stuck wit...

Stirring awake, I blinked drearily at my roommate, who was admiring herself in our large mirror. Pulling her glossy brown hair in front, she frowned and looked down at herself, pondering her outfit choice.

“Livy, how’s my outfit?” She asked without looking over, as though sensing that I was awake. “Does it make me look like a star?”

“It’s fine, Tessa,” I insisted, ignoring the last part of her q...

Loudly blaring car horns,

A fog settles down.

Streetlights flicker with scorn,

People shuffle on with frowns.

A heavy rain begins to fall,

Red, blue, gray umbrellas unfold.

People flood into cafes and the mall,

People shiver in the damp cold.

A dog behind a fence, barking.

A couple in a cab, holding hands.

Cars in traffic; some are parking.

Skyscrapers have overtaken the lands.

Stars unseen fro...

A long time ago, there was a forest of magic.

But slowly, the magic left,

And the magical creatures

grew weaker, smaller.

The forest has turned deadly,

With poisonous vines,

vivid colors,

twisting trunks,

murky water,

dusky skies.

The tiny fairies are the last folk left with the ancient magic.

Shrunk to the size of beetles.

They stay away from humans,

Who destroyed all of their true magic.

But on...

Maple leaves are orange, red, burning.

Leaves fall down,

Grass withers- green to brown.

A silent, desperate yearning,

I fumble as I’m learning,

That Autumn’s tricks are oddly like a frown;

Colors peak like wildfires, then in the soil they drown.

Fireflies light up, flitting, churning.

Heading down the hill, back home,

The sky is gray and wet, yet cozy and warm.

Church bells resounding, leaves blo...

Every time I tell a scary story, I always talk about him.

You know who he is,

Everyone knows.

After all, who wouldn’t?

With his

Squeaky voice,

His untrustworthy instability,

The way he seems to make your heart stutter,

And you always think that you will fall.

Scary stories aren’t the only times I see him;

He’s at the bottom stair in my house,

He’s at the entrance to the girl’s bathroom at church,

...

Hands shaking, I open my locker. My heart slowly drops, and I feel like I’m choking. It’s hard to breathe.

I hear laughter behind me, and my face burns. I blink back tears and slowly reach into my locker. My fingers grasp the yellow paper, which is filled with writing of all fonts and colors, and my world blurs when my eyes read the caption in the center;

I SAW YOUR POEM, VICKY

My breathi...

The cave is carved from bloody hands,

In desperation and fear.

Her father carved the entryway,

Her mother built the swing up here.

She swings by day,

To honor her mother;

By night she carves,

In memory of her father.

The city never sees her there,

Swinging, carving, crying.

Up there, she is the ruler of sky,

Living while others are dying....