Poetry Reading by Zach
11Art Contributors in order of appearance: Sammy Beck 0:01-0:23, Ella 2:23-2:47, Katie the Sealbug 3:34-3:58, ThatOne SpaceStar 4:29-4:46, Firelove 4:46-5:10, and Sammy Beck (again) 5:34-5:58. Poems below!
Escapist's Reality
Soft pitter patter rain drops
knocked against the window.
The wet fingertaps mask
events occurring inside.
A white-knuckled, red-stained
fist is raised in hot anger,
The body before him
crumpled and silent.
Boys threw down their controllers,
the eldest claimed victory.
Laughs and snacks filled the bedroom
and brothers bonded all afternoon.
Their laughs carried through the halls,
masking events in the other room.
A woman lies crumpled and silent,
His fist raised in hot anger.
Caffeine Haze
There's a box inside my head, perhaps made of maple
Syrup that drowns its people, sticky wings unable
To fly is reserved for the birds and the heart, body grounded
On Earth, where mankind only fears mankind, the ground splits
Like my mind where the box hides, few dare to dig
Holes sprout in my form, transparent, or so one would think
To unload their weaponry with the clean dishes, the clattering
Brings about New World Order in a deaf beat, locked in someone's head
On collision with the cosmos, that too transparent, will find us
Sitting on our stools, hiding our holes, and discussing the worms
Chewing on the fabric of reality as we know it, they cry out
Complaining about the afterlife at an unheard frequency, breaking
The branches that hold a dark grin, reflecting our ideal selves
Locked inside that maple box, thudding to the rhythm
of my own brainwaves.
Left Behind
Solitude has become my home
and all I can think about is you.
Your visits used to be so frequent
but now it feels like it's been ages since I last saw you.
I imagine you sitting on the couch,
with all your new friends while
I am destined to be forgotten;
destined to be the one left behind.
The spare change and half-used Chap Stick
have become my allies in this darkness.
We watch the world go on without us,
staying hopeful that we may be needed one day again.
For I am just the last piece of gum in the package.
Old, withered, left behind, but still minty fresh.
To the Ones Who Missed Graduation
Loneliness is terrifying
You can never know peace
Nor friendship.
There are those around you,
But they don't see what's missing.
That gaping hole
where your demons hide
is no fitting place
to call home.
I have fought that fight,
had it come to a draw.
But when you venture alone,
The demons become your friends.
Many still don't understand why,
but I do.
If only we spoke more
and ventured the darkness together,
then maybe you could join me
on the graduation stage, hand in hand.
But instead the darkness found you first.
So I have this etching on my leg to remember:
We are always running from the shadows,
but we never have to run alone.
THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!