Poems are Flowing from Cindy Avitia High School Poets – Read the Winning Ones and be Impressed
By Riley, ACE Poetry Contest Mascot, who is loving these Alpha poets and their poems, assisted by Martha who loves ‘em too
Treat yourself to these poems.
Arf, arf. Cindy Avitia High School students get to the point, don’t they? These poets pointedly point out issues with bullies, being yourself and managing distress. These are difficult, but these poets show us paths to get there – be strong, embrace your true self and focus on what is around you to get through tough moments. Even if it means sitting on a bathroom floor. Arf. Been there. Done that.
Great poems here. From Best Overall to Third Place, the poems touch and teach us. (I particularly like being touched. Petted actually.) Congratulations poets. Stay tuned for more winners from Cindy Avitia High School.
Best Overall Winner: Jonathan Rosales
The Bully
Awaken I lay, scared to leave my bed,
Frozen in place, and filled with dread.
I don’t want to face him, not today,
If I can just avoid him I’ll be ok.
But I know the truth, the dreaded fact,
It’s inevitable and the odds are stacked.
I have to face him, now and forever,
The bully that makes my mood sever.
I finally give in and arise from my throne,
Ready to face the behavior I don’t condone.
I’m so tired, I just want to sleep,
Where harsh words are gone, not a peep.
Maybe today he’ll be kind and benevolent?
Maybe he’ll just leave me to my own development?
No, I can feel it now even in my home,
He will not stave off and leave me alone.
I enter then my restroom, and flick on the switch,
And I pause with no movement, not a single twitch.
I take a deep breath and face the man,
And prepare for the onslaught that will soon span.
But today he’s quiet, which scares me more,
What is his game? I want to know more.
For once he has kinds words, and is very uplifting,
“You are great. You are worthy. You are gripping.”
I smile at the mirror and face it fully,
Because it seems I’ve beaten this bully.
9TH Grade Contest
First Place: Berneece Guerrero
Like Me
I like being me but it’s not always as easy as you think
Because when you look like me
Think like me
Act like me
Love like me
Dress like me
Speak like me
Life won’t seem so simple anymore
Why don’t we dive deeper? Shall we?
Do not look like me if you want to be told to “go back to where you came from”!
Do not think like me if you want to be given the title of “crazy”
Do not act like me if you want to be called anything other than prim and proper
Do not love like me if you want to be labeled as “unnatural”
Do not dress like me if you want to ripped to shreds by the words of others
And do not speak like me if you want to constantly be told to “SPEAK ENGLISH, THIS IS AMERICA”!
But if you are even a little like me, be proud
Be you
Embrace it
Second Place: Beetzie Guerrero
Sigh of Relief
At the moment, I don’t feel okay and the reason is quite peculiar
I’m in distress, I don’t know what to do. Why is this feeling so familiar?
In an attempt to rid me of my woes
A thought in my head arose
I go to a place where I know I am safe
The place where I hide my face
On the bathroom floor I sit and try to notice
5 things I can see:
a toilet, the floor, my rug, the sink, and my reflection
4 things I can feel:
the floor, the breath on my lips, the sweat dripping down my face, and the tears falling from my eyes
3 things I can hear:
the chatter outside, the buzzing from the lights, and my ragged breathing
2 things I can smell:
the harsh cleaning chemicals, and the air freshener that tries to conceal them
1 thing I can taste:
the bitter taste of bile that threatens to come up
And this does the trick
I’m no longer frantic
I wouldn’t say I’m good as new
But if I do, would this cycle still continue?
Third Place: Sara Rodriguez
“Overload Instability”
It’s a brand new day,
Hoping things, will go her way
There’s nothing much, for her to say
This girl sits there
Her life is gray
Her sorrowful expression,
It quietly decays
It seems she’s somewhere faraway,
She’s lost today
Her feelings, she cannot display
She feels like a stray
She’s great with writing,
English she very much likes
But she’s terrible with numbers
Theres so much despise
She feels that everything she chooses
Will always be false
Feeling that everything is all her fault
She looked up the source
Doing everything by force
Her work is completed
She feels she’s succeeded
This cycle is repeated
She feels conceited
They next day,
It’s the start of May,
There’s surveys, there’s essays
She cannot delay
Her grades are back
The skills with numbers, she lacks
She tried not to slack
Her head she smacks
This sensation,
Its come back
There’s no time to slack
She feels she’s attacked
Her emotions are stacked
She’s now tearing out her hair,
This feeling, it cannot compare
Deeply she stares
Her emotions, she can’t share
She feels no one cares
Can you read her writing?
It’s as clear as can be
Can you read her mind?
See all her lost fantasies
Its clearer than ever, she’s lost her sanity
She can no longer see
Hey, how could this be?
Please, someone tell me
She can’t disagree
All she wants is to be free