The Not-So-Smooth Criminal By Hayden Hayes 26”
A pane of glass shattered,
sharp but delicate.
a glimmering in the light
Pieces of it falling within the night
It scatters across the floor in mismatched rows,
waiting to make its next victim crow.
I awake and step, my face engulfed in pain,
the sharp shard deep in my sole,
aggravating my brain.
The crimson river flows through a plantar region,
bloodstains on the carpet,
clashed with crystal prisms of a handyman’s work.
I grab the tweezers and yank the piece out,
a sigh of relief,
a mixture of doubt.
The shard left behind a bigger wound,
but with time and care, I’ll rebound soon.
I was hit by, I was struck by… a not-so-smooth criminal
***
Pellucid By Laura Araujo Neves ‘29
What if what we saw transcended beyond the physical appearance
reaching deep into the soul?
What if we could scrutinize every sin,
Criticize everything you stole?
What if white lies could be revealed?
Every malevolent word used to strike someone down
And pick apart wounds that never fully healed.
What if we publicized every remark that stuck to you like permanent marker?
Each mask you take shelter behind,
And how your words became darker
How you made others responsible for your pain
And how you were never the one to blame.
What if we got to see past the split ends
Past the crooked teeth,
Past the people who you call your friends.
And we saw you
The person you are when you are alone
All the bitter things you truly rue
***
Tricky Dart by Aileen Deolivieria ‘29
A tragic spiral
Curved like the lines of a shell
Picking up motion and movements
Sharp and pointed legs
A tempting buzz, the sound of a fly
A flutter of wings, seen from a keen eye
Patiently waiting for the moment of landing
Up the wall it goes
Fast with no hesitation
A straining tension in the air
Shaking with agitation
Now in a striking pose
Legs upon legs with forcipules raising
One step closer
One big mistake
One more movement is all it’d take
A loud slam against the wall
A present echo across the hall
One giant shoe raised by a head
The centipede was now stricken dead
***
The British 6 Inch Knives By DaCari Gross ’29
Have You Ever Wondered Why The British Just Carry Around 6-7 Inch Knives?
Sometimes I Wonder If They Are Used For Show And Tell Or To Cause Anguish To Someone?
Do They Ever Think Maybe They Shouldn’t Plunge A Knife Into Someone’s Gut?
Do They Ever Believe Certainly Violence Is Wrong And Shouldn’t Monger Fear?
Surely For Them To Be “Better Than The US” They Shouldn’t Have Such Weapons Sold…?
Maybe if They Were Prosecuted They Would Learn Right?
But They Keep Getting Away With Murder Again And Again
So Many Families Mourning Yet Still No Laws Stopping The Selling Of These Daggars
Maybe One Day Those People Are Found And Brought To Trial
I Just Wish This Will Never Happen To Me
Or Anyone In My Life.
I Just Really Hope They Do Something About This.
So Many Kids Have Been Attacked In Schools For Just Following The Rules
Like A Fool Not Knowing They’d Forever Be 14.
***
Arachnophobia By Gavin Jones ‘29
I would define spiders as
Creepy, crawling, biting demons.
Makes sense right? But it lacks understanding.
Spiders aren’t horrifying mistakes.
Some say “They belong in a fire!”
A spider of the name “Stegodyphus dumicola”, or the African social spider
Known for being able to take intense heat. Up to 120°F
Isn’t that much affected by their harsh words?
Others say “Drown them in a cup of water!”
The Diving Bell spider is known for living most of its life in water.
So drowning is pointless against this one.
Try again.!
The rest say “Suffocate it! Take its air away!”
Sorry to say but yet again, the diving bell spider clears this threat.
Living in the water comes with intense breathing skills.
Only needing to come up for air once per day.
Most people are stumped on what to do now.
Going over all these spiders makes people realize that spiders aren’t so horrifying as they’re painted out to be.
But they’re all built for specific things, that is what makes them “scary”
Each arachnid being so unique that they’re almost a different animal.
The only similarity being 8 eyes and 8 legs.
Most people dislike spiders because of their uniqueness
But who was the person who crafted these beings?
God did.
God’s work is forever beautiful because he’s so careful with making every species different from one another.
Thank you. Amen.
***
Spew by Araceli Jones ‘28
It rises
A sloshed storm from your gut
An intense pressure behind your ribs
Until it spills
A molten mosaic
Slimy and thick
Disgust and beauty married in the commotion
Like abstract art, the floor being its canvas
It bursts with color
Fern green and amber yellow
Bits of yesterday
In its own unapologetic display
You kneel
Your body drained
Your skin now a ghostly gray
A collage born from chaos
Chaotic yet honest
Swirled with secrets your stomach once held
And after
The calm
The sudden silence inside
The storm finally passed
The color you lost
Remains behind
In what your body dared to reveal
***
Studying by Noah Stubbs ‘29
Oh no it’s that time again
I sit down and get ready to study
5 pages I’m not doing that buddy
I go to talk with one of my friends
And somehow end up on Tiktok again
Hours and hours and hours go by
It is just amazing how much time flys
I finally stop and decide to lock in
Because if I don’t my teacher will be under my skin
Just when I finally build up the courage to do the work
By pen disappears because it wants to be a jerk
Now I’m freaking out I don’t know what to do
In just about two hours my english homework is due
I sit in my chair trying to calm myself down
Just to see my english sitting there with a frown
The instructions teasing me with every word
Write an essay all about birds
She’ll yell and she’ll cry why isn’t it done
What can I say my pen decided to run
I take a second and retrace my steps
I remember ; it was when I prepped
I reach in my pocket and there it is
I don’t understand how I could possibly miss
Such a crucial part of my homework in such an easy space to find
It’s almost as if I’m losing my mind
Or maybe I don’t want to do this at all
In the end I just give up and watch some gravity falls
