Just what should I be? What do you see, there while you sit starin' at me?
Do I look bear, with the wings of an eagle? When you gaze in my eyes, do you see somethin' evil?
Do I look human, like I have my own life? Do I live in a house, with some kids and a wife?
I can tell we aren't the same. I don't even know my name.
These questions tend to force a state of final remorse.
Even I had to admire the fire in my desire to find something I may never acquire.
It may take forever to fine the previous mind, I left behind.
I finally collapse under the feeling of doom. Only to wake up in the emergency room.
I notice her nice aroma. She says I've been in a coma.
I've been out since November but I can finally remember. I lost my dog, my kid, and my wife. Which reminds me- I might as well take my own life
Good bye.
Untitled Jayden Penman (8th)
The tearing of flesh reaches my ear The rabbit's white fur is no longer clear A reminder of father who used to hold me dear Gale is near The food is so fresh he could cheer We have to go back now because of fear The reaping is grudgingly here Then we wait They think of us just as bait I'm glad I just ate We don't want to be late My sister is the toy But I switch as a ploy The capitol could yell in joy For the second is coy Dread goes through me Like a cup of tea The food doesn't have a fee It sweeps away the tea I think that's the key Am I now free? No, I'm still locked in Just like some tin The dress becomes Kin It flickers in the air We become quite the pair As sturdy as a broken chair I would like to declare A warning to you there I'm not all that fair If you ignore me bare My mouth gets me everywhere Now we begin Careful or I'll kick you in the shin Who will win? Because it's all about killin' Will he fall in? At night music plays It sounds just like mocking jays Pictures show everything that lays Who never had a chance to be okay? I have no arrow Made out of some marrow My eyes narrow I just want to be free like a sparrow That's free from this Pharaoh Because he's in charge of this barrow Alliances are formed Now it's stormed Now it's deformed And lastly it swarmed Who will be informed? There's some dew Resting on little Rue I wish I could sue Man that blew There's like a whole crew Rue I'll miss you Like those flowers I drew And put them over the blue Are we just a part of some stew? The rules change It's still really strange This exchange There he is with some type of mange We team up Like two mixtures in a cup I don't like the close up It feels thick like syrup I will never give up for my pup He's finally healed So I just kneeled It has me appealed The end is almost real Like a complicated seal Or is this my last meal The wolves won't heel Are we three the last kill? We run This really isn't fun Man there's a ton Look at their eyes Stupid spies I know how it ties It cries For the sake of the eyes Are they modified? Is this how they lied? Is the audience horrified? How the eyes tied to how the contestants died? Well we tried And actually survived We won because the third died They changed their minds But that's how the games are designed They are definitely blind We are in a big bind I guess now there won't be a winner to find You can hear their teeth grind They made up their mind We actually both won Weight lifts off me, like a ton I'm glad they're done with their fun Are we done? Well, I'll see you later Hun I got to run We fake it, love I can no longer fly like a dove We can't escape to the above We're stuck in this glove They're after us They make me cuss Well there's a plus They can't make too big of a fuss Will they come after me? Please just let me flee This place is as vague as the sea It's no longer sunny He's no longer likely I run now for my life How far will I have to dive?
Grey Eyed Fool Kaitlynne Jones (7th)
It's safe with my eyes closed It isn't real It is all make believe I breathe these words, like a lake breathes fog Clutching my ears shut They continue to whisper in raspy voices "shhh, shhh" It's safe with my eyes closed; it's safe not to listen I do not believe in make believe; I cannot believe in what is false Grey eyes return to dim walls Feet find their surface Careful steps to the door Hot handle blisters my hand Thoughts rush through, memories of the past flicker in and out Orange beasts with blue stomachs swallow the door I'm left facing the fire Grey eyes widen Chothes resist to endure the heat; The smoothness of my skin ripples Painful licks of fire molest A body lies without energy; The first story A body convulses once more It's safe with my eyes closed It's safe not to hear It's safe to lie dying Than lying in fear
What Have I Done Kaitlynne Jones (7th)
The blade drips thick drops of blood The handle is slippery with my sweat Your still body lies wet and red The last breath, long since gone. What have I done? You told me I was a failure I wanted to prove you wrong You said it was too late I cannot hear anything, Only the drops of blood pounding on the floor They hit with the crashing sounds of bells It echos in my ears. I drop the blade to inspect the damage One puncture wounds your heart Tears wet my cheeks, and yours too What have I done? Have I taken a life for the sake of love? Have I broken your heart like you broke mine? Is this justified? I'm looking for a reason why I did such a thing, Why did we fight, why did I even pick up this knife? Why did I lunge for you in anger? Oh lord! What have I done?
The Battle atop Mt. Hope By Trent Wilson
This road that we walk brothers, friends All you who stand before me now! Is it not that people have ravaged Our thoughts, our minds, and our homes To get us out to fight in this battle of tragedy? It is not this day that our hearts shall fail Atop this mount of hope Shall we defend one another even unto death? I say if we die on this path Stopping the armies for even awhile Then we have done our job Though you may see all the torches And think to yourselves what’s going to happen next, Anxiously awaiting the end of this When our fears of these numbers whom are coming to attack. I say the battle shall be won by the most strategic of the men, Not by sure numbers!
This day will not be the last of the battles between good and evil Our brothers, friends, and loved ones shall know of our battle And if we live on, past this time of grief Then we shall mourn of our brothers and kin of this battle And say the battle they have won, We have a longer battle to fight in living. Though we may be the highest rank in our halls Those mean nothing today For a far greater army shall only crumble beneath our feet. Remember this day as the day of fortitude. May god in his higher kingdom give us favor. So our sons and daughters may wake on this day And say my father fought in that extraordinary battle, So our wives, our friends and kin say we did this for them! But now my brothers, my kin, We stand here as kin of the great kingdoms, This may be our last battle fought, But do not know me as king or as sir But as your brother in this battle, For we are brothers by the blood we shall shed together And the tears that we cry in morning as the dead are buried. Brothers when they come at our door We shall welcome them with a hail of arrows!
This Dreaded cacophony of blades, bows, and screams is now over. The death toll taken, few remain standing. I listen as the silent hills below this mountain In the dying of the final echoes of battle lay to rest in my mind, Only to leave an uneasy feeling in my heart My the hope of our home is almost lost As men and women alike in this battle lay down in their graves And the few left mourn. Is this not what we knew would happen I, a banished king brought my own people to death What dreaded tale here is taken? I am no hero to have so much death upon these hands.
I shall now cast down my sword And swear for no more war. This blood in my hands and on my person Only tell my beastly story of this bloody war. It was not always like this My people have not always seen war, We were sheltered beyond belief, Our thoughts of what the world was like Truth was only seen by those whom left the homeland, And now I will become a banished king of a forgotten people. My soldiers all seek refuge in other lands As I stand here on this field of battle For surely my battle will be forgotten And my home destroyed. I failed, there was another time like this a time Where I was consumed by love And in a flash it was taken, Cast away by a fiend I watched my love die And all I could do was stand there with her dying in my arms Her final words, I love you, That day I lost myself became blind to everything And now my eyes are open.
I failed.
Nothing Left to Tell
By Samantha Brennan (12th)
I’ll leave a note as a final goodbye, this won’t be an attempt, I won’t just try. here I lay drowning in a sea of tears. every hope I had washed out by my fears. a cut can only run so far, is it too late to wish upon a star? I’m falling so fast, the pain has nearly passed. the blood drips from the wound as it opens, my veins go cold; the blade has spoken. feeling faint, the scarlet red runs like paint. my life dwindles on the line; passion and hatred, it’s all combined. I feel so broken in this world of despair. nothing life ever gave me was fair. the room started spinning out-of-control, my face hit the ground. a future engulfed in flames, the lies, the pain, f o r e v e r bound. causing a shattered heart, this has left my body torn apart. my mere existence never mattered, my soul has been abused and battered. when you find the crimson gore, I hope it shakes your very core. I’ll leave behind a corpse so cold, nothing I ever did was this bold. pierce my casket with your glances, some people don’t get second chances. this journey was absolute hell, my story is just about over. there’s nothing left to tell.
It
By Tristan Snyder (9th)
The Earth the air
The fire the water
Who can know?
Who can see?
Why we live?
Who are we?
Imagination.
Whose?
Life.
Where?
Is this living
Or are we just dust in the wind?
Autumn
By Megan Johnson (10th)
Leaves fall softly
And blanket the ground
With orange, red, and yellow-gold.
Blades of emerald grass peek through,
Hanging on to their last bit of life
Before the bitter cold chokes it out.
Nearly bare branches rattle in the breeze,
Each gust of wind knocking off more leaves,
Sending them fluttering, fluttering down.
Sweet Dreams
By Megan Johnson (10th)
Sleep sweetly, my love May the angels guard you with peaceful thoughts As you watch the stars dance In the black midnight sky
Dream sweetly, my love As you slowly give in to slumber's quiet song And gaze into darkness 'Til you fall under its spell
Sleep sweetly, my love As your eyelids begin to shut And know I am thinking of you While the glowing full moon hovers in the night
Dream sweetly, my love Now you've drifted away To a land where your troubles Disappear for a while
Sleep sweetly, my love Please dream of me And fall asleep knowing I'll always love you
Untitled By Mariah Guerra
The sun come to light the Way out of bed. The moon comes out to play in a Dark and cloud night. The cloud cushion the sky in a Bright day light. The star twinkle to light the way home in a dark night.
What Do You See? By Addie Totman (7th)
Look out your window what do you see? I see hunger and starvation looking at me. Why can I see it? I know I couldn't before. I thought people dying was legend and lore. No my friend, sad as it is this is all just too real. So many people go so long without meals.
Look out your window what do you see? I see sickness and death looking at me. Why can I see it? I know I couldn't before. I thought people dying was legend and lore. No my friend sad as it is trust your eyes. Of the common curable things people die.
Look out your window what do you see? I see warm houses and good food looking at me. This is what I always see. This is the norm. I know business men filling out the forms. Look beyond that, he is as bad off as the others. Nothing for his kids, his wife, or his mother.
Do you see now? Are your eyes open wide? Do you see all the people on the unlucky side? Your neighbors your family, the kids you don't know. Some you can see but all the others just don't show Some are born rich while others are born poor. But everyone knows this shouldn't happen anymore.
Short of You Written as a song By Chance Cox (12th) What I want All that I’ve ever dreamed of Is sitting here in the window Just outside of my reach
Cause I’m always more than a day late And a few dollars short I’ve always been and I always will Cause I’m always more than a day late And a few dollars short Of you
I’m watching a movie Playin’ out in front me When the secret truth’s I want the lead role I wanna be the one sharing in the spotlight with you But we both know that’s never gonna happen I’ve gotta face the music playin’ in the end
Cause I’m always more than a day late And a few dollars short I’ve always been and I always will Cause I’m always more than a day late And a few dollars short Of you
Don’t know where to go next Don’t think I can stay where I’ve been All this time, I’m fallin’ apart Can’t bear to face what’s in my heart But there’s nothing I can do Cause I can’t take it any other way
Cause I’m always more than a day late And a few dollars short I’ve always been and I always will Cause I’m always more than a day late And a few dollars short Of you
Just one time, don’t wanna be late Wanna have everything I need To put you here standing right next to me Well I’ll tell you now, I’ve seen what things could be And it’s so unreal that sometimes I can’t breathe
Stones By Chance Cox (12th)
The biggest regret I have now is that I can feel it So many stones weight down my soul Each mistake heavier and more bruising Than the last
All I wish is that I could look back through the mirror Stare my naive incarnate self in the face And tell him what pains he had never experienced The thousands of tears which he would cry for empty battles lost The endless retribution he would feel necessary to inflict upon himself The biggest regret I have now is that I can feel it
Doesn’t it sting, when you search the world for your greatest enemy? Searching, searching for him; expecting him to be the giant Hades, a giant demon; flush with horns and fire Something Something worth fearing But in the end, when all the smoke is clear When all the fires have raged their way to a smoldering ember You find yourself left, with nothing else to stare into But your own face
Doesn’t it sting? Oh, How it burns You know not of what I speak When that great final stone weights down your soul So that you have sunk so low, to a point where your form is misshapen And you cannot hope to rise up to redeem it Then and only then will you be able to say
The biggest regret I have now is that I can feel it So many stones weight down my soul Each mistake heavier and more bruising Than the last
Night Journey
Du Fu
The fine grass on the river bank
moves softly in the breeze,
The single mast of a lone boat
defines the night sky,
The stars hang over
the vast, level fields
The moon boils
in the great, flowing river
What is my reputation?
How does it reflect our way of life?
A name should give people rest
from oppression and poverty.
There is a sound of fluttering.
What does it mean?
A single gull
between the sandy earth and sky.
Translated by Katie Byrd, Dr. Donaldson, B.J. O’Laughlin, and David Taylor
Daryk Freeze (12th)
I don't know what I am.
Am I even human?
Just what should I be?
What do you see, there while you sit starin' at me?
Do I look bear, with the wings of an eagle?
When you gaze in my eyes, do you see somethin' evil?
Do I look human, like I have my own life?
Do I live in a house, with some kids and a wife?
I can tell we aren't the same.
I don't even know my name.
These questions tend to force a state of final remorse.
Even I had to admire the fire in my desire
to find something I may never acquire.
It may take forever to fine
the previous mind, I left behind.
I finally collapse under the feeling of doom.
Only to wake up in the emergency room.
I notice her nice aroma.
She says I've been in a coma.
I've been out since November
but I can finally remember.
I lost my dog, my kid, and my wife.
Which reminds me- I might as well take my own life
Good bye.
Untitled
Jayden Penman (8th)
The tearing of flesh reaches my ear
The rabbit's white fur is no longer clear
A reminder of father who used to hold me dear
Gale is near
The food is so fresh he could cheer
We have to go back now because of fear
The reaping is grudgingly here
Then we wait
They think of us just as bait
I'm glad I just ate
We don't want to be late
My sister is the toy
But I switch as a ploy
The capitol could yell in joy
For the second is coy
Dread goes through me
Like a cup of tea
The food doesn't have a fee
It sweeps away the tea
I think that's the key
Am I now free?
No, I'm still locked in
Just like some tin
The dress becomes Kin
It flickers in the air
We become quite the pair
As sturdy as a broken chair
I would like to declare
A warning to you there
I'm not all that fair
If you ignore me bare
My mouth gets me everywhere
Now we begin
Careful or I'll kick you in the shin
Who will win?
Because it's all about killin'
Will he fall in?
At night music plays
It sounds just like mocking jays
Pictures show everything that lays
Who never had a chance to be okay?
I have no arrow
Made out of some marrow
My eyes narrow
I just want to be free like a sparrow
That's free from this Pharaoh
Because he's in charge of this barrow
Alliances are formed
Now it's stormed
Now it's deformed
And lastly it swarmed
Who will be informed?
There's some dew
Resting on little Rue
I wish I could sue
Man that blew
There's like a whole crew
Rue I'll miss you
Like those flowers I drew
And put them over the blue
Are we just a part of some stew?
The rules change
It's still really strange
This exchange
There he is with some type of mange
We team up
Like two mixtures in a cup
I don't like the close up
It feels thick like syrup
I will never give up for my pup
He's finally healed
So I just kneeled
It has me appealed
The end is almost real
Like a complicated seal
Or is this my last meal
The wolves won't heel
Are we three the last kill?
We run
This really isn't fun
Man there's a ton
Look at their eyes
Stupid spies
I know how it ties
It cries
For the sake of the eyes
Are they modified?
Is this how they lied?
Is the audience horrified?
How the eyes tied
to how the contestants died?
Well we tried
And actually survived
We won because the third died
They changed their minds
But that's how the games are designed
They are definitely blind
We are in a big bind
I guess now there won't be a winner to find
You can hear their teeth grind
They made up their mind
We actually both won
Weight lifts off me, like a ton
I'm glad they're done with their fun
Are we done?
Well, I'll see you later Hun
I got to run
We fake it, love
I can no longer fly like a dove
We can't escape to the above
We're stuck in this glove
They're after us
They make me cuss
Well there's a plus
They can't make too big of a fuss
Will they come after me?
Please just let me flee
This place is as vague as the sea
It's no longer sunny
He's no longer likely
I run now for my life
How far will I have to dive?
Grey Eyed Fool
Kaitlynne Jones (7th)
It's safe with my eyes closed
It isn't real
It is all make believe
I breathe these words, like a lake breathes fog
Clutching my ears shut
They continue to whisper in raspy voices
"shhh, shhh"
It's safe with my eyes closed; it's safe not to listen
I do not believe in make believe; I cannot believe in what is false
Grey eyes return to dim walls
Feet find their surface
Careful steps to the door
Hot handle blisters my hand
Thoughts rush through, memories of the past flicker in and out
Orange beasts with blue stomachs swallow the door
I'm left facing the fire
Grey eyes widen
Chothes resist to endure the heat; The smoothness of my skin ripples
Painful licks of fire molest
A body lies without energy;
The first story
A body convulses once more
It's safe with my eyes closed
It's safe not to hear
It's safe to lie dying
Than lying in fear
What Have I Done
Kaitlynne Jones (7th)
The blade drips thick drops of blood
The handle is slippery with my sweat
Your still body lies wet and red
The last breath, long since gone.
What have I done?
You told me I was a failure
I wanted to prove you wrong
You said it was too late
I cannot hear anything,
Only the drops of blood pounding on the floor
They hit with the crashing sounds of bells
It echos in my ears.
I drop the blade to inspect the damage
One puncture wounds your heart
Tears wet my cheeks, and yours too
What have I done?
Have I taken a life for the sake of love?
Have I broken your heart like you broke mine?
Is this justified?
I'm looking for a reason why I did such a thing,
Why did we fight, why did I even pick up this knife?
Why did I lunge for you in anger?
Oh lord!
What have I done?
The Battle atop Mt. Hope
By Trent Wilson
This road that we walk brothers, friends
All you who stand before me now!
Is it not that people have ravaged
Our thoughts, our minds, and our homes
To get us out to fight in this battle of tragedy?
It is not this day that our hearts shall fail
Atop this mount of hope
Shall we defend one another even unto death?
I say if we die on this path
Stopping the armies for even awhile
Then we have done our job
Though you may see all the torches
And think to yourselves what’s going to happen next,
Anxiously awaiting the end of this
When our fears of these numbers whom are coming to attack.
I say the battle shall be won by the most strategic of the men,
Not by sure numbers!
This day will not be the last of the battles between good and evil
Our brothers, friends, and loved ones shall know of our battle
And if we live on, past this time of grief
Then we shall mourn of our brothers and kin of this battle
And say the battle they have won,
We have a longer battle to fight in living.
Though we may be the highest rank in our halls
Those mean nothing today
For a far greater army shall only crumble beneath our feet.
Remember this day as the day of fortitude.
May god in his higher kingdom give us favor.
So our sons and daughters may wake on this day
And say my father fought in that extraordinary battle,
So our wives, our friends and kin say we did this for them!
But now my brothers, my kin,
We stand here as kin of the great kingdoms,
This may be our last battle fought,
But do not know me as king or as sir
But as your brother in this battle,
For we are brothers by the blood we shall shed together
And the tears that we cry in morning as the dead are buried.
Brothers when they come at our door
We shall welcome them with a hail of arrows!
This Dreaded cacophony of blades, bows, and screams is now over.
The death toll taken, few remain standing.
I listen as the silent hills below this mountain
In the dying of the final echoes of battle lay to rest in my mind,
Only to leave an uneasy feeling in my heart
My the hope of our home is almost lost
As men and women alike in this battle lay down in their graves
And the few left mourn.
Is this not what we knew would happen
I, a banished king brought my own people to death
What dreaded tale here is taken?
I am no hero to have so much death upon these hands.
I shall now cast down my sword
And swear for no more war.
This blood in my hands and on my person
Only tell my beastly story of this bloody war.
It was not always like this
My people have not always seen war,
We were sheltered beyond belief,
Our thoughts of what the world was like
Truth was only seen by those whom left the homeland,
And now I will become a banished king of a forgotten people.
My soldiers all seek refuge in other lands
As I stand here on this field of battle
For surely my battle will be forgotten
And my home destroyed.
I failed, there was another time like this a time
Where I was consumed by love
And in a flash it was taken,
Cast away by a fiend
I watched my love die
And all I could do was stand there with her dying in my arms
Her final words, I love you,
That day I lost myself became blind to everything
And now my eyes are open.
I failed.
Nothing Left to Tell
By Samantha Brennan (12th)
I’ll leave a note as a final goodbye,
this won’t be an attempt, I won’t just try.
here I lay drowning in a sea of tears.
every hope I had washed out by my fears.
a cut can only run so far, is it too late to wish upon a star?
I’m falling so fast, the pain has nearly passed.
the blood drips from the wound as it opens,
my veins go cold; the blade has spoken.
feeling faint, the scarlet red runs like paint.
my life dwindles on the line;
passion and hatred, it’s all combined.
I feel so broken in this world of despair.
nothing life ever gave me was fair.
the room started spinning out-of-control, my face hit the ground.
a future engulfed in flames, the lies, the pain, f o r e v e r bound.
causing a shattered heart, this has left my body torn apart.
my mere existence never mattered, my soul has been abused and battered.
when you find the crimson gore, I hope it shakes your very core.
I’ll leave behind a corpse so cold, nothing I ever did was this bold.
pierce my casket with your glances, some people don’t get second chances.
this journey was absolute hell, my story is just about over.
there’s nothing left to tell.
It
By Tristan Snyder (9th)
The Earth the air
The fire the water
Who can know?
Who can see?
Why we live?
Who are we?
Imagination.
Whose?
Life.
Where?
Is this living
Or are we just dust in the wind?
Autumn
By Megan Johnson (10th)
Leaves fall softly
And blanket the ground
With orange, red, and yellow-gold.
Blades of emerald grass peek through,
Hanging on to their last bit of life
Before the bitter cold chokes it out.
Nearly bare branches rattle in the breeze,
Each gust of wind knocking off more leaves,
Sending them fluttering, fluttering down.
Sweet Dreams
By Megan Johnson (10th)
Sleep sweetly, my love
May the angels guard you with peaceful thoughts
As you watch the stars dance
In the black midnight sky
Dream sweetly, my love
As you slowly give in to slumber's quiet song
And gaze into darkness
'Til you fall under its spell
Sleep sweetly, my love
As your eyelids begin to shut
And know I am thinking of you
While the glowing full moon hovers in the night
Dream sweetly, my love
Now you've drifted away
To a land where your troubles
Disappear for a while
Sleep sweetly, my love
Please dream of me
And fall asleep knowing
I'll always love you
Untitled
By Mariah Guerra
The sun come to light the
Way out of bed.
The moon comes out to play in a
Dark and cloud night.
The cloud cushion the sky in a
Bright day light.
The star twinkle to light the way home in a dark night.
What Do You See?
By Addie Totman (7th)
Look out your window what do you see?
I see hunger and starvation looking at me.
Why can I see it? I know I couldn't before.
I thought people dying was legend and lore.
No my friend, sad as it is this is all just too real.
So many people go so long without meals.
Look out your window what do you see?
I see sickness and death looking at me.
Why can I see it? I know I couldn't before.
I thought people dying was legend and lore.
No my friend sad as it is trust your eyes.
Of the common curable things people die.
Look out your window what do you see?
I see warm houses and good food looking at me.
This is what I always see. This is the norm.
I know business men filling out the forms.
Look beyond that, he is as bad off as the others.
Nothing for his kids, his wife, or his mother.
Do you see now? Are your eyes open wide?
Do you see all the people on the unlucky side?
Your neighbors your family, the kids you don't know.
Some you can see but all the others just don't show
Some are born rich while others are born poor.
But everyone knows this shouldn't happen anymore.
Short of You
Written as a song
By Chance Cox (12th)
What I want
All that I’ve ever dreamed of
Is sitting here in the window
Just outside of my reach
Cause I’m always more than a day late
And a few dollars short
I’ve always been and I always will
Cause I’m always more than a day late
And a few dollars short
Of you
I’m watching a movie
Playin’ out in front me
When the secret truth’s I want the lead role
I wanna be the one sharing in the spotlight with you
But we both know that’s never gonna happen
I’ve gotta face the music playin’ in the end
Cause I’m always more than a day late
And a few dollars short
I’ve always been and I always will
Cause I’m always more than a day late
And a few dollars short
Of you
Don’t know where to go next
Don’t think I can stay where I’ve been
All this time, I’m fallin’ apart
Can’t bear to face what’s in my heart
But there’s nothing I can do
Cause I can’t take it any other way
Cause I’m always more than a day late
And a few dollars short
I’ve always been and I always will
Cause I’m always more than a day late
And a few dollars short
Of you
Just one time, don’t wanna be late
Wanna have everything I need
To put you here standing right next to me
Well I’ll tell you now, I’ve seen what things could be
And it’s so unreal that sometimes I can’t breathe
Stones
By Chance Cox (12th)
The biggest regret I have now is that I can feel it
So many stones weight down my soul
Each mistake heavier and more bruising
Than the last
All I wish is that I could look back through the mirror
Stare my naive incarnate self in the face
And tell him what pains he had never experienced
The thousands of tears which he would cry for empty battles lost
The endless retribution he would feel necessary to inflict upon himself
The biggest regret I have now is that I can feel it
Doesn’t it sting, when you search the world for your greatest enemy?
Searching, searching for him; expecting him to be the giant
Hades, a giant demon; flush with horns and fire
Something
Something worth fearing
But in the end, when all the smoke is clear
When all the fires have raged their way to a smoldering ember
You find yourself left, with nothing else to stare into
But your own face
Doesn’t it sting?
Oh, How it burns
You know not of what I speak
When that great final stone weights down your soul
So that you have sunk so low, to a point where your form is misshapen
And you cannot hope to rise up to redeem it
Then and only then will you be able to say
The biggest regret I have now is that I can feel it
So many stones weight down my soul
Each mistake heavier and more bruising
Than the last
Night Journey
Du Fu
The fine grass on the river bank
moves softly in the breeze,
The single mast of a lone boat
defines the night sky,
The stars hang over
the vast, level fields
The moon boils
in the great, flowing river
What is my reputation?
How does it reflect our way of life?
A name should give people rest
from oppression and poverty.
There is a sound of fluttering.
What does it mean?
A single gull
between the sandy earth and sky.
Translated by Katie Byrd, Dr. Donaldson, B.J. O’Laughlin, and David Taylor