A Collection of Thoughts I've Had

When You Feel Mad (Part 2)

When You Feel Mad (Part 3)

We can talk Talk about everything you hate, Talk about everything you want to say, Talk about all the feelings threatening to burst, Talk about everything in your head, Talk about everything in mine, Talk about everything but, Talk about boys and girls in extraordinary worlds, Talk about ideas, Talk about situations, Talk about plots, Talk about funny things, Talk about silly things, Talk about everything, Talk about nothing&nbsp; We can write Write about the boys and girls in extraordinary worlds, Write about funny things, Write about plots, Write about situations, Write about ideas, Write about everything in your head, Write about everything in mind, Write about everything that makes you want to Tear your hair out, Or cry your heart out Or burn everything in your path We can hug Hug so tightly our insides crack (Unless you’re not up for touching That’s fine too) You don’t have to, though It’s up to you You can go to someone else, You don’t have to go to anyone at all

But when you feel mad, You can come to me

Name One Hero Who Was Happy (Part 1) (Author's Note: "Name one hero who was happy" is a quote from Madeline Miller in her book The Song of Achilles.) Name one hero who was happy Name one hero who wasn't&nbsp; Intimately familiar with Heartache Who wasn't haunted by the Screams Of friends Who didn't have the scent of&nbsp; Destruction Ingrained in their Mind Who knew no Monsters That clawed at their Brain Who didn't drift Back To the day everything&nbsp; Changed As easily as The seasons do Who didn't ever think about Quitting Who liked Hurting Who was&nbsp; Loved By all Who didn't want the&nbsp; Pain To&nbsp; Stop

Name One Hero Who Was Happy (Part 2)

Name one hero&nbsp; Who was Happy Please Because I can't And I really want to

School’s a beast Math makes your brain run a marathon&nbsp; That it has no hope of winning, English takes so much time When it should be easy, And you’ve lost all motivation to try But it hasn’t been all bad You made a new friend, One you never thought you’d have A friend who’s smart, Who wins the math marathon, Who spends time a lot of time on RELA but still succeeds, And who still tries She seems perfect She makes you want to try And, hey, You can just barely reach The top shelf now You are fourteen, And you feel okay You’re still awkward,&nbsp; Still care for the opinions of others Sometimes so much that it wraps around your neck Suffocating you, But you’ve gotten better You know that It’s never as hard as you thought it would be To open your mouth and speak And even if your speech is preposterous, And makes everyone laugh, You know that you can laugh with them It’s really fun when you do

You’ve realized something about your “perfect” friend She’s not She’s a perfectionist The opinions of others Suffocates her Even more than they do you The complete and utter need to do well, To get straight “A”’s, To win the competition, To appear perfect Is killing her soul Leaves her brain exhausted, Leaves her staying up until 3 AM crying, Leaves her feeling like she’s dying Your friend is human, And so are you And you’re both growing up It’s not perfect, But adults have started listening to you two Not as much as they should, And both of you have expectations that weigh down on you, And both of you struggle to explain yourselves when you know That you’ll be met with dismissiveness, But it’s something Growing up has been a wild ride But you’re not ready to get off just yet

To My Friend (Part 1) I've always thought insecurity was pretty stupid&nbsp; And you're just living proof You say your hair's basic Girl, you gotta be a doof You say your nose is too big Girl trust me, I've seen bigger And those noses weren't ugly But you think that yours is? You got droopy eyelids That no-one notices How could they, when that cute outfit Gets all the attention? You think you're just the back-up friend But can't you see How much everyone wants to talk to you? How much to everyone you really mean? And the ones that don't, The ones that make you feel like you're sick, Girl, those aren't your friends It's just some mean trick You're not perfect By all means, you're not You're human So am I You're late nights spent procrastinating&nbsp; And texts that ask for help You're pranks that extend for who knows how long That always end with laughs You're caring so much, Too much, And burning in the end Because of those you called "friend"

You're brave Someone who knows when they need help Who's courageous enough to ask Who knows they can't do everything alone And that they don't have to Because you got a sister who looks up to you, And parents who love you, And friends who support you And I hope that one day you'll realize That you never have to be Alone in society

Ode To Everyone Who Has Ever Been My Friend (Part 1) To everyone who has ever been my friend, thank you To all the ones that were deliberate, And all the ones that just sorta happened, The ones where I blinked an eye Before realizing I had spent ages talking to you, Thank you To all the ones I judged before You showed me how wrong judgements can be And who surprised me endlessly, Thank you To all the ones who showed me That whether older or younger, Common interests, good intent and good action are all it really takes to make a friend, Thank you&nbsp; To all the ones that showed me How people can be so different, Too different, But still get along almost perfectly,&nbsp; Like Honey Lemon gets along with Gogo Tomago, Thank you&nbsp; To all the ones that showed me how much people can change, And how much they can stay the same, Thank you To all the ones that are closer to me Than members of my own family, Thank you

Ode to Everyone Who Has Ever Been My Friend (Part 2)

To all the ones that showed me That friends and family don’t always mix well, And other times, friends and family go together Like chocolate goes with strawberries, Thank you To all the ones that showed me That even the closest people Can drift apart In what seems like moments, Thank you To all the ones who were there for me when I cried, And all the ones who were the reason I cried, Thank you To all the ones who showed me How malicious people can be, And how much worse it is when someone you love Makes a mistake, messes up And accidentally drives a knife through your heart Or chokes your own soul out of you, Until you’re left coughing, Wheezing, Left on the floor bleeding, Thank you&nbsp; To all the ones that I was scared to talk to, Who revealed to be even more like me than I ever thought Or were completely accepting of me As they'd always been, Thank you To all the ones I've lost,&nbsp; And all the ones who are still with me, And all the ones in between, Just barely hanging by an all-too-thin thread, Thank you for being my friend&nbsp;

And you smile Because cantaloupes were always your favorite They were sweet, But not too sweet, And they were always in your fridge, So they reminded you of home You take a bite out of the cantaloupe, And then you drop dead

Worth (Part 1) What determines a person’s worth? If it’s not their mistakes, Their actions, Or their intelligence, Then what is it?&nbsp; Is it their accomplishments? Was Thomas Jefferson worth more than A slave who&nbsp; Spent a million hours outside On days as hot as a Fire Picking cotton until their hands&nbsp; Were sore? Is it their abilities? Is Usain Bolt Worth more than Someone who can Barely lift their&nbsp; Legs, Who moves using a Wheel chair?

&nbsp;Late at Night in Her Bed (Part 1) Late at night in her bed, When the world as she knows it is asleep, And there is no one who will care to know, She thinks&nbsp; She thinks about many things, Her mind a never ending swirl Of darkness and light, Of hope and despair She thinks of girls in extraordinary worlds, Of boys who are free to fly She thinks of people who scream and fight, But nonetheless, for each other, they’d give their life But she also thinks of her laziness And selfishness And fakeness And cowardice She thinks of all the mistakes she has made, Whether they be big or small, Whether those they affected Remember it at all She thinks of all the times she lied, All the times she didn't speak out against Something that would've made anyone feel As if they were Burning All for her Reputation And why did she hurt him? Why did she hurt her? Why does she hurt everyone?

Late at Night in Her Bed (Part 2)

And when did it all go wrong? When did she start caring so much About what everyone thought, Whether she knew them or not? Why can't she just make them happy? Why does she have to make them happy? Why isn't she - She makes the mistake of Checking the clock 2:47 AM, it reads So she turns her back to the side, And tries to block her thoughts out

Thinking About You (Part 3)

Are we still friends? We haven’t talked in Forever I have your number, And you have mine, But we don’t talk to Each other I didn’t wish you&nbsp; “Happy birthday” (I wanted to, But I forgot. Though, that’s not what a&nbsp; Friend would do, Is it?) I want to keep being your Friend But I don’t think we are Anymore I still think about you, Though Do you?

Sick (Part 1) It hurts My stomach is in&nbsp; Knots, I feel like dumping out my insides&nbsp; Right here on this spot My stomach is&nbsp; Twisting and turning, Moving all around, Never resting I’m tired I want to sleep Forever, Until I stop Yawning deep, Until my eyes stop Demanding I sleep, Until my head stops Electrocuting me, Until my stomach Isn’t trying to murder me

When You Feel Mad (Part 1) When you wanna hit your brother, Pull your sister’s hair, Scream at your mother, Or break your father’s hand When you wanna fight the whole world, Destroy everything in your path Knock down buildings, Unleash an inferno of burning rage Directed at no one, Directed at everyone When everything is too much, And you are too little, And you hate everyone, And hate yourself for it, Hate the monsters that hurt you, Hate the monsters that tell you to hurt everyone else, Come to me Come to me We can scream until our lungs beg for mercy, Scream until our faces are red, As red as the inferno you wanted to burn the world with

Is it how many people love them? Is someone with A family so big,&nbsp; They could be related to Everyone on earth, Who is popular among their peers, Who has a thousand friends, Someone who has A nation that would die for them, Worth more than someone who Was born into a home with no Love, Who gets disconnected&nbsp; Whenever they&nbsp; Try to Connect with others, Who loses everyone who Dares to care for Them, As easily as Socks are Lost in the&nbsp; Drawer? Is everyone worth the same? Was Ted Bundy worth&nbsp; As much as Mary McLeod Bethune? Does it even matter? Am I overthinking This? I matter People matter And I think that's Enough&nbsp;

It could be&nbsp; Worse I could go through this pain and worse, Feel knives digging in my skin, Every day, I could be unable to move my hands or talk, Be unable to complain, I could be alone In the pain, With no one to Talk to, No one to Make me laugh No one to Take my mind off of the pain But I think I'm allowed To feel sick

Poison (Part 1) When you arrive, it's cold Though, that's not surprising, is it? It is raining, after all Raining harshly, angrily The sky was simply attacking with a vengeance They didn't give you an umbrella&nbsp; But that's fine! Good, even It meant that no one could tell the rain from your tears And none could say that the cold you felt Was from your soul having been ripped out As you stare at the big black building Awaiting your doom They throw you in a cage And chain you to the wall There is no point in attempting escape You should know You used to have a roommate A girl&nbsp; She tried And they killed her But just before you forget the feeling of the sun on your skin, Of laughing with your friends, Of imagining worlds so different than your own, Of the comfort of your home, Of getting a perfect score on an essay you worked so hard for, Of getting up in the morning and feeling oh-so refreshed, Of pure, unadulterated joy, They bring you a cantaloupe

Who I Am (Part 1) You are four years old,&nbsp; And you’re amazing You’re beautiful, You’re kind, You’re smart, You’re perfect just the way you are That’s what everyone on TV says, after all! When Mickey Mouse or Dora need your help, You always know just what to do You can talk to anyone and everyone, And they all like you They say so themselves! You’re funny You make everyone you know laugh And that’s a lot of people! But things aren’t all great You can’t reach the top shelf Even when you stand on a chair! You can’t drive a car And you can’t go wherever you want! You have to go to bed Whenever Mommy says You can’t eat ice-cream whenever you want, And grown-ups don’t listen to you Even when they should! You can’t wait to grow up You know it’s going to be better than now You’ll be able to eat a mountain of ice cream, You’ll stay up all night, And everyone will listen to what you say

You are nine years old, And people don’t like you as much as they used to You go to a new school now, And you barely know anyone there You’ve made a few friends, But you’ve also made some enemies Well, not really enemies You just don’t like them, And they don’t like you And you know that they,&nbsp; Technically,&nbsp; Bully you It’s not anything serious, No monster you can’t slay They just talk about you behind your back Call you gross, say you’re bad Let them say that, you think You don’t care what they think You are thirteen, And you care a lot about what other people think You’ve begun to wonder about what people will say about the way you dress Will they call you a player? Will they say you’re oppressed? You’ve become more awkward around people, too It takes a lot of prepping inside your head, Countless “um”s, And consistent stammering To convey even the smallest of requests

These Horrible Things "What is wrong with you?" You ask the monsters as they Squeeze their claws on your brain and Fill it with Horrible things, awful things "What is wrong with "You," they counter. "Why do you think about these things? These horrible things, awful things Things that hurt, things that scar Things that will tear you apart These horrible things, awful things Things that are the furthest thing from true These horrible things, awful things Things that would make no one trust you These horrible things, awful things You don't know where they start These horrible things, awful things&nbsp; And you don't know how to make them -" Stop.

Questions Late at night in your bed, Or while the teacher is talking, Or while your friend is ranting, Or whenever, really&nbsp;&nbsp; Your mind spirals Into a haze of questions This is how they go: Why didn't you? You already messed it up once, So why did you do it again? Why didn't you try? Why do you always give up Before you've even tried? Or after you've tried only once? Or when you're halfway there? Why are you so lazy? Can't you see how hard everyone else tries? So why Don't You?

Apologies (Part 1) I’m sorry Is that what you want me to&nbsp; Say? I did badly I let you down I let everyone down I ruined your&nbsp; Plans Your hopes For me I burned them all To ashes You can’t&nbsp; Tell what they are Now I tried I tried&nbsp;hard But I could’ve tried Harder You can barely tell that I’m the same person as the one You used to know The one who had so much Potential Who was going to make you all so Proud You didn’t talk to me for the rest of the Day Now you think something’s&nbsp; Not right With me Not wrong, But not right

You got over It But you’re still not happy About it So,&nbsp; I’m sorry For letting you down

Poetry Individual 8th Grade Benjamin Tasker Middle School Zainab Khurram

The inspiration for these poems were random thoughts that popped into my head (hence the title "A Collection of Thoughts I've Had"). Some are hopeful, some are sad, but they're all thoughts I've had.

What I Want to Say I have so much I want to say, But don't know where to start My brain has lost connection - It can't tell what's in my heart I have so many feelings Just waiting to be unleashed Like beasts inside my chest Begging to be released I know what I want to say Like I know my best friend’s voice, But the words disperse the moment I need them, And letting them is not my choice I have so much I want to say, But don’t know where to start But putting my pen done on the page Is as good a start as I’ve got

To the Kid Sitting in the Back of the Classroom (Part 1) To the kid sitting in the back of the classroom who refuses to raise their hand, Who fears saying the wrong answer, Or asking a dumb question Like Luisa Madrigal feared being weak, I once gave the answer Of “Capricorn” When my sixth grade health teacher asked my class To guess her favorite candy I will not say that no one laugh The class did And I will not say that I didn’t feel dumb I did But it passed&nbsp; As quickly as a scurrying hare And once I answered&nbsp; “Michael Jackson” When my history teacher asked Who the King of Rock was Classmates stared at me&nbsp; As if I had just announce that I was from planet Wolftopia But the moment passed At the speed of light And I once said "When I was two," When my sixth-grade English teacher asked "Who else moved?" In reference to a character in a poem By Jacqueline Woodson

To the Kid Sitting in the Back of the Classroom (Part 2)

Classmates laughed, And she looked at me In the way that you look at People you're trying to be nice to When they do something stupid, But it was over In the time it takes children To get bored of sitting still And in fourth grade When everyone else found multiplying double digit numbers Using the standard algorithm method As easy as breathing, I would look down at the paper, Or on the board, And see a foreign language I never asked for help I didn’t learn how to do it until Fifth grade No matter what people say, No matter what people think, No matter what the monsters tell you, No matter where you’re seated in the classroom, Never be afraid&nbsp; To raise your hand

Thinking About You (Part 1) Hey, When you’re laying in bed, Or on the bus, Or in math class, Or eating dinner, Or on your phone, Or whenever, Do you still think of me? Do you remember What I looked like? I remember What you looked like (You had brown eyes And dark skin. Your face was Kind) Do you remember What I called you? The nickname I had For you (I wasn’t the only one Who called you that)

Thinking About You (Part 2)

Do you remember The leaf piles we made? People all from different&nbsp; Classes would Come together at Recess to&nbsp; Make one of life’s Greatest treasures (Jumping in wasn’t The treat for me. It hurt sometimes. I just liked Making them All together.) Do you remember The day I hurt you? I thought your cultural dress looked Like it from a different country Than it was. (You forgave me as fast as It takes Barry Allen to Run through town) Do you remember How we became close? We met in&nbsp; Third grade,&nbsp; But it was the&nbsp; Play in Fifth grade that Solidified our&nbsp; Friendship (You showed me&nbsp; A song you liked. I still remember&nbsp; It.)

Name

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