Braided Spaghetti Chickens and Modified Banana Reptiles: The Gunston Poetry Magazine 2015
Copyright 2015
ISBN :
A Simple Friendship
A friend is something beautiful to have
An ear to listen, advice to give
Someone you can always depend on
Even if you’ve never seen their face.
It doesn’t matter how you meet them,
The connection is already made
You’ll find a way to talk every day
Because that’s what friends do.
-- Giuliana Guajardo
What Am I?
A soldier boy?
Dancing through the night,
No. a girl
Pouncing, through the fight
A pilot?
Ready, to take flight
No. a Girl
Fighting, for what’s right
-- Michelle Emery
My life
About one year ago
I borrowed money that I never returned
About one month ago
I was looking in the mirror, trying to fix my face
About one week ago
I was telling my friend that I’d won the gold (it was only silver)
About one day ago
I was purposely forgetting to do my homework
About one minute ago
I was writing this poem, waiting for the world to forgive me
-- Jacky LaPointe
Night Sky
After about 16 hours of being full of colors
Now slowly getting duller,
Alowly becoming as dark and blue as the ocean.
The shining diamonds in the sky making you think more and more
All these thoughts brought by this one dark deep ocean sky
As the time passes by the cotton candy clouds start covering the shining diamonds.
Then you realize its 3 AM and you have not yet fallen asleep.
You can hear the owls talking amongst themselves
The grasshoppers hopping in between the tall green candy.
Now you slowly fall asleep in the comfort of the night sky.
-- Salma Hernandez
End of a Fly
Buzzing, cringe as it flies by. must kill it. why?
It harmed you? No. but bothersome.
Fetch the swatter. confidence, weapon in hand.
Approach, hold your breath. swatter hovers
SMACK!
Silence.
Crumpled body, destroyed and limp
Smothered like roadkill.
Look what you’ve done. why so hateful? so twisted?
You filthy animal.
-- Thomas Bolles
Joyous Spring
Clowns
oversized clothing
like bananas
garishly colored
thick skin
scaring kids
with good intentions
-- Alex Gallin
Sunset
Droplets of rain
Against the sun’s closing gaze,
Sweeping under the ocean once again.
Warm colors leave the sky,
The soft light waves bye,
But it hasn’t ended,
Because now the night is mended.
-- Kristiina Alanko
Home
Everyday, I get home from school.
And I realize just how lucky I am.
I drop my bag and hear my dogs flying towards me.
I see my mom saying hi to me from the kitchen.
I can smell something heavenly cooking in the oven.
My mom asks me to “taste this”. It’s absolutely delicious.
I walk over to her and I hug her super tight
And I tell her I love her.
Everyday, I get home from school.
And I realize just how lucky I am.
-- Reilly Evans
Salesman
He’s at the door, and asks me what I want.
He doesn’t have it, and never will.
He does have vacuum cleaners and makeup.
The only thing I want is something money can’t buy.
-- Eli Posner
Everything and More
Her hair is perfect,
shoulder length and so brown,
her glasses- the perfect picture frame.
Delicately painted fingers
draw what I wish I could, do what I can’t.
She paints the sun on my eyelids,
braids pearls in my hair,
adorns me with swathes of silk and
I desperately want to tell her she is the universe,
everything it contains and more.
-- Apple Gould
Untitled
I am not a man
Nor am I a rose to behold
I am not a possession to acquire
I am as strong as a bull
As powerful as an emperor
I am as sharp as a sword
I am just as good as a man, but...
a WOMAN is what I am
-- Anne Felipe
Vampire Bites
I have two vampire bites on my arm
They bleed like a river and scream like dragons
I named my vampire bites; Anthony and Jack
Anthony and Jack are my friends
The sun is their creator, he takes care of them
I have been bitten more than once
Each time I get bit, a sickness inside me comes
Closer to being unleashed
I love my vampire bites, they are a part of me
-- Isaiah Calfee
Me
I’m not perfect
Can’t you see
Despite my wishing
I am me
I’m not that that confident
Like I want to be
I hurt more than you think
I am me
-- Caroline Ward
What Is It, My Dear?
Is it that the warmth is too lavish.
Possibly the tears are too pure, and bright,
Or, are they sloppy, and drab.
Could it be you, perhaps you, are too meaty, too plump,
Or is it your delicate lankiness?
That shrivel, for nose.
That line for a lip.
That string, for some hair?
Or is it just me
The cause, you, the effect
-- Michelle Emery
Food
My deepest and sweetest love
Always there for me no matter the time
Midnight? Noon? 5 AM?
Always there
Always ready to comfort
Sweet
Salty
Food is like a 911 operator always ready to come to the rescue
Oh food, my stomach cries when you’re not there
Food lies in my hand like a newborn baby in their mother’s arms
-- Caroline Morley
Untitled
My life tastes like lime
The sour taste of my prime
Crying stuck in the back of my mind.
The good times went in a different line
I wish I could write my story in a book
But everything flushed through like a brook
And then there was nothing I could do
When my life took a hook.
So live your life to the fullest
And stay unbroken
-- Josh Bannon
Is That So?
Oh child, so
ur child
Nothing is so sweet
Everything is not at all But a Dream, the Cradle does not rock, or wobble,
It oscillates hysterically, and trembles, quite spasmodically
And some How, the celestial body does not coruscate
Yet the Stars still Ponder on
Why yes they ponder, Deeply and darkly
No silence with their drown full Hope
So keep dreaming, my sour child
Keep dreaming
-- Emery Michelle
Little Water Moments
Outside the window
The ocean is bubbly blue
Father tells daughter
“The ocean is inside of you”
Not all can see as clear
Though they appear bright and bubbly
Some can grow lonely
Drowned in thoughts that enter one’s mind
“The ocean looks awfully blue”, they’d say
Just to pass the time
-- Leah Pollack
Never Grow Up
Pitter patter is the sound of your feet on the floor
You grow bigger and more beautiful everyday
Your hand pulls away from mine, not a child anymore
Stay small, stay innocent, stay carefree, stay kind, stay.
-- Madeline Mearns
Red River
Red river flowing slowly down a low bank full of dust
Water there is old and tainted, weighted down with loads of mud
Water clear has not been known here on this low bank full of dust
This red river runs so slowly, crawling to the open sea
Water once was cold and fresh, through high banks of mountain streams
Crisp and clear like snow just melted, running, rushing, swiftly swim
Fishes grew here, grew, and changed, silver darts that flew through rock
Now red river creeps on slowly through flat land and heat and sun
Saving grace is hope still held for freedom on the open sea
-- Madeleine Beauvais
Resurrection
Scared to look sad
Scared to look bad
Afraid the emo joke will come back
Afraid people will see what i lack
Sometimes the things that happen in the past
Will come back to haunt you fast
But the best thing to do is forget
So me and insecurity never met
-- Katie Buchholz
Seasons
Seasons come and go, leaves fall and flowers grow
Baby birds spread their wings, when the season time is spring.
Children start to come outside, laughing, playing, sun don’t hide
School is out, the weathers warmer, when the season time is summer
Yellow busses bring them back, schools in session get your backpack
children aren’t outside at all, when the season time is fall
Huddled masses with big coats, bright red noses and sore little throats
Lips are cracked like wooden splinters, when the season time is winter
Then the seasons change again, hallelujah lord AMEN
People smile, love and play, wishing the good times are here to stay.
-- Allison Ferrell
Wake
That moment , when you first wake up
You feel as if the world is perfect
Where there's still hope, where there's no hatred
Those 5 seconds
Where it feels as if you're floating on clouds, before your feet touch the ground
No heartache, no pain, no feeling of societies chains
I wish that I could feel this way all the time
Not humanly possible, because when you come down from the cloud
Reality hits you in the face
Please someone help, take me to a happier place
-- Savannah Williams
Red
The color of passion, of emotion
A feeling so strong that you want to scream out
The color of blood and pain and rage
The fuel of my hatred and suffering
The color of love and energy
Her desire to the point of obsession
What I'm forced to embrace every single day
The color of my feelings for her
-- Jillian Neri
Untitled
The empty gym, nobody is there.
The quietness, interrupted by the bouncing of the ball.
The court a light brown like a desert.
Which I am the ruler of.
The refs, plump zebras prancing around my kingdom.
There the only important thing is basketball.
This is my kingdom, my desert, and where I belong.
-- Peter Jacobsen
Untitled
The forest, The trees.
The wonderfully buzzing bees.
When i come here, all i do is dream.
I dream of a place filled with nature and ice cream.
Is it wrong to feel the way i do.
About you?
We sit and stare, beauty everywhere.
But all I do is Dream.
And Dream.
-- Kyle-David Byrne Byrne
The Backyard
The sun streaked my cheeks
As my feet to the ground.
I could see the moon peak
As it went back down.
The flowers blooming,
All colors of the eye.
Small rain drops tickle my face,
As they fall from the sky.
Like everything had it’s place.
Nothing like this could die.
-- Madison Holt
The Runaway Freckles
There once was a boy who had so many freckles
He had so many freckles he couldn't keep track
He loved his freckles most of all
One day he woke up and he looked in the mirror
He jumped at the sight, his freckles were gone!
He looked all around but they couldn't be found
He asked everyone at school but no one had seen them
The boy cried and cried for days and days
Then he turned to his side and his freckles were there to comfort him
They climbed back on and once again he was the little leopard boy.
-- Mia Farmer
The Mind
There’s a land of imagination,
With delicate, puffy clouds, sparkling streams and rushing falls,
Strapping trees with glorious leaves, lush bushes housing rich berries,
Where dreams live, nightmares don't exist, heroes feel home.
Yet, far away, there's another land, not so dreamlike.
Thunderclouds, spreading darkness along the horizon.
Moans and screams, cries of agony, the mysterious darkness of the abyss that is loneliness.
This is the land where monsters and demons thrive, dreams die slow, agonizing deaths,
The only food has that underlying tang of poison.
The darkness drugs you, and you soon fall susceptible to all the world’s evils.
-- Maya Staren-Doby
Narcissist
Walking all over people like it’s nothing
To others like broken glass
Nonstop talking about yourself
To others like shooting up a sunday mass
The repercussions were not thought of
Now you’re sitting here alone
So self involved and horrid everyone can see
Saying all these things and I’m realizing it’s me.
-- Haley Kerby
Untitled
Water drops from the sky,
Dark and heavy thunder.
He expects me to reply,
I simply just sit there and wonder.
The smell of roses vanishes,
Everything fades away slowly.
Tr
ying to fix a broken heart with bandages,
It’s like flying away ghostly.
-- Ileana Mendez
Waterfalls
Waterdrops rush across people’s faces
A sound nearby like rushing wind.
Clear crystals levitate close by,
Waterdrops fall to their death
Others disembark from the crowd.
It seems like the water upsets the rocks.
A crowd of people stand nearby.
Transparent crystals sprinkle across their face
Inhabitants stand in awe while it reaches out
The waterfall is raging with life, reaching to the skies
-- Stephen Mageot
The Bandos
Welcome to the Band room of Lang street!
Junior Cheesecake anyone? Yes please!
The wolf's have been expecting you.
Oh? You don’t enjoy our vocal skills?
Well we are the bandos! nobody does!
Come ride the band mobile.
Rule number one about riding the bus.
We don’t talk about the band bus!
The bubble bowl is what we train for.
Bandos! We live for band!
-- Angel Dominguez
West Virginia Summer
A lazy afternoon invents 1, 2, 3 games to amuse.
Hide and go seek was a classic we harped on;