Teenage

A sunny day in the city of Kiev.
Children playing, adults working, everyone going about their days.

Then the sky turned into a sheet of ash tossed upon a bed
and a rumble came through the ground.

A 3 year-old with her grandparents in the park.
“They’re coming,” she hears them say.
“Who!” she replies.
“The Russians.”

A young boy with his father working.
“They’re coming,” he says to the man next to him.
“The Russians,” his son says.

A new mother with her baby.
“They’re coming,” but she only hears a murmur.
“The Russians,” she whispers to herself.

They all step out to see it in the flesh.
~And in unison they said, as they looked at each other.
“They’re coming, the Russians.”

DISCLAIMER: this poem is to capture the essence of the shock at the war in Ukraine. It is not meant to offend anyone from Russia.

Bristles scrub through the gaps in teeth
As the brain slips in and out of conscience thought
Like an indecisive, flickering tube-light
My head has decided to gain weight overnight
Because it’s heavy and throbbing
Then, when my eyes land on the clock
Adrenaline decides to make its dramatic appearance
Because, as usual, the clock is half an hour
Further than it should be
After that plot twist,
Food is shoveled in; and fingers fly over my uniform
Until I’m running through a slammed door
And to a place which can be accurately described as a nightmare

The teacher drones on about cell organelles
Pretty doodles on my notebook don’t make the clock tick faster
Until after a century, the bell rings
And we stagger out the building with all the enthusiasm of an
Imprisoned bird seeing the sky

Time ticks by with another routine
Until I go in a state between life and death
Also known as sleep

As I step foot into my school, I feel like I am in a new world
A world with overflowing beaming golden coins, into one I got hurled
I observe my ‘friends’ arriving in a polished sports car
The gleaming finish on the car screams to me that I will always be bizarre

A student’s judgmental eyes lay on my tattered clothes telling me to go back home
Nonetheless, the only home I am aware of is a hut with wooden sticks that act as a dome
I try to relish that I was sent to a school
However, the gratefulness is washed away when the stares at my worn-out shoes become cruel

They squander in abundance and wealth
Whilst my mouth barely grasps around delectable goods that give me strength
Why am I doubled with tension and pain while everybody is at their best
Will I never find a place to rest?

“5 more minutes”
A line that I have said countless times throughout my life –
It helps me avoid hard work and strife
Be it for sports or a study break
“5 more minutes” is all I’ll take
Whether with a Rubik’s cube or on the cricket field
“5 more minutes” is my constant shield
As I engage with a math problem or go on a solving-spree
“5 more minutes” will be my knight in shining armour
People say this makes a person lazy
But this is what pushes me to the best
It helps me balance between work and rest!
I hope I will always have those “5 more minutes”
For “5 more minutes” is when I am at my best

I long for you
The beaming towers
Criss-cross peaks zig zagging white on deep scapes
Take my body to cities made of millions
Beginning with one tiny sequin spiralling into glittering mounds

Billy, or any names
I can’t choose my own
Tell me why
Change my name please
Hopeful

Nobody likes her
I despise her
Kind of gross
Kind of bossy
I get harassed by her

Mean girl
A million dislikes on her YouTube channel
XD
We all laugh at her
Eggs! She smells like rotten eggs
Let’s all make her life miserable
Lol

By the way guys she stole my crush
from right under my nose!

Anyways, toodles…

You never said I am leaving,
You never said goodbye.
You were gone before I knew it,
And only God knew why.

A million times I needed you,
A million times I cried.
If love alone could have saved you,
You never would have died.

In life I loved you dearly,
In death I love you still.
In my heart you hold a place,
That no one could ever fill.

It broke my heart to lose you,
But you didn’t go alone.
For part of me went with you,
The day God took you home.

This poem is for my twin sister who died tragically.

Do you ever wonder how others view life?
Do they see the beauty in every flower they pass?
Or savour the warmth of the sun and the scent of the grass?
Do they smile at each and every person they meet?
Or do they stare at the ground and scowl at their feet?
If it begins to rain and the sun still shines, do they look up to the sky
In hopes of seeing a rainbow pass by?

Would they care if it rains and their clothes get soaked?
Or would they skip and dance with no umbrella or a coat?
Would they race through a field without a worry on their mind?
Could they live their life without fear of losing time?
Would they spend hours reading books in a fictional world?
Could they listen to endless music, their brain in a whirl?

Would they talk to their friends all through the night?
If something was up, if something wasn’t right?
Would they stay up late and wait for the dark?
Just to step outside and gaze at the stars?
Would they chase the sun until it goes down?
Or would they stay at home, lounging around?

Could they run to the woods and live off the land?
Would they drive to the beach, bury their toes in the sand?
Could they jump in a van and travel the world
With no clue where they’re headed, just letting fate take control?
Would they take their time creating a piece of art?
Or would they spend forever deciding where to start?

Do you ever wonder how others view life?

School life is like riding a bicycle
Only that your bicycle is on fire
And everything is on fire because this is Hell
Nearly nothing here will follow your desire

Homework in school is too much
It possibly causes emotional damage
Not much can handle such
It is so hard to manage

Teachers here are mostly kind
Key to learning isn’t hard to find
But tests and exams are way too hard
Sometimes it’s harder than going to Asgard

Strange things sometimes happen here
Maybe you’ll see trees trapping a deer
After seeing this you may be hazy
Oh god! Boring classes are driving me crazy

Homework is basically unnecessary
Even with it your marks still vary
During tests and exams your brain is empty
I guarantee the punishment after it will be plenty

School life is fun (actually not)
Staying in school is like in a hot pot
All your time you spent in school
Is only for a handshake and paper (nope this isn’t April Fool)