The Mind

Using your imagination
Can open new doors.
New doors lead to new worlds.
New worlds can break
The borders of your mind.

- Amreen Nizami

Smile

The expression of my painting is warmth.
Lowell has always been and forever will be a diverse community.
Here, everybody knows everybody.
My family and friends are always there to share the warmth.
They are the ones who can always put a smile on me.

-- Na Chanh Lam

I don’t know

I should be with him but I can’t live without him.
I know I’ll never love like I’d loved him.
I know I’ll never feel magic inside me.
And I also know he don’t love me like I love him.
I also know that he’ll forget about me.
Love is a space with no space.
Love cries when it says goodbye.
Love is when you dream listening to a song.
Love is stopping time.
And today your cruelty erases your dreams from my dreams.
I’ve tried everything to convince you,
but I feel as if the world destroys on my feet.
While I experience this solitude I wonder if I’ll survive.

-- Sarah O

War

Amity

Religion

Materialism

Lust

-- Andrea Csik

Chilly

Hate

Immortality

Love

Yellow

Racism

I am just a Blackman
People think I’m a slave
I have the power in my hand
I can think of ways to save

You can beat me all day
Hate me with all your might
Take my heart and I’ll say
That you can’t have my right

You can call me a Negro
Call me whatever name
I’ll be strong and grow
But can you play my game?

-- Kolu Tiny Gbotee

Unknown Place

The thought of this unknown place
How exotic & calm
The beautiful sky,
Sparkling sand all around
The crystal blue ocean glistening
In the distance
It all makes you want to never leave
But then you open your eyes &
Back to the world
Never will you forget this unknown place.

-- Alicia Pagan

Deceiving Illusions

A Forest where Silence is its company
And sorrow rules its pawns
Heavy. Foggy. Where Unknown Souls Roam
An Alice in Wonderland where one
Is left to wonder why on is there
Trees. Silenced. And so beautifully
Hideous. Nothing Makes Sense.
Where the grass grows pure. White,
And yet, a feeling of uncomfort.
The feeling of hatred. Where hell is
Down the road and love cease to
Exist. A False Forest.
A Forest of Deceiving Illusions

-- S. Guerra

In the time of happy

We swayed with the wind and
Painted with its colors
There were no black and grays
Just happy days
Our music soothed the souls
Even when the weather was faint and cold
There was no room for sorrow
It was always just looking forward to
Tomorrow.

-- Joyce Fomban

Bulls on Parade

Terror reigns drenchin’
Quenchin’ the thirst of the power dons
That five sided fist-a-gon
The rotten sore on the face of mother Earth gets bigger
The triggers cold empty your purse

Rally round the family
With a pocket full of shells

Weapons not food not clothes not shoes
Not need just feed the war.
Cannibal Animal
I walk the corner to the rubble
That use to be a library
Line up to the mind’s cemetery
What we don’t know keeps the contractors alive and movin
We don’t know keeps the contractors alive and movin
We don’t gotta burn the books
They just remove them
While arms, warehouses fill as quick as a cell
Rally round the family
Pocket full of shells
-Rage Against the Machine

-- Nathaniel

No Title Required

I’m a stranger to your sympathy
I don’t understand exactly what you’re thinking
Am I suppose to feel remorse cause I don’t
A lie here, a cry for attention
All you care for is yourself
Unfortunately you’re the only one who cares
Put on your mask and say your lies
But I’m sure no one will clap at the end.
I’m sorry you’ve reached this point in time
But this is the finish line, you’ve been left behind.
You’re out there pretending your saving the world
But you are a liar, a want to be Supergirl
You are on area with no life or soul
There’s no air where you live, since you’re not even whole
You died long within all of your lies
I want to breathe, but I can’t when you’re around.
Say what you want, you destroyer of lives
But I think all of us don’t even hear your cries.

 -- Sam Kilbride

Unfinished

Wondering my eyes, on this piece of fabric.
Moving my hand, in all the directions.
Focusing on these multicolored liquids, as they drip against my sweaty palm.
Words that combine to make all these voices
Surrounding me, as if I was left alone.
I’m losing control! My hands are weak! My mind is empty!
I can’t even think anymore!
I have nothing but to make this piece of fabric, unfinished…

 -- Judy Sok

Secrets

Hair that flows like the golden waves of the ocean
Smooth to the touch, like a fine silk
Eyes that sparkle like beautiful blue diamonds
Light peachy skin, soft as satin
Glamorously formed cheeks, with a gentle tint of rose
Perfectly placed in the center, her small adorable nose
Pink lips that outlined her sweet, little mouth
Her radiant smile that brightens the room
A wonderfully chiseled chin that completes her beautiful face
Her small, cute neck connected to her tender shoulders
Loving arms that offer a warm embrace
Perfectly sculpted curves as smooth as the Rolling Plains
Gracefully rounded hips… a work of art that she is…

All of these things a shy boy thinks of her
But surely she will never know the way he truly feels
For he will never tell how wonderful he thinks she is
Out of fear that she won’t feel the same way back
So for now he will just cherish the time he spends with her.
The time he’s in her presence
Because he knows that’s all he’ll ever have
This is his secret.

-- James McMorrow Jr.

Freedom

Somewhere 2 lands meet
The sunshine is always free
The flowers all are beautiful
And rain is all refreshing
So take the time out of our busy day,
To lay in the grass & stop
To smell the rain

 -- Steph Brackett

May This Be Love

Waterfalls, nothing can harm me at all
My worries seem so very small
Oh my waterfalls

I can see, my rainbow calling me
Through the misty breeze
Oh my waterfalls

Some people say
Daydreaming is for all the
Lazy minded fools
With nothing else to do
So let them laugh at me,
As long as I have you to see me through
I have nothing to lose

Waterfalls, don’t ever change your ways,
Fall for me for a million days,
Oh my waterfalls.
-Jimi Hendrix

- Lucas K

Competition

The sun and the moon shine in the sky,
To see who gets more attention.
The fire chases the beast,
Even though it doesn’t want to be followed.
The two heads argue to see who’s in control.
Neither head wins.

-- Matthew Swift

Creativity

Randomocity.
Addictions.
Zen is its perfection.
You need to live life to its fullest.
Not let is pass by unwanted.
Everyone has the chance for perfection.
Some grasp the chance & run w/ it.

Still, most walk away from it.

Like the fathers who owe child support,
Or the moms who ignore their children
Very few actually accept perfection in all forms
Everyone sees, but few understand.

-- Lindsay Cote

O

Orange
Orcas
On
Oceans
Omitted.

 -- Yolanda Sheehan

In a desolate place

…unbearably hot
…the sand blinds my path
I collapse to my knees with thirst…
In the distance I spot something
…a mirage? No
…it’s a blooming white flower
But how?
I arise with a new found hope
I believe I can make it through the storm
All because of a
Flower blooming in the desert heat…

-- Augusta Chieh

A blast from the past

A ghost from your memories
Haunting your dreams
And one hopes that it could become
more that a whisper
More than a figure in the distance
To stand close
Beside one
Such as you

 -- Brendan Dubuc

Who We Are

I am what I am, a human being.
I am who I need to be, me.
I am myself and will not be shunned.
I am a part of you and we are who
We should be -- ourselves.
We are the next generation and through us the world will grow.
We are the world’s paintbrush, painting what needs to be seen.
We are your children, so accept it.

-- Maria Figueroa

LIVE

Love.
Laugh.
Swim.
Fly.
Climb.
Breathe.
Grow.
Speak.
See.
Shine.
Sing.
Dance.
War.
Peace.
Drive.
Walk.
Die.
Something.
Nothing.
Everything is Connected.

 -- Sarah Fagundes

World Clock

Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, The World Clock
Time passes with each spin of the world
The arts, music, drama, painting, dance
All make the world go round
Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, The World Clock
With each spin time goes by
History is just a blink of an eye
Only a min in time of a clock
Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, The World Clock

-- Miguel Roe

The Fight

It is an ongoing fight
Between people for their right
To be able to speak their mind
And to be on of a kind
They search and search for ones to blame
And once they find it they start the flame
The fire will always burn
Because they truly will never learn
Young and old are in this tale
Hoping that they will prevail
But once it’s over it will start again
Because this awful war will never end

-- Lauren McCarthy

I Need a Clue

I’m being pulled in different directions.
Day after day.
Which way do I turn.
Can I have a clue?

Too many choices:
Do I choose a path of my own;
Or follow in the footprints,
Of my friends and family?
Do I be the good A student,
Or the failure of the group?
Do I stay religious through it all,
Or push it aside for something else?
Do I dare to be a free spirit,
Or am I to become a closed-in nut case?

A new direction:
I need it to be my own,
And if I can’t find one,
I’ll make it.
Day after day,
Can I have a clue?
I need a clue.

 -- Samantha Teperow

No Idea

The artwork that I came up with…was kind of sudden.
I didn’t really put any thought into it. He told me to go with anything.
He was right, a simple thing can have so much meaning.
My artwork has so much meaning.
For example, you have no idea what’s going to happen in life.
You just go along with it.
Sometime you have no idea about anything.
You’re sort of confused or you just have NO IDEA.

 -- Linda Kong

My True Feelings

Long ago we had something special
And I made a mistake not once but twice.
Now I’m regretting what I did
Because I want you back by my side.
Love is such a strong word
One that I don’t use a lot
But if I had to tell you
You’re the first person I’ve ever loved.
This feeling is overbearing
And it’s something I don’t recognize
But I get this feeling
Every time I look into your eyes.
This feeling reminds me of this emptiness inside.
If you’ve ever heard that I don’t care,
It’s a lie.
Because I love you more than you more than you’ll ever know.
And I hate that mistake of ever letting you go.

-- Maria Figueroa

Alone

Alone,
Higher up than any other,
A tree stands alone,
Looking down to find any other life,
Waiting for the never-coming spring,
A tree stands alone.

-- Hyunkyung Oh

Others

Slick like Penguins
are smooth
Dogs have fur
Coral doesn’t move
Flies die fast.
Cats live long
Snails eat lettuce
Frogs eat bugs
Birds sing songs
Lions Roar
Animals are so cool
You shouldn’t wear fur.

-- Alex Silva

People

They don’t know me -- they
Misjudge me. I try to stay out
Of trouble’s way but it always finds
Me and there is something called
Karma and when it comes around
It gets you and it gets you bad.
I didn’t want to do it but she
Kept on pushing my button and
She got beyond my bad side
So I had to do what I had to do,
It was not about getting any fame
Or making any friends, but it
Was about getting my respect.

-- Anonymous

I am Who I am?

I am who I am
I still remember
The place where I played
Is a piece of a puzzle to my past
I still remember
The moon and its calm orange glow
The sky and its stars
The river reflecting the gleam of the moon
The seashells on the shore
The tree and its snowy past
And me when I was me.

-- Steph Long

Seeing through my eyes

My world is strange
It has many twists and turns no one understands
People watch the news and think the world is terrible
But they only show what’s wrong in the world
Gas prices are up, another soldier dies
I see this and ask myself what’s wrong with us
Why do we only pay attention to death and misery
Why no show the one soldier that didn’t die
The only plane that didn’t crash
The one world, my world
Where the good and bad
Are shown.

-- Joshua J. Azevedo

I’m not you, I’m me

What I want, I should get
I deserve what I need.
You can’t control me
I’m not yours to keep
How dare you try to leave me here
How dare you even try.
I want to grow
I want to fly.
I’m living the life you never had
The one you wanted for me
So trust me not to ruin it
If you’re afraid I’ll forget you
When the real world is what I face.
You’ve made me who I am
The good and the bad
So make sure I don’t leave on a
bad note
Because, dad, I’ll never come
back.

-- Vivian Rios

Who I am, My Identity

My home
My friends
The love from my family
My culture, my race
The music, embrace
The many children for the future
Our ancestors who taught the past
They are a part of me
They are me.
I am not just a sister, daughter,
Or friend
It took more than 15 years to make
me who I am.
The music, learned to move to,
Has done the same for those before
me
My past and my future,
My family and my friends
They are me
My identity.

-- Vivian Rios

The Element of Beauty

I could wish to be a size 1
I could wish to be a size 3
I could wish to be a size 5
I could wish to be thin
I could wish to have curly long hair like a Hispanic
Beauty, I could wish to have straight hair like the American dream
I could wish to be light skinned,
But I’m not.
I am a size 11,
I am short, I am strong, I am smart
My hair is permed, so my hair is early to take care of,
I am dark skinned, like an African Queen
And I am Beautiful!
I could wish to be all the things
In this world but me,
But that ain’t real,
I’m me all day everyday
And being me is beautiful!
Who I am is not a lie,
Or a reflection from a mirror,
Who I am is the element of BEAUTY!

-- Florence Duah

Feelings

On a solitary island.
On a sunny shore.
A setting sky.
Birds in the wind.
What is this feeling
That surrounds me?
The feeling of squishy sand
Below my feet.
Or is it the wind
That blows onto me?
No, it is the sense of
Loneliness.
The deep silence
That is undisturbed.
The solitude
That one undergoes during
Life.
So as I sit on this island
Stranded and Alone
I think…
If the world was in an undisturbed
Silence such as this island…
How would it Be?

-- Natalie Uribe

Unknowing

Mist and shadow, Cloud the horizon,
Unknowing to the journey ahead.
The light grows brighter and brighter
And we get close, but our destiny,
Is still one we can’t tell.

 -- James Fortier

Take A Stand

Time and time again it comes,
But nothing really is ever done.
People try, but fail in time,
This is where we draw the line.
The earth is ours for the keep,
But with this we must see,
That if we don’t treat it right
We might be risking our own lives.

So we need to come together
and take care of this place,
Because there might be a day
when we regret our past.
We have to make sure that this place lasts.

Of all the times we never cared,
or didn’t think it mattered,
Well it does, and we have to change
this for the better.

-- Jose Gonzalez

Nature and Peace

Through the sky
There is something
Watching us
Down on earth where
The river flows.
Beyond the mountain
Where a meadow lies.
Where the wind brings
Out a gentle blow.
The grass so green.
The sky so blue.
The sun so bright.
As it flies through and through
Animals everywhere.
As each year they increase.
This is true nature,
Nature and peace.

-- Sokcorey Chan

Last of the Spartans

As the last of the Spartans prepares for glory
He picks up his battle rifle to end his story
And swiftly and stealthily he storms the base
Quickly turning his enemies into an
Alien paste.

Hours late the Spartan lord meets
The alien over lord, and with a Quick
Flick he unleashed his plasma sword.
And a duel of wills come alive.]
Finally as the Spartan Chief mangled
and bruised stands, meeting all of
his missions demands, he roars
with a mighty shout. “All your base
are belong to us!!!”

-- Korey McKinney

The Twin Towers are Gone

Some of the ways in this world are wrong
The boy down the street is missing
Not just him, there’s a listing
Some of my childhood friends are druggies
I’m not like them, I know what I want to be
I look one way and see a happy family
I look the other and there’s a man beggin’ for money
They have money for war
Instead of giving it to the ones who need it more.
They keep paying attention to things outsides of our territory
Instead of something that’ll never leave
And be here for eternity
I wish this world was just one big family
Instead of something that’ll never leave
And be here for eternity
I wish this world was just one big family
Instead of racists, convicts, and enemies.
But this can only be something to live for.

-- Whitney Wilson

The Wolf

Deep in the forest a hunter strives,
a fierce warrior taking many lives
with electric eyes and a silver fleece,
he is an animal that never makes peace.
This solider has pride and is true,
and among the trees he always grew.
A vicious killer known as a predator,
when it comes to slaying there is no competitor.
He’s agile and swift like a gust of wind,
a brutal creature but still loved by kin.
He is the king of the forest no one defies,
you can see his soul when you see his eyes
he chases his prey in the dead of night
he is a wolf with a deadly strike.

-- Zach Hallowood

Be Inspired and Colors Will Change the World

No one can tell you you’re wrong if there is no right answer
No one will fight if no one will stand
Your voice is your choice
Speak your mind all the time
Because we speak in many tones
The world will be a better place
I can feel it in my bones
LOOK!
You can see it in a morning sky
When the sun threatens the clouds
With bright luminous colors

-be happy
-be grateful
-be inspired

-- Alexandria Drouin

She may dress all in black

She swears, yells, listens and sings to
So called “devil’s music”
She’s angry.
At you, For tearing down Danver’s asylum,
Ripping out the roots of Mother Nature
Disposing of all the beauty
Pure beauty.
“Sure, you may not believe in any god or goddess,
But you can’t deny the obvious flamboyancy of Mother Nature”
She’s all around us, all around us.
Everything’s connected.
Deny it all you want, but we need the oceans
Forests, swamps and meadows
By killing her, you’re killing us
C’mon man, I want to live.
Live with the clean air, unpolluted waters.
You may not of held a gun to someone’s head, but
Our lives are dwindling
By that saw on that beautiful,
Magnificent oak tree.
Even if she’s young, has piercings, and wears all black,
She still cares more about the environment than you.

-- Erica Radcliffe