Poetry
Warm orange fire
Hissing in your ears, as the
Waves crash into rocks.
-Haiku by Dayana Vasquez, 12th grade

Still I Remain
by Abida J. Chowdhury, 9th Grade
You may push me down onto the ground
And say my name in vain
You may pierce me with your eyes
But still, I remain
Does my strength frighten you?
I hold myself with poise
And never with shame
Like a tall wise tree
That gives out unlimited shade
Whether you bask in it or not
It is not my place to say
Does my misery bring you peace?
Are my cries your serenade?
It seems you know exactly
How painful and bitter your words taste
My tears will not fall for pathetic masquerades
That indeed
Would simply be a waste
Does my pride hurt your ego?
Does it make you feel small?
For my power is enough
To make your skin crawl
You may drown me underwater
And slice me in my veins
You may bury me underground
But still I remain
I will break through the barriers
You put me in
I will break through the box
With arms and fist raised in the wind
Leaving behind self doubt and pain
Brighter days will shine through the rain
My aura is a shield
Against all the hate
And in the end through it all
Still I remain

Raindrops
As we run through the rain,
the raindrops fall on our faces.
I look over as you smile,
a smile that always brings butterflies within me.
I admire it and you whisper, “You are like the rain.”
I ask you what you meant by that. You chuckled.
“Your beauty is admired by most,
you bring life in the darkest moments.
You are the light in the dark.”
I am speechless.
I hadn't thought I was the light in the dark-
you had always been the light for me.
I hugged you tightly.
As the rain showered us, I hoped that you would never let go.
A hope, a dream, something far away
I looked up to the stars in the sky
admiring the moon's beauty
I gripped your sweater as it held all our memories together
Your scent faintly bringing back the laughter
“What a beautiful night,” I said as the first droplet fell on my window,
your smile on my mind as I watched it roll down
I look over at you, peaceful, sleeping on my screen
I smile and whisper goodnight before ending our daily Night Call.
-by Anonymous 9th Grade Student
White pebbles trinkled
In the sparkling green river
Against mighty stones
- Haiku by Daisy Segundo, 12th grade
Check out the Visual Poetry Video below by 12th graders, Daisy Segundo, Sheyla Huesca, and Kevin Navarro