The Killingly Intermediate School 1599 Upper Maple St Dayville, Ct 06241 (860) 779-6700
A literary arts magazine. And so much more. Yeah, we pretty much do everything. And we do it at night.
The Blessing
by Alex Lalumiere
The car doors slam and I am gone
Floating through a world of my own invention
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My eyes don’t care to see what’s around me
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And everything is quiet
even as my music blares
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And everything is still
even as trees flash by
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And everything is calm
even as the car rocks
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And everything is separate
even as their elbows
brush against my own
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And everything is mine
even as they steer.
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I can twist all things
into a blessing.
Lying Smiles
by Nick Flynn
How many smiles are lies?
So many people, so many times
Just affix a smile onto their face.
Even spiraling downwards,
We still spread our mouth from ear to ear,
In exclamation to an unaware world,
That we are--
Perfect.
If we show a glimpse of our pain,
We are judged,
Scorned,
By those who've perfected their smiles
And never allow faults to show.
Pain is seen as weakness
Never to be shown.
Never to be shared.
To be buried.
No one dares to show their struggles
But instead plasters a smile on their face
And pretends everything is okay.
Guilt
by Bree Weaver
I couldn't be who they wanted me to be.
I couldn’t be what I wanted me to be.
When she looked at me
I saw disdain in his eyes
That I had seen in my own
No way to stop how we had felt
No way to not feel it.
So I have failed
I have hurt
I am guilt
What must I do
To undo this pain that was never mine?
Choosing my Path
by Lorelai Bessenaire
It’s hard to put into words the way this makes me feel
The words you spit before with truth and
The words you say and do not mean.
​
They all still float above my head,
​
The words you said are still there
Like scars they never left me and
You don’t even know when you say
It was the past
When in reality
Truly nothing has changed.
​
You say you are better now and that
You have always loved me but
When I hear these words I look in your eyes and I know you.
​
You lie.
The one person you would give your world to
Is not the one who has been there through it all
​
The one who wouldn’t stand and watch you drown but instead
Went down with you and
Never let go even when they knew they would be better off that way.
With each step you take now, do you realize the footprints you have left behind?
​
I stare at them every day, in a place where I lost my innocence, alone and in the dark.
​
Until that little sliver of light shined through
Picking me up this time
not letting me fall
Without much knowledge of your mind and your thoughts.
I will never know if you truly cared
Even to this day the memories of eternal bruises remain,
​
Unable to heal because you still cause me pain.
​
But each day my own steps
are taken, leaving behind
my own footprints.
​
And they don't look like yours.
​
Dark Carnival
by Quinn Ellis
I'm done standing down and away
​
I'M DONE WITH BEING A CLOWN.
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the facepaint is gone.
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I'M USED TO THE ABANDONMENT,
​
my only family washed away with the shore,
as my miracles crumbled.
​
the painkiller is gone.
THE PAINKILLER IS GONE.
so laugh at me.
GO ON, DO IT!
I'm fine as long as my dark carnival continues.
THE SUN SHALL RISE
as you all fall.
AS LONG AS YOU STAY AT MY DARK CARNIVAL.
What's Wrong with us?
by Sarah Roberts
What’s wrong with us, humanity?
Has our unawareness really come to the point where,
We can’t even utter a simple "hello" in passing?
Have we reached a new level of self importance,
In which we place ourselves on pedestals?
Do we think we’re better than everyone else,
So much so that we don’t even bother to ask a distraught individual,
Even a stranger,
​
What’s wrong?
See, I think our problem is,
We’re too divided and,
we don’t care to care and,
We’re too wrapped up in our own agendas,
So much so that we can’t pause,
Even for a second,
To maybe offer support to those who need it.
​
Maybe all they want is a simple hello,
A little recognition, or even a simple question:
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What’s wrong?
We speak of unity but,
We never take action.
We speak of love,
Yet we’re still fighting one another,
Day,
After day,
After day.
​
We shame those who “hate,”
But we do nothing to stop it.
What good does it do, humanity,
To hate those who hate,
When in the end nobody is the better person?
​
What good does it do,
To shun those we dislike,
When in the end we both feel bad?
Maybe, humanity, we’re approaching this wrong.
​
Ever considered that?
​
We stop hate with love,
Not with shame.
We solve problems with words and compromise
Not with violence.
Maybe, humanity, instead of scorning the misunderstood,
We should get to know them.
Give them support, ask of their lives so far.
It all starts with a question,
One that could change the way you see them,
One that could help you understand their motives,
Just a two word question.
​
What’s wrong?
So maybe then, humanity,
When we swallow our pride,
Allow ourselves to care for all,
Maybe we’ll save a life one day,
Just by asking a simple question.
What’s wrong?
Creativity
Rosa Ramos
All of us are different in our own unique way,
Just like the stripes in a zebra equidae.
To many animals we’re near the bottom of the scale,
But we have something no one else can prevail.
We are creative, determined, and think outside the box,
We even make half of our things in a Google docs.
We may not be the smartest but that's ok,
Even a broken clock is right twice a day.