Katelyn Jewell

And if the powder never ceases to drop like flakes from the tip of a hypothetical iceberg,
I won’t forget those long summer days.
If the leaves all fall from their posts and are covered in a maliciously sweet blanket,
I won’t forget the three never-ending moments.
If the tears of a thousand little girls are swept away in a softly strewn blizzard,
I won’t forget what it was like when you laughed.
If the songbirds still flee from the white raven’s call as they have for so very long,
I won’t forget how your ocean-eyes sank.
If the children all flock to the land on the other side of the glass,
I won’t forget the times you stayed (inside) with me.
If the tree branches thin and crack with un-age and instead collapse from their burdens,
I won’t forget how you snapped me

right in two.

I see you've grown wings, my angel of death. Beautiful, invisible, raven-black demon wings, long with glossy feathers. They suit you, love, helping you to glide in your steps, hover in silence.

I see you tearing yourself apart, my perfection mercenary, ripping down the walls that are holding you, trapping you, in limbo. I can't stand to see you fall apart in your desperate attempts to escape this, your loneliness. No, seeing you breaking before my own eyes brings me to tears, watching as the cruelty-drops fall down your face.

I want to save you, want to save myself, so I offer you my heart and you take it, bleeding, in your hands. I close my eyes and suggest you cut my heartstrings and tie them to your own, and I hear you swallow and slide out the knife. I hear the agonizing snap-snip sound of the strings severed and then I feel your spectral body pressed against mine.

Your acidic love
burns the silver
of my tongue,
and all I see
is red and gold.

Metallic, nearly;
copper blood -
how could something
so lovely
be so cruel?

Your acidic love
burns the silver
of my tongue,
and all I see
is red and gold.

Fluorescent drops
fall from the ceiling;
looks like we've
got another leak
(you knew I was weak).

Your acidic love
burns the silver
of my tongue,
and all I see
is red and gold.

Clear-shot leaves
fall, browned husks
crumbling with
too much weight
put upon them.

Your acidic love
burns the silver
of my tongue,
and all I see
is red and gold.

Wintry flakes
fall on my tongue
after hiding so long
from acidic love
(the sun).

On the terms of Dickinson
I'll try to write a poem
And though at times it seems I am
I'm really not alone

The shades of night surround us all
As darkness settles in
The monsters corner me once more
For I have done no sin

Lights flicker in the distance far
Lo, how far can it be?
However hard I seem to look
It echoes distantly

The cries of war, of love, of hate
Follow endlessly
There's no escape from them at all;
They live eternally

The skies bleed red, a color grand
As tears fall from the clouds
In triumph and defeat we stand
Through the screams so loud

Now drop the pen which you hold
The scratches made in ink
Close your eyes a final time;
Just forget to think

Test

By Katelyn Jewell
Westford School, Grade 8

I'm beginning
To care
Less
And
Less
I swear,
This life
Is just a test
And, for once,
I must confess,
I'm failing
(Miserably)

If I told ya
That I loved ya
Would you really
Expect me
Expect me to believe
Ya when the news
Was received

Take me Down to Mexico

By Katelyn Jewell
Westford School, Grade 8

Take me down
To Mexico
It's the place
I would rather go
Come on baby
Don't tell me no
Just take me down
To Mexico
Just say the word
And we will go
All the way down
To Mexico

Elegance

By Katelyn Jewell
Westford School, Grade 8

Ah
The elegance of life
How deceitful
Humans can be
We laugh
How perfect
It does all seem
All is well
How could it
Not be so?
We made it this way
Ourselves
Busy
Busy
Busy
Working away
On something we all lose
Someday
Yet we still work
On making it this way
It must be elegant
If it weren't
It wouldn't be life

You try to love her
But you don't realize
How much she gives
In return

You try to hate her
After all,
Love didn't seem to work
Well enough for you

You don't understand
How much
Your actions
Are putting at stake

If you can find it
In your heart,
Stop the pain
You're hurting her

Cruelty
A common word these days
But just because it is
Doesn't mean it's okay

We say we'll change
For the better
We say we'll change
Change the world
And yet we stand here
Confused
By our false sense of
Compassion

Listen to Me

By Katelyn Jewell
Westford School, Grade 8

Listen to me
I have an idea
Please don’t dismiss it as a joke.
Just because you think you know something
Doesn’t mean you’re right.
Don’t just say it’s immature
Before you give it a single chance.
Your opinion can’t always be correct
And neither can mine.
If you don’t agree
It’s alright
It’s okay