fear

I am afraid of spiders,
wiggly, creepy, and crawly,
small enough to get anywhere,
and when they pop up they scare me.

I am afraid of failure,
a sudden stop on the road to success,
and it’s hard for me when I “don’t get it”
especially when I’ve tried my best.

I am afraid of heights,
not deathly afraid but still,
things like climbing high trees I don’t do
because I’m afraid I’ll fall, which I will.

I am afraid of fish,
silly as it seems,
but when my uncle dropped one in my lap
you should’ve heard me scream.

Spiders, failure, heights, and fish
in comparison seem so small
to the fear that someone will disapprove of me,
yes, that’s what trumps them all.

~Cassie Eurich

Three Minutes of my Life

“It’s time to move you,” said the nurse.
“No, not yet!” I wailed
I was at the big, terrifying, hospital waiting for my eye surgery. An inch long stick poked me in the eye, and made itself very comfortable in there for about a week! I needed surgery. When they said it was time to move me, my heart froze, and then skipped a beat. I knew it was time for my surgery.
When they rolled me into the hallway, people were staring at me as if it were my last day to live. This did not make me feel any better; it made me feel as though something terribly wrong was going to occur.
“Take a left turn here,” the nurse told my mom. I had wanted her to come with me, and have her be there when they put me to sleep with a gas. Mommy had to wear a white suit and blue hair net from the hospital because the room they were taking me to for surgery was sterile.

Three Minutes of my Life

“It’s time to move you,” said the nurse.
“No, not yet!” I wailed
I was at the big, terrifying, hospital waiting for my eye surgery. An inch long stick poked me in the eye, and made itself very comfortable in there for about a week! I needed surgery. When they said it was time to move me, my heart froze, and then skipped a beat. I knew it was time for my surgery.
When they rolled me into the hallway, people were staring at me as if it were my last day to live. This did not make me feel any better; it made me feel as though something terribly wrong was going to occur.
“Take a left turn here,” the nurse told my mom. I had wanted her to come with me, and have her be there when they put me to sleep with a gas. Mommy had to wear a white suit and blue hair net from the hospital because the room they were taking me to for surgery was sterile.

Fear is leaving someone you love
Fear is all of those dark places in those creepy old houses.
Fear is the creepy old man creaking the rocking chair back and forth back and forth.
Fear is going deep down into dark, dark water
Fear is something crawling out from a deep, dark pit
Fear is the world that you know disappearing right before your eyes
Fear is the school bully saying he is going to beat you up after school.
Fear is fear
Fear is death.

~ Brandon Potter

I run through the woods
Afraid
Will they come after me?
I stumble over rocks
And branches scratch my face
Abruptly
I stop
No noise except my heart beating
And the wind howling through the trees
It seems to be calling
Calling
Calling
Run, run
I shiver
And break into a full sprint
I can hear them coming
I want to scream
But no
I can’t breathe
And I fall
I scramble behind a boulder
And hide
Praying for my life
That it won’t end like this
Not like this
So soon

Why don't
I have
Anything?

Red silk drapes around her,
It supports while she contorts.
Together they are one,
Separate they heed no magic.

The air is tense while she flies through it,
She makes no noise yet we scream inside:
"Will she live? Will she survive?"

She accepts the fear,
Aware but distant,
Within herself and without.
She lives only for it,
She lives because of it,
It lives because of her.

They carry her away,
But is she ever gone?
Now, two empty drapes flutter,
In the singing wind.

he's afraid
of everything.

that might be why
he never tries.

Final Exam

By Shannon McCullen
Essex High School, 9th Grade

"And begin"
One and a half hours
65 problems
Oh no
Ok, I can do it
First one done,
Second ok,
Third, oh on
Is it acute or obtuse?
How do I find the area of a right triangle?
What's sin35 mean?
Ok, calm down
Its only 45% of my final grade
Ok, I have an hour and 15 minutes left
Fourth problem piece o' cake
Fifth, I start spiraling down like stairs
Now is the point when I regret even considering Geometry A
Ok, calm down Shannon
It's only a test,
It's only a test
I will not freak out
I will not go crazy
I can do it, I can succeed,
Breaking my tranquility, my teacher chimes,
"One hour left"
30 minutes have passed and
I've done one, two, three...
Three problems?!
Will stay calm, I can do it
When did we learn circles?
What about diagonals?
Why are there radicals?!
Will stay calm,
My mind won't explode
3 out of 65 equals, equals
5%?!
I’m going to fail!!
Will stay calm,
Will stay calm
"Eh-hem!"
I snap back to reality
"Miss McCullen?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you ready?"
"For?" I say nervously
"The bell rang"
"Oh!"
Maybe I was dreaming
Then,
Final Exam next class 45% of your grade!!
Is written across the board
Maybe I wasn't dreaming
Oh yeah, I'm still in Algebra
Oh good
I hope

I am fishing for ways that I can get over my fears. I am lost in a black hole in life. I have nowhere to turn and nobody to fall with me. The earth crumbles around me and I am the only one left. I am alone and afraid in this world without you by my side. If only you could hold my hand on last time. If only your soft voice and tender heart could be with me.

In my bedroom, in the dark,
Scared of fire, of a spark.
I'm shivering inside my bed,
The covers are up over my head.
I stay awake, eyes open wide,
The temperature goes up inside.
I'm still awake when morning comes,
And I know just why I am glum.
I now use crutches, not my feet;
I'm afraid I won't escape the heat.
But now there is the light of day,
I finally go to sleep, hurray!

Sitting in the doctor’s office
Nervously waiting
Praying for no pain
The doctor enters
NEEDLES!
Cleans my arm
They tell me count to three
I can’t watch
But I can feel them
Sharp and pointy
Into my skin
Pain for a moment
Then the needle is gone

Maddie Rollins
prompt
3/18/08

Wonderful Bugs

As I reach my room I hear the slightest bzzzzzzzz.....

Maddie Rollins
prompt
3/18/08

Wonderful Bugs

As I reach my room I hear the slightest bzzzzzzzz.....

Fear,
Noises,
Scary,
Boo.

Walking down a vacant road you see an old McDonald’s bag lazily strewn about along with empty Coca-Cola cans and candy wrappers that have seen better days.
Shadows surround you in every direction.
La La La La you sing to yourself to block out any background noises.

Waiting in my sister’s closet,

I can feel it. It’s curling its long, spindly fingers around my heart. Standing in the deserted alley I whip my head around and peer into darkness, eyes searching for any sign. Nothing. Still, fear will not relinquish her grip. I must attempt to extricate myself from this sinister alley. I turn, and begin to walk. I stride quickly, purposefully, trying to quell my rising trepidation.

I can feel it. It’s curling its long, spindly fingers around my heart. Standing in the deserted alley I whip my head around and peer into darkness, eyes searching for any sign. Nothing. Still, fear will not relinquish her grip. I must attempt to extricate myself from this sinister alley. I turn, and begin to walk. I stride quickly, purposefully, trying to quell my rising trepidation.

If your just pause and think of all the things that the people of the world are afraid to do, it will astound you. And after another dive into thought you will come to a realization that most of those fears are completely illogical and yet they hold us back every day. A bit puzzling if you ask me.

I'd risen so high,
I'd stood so tall,
That when I tripped
I lost it all,
With no one there to catch me
Or even to slow my fall.

I hit rock bottom full of broken dreams
With my world falling apart
At the seams
I lay there for so long
Listening to the pleading screams
Of all the others who lay there with me.

I sat up and looked around
Though the mist was thick as fog

One night following a particularly warm summer day, my family, relatives and I were gathered out on the porch, talking.
“Lovely night” said my father. “If I wasn’t so tired, I would stay up to watch the stars, just like I did when I met your mother.”

I hate that whenever
I start to love
someone,
I suddenly grow
tiny, clinging
sprouts of
fear.

I can feel them
braiding through my
veins and
clasping their tiny,
twisted fingers
around the
faintly pulsing
hearts of my
loves, and

sometimes
I'm afraid that
these sprouts of
fear will
smother
the only part of their
body

that keeps them
warm with
blood.

To move on with your life,
is to let the fire burn,
letting it burn bright,
never flickering to go out.
The day it goes out,
is the day the water runs,
it runs through heart, soul, and air.
It is invisible, yes, invisible,
but exists,
wherever there is a flame flickering.
The water waits inside others,
others who would take your fire,
and use it against you,
don't let that happen.

The last time I ever,
Jumped off a cliff,
I landed in the water,
But I was still stiff.
I knew it was the end,
Of my jumping career,
All because of my falling fear.
It’s not the landing; it’s not the jump,
Its simply falling, curled up like a stump.
I climbed out of the water,
Shaking with fear,
Still trying to get the water out of my ears.
From that point on,

The time has come

You have decided to put all of your fears behind you, and want to come Out of the corner.

You've been huddled there for days, weeks, you've lost track of the time, but that doesn't matter anymore, because its time to change.

Fear has followed you, and behind that, hatred.

What is the crime, well that is not important

Shadows in the dark

A nameless fate

Where our fears and past memories reside

Put aside the darkness

Emerge with the light

Seal the passageway

Emerge

I heard a sigh in my opening line;
My heart beat was ticking like a time bomb.
I spoke my words unto the air,
And poise bled my coruscating thoughts.

Hundreds of ears heard my soul,
Spilled out like tumbling raindrops.
As silent as they were; my voice alone echoed the hall;
I felt the trembling excitement and hope.

But, oh astonishing audience,
Must I not think so much of thee?

Fear, Actually
Fear is a complicated subject. There are so many fears out there. For instance did you know zoophobia is the fear of animals? Well, I can see why you would be afraid of a grizzly bear or a mountain lion but how about a cuddly kitten or a frog (that isn’t poisonous)? Do you have zoophobia? ....

One of the most important and memorable goals I ever reached was caused by an accident I had last June. I had a bad fall while horseback riding and I became fearful of one of the most important things in my life, my horse. I realized I would have to overcome it.

they’re afraid.
laugh it off.

but if you look again
you see a glimpse
of questioning
and fear.

they have to be a man
make it gone.
because they feel
in their heart
gay is wrong.

their eyes wander
across the room
filled with
laughter.

and they hope
that no one
realizes the truth.