Why I Write by Morgan Montano |
Beauty by Hannah Clemenic
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It's 2 am and I sit in my lamp-lit room. My thoughts are tangled like unwound spools of thread shoved on top of each other in grandma's old blue cookie tin. In my nightstand lies the one thing that helps me untangle the daunting ball of intertwined string. I reach into the drawer for my journal and pen and begin to make sense of the nonsense in my head by carving inky words into the fibers of what once grew from the earth.
I write to pull apart the ball of dense thread. I write to slow down the thoughts racing through my head. I write to remember the people and things I’ve left behind. I write to mourn my childhood and to solidify its memory. I write to catch the concepts floating by. I write to bring peace to my soul. I write to forgive the deserving and come to terms with the undeserving. I write to be a witness to my dreams and I write to recall the feelings they bring. I write to expel the nightmares from my head. I write to entertain myself, my pen running around the paper like a child on a playground. I write to chain down and lock away the bad thoughts. Forever shut in a book and out of my mind. I write to bring to life and map out the good thoughts so they can be remembered and re-lived. I write knowing my words could be taken and used against me if they fall into the wrong hands. I write knowing I’ll never be satisfied with my writing. I write to put my bare beating heart on paper, hoping no one will harm it. I write as though my words tether me to the earth so I don't drift into the sky like a lost balloon. |
Beauty doesn’t come from looks, it never has. We’ve only been fooled into thinking it does. Physical beauty is only an interpretation that exists in the mind. Beauty , which doesn’t fade, and lasts forever, exists only in your soul, not your appearances. People in today’s society would rather spend their whole lives with a person who is more “attractive” rather than a person whose inner beauty shines bright.
This I Believe by Dylan Fulford I believe in America and all she stands for and for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I believe in the American way of life and these five things: friends, family, faith, flag, firearms. I believe in these five things as well as the 10 amendments. I also believe in working hard for a living and taking pride in your work and never backing down from a fight and always doing what's right and always helping someone out if you can. also believe in being respectful and polite and a strong military to protect us. Like Teddy Roosevelt said, Talk softly and carry a big stick. This is what I believe in. |
The Things I Carry by Katlin Bishop
For school I carry many things, based upon my classes. I carry my binder and pencil case and notebooks and Chromebook and its charger. The basics. As I dig deeper into my bag I see that I carry the burden and stresses of a student. Was I there enough? Are my grades good enough? Did I forget an assignment? Will I have friends at lunch? Did I wear something socially acceptable?I carry the stresses of a senior, what will my future be? Will I be successful? I carry regrets, discomfort and stress. I carry rejections letters, I carry apply next year letters. I carry a sweet moment of pause, my phone that allows me to escape away from it all even if it's for quick glance at my homescreen. Senior class trip, at Shevans park. It's an off guard photo, capturing my friends’ innocence at the moment on that day, we just enjoyed each other's company. I also carry the stresses of the average adult, phone bill and cable bill and gas and Netflix and vet bills and hospital bills and my health and my mother’s health. I carry the stress and enjoyment of a job. Carrying my vest, name tag and highlighter daily. I carry the worries of an employee, will I be able to get time off, will I get fired for a tiny mistake, will I be this customers inconvenience of the day? Being told I’m incompetent because the self checkout would not ring up grapes. Being slandered because I was caught in the crossfire of management issues. Harsh words from a man I don’t know from Adam because he decided to steal, and was caught doing so. I carry all of this at 19. My senior year. A year that was meant to be joyous. So please parents, adults, teachers, management whoever may be above the average working student. Understand that working students carry their own burdens. So if an assignments comes a bit late, or we apply for too many days off, or we fall asleep far too often. Forgive us. Because we too carry burdens. Just like any adult. Authors Note “The Things I Carry” is meant to serve as a memo for both working students and to the adults in our life whether that be a parent, teacher, boss and or another family member. For my working students, it's okay to admit when your stressed out. When I originally wrote “The things I Carry”, I had no time in the day for myself. If you’re feeling stressed over just about anything just know someone else carries similar burdens. To the adults reading this, please understand working students are going to be tired, we are going to be stressed especially if your student is in their senior year. I ask instead of being frustrated with us try and understand the plight in which your student is going through. Don’t yell if they, oversleep, grades slip, get a rejection letter, or just plain are frustrated. Just breath and let your student work through it. Because at the end of they day, oversleeping isn’t the end of the world, grades can always be brought back up, students no matter how smart will get plenty of rejection letters throughout the rest of their life, and frustration can often lead to motivation. Why I Sing by Bailey rose
I sing because it lets me release my emotions. I sing for the love of it. I sing to get me feeling better. I sing to make my family proud. I sing to let my hatred out. I sing to feel at peace. I sing to show my love for God. I sing to repair the wounds that have developed over time. I sing because it makes me feel serene. I sing to pay homage to all of the wonderful performers out there in the world. I sing to live. I sing for the memories all of the songs have. I sing as part of my daily routine. I sing because there is a risk I will mess up. I sing because of all the lonely ears that need to hear me. I sing to feel like I am free. I sing to learn how to love something. I sing to let people know who I really am. I sing to uncover the beauty that is in everyone. I sing to get my mind off of things. I sing because it is the light in my darkness. I sing to feel the adrenaline. |
What I Carry by Starr Studer
In the back pocket of my black and grey Legend of Zelda shoulder bag I carry paper from my Creative writing, Art 2, and English 3 class. The paper’s range from old graded work to notes I plan on looking over. In the main pocket of my bag, I carry my Civics binder because my teacher doesn’t like me folding my notes and shoving it in my bag (even though I’m the only one looking them over); my sketchbook full of pretty and messy sketches, Creative writing journal, English 3 journal, and a pack of colored pencils. I also carry with me the East Carteret High School 2018-2019 student agenda booklet to remind myself of when work is due and what days I should study; “Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets” book because it’s for a report I’m doing in English 3, and my glasses that I should really be wearing all the time considering I can barely see where I’m going most of the time (but I don’t like the way it feels on my face). On the front pocket of my bag, I carry my phone that’s currently useless because I’m out of data, earbuds so I don’t suffer the silence of class, candy so I don’t get too hungry, house keys in case mom isn’t home when I get home, and a cute BNHA keychain because it’s my current favorite anime. An interview with Allan (Humans of East Carteret) by Starr Studer Who has been the most important person in your life? Can you tell me about them? “Being gay for my boyfriend, Levi, he’s an artist but he’s color blind.” What was the happiest moment of your life? The saddest? “Happiest being getting my pet lizards, saddest being where my dog passed away.” Who has been the kindest to you in your life? “Probably Levi.” What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in life? “Don’t be fake.” What is your earliest memory? “The feeling of my feet slapping against the carpet of some place, i don’t remember where i was at. I just remember the carpet being crappy and thin.” What is your favorite memory of me? “Probably some of the weird conversations we have at lunch.” Are there any funny stories your family tells about you that come to mind? “My papa (Grandfather) like’s to tell this one story when I was younger. Basically this one time when I was younger, me and my grandpa were walking (i don’t remember where) but we passed a group of old people; and i turned to him and said “papa…..old people walk like penguins.” Are there any stories, memories, or character’s you’d like to tell me about? “I have this one oc (original character) names Asra that i made in 8th grade. He’s a character i still draw comics for.” What are you proudest of? “The art I actually put effort into." |
The Things I Carry by Clowey Goodwin
I carry gum because it's always good to have, I always have at least one pack of either gum, or mints on me. Highlighters, pens, pencils and colored pencils are all things I need for class, especially art class, and they are what I need for taking notes, and completing schoolwork. For me chapstick is a must. I always have a few chapsticks on me that I have to apply several times a day. I read somewhere that chapsticks actually dry out your lips, so your lips become dependent on chapstick for moisture, so you need to apply, and buy more. I actually believe this because I have to apply chapstick all the time or my lips because dry because I believe that chapstick has depleted all my natural moisture, but I still carry it, because I don't want dry lips. Hand sanitizer is also something I use way too much, and you can tell by my hands, because they are dry. I don't have OCD, or anything, but one thing I am weird about is germs, and cleanliness. I have to be clean. I would carry hand lotion, but I feel like that would counteract the hand sanitizer, and I wouldn't want that, so I will just deal with the dry hands. At the moment I have a Golden Girls Magazine in my bookbag. I needed to bring in a magazine for art, so I could find magazine images for a project. This actually surprised me, because I brought in this magazine a while ago, and when I just looked in my bookbag, I forgot why it was in there. I then remembered that it was for my art project from a while ago. Scrunchies are very necessary for someone like me with long and thick hair. Little hair ties always break, so I can't even use them. I always have a scrunchie on my wrist, and I also usually have an extra one in my bookbag. I just love scrunchies for some reason. I can never have enough, and I always find myself buying way more than I need. So kind of like chapstick. I always buy chapstick that I don't need. Notebooks are another thing that I carry, that I have problems with. I always have notebooks on me, but I never really use them. There is usually a notebook in my bookbag that has one or two used pages in it, but I keep buying more. I prefer to use binders and loose leaf paper instead of notebooks, so I always have both of those items with me. I carry a sketchbook because I am in Art 4, and I have to turn in sketchbook drawings, just about every week. There is also usually a lot of loose papers in my bookbag for art ideas, that somehow just keep ending up in the bottom of my bookbag. I also usually have a small wallet with change, and about $10, just in cause I need to buy anything at school. You don't want to carry too much money to school incase someone with bad intentions looks in your bookbag. I have known too many people that have been stolen from at school, and I don't want to be one of them. Something kind of random that I have is oil blotting sheets. I have oily skin, so I carry blotting sheets to help out with that. Sometimes I have sunglasses in my bookbag, but I just checked, and at the moment I don't. I think I took that pair out, but I can't remember where they are. Now I know I need to go home and find those because that pair was expensive. I always have some random things in my purse and bookbag, but I think that everyone does. It's interesting to see what someone has in their bag, and I think that it tells a lot about someone. You can always tell more about a person by looking at what they carry around with them. I also carry the worry and stress of the people that keep asking me what I am doing. I'm not someone who is easily stressed, but one thing that does stress me out is the people that keep on asking me what I am doing with my life. I carry the weight of people asking me things that I don't know the answer too. I know I probably shouldn't be like that, but I am. I don't know what it is, but I will be inspired to do something, but as soon as someone asks me, or tells me to do something, I don't want to do it anymore. The worst part about being a senior is the questions people ask. I know that I am a senior, but is that all we can talk about? Yes, I am graduating, and yes, I am going to college. Now let's talk about anything else, and I mean anything. That may make me seem like a bad person, but at this point I don't really care. People asking me things like that, is something that I carry the weight of, and get frustrated by. Other than that, nothing really bothers me too much, and I would say that I don't really carry any other burdens. |
Why I Play Video Games by David Rose
I play video games because it’s a escape from reality. I play video games because i can explore a dungeon or a space station. I play video games because why not. I play video games because it’s fun. I play video games because I want to play though stories of other people. I play video games for the competition. I play video games because my friends are online. I play video games because i can be a race car driver or a tomb explorer. I play video games because i can be a fighter with crazy moves or a plumber that jumps on turtles. I play video games because it's a form of entertainment. I play video games because I can spend time with my brother that doesn't live with my family anymore. I play video games because there are so many different communities for each and every game that make you feel like a family. I play video games because who doesn't want to jump to another world or place every once in a while. I play video games because one day it could be the difference in the future if I get paid or not. I play video games because I can be on a team of monster hunters or a pirate sailing the seas with stolen treasure. I play video games because I like staying up late trying to win a online match or defeating a boss with a group of friends. I play video games because when I become a dad in the future I want my kids to have the same experiences that I had growing up. I play video games because it keeps my mind sharp. I play video games because it keeps my reflexes fast. I play video games because I can be a rogue elf in a group of people that's trying to kill a dragon or I could have the thrill of running away from a alien on a space station. I play video games because I know it can bring people, families and friends together. I play video games because you can go into VR and experience other worlds in a whole new way. I play video games because you can be whoever you want to be no matter what. I play video games to escape from reality just for those few hours that lighten up my day. |