Anger in the Room
by Ryan, NECC

Rage held in a bottle,
as they sit in a hot, cramped room,
debating a man’s life.
 

Words like knives begin to fly
and stir the hate that none can see.
Yelling and arguing, wanting to be heard—
Fighting and scratching against the glass.
 

They come with words like war.
They stir and shake the glass some more.
The anger bubbles as emotions fizzle.
The heat causes the gas to build.
Pop!

​​​​​

Art Works

by Dylan, WERDCC

​

Clay-sculpted gargoyles, bars of handmade soap

with flowers trapped inside, waxy forever blooms.

Every summer hosted at another middle school

but never the one my family attended - 

too poor, too old, and unimpressive for this

and I liked/hated seeing where the rich kids went.

Self-conscious of my brown bag lunches, mostly air,

I ate beside front steps, under trees

blissfully alone and away from my siblings

or so I told myself.

I remember the summer there was nothing

to take away from the emptiness of a paper bag

but I had found two quarters for the vending machine-

success - line up with the others,

and eat pre-packaged calories from a box.

I waited and waited,

and the machine took my change

with several clunky, echoing sounds, 

metal against metal 

and the Cheeze-Its jammed against the rungs

stuck

unmoving

and I walked away in shame.

​

How stupid to try to eat

like I could afford the luxury

I stood hungrily beneath the crabapple tree

eating handfuls of its bitter fruit

to push away hunger pains

only to vomit later on a half-written poem

the rest of the day forgotten misery.

​​​​

​​​​​​​​

Stand and Be Counted
By Timothy, NECC

Stand and be counted.
That now has two meanings to me.
It used to have a meaning of pride and respect.
Now, it’s four times a day,
back of the cell,
and it comes with shame and worthlessness.
 

Stand and be counted...
Yeah...
it depends on where you are standing
and who is counting.

​

​​​

​Stars so Bright

by Angaline, WERDCC

​

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder where
you are.
Patsy, am I ‘crazy’ to want to hear you
one more time?
Loretta and June, are you both burning Daddy’s
coal in a ‘ring of fire’ in the sky?
Tammy, ‘whatever happened to us’ that you are
like a diamond in the sky so bright?
Tanya, your sun may be ‘blood red and going down,’
but you are like a star up above the world so high.
Shania, you are ‘forever and for always’
young and shiny.
Naomi, I wish I may, I wish I might make you
smile when I say ‘momma he’s crazy.’
Reba, if you see a falling star, wish all over—
‘chains are gone.’
Someday all of us will join you Highwomen
at your ‘crowded table’ in the stars above
the world so high.