COMEDY Poem: Tale of three Friends, by Anukousalya Anbarasan

There were three friends lived in a town,
Panda and White Bear and the other one is Brown Bear
Yet she was known as Mama Bear
They joined college to study together,
Hoping those days would last forever.

Brown Bear acts like a mummy,
And the Panda is full of clumsy.
The White Bear is a little bit crazy—
“I know they’re hard to handle, maybe.”
Mama Bear sighs, “But I’ll take it easy.”

Brown Bear is never late,
She finishes all her work straight—
So, she could have fun and still get an A grade.

Contrary, the Panda—
Though she comes first in every grades—
Never forgets to get into fights with the staircase.
Her body full of bruises and pain,
Later she reasons with stories and tales again.
Mama Bear wonders,
“How did she end up in such a state?”

Here comes Lazy Bear,
Always there to mess with their brain, dear!
When Mama and Panda try to teach her,
They lose their minds in fear—
Forget everything they learned once clear.

Their days never end without little games,
Whispers, laughter, and sweet nicknames.
As for washroom trips and canteen stays,
Panda says,
“Don’t worry—
We’ve got lots of breaks to carry, anyways!”

Everyone asks with judging marks,
“How hard is it to write and pass?”

Mama Bear roars,
“Oh, come on! You’ve no idea how many days
We stood in lines for extra points to pass our ways!”

Always had time for momos,
With hot and spicy combos
Before heading back to their cozy domes.

Three years passed,
Graduated at last.
Now each bear is in a different place,
Working on dreams at their own pace.

How many hardships did arise—
In a life of twists, lows and highs?
But never apart in heart, no matter the case,
Even at full distance, they share the same space

TRAGIC Poem: Him and You, by Macy flynn

I would bow on a plane of shattered glass
Just to run my brass hands through your blonde hair
And lay with you On the grass
one more time
But You dyed your hair brown
And I let my hands rust

I would gauge my own eyes out with a spoon
Just to swoon and listen to you talk about your games
Or to be how we were last June
One more time
But you don’t talk
And I can’t listen

I would bleed out in an old parking lot
Just to joke about how stupid pot smokers and druggies were
And Call all night and pray we didn’t get caught
One more time
But you go to bed early
And I’m trying to get sober

I would cut off a limb
If I could swim in your blue eyes
Or do dumb shit on a whim
One more time
But the reality is
You aren’t him, you are you
And I’m not her, I am me

But I still want him
And you don’t want her or me

SUMMER Poem: Amen, by Ariel Zhang

we huddle around the lamplight
knees kissing the linoleum floors.
our bodies saved summer
’s heat. we rub our palms together
to resurrect the magic of the sun, falling
back into our shapeless, galloping shadows.
you ask me to tell a bedtime story
but i insist we say a prayer first.
your eyes are confused. you don’t understand
why we’re praying if we’re not religious.
i tell you that you don’t need to believe
in god to pray. you ask me why.
and i say that’s just the way we are,
doing and undoing. such conversations
seem to go nowhere. they seem to not
exist at all. a distant station exhales
from the radio, turned halfway on. i don’t
know when you started to eat your own
skin at night, to blister your lips to sand
and tuck them in the seabed of your
stomach. i thought i would stay with you,
at least for tonight because tomorrow’s
the day you’re dying. you don’t
seem to know that and i don’t
tell you, that this prayer is for you.
i don’t know what your name means
but the second syllable sounds like “beauty”
in my home tongue. under the lamplight,
your skin is liquid gold.

YOUNG ADULT Poem: A Boy Trying to be a Man, by Sebastian Montano

He felt emotional pain
His heart was melting
The type of pain he didn’t want to feel
Instead of cutting his body
He cut his soul
Becoming a slave of the world
Letting his body belong to others
Drowning himself in lust
For the pleasure of others
What had he become?
Whatever they needed him to be he said
He didn’t exist for himself
He didn’t want to
He wanted to escape his emotions
He just wanted to be apathetic
So he drowned himself In sexual desire
A desire he didn’t have
But it was his only escape
Picture after picture, video after video
He lost his dignity, the respect of his body
He lost his soul

TRAGIC Poem: VISION unrealized, by Destiny Coil

it was my life
jumping and spinning
perfecting the movements
mediocrity won’t suffice

a routine
perfectly crafted
practiced for hours

a chance
for my hard work
to be recognized

a jump
a perfect spin
a landing

the approach
a jump
a spin
but no landing

my broken blades
lay on the ice
by my side
as the crowd gasped

those gasps
hurt more
than the fall

forcing a realization
that my dream
would never be
completed,

paramedics,
ambulance ride,
doctors,

condolences,
apologies,
they helped

until
i heard their words

uncensored,
disappointed,
disgusted

“waste of talent”
“replaceable”
“insignificant”

it was true

it just hurt to know
that i wasn’t
the only one

47th President Poem: Crowned in Confidence, by Dijone Flowers

In time, confidence always Trumps competence.
Not a skill—
But in spectacle.

Crown the loudest bravado.
Stomp on clouds tomorrow,
Diamond scaffolds cannot break,
Even those built on lies and stakes.

With just enough competence
to hire the confident.

And one day
Be surrounded by
Nothing but
Confidence.

What happened to those with the competence?
They lack confidence.

So they refine competence.
Accrue confidence
Until reality becomes conscience.
Competence always embraces competence,
Secretly craving—
The answers of confidence.

Press in—then
Ring—break the scene.
A comes before C,
Fire first—then define the dream.

So which reality do we live in?
A world where confidence crowns the throne,
While competence builds the castle—
never allow to own.

RELATIONSHIP Poem: Suffering, by M. Haseeb Khan

In the depths of despair, suffering does reside,
A shadow that follows, where hope cannot hide.
It lurks in the darkness, like a cunning thief,
Stealing peace and joy, causing endless grief.
It haunts the broken hearts, with its icy touch,
Leaving scars and wounds, that hurt so much.
It wears down the spirit, with relentless force,
Draining all strength, leaving no remorse.
Suffering, a silent companion in our strife,
Testing our resilience on the journey of life.
It comes in many forms, like a cruel disguise,
A relentless storm, where tears fall from our eyes.
In times of hardship, suffering seems endless,
A relentless tide, an abyss so bottomless.
But within each trial, there lies a hidden thread,
A glimmer of strength, waiting to be fed.
For suffering teaches, in its own painful way,
To cherish the sunshine, on the darkest day.
It builds resilience, hones our inner might,
Transforming us into warriors who embrace the fight.
So let us not cower, or let suffering define,
But rise up with courage, love as our lifeline.
For in the depths of struggle, we learn to rise,
With hearts that are stronger, and eyes that are wise.
Suffering may linger, but it does not define,
The essence within us that’s forever divine.
With hope as our ally, and love as our guide,
We’ll conquer the suffering that tries to hide.

LIFE Poem: The Power Of Words, by Willow Hewett

Words have power, soft or strong,
They build you up or do you wrong.
A love letter, sweet, tender, and true,
Or sharpest lines that cut right through.

For years they’ve travelled, far and wide,
Through ancient scrolls and kingdoms’ pride.
They crowned a king, or declared a war,
They whispered peace, they opened doors.

A telegram, so short yet deep,
Could bring you joy or make you weep.
Edicts sealed in wax and gold,
Shaped the fate of young and old.

Words can sing, they shout, they dance,
A poet’s voice, a lover’s glance.
A battle cry, a leader’s stand,
Or wisdom passed from hand to hand.

They help us learn, they help us grow,
From childhood days to all we know.
Through Shakespeare’s quill and well-known songs,
Their echoes still are loud and strong.

Words have taught us to express,
In every tongue, with no redress.
From Latin prose to samurai code,
They paved the paths that history rode.

Words unite us, near and far,
Through stormy skies or shining stars.
The speeches bold, the letters penned,
Could forge a bond or spark an end.

Words have been with us since time began,
Through wars and choices made by man.
The cries of freedom, lines of peace,
Or tales of battles that never cease.

Words have shaped the books we read,
The films we love, the thoughts we breed.
From stories told to lines we see,
Words have even made you and me.

And in one moment, swift and true,
A single word can change our views