by The Cowl Editor on December 8, 2017

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by Marelle Hipolito ’21

red. green. green, red.
what was once alive is now dead
red. green. green, red.
all because of something that should’ve been left unsaid

him, and his little bitta whiskey
me, and my now little brittle heart
why’d he have to open his mouth, and tear me apart?
now the chestnuts are cuts
the candy canes are pains
white Christmas, he drunkenly stained

red. green.
he wasn’t what he seemed.
red, to grinch green.
I became equally as mean.

broken ornaments and cold fireplaces, empty with no wood
blown out candles, no carolers in the neighborhood
dimmed star on the floor by the tree
unopened box of the nativity scene
why did he have to be so mean?

but, you glued the ornaments back together
made the embers spark, and fight back the cold weather
you sang songs of carolers down through the streets
lit the candles, and placed the star back on the top of the tree
next to a table where we set up the nativity scene
and you warmed my heart again, back to its size three

green, red.
you’re sweeter than gingerbread
green, to love red.
you’re the merry to my Christmas,

the end.

by The Cowl Editor on November 30, 2017

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by Julia Zygiel ’19

 

In the heat of imagination

You loved me back

Held me with the intention to keep me

 

In a haze of unreality everything has significance

your silence

your deafening blabber

the smallest sigh is despair

a half smile is the ecstasy of love

it encapsulated me

until it was all I could think of

all I could dream of

the echoes of it still haunt my dreams

by The Cowl Editor on November 30, 2017

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by Sam Pellman ’20

 

I’ve gotten lost multiple times in my life on multiple occasions.

I’ve gotten lost in the mall, roaming store after store until I don’t remember where I started.

I’ve lost my mom in the grocery store.

I’ve lost my car in the parking lot and spent 20 minutes trying to find it.

I’ve gotten lost in a corn maze.

I’ve been lost in an airport and missed my flight.

I’ve gotten lost on my college campus, walking into the wrong classroom.

I’ve lost my dad in Home Depot and had to use the loudspeaker to find him.

I’ve lost my phone in my pocket.

I’ve lost my sunglasses on my head.

I’ve lost myself in a daydream waking up to a disappointing reality.

I’ve gotten lost in a museum and it closed while I was still inside.

I’ve lost loved ones and friends.

I’ve lost games and contests.

I’ve lost my temper.

I’ve lost sight of what’s important.

I’ve lost my heart after I gave it to someone who dropped it.

I’ve gotten lost in the thrill of it all at times in my life,

But the one thing I refuse to ever lose is myself.

by The Cowl Editor on November 30, 2017

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by Marelle Hipolito ’21

 

pebbles:

are in the ocean.

they stay in the background.

give all their life to

the surrounding ocean, and there is

nothing;

nothing left for them to uphold.

everything to love about them: gone.

Unless, of course, they are for the ocean.

They are beautiful when wet, with the ocean salt

They are loved when skipped, in the ocean

Only remembered and found, in the ocean.

moving with the flow, they agree to choices,

choices that they do not make for themselves.

These are choices that benefit the tide of the ocean

The wave of the ocean

Everything for the ocean

sacrificing their existence for the other.

colored gray, weathered by rough environment

harshness on their surfaces:

it makes them weak—dependent.

You made me YOUR PEBBLE.

Your life, YOU were the great wondrous ocean, and I, I!

I was merely a crumb under your fingernails but when you. needed. me—NO!

I, then, was so much MORE IMPORTANT.

you would not be ANYWHERE without me, the small, gray pebble that you molded into your slave

I used to be my own rock, confident and proud, but you seduced me into your waves

into the shriveled up person that I am now

I gave you EVERYTHING

this is how you REPAY ME?

you weakened and minimized me into this small

shy pebble that needed your approval for everything

YOUR MAJESTY—what should I do for you next?

Where do you want me to sit, where do you want me to stand?

what kind of tide should I flow with now?

What kind of wave should I bear with now?

High, low, it’s up to you! I am for you, only you, there is nowhere else to go to

whatever will appease you, great ocean king of my life

you put me down so you could step up on my shoulders so you can be at the great height you are at now

I used to be vibrant, full of life and joy and excitement then you pulled me with your crystal clear ocean waves and it was only then, when I became your pebble that I saw myself

STUCK in the swampy muddy waters of yours polluted with your deepest darkest secrets that I kept. for. YOU!

I HOPE YOU DROWN in your own ocean,

and become your own pebble

that will stay in the background.

by The Cowl Editor on November 16, 2017

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by Jonathan Coppe ’18

Among the dusty shelves I see it nestled

—O wicked, foolish kin to leave it so!—

O, what dreams lie herein? What foreign lands

of sunset-colored love and joyful tears?

So off the shelf it comes and to a desk.

With greedy hands the cover comes undone.

And here I see some reference to a god

to whom the Ancient Greeks would slaughter lambs

immortalized in a now forgotten book.

—This fate does scarce inspire joy and awe…—

But half an hour in I have made out

that little have I grasped, although my eyes

run on and on and on across these lines.

Nor majesty nor beauty fill my heart.

Instead each weighty stanza more abstruse,

and every line the meaning veiled, opaque.

Could it be? This same world I lament

and sigh to see, is no less than the world

of poetry, and this is everything after all?

by The Cowl Editor on November 16, 2017

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by Kiley McMahon ’20

 

La vida es corta,

La vie est courte,

La vita é breve,

Life is short.

 

Soy de España,

Je viens de la France,

Vengo dall’Italia,

I am from the United States.

 

I make millions of dollars,

While I find my next meal wherever I sleep.

 

I used to make millions,

But I lost my job and now I beg.

 

I used to find my next meal wherever I slept,

And you walked right on by,

Snickering and taunting.

 

It does not matter where you are from,

Or what your background is.

 

Life works in mysterious ways,

And we have to be cautious of its windy roads,

While treating others with the utmost amount of respect.

 

Soy de España,

And I am from the United States.

 

I am a millionaire,

and I find my next meal wherever I sleep.

by The Cowl Editor on November 9, 2017

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by Marelle Hipolito ’21

 

i ate some fried chicken yesterday

it tasted good to eat my worries away

i saw my friend in the hallway

but i hit a locker and it took my breath away

i went to stats we had a happy frappy

made me realize that my life was so crappy

 

but it’s alright

and it’s okay

cause i ordered chicken and it’s on the way

 

i love the fried chicken delivery boy

he’s got a look that could bring me some joy

but i don’t even pay attention to his face

just the chicken he’s holding that’s good for my plate

 

fried chicken tastes so good

it always brings up my mood

it’s the only reason for me to run

because eating chicken is just too fun

 

i met a boy a few days ago

worth a million boxes of cookie dough

i found him on instagram, oh lord god bless

i tried to follow him but he ignored my request

 

but it’s alright

and it’s okay

cause i ordered chicken and it’s on the way

 

my friend caitlin and i were parking i thought we had some space

but i’m blind and we hit another car like a slap in the face

later in the shower i tried to change the song

lesson learned: phones and water don’t get along

 

had a physics test where i was barely alive

legit i didn’t study i got a 25

it’s okay though cause i took a nap

and found peace in a chicken wrap

 

but each night when i went home

i was never ever alone

because i ate fried chicken all those days

and my worries went away

by The Cowl Editor on November 2, 2017

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by Erin Lucey ’20

 

I never knew I was afraid

But when the lights dimmed, the darkness stayed.

Did it happen all at once?

Or was I simply unaware

Until I suddenly awoke and could find nothing there.

 

I remember the light,

And the colors that screamed with fearless delight.

But the memories of the middle are nowhere to be found,

And the sharpness of the black is all too profound.

 

Was the light simply a dream?

From which I returned with a bloodcurdling scream?

If it is not existent—so far from real,

Then why do I crave it with a blaring zeal?

 

Searching for the switch, the dial, or power,

But every moment feels like a darker hour.

Is it possible that this shadow will eventually fade?

Though until now, I never knew I was afraid.

by The Cowl Editor on November 2, 2017

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by Kiley McMahon ’20

 

As the tears fall from my solemn blue eyes,

and as the children stroll on by,

their guardians look at me,

for they know my secret.

 

Their lingering stares

melt my mind,

for they are truly forever engrained.

 

The lifeless soul

looks back at me,

as I relive the moment,

continuously.

 

The first stab,

my heart runs its course,

at one hundred miles per minute.

 

The second stab,

my heart aches,

for the pain feels too good.

 

I cannot stop,

for the adrenaline is too much.

 

With each kill,

I become more and more power hungry.

As I stand lifeless next to this deceased body,

whose name is unknown to me,

I watch individuals stroll on by,

and I realize that I need help.

 

As the children smile,

wearing their sweet,

content smiles,

I am aware that I need guidance,

as soon as possible.

 

I need aid,

as I stand lifeless,

in front of this body,

whose name is unknown to me.

 

Sincerely,

Anonymous

by The Cowl Editor on October 26, 2017

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“Dev missed school today.”

“He missed it yesterday, too.”

“So HE was the bait.”

—Julia Zygiel ’19

 

A jagged smile smirks.

Hollowed eyes stare in the dark.

It’s a frightful sight.

—Marisa Gonzalez ’18

 

The sky grows foggy

Black monsters leave their dark caves

To torment again!

—Sam Pellman ’20

It was time for mail

The letter read Rest In Peace

In giant letters

—Jess Polanco ’20

 

Autumn’s costume show

Hides from careless grins the truth:

You will all grow up.

—Jonathan Coppe ’18