Young Poets OutLOUD

Many young Islanders (18 and younger) submit their original poems, and we publish them here on our website. We rotate poems continuously, so this page will change from time to time. Keep checking back to see what new work by young Islanders appears, and tell your friends to visit too!

Everyday Life, a haiku

by Sal Cento

The sun rises up
Evolution begins now
Then the darkness strikes

Freedom Captured, a haiku

by Sal Cento

Limitless flight through
And through, until it is no
More, the freedom of …

My Five Senses at the Stables!

By Esme Ng, 2nd Grade

I hear horses
I see sheep dogs
I smell hay
I taste snacks that my mom packs
I touch my horse’s hair

My Black Rose

by Danielle Daniels, McKee High School

My rose symbolizes my pain
So you are the soil, my foundation
The reason I am who I am today
I wasn’t much when we first met
But, being in your presence made me blossom.

You didn’t give me the attention I needed
So, I started to lose color and die
Now, I’m nothing but a black rose.

No emotions, no way of speaking, and now, no place of comfort.
With you was where I needed to be.

But, I guess everything doesn’t work out for the best.

I am who I am

by Joneise McCrae, Curtis High School

I am who I am
The mirror will smile today
All masks put aside

I thought I should hide
But, it takes a dream to find
Gold inside my eyes

I am a dreamer
Dare to be a believer
Pursue who you are

Can you fathom pain?
Life is such a fragile game
But who cares, take risk

Closing out the rain
Be who you are without shame
I am who I am

The Road

by Ryan Arazi, Staten Island Academy

Life is like a road,
Sometimes there is traffic,
And sometimes It is clear.

Sometimes you get a flat tire,
And sometimes,
you get stopped by the police
sometimes,
you might just want to take it slow,
even if the road is clear.

But Never rush,
When you rush,
you crash.

And you will never,
Be able to fix it.

Just Be Kind

by Jackie Moses, PS 6

I try to wear a smile
I hide the sadness in my mind

My brother has autism
Why can’t people just be kind?

Some kids are in a wheelchair
And others may be blind

Some kids can’t read and some can’t hear
Why can’t people just be kind?

If only people would take the time
To lend a helping hand

We could learn from one another

We could learn to understand

If we all look deep inside our hearts
I think we all would find

The world would be a better place
If we all would just be kind

Inside My Heart

by Julie Moses, PS 6

My brother can’t speak
Or even understand

We all must work together
To lend a helping hand

Sometimes he is quiet
Sometimes he is loud

People may be staring
But still I am proud

He works very hard
Every minute of every day

If something is wrong with him
He has no words to say

Sometimes he gets angry
Sometimes I’m afraid

But I love him so very much
And I would never ever trade

My brother has autism
He is such a mystery

Still he is always inside my heart
And he means the world to me.

The Next to Normal Album

by Vivian Rapacciuolo

I shut my eyes
Striving to know nothing but the music
I feel the beautiful orchestrations run through me

Then the vocalists
And the music brings euphoria

The music can’t stop yet

I quickly put on Hair
Wanting to dance and sing
I shake my head and scream the lyrics

Then it hurts
And the music brings euphoria

The day speeds by
I don’t even try slowing it
Letting each album tell me a story
I’m taken through every emotion imaginable

Then I’m complete
And the music brings euphoria

Faces

by Anne Le (written in the style of Emily Dickinson)

Those faces
That you can see from afar
They fill the empty spaces
In your fragile heart.

They speak of how
The world can be so much more;
And how you can make a new day out of now,
Even when you don’t know what you want anymore.