Rochester High School

Waking up too early
Shower’s not getting hot.
Hair won’t stop frizzing
Make-up needs to be bought.

Driving to school
Almost out of gas.
Stalling at the light
Everyone wanting to pass.

Walking down the hall.
Books falling to the ground.
Leaning to pick them up
People just walk around.

Hearing others whisper
Not sure what’s going on.
Heads turn, eyes stare
Something has to be wrong.

Tests get handed back.
All I see is red.
Bringing home a C
Excuses run through my head.

Mom yelling, Dad screaming
Running to my room.
Let music fill my ears.
As I turn up the volume.

Staring at the ceiling.
Wishing it wasn’t there.
Clock still says three
This just isn’t fair.

Don’t you just hate it when
Everything goes wrong?

A letter of a Teen’s love frustrations: cyber boyfriend or one two states away
(* all names changed to protect the unknown!)
Dear-self,
Today has been awful. This whole week has been. I miss *Nathan. *Al, my current boyfriend seems like he could care less about me. When we talk on the phone things are awful but when we’re together our time is amazing. What am I supposed to do?
I want love. I want it back. I want *Nathan back. He may have lived a thousand miles away but he treated me with more respect and love than anyone else. I’m starting to wonder If I’ve even made the right decision leaving *Nathan.
I don’t like the way he talks to me like I’m trash. If only cyber boyfriends weren’t so mysterious. But then again *Al lives two states away but at least I’ve met him.
My mom tells me no, my dad tells me no, but I still want *Nathan. Looks like it’s time to get a new boyfriend. Some where close, some where near. All around here boys are stupid! I don’t understand them or I’ve known them too long. Well I guess this is just considered as a day in the life of a frustrated teen. Who do I choose? The one I love who I’ve never met or the one who I like and treats me like garbage?
Well it’s all a little to frustrating. Looks like I’ll be single again! Wait..That’s a first for me.

That Bittersweet Feeling

By Allyson Paquette
Rochester High School, Grade 10

Standing
Shoulder to shoulder
Trying to keep our heads up high.

People
We don’t know half of
Come out to bid us goodbye.

Music
Begins to play
I count the beats in my head.

Walking
The endless aisle
Keeping an eye on my target.

Sun
Beats down on us
I wish there was a breeze.

Sitting
White chairs in rows
I try to pick someone out of the crowd.

Smiling
As I receive my diploma
Then head back to my place.

Walking
Again, yet not the same
A new direction of life upon us.

Hugs
From friends, family, strangers alike
A pile of cards in my hand.

Tears
Pour down my cheeks
Will I see you all again?

Friends
Since we were born
We can’t bear the thought of leaving.

Shouts
Of mixed feelings, as we the class of 2010, graduate from Rochester High School on that hot, humid day in June.

Love is not just a feeling
Something not subject to stealing
But rather an expression
Is most definite an obsession

People get trapped looking for love
They don’t understand it gets sent from above
The want for true love can get to them
But the hardships are worth the gem

Love is not easy
At times it may seem cheesy
In the end it’s worth the price
Cause the feeling you feel is unexplainably nice

Wish and wish upon a shooting star
Seems so near but yet so far
Most of the time its right there
But you’re stuck in a constant stare

Love is not something you can own
But something longed for when alone
All the long and tedious nights
After the unbearable fights

Love is something I feel
It’s warmer than a hot meal
So go ahead and look
It may be the biggest challenge I ever took

Graduation

By Liam Mckinley
Rochester High School, Grade 10

Years and years, shoved into mere minutes

Where everything matters

No words left unsaid

Nothing left untouched

And the responsibilities taken

You’ve left me stumbling and tripping down memory lane

Your eyes filled with all the laughter and tears

Growing and finding each other at the right times

And at the wrong times

Learning to stop caring

And start smiling

Smile no matter what

Why should it be any other way?

Frowns just make no sense to me all of a sudden

So thank you.

And now,

Welcome to graduation...

Spring

The birds come out to sing
The church bells start to ring
They joyful laughter it will bring
The children will come out and swing
The bees will start to sting

But this is all only in the spring

Grandma’s house

By Kierstan Merrill
Rochester High School, Grade 9

Baking cookies
Watching movies
Telling stories
Having no worries
Her cozy hugs
Nice hot chocolate in her special mugs
Sitting by the fire
That I love to admire
When it's time to go
On my cheek it will show
A big lipstick stain
And it’s rude to complain
She says I love you
We say we love you too
And we leave grandma's house
Until next time

Headaches

I hate headaches. I’ve suffered from them for ten years, a decade of pain. It has taken so much from me. I can’t do anything and I always have to cancel appointments and hanging out with my friends. I wish that the migraines would just go away. I have to take all kinds of medicines and it messes up my stomach.
I don’t really have a life because of them. They make me so sick and I hate it when I have a headache. I have tried so many remedies. I lay in bed all day and my head feels like it’s going to explode and I throw up. I put cold wash cloths on my head and stay away from light and noise, which means no music and no TV. This experience is horrible!

I wish that I could have a normal life like everyone else and I could go a normal day hangout with friends, go shopping and not have a migraine. I hope some day they can fix it and that I won’t have migraines anymore.

You’re lost.
You were never lost before, it just hit you.
She left you.
She didn’t want to leave, but it was meant to be.
You miss her, we all do.
When you lost her, you begin to loose control of your thoughts.
It drove you to forget things; see things; change your entire personality.
It hurts us to see you like this.
But you aren’t who you used to be, and we must learn to adapt to your confused self.
It’s hard for me to understand; why you don’t remember me.
Why when you look at me; you see a stranger.
But when I look at you; I see my loving grandfather who cooked me scrambled eggs every morning for breakfast.
You used to know who I was. Your number one granddaughter.
But now, you live in a totally different world then I do.
And god our worlds seem so far away.
I wish you were able to find your way out of the maze that you unwillingly walked into.
But wishing will only get me so far.

I was alone,
The last time,
I felt that way.

And,
I was an emotional wreck.
I thought I could handle life without you,
And I was right.

I was confused,
The last time,
I felt that way.

And,
I could've left this world,
I thought my joy would be forever gone,
And I was wrong.

I am starting fresh,
This is the first time,
I've felt this way.

And,
I gave in to romance.

In winter
Its cold,
It’s windy,
It’s snowy.
In spring
It’s cool,
But warm,
And it rains quite a bit.
In summer
It’s nice and warm,
It gets really humid,
And dry,
And when it rains,
it rains really hard.
In autumn
It gets cooler,
As the leaves fall off the trees,
It’s so cold at night that

Have I been here before?
I can’t tell, but I continue my mad dash down the hall.
I don’t know why I am running or why I am in this old house.
How long have I been here?
I search my mind but there is no recollection.
Time seems not to exist.
I turn a corner.
Where am I going?
I have no sense of direction and recognize nothing.
And yet everything seems all too familiar.

Walking down the cold dark street of a crowded city
The smell of stale beer and trash, arousing a sense of danger
The world is full of scary people
Can’t trust anyone
Murderers, thieves, child molesters
They are everywhere
All they care about is themselves
Selfish, greedy, worthless
They put a strain on life

Light Switch

By Danielle Novotny
Rochester High School, Grade 10

Suddenly awake
Alone
Darkness
Not knowing what surrounds me
Every little noise sending shivers through my spine
Sweating bullets of fear
Body shudders and cringes at the tingly feeling of little creatures crawling
Up my arms
Down my legs
Over my back
And across my face
Building up the courage to get out from under the covers
And walk toward the light switch