Motionless Crowd Read online



  Motionless Crowd

  By

  Levi Archer

  Deanna Bauer

  Kira Greenfield

  Marwa Ibrahim

  Cleopatra Kembitsky

  Gaby Morazan

  Lorryn Scott

  Robbin Van Wyck

  Patrick Vazquez

  Keng Vang

  Alexa Zapata

  ~~~

  Edited by Laurel Osterkamp

  Copyright 2015 by Laurel Osterkamp. All rights reserved.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a compilation of poetry and short fiction by students from Columbia Heights High School, in Columbia Heights, MN. Principal, Dan Wrobleski. Superintendent, Kathy Kelly.

  Table of Contents

  Monster By Ashley Roberts

  The Unlucky One By Alexa Zapata

  On The Inside By Kira Greenfield

  A Work of Art By Levi Archer

  Falling Drops By Keng Vang

  Love By Marwa Ibrahim

  Stuck By Levi Archer

  The Purple Children By Lorryn Scott

  All We Want is Peace By Kira Greenfield

  Cam Baker By Patrick Vazquez

  Augustus By Ashley Roberts

  Prisoner By Cleopatra Kimbitskey

  Words Unsaid By Deanna Bauer

  Five Reasons By Robbin VanWyck

  Connecting Community Hands By Gaby Morazon

  Elements Poem By Ashley Roberts

  A Small Tiny Boy By Robbin VanWyck

  Small By Levi Archer

  An Old Friend By Robbin VanWyck

  Dying To Move On By Marwa Ibrahim

  Monster

  By Ashley Roberts

  Tossing back and forth, his eye lids crinkle, making it easy to notice he's shutting his eyes tighter. Sweat glazes his face as he's struggling with a dream. Perhaps a nightmare.

  "No!" He mumbles, gripping the sheets. His heart is beating so fast, he's afraid it'll explode. He wakes up.

  Sometimes he would forget where he was. Unfortunately, he'd never forget his nightmares. They seem so real, he fears that once he closes his eyes to rest, he may never wake up again.

  Suddenly, his bed shakes as if something or someone is under his bed. He knew exactly who and what it was.

  Sometimes, I'm friends with the monster I fear; the monster that lives beneath my bed. Inside my bedroom is like a food source. Inside my mind is like a first-aid-kit. Once he's wounded from the memories, he creeps into my head and feeds off of my fear. Sometimes, I'm jealous because he's able to run away and hide in the dark alone. Most of the time, I'm scared of him. I wonder if he was once innocent, then made evil. Maybe he got hurt. Maybe he was abused, and has made himself angry. Does he hide because he is ashamed?.. Ashamed of what he has become?

  The boy finds enough strength and courage to climb out of bed. The clock says 11:45 p.m. Maybe he will get a drink of water until midnight is over. Leaving his bedroom is a relief.

  After the 15 minutes, he decides to go back into his room. Underneath the bed looks fine. And nothing is disturbed. He proceeds. However, the feel of the bed pressing against his back is different. A feeling he has never endured.

  All of the sudden, the monster grabs his throat from beneath him. His hand is so tight around his neck, sound is impossible to escape. A tear rolls down his face, replacing a scream. "Is tonight the night I die?" He cries in his thoughts. His thoughts were immediately corrupted by someone else.

  I'm sorry for not being there. I'm sorry for all the pain I caused. Sadly, I'm not sorry for bleeding at all. At one point, I did feel like everything was my fault. However, I refuse to apologize for becoming a monster. The more I apologize, the more I feel weak. I know avoiding how I feel will only lead to confusion. Then, convincing myself I'm not a monster will only blind me from what and who I really am. The darkest secret is the one that yearns for a confession. It's no secret that I allow sorrow as a struggle within love. And how pain is only the thickness in my blood. Sadly, out of anger, I created nothing but depression. Desperation to escape the truth or an enemy. When looking at myself, I see the amount of pain through my eyes. Still, there’s a punishment labeled "pay the price". In the mirror, I find my ability hard to free me.

  "I know... You're struggling between good and evil." The boy says. The monster loosens his grip on the boys throat. He grunts miserably and releases his grip.

  "What is evil? Who is evil? Who is not?"

  The Unlucky One

  By Alexa Zapata

  you say I’m the unlucky one

  your daydream

  turning into a nightmare

  taken away by

  lies you’ve fed me

  I dig a hole

  deep inside of me

  where I keep you

  and the beautiful memories

  of when you made me strong

  it was all picture perfect

  in a broken frame

  wish I could be like you

  immune to the venomous snake,

  to the apple I had bit into

  wanting nothing more

  than to feel free

  free from you

  this time I turn away

  and the unlucky one is you

  On The Inside

  By Kira Greenfield

  If ugly is a lie,

  if we're all beautiful,

  and beauty is just a perception,

  a realization, that we can't be perfection,

  then what's a lie?

  are we just hiding who we want to be,

  inside?

  stuck in this loop,

  the lie is the truth,

  the beauty is fake,

  but if it's a lie,

  can't it be true?

  well it depends on your eyes,

  your point of view.

  it's what defines you,

  makes you your own,

  keeps you from living life alone,

  or by choice,

  to live without a noise,

  subject to the discrimination,

  can't we work together as an entire nation,

  but we cause so much suffering,

  so many tears shed,

  if we are one united,

  no one should have to hang their head -

  we should live together,

  brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers,

  without having to wonder,

  “Will I make it another day?”

  listening to all the laughter, fades as I walk away,

  because I'm stuck in the loop,

  the beauty fades as my eyes dull -

  the blood seeps - the pain was too much.

  the world loses another, to something avoidable,

  if we could open our eyes, see the loop -

  become blind to the lie, only see the truth,

  so no one will hide,

  what's on the inside.

  A Work of Art

  By Levi Archer

  Kiss me until my lips are numb,

  raw and chapped,

  until it approaches the line of “too much”.

  Push me past the point of

  stopping

  and

  nowhere near enough.

  Make my skin the colors of the rainbow,

  a masterpiece of your design.

  I want the remind
er of you in

  every step I take

  every quivering breath

  every twitchy limb.

  Make me feel comfortable in my own skin;

  force me to know that my body was of a god’s design,

  it cannot be anything but beautiful.

  Hold me tight in your arms;

  give me an anchor in this abyss.

  Squeeze me tight -

  force some life into me -

  fill this hollow frame with

  anything you’re willing to spare.

  Spoil me rotten with

  love

  and

  acceptance

  until I forget what loneliness feels like.

  Show me that I am worth your time,

  that you enjoy my company -

  crave it;

  show that you’d be lost without me.

  Prove my demons wrong;

  force them to see how

  idiotic

  these thoughts they’re forcing into my mind are

  Make them show me the person you’ve seen

  Show me the work of art I cannot see

  Falling Drops

  By Keng Vang

  Ellie sat curled up in her warm olive green sweater on the railing-guarded roof, peering into the forest that surrounded her house. The heavy rain fell on us with a strong yet peaceful force. She covered her hazel brown eyes and listened to the heavy drops hitting the top of her red umbrella. The way Ellie sat, her hands cupped over her ears, her eyes closed and focused. It was just like the first day we met.

  Ellie’s mouth formed a grin, "I love the rain," She finally said, breaking the long silence, "What about you?"

  My eyes strayed from her beauty as I looked around awkwardly. I gestured to myself questionably as if there was someone else with us, she gave me a nod and a giggle, "I like snow." I replied, my voice wavering from the lack of talking.

  "Snow?! Like the cold stuff in winter?!"

  "Y-yeah...I like the way It falls from the sky slowly, the red noses of beautiful women which is...cute, and the warmth that engulfs your body as you enter a heated room....It's beautiful isn't it?" I smiled as I began thinking strange thoughts to myself.

  "You're so weird," She stood up and handed me the umbrella, "I'm gonna get us some sandwiches." She slipped through the window, then peeked her head out, "Try not to fall, okay?"

  "That was one time!" I retorted.

  She giggled and skipped joyfully through her window into her room. The smell of rain calmed my nerves, "She's adorable." I said to myself. The cell phone in my pocket interrupted my thoughts as my mom barraged me with calls.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  “I was offered a new job.” Those were the words I have dreaded to hear. My mom works as an auditor. An auditor's job is to make opinions about financial statements and identify if they have any flaws or something. At least that's what my mom tells me. My mom can get hired anywhere, which means we’ve traveled around a lot. I've been to California, to Los Angeles, New York, and even Canada, but the one thing I craved was to stay and be with the friends I meet. I haven't had a permanent home since my dad died.

  “That’s….great.” I said to my joyful mother. My heart pounded, 'I just got comfortable', I thought to myself. I gritted my teeth and hung up the phone, my mom still in mid-sentence. It'd take a couple minutes before she realized that I ended the call. She's used to it. She always got excited over these things and just kept talking and talking and talking. I sat in silence, filled with sadness and my rage. I heard her footsteps stomping up the stairs. I brushed away the tears that accumulated in my eyes. Ellie stepped through the window.

  “Hey! I’m…” She held a plate of salami sandwiches with cheese and lettuce. She knew immediately that something was up, “What’s wrong?”

  “What...do you mean?” my eyes shifted away from her view.

  “Ted. What’s wrong?” She asked a bit more forcefully this time as she grabbed my arm and yanked it towards her chest. She looked at me intently. Her eyes said, 'You can trust me.'

  I bit my lip. I rubbed my tear-filled eyes with my grubby fingers. Frustration filled my mind with anger towards my mother and sadness towards the closest friend I've ever had in my whole entire life, “I’m…” my throat choked up, “Ellie...I’m moving.” My voice faded away. Her face began to suck in the seriousness of the situation. She sat down under the red umbrella I held, setting the plate of sandwiches down.

  “Oh. Well...I’m gonna miss you,” Clearly she didn’t know what to say, “I...brought sandwiches,” She covered her face with one hand and then picked up a sandwich and gave it to me. My stomach turned. I touched her hand and moved it away. Ellie forcefully covered her face. I finally pried her hands away and looked into her eyes full of tears. My heart began to pull itself apart. Tears fell down both my eyes and hers.

  "Ellie..."

  "I like you....you know that right?" Her question was edged with anger and irritation.

  "I'm kinda oblivious to these things." My heartbeat quickened, my head was on the verge of exploding with the thoughts of her....liking me? I thought to myself, 'I spend all my time with her, I love being with her, and I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life with her.' I opened my mouth to speak with a crackled voice, "But," I paused to configure the words in my brain, "Sometimes I wonder why I talked to you. I don't really know, but I'm so glad I did because I like you too."

  "I hate you.” She stated definitively and I shook my head in disbelief.

  “What?! I- You! You just said-"

  My thought was cut off as she rubbed her nose and giggled, "You always make me so..I can't even describe it. It's just so wonderful," She rubbed her nose that was dripping with a mix of rain and tears.

  She's adorable. I dropped the red umbrella and hugged her. The rain fell on us, but I didn't mind, she didn't mind either, at least I hope she didn't. I felt her heart beating through the mess that separated our bodies. I looked into her hazel brown eyes and I moved closer until the tips of our noses touched. Her face began turning red. "What are we going to do?" She asked.

  "Hm...I'm not sure," I pressed my finger on my lips, "Let's make a list."

  "Like a bucket list?"

  "Exactly!” I stood up at the excitement, "Number one...Become a magician and enter America's Got Talent!" I said, smirking to myself.

  "Ha-ha, you? A magician? You will never best me! I am Liz the Wiz!" She stood up as well, "I am the almighty Wizard of West Virginia!" Her laugh was uncontrollable and quite cute. "Number two spend a whole night together on my roof." She giggled at the thought. Then stopped, "That actually sounds....never mind...."

  I gave out a big laugh at the sight of her innocence, "We could do number two tonight." My face moved closer to hers. Smiles spread across our faces. Her pale face became flushed with a tint of red. I gave her a peck on her forehead and in an instance her lips touched mine.

  We embraced each other tightly and rubbed our noses together. I quickly pulled away. I turned my face away from her and squatted down. "Number three....have a fierce snowball fight! We'll be cold and wet! It'll be so much fun!" I stood up dramatically raising my arms and laughing. My face turned back to hers.

  "You're so weird." She said. She put her arms around me, "I guess that's what makes you so perfect."

  "Perfect?!"

  "Yes! Perfect! Don't argue with me!"

  I smiled at her delight and said, with a great amount of smoothness, "I wasn't going to...I was just gonna say that you're perfect as well."

  She blushed and her face turned bright pink, "My heart is beating so fast, I think I need to see a doctor." She smiled happily to herself. She then quickly grabbed her hair and covered her face. "N...number forty-three! L-love you." She said, giggling to herself, she jumped with open arms at me.

  I held her in a hug, "What...what happened to all the other numbers?!"

  She stepped away a little from the hug, "I...was hoping you'd figure th
at out," she said this without blinking. This girl wanted me to think of thirty-nine more goals.

  "You'll help right?! We can be...like a team! A...beautiful team."

  "Only your side would be beautiful." She said softly.

  "Don't even get me started!"

  "On how beautiful you are?"

  "On how beautiful you are!" I exclaimed. She covered her ears with her hands, she closed her eyes, and curled up into a ball.

  "I can't hear you! La la la!"

  I leaned in close to her ear, "You're adorable."

  Her eyes snapped open, she looked at me with confusion, she then rolled out of her ball and sat up, "Y-you're delusional!" She looked away followed by a turn away from me, but I could've sworn there was a happy grin on her face.

  I hugged her from behind leaning in near her ear, "If I'm delusional, then I'm glad I'm delusional with you...I wouldn't want it any other way." I could feel her blushing embarrassment.

  "Stop being so nice to me!" She gave me a little punch on the arm, followed by a hug, with a strong, loving force. I held her tightly and gravity pulled us down from our high mood and back to Earth.

  "You smell like...books, coffee, and vanilla...it smells good..." I released her from my hold to see her face red and tears in her eyes. She caught me looking and she shoved her face into my chest.

  "Ellie...what's wrong?"

  She held her head in my chest, "...I don't...want you to leave...I don't think I can handle a long distance relationship a-a-and I'm afraid of spending time with you...because when you leave I might die of sadness."

  I put my hand on the back of her head, "We have time now. So let's make the most of it." She lifted her head and looked at me. I sat against the window, and she moved to sit next to me. We looked up and listened to the rain and talked about our goals and our list. Before we knew it, the night had gone by and we spent the whole night on the roof. When I awoke she was on my chest, curled up into me, holding tightly.

  "Ellie...wake up," I whispered. She didn't budge. The rain covered me, her, and the sandwiches… "If I catch a cold..." I gave a big sigh of annoyance. I lifted the sleeping beauty up and stepped through the window, "Ellie...we're soaking," I said quietly, "I'm gonna go tell your mom okay?" She gave out a soft snore. "I'm talking to myself..." I stepped out of the sleeping girl's room and ran downstairs. I spotted a middle-aged woman, "Can...you help get Ellie's clothes off?"