Life
Sometimes it does not feel right
Not everyone becomes ripe
Although they might try, still not right
A lot of them act out of spite
Some try their best, some not quite
But all of us live this short life
Even if we don’t all reach those heights.
Making the Day
I feel tired as I wake up on this cold morning
Hearing the cars go past
The flashing of the traffic
The large gusts of wind going by.
The windy conditions of October
That make you wanna stay in bed
Long trip to school
That makes you wanna go back to sleep.
But getting to school seeing all the kids arriving
And the sun shining at last
Lets me know that school starting soon
As I wait for the long day ahead.
To find out we have HeadLit workshop
We hear Stephen talking
Which we learn loads
And makes the day.
I Love You
I thought i could write a poem
I was sure i was right
I feel I’m wrong but we’ll find out tonight
Beneath the soft glow of the monitor light.
Through hours of thinking
Wondering what to do
I remember her words
I love you.
Fitting In
“I don’t know “claimed the hard man
Trying to hide his intelligence
Trying to “fit in”
Without realising his power within
He dumbed himself down
In a bid to hide the man he truly is.
Respect
When we know they’re watching us from over there.
When they leave us on delivered all day,
Then text “wyd?” like nothing’s in the way.
We hate when they flirt with every girl around,
But get jealous when another boy’s found.
When they say they’re different, but act just the same,
And make us feel stupid for playing their game.
We hate when they lie instead of being real,
And joke about things that we genuinely feel.
When they only show interest when we move on,
Then act all confused when our feelings are gone.
We hate when they talk but never show care,
And expect us to stay when they’re never there.
We don’t need perfection or some movie romance,
Just honesty, respect, and a boy who gives us a chance.
Most
I come from a land of two-faced guys
Lads capable of greatness, most live lies
Some may march through to meet their most
But most meet measly meagre meanings abandoned by the host.
Better to Be
I get really mad when I hear a joke,
About the mother of girlfriend of a bloke,
Because they words that were spoke,
Would make u want to hit and choke.
Whether she’s called a slag or a whore,
There is always someone who will add more
And it’s never really that funny
And the person who goes too far never understands fully
How angry you feel at the time
And how you want to commit a crime
But you just let it go
Until it’s your turn to go
And get them back
And use words as an attack.
I always go home and think
How I felt like shit
Because I didn’t help one bit
And I’m not proud of what I said
But it is better to be a prick then to let it slide
Because at least then you won’t be the bitch who said nothing.
Lifestyle
I wake up every morning tired and grumpy,
Go to school, go home, then do sports.
That’s what I do on weekdays.
Then the weekend comes
Life’s better.
More fun, more freedom, and more happiness.
That’s my lifestyle.
Why?
When you grow up in an all-boys school, you are tend to see the world through a very narrow lens.
You hear the same casual insults on repeat: “That’s gay.” “Don’t be a pussy.” “He’s the biggest fag around.”
I hate it with a passion.
But real life isn’t an all-boys school. It isn’t one-sided.
Recently, I asked a mate if he wanted to come out and play, and he called me gay. My question is simple: What on earth is “gay” about wanting to hang out with a friend?
I have two uncles who are openly gay. Because of them, I’ve grown up surrounded by the LGBTQ+ community my entire life. Yet, the second my mates see or hear a gay man, they can’t stop laughing. They genuinely look down on him, believing he is somehow “less of a man” than they are.
Why?
Is it because he loves a man?
Is it because the bravest thing he has ever done was openly declare who he loves?
Or is it because he has to live with the constant fear of who might hit him next, just for revealing his true self?
Visions of Johanna in the Rain
I cant get my touch up, my first kick curves wide
Textbooks on stage, young lads en regalia
Stones pile into waves, think of the state of ya
Junkie by the train asked if I’ve spare change
Mum asked me my mates names
I’m walking now and I pop my headphones on and I’m smiling
Genuinely now, like I’m properly flying to the tune of Visions of Johanna in the rain.
Title
A late night and an early rise
I awake, and can barely open my eyes
A late session the night before
An away team would knock on the door
Third game of the year
And hope the end is not so near
At two o’clock the game will be
Will we win, wait and see.
Darkness
We spend so much time in darkness we forget how warm the sunlight feels.
And in that darkness you don’t see how much damage you truly deal.
We try our best to fit in with the rest or be the same.
But fitting in often ends up destroying our image and our name.
It’s not funny making fun of someone for being who they are.
It’s not funny making fun of someone without a safe house or without a car.
It’s not funny teasing someone for liking different things.
And when you leave that darkness you realise how much the pain you’ve caused unbearably stings.
The darkness you’re in is the absence of light.
In that darkness you can’t tell what’s wrong or what’s right.
It’s your choice to stay in darkness or embrace the warmth of the light.
Love
Love will wait for you to sleep.
Love will the take everything you worked for and torture you with it.
Then love will leave you and it will not be easy
It slips away and it tears you apart.
Life turns colourless. The world turns cold, meaningless and harsh.
You feel like nobody can fix you until you say what is on your mind.
You spill out what’s on your mind
You feel like a massive weight has been taken off your shoulders.
You start again and another love comes like another sun rising.
Life Is a Forest and All It’s People It’s Travelers
Your tribe will make you gouge your eyes out to scare the demons
And as you shamble away blind you thank them and smile.
The only way through is the service dog of love, but in darkness it can be hard to find.
It may lead you astray, but you do not kill the mutt for it, you simply carry on wandering.
But even as you descend deeper into or out the forest, it stings all the same.
Even as you traipse forward, you think of the sun’s rays and weep from tear ducts are no longer there
Even as you feel the dog shrivelling from atrophy, you march forward
Even as the wolves bite and tear you apart
You smell home as you reach it where they will tend to your wounds
And with tears send you back out with the bandages over your eyes marking you a demon
And as you march on, you weep.
They Think It’s Funny
They think it’s funny to slag people off
But really it shows that they’re really soft,
Chatting about girls like there not people too
And wonder why there disliked at school,
But the lads think he’s funny and cool.
Crush
Your stupid crush
You go to sleep imagining your life with this girl
You wake up imagining your life with this girl
in school, at home, when your training for the sport you want to thrive in.
This girl is more than a crush and she doesn’t even know your name
All of this obsessing just for her to pick a different boy.
You where trying to find your other half
When your half still wasn’t fully ready .
Five Things I Dislike About Men
How they treat women
How they talk about family members and girlfriends
How they pick on people
How they judge
How they pretend they’re friends with people they’re not.
This Workshop
I feel quite tired on this cold Friday morning
Lying In bed trying my best to not get noticed sleeping in
Until I found out I had a workshop
It has gave me great pleasure and satisfaction
The stories and struggles I’ve heard today
Has made me think how little my problems are
This workshop has made my Friday morning.
Respect
We are our families, our mums, dads, brothers and sisters who all care for us.
We are our school, the teachers who put their hearts and souls into us so we can improve.
We are our coaches and teammates who push us to improve, both on and off the field and to improve
We are who we surround ourselves with, our friends, whom we choose to follow, whom we trust and whom we listen to.
We are ourselves, not other versions of ourselves but ourselves.
The person we should love over anyone anything.
The person whom we should trust, support, listen to, follow, improve on, care about. RESPECT.
I’m the Boy
I’m the boy who’s family sing the songs of old about the struggle
I’m the boy who hears my family share story’s that others would deem tragic
I’m the boy who butchers game and precursors it
I’m the boy who visits the old home in Belfast for our holiday
I’m the boy who wants to impress them
I’m the boy who has the pressure to do well
I’m the boy who has family that are dead, but shouldn’t be, and some alive that shouldn’t be.
I’m the boy whose a part of that family.
Nobody Home
I stare, endlessly, towards the slowly sinking sunset
But this arresting view, cannot break, beyond my eyes
This life flies forward like an out-of-focus film
Rattling on the rigid cage bars, they remain still
Blind, deaf and dumb, infinitely numb
Vague Nothingnesses are all i ever feel
My heavy head leans on the blaring horn
Asleep at the wheel
The horn gets somewhat into my dome
I’m lucid and awake, but I’m away from home
Life begins to return to my innocent eyes
I inhale my snowy mountains and my interstellar skies
Back into that awarelessness, that numbing spell
back I unwillingly roam
Back to the house with the lights on
And there’s nobody home.
Warm and Safe
I can’t stand the feel of jeans
The coarse, rough fabric
That leaves goosebumps on you your arms
When you touch it
It’s the same feel I get when I’m in a room
At a party or at a gathering
And you’ve had a bit too much to drink
The feeling when you realise just how loud things are
And that you don’t really want to be there
And that you’re kinda fed up talking to anyone
And the same sensation hits you
And the same goosebumps pop up on your arms
The arms held at your side, tucked tight –
To help you feel smaller
Maybe you’ll be small enough that no one will notice
Just how lonely you are
How much you’d rather be at home on the couch
Warm and safe.
Fear
Scared to be ourselves because of the fear of being judged by someone who is crippled by the exact same fear.
The fear of standing out, being unique, being original, being different.
The fear of being judged by someone who you don’t even respect .
The fear of being judged by a coward who is too scared to stand,
but is brave enough to mock your flaws to cover up their own.
Hiding behind their own mask of humility and lack of self belief.
Untitled
A stubbed toe in the dark
A text that misses a mark
The smallest things that ruin the day
And never seem to stop or go away.
Pressure
Pressure is said to turn coal to diamonds and is said to allow someone to shine.=
Many believe the control is theirs to choose wether to tarnish themselves with those drugs and drink and to cross such a line
However this pressure can crush and make decisions that belong to scum and vermin
And when one falls down this hole they begin too see this problem and try to escape the toxin the walls of their little well begin to collapse
I would rather burn in hell than end up stuck with the others in this well.
Control
I often worry about how a test went,
Then I’ll move onto who I’ll have to make small talk with,
Afterwards I’ll consider what I’m anxious about,
When I’m finished overthinking about myself I move onto problems in the world,
Although my problems are so much smaller than others I believe it’s important not to stress over them,
Especially the ones I can’t control.
A True Friend
8:30 sharp
You gaze across to your friend
A solemn look of a philosophy and wisdom upon his face
As he gazes at Chat GPT and Triple T
And he’ll drop great wisdom and kindness despite his
Interesting nature and select wisdom
A true friend flaws and all
All sides of the coin
Broken heads tails and maybe the rim as well
A true good friend full of fun.
We are the People
We are the people are parents warned us about.
The people who bully and pressure and shout,
The people that think emotions are weak
The people don’t raise their hand to speak.
These people are people like you and me
Who long for their love and thoughts to be free,
But cannot for fear of losing their grit
Which makes the same old hypocrite hit
We are the people are parents warned us about.
The people who just cannot speak out,
The people who flow along with the grain
The people who only cause people pain
We are the people are parents warned us about.
The people who feel the need to act out.
We Are Boys
We are boys, we think we’re men
We are boys, we act like we’re 10
We are boy, we all love sport
We are boys, we hate being short
We are boys, we’re insecure
We are boys, we’re immature
We are boys, we hate headaches
We are boy, we make lots and lots of mistakes.
Some of US
We are all boys but we are also the image people want to see.
Some of us come home to a loving family
Some of us have to work just for a meal
Some of us have lived in violence
Some of us have doesn’t know how it feels.
I Belong
We are seen as weak when we cry
Even when a loved one dies
Emotion isn’t manly they say
We should keep our problems hidden away.
Acting tough to impress the lads, making mean jokes I’d never say around dad
I know what I’m saying is wrong, but the laughs I get make me feel like I belong.
Ourselves
We always act rough and hard,
Knowing our true identity,
We always laugh and smile,
Hiding the pain inside us,
We always seek praise from others,
Disregarding the praise from ourselves,
We’re scared to show our true selves,
Only acting for others,
We ask them to obey,
When we can’t behave ourselves,
We should really love ourselves,
And know we’re worth all the wealth.
Have You Ever?
Have you ever:
Talked about your feelings,
Tell him about your beings,
Shown him your true side,
Or seen both your worlds collide,
Went into a bookshop,
But only went in to create work for the mop,
Made a joke,
That was about coke,
Opened a door,
But not for the poor,
Clear we see the answer is,
Never.
Will You Ever
Confusing mumbling grumbling fumbling
That’s the story
To not understand others as well as you’d like
Will you ever
You’ll never truly know what they’re like
You’ll never understand
They’ll never understand
And maybe they’ll never want to
Maybe you never want to,
Talk Today
We had a talk today,
With a guy who’s beard is gray,
He told us not to say,
Things that weren’t ok,
I really liked his way,
To talk and to display,
How people should be underway,
To live and love always.
I hope he enjoys his pay.
Word
I am not much of a wordsmith
So this poem won’t be very worth it
I’m better at art
With words I’m a fart
So this poem sucks, that ain’t a myth.
Teenagers
They talk as if they are adults but act as if they are children
People say it was the best years of their lives
but when you’re a teenager all you want is it be an adult
where you can do what you want and have the freedoms you don’t have today.
People try to avoid large groups of teenagers and stereotypes
as teenagers are wild and teenagers are not sensible.
But then in there own minds they are thinking
I wish I was them with no stress of adulthood and the freedom they have.
People look at teenagers and give out about them they talk about how insensible they are and then they go home that night and all they can think about is how much they wish they ware back there.
They look at the teenager and while they are out having fun and see the adult with the quiet evening or the grandchildren in the garden and think I can’t wait to grow up to a stage where I am no longer looked down upon and want to be respected by people
We Act
We act as if we are cool
We act as if we are rough
We act as if we are really really tough
Actually we are just worried
Actually we are just glad
That no one made fun of us like “Who’s this lad?”
Facade
There are boys who would rather hide behind their facade of invulnerability than admit they’re shattered. Boys that shoot down other boys because maybe they see themselves in them.
Those boys that saw “imperfection” and made it perfect.
A perfect freedom the latter may never understand.
Those
Those who judge you for every move.
Those who mock you for every wrong move.
Those who give there advice in hindsight but didn’t when it mattered most.
Those who when a joke is made about them have to take someone else down with them.
Those who take there anger out on other people.
Those who look for something wrong with you instead of something good in you.
Those who talk about you behind your back .
Those are all things people do everyday.
Class
I went into the class
It smelt like straight ass
But its better then being in Maths or English class
We learnt about farts and turds
and emotions and birds
It was great craic
We’d love to have you back!