Young Writers of Summer 2014

So we said we would publish the three best poems submitted to our Young Writers Summer Program and we did. But since we have space in our Digital Paper, here are a few more. We are also giving you a bonus short story in Filipino. To all the young writers who sent in their prose and poetry: Carry on.

She Wanted To

By Celine Zamora

she wanted to

wake up early in the morning

see problems on a board

hear lectures from her teachers

and feel the pressure of pop quizzes

she wanted to

run in a 20k marathon

climb ten flights of stairs

swim for hours and hours

and win a tennis match

she wanted to

go shopping with her mom

buy books with her dad

visit arcades with her brother

and read to her baby sister

she wanted to

find a girl her age

fight over celebrities

tell each other secrets

and become as close as sisters

she wanted to

meet an interesting guy

talk to him about everything

become his best friend

and fall in love

she wanted to

remove the needles on her arms

the monitor in her room

the nurses from her side

and the stench of death in the air

she wanted to be normal

Celine Zamora is a Grade 9 student at Paref Woodrose School.

Selfie Dream

By Raine Raval

Many years into the future

No longer burdened by the past

I would love to look back at my younger self

Once my dreams have come true at last

I would see my former face in the mirror

Full of youth and full of joy

Excited for even the simplest of things

Like a new book, or a new toy

I would hear my laugh ring out like a bell

My feet running across the floor

Those carefree days when I only played

And never yearned for so much more

Then things changed almost suddenly

Though inevitable, it was

Gone were my days of sleeping all day

Now I woke up early for the bus

I grew up like all children were told to

Made friends and learned new stuff

Though I didn’t expect it’d be easy,

It still scared me when things got rough

I would still laugh and smile like I used to

But they wouldn’t be the same

This time they were quieter

With a difference I couldn’t name

So I always stayed in my comfort zone

Never daring to cross that line

Though I wasn’t really doing much

Inside it, I always felt fine

But then one day I realized

I wasn’t going anywhere

I haven’t gained any knowledge

From past experiences to share

So I thought I would start over

Stripped down to the raw

“Dare to always be different”

I lived by that law

I decided I’d try everything

Though my passion was for words

So while I biked and camped and ran and hiked,

I would write of the trees and birds

I pursued that path eventually

Hoping words would be my guide

I wrote and felt all the good things

Ignore the bad things? Well, I tried.

I went through things people eventually do

Like failure and rejection

Though I regret suffering through them all

With a feeling of dejection

Criticisms and my own self-doubt

Almost made me put down my pen

But then I heard a little voice in my head

Saying, “Smile, like you did back then.”

So I started to write down everything

As though the writing bug had bitten

I was as honest as I could possibly be

Many thought it was the best I’d ever written

That moment was when things started looking up

And though there were times when I would feel low

I would look back at most of my life

Glad there was something there to show

I had dreams of a glorious future

Once, when I was a kid

Though, a writer, an athlete, a poet, who cared?

It didn’t matter to me what I did.

My dreams consisted of happiness,

Of contentment and of laughter

I simply wished my future to be bright

It didn’t matter what came after

I would love to look back at my younger self,

Look her in the eye and speak.

“I’m living the life we’ve always dreamed.

Don’t give up; you’ve never been weak.”

Raine Raval is a high school sophomore at Colegio San Agustin Makati.

Tale of a Damaged Paper Doll

By Patricia Louise Remoquillo

Stand,

damaged paper doll.

Pick up your feet.

Come let the valiant knight

whisk you away.

Dance,

damaged paper doll,

inside the knight’s embrace.

Let him hold your hand

and take you in.

Breathe,

damaged paper doll,

as he glues you

back together

as if you’ve never been broken.

Then flee,

damaged paper doll.

He deserves more

than a broken object

such as yourself.

Patricia Louise Remoquillo is a high school senior at St. Scholastica’s College Manila.

As Long as You Get Up

By Isabella Tiosejo

i.

Get up!

You of lazy feet

The pitchforks are coming

And the fires are burning

Its way towards where you

Lounge around

ii.

Get up!

Off the ground, go run

Away from those who hunt you down

And those who want to see you drown

Hands as a spring,

Take off, take flight

iii.

Get up!

Sprint your way through

The gnarled fingers in the tangling woods

Where the statues of your ancestors have once stood

For the runners behind you

Are gaining pace

iv.

Get up!

Steady now, honey

They who are unforgiving will surely

Not let you escape that easily

So hide while you can

And rest your tired feet

v.

Just make sure that when

You step into the light

And the sun burns bright

On the pavement below your tiny toes

Remember to run

Run as fast as the winds may take you

Dash as hard as the rocks that guide you

And scream to the heavens that

They shall not reach you

Capture you not

Imprison your body and chain your soul to rot

They shall not catch you

vi.

As long as you get up

Isabella Tiosejo is a Grade 10 student at St. Paul College Pasig.