January, 1953

New York, NY

Vivian Maier

"I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing

than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance."

E.E. Cummings

     Graham Cooke said, 

"A paradox is two conflicting ideas contained within one truth." 

A skeptic might say that a High-School student with a passion to work is paradoxical. I would say, "You have not experienced some of my students." Here are a few 'evidences' of the proof:

A Villanelle
by Cuinn McDermott


Light forever shall shine in the shadow.

Darkness shall fall when light shines in the dark,
when darkness rises and all is hollow.

When light shall fall and all will have sorrow.

The darkness destroys like a great whit shark,
light forever shall shine in the shadow.

Good people fall when land becomes shallow.

Their frail bodies decaying become dark,
when darkness rises and all is hollow.

When blinding sun shines cleansing all shadow.

Heavens rays obliterating the dark,
Light forever shall shine in the shadow.

The light will come restoring what's hollow.

Light rises when dark falls but some stay dark,
when darkness rises and all is hollow.

Light rises when darkness falls to shadow.

The light will rise but some always stay dark.
Light forever shall shine in the shadow,
when darkness rises and all is hollow.


A Villanelle
by Isaac Catchatoorian

Going day by day

Feeling so alone
Colors looking so gray

Drowning in my own blood

Thinking about my death
Going day by day

Lost, always wanting more

Basically living invisible
Colors looking so gray

Save me from this darkness

Blades are getting deeper
Going day by day

Does happiness even exist?

Puff,puff goes the smoke
Colors looking so gray

I am almost dead now

Someone save me quick
Going day by day
Colors looking so gray

Journey
by Alexander Jones

I was out of town, in a little village,

and I happened upon a general store.

I stepped in to buy a cool cola

but I found something more.

The store was being held up for money,

an old man said, "Do something, son."

He gave me a bat and I knocked out the robber

and then I knew I had won.

Everyone cheered and my cola was free

in fact, of the store I was given free roam.

But soon my adventures came to a close

and I proudly made my way home.

To Palter
by David King

She palters the poor merchant
for little does she know
karma is bad
for people who verbally slaughter

Two Poems

Inspired by the photography of Vivian Maier

Just For Fun

by Ella Rosenberg

Promise me, promise me

you'll be safe, write me

letters, think of me

when your days are dark,

just think of coming home

just remember the spark

Peaches a plenty, wine a full,

and then a shoe, so random and bold.

Maybe it's magic, maybe it's lies,

maybe an illusion, so funny, so old.

Perhaps it's a joke, maybe a prank,

maybe perhaps and jokes, illusions,

but still magic for a little mind.

-Cuinn McDermott

Paradox

by Sophia Kalyuzhnaya

You can be loud with silence

whispering a scream

quiet- a concert

talkative when mute

Paradox
by Christian Giglia

You have to lose to win
play golf on the course
The front is like the back
the driver is loud with the silence

Paradox
by Sara Ofenloch

you have to die to live
after death, life is found
end starts a beginning
when you live, you die

Paradox

by Jacob Dudzik

The front is backward

going, somewhere, just to return

going there for hours, days, months

leaving those forward, you know

Hamartia

by Carly McGirt

It wasn't hamartia
to find no gold
At least some of us tried
still, we had a great time
I can have a time popsicle
it was not that cold
It was a nice trip
with awesome minerals

Angel Falling
by Elizabeth Hemingway

She is an angel falling

How much pain her heart has shown
How much her heart is calling

How bright her spirit shining

For quite sure she does not know
She is an angel falling

Her soul rains, her spirit rising

Tries to escape from the cold
But she won't stop crying

Saving those, though she's breaking

Her voice rises, her sad song singing
Reaching the heart of the darkest foe

She lifts them, she is falling

She gives, they are free to go
It's sad that they keep calling
She is an angel falling