The Oracle
Find Your Voice.
Bishop Canevin High School
Student Journal of Creative Writing & Art
Winter Edition: 2013-2014 School Year
Audrey Kathleen
by Lauren Villella '14
Audrey
Noble strength
She had this and more
A secret of sadness
Laced her mystique
As she endured a tragedy
Beyond imagining
Every day of her life
Kathleen
Purity
She had this and more
Kissed by an angel
And lovely by design
She never believed
In what we saw
Tormented by a
Careful youth
Sadness was the only
Friend that stayed
Enchantment
This was her life
Audrey Kathleen
‘Happiness is good health
And a short memory,’ said she
But she lived well
And died well
She rests alone now
Where only the angels sing
Not sad for what she has lost
But glad for all she has had
1918
by Alec Balog '14
Torn and tattered our clothes
And our boots are worn and dull
Our rifles rust
And fight we must?
For our numbers are too small
The enemy is strong and growing in size
For the Yanks are pouring in
We kill, we cry, we battle, we die
But our actions are for nothing
The end is near for peace so dear
But damage will be left in its wake
All the men dead and burned by the gas
And the shell shocked victims who shake
And as we stand fragile with our rifles cocked
With our trench knives trembling in hand
We await the reaper who lies ahead
Charging in from no-man’s land
Some things are certain
by Maegan Gill '14
Some things are certain.
Tonight, the moon will rise, just to be accompanied
by the warmth of the sun tomorrow
We can never be as certain as the universe
But I'm certain that every word I heard him speak
was like a whisper from my own bones.
I can't have him here tonight, so I'll write.
I'll do justice to that whisper and illustrate that smile.
(But a thousand words couldn't describe it.)
I certainly can't recreate him completely,
only with pen and paper.
apathy
another thought
cast aside
another feeling
bottled inside
she walks along a lonely path
with empty smiles
and broken laughs
at once she felt a bitter sad
but now she feels
nothing
-ash
at this moment
by Maegan Gill '15
at this moment, I'm remembering all of the places
where I stood and felt emancipated
currently feeling a world of difference,
in realizing that they're all empty now.
The house your grew up in
will be torn down,
the school building where you met
so many souls will be demolished
life is passing me by at the speed of
light and
I'm trailing behind
at the speed of sound
anonymous
Hope and Despair
The girl that never cried
by Maggie Dormer '15
There once was a girl that never cried.
She smiled and she laughed and she sighed.
But she would never cry.
People thought she was always happy, but that was a lie.
For she felt a great pain, deep down inside.
She didn't want to be sad, so those feelings she would hide
But this didn't make her happy, she would soon realize.
So one day she broke down and she finally cried
And the pain that she felt, finally died.
Grace Patricia
by Lauren Villella '14
Grace
Charm
She had this and more
With just one look
She ignited an endless wonder
Her icy exterior
Masked a burning soul
Kept aflame by the passion
Of always wanting more
Patricia
Noble
She was this and more
Time revealed heartache
And sadness
But she believed in the stars
Trusting their gracious promise
She walked away
From everything she knew
Embracing the dawn
For all that it was worth
Serene
This was her life
A title she was born to
Time and time again
First all alone
As a daughter
Born of doubt
And then as a woman
Burdened by her
Fate’s final wish
To slip away
Before we knew her
Kept safe by a hidden veil
Time whispers softly,
‘There was more that
She wanted you to know’
anonymous
Creative Nonfiction + Poetry
Photograph by Mark Shorthouse '15
Ava Lavinia
by Lauren Villella '14
Ava
A bird
She was this and more
Spreading her wings
Against the fiercest winds
A luminous vibrancy
Sparkled in her eye
Dulled only by the darkness
Of an unforgiving world
Lavinia
Spring like
She was this and more
Hoping for the dawn
She was called Venus
Bright enough to light
Even the darkest skies
But so far away
That we could never touch her
Kept safe by an unsettling distance
She never belonged to us
Love
Her heart’s yearning song
Never to be fulfilled
Only eluded
Each time worse than the last
‘Love is nothing,’ she said
And so it was
But in the still
Of the very darkest sky
Venus still shines brightest
anonymous
Photograph by Mark Shorthouse '15
Artwork by Colin Scanlon '15
Artwork by Colin Scanlon '15
Artwork by Colin Scanlon '15
Like a used canvas
by Adrianne Kubiak '15
Like a used canvas, I have been used and marked.
Like a painting, I have a purpose and a story.
Like an artist, I have inspirations and ideas.
Like a color, I have mixed layers that make me unique.
Like a stroke, there is nobody that is my copy.
Like the viewers, no two people see me the same.
Like a new canvas, I have endless possibilities.
Like a painting, I may never be complete.
As the flames rose
by Nicole Carey '16
As the flames rose,
And the bridge fell down,
A girl laid there in the cold,
The smoke rising around her.
The ashes fell down beside her,
Reminding her of the burn inside.
Drowning in her own tears,
She knew she'd never survive.
She knew the pain wouldn't go away,
even if the bruises did.
Everything around her was falling,
But she only heard her screaming.
Yet no one could hear her,
Because it's hidden in her mind.
Disguised by a smile,
She says, "I'm fine."
The Madness of the Mind
I think I'm going insane
by Sean Airesman '15
I think I’m going insane
Insane?
Insane
Insane in the brain
Stuck in this room
White full of darkness
The others here too
With only him here to talk to
Insane as in voices
sprawled all out in his head
Insane like the doctors
who supply him with meds
Insane as the man
Who tells one what to do
Insane as the citizen
Who responds with no clue
Insane as one
Who goes by day to day
Not regarding himself
As being important
Leads himself to his home
All dark and alone
He sits himself down
What will he do
He looks up
Pondering this clue
He believes he’s alone
Alone?
No
The voices spark up
He has a new friend
One, two, three all again
Happy he is
With the company he’s with
Saving his soul
from an untimely end
I think I’m going insane
But I can’t say for him
I’m only one of the few
Who gave him ignorant bliss
A Rhyming Poem
by Sean Airesman '15
I arise in a panic
I think I’m just frantic
But the skies are bright
Birds chirping in their fun
For they come and they go
They never sow
With my appliance they might
Take my refrigerator and run
They take it out the door
I don’t want it anymore
Stupid birds
They're done
The Alchemist
by Alec Balog '14
In the cellar of a tavern
Below the beaten boards
Lies the lair of an alchemist
Acclaimed by ladies and lords
An expert elixir mixer
A master of the trade
An experienced herbalist
No potion he hasn’t made
His beard unkempt and knotty
His cloak worn and stained
His hands old and aching
His mind always strained
And as bards dance and sing above
And travellers come and go
The alchemist always lingers
In the cellar down below
Artwork by Maegan Gill '15
Stuck
by Allison Killen '14
sun gently filters in through the window
delicate rays poking between the blinds
casting warm lines along my face
it’s quiet
outside the day is dawning
people are waking
happy and ready for a new day
but i’m quiet
it’s serene of course
the bliss of a perfect morning silence
another day to live
and i’m quiet
the warmth of the sun doesn’t hit me
my bones are cold and still
the day is bleak
my mind is not quiet
it buzzes incessantly
with all my faults
and worries
and anxieties
and fears
and it’s too quiet
and i’m sad
Nightmares
by Maggie Dormer '15
I don't know how I got here and I don't wonder why
Faces change but I don't notice
My fears come to life, everything I love is shattered
I know that I am dreaming
And yet I can't wake up.
Reason
by Shannon Rauterkus '14
Burdens embark within the psyche.
Quandaries ponder like riling pests.
Boundless beliefs of life intrude,
merely diminishing bliss.
Everything collapses within the essence.
Fiery breathes inhale into the lungs,
igniting an overlooked spark.
Sensations levitate inward.
Blisses and harmonies commence,
illuminating the awe-striking spirit.
Reason renews thoughts of uncertainty.
Joy is once more.
Photograph by Mark Shorthouse '15
Winner!
Editor's choice
award
Love and Loss
Daddy's Little Girl
by Maggie Frost '15
Minutes seemed like hours as the young girl waited in line at the airport. After eight long months, the time had finally come when she could see her dad. He's been deployed as a general in the army for two years. All she wanted was to give him the biggest bear hug that her tiny arms could manage. She could almost smell his rustic cologne and feel his big strong hands embrace her. The little girl could not contain her excitement as the sign read that the plane had landed. She broke free of her mother's grip and took off at a run. With unbelievable determination for such a small girl, she wove her way through the massive crowd. At last, she spotted what she was looking for. Her heart skipped a beat as she dove into her father’s arms. He swept her up and for that moment they were the only two people in the world. Once he set her down, he reached into his bag. He pulled out a single red rose and a teddy bear. Tears filled her eyes and her heart swelled with love. She will always be Daddy's little girl.
Photograph by Mark Shorthouse '15
Artwork by Colin Scanlon '15
Coffee Shop
by Maggie Dormer '15
I saw you in a coffee shop
But you didn't see me
You were staring at a paperback
I was drinking tea
And it's funny after all this time
Yours is still the face I see
And I wish I would have said something
Made you notice me
Because even now I can't help but think
That we were meant to be
Winner!
Editor's choice
award
every time
by Maegan Gill '15
every time I said
"I can't live without him"
my lungs raised in objection
my heart pounded in outrage
my muscles twinged in pain
my spine shivered in shock
my mind burst in disagreement
simultaneously
all as if to say
"you never needed him
as much as you need us
and we're still here"
Strangers
by Maggie Dormer '15
It's funny how people change
From strangers, to friends, to more than friends, to strangers again
And I hate that I miss you, the old you
I miss the way we used to be
I miss the way you looked at me
I wish you missed me too
Winner!
Editor's choice
award
Photograph by Mark Shorthouse '15
Eternal Wish
by Lauren Villella '14
She finds peace in the sky
For to be alone is her refuge
And she believes in tomorrow
The promise of a brighter world
Not one where there is no darkness
But one where darkness is not alone
She finds peace in the sky
The clouds are for the dreamers
And the stars for the dancers
Thus she knows that she is home
Cradled by the sky’s eternal wish
She knows that the dawn is near
Light and Darkness
Artwork by Maegan Gill '15
A Starlit Night
by Lauren Villella '14
She sits on the moon
Nestled in its crook
Leaning on its curve
Only darkness surrounds her
And yet she is not afraid
The stars
Twinkling so magnificently
They are her guide
They light her path
And whisper to her softly
Telling her secrets of yesteryear
And calming her overwhelmed heart
With their awe and majesty
She sits on the moon
Nestled in its crook
Leaning on its curve
Only darkness surrounds her
And yet she is not afraid
In the still of this wondrous
Starlit night
She has uncovered
The peace from within
Night is Here
by Allison Killen '14
The sun falls beyond the trees
The last moments of day flicker slowly away
Dying along with the embers of the sunset
Darkness enfolds the horizon
It feels as though nothing is moving for a moment
Time has stopped
And everything is frozen in the darkness
But slowly light emanates in
Strong and bold as it takes its turn in the sky
It’s the white and lucid light of the moon
Night is here
Books
by Sean Airesman '15
Books can prevent the
youth from staying hungry. They
like to eat paper.
I like space
by Sean Airesman '15
Roses are red and
violets are blue but space is
black so I don’t care
Art of Haiku
by Sean Airesman '15
Eight Six Seven Five
Numbers that are in my mind
Refrigerator
Freshies: A Haiku
by Alec Balog '14
Freshman, drop those books.
Freshman looks like tweedle-dee.
Freshman, get hair cut
Broken Leg
by Sean Airesman '15
Bones shattered in two
The pain is like no other
There’s blood EVERYWHERE
Drowning
by Sean Airesman '15
I’m being pulled down
into the water under
oh please help me now
Haiku Corner
Photograph by Mark Shorthouse '15
Artwork by Colin Scanlon '15
Haiku
by Adrianne Kubiak '15
Quiet melodies
Resound throughout the stillness
Bringing peace to all