Hope & Change
November
Welcome to this year’s first edition of IMAGES! The theme for this issue is Hope & Change. The literature and artwork here represents those things that help sustain us in the face of adversity. Life is hard, but it’s also beautiful. Thank you to all the Bulldogs who have reminded us that it’s ALL about LOVE. We hope you’ll appreciate the talent and courage demonstrated here. Even more, we hope you’ll submit in the future!
Daniel Silva
A Grave New World
Daniel Silva
And on the last few days
Shattered pieces of my old world remained
But the world itself didn’t
The world I could recognize
The world of black and white
The world of order that I knew so well
It existed no longer.
And on the last few days
I remained
But I was left adrift
Left to gather the shattered pieces
Left to gather whatever I could find
Left to gather whatever I could recognize
Hopeless and alone.
And on the last few days
The vast plane of gray remained
But gray was an unknown color to me
I was unsure whether to like it
I was unsure whether to hate it
I was unsure how to recognize it
I was afraid.
And on the last few days,
My decision was made.
And from those pieces of black and white
I would mold myself a new world
The gray would be my canvas
On it I would paint colors
Colors unimaginable to me before
New colors that my old world did not have
Colors that I had only dreamed of.
And to my last few days
I will continue to paint them
Long after no more gray is seen
Long after this new world is born
Long after I come to recognize them all
A Grave New World
A World of infinite colors.
Noelle Atkins
Change
Tatianna Hill
Change is now
Change is going to be changed
Change is the marking point to a timeline
The world is changing before our eyes can process
Change is flying over head
Change is a duo
The good and the bad
Take your best aim
Ready set now
People are scared of the unknown
Yet we desire our life to classifying
Change is the unknown
Daniel Silva
Another Bruise
Shandi Austin
A couple of kids with no one but themselves.
Wearing all black, rolling their eyes.
They look onto the ones they despise.
Inner turmoil and conflicts running wild.
The anxiety is a giant shadow overhead.
They’re just trying to survive.
Falling in love, but how will they thrive
When the feelings are another hell?
A couple of kids in love and in misery
Wearing nothing but angst on their sleeve.
In metal hearts, deep down they believe.
They’re making it out, loved and alive.
Angry teenagers, dragging their heads.
Where everyday is another bruise.
When life will no longer take them or abuse them.
A couple of kids singing hopeful but angry songs.
Danielle Hill
Tomorrow is Another Day
Erin Field
A child who lost his mother
is a child left astray.
The tuneful birds pipe their song,
Tomorrow is another day.
A kitten lost its food,
the attack was momentarily delayed.
It will starve till the sun comes up,
Tomorrow is another day.
So many innocent people
believe there’s no other way.
There’s no one there to tell them
Tomorrow is another day.
A person has a broken heart
someone loved has gone away.
The tears pour out as the music goes,
Tomorrow is another day.
A graduate stands proud and tall
remembering what teachers would say,
“If you don’t succeed, remember,
Tomorrow is another day.
So listen well all of you
don’t waste your life away.
When sad, just think and remember,
“Tomorrow is another day.”
Taylor Gallagher
Shannon Lindahl
As the Seasons Change
Anonymous
Change follows everyone
It is with you when you grab a coat instead of a sweatshirt
Or when you rake the leaves instead of mowing the grass
Fall is coming
The harsh winter soon arrives
The snow starts piling up
Everyone shivers as the cold wind flies
As they clutch their hot chocolate cups
Spring slowly creeps around
Its time short but sweet
Then summer comes in without any warning
And brings along the heat
Hope
Anonymous
Watching the clouds depart,
seeing the bright sky open,
gives me hope for one more day,
hope for one more moment.
The curtains drawn back,
the set is revealed,
all the men in black,
hope is seeing the band that helped you heal.
Hope was seeing him get better.
All those countless hours,
the room was covered in flowers.
When you lived, I thought you had superpowers.
Danielle Hill
Cait Meow
Dawn
Sean Vo
I sink into my bed and try to close my eyes. The clock in my room keeps me awake. Time keeps ticking, reminding me that time to live is not infinite. However, the time to sleep may be. I rise, and I start to think. Memories of the past and future imaginations overwhelm me, while the present completely eludes me. Then I start to sink into my imagination, of what I want to be, what I want to do. And then I eventually fall back into my bed and fall asleep. I am woken again, this time by the ticking of the clock and the eerily long night. I become paranoid, and start to shake for hours. Haunting images and thoughts start to flood me, and I can’t help it. I am paralysed by fear. But something manages to catch my eye, to turn me away from all this fear.
A sunrise...
The rising dawn...
It’s everlasting beauty...
The clock strikes 5 AM. The sky is still dark, but it has a slight color to it, more than pitch black. It feels like a year has passed by, but only a few minutes. The sky lightens a little more, and I wonder why. Something tells me that the sun is rising. I stare for a moment, until I see the sun. It was the most beautiful thing, because it was that Thing that burned away all fear in my mind, and strengthened the hope that was hiding behind the shadow of fear. And then, I am blinded. A voice... “You have done many bad things. You have been haunted by your regrets...” A shroud of darkness appears in the light. Then, my inner voice cries, “I may have done many that I regret. But I don’t care what I have done! I know that I can change! No matter what my past says, I can always change my future! I know I can, and I will.” This inner voice of mine, my second spirit, allows me to rise, and burns brighter than the shadows of fear and suppression. I can and will change, no matter what. To leave the past behind for a bright future.
Maddie Cedrone
Hope
Pearse McNally
The wick’s flame flickers
like fading consciousness
of a junky’s high.
It waves goodbye
as it illuminates the dark
room.
The violent red, the calming orange, the vibrant
white paints his face
as pen touches paper and
a lengthy dialogue is
established by his inner demons
and his frothing self loathe.
Suddenly his eyes lift
from the paper as a
gust pushes itself through
an ajar window.
The man is suddenly in horror
as the dark room becomes its
normal state as the wick’s flame
stops its dance,
extinguished by fate.
The cinch in his stomach
ties tightly,
like a noose
he feels his hope choke on the
gargantuan mass that is
fate.
But suddenly,
a ray of light begins to paint
the roof of the dark room.
The violent red, the calming orange, the vibrant
white,
climb their way into his life.
The noose is suddenly cut
The night abruptly subsides
The day has finally begun
The demons have finally rested.
Shannon Lindahl
Celia Rose
Dance of the Willow
Sean Vo
I remember when I saw you, and where I met you. I met you by that willow tree. I was sitting by the tree, crying. You came over, and you introduced yourself quite well. You asked me why I was crying, and I said it was too complicated. You held out your hand and said, “I like complicated.” I told you my past, and ever since you meet me by the willow tree. Everyday, the wind would pass, and the leaves of the willow would dance. We look to the ground, and see the shadows of the leaves and the sunlight. It seemed as if they were flickering, like fire. And you said, “Look. When the leaves dance in front of the sun, it’s like fire. They both flicker. Remember, you have that flicker, you’ve always had it. That fire in you can change things.” I looked up to you, and remembered that first day by the tree, how you saved me.
The willow tree dances everyday...
The flicker of the sun, like fire...
And I remember that day...
It was on that first day that the willow tree danced the most. When you came, the winds calmed, still blowing, but revealing the shadows of the leaves with the light. I remember when you gave me the strength to stand up. I told you this and you said, “I didn’t give you strength. You found it yourself, and I was there to open your eyes to see it.” I asked you how you do it, how you keep hoping. You answered, referencing to my past, saying that I’m actually the most hopeful person you’ve ever met. How, despite my complex past, I still manage to change the fate that was to await me. That no matter what other people said, I kept having the hope and willpower to change it, and how my will to change everything was burning like the fire, dancing like that willow tree. I thought I was hopeless, but you cleared the fog in the forest to show me who I really am. Thank you, for everything. For showing me the truth, for showing me hope, and for showing me my true self.
Shannon Lindahl
Taylor Whitley
Beauty Within
Hannah Millen
Mirror Mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?
Is she pretty, is she thin?
If this is a game, who will win?
Mirror Mirror on the wall, why can’t I be liked by them all?
I do so much, I try so hard
But the tears still stream down, like glass shards
Mirror Mirror on the wall, don’t you see society’s fall?
We are all beautiful beings, everyday
No one should care what people say
Mirror Mirror on the wall, put away the “beauty call”
Take the mask of makeup off, show your smile
Just be yourself, it’ll all be worthwhile
You're beautiful, don’t ever forget it
Whenever you’re down just please don't quit
Mirror Mirror on the wall, the image you gave me was always so small
I’m not the girl you would have met
But now I’m strong, I’m all set
Mirror Mirror on the wall, there’s no “fairest of them all”
Shannon Lindahl
Our time
Anonymous
Hope is the championship you want to get,
blood, tears, sweat, dripping down your face
Hope is your parents comforting you while you wept
you fell 1-0 with thirty seconds left
Hope is a new year with a new team
It’s time to prove ourselves and dominate the league
With only three months to pull off a dream
Practice everyday Monday through Saturday
With a couple games in-between
Sore bodies are nothing too extreme
If we leave everything on the field, achieving our goal
A 3-0 win is all that it’s for
Our willpower, hustle and motivation in store
In order to walk off that field with a better score
Then the game we left, with our tears and sweat on that bus floor.
Katie Gardner
Dear Soldier, Come Home
Yousra Bendarkawi
Hope is patience
Waiting for him to come home
Hope is counting the number of days
Before I can have my soldier close
Hope is her smile
That gets me through my day
Hope is survival
To fight for her and be brave
Hope is love through thick and thin
Even though we’re miles and miles apart
As we both struggle through our battles
Hope is keeping each other close at heart
To Put it Bluntly
Daniel Silva
It’s a stupid idea to keep pretending and convincing ourselves that everything will continue on the same. But, admittedly, we all do it. And we all squirm, shake, gag at that one horrific word: Change... No, not the one you keep in your pockets, the other one. And yes, some might say they like change; “old” is “boring”, “new” is “thrilling”. Well, it can be, but to say you don’t get anxious at thinking about it? That you don’t get worried and a million “what-ifs” hurl across your mind? Well then, you could be either a dirty liar or real buffoon. In that case, I’m terribly envious of you. I’m cursed with being too perceptive to fool myself.
Back to the point, the hardest part about “change” is acceptance. It's a bit funny though, because very often, I mean very often, it feels like acceptance is the only part. *GASP*. Don’t put the paper down.
Change is like swallowing that large pill in your mouth. All you really need to do is swallow it and its over and done, but of course it's a particularly large pill so you’re scared of a particular “death by pill-enlodged-to-throat-itis”. So instead you keep insisting on breaking it into pieces but your mom is saying “no you can’t do that or it won’t have full effect” but then you’re like “mom thats not true at all” but she’s like “just swallow it already” but you’re like “but mom” but she--What I’m trying to say here is that after you grow the *boldness* to swallow that pill you realize, “hey that wasn’t so bad… I could’ve died a terrible death there… but I’m still alive…sorta.” Once you actually swallow it, not only do you stop worrying about it, you feel much better.
Maybe “swallowing the pill” isn’t the best advice to be giving here, but the truth is, we all need to take that red pill eventually so that we’re all ready to embrace that new world of ours.
Road to Hope
Joey Marchetti
First light of Summer
Austin Ferrullo
The dawn of the new morning breaks through the cracks in the straw roofing and illuminates the dirt floor. Mingli opens her eyes and her nostrils flare as she inhales the first scent of moss and dew. She silently rises and tends to the fire that had been burning overnight. Mingli grabs some tinder in bunches of five or six and cracks them over her worn, beaten knees. She stokes the fire with a thick piece of green timber and opens the lid to the kettle dangling from the tripod above the open flame. The steam creepily makes its ways up the ceramic walls of the pot as if it was a curious, yet frightened, newborn and Mingli was its new mother. The tea was a simple mix of water from the stream and an herb that abundantly grew around the hut. Mingli steps out onto the wet mud outside of the front door, making sure to keep silent so that she would not wake her husband, Chen. The air is thick with the scent of damp moss and the clouds that clung to the tall pillars of the mountains are low today and the moisture would collect on your tongue if you were to patiently wait with your tongue outstretched. This is all typical for Mingli, she and her husband have been living here in the valley for quite some time. On mornings like this where the clouds of the mountains sank down to the earth floor bringing moisture with it, Mingli would awaken fairly early in order to harvest the numerous herbs that thrived in this area. However there was something else the clouds brought, the tops of the mountains were heavily invested with a specific mushroom that only seemed to inhabit the peaks of the tallest mountains in the valley. The mushrooms would release their spores upon the first light of summer and the spores would mix into the clouds. When the clouds were dense with moisture they would fall to the ground, sprouting the same breed of mushrooms upon the earth. Unfortunately the mushrooms would only survive on the valley floor for a few days at a time, so Mingli made sure she tracked the clouds behaviors whenever she had the spare time to do so. The mushrooms were like no other and the smells they produced in great bunches seemed to captivate her, gathering them was her sinful obsession. The fog was thick around the hut and Mingle, with a thick woven basket strapped to her hips set out into the white void.
Taylor Gallagher
Story Of An Hour
Austin Ferrullo
The emergency light flashed with a monotone buzzing sound each second of the hour, hour after hour. The hull of the ship was nearly submerged. The water was frigid and perfectly clean, but he did not notice, he was too busy working the door. The steel walls were giving way to the pressure of the water outside It was only a matter of time before the dam burst and the floodgates were let to run free, perhaps an hour or so. He pulled and slammed and jerked yet the bolt of the cabin door would not give way. It was such a simple obstacle, such an inferior object that was keeping him from his freedom. Just beyond the door the sound of running water echoed through each corridor. The baron ship allowed for almost perfect silence letting the sound of flowing water to be carried all throughout the vessel. The almost soothing sound would be abruptly interrupted by the clashing sound of pots and pans in the dining hall as the bow of the ship shifted. Then the melody of rhythmic flowing water would rush back into his ears. It was getting louder, the ship must have been nearly submerged by then.The place that once held so much conversation was now a silent tomb slowly plunging into the vast emptiness of the ocean with one passenger aboard, trapped in his personal quarters. The stippled steel floor was far beneath him now and he kicked and struggled to find a foothold to keep his face above water. As his nostrils bobbed in and out of the frigid waters he was flooded himself with memories. Memories of the ship in its prime, before all of this evil had torn apart its skin and flooded into its chest.
The comforting aroma of roasted potatoes wandered the halls, aiming to find a new home in the unsuspecting grunt fast asleep in his bunk. The seas were quiet and the sky was a vast and empty blue. The crew was restless for a meal, this being there last at sea before they reach port, they were savoring every moment. He dug through his mind trying to recall their destination, but with no progress. All he could recall was that all was going well. Lunch was in session and he had eaten with the crew before retreating back to his cabin to get some rest and then...
Katie Gardner
Hope
Colleen McCarthy
Hope is something you wish for,
Something you wish for during a nightmare we call life
Hope is something that’s missing,
Something that’s missing when your mother also is
Hope is something that’s lost,
Something you lose the same time you lose your brothers to drugs
Hope is something you can’t find,
Something you can’t seem to find when your father is on his hospital bed with cancer
Hope is something that’s gone,
Something that’s gone just like your premature baby
Hope is something we wish for,
Something we wish to find during this nightmare we call life
Haikus For Hope
The haiku is a traditional Japanese poetic form that follows a fixed form; a haiku consists of three lines with a total of seventeen syllables. Generally, the syllabic count occurs as five, seven, and five. Haikus offer simplicity and tranquility. The haikus below were composed by Bulldogs to remind us that life is beautiful. We thank them for feeding our hunger.
Josh Rose's laughter
Echoing throughout my ears
This gives me some hope
-Kyle Arbia
Even though they’re gone
They will be there till the end
This gives me some hope
-Anon
Look up to the sky
To see the stars spell believe
This gives me much hope
-Sean Vo
The chickadee hops
Enlightened by the fall Sun
Inspiring all
-Riley Bouchard
The sun has risen
frost recedes from window
this inspires hope
-Riley Bouchard
Clouds part from the sky
The sun begins shining
the birds sing a song
-Riley Bouchard
Being together
On Thanksgiving and Christmas
This gives me some hope
-Anon
Graduation Day
Wearing the white cap and gown
This gives me some hope
-Molly McDonough
Beautiful music
It fills me up with some peace
This gives me some hope
-Jason Cameron
The beautiful stars
You all live up above me
You give me hope
-Jason Cameron
Colorful leaves fall
But I know they will be back
This gives me hope
-John Kamande
The Christmas season
Sweet aromas fill the air
This gives me some hope
- Alisha Schneider
Even those most sad
Still find a reason to smile
This gives me some hope
-Alyssa Hatch
Opening a book
Entering an unknown world
This gives me some hope
-Bridget Martin
Watering my plants
Having them depend on me
This gives me some hope
-Bridget Martin
The cool placid lake
The beautiful butterflies
Morning is here now
- Cait Meow
Summer in the air
Daffodils in the gardens
Tree tops rustle loud
- Cait Meow
Sweeping clouds so white
Floating among the tree tops
Vanished, night has come
- Cait Meow
Fear against the dark
Standing still and looking on
The cold dark nights here
- Cait Meow
When the old folks die
We will be in charge, hell yeah
This gives me some hope
- Chris Landy
I adore my dog
But I hate the way he smells
This gives me some hope
- Chris Landy
Night under the light
With diploma in my hand
This gives me some hope
- Kayla Beaudry
Our Bulldog Nation
The loud cheering in the stands
This gives me some hope
- Kayla Beaudry
Power with struggle
Continuing to keep faith
This gives me some hope
- Kayla Beaudry
Single family
one town unites at all times
This gives me some hope
- Kayla Beaudry
The smelly K-Bear
Just got a job at Walgreens
This gives me some hope
- Anon
Rockland Volleyball
Round two of state tournament
This gives me some hope
- Anon
The fridge is empty
The cabinets are still full
This gives me some hope
- Austin Ferrullo
When the sun goes down
It is known of its return
This gives me some hope
-Gary Reyno
When my dogs don’t bark
I will not have a headache
This gives me some hope
-Gary Reyno
When one fades away
They don’t go out with a bang
This gives me some hope
- Gary Reyno
Happy and joyful
Love is a sweet summer rain
That refreshes us
-Anon
Love is like winter
Warm kisses thaw freezing hearts
One day the spring comes
-Anon
A dove flies sweetly
On paper notes, telling all
Of my love for you
-Anon
Big like the mountains
My love for you shines through for
Everyone to see
-Anon
The stars shine brightly
All is peaceful and quiet
This gives me some hope
- Lauren Zaremba
My bedroom is dark
Music plays to keep me calm
This gives me some hope
- Lauren Zaremba
Cute texts from my friends
Sweet words to brighten my day
This gives me some hope
- Lauren Zaremba
Walking through the woods
Shooting photos of the world
This gives me some hope
- Joey Marchetti
No shave November
My face is very hairy
This gives me some hope
- Joey Marchetti
Leaves fall to the ground
Fall has finally arrived
This gives me some hope
- Joey Marchetti
Always seeing friends
Helps me get through the long days
This gives me some hope
-Anon
Mac and cheese is great
I always eat it at home
This gives me some hope
-Anon
The leaves fall off trees
To make new ones grow like dreams
This gives me some hope
-Anon
Playing in the lights
On Friday nights with my team
This gives me some hope
-Joey Reardon
Cheering of the crowd
The buzzer rings and we win
This gives me some hope
-Kallie Morss
Thanksgiving is bomb
Turkey, broccoli, and cheese
This gives me some hope
-Liam Ball
Summer on the beach
Listening to waves all day
This gives me some hope
-Madeline Daly
Playing with my dogs
Together they run around
This gives me some hope
-Madeline Daly
The Rockland Bulldogs
Support all their sports teams
This gives me some hope
-Madeline Daly
Reading a good book
Unable to put it down
This gives me some hope
-Shannon Lindahl
Rain cleansing the earth
Washing away death and pain
This gives me some hope
-Shannon Lindahl
My dog greeting me
Happy when no one else is
This gives me some hope
-Shannon Lindahl
Hockey is relief
It helps free me from the stress
This gives me some hope
-Shayne Hurley