"The Colors of my Life" by Ann Onimous

Red is my war paint

The nail polish I wear

When I mean business.

Orange is the juice

I only have when on trips

No one else likes it.

Yellow is the sun

That taught me the lesson that

What you love can hurt.

Green is my back yard

Lush with clovers and hastas

And our maple tree.

Blue are the oceans

Atlantic and Pacific

I will cross again.

Purple is the bruise

From when I ran and I tripped

Remember caution.

Pink is the flower,

My hibiscus, which reminds

Me of Hawaii.

Brown is the chocolate

That fills my mouth with sweetness

As I share with friends.

Black is my old life

Faded away to nothing

With the girl I was.

White is my future

Nothing but a blank canvas

Waiting for colors.

"A Day in the Life of an Empty Desk" by Ann Onimous

It’s about 7 a.m. The lights come on in the writing center. Pity. That didn’t happen last week; must have been spring break. Within the next twenty minutes, freshmen begin to file in. The bell rings. Someone sits on me. Partway through class, the boy I’m holding up sticks a piece of gum on me. I am disgusted. I long to smack him, but alas, I am but a simple desk.

It is time for Stinger. A new set of students enters the classroom, and a girl takes her seat on me. She turns on a laptop, and I soon become warm. Thank you, girl. The room was cold, but you have given me relief from this trial.

Sixth period. The next group of students sits around me, but I am left empty. I seem unwanted. I am reminded of my father. I weep quietly from the depths of my plastic and metal soul.

Eighth period. This is a Latin class. I am shoved against my desk brethren to form tables. I feel that this is an invasion of my personal space. A student writes a filthy word on me. I pray for the junkyard.

Finally, everyone leaves. The lights are turned off and the door is locked. I feel peace in this, but I dread tomorrow.

"Once Upon a Time" by Ann Onimous

Once upon a time

A princess sat in a dungeon

Thrown in against her will

Trapped by a small lock on the door.

The lock was labeled “ugly”

And she’d attached it herself

After she saw herself

In the magicless mirror.

The princess walked about

Mentally locked in her prison

That she could not escape

For she did not have the key.

And when she went to school

Some of the other students

Couldn’t see her dungeon

And just made fun of her.

They did not realize

The new locks they were making

Labeled “stupid,” “crazy,”

“Weird,” “abnormal.”

She waited for her prince

To come and break the locks

To finally set her free

And lead her away from her cell.

While she sat waiting

She passed the time with a razor

To distract from the locks

Saying “I’ll stop when he comes.”

But he never did

So she never did

She cut herself deeper

And let herself out

The quicker way

And she never saw

The beautiful princess

That she was.

"Nervous First-Time Flyer" by Ann Onimous

I stare at the planes

Next step of our journey

My first flight approaches

I’m nervous, but I’ll never admit it.

I ask you what it’s like

You just shrug and say

That it’s no big deal

My nerves are not calmed.

We get in the plane

You sit next to me

My heart races like it’s trying

To pull me back to the gate.

We buckle up

We arrive at the runway

We accelerate

Faster

Faster

I shut my eyes

We take off

And

We

Fly 

"Heart" by Ann Onimous

            I love hearts. Human hearts in particular. They hold a vast amount of purpose and meaning. The heart, as anyone can tell you, is vital for life. It’s what pumps blood throughout your body. It’s the very heart (pardon the pun) of the circulatory system. It allows blood to receive oxygen from the lungs before sending it off to the rest of your body. It’s highly important to keep your heart healthy enough to do this through diet and exercise. Are you aware that heart problems are the leading cause of death of Americans? I recently learned that. Quite interesting, in my opinion.

            The heart represents mortality. What’s the first thing one checks for upon discovering a body in one piece? A pulse. A flat line on a heart monitor has become a much used, even cliché, symbol of death. When the heart stops, everything stops. It’s like the power cord of a computer. Pull it out, and all operations cease. It’s done. Finished. Over. Goodbye.

            I think it’s funny how love is so closely associated with a symbol of a heart. In this day and age, “heart” is sometimes seen as an informal synonym for “love”; “I <3 you” and “I heart you” are rather popular phrases among teenagers these days. In fact, I’ve heard that our symbol for a heart is supposed to be two human hearts sewn together. The heart has nothing to do with love. All the feeling comes from your brain. Even when people describe their hearts racing from passion, it’s just a response to chemicals that their brains are releasing. Some might call it improper crediting. But if you think about it, we humans are connecting our life lines with love. “I love you from the bottom of my heart” could be taken as “I love you with my life force, my very essence of being.” And I think that’s beautiful.

            In short, human hearts are wonderful. They are vital for life and recognized as such. They symbolize love, one of the strongest feelings a human can possess. Human hearts are powerful. Human hearts are important. Human hearts are beautiful.

            And that, Your Honor, is why I collect them.