So Worry Free - Original Poem

Watching my rats,
So worry free
And happy.
I enjoy
Watching
And thinking,
Knowing life
Will never be that way
For me.
Not anymore,
Now I have a job,
College soon approaches,
And around every
Corner -
Stress.
Worries are common,
They tend to fill a mind.
If only
Those worries,
That stress,
And all of those headaches
Would just go away.
Then I could feel that way,
So worry free,
And happy.
All over again,
As if I was
A child
Once more.

~Alyssa Hellenbrand~

Not Accepting The Truth - Original Poem

While I know the truth,
It is never easy to face.
I much prefer turning around,
And refusing to accept my fate.
This is stupid, however,
Confronting it would be better,
Being able to change it would be best.
Yet I still stand with my back to the fence
That separates my mind from the truth.
Whether this fence is stubbornness,
Ignorance, or just stupidity,
That does not matter,
Not while it protects my bliss.

~Alyssa Hellenbrand~

Haunted - Original Poem

Haunted houses,
Dying trees,
A creepy fog,
Old cemeteries,
The place to have fun.
As long as you do not fear,
The living dead having their own fun.

~Alyssa Hellenbrand~

Those Eyes, That Smile - Original Poem

Those brown eyes tear into me,
Yet they seem to miss my own.
That smile seems to understand me,
Yet it does not always come for me.

~Alyssa Hellenbrand~

Confront Your Enemies - Original Poem

Raging winds tore at my hair -
Standing still was no easy task,
Yet moving would insure my demise.
One way led me over the cliff edge,
Another path would send me into enemy arms,
The final path would lead me to open lands.
One option seemed more appealing than the rest,
But I had seen another make that mistake before.
You run from the problem at hand,
Eventually it will catch back up,
And then it takes you down with vicious strength.
My mind was made up,
I would not run from my problem,
Confronting it seemed the only smart choice,
So I took a step forward and inhaled.
This was my path now,
In enemy arms,
Where I would have to learn,
Better myself until I understood my error,
And then -
And only then -
Would I be able to step away from my enemy.
Yet it would no longer be my enemy,
And I would have another new one to beat.
Thus is the pattern of life.
Yet having one after another seems better,
Especially when the other option is:
Let all of your problems combine,
Strengthen themselves and grow.
Confront your fears and enemies today,
And although you will see this situation again soon,
It would be in your best interest not to delay.
Move forward,
Become better than you are,
Grow into one you can be proud of,
Someone you enjoy seeing in the mirror.

~Alyssa Hellenbrand~

TeenInk VIP!

What makes you happy? Food, exercise, animals, books, electronics? Well, those can all make me happy, but this may have just made my day! Today I checked my e-mail and this was the first thing I saw.


Dear Alyssa,
Congratulations! You have just become a Teen Ink VIP. This is a special designation for contributors with many submissions, posts, contributions or have received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. We hope you will continue to contribute to TeenInk.com and maintain your VIP status. Congrats,Teen Ink Staff


I'd say that was a nice little afternoon gift.

Horseback Riding - Original Poem

An afternoon breeze,
The soft nicker of a horse,
Impatient pawing at the dirt,
Then -
A harsh flow of wind,
The bouncing up and down,
From a trot to a gallop,
Finally feeling free,
A magical moment for me.

~Alyssa Hellenbrand~

TeenInk (More Publishings)

I now have four published poems on TeenInk.com. I hope you take a look and let me know what you think. These poems are all ones featured previously on this blog, so do not be disappointed when you read works you may have already seen. I have three other poems pending approval from TeenInk editors, as well, so when those are approved and published, I will post more links. (These three are not on my blog) Thank you for your time and interest, I hope you come back to my blog again soon.

1. http://www.teenink.com/poetry/free_verse/article/472284/Smile-or-Cry/
2. http://www.teenink.com/poetry/free_verse/article/472286/Brand-New/
3. http://www.teenink.com/poetry/free_verse/article/470824/Differences/
4. http://www.teenink.com/poetry/free_verse/article/470821/I-Build-Up-Another-Wall/

So Plain To See - Original Poem

When all is said and done,
So much is still left unsaid.
When everyone is satisfied,
No one is happy the way they are.
Even though we may say something,
Most of the time we mean the opposite.
Although many realize this,
Not one person seems to understand it.

We ask if something is wrong,
And even as we see them wipe away tears,
They say they're fine -
And we accept that they are fine then.

Someone is biting their tongue,
They are asked if they would like to say something -
Shy - they say no and withhold their thought.
Everyone just moves on.

How can we all be so blind?
We know what we're seeing,
Most of us know they're hiding,
Yet we do nothing and let them be.

When all a friend means by,
"I'm fine" is that they want a hug
Or that they really need someone to talk to,
We know that's what they mean.
But we accept that they must be fine
Because they told us they were,
Even when it's plain to see that they are not.

~Alyssa Hellenbrand~

TeenInk Published Poems I Submitted!

I have published two poems on TeenInk, a national literary magazine, and I would love if you would check them out. Also, I have five more currently pending approval, so I hope you'll see those when they're set up on the website. Thanks.
http://www.teenink.com/poetry/free_verse/article/470821/I-Build-Up-Another-Wall/
~AND~
http://www.teenink.com/poetry/free_verse/article/470824/Differences/

What if? - Original Poem

None could tell of how he fell,
Long ago he had been known as a rebel.
But he had righted his wrongs,
He had made amends to whom those amends belonged.
Late at night he must have not seen,
Maybe he had even tripped on his jeans.
Somehow he had fallen over the cliff,
The only question now is what if?
What if someone murdered him that night,
What if he had gotten into a fight?
How he died we may never know,
But in my mind the possibilities will forever flow.

~Alyssa Hellenbrand~

Your Smile - Original Poem

Your smile lights up a room,
The way you laugh erases my sorrows,
Or at least for until tomorrow.

Tell me you love me, please.
Let me know exactly what to think.
My mind has gotten a hold on me,
And it's bossing me around.
Thought of you nearly drives me to the ground.
Because you're leaving.
And I'm staying.

Your smile lights up a room,
The way you laugh erases my sorrows,
Or at least for until tomorrow.

How about a hug now?
I need some comfort.
Maybe it sad to hear me this desperate,
But you won't stay out of my mind.
I need you to understand,
I need for you to at least care.

Your smile lights up a room,
The way you laugh erases my sorrows,
Or at least for until tomorrow.

Sounds kinda cheesy,
I know.
You'd think this would be easy,
And you have no idea,
So clearly it's not.
Just promise me that before you go,
You'll let me know,
How you feel about me.

Your smile lights up a room,
The way you laugh erases my sorrows,
Or at least for until tomorrow.

~Alyssa Hellenbrand~

Tear Drops - Original Poem

Dripping down,
Sliding across the uneven floor,
Tear drops scatter
And form different paths
In hopes of finding a better past.

~Alyssa Hellenbrand~

Happiness In the Air - Original Poem

A smile, a laugh,
The gentle caress of a loving hand.
Feelings of friendship
Rushing through the air.
It's a wonderful time when happiness is here,
No one dares dampening my mood -
For to do so would mean they were a fool.
A new friend was made,
Other friends of old were around,
The cheerful mood drove us 'round.
We had a wonderful night,
Celebrated the mood,
And stayed that way until late afternoon.
Then we tired,
Some headed home,
Finally only a few were left.
Yet the mood remained energized,
No one grew angered,
And as the night grew old,
A new feeling awakened.
One of old,
One that sent shivers down two backs,
For both felt it now.

~Alyssa Hellenbrand~

The Untold Past - Original Story Excerpt

After Ronald and my dad woke up we all went outside. I thought maybe we were going to go eat somewhere, but instead my dad lead us towards the woods that were conveniently located directly behind the hotel we were staying at. I wonder if that could have been one of the reasons we got a room here. After I thought about it, I realized it was probably the main reason.

After we had walked through the woods for a few minutes in silence - me tripping over almost every fallen branch - we arrived in a large clearing. It was surrounded by trees that had brambles and various other bushes closing the gaps between the tree trunks. I scanned the edges of the clearing and found no other opening other than the one we had just come through.

No one would disturb us here.

Teresa walked into the middle of the clearing with her twins closely trailing her, she crouched down low to the ground with her chest almost touching the ground, then she started to shake and in a heartbeat she was gone. In her place was a sandy colored wolf. I stared in awe, would I ever be able to change so easily? I’m not even sure if I will be able to change the first time.

But today I will try.

  And I hope I don’t fail.

  Everyone else had been training for half an hour before my dad finally put down his foot and said I had to try. Even if I didn’t try to change, I had to learn to defend myself. So he pulled me out of the shade of the trees and stopped in the middle of the clearing.

Everyone was watching me.

And I had no idea what I had to do. I looked around and saw Ronald walking towards me - my dad was no where in sight. “Laviette. Are you ready?”

I swallowed, “For what?” I hated how my voice shook, but there was nothing I could do about that. My entire body was shaking even though I hadn’t done - or seen - anything yet. Then I realized it wasn’t because I was scared. Ronald looked me in the eye and smiled.

“Are you ready for the change?”

“Um...no,” A spasm shook me and I yelped, “But I guess I have to be, huh?”

“Yea.” Then he sat down about three feet from me and started to explain what was happening, but I didn’t hear him. Another spasm had taken over me and I was panting, I collapsed down on all fours and prayed the pain would go away. My spine felt as if it was being ripped out of me while the rest of my body felt as if it was on fire.

Then the spasm receded and I looked up at Ronald. He offered me a smile and shook his head. “Your body has been waiting for this opportunity for months. Even though you probably didn’t know it was being held at bay, your body knew to hold the change back until you were safely secluded.”

“How could my body know something I didn’t know?”

But he just shook his head and laughed. “You’d be surprised, your body is going to prove to you over the next few months just how much more it knows that you’re going to not understand.”

“An example?”

“It knows how to be a wolf.”

I nodded, “And I only know how to be a human. Well I’m glad my body can help m-” I screamed and collapsed on the ground. If I had thought I had been in pain before, then what I now experienced was another feeling all together. As I lay, writhing in pain, black stars started to float around my vision. The stars grew and grew until they became so monstrous that they clouded every last speck of light.


~Alyssa Hellenbrand~

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Write Down How You Feel - Original Poem

Write down how you feel,
The memories an endless peel,
Feelings of the past and present,
Will make you regret you forgot
To write down every word,
Until your soul was perfectly matched
With the Earth.
So do not be shy,
Write down how you feel.

~Alyssa Hellenbrand~

Punctuation Matters...It Also Saves Lives

Do you remember those days when your english teacher was droning on and on about proper punctuation and you zoned her out? Well, maybe it was more important that you originally thought it was...

2012 - Hopefully This Is Not The End

They had better not be gone. Today was a very emotional day and I knew I would cry as I did. I had planned on wishing people luck and saying goodbye to those I may truthfully never see again, but when I saw the graduates walking to the front of the school I just lost it and started crying even harder. Therefore, I left...and I will now have to wish all of you from the now graduated class of 2012 - good luck and I hope to see you again.