A Moment in the Garden
by Lillie W., White Bluff, TN
Kneeling in her blue sundress,
She rakes rocky dirt calmly.
Her small-boned hands blistered,
She moves precisely, determined.
How long has it been since she,
Laid-back and calm in the Keys,
Told the story of her youth?
Her flip-flops snap as she walks.
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All 4 Senses
by Annie C., Fredericksburg, VA
I’d like these words to be touched
So that you feel the soft shape of the “S”
The perfectly smooth “O”
The angular “A”
To run the fabric of these words through
Your hands
I’d like you to roll these words around
In your ...
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Childhood Memories
by Kirsten, Pompton Plains, NJ
Leaving
We were leaving
saying good-bye to my dad
My brothers asking questions
that they didn’t understand
Relief
no more endless nights
listening
muffled screaming
floating down the hall
thinking I don’t hear them
moving in
seeing my ...
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China Ruby
by Emma F., Grosse Pointe Park, MI
Here we are again we’re eating
Dinner at this Jewel of the East
It’s a weekday banquet marked by
The dull shine of that industrial-strength teapot
My face, impossibly elongated and
A plate of food unfinished.
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Face
by Tyler H., Rootstown, OH
His hair is like salt and pepper
once brown
but now tainted by the
side-effect of time
face the color of sandpaper
tanned by the years of
long work out in the
sun
eyes the color of robin
eggs
blue but not dark
he smiles and his whole face
smiles with ...
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Grandpa’s Violin
by Katherine B., Royal Oak, MI
The house is empty, and I’m
Kneeling on the Oriental rug.
You couldn’t tell if I was
Praying or begging, and
This instrument so delicate in my cautious hands -
I can feel it crumbling
Beneath my calloused fingers.
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Guilt
by Michael S., Sacramento, CA
Too late the sun has set
For lowered eyes have noticed
How less the horizon flows gently
Capturing the image of the night
In the eyes of the unborn
And the hearts of space
Twinge at the sight of reflections
Water crystals spray petals
Of pillowcases and ...
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I don’t remember the day
by Kelly H., Tampa, FL
I don’t remember the day you finally grew taller than me,
Or when your voice finally changed
so Mom and Dad didn’t confuse us over the phone -
Baby-fine golden hair and cornflower blue eyes,
Crayon colors; and I remember the smells
Of coloring Kelly Green, ...
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In My Light Blue Dress
by Kiran C., Niskayuna, NY
I sat on the stool
Waiting, thinking and hoping
That everything would go right
Suddenly the doorbell rang
It sounded like thunder
Compared to the silence of the house
I stood up
Looked in the mirror
I straightened my light blue dress
Ran my fingers through my ...
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Onion Stained
by Natalie D., Ames, IA
My fingertips are stained
With the bittersweet of
Onions
I broke them this morning for hours, just
Left to right, up to down I was
Shattering spheres, reducing the fragile
Layers of skin into uneven silk shards
Exploited, exposed those uniform corpses
Down to the pan ...
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Puff
by Victoria M., Scotch Plains, NJ
They tell you to reach for the stars,
she says coolly.
but what happens when there are no stars?
what happens
when the only light in the room
comes from the cigarette in your hand?
Ankles crossed,
she wishes she could be the smoke
on your lips
and rise
instead ...
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Restless
by Brittney A., Gilford, NH
Chinese checkers
on a Sunday evening
the room aglow
with fierce horizon heat,
we’d squint and continue
novicely shuffling pieces
until our eyelids fell
with the burning colors of day
Papa would play his guitar
on Monday nights
to an audience of two.
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Rise Up and Soar
by Courtney N., Kirkland, WA
Rise up and soar
Said the salmon to the bird
Dive down and swim
Said the falcon to the dolphin
Rise up and soar
Said the wind to the eagle
Dive down and swim
Said the ocean to the fish
Rise up and soar
Said the man to the boy
Dive down and swim
Said the ...
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She’s Not Funny
by Corinna R., Baltimore, MD
Their laughter gnaws away
At my ears
Begging me to join in.
Her smile wraps
Around, around her face,
Like a blindfold
During pin the tail on the donkey.
She steals my air
As if she were queen,
As if she had every right.
Her words are orange.
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spring
by Charlotte F., Charlotesville, VA
puffs of
pink
cherry
blossoms
shed
swirling
confetti
petals
make the
wind
visible
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Those starfish
by Rebecca F., Marietta, GA
The starfish are crying
they want you to love me.
If you bend your ear to the ocean floor,
you’ll hear them:
... your love was a voice of serenity ...
And I agree.
I’m sure it was a voice of serenity
who screamed in my face.
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