A Place in Time
by Rachel S., Warwick, NY
And even though we said
Always and forever
Midsummer butterflies
Left us feeling invincible
Laughing together
Hearts in hand
Playing our guitars
And even though we said
Forever and always
It may just’ve been a place in time
Just because we said
Our ...
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A Walk
by Anne C., Versailles, KY
The shivering trees arched over the sidewalk;
we ducked to avoid dwindling leaves.
You grabbed a leaf and held on until the tree let go.
You twirled it in your hands nervously,
threw it up into the chilled air
and we watched it fall to the ground.
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Above Feathers Fluttering on Sidewalks
by Anna T., Hoover, AL
I sit on rooftops
watch the city
click and whistle.
Everyone thinks I’m up
here
for the view.
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Addiction
by Miriam L., Malibu, CA
He was ...
my warmth on a cold day;
my light on a starless night;
my familiar face in an unfamiliar place;
my safety net after a long fall;
my smile on a sad day;
my strength in a weak moment;
my comfort in a hard time;
my guide on a windy road;
my hands when I ...
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Behind the Fiction Section
by Bonnie D., San Antonio, TX
Two flowers
conjoined
float and rustle
beside the bookshelf.
Yellow overlaps red, vines
entwined
about her waist
a single stem.
Identical centers borne
they unfurl shyly smiling.
My lone, pollen heart acknowledges them.
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Bones and Ghosts
by Caleb D., Hartsville, SC
If I were to, one by one,
Pick the bones from under my layers,
Strip them of damage and creation
And present them to you -
A settled way of apologizing -
Would you grind them down to
A huffable suggestion,
Or lay them next to you at night?
They would be clean, dry, ...
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Crumbling in Your Wake
by Marcea B., Catonsville, MD
Two blades of grass
brushing together
as naturally as two lovers.
Violently, the storm
interrupts the
winding motion
of our intertwining.
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Half-Read
by Jasmine W., Theodore, AL
Love was the only book I left half-read
Beside the dog-eared fairy tales and books of a dream
Chapters in this book go untouched
Buried beneath false characters that plot and scheme
Lost is the girl who fails to merge
The significant chapters of her life
Pieces that make ...
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Heat
by Holly M., Cleburne, TX
Heat drips in June,
Clinging to our necks as sweat.
We cling to the lake
Along with the mosquitoes.
Our bitten skin is
Scratched raw in the morning.
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Human Haikus
by Sarah H., Moraga, CA
our eyes reveal us
sowing pain, empathy, joy
do not conceal them
hearts are concealed
hiding truth, emotion, love
we must reveal them
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I Hope
by Jessie D., Beaver Falls, PA
I hope you
choke
for every
“You’re beautiful,” or
“I love you”
that escapes lying lips.
I hope you
falter
over corpses of memories;
stumble
into terrifying encounters
with guilt and regret.
I hope you
love ...
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Juvenile Romance
by Amanda C., Tobyhanna, PA
All too often have I seen young lovers
Enveloped in their sweet, sticky sessions
Oh, now they speak dear words.
Next week’s a different story,
Petty arguments soon sever their love
And is no longer a part of their inventory.
Yes, Tomlin had it right.
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Skeleton Flowers
by Sirenna B., Merrillville, IA
warm breeze
and teacups in the sand
i’ll wear the sundress
and draw daisies on my hand
you’ll sit
and count my freckle-stars
kiss my eyelashes
and say how deep in love you are
sunshine
echoes off your skin and mine
dance along cold ...
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Sweetness
by Emma B., Victoria, BC, Canada
This selection can be found in Chicken Soup for the Teen Soul, the 7th in the Teen Ink
book series, all available in bookstores nationwide and online.
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Teacher
by Jessica G., Cincinnati, OH
She told me of the moon, the stars and the sky
She taught me to listen
And watch with my eyes
To look at the world
And her graceful nature
The deep sea waters
And the virgin green
She taught me all
That I already knew
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This Is Getting Over You
by Rachel M., Florissant, CO
I smoked,
On the last night here.
Before moving on,
Before getting over you.
And everything you said.
I choke on the words,
Swallow them down in my head.
So they wash past my eyes,
Like silhouettes of fire.
Forty shades of patience,
All that I’ve tried.
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Trapped
by Lauren O., Mooresville, NC
My life was like a chessboard
Every move carefully planned
But then you came along
And banished me to a foreign land.
In this new land the bishops sneer
And the rooks look ready to fight
I’m just a pawn in my made-up world
Darkness has covered what was once light.
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