As You Exit
by Caroline T., Granite, MD
An empty cigarette case,
A cold coffee cup,
A two-dollar tip.
I pick up the tab
’Cause you’re not here
To be the gentleman.
The vent next to our booth
Was no match for the wind
That enters as you exit.
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Dead Photographs
by Michelle L., Great Neck, NY
I remember a pianist with a temper
who bent time to fit an ocean
in a measure, but was delicate enough
to wait for the rain to fall.
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I Remember
by Renee J., Centreville, VA
I remember when coming home
Meant forgetting my keys
And sheepishly asking
To stay over at your house
Because my mom wouldn’t be home
For three more days
I remember the smell
Of apple-flavored cigarettes
The dirty clothes ...
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My October
by Rachel F., Buffalo Grove, IL
Sunset’s breath appears,
Accompanying stars that polka-dot a somber sky,
Like the dress I wore this morning.
It drapes my legs,
Sliding over my knees when I sit.
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Organization
by Ailson G., Kensington, CA
I marked it on my calendar
hugged by the due date of a French paper
and a doctor’s appointment.
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Put Away That Notebook
by Adam G., Chicago, IL
A book of rhymes finds its sunshine
in the back street of my mind.
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Rain
by Susan D., Shrewsbury, MA
Today the world is gray,
while the sky drips secrets
as stars and bubbles simmer on the tar.
Leaves drenched with sadness
for every child
who wanted to play outside.
Through the window
the whole city
is a blur.
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Remember, Brother?
by Chelsea H., Bend, OR
Milky warm days
Of fighting over
After-dinner candy
And a small puppy’s
Affection, so fickle.
Tossed words like the
Salad Mom used to make:
Nonexistent.
Before the time
Without parents
(Which came quite
Early for us.
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Rush
by Sadie W., Batavia, NY
It’s strange how voices can sound, sometimes
like the wind in the rustling trees
when you take in a thought
the sounds of people
(who really live in a range of just six degrees)
and absorb the sounds of their telephone ...
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Spin Cycle
by Saara P., Toronto, ON
hot wash, spin cycle
she spins in the centre of the backyard
stretched arms slicing the sluggish heat into
manageable swallows
above her head the sun throbs incessantly
a blinding yellow and white pulse; it
ripples across the hazy blue
the ...
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Swallowed by Suburbia
by Katie P., Mason, OH
I lost myself somewhere
In the expanse
Between the driveway and the front porch
Sliding between the cracks
In the sidewalk
The pitch-black roofs
Rising above me
Until the stars were blocked
From view
My ears hummed with
The echo ...
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That Old Rockin’ Chair
by Olivia T., Clarkston, MI
Through the rustic dust of the kitchen,
Momma is brewin’ up her old-fashioned stew
while Cousin Jane plays catch with Brother Jeffery.
Me and Granddaddy sway against the breeze together on our old rockin’ chair
and tell each other stories.
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The Dot, The Dentist Chair, and My Lord and Savior
by Dylan J., Montgomery, AL
Lying there in the dentist chair
with the bubble-gum mask rushing salvation fast
i got a funny feeling as i gazed at the ceiling
(a spiritual place of peace and healing)
it had countless dots and numerous spots
and about one hundred fifty thousand ...
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Tuesdays
by Kaitlin N., New City, NY
Every Tuesday night
You come to the little coffee shop where I work
Three minutes before closing
Order a chai latté (iced, in warmer weather)
And a slice of banana bread.
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Volvo to Delridge
by Gabrielle G., Edmonds, WA
He shouts at us with his fingers tapping
against the steering wheel, his Morse-
code communication almost welcome when
it shows that we are there, and that
perhaps
(could I?)
be on his thoughts.
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You Sleep Walk Into the Room
by Samantha M., Trailside, CT
Your whispers radiate off of me
into early morning tea,
making a hybrid with the sun.
Stepping toward you,
I’m wide-eyed as a young child,
holding your waist,
giving you every touch of my
fingertips.
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