A Single Bird by Lisa K., Port Washington, WI As I lie here in the grass, And look up to the sky, My feelings are content, And I am filled with pride, To say this is my yard – The place where I have grown, And now its theme is autumn, And nature wants it known. Continue...
Eyes of Paradise by Elisha L., Canton, OH We spoke, and I soared, we talked.
I met your smile with my eyes and looked into your eyes. I saw
tropical waters infused with kiwi extract. a blueberry garden bursting with luscious fruits, rimmed with a fence of lashes. Continue...
Grandfather by Mariangela D., Edison, NJ It was a cold winter day a few weeks before Christmas a blizzard was happening everybody in the house silent everyone wearing black silent tears were heard nobody laughing or talking Grandfather not in his chair Continue...
Grateful by Nikki S., No. Andover, MA When I slip beneath the sheets, spent as a sodden tea bag, I am grateful. In my mind it snows.
Noiseless snow, the kind that artists paint for Christmas cards and poets call down – perfect for angels, or a hoof print if I were a deer. Continue...
Hush by Oriah A., Los Angeles, CA We’re sitting on the shore With our shoes on, Our socks in our pockets (they had gotten wet) And you’re saying something About musical fish That can recognize Beethoven Sonatas, and I’m trying Hard to listen, But you’re talking In figure ... Continue...
I'm Watching by Mary A., Rockwall, TX Almost daily The little feet Would patter their way Through the snow
Almost daily I could hear The screeches of pain And laughter commencing
Almost daily I knew That I would see her Come up the steps Bid me adieu
In the Eye of the Beholder by Lindsey P., Middletown, CT She was unbalanced out of proportion Had crooked teeth and two left feet
She stumbled in, head held high straight down the middle without glancing around. Continue...
Mad-Libbing Your Life by Susan S., Louisville, KY Life is a Mad Lib where Ignorant People Stick words in Haphazardly And wait to see the result.
They do it for humor, A hollow laugh Hoping that the words Will give them at least One amusing story To tell No matter what the cost. Continue...
Math Notes by Kaylie H., Mesa, AZ the formula for your day isn’t followed it makes up an equation no mathematician could swallow scribbles full and hearty numbers turned to pictures doodles across division multiplying adding squiggles what is there is to borrow crossing out and hardly ... Continue...
Perfection by Priscilla A., Spring, TX Cuts and bruises scar the dancer’s feet, Her knees are rough and blue, A reminder of how many times the floor caught her swiftly. Muscles erupt in her back at every motion she throws, And her concentrated brow and arms channel perspiration. Continue...
Perseverance by Kathrin D., Rocky Hill, CT A clump of dirt – a scrub of brush The hard-packed earth baked by the desert sun: wearily cracked like it’s too much effort to remain unbroken.
Nothing exists in this tired valley: it has simply given up on life. Continue...
The American Dream by Delaney M., Montclair, NJ There’s a girl somewhere sitting in front of a cheap, slow public library computer Striving to be the first in her family College bound Walking home in the dark Alone To a hungry family, a poor family, an angry family, a broken family That’s not ... Continue...
The Rose by Andy K., Overland Park, KS I’m yearning for these clock hands to be analog, so I could hear the minutes tick past. Instead, I remember with each silent flicker that my phone still lies silently, too.
Now it’s 10 past 10 and you’re an hour late (a nice touch for our second date). Continue...
The Unspoken by Meredith S., Roslyn, NY I whisper when I scream I fade when I shine I tiptoe when I run.
I tremble when I stand I shrink as I grow There is silence when I speak.
In a crowded room, find me in the back, Planning to be noticed Waiting for my chance. Continue...
to tend to you by Kathy T., Philadelphia, PA delicate textures, our cheeks brush smoothly one beside the other to dry tears with silent hush.
breathe lightly as not to crush an almost enchanting whisper: words too ethereal to rush. Continue...
To the Government, Regarding Katrina by Devon R., Goshen, CT Scream is what I want to do, “These people died and where were you?” If the Coast Guard too had taken your lead, Hundreds more would have been in need. You claimed that you were unaware That 5,000 plus had just died there. Continue...
White as Poisoned Snow by Amanda B., Grand Falls-Windsor, NL, Canada She bit into the apple. The agony rippled through her throat. Down her chest, into the pit of her stomach. Her head tipped back as the acid poured through her lungs, Burning through the skin like butter on a knife. The green apple rolled from her fingertips to the cold, icy ground. Continue...
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