Where does this flower bloom? Must it rely on water, or When unattended will it face doom? Nana always said, “Don’t pick the pretty flowers.” “Leave them alone, they’ll be dead.” But, Leaves, branches, weeds: How come they were destined to be thrown? Roses, sunflowers and lilies were protected, Since the gardener wanted every flower to be a clone. He and his whole community wanted the perfect lawn, But each of them planted different seeds, And each seed grew differently from dusk till dawn. Each seed just required the sun as their shield. If everyone knocked down their white picket fences, We would end up with a vibrant field.
So where could this flower possibly bloom? Anywhere where the gardener has no power.
Anjali D. // BLOOM
Sam Troy // THE GARDEN
A calm breeze echoes
through the weeping willows,
unmasking the luscious smell
of sublime spring flowers.
My eyes begin to close
to soak up the sweet serenity.
My skin becomes damp as
raindrops leisurely fall
from the periwinkle sky.
I slowly bend double
and pluck a crisp crimson dahlia
And bring it to my nose.
As I inhale the muted notes of May,
chills run down my spine.
Spring is here.
Kayla Weng // MOTHER AND I: CHERRY BLOSSOM TREE
“will you always be by my side?”
“will you promise to never leave?”
i asked you,
rooted to the earth
with my crooked, gnarly little arms.
yes;
you said, “yes” and showered me with care
and the twinkling of your laughter.
your fluttering, pink wings;
you protected me,
you sheltered me,
and you loved me.
again.
“will you always be by my side?”
“will you promise to never leave?”
but the wind whistled in your place.
you.
your brown,
dull
petals
lie upon the earth.
you left me.
you faded away.
and you were gone.
back then,
i watched as others took photos,
so these fleeting moments
may be eternal for them.
but i must wait.
i miss you.
Sarah Jacqueline Murphy // I LIVE WITH THE SUN
I live with the sun.
My sister is 13 years old, and she shines brighter than anyone I’ve ever met.
Her happiness radiates in waves of laughter
And her soul glistens like a diamond in the rough.
I live with the sun.
Her light casts a shadow that is impossible to fill.
Her radiant personality blazes through normality,
Shining down on humanity.
I live with the sun.
My rainy days vanish with her presence.
Her aura beams with confidence and humor
And her laugh illuminates my world.
Mahima // THE UNIVERSE
An enveloping darkness
With no beginning and no end.
It rules with an iron fist,
Like a dictator with the world at their feet.
You bow down to Its every command
And are blinded like a prisoner seeing sunlight
For the first time in decades
As you realize the limitless
Power It wields over you.
It decides the fate of all that inhabit it,
And could erase you from history
With a mere flick of a finger.
But It won’t.
Because you are
An insignificant speck
On a rock hurling around a dying star.
The world continues
Even if your world has come crashing down.
You will soon be buried by bigger problems
Like the city of Pompeii
Under a layer of ash.
The grains of time are
Slowly slipping away
For you.
Until one moment
When you will cease to exist.
The Universe won’t forget you,
Because it never even knew you.
Gauri G. // THE TURTLE
In a storm of sounds and siblings,
Underneath a silver moon,
She crawled over glistening grains
Towards the broth that would swallow her.
In a whirlwind symphony of color, she thrived.
Blades stroking in cycles towards home,
Where to hundreds of souls, she would give life;
Their mother forever unknown.
In her old age and wisdom,
She was draped by wrinkles and items obscure.
An abode that was no longer hers,
Yet still on her shoulders she bore its weight.
And at her final resting place,
She lay strewn at last;
To where she had crawled for eternity –
A landscape littered with trash.
Edward Nieshoff // SNAPPING TURTLE
The turtle crawls back
Into it’s hard shell,
Fish pass like bullets,
Day turns into night,
Night turns back to day,
Children’s feet sound like
thunder… on the floor,
Turtle knows some but not much
Of what’s happening above,
Back rigid like a mountain,
Head wrinkly like an old witch,
Teeth hang like a vampire,
Simply just misunderstood.
Anmianyao // CATS
I like cats
Regardless of their fur color
I listen out for the cautious footsteps
Or try to capture the unpredictable figures hiding in the dark
They peek into world in the gap of times
and draw footprints under the roof of cement
They stand by the gesture of independence
Without abandoning the ambitions of world
Cats are like me
Or I am like a cat
My heart deep inside yearns to escape the earth
But lack of courage to forgive and forget the world
Balance towards the world
People live with the absolute independence
Only see the endless sparks in the mirror
Secular people see the objects themselves only
And the others observe both
Cat and me
We enjoy the morning warm light
and cross through the charming night breeze
Nothing really matters in this world
As long as cat and me continue
Daydreaming by the groovy stove
Sheldon Gentling // SEASONS
Summer comes enthusiastically, with warmth. Children’s laughter fills the air.
As I wave a hello to the increasing heat,
the beaming sun rays create reminiscent sadness.
Children’s laughter fills the air.
Before a cold wind blows laughter away.
The once beaming down sun rays created a reminiscent sadness that reflects as the temperature gets lower and lower.
Before a cold wind blows laughter away,
One last joke
Deflecting the decreasing temperature, getting lower and lower. A blanket of dead leaves cover the ground.
One more joke.
Cold nights, and days, and frozen earth.
A blanket of dead leaves cover the ground
As light snow falls.
Colder nights, and days, and even more frozen earth.
The sun is still tucked behind the clouds like a wall As roaring snow falls
the animals prefer to hide away
The sun is no longer tucked behind the clouds like a wall.
The temperature begins to rise.
Maybe time the animals stop hiding away.
I begin to hear a hopeful chirp of birds.
The temperature continues to rise and
The anticipated
hopeful chirp birds
make their serene sound.
The anticipated
Wave hello to the increasing heat
Greets me back gladly.
Summer comes enthusiastically, with warmth.
Santiago Parizek // BEET
I represent god themselves,
and yet nobody knows it.
I was produced by the beings that created the universe,
And i am healthy and full of nutrition.
I am the epitome of perfection,
Not even radishes compare to my will.
I am the the first beet,
that came before beats were considered an element of music.
I prove that by my mere existence I am made of: Sugar,
Water,
Surprisingly few calories,
Very little fat,
4{8f8d4e344c8a972b8e97d55fa7ec8be4d5f796681e06b247e4219849f812f758} Iron,
Vitamin C & B6
9{8f8d4e344c8a972b8e97d55fa7ec8be4d5f796681e06b247e4219849f812f758} potassium
And the very fuel that keeps this planet spinning on its axis and complete full runs across our star.