Anya Peri
"Cruel, cruel world! Why separate me from my family? Why send me to the dog shelter when I’m clearly a GREY WOLF? I mean, I was walking near the street, next to a border collie stray, just asking to be caught. Plus, I have white fur and black front legs – not a common fur color for Grey Wolves. Also, I am smaller than most wolves my age because I’m pretty skinny and female, making it easier to mistake me for a dog.
But still."
From Katerina Stoichkov's "For Bud"
"My brother, drooling over the lamb as his eyes were glimmering. He asked for an eyeball, something that would make you feel your lunch moving up your insides. Then he took a bite of the eyeball. All I could hear was a pop coming from his mouth as he chewed. I felt sick. I stumbled backwards. It was too much for me."
From Adler Freed's description
"Mi mamita (abuela) Brenda, ella tiene pelo rizado y corto, castaño y ojos café usa lentes aunque tenga la vista mejor que la mía. Ella hace el mejor gallo pinto con pollo, no le gusta que no me coma la comida porque dice que estoy demasiado flaca."
From Andrea Molina Matamoros' "La Banda De Los Abuelitos"
Just Like Chocolate
It’s never, “Hey, pretty girl!”
But it’s always, “Hey, Chocolate Drop!”
As if Black girls can’t just be
Humans like we gotta be
related to a food
It’s always skin is rich and brown
My skin is dark and it smells sweet
But it doesn’t give warrant to call
Me something you can eat. My skin is
Painted.
My skin is painted with the
Dirt my ancestors were ripped
off of. The same dirt they were
forced to maintain.
So yes, my skin is dark
Like coffee beans. And yes, my
skin is sweet, just like
Chocolate. But I can be a
human just as I can be a
food.
Gabriella Bailey
Artist: Emerson Niu
"When backstage, you’ll actually get to know me, not my reflection of perfection."
From Elyse Bejar’s piece on getting to know the real me
Where is my neighbor?
Is my neighbor somebody who lives in my town? Or my city, or my state?
Are they my neighbors? Or am I theirs? Or both?
Could the old, cranky man in the house next door be my neighbor
And yet the children who play outside my home every day are, too?
Can my neighbor be near? Or far? Tall, or short? Here, or there? A girl, or a boy?
Is the kind old lady who plays the violin on the sidewalk no less of my neighbor than the child who lives in my building? Are they all, unconditionally, my neighbors?
From Audrey Famer's Neighbor
Artist: Leah Trigg
Bird wings soar,
Food is lush at the new lake,
Nests pile high while friends meet again,
Flappers are finding mates,
Swans are storing food,
All you need to do is find a flock….
From Elizabeth Stewart's Flock
"It was like the fence cut the world in half.
As I would walk by it every day, I would get chills upon looking at it, and as a sense of dread would set in, I would start to speed up, and head away from it. After the fence was out of sight, my sense of terror would dissipate, and somehow… I would forget it completely. This cycle of events would continue to happen..."
From Michal Vaculin's The Troubled Little Robot
Artist: Julia Mileto
"He lay down once again and he envisioned a great story, just as any great writer would. In his head, his mind illustrated a picture of a whole new world. A vivid image of a great garden filled his head. A story he didn’t know he could think of was so clearly in his mind that it was as if he was in it. A garden. Throughout the garden thriving creatures, vessels of life."
From Ethan Ioffe's Worker’s Dawn
Supposed Heartbreak
I ended things
but you led me into a trap
with my hope
running away once you’d captured my regret
I closed the door
but you slammed it in my face
I left with hope
but you took it as a sign of weakness
and stabbed me from behind
I offered you friendship
but you took it as a weapon for betrayal
I thought we’d be fine
but you had different plans
You pulled me into conversation
only to silence me with embarrassment in my devastation
I tried to let you free
but, as I was coming to unleash you,
you’d already picked the lock
forcing me into the cage that was supposedly yours
I said goodbye
but you put up a wall
still teasing me from the window
You left me strong
but crushed me after
broke my bones
my brain`
my heart
when I was said to have broken yours
I left you
but you deserted me
Now I’m alone in this cage
left with just the thought of you
Torture
Eloise Barr
Artist: Elijah Jaber
"When I'd ask her who her crush was she would respond, 'No comment' and then laugh a cute little laugh.
When my suspicion was raised, I'd ask, 'Is it me?' and she would say 'Potentially,' and then we would burst into laughter at each other's stupid remarks."
From Mila Cherubini, Warmhearted, an imitation by Luis Gonzalez
My body is
Perfect and
White And
girl and
small and
White skin and
small lips and
dark brown hair and
brown eyes and
Hands raising and
Head that wonders and
Voice that talk and
Feet that run and
Hips that move and
My momma’s hair color and
My dad’s character and
My aunt’s smile and
My body is masterpiece and
My body is mine.
Anngie Abarca Molina
Read more imitations of "Imitation of This Body II," by Renée Watson
Artist: Eulesa Tahiray
"She slipped on a wet pile of leaves and brushed herself off. When she stood up, right in front of her was the perfect pumpkin. It had a shiny and smooth white rind, and a ridged stem that swirled perfectly at the end."
From Jada Saidmuratov’s piece on pumpkins
"I guess you could say the orchard was torture, mostly because you needed a twelve-foot long stick to get one apple. And this place was so crowded I would rather sit in the economy row of American Airlines. And I could fish more apples out of a sewer drain than here."
From Benjamin Mulic's Apple Picking
Artist: Amelia Ragazzo
"The deadly [Bubonic] plague started in China and Inner Asia. The men in the army ... were dying. So [the leader] did something that changed Europe for one hundred and fifty years, he catapulted the plague-infected corpses into the town in an effort to infect enemies. Then... twelve infected Genoese ships carried the pandemic westward to the Mediterranean port of Messina. The Sicilians were very excited to greet the ships, but their excitement died down when they discovered half of the people were dead and the other half dying. They quickly ordered the fleet out of the harbor but the damage had been done."
From Eli Schreier's "Black Plague"
My House In Fall
My house in Fall,
A red brick home surrounded by beautiful colors
Of crimson red,
and umber
Delicately veined with gold and sunshine yellow
Patterned in leaves bright as flame
My house, with its dinner table decorated with lace,
With elegant flowers,
And with dishes holding apples, honey, soup, and brisket
Ready to be consumed by my ravenous family
To celebrate Rosh Hashanah altogether
Wishing each other, “Shanah Tovah!”
A happy New Year indeed.
My house, with our doorstep decor of pumpkins, of squash,
Of white mini pumpkins
Looks ready for the harvest.
With my siblings and I, a blur as we get ready for school, not wanting to miss the bell,
It is never quiet.
Especially with my Guinea Pigs squeaking all morning long.
My house, a home for ghouls, ghosts, goblins, and chocolate bars, come Halloween
With all of us covered with makeup and masks,
We are walking candy consumption machines
Ready to bring in a payload
Of Payday bars.
My warm coat, with warmth insulated inside of it
Is always waiting for me in the closet
When the cool fall breeze starts to blow.
My home, with a window seat perfect for curling up with a book
And a mug of hot chocolate
Seeing the beautiful sights
Of this peaceful season
Is just the place I want to be.
My House In Fall.
Margot Ricks
Artwork: Sigal Cutler
*
"When she found out that Ruth Bader Ginsburg might be making a speech and coming to where her mom works, she was so excited. She got all prepared to meet her idol. Then she begged her mom to take her. It didn’t take much to convince her because Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a very inspiring woman. She kepting dreaming about meeting her and getting her book signed. She pictured it so many times in her head that sometimes she mistook it for real."
From Charlotte Dowell's award winning Rotary contest submission, Little Feminist
"[N]ow that I'm older, I'm definitely starting to notice that Kasey treats me as if I'm her own kid. I say this because she's always talking about how much fun we're going to have on vacation or how she's always going to sunbathe on the beach with me. Almost like that special bond with your older sister. She always has a smile on her face and, as I would say, it is a trail of happiness."
From Nuala Connolly's winning Rotary Contest submission
Artist: Jennifer Rosales Rodriguez
"Disclaimer: The device used to translate the dog’s thoughts is a prototype that is still in testing. Please do not take this too seriously.
I barked, 'What’s going on?' to which a dog responded, 'It’s adopting time!' I was extremely confused, and, at random intervals, a person would take a dog..."
From Morgan So's The Mundane Acts of a Dog
Smoke
The yellow-green sky,
With an ominous gloomy glow,
The red dot above looking so small,
A tiny fiery light barely seen,
In smoky surroundings.
The blurry surroundings,
Barely come into focus,
The smell of a campfire overcoming,
The dizzy spells cast everywhere,
In smoky surroundings.
Our damaged planet doubling,
The consequence of the fire.
Will it happen again?
Will we constantly be trapped
In smoky surroundings?
Eiley Vasquez
Artist: Sofia Gogoleva
"When I saw it piping-hot and steaming as the waiter carried it gently to our table, I was immediately hit with the waft of the tempting smell of garlic and oil. It reminded me of a spherical brown blob that looks like something you would shout “EWWWW” at if you saw it squirming in the ground of a damp field. I'm sure if I felt it with my fingers, it would feel like how I imagined an eyeball would. On my tongue, I was met with an explosive, sensational taste, surrounding all of my taste buds. It was as salty as a lick of your lips after a soak in the ocean. It was as herby as the smell you get when you walk in a garden full of flavorings. The garlicky goodness was a perfect boost of happiness, and fulfilled my stomach with endorphins very quickly."
Halle Zigelman's description of snails
Artist: Migdalia Lopez
"Have you ever had someone close to you die before you can officially remember them? Because that was what happened to me."
From Michah Taylor's "The Day I Fell Apart"
"Last weekend, I went camping with my church for three days . Spending time in nature was unforgettable."
From Edwin Maldonado's "A Trip I Will Never Forget"
Hey Lily
Imitation of Accents, by Denice Frohman
My cousin seems perfect
She is a great student
Her style grows on me
She is everything I want to be
Yet, at school she hates the boys,
The boys who say, “Hey Lily,” treating her like toys
The boys, there's no telling them no!
Over and over they'll growl if you dare say no!
In volleyball, whom do they blame for their mistakes?
They blame the girl who already deals,
Deals with them every day, day after day,
Eighth grade is pressure but, the boys, the boys they'll make it hell
The hell they make her in, day after day, it's not a good day
Has your stomach felt, well, she's felt over and over and over again
She cries from what the boys say,
She cries from what her teacher says,
“If you join the track team, maybe you'll be thinner!”
Taking her confidence, smashing it on the ground!
As she reaches and reaches to get it back,
She dare not snap,
Snap, crying
all she does is laugh or be mad,
Mad at the boys,
Mad at the teacher
Mad at them saying,
“Hey Lily!”
An echo in her head!
An echo of “hey lily”
You don't know what she's been through
From boy to teacher to girls laughing
They all have one thing in common
They all say, as she falls down,
“Hey Lily”
No teacher to talk to,
She was all alone,
All alone in the bathroom,
After swimming, she yearns
And yearns for home,
As she suffers in silence,
She wishes, wishes she was home,
In the bathroom, no one can see,
See her break down,
One final time,
I never see it
She keeps her tears in,
In her mind,
In my mind
In the boys’ minds
And in her teacher’s mind
We all could never imagine her,
Imagine her…
cry.
“Hey Lily.”
“Hey Lily..”
“Hey Lily…”
Frances Currie
Artist: Adele Gunn
French Onion Macaroni & Cheese, for those who have never heard of it, is the most appetizing, flavorsome, succulent, and most unquestionably mouthwatering dish that anyone has ever tasted before. It is a very cheesy dish, which is macaroni and cheese mixed with perfectly cut yellow onions. This dish is something special. Not like any other KFC Mac & Cheese bowl at your local village, but a dish so scrumptious, that when you enter the spoon-filled cheesy goodness into your mouth, you feel like you’ve been revived and you want to dance and jump and run from here to the moon and back.
From Ali Khlifi's "Fresh Dish"
Artist: Flannery Demasi
Hot, fresh dumplings on a rainy day make the whole day better. The sizzling of oil when the dumplings hit the pan, the spray of soy sauce when they hit the container, the feeling of biting into a crispy fried dumpling when the juices explode across your tongue, the burn you get on the top of your mouth mid-bite, the fighting going on in the kitchen, the way it warms your insides.
From Ariel Cancel's description of dumplings
Read more descriptions by Asher Taubenfeld, Edward Gjinaj, Eli Blumberg, Ella Dalby, Jenika Martynova-Topiwala, Maya Marshik, Patrik Kaleshi, Rina Coen-Cagli, Naiomy Figueroa and Mia Lopez here
Artist: Grace McDonough
"Ever had a Butterfinger? They’re not chocolate. According to the Food and Drug Administration, at least. Yes, they may have cacao, but no real chocolate. Incredible, right? All those candy bars with the word chocolate on the wrapper or box have to have approval."
Learn more about chocolate from Emmet Bloom's research
"Above him was a person surrounded by darkness. The lord of wood’s body was now in the hands of this weird dark spirit as the spirit touched him and he suddenly turned into darkness and went into the spirit’s hand. The spirit walked away and disappeared into a cloud of dust."
From Maxwell Salva's super dog story
Struggles
I put on a loud personality
So no one sees me suffer
I walk around with a smile
to hide the oceans in my eyes
I cry at night in the silence & darkness
I don’t look to the heavens to hear love
But I do look to the mirror
trying to search for lingering hope
Why is it so hard?
Why do we have to make it so impossible
to live?
Eloise Barr
Artist: Flannery Demasi
"The most terrible part of this lovely (to me), yet awful place is the Falk Star Clan. Everyone worships them: they are the leaders of all the wolf clans. (Even though they are more like the leaders of the whole Forest.) What is very annoying is that I am part of this awful clan, but I am an Explorer - not a future leader."
From Violet Widboom's "Escape from Crows Peak"
"Jerry and James walked and walked until they reached the border between worlds. It was a big, green, circular stretch. James was shaking, scared of anything that came near them. A big ripple opened above but they didn’t see it. The sweat dripping from Jerry's face was increasing. A tear came from his eyes. He had no idea what to think."
From Harrison Kaufman's fantasy story