“Living Under the Shade”

Mahimn Dave

“After school”

Kaitlyn Valenti

I sit in my trunk observing around me. At 2:06, the bell rings, students flush from the building, flooding the parking lot, eager to go home. Engines yell awake and friends catch up. After traffic dials down, and everyone leaves, the lot grows quiet. Small gusts of wind blow the trees, making them whisper the only song they know how to sing. Skinny stems sprout from the ground, giving the field a great deal of hair. Somewhere in the belly of the trees buzzes a soothing sound like it’s alive. I stay crossed-legged, my foot falls asleep buzzing with the trees.

“Forgotten Memories”

Elena Hymes

“Sorrows Over The Unknown”

Jillyan Connell

In sorrow’s depths, where shadows linger deep,

A heart adorned with hopes and dreams untold,

Within a womb, a precious life to keep,

Yet fate’s cruel hand, a tale of grief unfolds.

[_____________________________________]

A silent storm that rages deep inside,

A love so tender, now lost, and none can pierce,

The ache, the emptiness we cannot hide.

A life unseen, yet felt so deeply loved,

A future dashed, a tale left incomplete,

A mother’s arms bereft, her dreams removed,

The pain relentless, never to retreat

But in the darkness, glimmers of a light,

A love that lingers, though the child takes flight.

Though sorrow’s weight may seem impossible,

In shattered dreams, a strength begins to rise,

For deep within, a flame burns indomitable,

A mother’s love, enduring, never dies.

In whispered prayers and tears that fall like rain,

Her spirit finds solace, though scars remain,

She finds a way to heal, to rise again,

To honor the life that brought her joy and pain.

“Unknown”

Sophie Froehlich

“Misty Morning Lane”

Nirvana Monsur

During the morning of Misty Morning Lane, mist filled the air. It was as if an enveloping cloud fell from the sky. The bright porch lights illuminated the dark sky. The blinding sun was no longer blinding.

Chills shivered down her spine. The thick air intoxicated her lungs. The fog stung her eyes. The mist had led to misty thoughts.

At Misty Morning Lane, mist filled the air from dusk till dawn.

Untitled

Erika Petersen

Untitled

Ella Bagchi

Cold, thin air whisked through my nostrils and sliced across my face like the blade of a grim reaper. I could feel my toes numbing as I trudged upward in the snow. Gusts of snowy wind howled in my ears like a haunted chorus of wolves. The storm threatened to throw me off the mountain, into the sharp rocks so far below. I felt the storm and my own fear like liquid fire in my bones, seeping into my shivering veins. Jetstreams of ice pelted my eyes, making them water. My legs burned, but I kept climbing, fighting the unstoppable forces pushing me back. I kept climbing through the treacherous terrain ahead of me. I kept climbing the mountain, carrying the fear in my soul. I kept climbing because I had to. And then, suddenly, everything stopped. The howling wind became a soft murmur, a memory of what it once was. Sparkling snow fell sparingly and gracefully in calm flurries. My body ceased to burn, because I had stopped climbing. I had reached the peak of the mountain. I inhaled the fresh, still air and took in the panoramic postcard around me. The aggressively gray sky had melted into a serene blue that touched the majestic mountains surrounding me. A river weaved through the mountains, glazed over with a veneer of ice. I was enveloped in a surreal, freeing silence. Warmth bubbled in my heart up into my face, and I smiled uncontrollably. Frozen in time, I had never felt so warm.