Two Voice Poem
By Elle Gordon, TIWP StudentVoice A (A), Voice B (B), Together (C) A: TiredB: TiredA: TiredC: NOA: I have this worksheet.B: The deadline was so long ago. A: RestB: RestA: RestC: NOA: Work hard.B: Do this if there is no place to go. B: TryA: TryB: TryC: NOA: There is no stability in try.B: Don’tContinue reading “Two Voice Poem”
First Kiss
By Elle Gordon, TIWP Student I’ve never been kissed.Well, one that counts.You hear of your first kiss, at 13, with your Romeo and Juliet, or however else you identify.But what if you were four,you didn’t want to be an outcast so you did it that you weren’t sure?You thought nothing of it but a decadeContinue reading “First Kiss”
The Harshness
By Taryn Pearce, TIWP Student She had a dreamer’s heart and a sparkle in her eyes that no one could forget. Her soul was sweet and the chaos made her beautiful. But then the harshness of the world got to her. Drenching her in its sick rain, filled with hatred. It extinguished the flame thatContinue reading “The Harshness”
Paradox
By Kea Yoshinaka, TIWP Student Come over and hold meI’m lonely but I hate you— I hate myself more.I’ll shove you.Please don’t shove back.Sensitivity has never been too fond of me. I stare at the ceiling.I’m anxious and chaoticbordering neurotic and holding on to whatever I’ve got left.I guess I suck the fun out of life.I’ve threaded myContinue reading “Paradox”
Words of the Universe
By Olivia Tiffin, TIWP Student Subtlety, it’s danced across my heart. Weighing every step, one thousand pounds. A tickle reached my chest as it swam through the rivers of my blood. Stars twinkled above my head, speaking the universe’s bidding. The air around me drops, twisting my lungs into a knot. The breeze felt likeContinue reading “Words of the Universe”
Scheduled Programming
By Hazel Smith, TIWP Student you dance in the harsh lightspotlightunclean machiavellian soulsdecay that only spreadscoating daylightin ash now darkness fallscuffs that once held heroes,confining the wrists of horrors the ones that line my history bookthe tragic atrocities that trickle into fill the previously blank pages programming blares on,switched off, by me
Dance Floor
By Hazel Smith, TIWP Student up and downrollercoastersstanding on a highwaydress billowing in the windthe mind of a scholartoo shy to speakthe old man twirls his wifelittle girls spinning on the dance floor petals thrownphoto boothhelps us to remember not to forgetpictures with propsyour face in a locketthe old man twirls his wifelittle girls spinningContinue reading “Dance Floor”
Sweet Talk
By Caroline Crossland, TIWP Student Dear Sweet Talk, Let me rewind your brain, just a little, from the white tops of my lavender fingertips and tell you a little story about the golden trophy who stands tall and wide with its cape and crown. And I’m going to make it even more dazzling for you,Continue reading “Sweet Talk”
Touch
By Kayli Harley, TIWP Student I miss touch, the gentle caress of angelic skin, the clasping of giving hands, the embrace of tired limbs. I long for the communion of strangers, the brushed shoulders in crowded city streets, the occasional grazing of fingertips, the oblivious privilege of presence. I yearn for innate connection, the alternative to words, the warmth of a hand on my back, theContinue reading “Touch”
They’re Bananas
By Mina Talebi, TIWP Student Bananas. Yellow bananas. Now they’re rotten.Now they’re gone. Now there’s more in the fruit bowl. But no one eats them. They’re bananas. They’re yellow bananas. They’re rotten bananas. Now they’ve gone bananas. Suddenly,there’s more. But she’s the only one who eats them. They’re bananas.You walk into our house. There is a rotten smell. It’s rotten bananas.Yellow bananas. Rotten bananas.Gone bananas. Yet she still buys more. MoreContinue reading “They’re Bananas”
With A Pumpkin
By Lucy Fox, TIWP Student And the pumpkin shrank, as a pumpkin is not a carriage, just as I am not you,and you are not me.And why did the pumpkin shrink?Because as the bells chimed midnight,she could not face him, with a pumpkin,and two lizards,four mice,a goose,and a torn pink dress,She could not face her prince.No,she could not. SheContinue reading “With A Pumpkin”
The Mermaid and The Girl
By Zara Quiter, TIWP Student, Age 9 The girl at the beach was having a blast. The girl at the beach was having fun at last. The girl at the beach is going to the water. The girl at the beach’s fun is drowned. Down, down, down, in the water. Drowned, drowned, drowned. The funContinue reading “The Mermaid and The Girl”
Fire
By K.W., TIWP Student, Age 9 Fire is a burning sensationthat keeps you warm.Fire can give you a warm toasty feeling.Fire feels like warmth holding you tight.Fire looks like flames rising from the ground.
Magic Is…
By K.W., TIWP Student, Age 9 Magic is…a magical force,pushing you to do whatever you want,pushing you to move towards your goal,telling you to do what’s right.Magic is…Magical.
Everything Is Important
By K.W., TIWP Student, Age 9 Everything is important.Some things can be remade, like the clothing you tore.Other things can’t, like knitting.One thing that will live on will be your memories for the things you’ve lost.
I Believe
By Samah Hamid, TIWP Student I believe in myself.I believe in happiness.I believe there’s good in everyone.I believe we can change for the better.I believe in love.I believe in peace.I believe in equality.I believe in justice.I believe in hope.I believe in striving for knowledge.I believe in fun.I believe in learning.I believe in beauty.I believe inContinue reading “I Believe”
Here’s What I’m Telling You
By Samah Hamid, TIWP Student Inspired by a line from Eve Ensler’s poem “Manifesta to Young Women and Girls” Voice your thoughts.Love yourself.Travel the world.Surround yourself with the people you love.Be kind but firm.It’s okay to feel.Follow your dreams.Realize how strong you are.Be confident.It’s okay to be a little ‘feminine,’ whatever that means.You don’t needContinue reading “Here’s What I’m Telling You”
How to Change the World
By Hettie Van Dyke, TIWP Student do not be afraid, my child.do not be afraid to run,to leap,to fly.do not be afraid to love everyoneeverythingeven yourself.do not be afraid to be everything you want to be,to drape yourself in velvet and pearlsand coat each person’s tongue with your dreams,your imagination melting in their mouth likeContinue reading “How to Change the World”
Impossible Emotions
By Kea Yoshinaka, TIWP Student Sometimes, I don’t know how to find the word for how I’m feeling, so I describe it. This is me describing my impossible emotions. Being left in an abandoned parking lot during a storm. Jolting awake from a dream.Laughing until you can’t breathe.Falling on your face in front of a crowd. Waves inContinue reading “Impossible Emotions”
From Pebbles to Birthday Candles
By Yellow, TIWP Student What if I’m the only one staring out my window waiting for the sound of a pebble tapping glass to pull me out of my misery?What if I’m the only one who wasted all their birthday wishes?What if I’m the only one who wants to be whisked away?What if I’m theContinue reading “From Pebbles to Birthday Candles”
A Fall Full of Color
By Yellow, TIWP Student Free, orange, red, green and blueFree, no needs to know whoFree, only person there is youUntil you hit the ground.Every little ounce of bad wounds up and stabs you in the back,Ever little crying night emerges back out and strikes,Every scar reopening,Blood rushing through the open gates,Flooding the idea of coping.
Rainbow Stranger
By Yellow, TIWP Student I want to get into my carand drive until I find what I’m looking for,but not without my rainbow stranger,fleeing from the cold grasp of empty time,curls flying in the wind,his accent playing through the stereo,me and my rainbow stranger escaping time.
i love the way Mother Nature created you
by julia lima, TIWP Student i love the color green.i love the green in the trees, in theflowers, in the toads that hopacross the pond.i love the green that’s held in your eyes,so rare, no emerald could ever compare. i love the stars. i love the how they twinkle and glow through the night.i love how they spreadContinue reading “i love the way Mother Nature created you”
The Myth of the Imperfect Woman
By Julia Lima, TIWP Student I used to say I had flaws,but that was before I realizedthat everything I had seen as an imperfectionwas createdby the media,by society,and everyone in the patriarchal worldwho profits off of my insecurities.Now I thank my bellyfor keeping in my organsand holding in all the delicious foodI love to eat.Now I’mContinue reading “The Myth of the Imperfect Woman”
Let Us Be Alone
By Julia Lima, TIWP Student let us be alone together,for it is the closest we can getto familiarity in this unfamiliar tunnelwe are traveling through. let us be alone enough enough to remember the secret joys and comfortsof eavesdropping on silly conversations and mapping out the life stories of strangers passing byand other silly things that make us human.Continue reading “Let Us Be Alone”
Exponential Thinking
By Kea Yoshinaka, TIWP Student It happens almost every time I’m alone. My brain begins to churn, and thoughts go from milk to butter. I call this exponential thinking. Similar to metacognition, I often find myself thinking about thinking about thinking. What are we, really? What’s the purpose in this seemingly repetitive and mundaneContinue reading “Exponential Thinking”
Life Force
By Erin Hambidge, TIWP Student I was water.I was air.I was Earth.But they burned me. They burned my green forests and lush meadows. They tossed darkness into my seas, suffocating the lives of the children. They choked the air from my very lungs until I could not breathe. I sunk low into my very coreContinue reading “Life Force”
In the Calm of the Night
By Kayli Harley, TIWP Student It’s not yet midnight and the wind rattles my door as it dances in by way of my open window. The sounds of the house have quieted, night has swept over every corner of every room, and the others breathe in gentle waves; in and out, in and out. Tonight, I willContinue reading “In the Calm of the Night”
A Repairing of Wings
By Kayli Harley, TIWP Student Your wings were shattered when our paths crossed. You had lost all hope, but your soul was entrancing. You had life beneath your skin, there was light inside you. But, you were unable to see it. You set a date to die. You tried to rip your wings off your body and poison the golden fire that surged beneathContinue reading “A Repairing of Wings”
Artemis in the Suburbs
By Pascale Lowell, TIWP Student I am restless here.I want to wander in a forestand lose myself among the trees.I want to feel moist dirtunder my bare feetand hear the river call hello.I want to lie on the bankand sing with the birds,sit in the trees,cradled by their branchesand sleep there without dreams.I want toContinue reading “Artemis in the Suburbs”
Shefesto
By Amelia Chen, TIWP Student So I will carry on, carry forth, carry out my cause, create the next clause in this chapter of my life. Through strife, I suit up and face my demons. Through the seasons I find reasons to make music and use it to dance with the chance that others willContinue reading “Shefesto”
Leaving
By Maxine Pollock, TIWP Student Walking away is a hard thing to do.You realize that nothing is permanent.In the present, we work hard to make our conditions ideal,make sacrifices, change ourselves, gain friends, lose some.But one decision at any given moment can change everything you worked so hard to create.And what are we walking into?WhyContinue reading “Leaving”
Manifesta to Myself
By Eloise Anagnost, TIWP Student Hello.I am here,not to be an emblem of cheer,because just like you,nothing can ever be expectedto maintain anunaffected stanceon all that appears.I am not hereto raise fear,or appraise your obedience,which seems to only bringmore pain.I am not here to tell youyou are prettyor some otherseemingly wittyphrase.I am not here toContinue reading “Manifesta to Myself”
Pen to Paper
By Olivia Tiffin, TIWP Student You scratch my pages with ink and fill them with words.You write down many things, some similar, some different.But every time, the sharpness of your tip dies down with dark black words that dry permanently soon after. I have one question for you: what is the meaning of ruining theContinue reading “Pen to Paper”
I Am
By Olivia Tiffin, TIWP Student I am the wind that blows through the meadow. I am the fire that lights the path.I am the stars that shine brightly upon you.I am,I am the feel of grass on your feet.I am the rocks that make your mountains. I am the river that leads you. I am,Continue reading “I Am”
Always Like This
By Robin Grewal, TIWP Student It will always be like this,the endless tumble betweenhigh and lovelike ragged wavesso turbulently tameto the tides.I was caught in an wave onceclose to shorethinking I would dieas my head brushed the sandand my lungs ache already.It’s like this every other week.The other half isholding onto an electric eelthrilling atContinue reading “Always Like This”
Some Helpless Creature
By Robin Grewal, TIWP Student They named me,for that was what I was.Some helpless creaturethey locked awayin a bird cage made of crinolines,roaming the hallswith the drapes drawnand hands slender and weak.‘Why must I stay inside?’I asked once, foolishly.His teacup clinked against its plate.‘Because you are a helpless creature,’he replied,‘And that is all.’ That night,Continue reading “Some Helpless Creature”
The Stars and The Sailor
By Hazel Smith, TIWP Student I’ll sailYou guide me I’d sinkBut you brighten the sea I’m only hereBecause of the guarantee That when I sailYou’ll guide me
Floodwaters
By Hazel Smith, TIWP Student looking through the windowslightningthunderfloodwatersseeping into the holes you left in my heart i let the seaof nothingness engulf me and as it washes awaymemoriespainheartbreaki start anew
You Are Enough
By Eloise Anagnost, TIWP Student “We accept the love we think we deserve.” —from The Perks of Being A Wallflower We accept the love we think we deserve,but we are blinded to the fact that:there is so much more lovewe don’t accept,so much more thatwants to be given to usthat we push away.Love isn’t somethingContinue reading “You Are Enough”
True Beauty
By Eloise Anagnost, TIWP Student I am beautiful because,I was brought to lifeby two incredible people,each soimmeasurablybeautiful.The intertwining of their soulsrendered me whole,in the mist of a chillingFall.I guess I know,afterall,what made the leaves change their colorthat fateful season.I am beautiful because,though I thought I was whole,through the conjoined souls,there was a beautyI was stillContinue reading “True Beauty”
The Barrier
By Sana Miller, TIWP Student Smell of sugar and burnt dreams, do the stars look different over there? Here I lie, awake at night,my slice of the nightmare.Melted candle wax to burn your skin, decaying smiles plastered on the wall. Just another thingfilling my emptiness, that’s how I look at the brick wall.
The Window
By McCoy Heaton, TIWP Student I am the broad window in the corner of the dark room,thick with black it would be, without me. I let silvery light in through my thin pane,keeping the room out of the black. I am looked at by others with distaste,as the white paint on my frame chips away.Continue reading “The Window”
Who Am I?
By Audrey Lambert, TIWP Student Who am I?Am I a human being?A name?A face?Am I gender?A sexuality?A skin color?A race?A creed?An ethnicity?Another bump in my ancestral line?Am I a reflection of the location of which I live in?A product of my country?Am I a number on a scale?A pencil mark on the door frame?Am IContinue reading “Who Am I?”
Sunflower
By Kaia Miller, TIWP Student I am a blade of wheat in a field,all the same,none unique.That’s what I say.But I’m lying.I’m different.I’m a sunflower in a field of wheat.I’m special.I’m colorful.I’m beautiful.But it’s hidden,masked behind fear,masked behind expectations.
I Am Hope
By Kaia Miller, TIWP Student I am the only thing stranger than fear.I get you up when the sunrisesand soothe you to sleep at night.In a world full of clouds of hate and division, I swoop in with gushing relief.After a day of crucial judgment and betrayalI may seem invisible and nonexistentbut I’m like aContinue reading “I Am Hope”
My Little Toy Heart
By Julia Lima, TIWP Student it had started out small,and then over time,with several doses of sunshineand rounds of cartwheelsand dips into the ocean,it grew and grew. it grew so much, that one day, it was ready to share some with somebody else.and somebody else came along.this somebody else loved My Little Toy Heart,but not quiteContinue reading “My Little Toy Heart”
Thunder
By Neena Grewal, TIWP Student she stands before the fire,naked,and screams at the top of her lungs.we have justrun from the oceanand simply want our clothes.they have been stolenand those at the bonfire have left us.so she screams.she’s tired of boys taking advantage ofher trust.she’s tired of being left exposed in the firelight.she is lessContinue reading “Thunder”
Ladylike
By Olivia Uzuncan, TIWP Student They say to be ladylike,to be prim, kept, and burst with perfection,to live up to societies expectations,to be gentle, quiet, and lovely.But what if I don’t want to? What if I want to be uninhibited and messy and as imperfect as they come,to be my definition of perfectto be roughContinue reading “Ladylike”
Our Power
By Caroline Hesby, TIWP Student sometimes, I am a single rose petalbeing carried by the river,floating innocently above the water,letting the waves decide where I go. or I am one grain of sand,lost among the infinite others,blown away by a single gust of wind,hidden somewhere on the vast beach. so often, I allow myself toContinue reading “Our Power”
And the Earth Begins to Spin Below You
By Audrey Lambert, TIWP Student And the Earth begins to spin below you And the tempest spirals through your brain And your sight is tinged by a red hue And your heart skips beats in pain There are no correct answers when dealing with loveNo perfect resolutions in matters of the heartNo predetermined futures or signs from aboveOnlyContinue reading “And the Earth Begins to Spin Below You”
for you, i’ll live
By Julia Lima, TIWP Student i won’t die for you,i’ll live for you.i’ll pick off every orange from its treeand peel them one by onejust for you,letting the juice trickle down the backs of my arms.i’ll watch every sunset for you,matching each shade of purpleand pinkand orangeto a flower i will pickfor you.i’ll listen to theContinue reading “for you, i’ll live”
Poem for the Pandemic
By Zara Quiter, TIWP Afterschool Program, 8 years old Spring is coming,Popping all around,Bees are flying,and worms are on the ground.I made this poem for spring. What is she doing,Up here in the snow?No one is doingWhat snow people do.All of the ski resorts are closed for the year. I am so sad!!!! Stuck atContinue reading “Poem for the Pandemic”
Listen
By Magdalena Meyers, Age 11 Crash something?Loudly, my friendFor this world doesn’t listenLet me hear your mumble from within this rock’s coreCrust and flames of redIn the gut of this planetIt has great magnitudeThe poles collidingStandingA solid body of water from a deceasedwaterfall and fountain of sprayof tearsWhat is following to comeflowingA Girl’s bloodThe moonContinue reading “Listen”
Humid Summer Day
By Cate Foy, TIWP Student On one humid summer dayI picked strawberries at a farm,The sky was cotton candy blue,The wind felt cool against my arm Then the day was over,And then, so was the funOh how I miss picking the strawberries,That grow in summer sun Now the strawberries have all dried up,And the soilContinue reading “Humid Summer Day”
Nothing Beautiful
By Kayla Hochman If leaves are lovelier in decay,Can I be lovelier too?Does the furious, tormented redFlooding my cheeksTransform me intoThe festive autumn tree?So beautiful,Even as I fallEven as I crumble. Nothing beautiful is meant to lastFrost spoken words,And fleeting gold that can never stay.Leaves fallFlowers wiltAnd you leave.It should come as no surprise…You wereContinue reading “Nothing Beautiful”
Eden
By Cate Foy, TIWP Student The garden was now overgrown,the wild ivy an unknown sight.Eve stood, this time, for once, alonewatching the birds in their patterned flight. She missed the cool breeze on her soft skinand the warm rain that fell from the cyan sky. But this new garden, forged from unknown sinbrought with itContinue reading “Eden”
The Skunk
By: Anonymous days before we sheltered in place in the early dawn hours crawling closer, digging below our house looking for a safe, warm, dry place die she did, her scent sacs bursting so deep under our foundation no one can interrupt her final rest we must wait, sheltered in place for her memory toContinue reading “The Skunk”
Me
By Caroline Hesby, TIWP Student Too quiet, too loudNot confident, too proudNarcissistic, unawareToo much, too bare. Oh how,Can I beJust one and not three?You judge,til I fit,Your ideal,That’s not me. Way too big, way too smallShe’s too short, she’s too tallWhat’s she wearing? Let’s all stareDoes she just not even care? She’s the dumb one,Continue reading “Me”
eternally Yours
By Julia Lima, TIWP Student Death, Destruction, Fear: all the plagues that have seized screen time and front page space. they float through my brain as impermanent residents for there is far too much too take in and not enough storage. regardless of the information overload, i’m much too busy thinking of You. let thisContinue reading “eternally Yours”
Awoken
By Kayli Harley, TIWP Student Open the windows of yoursoul,do not shyaway from the air out offear. I have listenedto thesongs of the birds,I have noticedhow the lighttouches the grass and the trees;I feelhow the earth iscalling out in beauty,singingin new color as itfinds its voice again,dancing withlifeon new, stronger legs. Yes,there is fear inContinue reading “Awoken”
