Poetry

Poetry·Elizabeth R. Herndon, age 10 — A child lies in cold grass on an autumn night, imagining herself as a falling leaf among bare trees and scattered leaves.

Poetry·Ruhi Sah, age 11 — A pomegranate transforms from fruit to jewel case as the speaker cuts it open, revealing seeds like drops of blood that taste of heavenliness.

Poetry·Tanay Kumta, age 12 — A student escapes a bad school day through a nighttime walk, finding solace in crickets, crunching leaves, and cool air that transforms frustration into peace.

Poetry·Matthew Brailsford, age 11 — A child at the beach reaches out to touch the sunset and wraps it around their shoulders like a coat, transforming sensory experience into wearable joy.

Poetry·Sarah Wood, age 12 — A poem captures the last night before a friend moves to Ireland, from joyful evening to tearful goodbye as she disappears in the rain.

Poetry·Ethan Vranic, age 12 — In a dreary autumn meadow between two oaks, once-flourishing roses now lie shriveled and colorless, their sharp thorns the only remnant of former vitality.

Poetry·Nastassja Carusetta, age 13 — A daughter anxiously awaits her mother's return from a road trip, memories of their last night together mixing with dark fears about what might happen.

Poetry·Danielle Eagle, age 12 — A young writer celebrates the power of imagination through metaphors of flight, electricity, and natural forces, declaring herself a dreamer whose pen brings visions to life.

Poetry·Abby Shaffer, age 12 — A quiet moment between a girl and her aging, sick dog captures the tenderness of caring for a beloved pet nearing the end.

Poetry·Cammie Keel, age 13 — A winter morning arrives through skeletal trees, a crow's shriek, silver air, and frost-cocooned grass until the last leaf falls on white ground.