darkness

Poetry·Kyle Lotke, age 10 — A child races to watch the sunset, imagining where the sun goes, then becomes the sun sinking into bed while darkness transforms into regenerative sleep.

Poetry·Rhiannon Grodnik, age 11 — A young observer watches the sunset over San Francisco Bay, experiencing a moment of profound solitude and connection to the infinite before the city lights disappear into darkness.

Poetry·Lincoln Hartnett, age 10 — A storm builds through vivid color and sound imagery — yellow light, scarlet glow, pounding rain, thunder — then retreats into peace.

Poetry·Rebecca Mitkus Wishnie, age 10 — Night at a dock becomes a symphony of metallic clangs, wave sounds, and boat thuds, while stars spark like kindling in the black sky.

Poetry·Zoe Phillips, age 11 — A child walks through absolute darkness and snow until spotting a cottage light that transforms the cold journey into a homecoming.

Poetry·Jonah O'Hara David, age 10 — A prose poem explores the color black through a series of sensory images, from crows to horses, culminating in a meditation on loss and racial identity.

Poetry·Sam Laskin, age 10 — A boy battles nighttime fears as ordinary sounds transform into terrifying threats, until controlled breathing finally brings sleep.

Poetry·Jacob Miller — A child battles nighttime fears during a thunderstorm, mistaking ordinary objects for monsters until exhaustion finally overtakes terror.

Poetry·James Lindbloom, age 3 — A 3-year-old's transcribed vision of becoming the sun, bringing light to darkness, making the world proud with stories that come from the sun itself.