hope

Poetry·Nirali Yedendra — A young writer explores the complexity of emotions, from broken courage to unnamed feelings, concluding that our thoughts and experiences belong to us forever.

Poetry·Parwana Amiri, age 16 — A refugee teen's defiant catalog of what takes courage — building schools, welcoming the homeless, staying human — versus what's easy: destroying, hurting, closing your eyes.

Poetry·Nova Macknik-Conde, age 8 — A bilingual poem imagines a song the world needs — one that sounds like hope, teaches strength, and moves like water.

Poetry·Tatiana Rebecca Shrayer, age 13 — A meditation on trust through two contrasting images: a dog with a chess piece and the persistence of hope despite love's impermanence.

Poetry·Tatiana Rebecca Shrayer, age 13 — Hope personified as an ambiguous companion who guides the speaker across treacherous terrain while knowing them intimately.

Poetry·Aiwen L. Desai, age 12 — A wolf's howl, an elephant's wail, a polar bear's lament become nature's collective plea for humans to stop destroying and start creating a world where all creatures can thrive.

Story·Jim Burch, age 12 — Eight years after their parents abandon them at an orphanage, Katherine must confront her lingering hope for their return with help from her wise younger sister Lily.

Poetry·Richard Ma, age 12 — A basketball player misses shots on a worn court, the ball landing in mud, but persists until finally hearing the satisfying swish.

Story·Kara Peter, age 13 — In a drought-stricken African village where everything is brown, a girl searching for mythical blue wishing stones accidentally throws one into the muddy river, transforming it to crystal clear water.