solitude

Poetry·Pauline McAndrew — In early morning solitude, a teenager reflects from her blue chair, treasuring this pause before the world returns to normal and her sanctuary becomes ordinary again.

Poetry·Juliet Del Fabbro, age 11 — A young person resists the world's morning energy, finding comfort instead in rain sounds and the warm cave of bed on a Saturday.

Story·Julia Soderholm, age 13 — A young woman finds solace in morning rituals and simple pleasures before heading to the beach to write, savoring solitude before crowds arrive.

Poetry·Misha Kydd, age 12 — A reader finds refuge in a library chair by the window, where fictional battles of knights and dragons prove easier to face than real-world problems.

Story·Eddie Mansius, age 11 — A boy escapes to his backyard creek where trees arch overhead and sunlight dances through leaves, finding solace in nature's protective embrace.

Poetry·Rhiannon Grodnik, age 12 — A twelve-year-old slips outside at night to lie in wet grass, listening to her watch tick and feeling the wind carry away time's demands.

Story·Aviva Leshaw, age 13 — A girl arrives home from school to an empty house and contemplates how the world continues moving while she stands still in her quiet kitchen.

Poetry·Brooke Gillman, age 13 — A young writer climbs her favorite oak tree overlooking dark water, finding solitude and inspiration in the worn branches where she writes.