being different
— A young refugee uses nature metaphors to describe feeling different and new at school — a red bird among blue birds, a fish out of water.
— Swifty Appledoe, jealous of perfect classmate Stella, decides to become just like her by taking violin and ballet lessons, with disastrous but ultimately triumphant results.
— A pantoum explores the isolation of depression when others dismiss your pain, repeating lines that circle like the thoughts they describe.
— In a genetically engineered society where roles are predetermined, a young Director-in-training discovers her forbidden passion for music during a symphony rehearsal.
— An ambassador without mind or face sits in a walled place, contemplating his non-existence and the walls that might have hope where he has none.
— An alien from planet Watercolors dreams of being an explorer, builds his own spaceship to visit Earth, and ends up copying everything humans say because he doesn't speak English.
— On planet Kepler-22b, students compete for honors status while their alien parents work light-years away, until a boy discovers the dark truth behind 'organic' education.
— A girl reflects on her common name Claire, wishing for something unique, then questions whether a different name would change her identity.
— A meditation on time through the perspective of a clock, whose red hand moves endlessly through numbers, carrying promises and memories without limits.
— A poem explores the paradox of someone who embodies contradictions — friend and enemy, peaceful yet at war, standing perpetually between opposing states.