the passage of time

Poetry·Mia Ella Antonio — At dawn, a girl waits at the village edge for her father's return, watching fog roll over the hills until she finally spots him arriving with his donkey.

Story·Chelsea Guo — A wizard who weaves people's fates with glimmering strings realizes the cruelty of his mischief when he sees a boy he cursed years later caring for a sick parent.

Poetry·Enni Harlan — Siblings build a twig house in a clover field after rain, only to find their creation destroyed by gardeners the next day.

Poetry·Emma Hoff, age 9 — A nine-year-old observes the borrowed life of a rented farmhouse—fake flowers, visiting cats, painted oceans—cataloging what is temporary and what endures.

Poetry·Emma Hoff, age 9 — A child describes the frozen world inside a Henri Rousseau painting where a tiger sits tamed, a man holds blank paper, and nothing moves or grows despite appearing alive.

Poetry·Analise Braddock, age 10 — A child vows to keep a secret forever, measuring that promise against apocalyptic visions of environmental destruction and the end of the world.

Poetry·Analise Braddock, age 10 — A young poet stands with open hands, waiting to receive rain, life, and all the world's green until only she remains in eternal readiness.

Poetry·Iris Chalfen, age 8 — A child captures the moment of falling asleep after shared laughter, hiding a precious feeling deep inside for safekeeping.

Poetry·Daniel Shorten, age 10 — A winter morning bird-feeding ritual captures the urgency of survival as small birds race to eat before crows arrive from the chimneys.

Poetry·Sonia Teodorescu, age 13 — Light and shadow, seasons and elements carry memories through abandoned spaces—a house no longer lived in, paths no longer walked, games no longer played.