Poetry
6:30 a.m.
By Amanda Trautmann6:30 am: Coffee is my lover. She protects me, wrapping me in her steaming arms. She swims in my stomach and widens my eyes, exciting me. She stirs my fears into her muddy hues and sends me on my way.
Amanda Trautmann is a senior at Lower Merion High School. She enjoys writing short fiction and poetry. At her school, Amanda founded and runs Second Stage, a program which offers a variety of workshops led by local artists, writers, directors and actors. She also takes part in the school's literary magazine, yearbook and newspaper all while maintaining a part time job at Children’s Book World.
With Every Movement
By Olivia HuntWe can see the discipline in her—it absorbs
Morphs into her legs, crawls up her thighs to her torso
Spreads across her brow and out to her temples
Coils itself tight on her head
With every sudden movement.
Her mind, her body is awoken by the music
Operates as one in proportional contortions.
BIO: Olivia Hunt is in eleventh grade at Downingtown East High School. She is an avid writer and aspires to study screenwriting. Her dream is to write her own television sitcom, or to become a writer on Saturday Night Live. Olivia loves live music and concerts, going to the coffee shop down the street to write, and soaking up every beautiful moment of life.
The Beast
By Madeline HickeyCramped and crowded, hot and dirty.
Train doors slide open. Light.
I’m just a lonely Jew
Alone with no family.
Stepping off the train,
The first breath of fresh air
Coaxes my mouth open.
I try taking my first full breath in hours
BIO: Madeline Hickey is a junior at Downingtown East High School. She has spent most of her free time this year writing for her creative writing class, reading her growing collection of books, and participating in her theatre department's programs. She hopes to someday be a professional writer.
On the Seine
By Emma PaoliniNobody sits alone on the Seine,
A fact that’s unfortunately true
Of the twos and the threes and the fours and the tens,
And then me, who’s alone, but with you
You crouch beneath benches that I sit upon
You swim through the waters I paint
As I walk through the streets, you don’t stay for long
Emma Paolini is from Medford, New Jersey and attends Merion Mercy Academy. She enjoys reading, writing, and edits for her school's literary magazine.
Cigarettes
By Srishti Rameshthe man milling near the lamp post
feet shuffling slowly, phone in hand
lifts the cigarette to his lips
the cancerous thing
the smoke and the fire and the phone call
diagnosis: cancer
the gauges in his ears
drag him downward
Srishti Ramesh is 15 years old and a sophomore in high school. She enjoys reading and writing, especially young adult literature. She also loves music, mostly hip-hop/rap and rock. She lives in Voorhees, New Jersey with her family and an unfortunate lack of pets.
Blue, by an Optimist
By Naomi MengelBlue is the color of the deep, salty ocean; cold, but warmed by the shimmering aquamarine rays that filter down through its rippling surface. Blue is the sky reflected in your eyes when you laugh.
Blue represents rhythm. It is the color of the calm, ceaseless meter of poetry; the cadence of the wind-swept waves creating a lattice across the surface of a forgotten pool; the pattern of the delicate carpet of bluebells decorating the meadow and forest floor.
Naomi Mengel is in eleventh grade at Tall Oaks Classical School. In addition to writing, she enjoys reading, running, photography, and playing volleyball. She lives in Newark, DE, with her parents, younger sister, and golden retriever.
A Natural Departure
By Carlo LingessoFrom you, I grow farther
Falling leaves, as autumn will pass
I’ll rest temporarily, on grass
Wind will remove me
Other places I’ll go
Until eventually I’ll disappear
Covered in snow
Carlo Lingesso is 18 years old and now studying Communications at Rowan College at Gloucester County. His passions include writing poetry and short stories. He writes to relay his thoughts, feelings, and life experiences on paper. In his opinion, the most satisfying reward from writing is hearing somebody's passionate and genuine response to his work.
A Natural Departure
By Carlo LingessoFrom you, I grow farther
Falling leaves, as autumn will pass
I’ll rest temporarily, on grass
Wind will remove me
Other places I’ll go
Until eventually I’ll disappear
Covered in snow
Carlo Lingesso is 18 years old and now studying Communications at Rowan College at Gloucester County. His passions include writing poetry and short stories. He writes to relay his thoughts, feelings, and life experiences on paper. In his opinion, the most satisfying reward from writing is hearing somebody's passionate and genuine response to his work.
I Know When It’s Winter
By Rex JacobsRex is a student at Milton H. Allen Elementary School in Medford, NJ. He is currently in third grade, but his poem was written when he was in second grade.
Three Short Poems: A Home, A Bird, A Beat
By Mairead RishkoA Home
A Bird
A Beat
Mairead Rishko is six years old and is in kindergarten at Rehoboth Elementary School. She has two older sisters and a brother. She loves her lab, gymnastics and swimming in the ocean.
