A Sestina

Somewhere in the summer sun,

Where dandelions dance and sing

Along with the bluebird’s lonesome cry,

Alone, you’ll find me, lying there

Between the grass seed and maple leaves,

Among the lilacs and river water.
 

And I won’t be drowning in that water,

But rather swimming in the sun,

Rather dancing with the autumn leaves

And hearing myself sing.

And if you’d like, I’ll meet you there—

You’ll find it, listen for my cry.

 

It will not be a mournful cry,

Just the natural flow of water.

Look, do you see me there?

Crying in the sun?

Come, I’ll teach you how to sing,

How to dance with the leaves.
 

And we’ll try to go, before she leaves,

But if she’s gone, do not cry—

She left so many songs to sing,

So many petals in the water.

But if I find her in the sun,

I promise you I’ll take you there.
 

I know you wonder what is there,

Behind the vines and ivy leaves,

Out beyond the golden sun,

I know you too hear that cry,

That need to go like thirst for water,

That desperate need to sing.
 

I know you have a song to sing—

You’d like to sing it there.

The grass would listen, the water,

The petals and the leaves.

They would all hear your melodic cry,

Out beyond the sun.
 

I know you’d sing for all the leaves,

If I take you there and let you cry,

If you could see the shining water that flows beyond the sun.

Comments

This is beautiful!

Thank you! It was sort of experimental to try writing this type of poem called a Sestina — it’s really fun if you want a writing challenge.

Dew-drop

In a dew-drop a little world exists

A place turned blue and silver by the light

That lingers well beyond the morning mist.

In a dew-drop a little world exists

But melts into the grass long before night.

In the same meadow where once you were kissed

In a dew-drop a little world exists

A place turned blue and silver by the light.

Comments

I love this poem so much. So beautiful :)

Tomorrow Project: Letterpress Prints & City Hall Reception

Letterpress print of excerpt of YWP writing

Letterpress prints of YWP writing from the Tomorrow Project are on display at Burlington City Hall until May 31, and there's a special reception there on Thursday, May 29 from 6-8 PM. RSVP here to attend the event and to enter to win a limited-edition letterpress print.

The reception at 149 Church St., Burlington, closes out the Fair Housing Month exhibit, organized by Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO), in partnership with YWP, A Revolutionary Press, and Burlington City Arts. The exhibit highlights housing equity and justice. The centerpiece is writing and art from the Tomorrow Project, YWP's new civic engagement initiative, with themes that include community, inclusion, human rights, democracy, and the meaning of freedom. Excerpts from the writings have been printed with hand-set type on a hand-operated letterpress, featuring illustrations by local artists, thanks to A Revolutionary Press, a nonprofit letterpress studio in New Haven, VT. 

[Letterpress above: "Not Quite What I Imagined," Madeline Hankins, YWP; Letterpress art, A Revolutionary Press]

See the news release & letterpress Prints

More about Burlington City Hall exhibit  

 Tomorrow project challenges list

Letterpress prints of  YWP's Tomorrow Project are on display at Burlington City Hall until May 31, and there's a special reception on Thursday, May 29 from 6-8 PM. RSVP here to attend!

Tomorrow Project & Burlington City Hall Exhibit

Black and white illustration of Community Garden

As part of our Tomorrow Project, and with our partners at Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO), YWP teens created powerful writing and art around a series of challenges on community, human rights, democracy, ethics, and climate change. Contest award winners and honorable mentions will be on display at Burlington City Hall, 149 Church St., Burlington, VT, April 21-May 31. Visitors to the exhibit will be invited to vote on a People’s Choice award, and see excerpts from the writing, printed with hand-set type on a hand-operated letterpress with illustrations by local artists, thanks to A Revolutionary Press, a nonprofit letterpress studio in New Haven, VT. 


Tomorrow Project Award Winners ($50 prize sponsored by CVOEO, publication, and City Hall exhibit)

Writing Awards:

Visual Art Awards:

The award winners and honorable mentions are published in the April 2025 issue of The Voice.

The Voice


THE TOMORROW PROJECT: Every month, the Tomorrow Project introduces thought-provoking writing and visual art prompts on a range of topics from human rights to the banning of books. The Tomorrow Project is about civic engagement, having a voice on the issues that matter, and finding ways to move forward with resilience and optimism. There will be six grand prizes of $250 in October 2025, at the completion of the project's first phase, followed by more challenges and opportunities to engage, publish, and exhibit.

 See all Tomorrow Project challenges here

Visit Burlington City Hall to see an exhibit of YWP's award-winning writing and art during Fair Housing Month.

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