And So I Refrain

And So I Refrain

she talks to me about the paper snowflakes she plans to make this weekend, and so i refrain from telling her that my bedroom has been decorated since the day after thanksgiving. 

she tells me about the boy in her math class whose eyes look like exploding constellations, and so i refrain from telling her that i can fold up a heart into a swan. 

she insists that the dress she’s going to wear to formal makes her look like persephone’s long lost daughter in the spring, and so i refrain from telling her that i don’t know how to twist my body in a way that other people will understand. 

she claims that she feels so alone in a sea of people who would bend to their knees for her, and so i refrain from telling her that i have never been comfortable enough to float on my back in the very same waters. 

she mentions that her straw hair smells like lemons and roses, and so i refrain from telling her that people have started to tell me my hair defines my heart. 

she maintains her position on the likelihood of the stars falling like raindrops as she passes by, and so i refrain from telling her that sometimes i feel like the wind cannot carry my scent and the earth cannot bear my footsteps. 

she talks to me about how she can draw in a crowd simply by acknowledging the sun in the sky, and so i refrain from telling her that i doubt that my fingers will ever brush another’s hand and i will be kissed as tenderly as the blinding snow caresses my cheeks. 

Penelope

VT

16 years old

GreyBean

CA

16 years old

The Voice

January 2024

  • January Is an Icicle

    The clock was frozen in amber, but now frost creeps up to crack the warm glow. The minute hand trembles, then moves in wistful whirls. The Christmas tree slumps, its shiny tears clinking against the w...

  • The You That You Are

    I love the you that you are when you are alone, The you that you are when you’re at home, When you look with soft eyes at the cat, The you that you are when you step onto the doormat. I love the you ...

  • Turning pages

    i find it so easy to turn a page there’s something hopeful in it something promising something that holds my hand and reassures me that the narrative continues that the story is seamless but it has co...

  • The Heart of a Table

    The ancient wooden table.The dining room table my family gathered at tonight to enjoy a meal together. But before my first bite of chicken reaches my mouth, I hear my mom tell my dad:I need a new dinn...

  • The Blizzard

    I hardly knew her at all, wasn’t expected to. She was just a kid at the High like anyone else, who had no car. She was sitting stubbornly on a bench, determined to get a ride. I knew what it was like ...

  • Nighttime

    Nighttime: My eyes drooping.The night sky, black as paint.The nocturnal still venture out in these ungodly hours. No sunlight or moonlight to guide us home. Just the cars in front of us, fleeing like...

  • Run With The Hunted

    It wasn’t intended to be anything more than a brief stroll along the forest's edge. She was never meant to stray from the cover of the treeline, but the city calls to her, as it tends to do. When face...

  • Dear Citizens of the World

    Dear Citizens of the World, there are so many issues, every direction you look, every person you talk to, they have their issue, animal abuse or cancer or fair treatment of farm workers. In our world ...

  • And So I Refrain

    she talks to me about the paper snowflakes she plans to make this weekend, and so i refrain from telling her that my bedroom has been decorated since the day after thanksgiving. she tells me about the...

  • Love Me Like Fog

    love me like the fog –like the fog loves december –for the winter gets blurry and it's hard to remember hold me like the fog – like the fog holds the town – although i may not see you let me know you...

  • A Dream

    The ocean pulls forward and back in a rhythmic motion, lying beneath a spectacular sunset. We marvel at the sight of the setting sun, leaving traces of pink and gold along the clouds, tracing its pain...

  • Pizza Delivery!

    Fourteen miles to 432 Carolina Street, that was the only thing standing between Joseph Palmer and free pizza. It was also the only thing standing between me and a stern talking to by my boss. The task...

  • Soul-ly There

    The moment I open the door, the brisk fall air greets me. I step into the aromas of nature. I recall the deep smell of pines in the winter.The peaceful awakening of rain and life in spring.The overwhe...

  • I Open My Eyes

    I open my eyes, Seeing a barely knit community, Everyone ignoring those who they pass, Going only to those they relate to, Searching only for the great, Noticeable similarities. I open my eyes, Seein...

  • A Letter I Can't Send

    oh darling, you'll never understand why i did what i did. I don't think i ever will either. i held on as long as i could. i would've held on longer, if i could stand lying to you. but i can't force my...

  • Past and Future

    The world is full of problems. It made the man wonder why he bothered to get up in the morning. The sun was shining — but it was too bright. And was it possible for that baby across the street to wail...

  • As She Pleases

    To be a woman is to be a banquet. Eclectic, savory, distinguished. A summer potluck of femininity; a Thanksgiving toast to masculinity; an Easter brunch with androgyny. It is to be the cow; the milk, ...

  • I Love

    I love the way the light filters through treesand how the ocean sounds at nightand my feet sinking into the earthand bird song at sunriseand how my name sounds on your breathand my fingers dancing on ...