As dry as sand, 

wrung out and shrunken from the cold,

loose and shivering like dead hemlock needles in a parched winter wind, 

puddling and sifting in the wake of footsteps.

Heavy and soft like goose down 

from the plushest of pillows, 

wet-falling, slow-drifting, 

hanging in the air like the globes of lanterns.

Wispy as ghosts in the tree-creaking wind, 

buffeted into the powdery silhouettes of feathery-skirted dancers, 

pirouetting on the crests of hills 

where the gusts sweep up the flakes 

with hungry, broom-bristled mouths. 

Smooth as a well frosted cake, 

a spoonful of yogurt, 

the creamy color of vanilla. 

Humps as even as a dolphin’s wet back, 

weighing the boughs down into a sea of stiff, white immobility. 

Heaps piled so high that the wind could not lift them, 

even if it blew as fast as the Earth turned.

Slush under boot, 

wet like clingy puddles, 

seeped in mud and rock and dirt to a steeped-tea brown. 

Footprints of it on warm stone tile, footprints by the hearth, 

melting to pools, 

fading in the roar of the fire.

Dense, small flakes, 

like droplets, near to hail. 

Little white marbles of it, 

smaller than the tip of an eraser, 

clustering together and sticking on every flat surface

like crumbled styrofoam.

Tiny and stinging 

like the pinpricks of needles against warm cheeks, 

swirling in the eyes and making them water.

Dark snow against a starling sky,

invisible beneath a cloud-shrouded moon. 

The snow nobody saw fall, 

elusive as an owl, calling,

through a half-waking dream.

Striking snow, 

bright and blinding, 

like the zippp of reflectors through the car windows at night,

like the shining streak of a comet’s trail, 

full to bursting with the gleam of headlights, 

path broken only by the swipe of the wipers across the windshield.

Loud snow, 

crisp and crackling 

like the dusting of cane sugar over the crust of a pie. 

The gentle step atop it, testing the sun-hardened surface,

a tentative lean onto the foot, 

a split second of floating on a paper-thin blanket of crystal-hard snow– 

then a CRACK, and it snaps,

like a twig in heavy frost 

and the boot sinks into the petals of soft flakes below.

Snow blue as mountain lakes under a hollow, cavernous sky. 

Powder blue, like sidewalk chalk crushed underfoot, 

twilight blue, like the edges of the opposite horizon in the last glow of sunset. 

Bright blue against trees so dark in shadow

that they melt into the inky night behind them.

Still like a lake on a dewy, misted morning, 

still like a mirror laid under a cloudless sky, 

still as only snow can be, 

when the wind stops 

and all the flakes have fallen 

and all that remains is the gray, gray sky

and the gray, gray snow.

Experiences.

They're a gift all on their own.

Spending time with friends, laughing and talking about stuff that doesn't even really matter to anyone but us.

Immersing myself in a world of roleplay, where I'm whoever I want.

Writing poems and stories, some just for myself, some for the world.

Even getting angry, or sad, or grieving is a gift.

For as long as you can feel, you know you're alive.

That's why experiences are such a gift.

Headphones on, life off.

Turn up the sound 

to drown out

the deluge of my worries,

let the rhythm burn

my ears, ignore

the sting, because my

cheap blue headphones 

bring me

comfort.

Twirl the cord

around my finger,

sound circles my brain.

Shut my eyes

to feel the lyrics,

place my hands on the

sides of my

cheap blue headphones,

the ones that bring me

comfort.

The ones that can make

me feel sound

and hear color.

With my 

cheap blue headphones 

on, I find peace

in the shape of

music.

My love for my

cheap blue headphones

is arcane,

but maybe that's because

when I put them on,

the whole world melts away

until there is nobody left

but me.

A site I was hesitant to join at first,
A place where people share their opinions, emotions,
And little pieces of their mind.

Writing was something I never thought I could accomplish.
But in the Young Writers Project,
I found myself writing not just for me,
But for people who feel the same way I do.

A girl who once thought writing was hard,
Who felt it was more of a chore than a passion.
Yet YWP gave me courage
And peace of mind.

It’s a place where writers grow,
Where inspiration finds you
Even when you don’t know what to write.

Australia’s social media ban for people under sixteen is a gigantic leap forward for societal well-being. Social medias like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok are detrimental to the mental health of the user, and they’re designed that way. Because of the ban, young kids and teenagers will have to find something else to do besides sitting around, entranced in a world of perfection and hyperconsumerism. I know that at least personally, Instagram does not benefit me in any way human interaction couldn’t.

Social media is made to frack us and extract our attention so that the extremely wealthy and elite can make more money. They cannot possibly need that much money. There aren’t any barriers for the corporations affected either; they already know exactly who minors are, so banning most of them shouldn’t be difficult.

The rest of the world should also enact similar laws for their children, partly so they can grow up actually talking to people, and partly so they don’t become a product at age eight. Australia has made a monumental decision for their next generation, and everyone else should too.

Small child, big Sandbox 

The bench tied to the big dog 

Big kids digging a hole to China 

Little cousins drinking from the sprinkler 

Pigeons and Squirrels and big birds that don’t look like Pigeons that eat the Pigeons and Squirrels 

Soft feet, hard gravel 

Paw Patrol Band-Aids and Paw Patrol fruit snacks  

Jumping off the fireman pole into the sandbox because they can fly 

Raincloud, muddy knee, small child, big sandbox 

I walk home wearing twin braids with bows

and a big smile because I'm wishing for snow.

Snow like a blanket, thick and white,

I want it to fall all through the night -

to cover the roads and the trees and the hills,

sparkling with winter's original thrill.

To settle over the houses breathing wisps of smoke

like a painter covering canvases in just one stroke,

to whisper a greeting to birches all gray

and tumble down onto the children at play.

Three inches at least I must hope for,

enough to come up and knock on my door

with a wish for a perfect snow-covered ground

and for the mighty old snowplow to not come around.

And when the sun emerges from her curtain of dawn

our superintendent will let out a yawn

and when she sees all the white gathered out on the sill

she'll call it a snow day, or at least I hope she will.

One of the biggest debates in today's world is whether phones have a positive or negative impact on everyday life. As technology keeps advancing, so does the world's concern, but also excitement. Focusing on smartphones, many people have begun to learn they can be a very powerful tool while also having increased negative properties. The real answer is unclear; most educators believe smartphones are a distraction and only that. Though others believe they are a true source of great information, opportunities, and ideas. 

On the positive side, smartphones give students the immediate ability to research and access information. Though they have been said to create substantial distraction, it still helps students grow independent learning. Phones keep people organized through reminders, note-taking, and planning. They have become a big part in everyday life. The human brain is not perfect, though with a phone students can increase memory through calendars and scheduling. According to Cross River Therapy, humans forget about 50% of the information recently learned in the span of an hour. With smartphones, this percentage decreases. Most phones come with a built-in calendar which makes remembering dates and schedules much easier, especially on top of the increased stress in schools. Outside of academics, phones are a quick and reliable way for kids to reach parents during emergencies. Thus, phones ensure the safety of students by also giving them access to emergency services by simply dialing three numbers. 
 

However, the disadvantages and problems concerning smartphones cannot be neglected. As commonly expressed, smartphones are a huge distraction to education. From the pinging of notifications to the continuous texting, students tend to ignore their surroundings and struggle to focus back on learning after once being interrupted by these phones. Social media platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat create false visuals and expectations of physical appearance. This is a widely known problem in mental health today. Students have constant access to modified images and built stereotypes that are causing kids to feel self-conscious. This triggers anxiety and also opens cyberbullying into the mix. The Cyberbullying Research Center states, "Approximately 58% of the students in our 2025 sample reported that they experienced cyberbullying." This also creates even more pressure for students to look a certain way. People become harsher online because they're hiding behind a screen and the bully cannot see the person's reaction; they tend to underestimate the intensity of the situation and ignore how deep words can cut. Therefore, phones can both create a distraction and increase mental health issues.

So, what does this mean? Well, there is no right or wrong answer, and also no true solution. The debate about banning smartphones is widely opinion-based and ongoing. Schools may report better with phones being removed during school hours, or others may need different policies. What remains clear is that smartphones can become distractions and social pressure, while also being quite beneficial to academics and organization. Thus, the views and truth in this big debate are extremely complex, and finding a balance may become a very important key to shaping the future.

Tears slipped quietly 

Down her face, hair 

Messily tied back into 

The lowest of low ponytails, and 

Perfectly manicured nails just begun 

To be chewed upon clutched 

A sparkling phone case; 

The glittery stars seemed 

Too bright in her tired eyes fading 

Like real stars, non- 

Artificial, would as 

The day brightened;

Perhaps her eyes were

Just the same

As those stars;

She looked so tired, so sad, but

It was all I could do to think

She looks so pretty

Like that, like

Any moment she’ll fall from

The plastic case she’s

Painted around herself;

Perhaps me seeing that was

What was so scary for her, why

The walls falling away felt like

They were caving in, but

Maybe there was also a part of her that

Needed it, to

Have the survivor of herself be seen with

Each quiet flare of a tear, and

To have someone know there was

Someone still there, someone

Who would succeed the her she

Tried so hard to be;

I rested my hand atop

The crumbling yet

Neatly skin-cared back of hers and

Gave her a little smile.

You look so pretty, and

Can I sit with you?

I would like to thank OverTheRainbow because while they had nothing really to do with this poem, I feel like they inspired me to write it in the voice and style I did.  Your writing is so incredible, and I'm so grateful I get to read it!