daily read | Young Writers Project

Mar 27

absparrow

Tapestry

at night
i wander
to the valley
of the stars

these lights above me
like a giant tapestry
i can almost touch them
almost

just me
and them
alone together
we like that

except
another is here
crowding the valley
too close

he shouldn't be here
this is my tapestry
he can find another
in some other space

i march over
fists clenched
he doesn't notice
he's too busy gazing

"Beautiful"
he murmurs
"I can almost touch them
almost"

i suppose
this tapestry
is good
for two

just me
and him
and them
all together

we like that

Posted: 03.27.20

Mar 26

poem 2 comments

eyesofIris

flaming hot cheetos/the guy i like

i shouldn’t like you.
every time we’re together,
i burn internally,
an inextinguishable flame
that grows and grows with
each moment,
an exponential enemy
that will not escape.

i really shouldn’t like you.
but when i leave you,
when we’re not together,
i feel pain like i never have before.
it’s the worst detachment that
could ever exist,
the worst form of loss
that only lives in my mind.

and i try to convince myself.
because, realistically,
i don’t need you.
i’m strong and
unique and i don’t have
to objectify something
to make myself feel more complete.

but.
i love you.
yes, i’ve said it,
and i really do love you.
despite what anyone says,
and despite what symptoms
can’t be explained because they’re
figments of a smothered explosion,
i still love you.

Posted: 03.26.20

Mar 25

poem 0 comments

Marina2020

Solitude

The snow crunches underfoot as I walk deeper into the forest
Just me and my camera, trying desperately not to feel lonely
Spring is almost here; soon the snow will all be gone
I lift my camera and focus on a particularly twisted tree
I smile, knowing that’s exactly how I feel
Continuing into the woods, I let my guard down
This is the only place that I allow it to fall
I feel safe by myself, even if it makes me a little depressed
Taking a deep breath, I lean against a tree
I close my eye and feel the heat of the sun’s rays hit my skin
For a moment I let all my worries slip away
Forgetting about the life I live that’s falling apart
Right now, I just want to stop time
Feel the breeze blowing through my hair
Hear the birds chirp and the wildlife scurry around
I open my eyes and take another deep breath before walking away

Posted: 03.25.20

Mar 23

poem 0 comments challenge: CJP-COVID19

PeachesMalone

Silent Towns

Big, wet, End-of-March snowflakes muffle the sounds of the already-silent town
38 (or more) signs paper the windows of the stores on main street
Closed until further notice
So sorry
See you soon
But there's no one to see
No one walks the streets anymore, especially when the snow is wet as rain and it piles on shoulders like burdens that come right back after you brush them off
The town was already about to be ravaged by unnecessary construction
Small businesses were already suffering
Every couple of windows there were already signs
Building for sale
Space for rent
Closed for the season
Now there are signs in every window because
We can't breathe the same air
Anymore

The world wants this town to be silent
It was already breaking
Slowly
But in ways you could see
Now, there is only
Coronavirus
COVID-19

Posted: 03.23.20

Mar 22

poem 0 comments challenge: CJP-COVID19

IsabelleRose

The Colony

Where did all the people go?
The ones who rushed along the sidewalks,
all with something to do
or someone to meet
or somewhere to go.
All the feet stampeding,
the cavalcades of cars
the planes making zigzags across the globe,
everyone swarming this way and that
like busy little ants
with no idea how small they are.
Suddenly they've all disappeared.
The world has come to a standstill
and everyone waits,
pausing just a moment to think
about their busy little lives.
It feels odd
having nothing to do,
no one to meet,
nowhere to go,
and they aren't sure what to do with themselves.
They yearn for something to do,
they wonder when the world will return
to its quick pace
and start up again,
come alive.
They want to see light and sound,
and want, once again,
to be a part of that busy little colony of ants,
no matter how small or insignificant.

Posted: 03.22.20

Mar 20

poem 2 comments challenge: CJP-COVID19

LadyMidnight

Thoughts of the quarantined

Some days I feel
like I'm choking on smoke,
an entity beyond my imagination
that captures my
words
and I have nothing to say.
It's hard though
when all you have is a window,
a screen that flashes
images of faces
that you miss.
The end feels a million miles away.

Posted: 03.20.20

Mar 20

poem 6 comments challenge: CJP-Miss

E.B. Pointy-Pen

I miss ...

I miss my school, my friends.
I can't stand thinking that
when I go back, everything will have changed.
The people who I'm close to may no longer be there.
Because schools are closed the things I love to do are being canceled.
I miss knowing that whenever I need a hug,
I can just look over at my friends, and feel better.
I miss knowing that on Monday morning,
everything will be OK.

Posted: 03.20.20

Mar 18

poem 0 comments challenge: CJP-COVID19

happydancer

Kind

Every single day
Life looks a little different
No school bus
Not packing my backpack every night
Not being able to see my friends

In this kind of environment
The blame game becomes prominent
Pointing fingers
Racist remarks
This is the true test of humanity
When the Earth feels like it’s tumbling down
When it feels like our lives are being torn out of our palms
When it feels like the air has become poisonous
Can we all still be kind?

Because we are all going through this
And this is not the time
When we should be saying
This is your fault

It’s hard to be strong
And it’s hard to keep your head held high
When it feels like your chin is being pulled down
When it feels like you are losing control
When it feels like life has become too complicated
And every day has become a puzzle
That we are trying to piece together

Posted: 03.18.20

Mar 18

poem 0 comments challenge: Stuck

fitzgerg

Stuck

Stuck in an alternate reality. One where time stops moving and I easily drift off into thought. A world where there are no other people. Just the ghosts of the ones I used to know, or even people I sometimes called “friend.” There are no friends now. Just me. It is quiet. There is nothing to do. Just lie there in half-sleep. I can't sleep. When I try to drift off into a happy dream, there is nowhere to go. I have forgotten everyone I once loved and fought for. I don't know why I am here. I am not helping anything or making life better. I don't know what my purpose is. Maybe, I don't have one. Maybe no one does. Maybe there are other people like me that don't know either. Suddenly, I have found my purpose. To find others who don't know why they are here and help show them why the world needs them, to help them find their purpose.

Posted: 03.18.20

Mar 17

poem 5 comments challenge: CJP-COVID19

zazu

On days like these

Life is always different in the movies.
When crisis comes there's always a hero.
When the underdog has it rough,
he somehow manages to find the kind of friends that everyone wishes they could have.
When someone dies it's always more dramatic than in real life.
When the shy, quiet kid starts singing their voice always sounds perfect.
Suddenly the quirky kids are the cool ones.
Everything seems so obvious.
You've figured out the mystery before the main character has, because they're always the last ones to know.
You love the characters and their stories,
But then there's some you hate.
If you care enough you'll always end up feeling sorry for someone in the end.
I wish you could do that in real life,
That you could know everyone's side of the story.
That you could have best friends like Ron and Hermione,
Or a family as cool as The Incredibles,

Posted: 03.17.20

Mar 16

poem 0 comments challenge: CJP-COVID19

Crescent_Moon

COVID-19

I no longer know
what each day will bring
but the sun shines
and out comes the spring
and hopefully then
this virus will take wing

But right now
I don't know what's going on
and I have questions
and nobody will answer me
I've got questions

Someone calm my troubled fears
and tell me I'm okay
cause I don't know
I just don't know
I can't know

Cause last week
I knew what was going on
then things
just started going wrong
Last week
just seemed to take so long
and now things
still are going wrong

We're given lists of rules
telling us what to do

Don't touch your face
Don't touch your friends
Avoid other people
This is the end
Buy all food in the stores
Now you've got to stay indoors
Never ever ever touch another human being
or else you will die

Posted: 03.16.20

Mar 15

poem 0 comments challenge: CJP-COVID19

IsabelleRose

Back To Normal

I thought that I was starting to get somewhere.
Things were finally coming together.
I was still sad sometimes, but not nearly as often.
We practiced the play down in the basement.
The lights were off and people were laughing.
I laughed even harder watching the dances at lunch.
Something good was starting to happen,
spring was coming at last.

But then, on a Wednesday,
we were warned we might not be coming back to school the next day.
We told jokes and tried to facetime each other.
But we were worried.
What are the chances?
I asked that afternoon.
I don't know, I honestly have no idea, I was told.
As we were leaving school,
everyone stood together, hugging each other.
People said goodbye, and I love you.
We still joked, to make light of the situation.
We did not come to school the next day.

Now everything that I had is locked inside a dark box.

Posted: 03.15.20

Mar 13

poem 1 comment

MusicNerd

Melody of Color

A scent fills the air.
A color.
The baker would tell you it’s blue.
The clerk would argue its green.
It drifts out the open window,
And down to a place of art and cuisine,
To where a community mingles.
And one lone soul lingers.
Held together only by caffeine.

Overworked and underpaid,
She has better things to do with her day.
Yet she stops for a moment.
Just to soak in a phrase.
Before proceeding downtown,
And moving on her way.

Just down the street,
another makes color.
He stands with his hat at his feet and he plays.
the Red, Orange, Yellow, of his culture.
His moderate earnings don’t hinder his phrase.
Statement,
Of color.

The sun sets,
and the city’s asleep.
But color still comes.
Both new and antique.
Maroon.
From an all night restaurant.
And the regal dark blue,
Of an uncompensated savant.

Posted: 03.13.20

Mar 12

poem 0 comments challenge: CJP-COVID19

IsabelleRose

Deserted

I wonder how the school must look now.
Its hallways bathed in eerie silence,
snow pants still on their hooks,
animal posters hung up in the science room,
clothes and shoes and hockey gear
flung haphazardly around the basement,
books waiting on the shelves,
signs of life hiding in all the corners,
as if we had hoped to come back tomorrow.
The rooms, usually so full of sound,
of music and laughter and tears,
shouting and dancing and rampaging around,
are empty now, and dark.
Waiting, unsure of when life
will be returned to them once more.

Posted: 03.12.20

Mar 12

fiction 8 comments

Treblemaker

Tiny Writes Group Effort

Treblemaker's Note: Recently someone posted a 'complete the sentence' on tiny writes, and it was really inspiring for me to see everyone pitch in just for fun and create something like this. This really gives me hope, and I love how everyone added their own spin and personality to this so I wanted to post this amazing short story of what YWP is all about - telling stories and sharing the joy of writing!

Created by: Marshall, Crescent_Moon, fire girl, NiñaEstrella, LadyMidnight, Treblemaker, Inkpaw, Gabbie L., Abriatis, and EverlastingWaves
Complete the sentence:
WHY ARE YOU ........
...taking my cookies?...
...My god I've told you before that...
..those are for Grandma! Now..
...go finish eating your greens and do your homework, you know...
...if you get another bad grade, Ms. Stewert is going to...
. . . have a complete fit! with flaming hair and everything. . .

Posted: 03.12.20

Mar 11

poem 0 comments

NiñaEstrella

Two Best Friends

You two are going in my permanent memory
Two best friends that read each other's minds
You've got these little dances that go with songs and I love to watch you laugh at each other
I can tell you're good friends just from the way you act around each other
But when you're together you also somehow form a radiation of goodness that I love so much
Like the time I got frustrated and left the group
You came to find me with your friends and cheered me up
Asked me if I was okay
Belted out the words to Mariah Carey with me
Or how about the time
You waved to me from the back of the bus
It's not like we're good friends
But you waved and waved, grinning and your other friends did too
Waved until the bus turned the corner
And left me feeling like you sprinkled fairy dust on me
Guys, there's so much mean energy around right now

Posted: 03.11.20

Mar 10

poem 1 comment challenge: Carnival

AvaClaire

The cow field

Sometimes I run by the cow field.
As you may have guessed,
mottled creatures cut lines through the grass.
I always stop.
Wind pulling the hair
that is jostled from my ponytail,
I watch the beasts
like how a child is drawn to
the snakes at a zoo.
They caress wet noses with their tongues.
In a weird way,
it reminds me of frosting a cupcake.
A tail droops from their backside
wincing
when the flying critters bother it.
Stomachs grip tightly to their backbone,
swaying side to side
as they meander in circles.
I take a last look at the creatures.
Lazy lids kiss as they blink goodbye,
and with an inhale
I continue running.

It is like any other day.
My feet smack the dirt,
breath catching
like a saw in wood.
But something is different.
As I jog up the hill
a snake smelling of peanuts
bites me on the nose.

Posted: 03.10.20

Mar 07

poem 8 comments challenge: Rainbow

Inkpaw

When I think of rainbows

When I think of rainbows
I think of gay pride
and happy smiles
I think of those special times
I wake up early enough to see the sun rise
and mix with the fog
to create color in an arch to pass under
as I drive home from a crappy day
I think of love
not frowned upon by the world
because love isn't something that has rules
and nobody should control who you love
I think of loving yourself
for who you say you are
not what others define you as
I think of painting with everything under the sun
my canvas of life always filling up
with greens
and blues
purples and yellow
red, orange and a turquoisey color
I think of freedom
and childhood dreaming
of everything coming together
under the same
wonderful sun
that shines on all of our faces
and lights up even the darkest of corners
as long as you open the blinds

Posted: 03.07.20

Mar 06

poem 0 comments challenge: Mouse

isabelle.chen

The Resident Within the Forest

[Illustration by cedar for challenge, Mouse]

One heavenly lit bonfire,
The flames crackling with desire.
Trees shrouded around it like a nest,
Noble firs of the northwest.
Sticks scattered across the forest floor.
No entrance to this sacred place, not even an opened door.
But there was one tiny mouse
Who wears no blouse,
But prefers the feathers of a black grouse.
She wears them nestled upon her hair
And they go every which way due to the air.
She dances all night around the bonfire
And only until sunrise hits will she retire.
This piece of land is her own
Her magnificent throne.

Posted: 03.06.20

Mar 05

visual/photos/art 1 comment

Colby.Miller

Rebuilding memories

Rebuilding memories.
Rebuilding the ladder that once made our childhood.
The goal was to climb the ladder and reminisce on the times we had as children.
My friend and I reminisced in the past as soon as we climbed to the top,
sitting in the trees while beams of sunlight burned through the branches of other trees, hitting our faces with glowing rays that reflected off our skin.
We had only sat for an hour or so until we climbed back down, meeting my father at the bottom of the ladder.
Three of us stood and looked at one another, my friend and I began to walk home, that's when I realized my father began to climb up the ladder.

We returned home, happy we were able to rethink our past and the pleasant memories we once had as kids.
Grateful for our childhood.
My father had spent four hours in the trees, the ladder was originally his.
When he entered the house he had tears in his eyes.

Posted: 03.05.20