1. I get bored easily. It's funny how when school was going on, I was complaining about not having enough time to do things that I want, and now that I do have the time, I am bored.
2. I always need to know what’s going on. Lately, I have been overwhelmed with everything going on and I want to know what the future is going to be like. But, it's hard for anyone to know exactly what the future holds and living with that uncertainty has been a challenge. I have learned to just be patient about it.
3. I have the ability to do great things. During this time away from school, I have been writing a lot more. Not having to worry as much about school has given me time to pursue my passions and I see myself producing work that I am proud of.

I remember 
walking down the hall
getting bumped into
because I'm so small
I used to despise it
and now I miss it
crazy how one's
perspective 
can change

I find myself
drifting off
imagining I'm back
in my classroom
with my classmates
while my teacher
writes on the board
absorbing knowledge 
getting smart
and now I'm sitting
in my house
by myself

Feeling lonely
without people
surrounding me
I used to always want
to be alone
but now
I want to be
in a big crowd
with a group
of people

Hoping that 
this whole thing
ends soon
but knowing that
I hope in vain
and I will have to suffer
through this pain
but I still wish
I still dream
even though 
it's only
wistful thinking

Hi, my name is Allyssa and I am 15 years old. One day I was getting ready for school. I was wearing a black sweatshirt with pink sweatpants. I also had on and pink and white shoes. My hair was in a ponytail. I was brushing my hair when my mom yelled for me to get the mail. I got the mail and went back inside. I went through it and saw a letter for me. But, I couldn't open it because I had to go to school. 

After school I opened the letter and it was a letter saying I would have a chance to go to Mars!

I didn't really know what to think because I never thought I would get a letter like this! A letter like this. 

                 The letter read: 

Dear Allyssa,

You have a chance to go to Mars on Saturday, April 6, 2020. You are the lucky winner!

Please email us back.

 From, The Aagency                                                                                         

they're there. i see them.
late at night, early in morning
the same time nevertheless

looming shadows, softly ghosting
over my bare feet, chilling
goosebumps rising on my skin
where they touch and whisper

i make the trek from one room to the next
holding my blankets close, but it's not enough
they speak in my ear, soft kisses
leaving my mind buzzing

"it's okay."
"you're gonna be alright."
"a few more steps and you'll be safe."

they lounge on the stairs as i pass,
heads tilted back and eyes closed
but still somehow on me,
walking through me as i go

they're not unkind, no
shifting my blankets a little higher on my shoulders
patting my head
fighting away my demons for me.

I was born on a Monday.
My mom said it was the worst Monday until I was born and then it was the best Monday.
When my mom was pregnant,
She would walk along the pier on full moons,
And I would wriggle around a lot.
That's why my middle name means child of the moon.
I had my first crush when I was three,
And I've been a hopeless romantic ever sense.
My first best friend that I remember was when I was two,
She wasn't potty trained and I used to make a big deal every time she had an accident.
Now I have three best friends,
One is an amazing writer and talented actress, who listens to my problems even when they probably bore the crap out of her,
And she is there whenever I need her,
Which is a pretty big commitment because I need her a lot.
The other is a super funny, sweet girl, who comes to me with her problems asking for advice,
Who jumps into my arms and makes me carry her, bride style, everywhere.

YWP #2 Week 31 Home-ish in Cuba

Ava Kreiter ADL 

Age 12

A few weeks ago, I found a home in Havana, Cuba. I was so lucky to go along on a retreat with my Mom, my sister Noa, and my Dad. Noa, my Dad and I stayed in a house called a “casa” in Guanabo, very close to a retreat center named Mhai Yoga. 

 

My mom is a yoga teacher and she organized her fourth yoga retreat to Cuba at Mhai Yoga, and brought several other people from all over the world. The majority of the people who came were from New York City, but others were from Seattle, Wisconsin, Georgia, and even another was from South Carolina. One of my Mom’s students came all the way across the ocean, from Berlin, Germany!

 

If I have three wishes to be granted (tomorrow, 25th birthday, and 50th birthday) ... My wish for tomorrow is that the coronavirus would just go away. Like I could blow on a dandelion and all the flying seeds would land on those who are sick and cure them. The seven-year-olds would be full of smiles and playing on the swingsets, scampering like little squirrels into the classroom when the teacher calls for them. The sixteen-year-old girls would be dressed in long, flowy maxi dresses, waiting for their date to prom, and taking pictures together, hands around each other. The twenty-two-year-old college seniors would be holding their diplomas in their hands in the muggy summer air in front of a large, beaming audience of parents and grandparents, graduating from what seemed like a long four years. The forty-year-old businessmen and businesswomen would be having dinner together after a long day of work and discussing their plans for summer vacation.