Why I Was Late To Band Today
Why I Was Late To Band Today
"So I was in English class, right," said the kid, "and the bell rang, and while I was switching classes, I got super thirsty, so I stopped at the water fountain, but then I remembered that this fountain is out of order and the only other one is in the west wing, so I started walking all the way there, but on my way there, I passed a group of guys walking real fast through the hall, so I said 'hey, what're you guys walking so fast for,' and they said 'we're going to protest the water fountain being out of order,' and I said 'hey, why don't I join you; I just had to walk all the way to this side of the school just to get water,' and anyway, we walked over to the water fountain and they were all waving signs that said stuff like fix the water fountain and rights for thirsty people and we want an air-fryer in the boys' bathroom, and all of a sudden I see Matt the school security guy speak into his walkie-talkie and all of a sudden these dudes, I guess they were other security guards, form around us in riot gear, and I see them throw one of the guys down and a second later I heard him choking, and I said 'hey, get off him, he's getting hurt,' but by that time I had already been picked up by the riot-gear-guys and tossed in the school van and they were all like 'we're taking you back to the school that you came from' and I was like 'what, like the elementary school?' and they were like 'shut up' and I was like 'okay,' and so I woke up in some basement and the president of the United States was there hanging out in his underwear, and for some reason he had toe-gripper socks on, and I couldn't quite tell if they were white or orange, but anyway, he walks over to me and he's like 'we need that information' and I'm like 'I don't know any information, I'm just late to band' and he was like 'we have ways of making you talk,'
and all of a sudden, I became very afraid, not because I did not know what he wanted me to know, not because of what he would do to me, but because if somehow I did know and didn't realize it, I would tell him, and he then would know,
and I saw that he was taller than me, and that he was bigger, and that our eyelines met at an odd angle that I did not understand, and could not ever understand, and I remembered how thirsty I was, and how thirsty my friends were, and how thirsty even the security guards must have been, and that no matter how much bigger he was, I would always be more,
So I stood up off that basement floor,
I looked downward at the big, strong president,
and I said, 'I would rather miss band class',
and the basement caved in."
The Voice
February 2026
January Tomorrow Project Award
Congratulations to Goldenrose, the January 2026 award winner in YWP's monthly Tomorrow Project contest! This mixed media piece, "We Still Choose," was created in response to the challenge, Human Right...
Why I Was Late To Band Today
"So I was in English class, right," said the kid, "and the bell rang, and while I was switching classes, I got super thirsty, so I stopped at the water fountain, but then I remembered that this founta...
Patriot
I am a patriot and a proud American, and nothing will change that I will never cease to believe in the idea of America and the potential this nation holds No matter how many thugs are unleashed on the...
Portal
The portal opens in those fleeting moments that feel like they are about to crescendo, about to climb the final step to see over the mountain top. Walking out of school on a sidewalk rolled out in fro...
Wonder Is The Joy of Life
Something that makes me stop and wonder is the thought that everybody sees the world through their own perspective. I think it's crazy when you stop and think about how everybody, and every animal has...
Renaissance
There are some in this world who long to be gargoyles grotesques and Gorgons with rough, jagged claws hides thick and tough as stone silently soaring through dark clouds until leathery drums of wings ...
Ours
There are vintage looking posters in the windows And they’re probably not old But I’d almost believe you If you said they were. They’re next to organic candles From the raspberry farm down the road. E...
A Brother
I’ve never believed in coincidences. The idea that things just happen because they happen has never fallen true in my mind. I’m more of an “everything happens for a reason” type of person. Maybe it wa...
Stupid Little Things
stupid little trees speak to me through their whispering leaves they seem to grieve. stupid little clouds cry so damn loud through snow and rain they share their pain. stupid little stars shining fr...
A Half-Satirical Attempt At Explaining What It Feels Like to Attempt to Bargain With Time
Hey. So, it’s me. Like always. Also, it’s 12:30. I’m sure you’ll remember that, like always, I would love to be able to sleep. Maybe you’ll just give me another hour or two? See, I had things to do. P...
Lumineers on Vinyl
I need pretty things; I need the Lumineers singing about flowers on vinyl, and I need stained glass bubbles twinkling in the window, and to see my poetry scrawled in my messy yet fairytale-like cursiv...
You Are Not a Number
Just so you know, You are not a number, you are not a digit out of 10 or a rating, you are not a GPA and you are not what you got on the SAT, you are not a 1500 meter time or a percentile or a rank Y...