The
Decameron
Project

The
Decameron
Project

The
Decameron
Project

12th Grade Stories

"Everyday. It means, “happening or used every day; daily”. Everyday we watched them."

"Everyday was our darkest day. But the even darkest days were still ahead. Everyday they grew and grew..."

Everyday is the Same

Jensen

Kornfeind

Mechanicsburg

Cumberland Valley High School

12th Grade

"The nerves in my spine braid themselves, as the needle pricks travel through each of..."

There’s no need for meteorologists when I can just press my fingertips against the crackling black metal...

Between 81st Street

Leonor

Robalino

Jackson Heights

12th Grade

"Now a small crowd is watching on as he wrestles with the wheel..."

Parking Space

Samuel

Cooper

Santa Fe

12th Grade

"Masking my insecurities and covering up my self-doubt By showing a face different..."

I prepare to paint To stand out and shine I seize my glue and press it against my thick brown eyebrows I am...

The Painting of Self

Elana

Abrams

New York

Bronx Science

12th Grade

"I'm too White for the Blacks, too Black for the Whites..."

I’m Dominican But I’m Black

Odilenia

Reyes

Bronx

12th Grade

"...and I’m forced to choose: avoid me or confront the room."

Write about a window or whether what is outside it. Do you care to know what is behind it? The pressure in...

Room

Ella

White

Lithonia

12th Grade

"Reality came crashing down on me. I felt a loss for words I didn't know what to say..."

“Hey! Hey! HEY, Amaryllis wake up!” I rubbed my eyes, squinting at the bright light reaching into my...

Fresh Start

Arika

Halliman

New York

12th Grade

Lost Boy

The wind carried on as it continued to grow violent. Ila strode toward the window. The whistling wind...

Lost Boy

AIM

N/A

New York

12th Grade

"...I realized that it is because we are unique, that in the end, we are the same."

With all the craziness in our world, especially these days, my corner seems rather benign. I know I’m lucky...

Equinox Blue

Maia

Mencucci

Walden

12th Grade

"I’d pour fresh-brewed coffee into my mug, no cream or sugar, and sit on my windowsill..."

Life outside my window used to be bland and grim yet somehow exceedingly reminiscent of food. Even on the...

The Significance of One Coffee

Montana

Lee

New York

12th Grade

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"A gentle brush tickled her forearm, jolting her out of her increasingly louder..."

"Syla’s palms were sweaty as she stared at the birch door and golden handle. Regardless of how she used..."

Recalcitrance

Saanvi

Agarwal

Fremont

12th Grade

"I recall these days like a memory or a dream or else a bullet lodged within a body..."

"It had the makings of a quiet summer— We strapped pink wings to our shoulders and dove headfirst into..."

As they imagine us on summer nights

Kylan

Tatum

Plainsboro

12th Grade

"There is no mapped world. This truth you hold under your ribs, where most mortals..."

"Children of the borderland, intrepid space travelers, this will not be your last winter. These painful..."

Ulysses Speaks to the Children at the Border

Samuel

Cooper

Santa Fe

12th Grade

"One day, Jim felt a sharp pain in his chest and was scared he was dying. He was too..."

"Jen and Jim are residents in small town Johnsville. They have known each other for as long as they can..."

Secret Admirers

Reid

Roach

Oxford

12th Grade

The Dark Beyond

The monster turned the corner to find her. It had been following her scent for hours, but she had been...

Dante Competition: 1st Place

Dawn

M.

Piedmont

12th Grade

in light of

"you breathe like an accordion, shuddering, your body emptying, because you hate knowing he’s the sun..."

Dante Competition: 2nd Place

Amy

Liu

New York

12th Grade

"Robert doesn’t have a god delusion, because you can only be deluded when you’re..."

"The Glibman Building takes a long time to burn, but it looks very pretty as it does. Robert quit his job..."

Irony

Sylvi

Stein

New York

12th Grade

I Am That Book

"I always wished for brothers, companions, guides towards the rest of my life. Hope for the hopeful and..."

Dante Competition: Honorable Mention

Ben

Wilson

Plano

12th Grade

"After months of self-isolation, the humans rejoined the world once more, but the most..."

"Everyone was seated anxiously around the soundbox to hear how the situation had progressed. The small..."

Tonight’s Episode

Dallas

Speicher-Ramirez

Mechanicsburg

Cumberland Valley High School

12th Grade

"The long-suffering passengers in front of me finally locate their bags and rush..."

"Waiting in the baggage claim at Copenhagen Airport certainly has its benefits— the benches are fairly..."

Baggage Claim at the Copenhagen Airport

Amaya

Gonzalez-Mollmann

New York City

12th Grade

"Everyday. It means, “happening or used every day; daily”. Everyday we watched them."

"Everyday was our darkest day. But the even darkest days were still ahead. Everyday they grew and grew..."

Everyday is the Same

Jensen

Kornfeind

Mechanicsburg

Cumberland Valley High School

12th Grade

"The nerves in my spine braid themselves, as the needle pricks travel through each of..."

There’s no need for meteorologists when I can just press my fingertips against the crackling black metal...

Between 81st Street

Leonor

Robalino

Jackson Heights

12th Grade

"Now a small crowd is watching on as he wrestles with the wheel..."

Parking Space

Samuel

Cooper

Santa Fe

12th Grade

"Masking my insecurities and covering up my self-doubt By showing a face different..."

I prepare to paint To stand out and shine I seize my glue and press it against my thick brown eyebrows I am...

The Painting of Self

Elana

Abrams

New York

Bronx Science

12th Grade

"I'm too White for the Blacks, too Black for the Whites..."

I’m Dominican But I’m Black

Odilenia

Reyes

Bronx

12th Grade

"...and I’m forced to choose: avoid me or confront the room."

Write about a window or whether what is outside it. Do you care to know what is behind it? The pressure in...

Room

Ella

White

Lithonia

12th Grade

"Reality came crashing down on me. I felt a loss for words I didn't know what to say..."

“Hey! Hey! HEY, Amaryllis wake up!” I rubbed my eyes, squinting at the bright light reaching into my...

Fresh Start

Arika

Halliman

New York

12th Grade

Lost Boy

The wind carried on as it continued to grow violent. Ila strode toward the window. The whistling wind...

Lost Boy

AIM

N/A

New York

12th Grade

"...I realized that it is because we are unique, that in the end, we are the same."

With all the craziness in our world, especially these days, my corner seems rather benign. I know I’m lucky...

Equinox Blue

Maia

Mencucci

Walden

12th Grade

"I’d pour fresh-brewed coffee into my mug, no cream or sugar, and sit on my windowsill..."

Life outside my window used to be bland and grim yet somehow exceedingly reminiscent of food. Even on the...

The Significance of One Coffee

Montana

Lee

New York

12th Grade

"When you’re too sad you close your door, Your window is your only escape..."

My Window When sun is bright or when it rains And when it’s cloudy sky When neighbor’s dog outside plays...

My Window

Viktoriia

D

Garfield

12th Grade

"People of all different kinds, All doing the same thing Walk past my window and..."

"I sit in the same place every day. Looking out a window, It separates me from society. So alone I sit..."

Life in Color

Brianna

Murch

Oceanside

Oceanside High School

12th Grade

"In her eyes, it is the night sky, that brings her the utmost joy. A change of terrain..."

"The window that sits on the top floor, in a girl’s room filled with her things, grants her a minute..."

Head in the Stars

Brianna

Davis

St. Louis

Parkway West Highschool

12th Grade

"The turbulent river begins to roar - and then - The weeping wound is ripped raw..."

"You rise to a beautiful day - Healed, tears put away - A lyric, a smell, a taste - Awakens the gaping..."

MASK

Sawyer Grace

Perkins

Proctor

12th Grade

"I carved her in ivory, too, painstakingly, no small detail left out. I’d never felt..."

"I’m an architect. It’s what I do. Design. That’s what you start with. I first started designing things..."

Reverse Pygmalion

Amy

Liu

New York

12th Grade

"i don't need to claim that responsibility, the responsibility of existing."

outside my window, i see many things. trees and grass, sure. lots of houses and decks, naturally. but those...

Looking Outside

Emma

Dione

Williston

12th Grade

"It's a place of gray, where things aren't as simple as black and white."

What's outside my window? Outside of my window are people struggling to make it in this jungle of gray...

Jungle Of Gray

C.C.

Lalite

New York City

12th Grade

"Can’t I decide who I want to be? Can’t I live in the intermediary? Girls are..."

"When I was in kindergarten I told my parents I was going to get married to a girl. I carried my love..."

Bi The Way

Silvi

Stein

New York

12th Grade

"It rushed in a fury, like a twister, releasing its anger into windows and trees until..."

It started in the night, a rustling noise hitting my window like leaves spinning in the fall. Convinced I...

A Midwestern Desert

Ayra

Ali

Chesterfield

Parkway West High School

12th Grade

"what I’ve seen has stirred me up so deeply inside that it forced me to venture beyond."

Outside of my window what do I see? Unfortunately, that’s a question that I find myself unable to answer...

P.O.P (Pane or Pain)

Ina

L

Los Angeles

12th Grade

"Walking inside, the heat of the outdoors faded away; I became cold. Her parents had..."

Ten thousand feet up, days from civilization, and ready to jump: I was backpacking the Sierra Nevadas after...

Together, Jumping

Atticus

Hempel

Storrs

12th Grade

"Brash dragging scraped the limp figure. Grating of teeth sharpening jarred the floor. Fl

"Pitched screams pierced the atmosphere. A tattered leather-bound book rested amidst..."

Hunger

Brian

Zou

South Pasadena

South Pasadena High School

12th Grade

"Where ships left invisible footprints, I wonder can you still feel and touch him. They sa

"Everyone, everything, speaks the same way. The same voice all over again. I love u..."

I Wonder

Sebastian

Adriano

Cayey

12th Grade

"As I grab my cart, I look around, noticing all of the masked figures nervously walking th

"The door slides open and I walk inside. It’s been a while since I’ve been here..."

Speechless

Joseph

Mast

Carlisle

Cumberland Valley High School

12th Grade

"You've cried tears until you couldn't cry anymore, and you think yourself broken, but it

"You think that you deceive me with every fake smile. You say that you're fine but..."

Invisible

Maddie

Mertz

Chesterfield

Parkway West

12th Grade

"I scavenged her for nature and necessity. I began to see her in bonfires and rain and she

"I was wearing a hand painted jacket that day. The sleeve said “be a light” and little..."

She

Jenna

Flenner

Camp Hill

Cumberland Valley High School

12th Grade

"Thomasin Wilmot sat beside her window in Bernauer Manor, counting the rock-doves..."

"The foxglove pearl had already begun its work, leeching its poison into the wine..."

From the Ramblings of Thomasin Wilmot

Haley

Dittbrenner

Drexel Hill

Monsignor Bonner Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School

12th Grade

"The winter snow drizzles down from the evening sky it seems as if frost is the envy..."

"I have been locked away for about a week and my only source of food is delivered through the window..."

Palindrome

Andrea

Juarez Hernandez

Chicago

12th Grade

"I thought I was done with feeling. But this is a new pain. Not a tingling in the..."

"I’m trying to remember the last thing my mom said to me. Were we fighting? I wouldn't be surprised..."

Strange Aeons

Aidan

Winn

Ridgewood

Bergen County Academies

12th Grade

"Sweat danced on his palms as he tried to connect the dots. This continued for two..."

"Yeah, I’ll be with you soon.' Paul’s text illuminated the screen, averting James’s attention from the..."

The Watch

Subyeta

Chowdhury

Long Island City

12th Grade

"Then the window shattered and her grip was lost. Just before she hit the back wall..."

"A young girl stood on a train, feeling as though she was late for an important meeting. The higher her..."

In Lieu of You

Amelie

Caceres

Bogata

Bergen County Academies

12th Grade

"You nervously waited until the truck had rounded the opposing bend of the street..."

"They were late again. Stars blinked in the dark sky, and the United States Postal Service truck slowly..."

Special Delivery

Bryn

Ingram

Wilmington

12th Grade

“'No, I will go to the forest. We all promise her and I keep my promises and don’t act..."

"A long time goes where technology did not even exist and everything was pulled by a horse and a cart on..."

The Lady in the Tree

Ramona

Patterson

Chicago

Kenwood Academy High School

12th Grade

"I don’t know how I didn’t notice it first, I must have blocked out the fear in me ..."

"I would always avoid looking into windows as a child, afraid that if I looked out into the dark for long ..."

Seeing What to We Want to See

Natalie

Painter

Ridgewood

Bergen County Academies

12th Grade

"All Maria’s energy has left her and all she can do is crawl back into bed..."

Mature Content

"In the dead of night there was a loud crash right out outside Maria’s bedroom window. Even though she ..."

Horrors Illuminated By The Moon

Kenya

Green

Chicago

12th Grade

"It had razor sharp teeth that dug into your neck with the force of a lion’s jaw and..."

Mature Content

"D’marques wakes up anxious before the day has a chance to even start, because he knows what his..."

Learning Death

Lavon

Adams

Chicago

Kenwood Academy High School

12th Grade

"Though I’m not sure if I ever loved her as much as she loved me. I know I loved her..."

My wife loved me, but not the normal type of love like a wife should. Her love was more like the love that..."

Violet Eyes

Brian

Phillips

Chicago Heights

12th Grade

"We were heard, and the country is a better place for it."

"Dear Alina, The world is a changed place. I used to say that humanity has a disposition for conflict..."

One Day; A Letter to Myself from a Brighter Future

Alina

Kreynovich

Baltimore

12th Grade

"Remember that you have the potential to help change the world we live in."

"No one would have expected 2020 to go the way it's going. From raging fires to a renowned athlete's death..."

Speak Up

Nami

Mahajan

Manalapan

12th Grade

"To me, she was all the beauty of Vermeer, all the softness of Titian"

"On Passover we ask a question of centuries past: why is this night different from all other nights..."

If You Listen Closely, the Moon Will Hum

Danielle

Richard

Tallahassee

12th Grade

My Hands Have Seen the Earth

"We sit, kneading ourselves, In the amber clay of our being, Memorizing the feeling of wisps of clouds..."

My Hands Have Seen the Earth

Sarah

Chocron

Wichita

12th Grade

“What if there’s no point to any of this,” He started. “What if we live just to die?”

Mature Content

"There’s an eerie silence that follows someone’s death. People stare out windows for hours at a time, lost..."

Purple Domino

Nelly

Zerbib

Brookline

12th Grade

"Imagination was my escape from the dull reality of my life."

I looked out into the bleak, moonlit sky while stirring my coffee that had already gone lukewarm, a routine...

Letters From a Familiar Unknown

Joseph

C

Las Vegas

12th Grade

"We collided at the meeting of the sky and earth, and our bodies flew in opposite..."

My body cracks in two, flesh stuck in between the crevices of a boot, evidence of my life scattered across...

The One

Nazeefa

Ahmed

Calgary, Canada

12th Grade

Kaylie watched Brandon stumble into the playground, grabbing for the ladder as he struggled not to cry...

Light in the Dark

Shaina

Maitino

Morton Grove

12th Grade

"He remembered the taste of his mother's fresh bread, the blank taste of weeks of hunger"

Dark, menacing clouds covered the restless sea. The gentle whoosh of the breeze was slowly replaced...

Clouds

Julian

Silva-Forbes

Saratoga Springs

12th Grade

"Is this what healing is? She asked herself. Recognizing the problem and letting..."

The humidity pressed against the sleeves of her sweatshirt and onto her dark melanin skin as she stepped...

The Waltz of the Healing Rain

Genesis

Magpayo

Western Springs, Illinois

12th Grade

"If only he had shared his opinion when the time was right."

A man wearing a mud-brown suit and a shiny black top hat lived in a kingdom that sat in a valley...

The Man’s Lost Voice

L. F.

Katz

Tyler, Texas

12th Grade

"I sat there, stunned, hoping, wishing, praying that this was just a dream."

Mature Content

A dark road. An empty street. A lone man. I could not ask for more perfect conditions...

The Empty Eyes

Robert

Wang

New York, New York

12th Grade

You will see glimpses of her youth peeking out from where it’s been hiding all these years

My fortune-teller, Nashia, isn’t very good at telling fortunes...

The Teller

Diya

Sabharwal

New Delhi, India

12th Grade

“I am sick and tired of being sick tired”

I find myself unraveling the ugly truths about America quite often in my 17 years of life.

The Future That We’re Fighting For.

Zachary

Mattis

Bridgeport, Connecticut

12th Grade

"She’d trusted him well enough to let him into her world, teach him her ways..."

The world was surprisingly in better shape than Rickell Kendricks. 20,000 years into the future...

The Astronomer’s Tragedy Trip

Amanda

Castillo

Bronx, New York

12th Grade

"The result of that move was not the replacement of a home but the addition of another."

The sound of a baby crying jolted me awake. Slowly the sounds of the other people came into focus...

A Tale of Three Cities

Samson

M

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"I jumped when I realized what was happening. He was here. He was finally here."

I woke up with a huge smile on my face. It was finally the day. I sprinted downstairs to see...

Remi

Anthony

Piccinno

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"It reminded me how important it is to be grateful for the things we have..."

As the end of the school year nears, I never thought I’d want to extend it any longer...

Unexpected Goodbye

Alison

Quade

Boonton, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"I think everyday about how that day could have ruined my life because Beau..."

Easter 2015 was the worst Easter of my life...

Beau the Survivor

Mackenzie

Dowling

Boonton, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"Whenever I refused to do something, Bella would bring up my past self..."

The sun cast a gleaming reflection on the water under the bridge as we passed over it and into the city...

The Bridge

Daniel

Raser

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"Ever since that day I have been training to become a head chef..."

It’s the 16th century in Nagano, feudal Japan. My name is Akamatsu and I am 12 years old...

Mother’s Stew

Ryan

Ferrante

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"I now realize how crucial it is to cherish every moment with the people you love."

While driving home from the hospital with my Father's hand in mine, I realized I was never going to be...

There is a Bright Side to Everything

Lea

Ratchford

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"Getting snacks together, racing around, building forts, it’s the youths’ prime time."

“God, it’s hot.” Casper dropped down on the pavement beside his friend Alix...

Something About a Meteor

Korene

Tu

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"Although I never liked making a big deal out of my birthday, I couldn’t help but feel..."

It was around 8:00 on Friday night. My parents pulled a round chocolate cake out of the fridge...

I Looked Like An Idiot in That Hat

Anonymous

Johnson

12th Grade

"It was now or never. I opened the email and read the header of the message."

December 15. That was the day where all my work and all my time would be worth it...

College Stress

Ryan

Shanker

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"Each speck had an ember inside, a manifestation of love..."

The stares of the cruel eyes penetrated through me, transmitting a notion that my body was some sort of...

Skeleton Love

Joseph

C

Las Vegas, Nevada

12th Grade

"The “perfect” body does not exist and is all perspective."

I scroll through Instagram and Tik Tok every day and see girls with perfect bodies...

The “Perfect” Body

Rylie

S

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"I can’t help but wonder if I’m the angel you always speak of. The one with the broken..."

It was three days before I found out where they’d been...

Three Days Playing Angel

Amanda

Castillo

Bronx, New York

12th Grade

"The morning light snakes into the walls of the room, illuminating the truth..."

Only three minutes now, three minutes until the rest of the air in his body leaves him...

Night Terrors

Amanda

Castillo

Bronx, New York

12th Grade

"The library was a charm, each shelf gave its secrets to those who came..."

Ms.Eloise sat in her chair that rocked like the ocean, the bank notices rested in her thin brittle fingers.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Jocelyn

Horsfall-Arsenault

Penacook, New Hampshire

Merrimack Valley High School

12th Grade

"I miss his shallow breaths and the soft sounds of his well-worn yellow sneakers"

The sound of my own breathing is unfamiliar to me as the ground blurs beneath my feet;

Alone. Here. Now.

Emily

Philbrook

Penacook, New Hampshire

12th Grade

"It doesn’t go, it’s not a fucking song. A book teaches you."

Mature Content

The sound of the 6 train always scared those who weren’t paying attention.

Skyline

Anthony

Bonavita

Little Neck, New York

Bronx Science

12th Grade

"...be the one to tell her that the world is not all good. For I am at a loss of words."

Welcome to hell, where the walls are crafted from the bricks of panic that weigh on my soul...

Welcome to Hell

Addison

Hodge

Loudon, New Hampshire

Merrimack Valley High School

12th Grade

"I never saw You fill up that ugly “Best Dad” mug. / It was always empty: just like Your chest"

The wind waltzed with every follicle of my hair. / And as I waited for the storm to pass / I thought of my first performance: Chopped, well, “choppy”

“Choppy”

Amber

Azmoudeh

Alexandria, Virginia

Episcopal High School

12th Grade

"...the only school pictures I have ever kept were the ones they sent us to proof, two pictures of smiling brothers, each proudly wearing a puffy black eye."

My brother’s Senior year, he went to school with a black eye on picture day. I did too...

Love and War

John

Smith

Sewanee, Tennessee

12th Grade

I want to see who I was— / before the world told me who to be.

I have an obsession. / It's an obsession with the old me

Before They Told You

Claire

Boehm

Cornelius, North Carolina

Episcopal High School

12th Grade

Fearful black eyes stare back at me, hopeless, as he breathes in his last breath

I scavenge a cupboard dry of food before setting off, three oatcakes left and no water. Cottonmouth. I bundle up for the November night, grab gun, knife and leave unseen.

The Hunt

Bear

Matheson

Charlottesville, Virginia

12th Grade

"I am courageous despite not leaving my house. And you are too."

"I'm not sure that I am courageous. I am certainly afraid. I'm terrified."

Fighting the Fight? Please.

Nina

D

Easton, Pennsylvania

12th Grade

"You are stitched by the hands of a broken mother, who is exhausted from her painstaking and meticulous routine in the sweatshops of India."

You lay on a false body–one that is displayed in the center of a decorated window for the purpose of selling you.

One Blouse Can Only Dream

Haley

D.

Atlanta, Georgia

12th Grade

"The front of the car crashed through a weakened fence, and we plummeted down the side of the road, plunging straight into the inky, black surface of the lake."

I tried to draw in one last breath before we broke the surface, but within a second, we were already submerged. Cold, mucky water burst in through the half open window on the passenger's side, and muffled Marissa's screams...

What She Didn’t Know

Lucy

C

Sewanee, Tennessee

12th Grade

"They will never forget their childhoods of unadulterated freedom—the days and nights that instilled in them an appreciation for something bigger."

One by one, they creep through the enveloping darkness into a dusty shed filled with baseball helmets. This posse of seventeen-year-olds slinks through the shadows of the town where there is nothing.

Family of Teenagers

Ward

Cammack

Nashville, Tennessee

12th Grade

"it becomes difficult for me to formulate the sentences that will allow them to comprehend what it means to be biracial and bicultural..."

Groggy-eyed and stuffy-nosed I set my alarm for 6:00 as I sank into the spongy mattress that I called my bed, the sweat of eight teenage sailing instructors permeating the humid air...

Identity

Sawyer

Cooper

New York, NY

Bronx Science

12th Grade

“'Ethan, where do you think we go once we die?'”

"Do you believe in God?" / "No."

Conservation of Souls

Karen

Zhang

Pace, Florida

Episcopal High School

12th Grade

"And no hugs to give when we cry, no hand to hold."

To distance or not to distance -- that’s the question: Whether ‘tis better to endure the quarantine

To Distance or not to Distance (Inspired by Shakespeare’s famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy)

M

S

Pleasantville, New York

12th Grade

"...tonight I was searching for the notorious large flounder that had been haunting my dreams ever since I saw it engulf my lure and promptly broke my line, some five years ago."

The moonlight danced across the ripples of Bogue Sound. The wind howled out of the south and the windchimes scampered around on their strings.

Dreams

Will

Sternberg

Greenwich, Connecticut

12th Grade

"I waited for a wave to pass and plopped the fish down into the water. I moved the voluptuous female back and forth in the water until she kicked off back into the deep blue water beneath the watch of a stargazed lover."

My smile crawled across my face as my feet felt the transition of grass to sand and the soft wind whistled through my ears...

Happiness

Will

Sternberg

Greenwich, Connecticut

12th Grade

"I find so much hardship in the heart of my city"

I sit and watch, under the pool house / As the dock spreads out over the water.

Neighbors

Wyatt

Singletary

Jacksonville, Florida

Episcopal High School

12th Grade

"In fact, she’s so used to this voice that its screaming is now something she finds calming. Normal is calming, right?"

It’s March. The song “Pictures of You” by The Cure just came on over the house speaker, and her dad says, “Don’t change it. I like this song.”

Normal is Calming, Right?

Jane

Durden

Charlotte, North Carolina

12th Grade

"In this abyss of bliss I’m floating. / The future is something I wish I had guessed"

Events of my life I’m left here noting, / At home I am happy to be.

Of Good Things I Am a Consumer

Wyatt

Singletary

Jacksonville, Florida

Episcopal High School

12th Grade

"I looked out at my tribe with pride before I drifted off, nestled against the pearly, soft snow of the tree well."

I awoke with a jolt as the sound of thunder crackled and rolled across the charcoal sky above me.

Perspectives

Will

Sternberg

Greenwich, Connecticut

12th Grade

"I looked up and saw the tigers' fangs flicker in the light of the setting sun."

The orange glow of the sun brought warmth to my face and body and quickly aroused me from my slumber...

The Day That Changed My Life

Will

Sternberg

Greenwich, Connecticut

12th Grade

"Forever: / as eternal as my morality or: / lack thereof"

I’m choked with the fear of leaving, / forever, / and beginning anew...

The Inevitability of Growing Up

Amber

Azmoudeh

Alexandria, Virginia

Episcopal High School

12th Grade

"The crystal clear water allowed us a view into the world untouched by man. I had never seen such beauty: animals so pristine and numerous."

The wind howled across the river throwing my hairs into a tangle of knots and curls. A smile crawled across my face as I gazed upon our vessel.

What’s Really Out There?

Will

Sternberg

Greenwich, Connecticut

12th Grade

"You're a slave to your own / system: / a mere machine, / but when I see them I can’t help but wonder: / Does it hurt? "

Your eyes, they haunt me...

Windows To The Soul: An Ode to Basquiat

Amber

Azmoudeh

Alexandria, Virginia

12th Grade

"They would gossip about people they hated in Italian, and would share things that made them happy in Greek."

It was an average day for Angelica. She was awoken by her mother screaming in Greek, telling her to get up for school. It wasn’t always a chore to go, but she felt more tired than usual.

Waste Away

Alex

L Dupont

Boulder, Colorado

Alexander Dawson School

12th Grade

"At any moment he knows he could either be kidnapped or at the worst be murdered. He works in a dangerous industry and has hopes to get out of it one day."

Mature Content

Adrenaline is a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, especially in conditions of stress, increasing rates of blood circulation, breathing, and carbohydrate metabolism and preparing muscles for exertion.

Adrenaline

Brandon

Day

Longmont, Colorado

12th Grade

"The moonlight slowly morphed into a glowing woman who wore a white dress that spanned the ocean breadth..."

She thought that when people died, they were gone, forever. Her mom and grammy turned into dust at the cremation center. She poured their dust into the ocean off the coast of California, the same place where they had lived for so long and died so young...

Freedom

Estasia

McGlothlin

Longmont, Colorado

Dawson School

12th Grade

"...the potential to help millions of people across the world also instilled a sense of purpose and responsibility in me."

Ever since I have been little, I have always been fascinated by biology and all of its counterparts.

I Love Bio

Ruby

Berger

New York, NY

12th Grade

"But when I stare into the unblinking eyes of a zebrafish, I only see a human. I can only think about how this tiny animal could represent someone in dire need of help."

At 9 AM on a summer Monday, I opened two stainless steel doors to a room shrouded in white, except for the spots of blue made by discarded shoe covers that littered the mounted shelves.

I Love Bio (pt. 2)

Lola

Berger

New York, NY

12th Grade

"Peter did not, however, forget that Harry was a wild animal. At times he feared his flashing yellow teeth, the powerful jaw that crunched entire cantaloupes like they were seeds. "

The first time Peter saw the bear, he was tending his garden.

Peter and the Bear: Based on a true story

Deana

Stysis

Brooklyn, New York

12th Grade

"While I wait for my mom to open the door, I pace around the room, marveling at the clicking noise that my dirty paws make when I walk across the floor."

It is 10:00 AM. I just woke up from a late Saturday night and I let out a yawn as I began to get dressed.

The Transformation

Lucas

Koenig

New York, NY

12th Grade

"The two friends slowly entered the house. Hand in hand. Sam could feel Anna shaking with fear..."

Sam, Timmy, and Anna always did dumb stuff. They were just regular teenagers messing around and letting their curiosity take them places. They loved to get together and play games, stay out late, and go on adventures. One of their favorite games was truth or dare...

Truth Or Dare

Brandon

Day

Longmont, Colorado

Dawson School

12th Grade

"I hate to traumatize her, but I have to stay alive for her..."

“Mom are you okay,” she asked in a voice so loving and gentle. I could hear the concern, the fear, the worry...

Courage

Aaliyah

Thomas

Pittsburg, Pennsylvania

12th Grade

"'Emilia, it’s time to go to the bathroom' my teacher would announce in front of the entire class..."

I believe in not holding your pee. When I was in the first grade, I had a wild imagination. So wild that my biggest fear was going to the bathroom...

Don’t Hold Your Pee

Emilia

B

Washington D.C.

12th Grade

"I dont know why God decided to bless me and curse me with the presence / of a possessed angel..."

listening to steve lacy i get the same feeling i had when i last saw your face / Mine lit up as bright as egyptian cities in the summer...

The Evening

Nova

Cane

New York, New York

12th Grade

"Ali instructed her to sit in his lap..."

Mature Content

As Raina was listening to music she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about the past that haunts her in her dream...

Just Needed a Little Bravery

Samiha

C

Brooklyn, New York

John Adams High School

12th Grade

"I felt like an explorer embarking on a brave journey to some strange and foreign land. A land in which the subway is aboveground..."

As a little kid, I remember watching a 1953 classic, The Little Fugitive, and being so uncontrollably jealous of the main character, a kid who gets to live in Coney Island for a day.

How Do You Get to Coney Island?

Owen

Jones

New York City

12th Grade

"The smoke cleared out and finally, I could see his evanescence; how it always lingered behind all of his inimitable whim-whams and seemingly candid words."

Mature Content

I think admiration is dangerous. The thought first came to life on a bench in Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn. My lips on a cigarette that I had no use for anymore.

Hoarding Hurt

Angelina

Zaphyria

New York, New York

12th Grade

"A gentle brush tickled her forearm, jolting her out of her increasingly louder..."

"Syla’s palms were sweaty as she stared at the birch door and golden handle. Regardless of how she used..."

Recalcitrance

Saanvi

Agarwal

Fremont

12th Grade

"I recall these days like a memory or a dream or else a bullet lodged within a body..."

"It had the makings of a quiet summer— We strapped pink wings to our shoulders and dove headfirst into..."

As they imagine us on summer nights

Kylan

Tatum

Plainsboro

12th Grade

"There is no mapped world. This truth you hold under your ribs, where most mortals..."

"Children of the borderland, intrepid space travelers, this will not be your last winter. These painful..."

Ulysses Speaks to the Children at the Border

Samuel

Cooper

Santa Fe

12th Grade

"One day, Jim felt a sharp pain in his chest and was scared he was dying. He was too..."

"Jen and Jim are residents in small town Johnsville. They have known each other for as long as they can..."

Secret Admirers

Reid

Roach

Oxford

12th Grade

I Am That Book

"I always wished for brothers, companions, guides towards the rest of my life. Hope for the hopeful and..."

Dante Competition: Honorable Mention

Ben

Wilson

Plano

12th Grade

The Dark Beyond

The monster turned the corner to find her. It had been following her scent for hours, but she had been...

Dante Competition: 1st Place

Dawn

M.

Piedmont

12th Grade

"Robert doesn’t have a god delusion, because you can only be deluded when you’re..."

"The Glibman Building takes a long time to burn, but it looks very pretty as it does. Robert quit his job..."

Irony

Sylvi

Stein

New York

12th Grade

in light of

"you breathe like an accordion, shuddering, your body emptying, because you hate knowing he’s the sun..."

Dante Competition: 2nd Place

Amy

Liu

New York

12th Grade

"After months of self-isolation, the humans rejoined the world once more, but the most..."

"Everyone was seated anxiously around the soundbox to hear how the situation had progressed. The small..."

Tonight’s Episode

Dallas

Speicher-Ramirez

Mechanicsburg

Cumberland Valley High School

12th Grade

"The long-suffering passengers in front of me finally locate their bags and rush..."

"Waiting in the baggage claim at Copenhagen Airport certainly has its benefits— the benches are fairly..."

Baggage Claim at the Copenhagen Airport

Amaya

Gonzalez-Mollmann

New York City

12th Grade

"Everyday. It means, “happening or used every day; daily”. Everyday we watched them."

"Everyday was our darkest day. But the even darkest days were still ahead. Everyday they grew and grew..."

Everyday is the Same

Jensen

Kornfeind

Mechanicsburg

Cumberland Valley High School

12th Grade

"The nerves in my spine braid themselves, as the needle pricks travel through each of..."

There’s no need for meteorologists when I can just press my fingertips against the crackling black metal...

Between 81st Street

Leonor

Robalino

Jackson Heights

12th Grade

"Now a small crowd is watching on as he wrestles with the wheel..."

Parking Space

Samuel

Cooper

Santa Fe

12th Grade

"Masking my insecurities and covering up my self-doubt By showing a face different..."

I prepare to paint To stand out and shine I seize my glue and press it against my thick brown eyebrows I am...

The Painting of Self

Elana

Abrams

New York

Bronx Science

12th Grade

"I'm too White for the Blacks, too Black for the Whites..."

I’m Dominican But I’m Black

Odilenia

Reyes

Bronx

12th Grade

"...and I’m forced to choose: avoid me or confront the room."

Write about a window or whether what is outside it. Do you care to know what is behind it? The pressure in...

Room

Ella

White

Lithonia

12th Grade

"Reality came crashing down on me. I felt a loss for words I didn't know what to say..."

“Hey! Hey! HEY, Amaryllis wake up!” I rubbed my eyes, squinting at the bright light reaching into my...

Fresh Start

Arika

Halliman

New York

12th Grade

Lost Boy

The wind carried on as it continued to grow violent. Ila strode toward the window. The whistling wind...

Lost Boy

AIM

N/A

New York

12th Grade

"...I realized that it is because we are unique, that in the end, we are the same."

With all the craziness in our world, especially these days, my corner seems rather benign. I know I’m lucky...

Equinox Blue

Maia

Mencucci

Walden

12th Grade

"I’d pour fresh-brewed coffee into my mug, no cream or sugar, and sit on my windowsill..."

Life outside my window used to be bland and grim yet somehow exceedingly reminiscent of food. Even on the...

The Significance of One Coffee

Montana

Lee

New York

12th Grade

"When you’re too sad you close your door, Your window is your only escape..."

My Window When sun is bright or when it rains And when it’s cloudy sky When neighbor’s dog outside plays...

My Window

Viktoriia

D

Garfield

12th Grade

"People of all different kinds, All doing the same thing Walk past my window and..."

"I sit in the same place every day. Looking out a window, It separates me from society. So alone I sit..."

Life in Color

Brianna

Murch

Oceanside

Oceanside High School

12th Grade

"In her eyes, it is the night sky, that brings her the utmost joy. A change of terrain..."

"The window that sits on the top floor, in a girl’s room filled with her things, grants her a minute..."

Head in the Stars

Brianna

Davis

St. Louis

Parkway West Highschool

12th Grade

"The turbulent river begins to roar - and then - The weeping wound is ripped raw..."

"You rise to a beautiful day - Healed, tears put away - A lyric, a smell, a taste - Awakens the gaping..."

MASK

Sawyer Grace

Perkins

Proctor

12th Grade

"I carved her in ivory, too, painstakingly, no small detail left out. I’d never felt..."

"I’m an architect. It’s what I do. Design. That’s what you start with. I first started designing things..."

Reverse Pygmalion

Amy

Liu

New York

12th Grade

"i don't need to claim that responsibility, the responsibility of existing."

outside my window, i see many things. trees and grass, sure. lots of houses and decks, naturally. but those...

Looking Outside

Emma

Dione

Williston

12th Grade

"Can’t I decide who I want to be? Can’t I live in the intermediary? Girls are..."

"When I was in kindergarten I told my parents I was going to get married to a girl. I carried my love..."

Bi The Way

Silvi

Stein

New York

12th Grade

"It's a place of gray, where things aren't as simple as black and white."

What's outside my window? Outside of my window are people struggling to make it in this jungle of gray...

Jungle Of Gray

C.C.

Lalite

New York City

12th Grade

"It rushed in a fury, like a twister, releasing its anger into windows and trees until..."

It started in the night, a rustling noise hitting my window like leaves spinning in the fall. Convinced I...

A Midwestern Desert

Ayra

Ali

Chesterfield

Parkway West High School

12th Grade

"what I’ve seen has stirred me up so deeply inside that it forced me to venture beyond."

Outside of my window what do I see? Unfortunately, that’s a question that I find myself unable to answer...

P.O.P (Pane or Pain)

Ina

L

Los Angeles

12th Grade

"Walking inside, the heat of the outdoors faded away; I became cold. Her parents had..."

Ten thousand feet up, days from civilization, and ready to jump: I was backpacking the Sierra Nevadas after...

Together, Jumping

Atticus

Hempel

Storrs

12th Grade

"Brash dragging scraped the limp figure. Grating of teeth sharpening jarred the floor. Fl

"Pitched screams pierced the atmosphere. A tattered leather-bound book rested amidst..."

Hunger

Brian

Zou

South Pasadena

South Pasadena High School

12th Grade

"Where ships left invisible footprints, I wonder can you still feel and touch him. They sa

"Everyone, everything, speaks the same way. The same voice all over again. I love u..."

I Wonder

Sebastian

Adriano

Cayey

12th Grade

"As I grab my cart, I look around, noticing all of the masked figures nervously walking th

"The door slides open and I walk inside. It’s been a while since I’ve been here..."

Speechless

Joseph

Mast

Carlisle

Cumberland Valley High School

12th Grade

"You've cried tears until you couldn't cry anymore, and you think yourself broken, but it

"You think that you deceive me with every fake smile. You say that you're fine but..."

Invisible

Maddie

Mertz

Chesterfield

Parkway West

12th Grade

"I scavenged her for nature and necessity. I began to see her in bonfires and rain and she

"I was wearing a hand painted jacket that day. The sleeve said “be a light” and little..."

She

Jenna

Flenner

Camp Hill

Cumberland Valley High School

12th Grade

"Thomasin Wilmot sat beside her window in Bernauer Manor, counting the rock-doves..."

"The foxglove pearl had already begun its work, leeching its poison into the wine..."

From the Ramblings of Thomasin Wilmot

Haley

Dittbrenner

Drexel Hill

Monsignor Bonner Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School

12th Grade

"The winter snow drizzles down from the evening sky it seems as if frost is the envy..."

"I have been locked away for about a week and my only source of food is delivered through the window..."

Palindrome

Andrea

Juarez Hernandez

Chicago

12th Grade

"I thought I was done with feeling. But this is a new pain. Not a tingling in the..."

"I’m trying to remember the last thing my mom said to me. Were we fighting? I wouldn't be surprised..."

Strange Aeons

Aidan

Winn

Ridgewood

Bergen County Academies

12th Grade

"Sweat danced on his palms as he tried to connect the dots. This continued for two..."

"Yeah, I’ll be with you soon.' Paul’s text illuminated the screen, averting James’s attention from the..."

The Watch

Subyeta

Chowdhury

Long Island City

12th Grade

"Then the window shattered and her grip was lost. Just before she hit the back wall..."

"A young girl stood on a train, feeling as though she was late for an important meeting. The higher her..."

In Lieu of You

Amelie

Caceres

Bogata

Bergen County Academies

12th Grade

"You nervously waited until the truck had rounded the opposing bend of the street..."

"They were late again. Stars blinked in the dark sky, and the United States Postal Service truck slowly..."

Special Delivery

Bryn

Ingram

Wilmington

12th Grade

“'No, I will go to the forest. We all promise her and I keep my promises and don’t act..."

"A long time goes where technology did not even exist and everything was pulled by a horse and a cart on..."

The Lady in the Tree

Ramona

Patterson

Chicago

Kenwood Academy High School

12th Grade

"I don’t know how I didn’t notice it first, I must have blocked out the fear in me ..."

"I would always avoid looking into windows as a child, afraid that if I looked out into the dark for long ..."

Seeing What to We Want to See

Natalie

Painter

Ridgewood

Bergen County Academies

12th Grade

"All Maria’s energy has left her and all she can do is crawl back into bed..."

Mature Content

"In the dead of night there was a loud crash right out outside Maria’s bedroom window. Even though she ..."

Horrors Illuminated By The Moon

Kenya

Green

Chicago

12th Grade

"It had razor sharp teeth that dug into your neck with the force of a lion’s jaw and..."

Mature Content

"D’marques wakes up anxious before the day has a chance to even start, because he knows what his..."

Learning Death

Lavon

Adams

Chicago

Kenwood Academy High School

12th Grade

"Though I’m not sure if I ever loved her as much as she loved me. I know I loved her..."

My wife loved me, but not the normal type of love like a wife should. Her love was more like the love that..."

Violet Eyes

Brian

Phillips

Chicago Heights

12th Grade

"We were heard, and the country is a better place for it."

"Dear Alina, The world is a changed place. I used to say that humanity has a disposition for conflict..."

One Day; A Letter to Myself from a Brighter Future

Alina

Kreynovich

Baltimore

12th Grade

"Remember that you have the potential to help change the world we live in."

"No one would have expected 2020 to go the way it's going. From raging fires to a renowned athlete's death..."

Speak Up

Nami

Mahajan

Manalapan

12th Grade

“What if there’s no point to any of this,” He started. “What if we live just to die?”

Mature Content

"There’s an eerie silence that follows someone’s death. People stare out windows for hours at a time, lost..."

Purple Domino

Nelly

Zerbib

Brookline

12th Grade

"To me, she was all the beauty of Vermeer, all the softness of Titian"

"On Passover we ask a question of centuries past: why is this night different from all other nights..."

If You Listen Closely, the Moon Will Hum

Danielle

Richard

Tallahassee

12th Grade

My Hands Have Seen the Earth

"We sit, kneading ourselves, In the amber clay of our being, Memorizing the feeling of wisps of clouds..."

My Hands Have Seen the Earth

Sarah

Chocron

Wichita

12th Grade

Kaylie watched Brandon stumble into the playground, grabbing for the ladder as he struggled not to cry...

Light in the Dark

Shaina

Maitino

Morton Grove

12th Grade

"Imagination was my escape from the dull reality of my life."

I looked out into the bleak, moonlit sky while stirring my coffee that had already gone lukewarm, a routine...

Letters From a Familiar Unknown

Joseph

C

Las Vegas

12th Grade

"He remembered the taste of his mother's fresh bread, the blank taste of weeks of hunger"

Dark, menacing clouds covered the restless sea. The gentle whoosh of the breeze was slowly replaced...

Clouds

Julian

Silva-Forbes

Saratoga Springs

12th Grade

"Is this what healing is? She asked herself. Recognizing the problem and letting..."

The humidity pressed against the sleeves of her sweatshirt and onto her dark melanin skin as she stepped...

The Waltz of the Healing Rain

Genesis

Magpayo

Western Springs, Illinois

12th Grade

"If only he had shared his opinion when the time was right."

A man wearing a mud-brown suit and a shiny black top hat lived in a kingdom that sat in a valley...

The Man’s Lost Voice

L. F.

Katz

Tyler, Texas

12th Grade

"We collided at the meeting of the sky and earth, and our bodies flew in opposite..."

My body cracks in two, flesh stuck in between the crevices of a boot, evidence of my life scattered across...

The One

Nazeefa

Ahmed

Calgary, Canada

12th Grade

"I sat there, stunned, hoping, wishing, praying that this was just a dream."

Mature Content

A dark road. An empty street. A lone man. I could not ask for more perfect conditions...

The Empty Eyes

Robert

Wang

New York, New York

12th Grade

“I am sick and tired of being sick tired”

I find myself unraveling the ugly truths about America quite often in my 17 years of life.

The Future That We’re Fighting For.

Zachary

Mattis

Bridgeport, Connecticut

12th Grade

"She’d trusted him well enough to let him into her world, teach him her ways..."

The world was surprisingly in better shape than Rickell Kendricks. 20,000 years into the future...

The Astronomer’s Tragedy Trip

Amanda

Castillo

Bronx, New York

12th Grade

"The result of that move was not the replacement of a home but the addition of another."

The sound of a baby crying jolted me awake. Slowly the sounds of the other people came into focus...

A Tale of Three Cities

Samson

M

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"I jumped when I realized what was happening. He was here. He was finally here."

I woke up with a huge smile on my face. It was finally the day. I sprinted downstairs to see...

Remi

Anthony

Piccinno

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"It reminded me how important it is to be grateful for the things we have..."

As the end of the school year nears, I never thought I’d want to extend it any longer...

Unexpected Goodbye

Alison

Quade

Boonton, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"I think everyday about how that day could have ruined my life because Beau..."

Easter 2015 was the worst Easter of my life...

Beau the Survivor

Mackenzie

Dowling

Boonton, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"Whenever I refused to do something, Bella would bring up my past self..."

The sun cast a gleaming reflection on the water under the bridge as we passed over it and into the city...

The Bridge

Daniel

Raser

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"Ever since that day I have been training to become a head chef..."

It’s the 16th century in Nagano, feudal Japan. My name is Akamatsu and I am 12 years old...

Mother’s Stew

Ryan

Ferrante

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"I now realize how crucial it is to cherish every moment with the people you love."

While driving home from the hospital with my Father's hand in mine, I realized I was never going to be...

There is a Bright Side to Everything

Lea

Ratchford

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"Getting snacks together, racing around, building forts, it’s the youths’ prime time."

“God, it’s hot.” Casper dropped down on the pavement beside his friend Alix...

Something About a Meteor

Korene

Tu

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"Although I never liked making a big deal out of my birthday, I couldn’t help but feel..."

It was around 8:00 on Friday night. My parents pulled a round chocolate cake out of the fridge...

I Looked Like An Idiot in That Hat

Anonymous

Johnson

12th Grade

"It was now or never. I opened the email and read the header of the message."

December 15. That was the day where all my work and all my time would be worth it...

College Stress

Ryan

Shanker

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

You will see glimpses of her youth peeking out from where it’s been hiding all these years

My fortune-teller, Nashia, isn’t very good at telling fortunes...

The Teller

Diya

Sabharwal

New Delhi, India

12th Grade

"Each speck had an ember inside, a manifestation of love..."

The stares of the cruel eyes penetrated through me, transmitting a notion that my body was some sort of...

Skeleton Love

Joseph

C

Las Vegas, Nevada

12th Grade

"The “perfect” body does not exist and is all perspective."

I scroll through Instagram and Tik Tok every day and see girls with perfect bodies...

The “Perfect” Body

Rylie

S

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"I can’t help but wonder if I’m the angel you always speak of. The one with the broken..."

It was three days before I found out where they’d been...

Three Days Playing Angel

Amanda

Castillo

Bronx, New York

12th Grade

"The morning light snakes into the walls of the room, illuminating the truth..."

Only three minutes now, three minutes until the rest of the air in his body leaves him...

Night Terrors

Amanda

Castillo

Bronx, New York

12th Grade

"The library was a charm, each shelf gave its secrets to those who came..."

Ms.Eloise sat in her chair that rocked like the ocean, the bank notices rested in her thin brittle fingers.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Jocelyn

Horsfall-Arsenault

Penacook, New Hampshire

Merrimack Valley High School

12th Grade

"...be the one to tell her that the world is not all good. For I am at a loss of words."

Welcome to hell, where the walls are crafted from the bricks of panic that weigh on my soul...

Welcome to Hell

Addison

Hodge

Loudon, New Hampshire

Merrimack Valley High School

12th Grade

“'Ethan, where do you think we go once we die?'”

"Do you believe in God?" / "No."

Conservation of Souls

Karen

Zhang

Pace, Florida

Episcopal High School

12th Grade

"And no hugs to give when we cry, no hand to hold."

To distance or not to distance -- that’s the question: Whether ‘tis better to endure the quarantine

To Distance or not to Distance (Inspired by Shakespeare’s famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy)

M

S

Pleasantville, New York

12th Grade

"I miss his shallow breaths and the soft sounds of his well-worn yellow sneakers"

The sound of my own breathing is unfamiliar to me as the ground blurs beneath my feet;

Alone. Here. Now.

Emily

Philbrook

Penacook, New Hampshire

12th Grade

"It doesn’t go, it’s not a fucking song. A book teaches you."

Mature Content

The sound of the 6 train always scared those who weren’t paying attention.

Skyline

Anthony

Bonavita

Little Neck, New York

Bronx Science

12th Grade

I want to see who I was— / before the world told me who to be.

I have an obsession. / It's an obsession with the old me

Before They Told You

Claire

Boehm

Cornelius, North Carolina

Episcopal High School

12th Grade

Fearful black eyes stare back at me, hopeless, as he breathes in his last breath

I scavenge a cupboard dry of food before setting off, three oatcakes left and no water. Cottonmouth. I bundle up for the November night, grab gun, knife and leave unseen.

The Hunt

Bear

Matheson

Charlottesville, Virginia

12th Grade

"I waited for a wave to pass and plopped the fish down into the water. I moved the voluptuous female back and forth in the water until she kicked off back into the deep blue water beneath the watch of a stargazed lover."

My smile crawled across my face as my feet felt the transition of grass to sand and the soft wind whistled through my ears...

Happiness

Will

Sternberg

Greenwich, Connecticut

12th Grade

"I looked up and saw the tigers' fangs flicker in the light of the setting sun."

The orange glow of the sun brought warmth to my face and body and quickly aroused me from my slumber...

The Day That Changed My Life

Will

Sternberg

Greenwich, Connecticut

12th Grade

"I looked out at my tribe with pride before I drifted off, nestled against the pearly, soft snow of the tree well."

I awoke with a jolt as the sound of thunder crackled and rolled across the charcoal sky above me.

Perspectives

Will

Sternberg

Greenwich, Connecticut

12th Grade

"...tonight I was searching for the notorious large flounder that had been haunting my dreams ever since I saw it engulf my lure and promptly broke my line, some five years ago."

The moonlight danced across the ripples of Bogue Sound. The wind howled out of the south and the windchimes scampered around on their strings.

Dreams

Will

Sternberg

Greenwich, Connecticut

12th Grade

"I never saw You fill up that ugly “Best Dad” mug. / It was always empty: just like Your chest"

The wind waltzed with every follicle of my hair. / And as I waited for the storm to pass / I thought of my first performance: Chopped, well, “choppy”

“Choppy”

Amber

Azmoudeh

Alexandria, Virginia

Episcopal High School

12th Grade

"You're a slave to your own / system: / a mere machine, / but when I see them I can’t help but wonder: / Does it hurt? "

Your eyes, they haunt me...

Windows To The Soul: An Ode to Basquiat

Amber

Azmoudeh

Alexandria, Virginia

12th Grade

"Forever: / as eternal as my morality or: / lack thereof"

I’m choked with the fear of leaving, / forever, / and beginning anew...

The Inevitability of Growing Up

Amber

Azmoudeh

Alexandria, Virginia

Episcopal High School

12th Grade

"...the only school pictures I have ever kept were the ones they sent us to proof, two pictures of smiling brothers, each proudly wearing a puffy black eye."

My brother’s Senior year, he went to school with a black eye on picture day. I did too...

Love and War

John

Smith

Sewanee, Tennessee

12th Grade

"In fact, she’s so used to this voice that its screaming is now something she finds calming. Normal is calming, right?"

It’s March. The song “Pictures of You” by The Cure just came on over the house speaker, and her dad says, “Don’t change it. I like this song.”

Normal is Calming, Right?

Jane

Durden

Charlotte, North Carolina

12th Grade

"In this abyss of bliss I’m floating. / The future is something I wish I had guessed"

Events of my life I’m left here noting, / At home I am happy to be.

Of Good Things I Am a Consumer

Wyatt

Singletary

Jacksonville, Florida

Episcopal High School

12th Grade

"I find so much hardship in the heart of my city"

I sit and watch, under the pool house / As the dock spreads out over the water.

Neighbors

Wyatt

Singletary

Jacksonville, Florida

Episcopal High School

12th Grade

"The crystal clear water allowed us a view into the world untouched by man. I had never seen such beauty: animals so pristine and numerous."

The wind howled across the river throwing my hairs into a tangle of knots and curls. A smile crawled across my face as I gazed upon our vessel.

What’s Really Out There?

Will

Sternberg

Greenwich, Connecticut

12th Grade

"They would gossip about people they hated in Italian, and would share things that made them happy in Greek."

It was an average day for Angelica. She was awoken by her mother screaming in Greek, telling her to get up for school. It wasn’t always a chore to go, but she felt more tired than usual.

Waste Away

Alex

L Dupont

Boulder, Colorado

Alexander Dawson School

12th Grade

"You are stitched by the hands of a broken mother, who is exhausted from her painstaking and meticulous routine in the sweatshops of India."

You lay on a false body–one that is displayed in the center of a decorated window for the purpose of selling you.

One Blouse Can Only Dream

Haley

D.

Atlanta, Georgia

12th Grade

"Peter did not, however, forget that Harry was a wild animal. At times he feared his flashing yellow teeth, the powerful jaw that crunched entire cantaloupes like they were seeds. "

The first time Peter saw the bear, he was tending his garden.

Peter and the Bear: Based on a true story

Deana

Stysis

Brooklyn, New York

12th Grade

"The front of the car crashed through a weakened fence, and we plummeted down the side of the road, plunging straight into the inky, black surface of the lake."

I tried to draw in one last breath before we broke the surface, but within a second, we were already submerged. Cold, mucky water burst in through the half open window on the passenger's side, and muffled Marissa's screams...

What She Didn’t Know

Lucy

C

Sewanee, Tennessee

12th Grade

"The two friends slowly entered the house. Hand in hand. Sam could feel Anna shaking with fear..."

Sam, Timmy, and Anna always did dumb stuff. They were just regular teenagers messing around and letting their curiosity take them places. They loved to get together and play games, stay out late, and go on adventures. One of their favorite games was truth or dare...

Truth Or Dare

Brandon

Day

Longmont, Colorado

Dawson School

12th Grade

"At any moment he knows he could either be kidnapped or at the worst be murdered. He works in a dangerous industry and has hopes to get out of it one day."

Mature Content

Adrenaline is a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, especially in conditions of stress, increasing rates of blood circulation, breathing, and carbohydrate metabolism and preparing muscles for exertion.

Adrenaline

Brandon

Day

Longmont, Colorado

12th Grade

"The moonlight slowly morphed into a glowing woman who wore a white dress that spanned the ocean breadth..."

She thought that when people died, they were gone, forever. Her mom and grammy turned into dust at the cremation center. She poured their dust into the ocean off the coast of California, the same place where they had lived for so long and died so young...

Freedom

Estasia

McGlothlin

Longmont, Colorado

Dawson School

12th Grade

"But when I stare into the unblinking eyes of a zebrafish, I only see a human. I can only think about how this tiny animal could represent someone in dire need of help."

At 9 AM on a summer Monday, I opened two stainless steel doors to a room shrouded in white, except for the spots of blue made by discarded shoe covers that littered the mounted shelves.

I Love Bio (pt. 2)

Lola

Berger

New York, NY

12th Grade

"...the potential to help millions of people across the world also instilled a sense of purpose and responsibility in me."

Ever since I have been little, I have always been fascinated by biology and all of its counterparts.

I Love Bio

Ruby

Berger

New York, NY

12th Grade

"While I wait for my mom to open the door, I pace around the room, marveling at the clicking noise that my dirty paws make when I walk across the floor."

It is 10:00 AM. I just woke up from a late Saturday night and I let out a yawn as I began to get dressed.

The Transformation

Lucas

Koenig

New York, NY

12th Grade

"They will never forget their childhoods of unadulterated freedom—the days and nights that instilled in them an appreciation for something bigger."

One by one, they creep through the enveloping darkness into a dusty shed filled with baseball helmets. This posse of seventeen-year-olds slinks through the shadows of the town where there is nothing.

Family of Teenagers

Ward

Cammack

Nashville, Tennessee

12th Grade

"it becomes difficult for me to formulate the sentences that will allow them to comprehend what it means to be biracial and bicultural..."

Groggy-eyed and stuffy-nosed I set my alarm for 6:00 as I sank into the spongy mattress that I called my bed, the sweat of eight teenage sailing instructors permeating the humid air...

Identity

Sawyer

Cooper

New York, NY

Bronx Science

12th Grade

"'Emilia, it’s time to go to the bathroom' my teacher would announce in front of the entire class..."

I believe in not holding your pee. When I was in the first grade, I had a wild imagination. So wild that my biggest fear was going to the bathroom...

Don’t Hold Your Pee

Emilia

B

Washington D.C.

12th Grade

"I am courageous despite not leaving my house. And you are too."

"I'm not sure that I am courageous. I am certainly afraid. I'm terrified."

Fighting the Fight? Please.

Nina

D

Easton, Pennsylvania

12th Grade

"I hate to traumatize her, but I have to stay alive for her..."

“Mom are you okay,” she asked in a voice so loving and gentle. I could hear the concern, the fear, the worry...

Courage

Aaliyah

Thomas

Pittsburg, Pennsylvania

12th Grade

"I dont know why God decided to bless me and curse me with the presence / of a possessed angel..."

listening to steve lacy i get the same feeling i had when i last saw your face / Mine lit up as bright as egyptian cities in the summer...

The Evening

Nova

Cane

New York, New York

12th Grade

"The smoke cleared out and finally, I could see his evanescence; how it always lingered behind all of his inimitable whim-whams and seemingly candid words."

Mature Content

I think admiration is dangerous. The thought first came to life on a bench in Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn. My lips on a cigarette that I had no use for anymore.

Hoarding Hurt

Angelina

Zaphyria

New York, New York

12th Grade

"Ali instructed her to sit in his lap..."

Mature Content

As Raina was listening to music she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about the past that haunts her in her dream...

Just Needed a Little Bravery

Samiha

C

Brooklyn, New York

John Adams High School

12th Grade

"I felt like an explorer embarking on a brave journey to some strange and foreign land. A land in which the subway is aboveground..."

As a little kid, I remember watching a 1953 classic, The Little Fugitive, and being so uncontrollably jealous of the main character, a kid who gets to live in Coney Island for a day.

How Do You Get to Coney Island?

Owen

Jones

New York City

12th Grade