Vignettes

1. Her fine freckles and her now-blonde hair
were abandoned long ago by an on-and-off smile.
He kept the receipt and used it so many times;
she decided to stay at the store.

2. The cosmos didn’t line up,
our bodies never met
and we missed the opportunity
to hate then love then become estranged.
So I will never meet you, how very strange.

3. Blisters and calluses feel
for familiarity and warmth
her love anew for his.
Once time and tension erupt
the sound of laboring release a truth
she could only previously hope for.

Feeling, consequence of mortality
she uses to help herself;
find their way.

4. A trepidatious mind
encourages a fiery doubt
and a loathsome heart
asphyxiates
the nearness of you

—By Isabella R., 15, Miami