Lillie Nubile
"[P]eople respond by saying, “Stop talking,” or they turn away, which is what I did after Charlie told the not-so-funny “joke” and then claimed that he wasn’t trying to be funny. Telling jokes is a sensitive topic for some people. Humor is a window into somebody’s personality, so some people take criticism of a joke as a personal attack. Some people just don’t want to admit that they swing and miss sometimes. "I wasn't trying to be funny," is like an outlet for people, like blaming the umpire when you strike-out."
From Scholastic Art and Writing Gold Key Winner Ben Middlemiss' "A Fly Without Wings" Learn more about the awards here
"¡Buenos días! ¡Es otro día maravilloso en México! Levanta y mira alrededor de la bien cuidada habitación de hotel. Nadie está despierto, entonces ando silenciosamente hasta el balcón. Abro la puerta de vidrio, y, de inmediato, siento una brisa de aire fresco pasar sobre mi piel. Me quedo encima de la barandilla observando cada cosa en el horizonte. Que bella."
From Megan Hurley's "La Quemadura"
"Even when we were in school, masks made it hard to tell if people were smiling or laughing. The halls were eerie, filled with zombie-like students. It was hard to hear people, so they stopped talking. So even when we were in school, it still felt like we were isolated. Lunch was now sitting on a field with no friends around. It was crowded but I was alone."
From Anna Chaice's Rotary Award winning submission
Yasmeen Abed
One Country
We all heard
As George Floyd cried
And Black Lives Matter
Slowly died.
Then it happened again
With Breonna Taylor
Because most of the protests
Became a failure.
I thought about all the people
Hanging their heads
As they’re reminded
Of all the suffering
All the dead.
Everyone needs to send a message,
I thought.
Because all of this is turning savage.
People are people.
We are one country.
Like how leaves are leaves.
Rumbling in the wind
On their one tree.
Michael Wetmore
Artwork: Sophia Muller
"If we’re really in this Together then/ Why do people feel alone?"
From Peter Werdel's poem "In This Together" which is dedicated to the people of Ukraine
"'We are going to inject special molecules into you that will allow you to travel to the past or future,' Alec said.
'Why?' Max said.
'So you can prevent problems from happening such as global warming and robots ruling the world,” Alec said. “I will give you five days to decide if you want to do it.'
Three days later, Max walked into Alec’s office. 'I will do it,' Max said."
From Ari Kaye's "The Time Molecules"
Eva Schaller
Should a girl or a woman have to be afraid in this world? No.
Should a girl or a woman have to cover herself? No.
Should a girl or a woman have to be paranoid of her surroundings? No.
It’s not living if it’s hiding.
Read more from Isabella Bigatao's "Woman Discrimination"
Wyatt Lonegro
"I ripped them off, and tried to touch my face only to find a respiration mask over it. I pried it off and took a breath of fresh air for the first time in who knows how long?"
From Zoey Zaumeyer's Experiment #6
Stuck on the Sea
Alas, no more am I a sailor,
I am confined to these metal walls,
I alone in great beast growing ever paler,
I’m stuck in this squall,
I cannot leave the ship,
For fear of legal prosecution,
As the guardian, I must not make a slip,
No food, nor water I make my own solutions,
I have heard there is someone fighting,
For a volunteer to take my place,
Appealing this to court in writing,
I hope my union lays down their ace,
And I no longer toil at this torment,
Look there, for there they are freeing me of the four years I have spent,
People have come together to free me from my cell,
My brothers in this seafaring job have been bound together,
To help me here and others, our community has come together to help one another.
From Jack Noonan's winning Rotary Contest Submission
"'Avoid the mice!' my dad says to Rose and Ime, knowing our reply.
'Are you kidding? I’d never go down there without supervision!' Rose assures Dad.
The mice that Dad is referring to live in our basement. Six-feet tall, they are dressed in white wedding dresses and spiral-y hypnosis spectacles. Don’t look into their eyes. If they see you, nobody else will…for life."
From Zelda Rosen's "The Basement"
Artist: Dylan Leven
"Astrid’s hand grasped the doorknob silently. She turned around, looking back at the room behind her with a sigh. When she walked through that door, she would forget everything that had ever happened to her in her whole life. Every word, conversation, experience. Not like it was a bad thing, though. It’s a fresh start wrapped in a bad reputation."
From Flannery Demasi's story
Lifeless
On my bed I lay, it was a
bleak winter day.
There was nothing to do
and nothing to say.
No one to talk to,
no one to befriend.
Because I can’t see how they
would be with me until the end
As the sun rises,
it sets even faster.
The stillness in everything muffles
his silent weeping.
He has no one to care for
and nothing to do.
Still, he roams the Earth about.
When he cries, no one makes a sound.
To pour your golden heart out to the world.
An attempt to shine pure and bright.
Only for it to be tainted by the darkness of the night.
Then, leaves the heartbeat, and the soul ascends to great heights.
He fails to understand himself so his weary spirit yearns for help.
As my heart aches, he yells in frustration
and fights his own mind with no will or patience.
Emotions wander, wild and free, like a reckless fire
that was forever haunting me.
Anuli McPherson
Artist: Lucy Macias
"This [issue of mental health] has been floating in the pollution of the sports industry for quite some time...Osaka and Biles are perfect examples of showing a community how we can act in a better way, and how athletes should focus on each aspect of their health equally. Together, we can help each other through the seas of people and cameras, and focus on what really matters. The sport. The profession. Not the press. Sure, they'll boost you up to a point where everyone can see you from every corner of the world, but it's more than that. You can be good with words, or pretty on the screen. But are you good at the sport? Because you can't be good at the sport if you're only good on the news."
From Rotary Award winner Jonah Herzberg's "Brain is the Most Beautiful"
Never Again
Pushed onto train cars
Young & old
Crying babies
All for their beliefs
The broken glass of Kristallnacht
Blood on the streets
Families torn away
All for what?
Because you and I believe differently?
Isn’t there a better way?
Is there a path toward tolerance?
Energy spent on hate
Can be used instead for good.
Can be used to help families find homes.
Can be used to solve real-world problems.
Can be used to shine light into the darkness.
When will this end?
When will we face reality?
Hate does nothing, it only keeps us back.
Hate is poison, it spreads like a disease.
But we just need to find the cure.
A cure that helps us find the path to progress.
Nino Liotta and Jack Randall
Lila Turnamian
When thinking of Spring Break, I am joyous.
I enjoy the cool weather and the sun,
However, the pollen is annoyous.
My nose begins to tickle and have fun,
As I extend over, I feel a breeze
I quickly begin to realize the case:
A loud noise appears from my mouth; I sneeze.
I let out a huge laugh and then embrace.
I know that pollen only comes in spring.
Since this is the time bees and birds will hum,
Oh yes, then other creatures use their wings;
They will create new homes for spring to come.
Even though spring has a couple of flaws,
Still I enjoy the beauty of it all.
Pierce Krebs
Artist: Cosette Ammon
Abby Swan
"The meddling mice were tip-toeing around, waiting for Rose and me.
“When? I want their minds! I need their thoughts! I want to chew on their memories, Mist,” one gray mouse said to a white one.
“Soon, Lova, soon. I feel we will have new thoughts for our machine soon.”
Read more from Zelda Rosen's "The Basement"
Poetry Live! winner (see other winners here)
Civil War
In 1960, murder everywhere in my home
In 1960, everyone is scared to go out alone
In 1960, we don’t even know who those people were
In 1960, all we found was their bones and dirt
In 1960, dozens of people that stayed lost
In 1960, couldn’t even tell their loved ones
In 1960, you know what I’m saying is true
In 1960, all of this happened in my home
Guatemala
Natalie Alvarez Perez
Artwork: Louisa Wang
HMX Writer Editors
Karlo Rendic
Artist: Michael Guidice