Young Writers Project is a creative, online community of teen writers and visual artists that started in Burlington in 2006. Each week, VTDigger publishes the writing and art of young Vermonters who post their work on youngwritersproject.org, a free, interactive website for youth, ages 13-19. To find out more, please go to youngwritersproject.org or contact Executive Director Susan Reid at sreid@youngwritersproject.org; (802) 324-9538.
Every snowflake that falls from the sky is without equal, entirely unique — like people, we say, poetically, but also like grains of ocean sand; you need only to Google “sand under a microscope” to see a rainbow explosion of twisting shells, shards of coral, crystalline rock fragments, and aged sea glass. This week’s featured poet, Maelyn Slavik of Burlington, may not have the superhuman sight to see the ROYGBIV in the beige of the beach, but what tiny particles she can make out are proof of nature’s pure artistry.
A capability of beauty
By Maelyn Slavik, 12, of Burlington
The warm, salty waves wash away,
swirling patterns in the sand,
sending crabs and clams
burrowing into the rock grains.
The waves churn the sand,
uncovering, leaving behind,
delivering small,
delicate treasures:
carefully patterned shells,
splashes of beautiful,
inky color,
perfectly curved spirals,
building up small, strong
works of nature’s art.
Nature experimented with the particles,
tweaking and sculpting them,
creating something unique,
crafting symbols of the beauty,
of the power given to the ocean.
The warm, salty waves wash away,
displaying the beauty the sea is capable of.
