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.
Strawberry Teacups and the Möbius Strip
Maelyn Slavik, 15, Burlington
Today I walked through my neighborhood with
My hands full of strawberry teacups and
Matching saucers, perfectly rimmed
With gold and
Carefully painted with wildflowers, much
Like the ones planted in my heart by
The woman on the other side of the block who
Always tucked my poems into plastic for
Me to carry home and pin proudly
On our kitchen wall;
Underneath that wall, the teacups now sit,
Reminding me of springtime bouquets and
The ribbons I tie into my hair; the
Yellowing newspaper clippings are
Since gone, but I still remember the way they
Crinkled at the edges and the
Way they smelled the way true writing
Should; I’m
Beginning to think kindness takes the shape
Of a Möbius strip, where
We go on and on, constantly
Pushed forward by the acts of those who
Plant wildflowers in our hearts; it
Cycles and repeats but
Never in the same way because new hands
Are constantly joining in, reaching
With soil-stained fingers, always
On the same side
Of this earth.
