T.W.I.N.E.

"Algún Día" by Kiersten Moss

"You didn't come back," she said.

"I waited and you didn't come back."

The man nodded.

"I know."

~poem inspired by dialog~

The sun rose over the ashes of the city, filtering slowly through the haze. Fires still smouldered. My shoes stamped out flames and I tried desperately to save what little I could. It was pointless, I knew. This close to the center we were so lucky to be alive...even though we wouldn't be for long. The two of us looked at each other, knowing. We could do what we could for as long as we could, but in the end, it would be pointless. He took my hands, I kissed him, and we both jumped.

Publishing and scholarship opportunity for teens

Hey TWINErs! Here's an amazing opportunity to submit your favorite original poem to a nationally-recognized competition: the Kenyon Review's Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers.

"The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers recognizes outstanding young poets and is open to high school sophomores and juniors throughout the world. The contest winner receives a full scholarship to the Kenyon Review Young Writers workshop. In addition, the winning poem will be published in The Kenyon Review. The runners up will also see their poems published."

You can submit your work via their website, at the link provided above (be sure, as always, to read and follow the submission guidelines carefully). Give it a go! It's definitely worth a shot.

"Untitled" by Reyna Flores

Snow Storm by J.M.W. Turner

As I looked up at the sky, it turned black and angry.

The wind howled like a mean dog. As a matter of fact,

it was a dog! I stared in surprise as cat after cat and

dog after dog fell from the lightning-lit sky.

Other people didn't take notice, but since I was in

a foreign country, I noticed it. Everyone kept walking,

or driving, or window-shopping.

"Um. Excuse me," I stuttered to an oncoming

woman. "What is happening?"

She replied, "It is simply raining cats and

dogs."

I looked at her as if to say, "Are

you crazy?" But I didn't say it. And she just

walked away.

"When Our Town Was Invaded" by Reyna Daniela Flores

A UFO flew above the town and everyone looked up at it. Most certainly it was not a plane or bird, it was a UFO. Just then it landed in the street and a trap door opened from the top. A staircase emerged and twenty or more green figures with some sort of guns ran from within the blue object. Everyone ran in different directions and the town turned to chaos. The green figures took the blasters and pulled the triggers again and again. People fell to the ground all around me. I decided to hide in the trash can on the street. I opened the lid but the reeking smell turned me away. I jumped into a recycling bin next to it, instead, and hid for dear life. That is why I am still alive this morning.

"Volcano Explosion" by Katie Huested

Artist: Mark Rothko

When I woke up this morning, it was hard to believe what had happened to me and everyone else yesterday. I went outside to see the final reults of that big hot river of death, and the sky a dusty mess. We all lost something and someone that day, but we keep going. It's hard to see all of my friend's, family's and neighbors' houses spread around like stalks of wood, all burnt up, but the fantastic thing is that we have this land to ourselves. All of the mean people and people I didn't like are gone and out of the picture. Now it's time for me to shine, to...take...over the world!

"Untitled" by Katie Huested

Perro Semihundido by Francisco Goya

It was a hot summer night

me and Emily were sitting outside

on a log talking about life and

the boys we like but they are

so confusing we talked about dogs

instead, "Do you have a dog," I asked.

"No, but we used to. She got ran over,"

Emily said with a happy yet sad expression.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. If it helps my

puppy got parvo but she survived," I said

with as much sympathy as I could,

to try and make her think happy

thoughts but instead we ended up

talking about sad dog stories all night

while inside we watched Jake

the dog walk around as happy as could

be. So we went with a smile and a swing.