i plant earth into the ground, watch my hands bloom over the space like the crested moon that rotated around the sun this year. i want to call my friend alisha, tell her something i pretend she doesn’t know about america. the only thing that separates us is different moons. i stand back up, think about what to confess to last year’s me. i finished three marking periods without blood. i ate cookies for the first time without shame. i found a life that doesn’t need to keep fortunes safe. my mom waves for me to come back inside, her hands raised high as if holding up the sky. we are what grounds the world, i hear and pick my head back up.
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
This poem falls within the theme of new beginnings. It is a short recollection of memories throughout the year personal to me. They are strong moments but gentle in writing as they roll through me one last time before the year ends. I believe that it’s important to relax oneself and think; one does not have to think about everything that happened in the year, but I like to have some reflection that involves a connection with the Earth, friends and family, and myself. At the end of the poem, I am brought back to new beginnings; I become aware of the things around me that I appreciate and pay attention to.

Jacklyn Vandermel
Jacklyn (you can call her Jackie!) Vandermel is a 15 year old, rising sophomore at Northern Valley Demarest High School. She is a poet for Zenerations and passionately writes about diversity, equality, and mental health. She loves being adventurous and learning new things.