Grade 11
MemoirWritingThe outline of my tent bends and warps, illuminated only by headlamps and lanterns. I had fallen back asleep; the tent was now being taken down around my sleeping body. It’s five in the morning, an early start to a day on the trail. I blink and sing and pack my backpack with my friends. I say goodbye to the campsite, my home for only one night, but a refuge for my aching body nonetheless. I think I leave a piece of myself there. I don’t know how I’d get back.
We walk for an hour, the sun rises. Mountains, lined with pink. My legs, lined with mosquito bites. My guide rubs ointment on the swollen bulbs, she tells me that I’m strong. I believe in her. I believe in myself. I believe in my friends—I wonder when that stopped. We walk for a while, then walk some more. It feels like we’re wandering, I’m not in charge of the map. But I have to trust that there is a line we are following, through forests and fields, over peaks, down valleys.
I walk fifteen miles that day, and find a bakery at the end of the path. The Stehekin Pastry Company hides down a paved road, among a few scrawny trees, in a cabin. My grandpa had been there once before—he told me to get the cinnamon roll. I did, and I am glad. We cut open cakes and pastries and rolls, cracking them open just like our jokes. I smile wide and look around: two guides who lead with golden intent, nine friends I wish to keep, and my face in a Nalgene’s reflection. We lay on the lawn in front of the hydrangea bush, and I promise I will remember this place forever. It’s a promise I’ve kept.
When a tree falls in a forest, and there’s no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?
When you say goodbye to the trail, when you unpack your backpack, when your friendships fall apart, what happens next? Did that time in my life ever happen? I think so, I wouldn’t be the way I am if it didn’t.
The first day I got home after my backpacking trip in Washington, I peeled off my hiking shoes and left them on the front patio. It was August then. But time rolls on, just like the rains—soon those boots turned into puddles. I think it’s for the best; maybe a water strider will love them as much as I did.
If I went back and relived summer of 2019 again, I’d keep some things, and I’d change some things.
Things To Keep:
– Buy a scoop of cream cheese frosting for 25 cents.
– Spray Febreeze from the bakery’s bathroom all over Sophia and me to take away the smell of backpacking.
– Cry over mountain ranges; it’s okay to be soft.
Things To Change:
– Help Maddie write in her daily rock journal.
– Take more pictures with Annie.
– Dunk my head in the water sooner—the between stage of dipping your toes in and fully submerging yourself is always the hardest part.
Robert Frost warned that nothing gold can stay. On some days I think that’s true. Summer turns into winter by way of fall. Friendships fizzle, hiking boots flood. Other days spin different tales—tales of golden hours and tromps through tall grass, dogs swimming in ponds and laughter. I plan on keeping those golden moments, from this golden place, tucked away in a corridor of my heart. They’ll stay there for awhile, until I can make my way back to those fir-lined groves, not by map or compass, but by memories and the direction they blow the wind.
by Jordan, 826 New Orleans
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Yamilet J., 826LA
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A powerful poem that lifts up Black women.
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by Justis Porter, age 16, 826 Boston
A neighborhood ode filled with sights and sounds of the poet's street.
by Oriel, 826NYC
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by Brandon R., 826LA
A student recounts the epic highs and lows of high school track and cross country.
by Julianna Cruz, 826 Dallas Project
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by Raheem, 826 New Orleans
A student compares themself to the place they live, New Orleans, as both evolve through great obstacles.
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A student reflects on a small moment and single sacrifice that transformed her outlook on giving.
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A writer implores people to get outside and touch grass because you never know what you might find!
by Leydi Di Villanueva, The 826 Dallas Project
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Annasian Walters, Grade 11-12, 826NYC
A student explores gratitude and love through sharing food.
by Lisbeth M.F., 826NYC
A story about how Marcus becomes Marcela.
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by Sally Phan, 826 Boston
A memoir that questions the idea of home and how it changes with time.
by Alanis T., Age 17, 826 Boston
A student reflects on how her relationship's with her parents has influenced her life.
by Michaiah Anderson, The 826 Dallas Project
In this poem, a student describes their family origins with an intimate point of view
by Sylvia C., 826 Valencia
A poet demonstrates their devotion to love.
by Corazón, 826 New Orleans
In this essay, a student threads their identity across cultures, histories, and places, engaging with legacies of violence and the movement of people.
by Colin Y., Age 17, 826 Valencia
A student describes how volunteering saved him from his online prison.
by Katya Torres, The 826 Dallas Project
This bilingual poem explores the harrowing story of a boy working while in school to save his mother.
by Vanessa Ramon-Ibarra, 826DC
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Virginia Walker, age 18, 826 Boston
A student writes to a grandmother she never met.
by Jazlyn Moses, 826 National
One student explores their online persona and the lasting importance of conscientious social media practices.
by Junaynah R., Grade 11, 826NYC
Full of exquisite imagery, this poem explores the idea of second chances.
by Alexis G., Grade 11
In this narrative, the author uses vibrant language to explore their identity, in all its complexity, through different landscapes.
by Maria, Grade 12, 826 Boston
In this public narrative, a student makes the case for creating community change by building youth centers in her neighborhood.
by Numan Khan, age 16, 826 Boston
A bilingual "I am" poem filled with conviction and courage.
by Quardasha Mitchell, The 826 Dallas Project
In this compelling poem, the author navigates her relationship with America as a young African-American woman.
by Jonas K., 826 National
A student explores the paradox of how technology is used amongst teenagers.
by Jesus Sanchez, The 826 Dallas Project
This creative short horror piece explores the mysteries and danger of a night in the woods.
by Riti Shrestha, 826NYC
In this poem, metaphor is used to describe who the narrator is.
by Earl Williams Jr., The 826 Dallas Project
A powerful poetic piece about the experience of being Black in America.
by Jennifer Alcocer, The 826 Dallas Project
This personal narrative addresses the struggles of students graduating high school during the pandemic.
Kenya G., 17, 826LA
A poet relates her experience as a queer woman in the closet to a peacock in the zoo.
by Jahruwach Hamilton, 826NYC
In this rousing poem, a student asserts her strength and worth as a woman.
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A student looks back on their first day of kindergarten and how they've changed.
by Kayla Wayne, Grade 11, 826NYC
In this poem, a student reflects on their first encounter with forced assimilation.
by Samuel Wang, Grade 10, 826NYC
A poem about the complexity of love exchanged during the holidays.
by Ryker, 826michigan
Liner notes that showcase the meaning and musicality of the Jimmy Ruffin song “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted.”
Rosman A., age 18, 826CHI
Smells swirl about a student walking around an ice cream shop.
by Melody Marcano, 826 Boston
In this poem, a student reflects on their roots and their desire to grow.
by Tammy Fong, 826NYC
A soccer-filled, feud-fueled memoir.
by Shayne Williams
Discover what one student experiences when they tuck their phone away for a whole day.
by Karla M., 826LA
A poem for lovers of love and the moon.
by Bianca Morcho, 826 MSP
A personal essay that explores the different shades of the Black Lives Matter movement.
by Sian Laing
When Instagram becomes an unsightly battlefield.
by Augustus Griffith Jr., 826 National
From the forthcoming anthology, Poets in Revolt!, this poem explores the aftermath and lasting impacts of school shootings.
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The stunning and vulnerable poem processes feelings of loss, grief, and hope for the future.
by Rockelle Rodd, Grade 11, 826NYC
This poem uses analogies to describe all of the pieces of the writer's personal history.
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