Student Poems
By Ava Carlson, age 12
Sometimes she wants to clothe herself in a strong skin
carved out of soft, speckled jade.
She wants to wear it like an armor
built of lacquered plates, strung together.
She wants her words to have a crisp bite
she can sink her teeth into
feel the ivory bone dive into a juicy core.
She wants to taste the fresh, green whiff
of growing when she speaks.
She wants to keep her pearlescent heart
with its streaming seeds safe.
So she does.