.png)
Perennial Sweet Alyssum
by Jonathan Charles Stephens (United States)
November 2021
Audio: "Perennial Sweet Alyssum," read by Jonathan Charles Stephens
Frantically bloom in that certain spring room
whilst flurries spackle in a somewhat summer's heat,
the autumn dew refracts your leaved cheek—
such seasons never quite pass.
Ingrain yourself in a wild honey;
flail a standing ovation with petaled hands
All to beckon for that springs’ encore.
Five too many seasons passed that year
all of which
felt wasted and drowned
in the sweltering winter.
Continue to bloom
passionately evergreen
to maybe become
unlike this inconspicuous season.
Footnote:
Alyssum are a kind of flowering plant that are considered perennial. They can survive a light frost and spread in their small-chested wingspan. Thus, they tend to work as a subtle background texture to other plants, elevating the arrangement or natural occurrence through quiet competence.
Jonathan Charles Stephens, age 17, lives in New Jersey and spends his time hula hooping, collecting flowers to press, telling jokes, and writing about the world around him. With this poem he aimed to articulate his pandemic experience and hopes that you will find meaning both in and beyond that frame.
Are you a young writer who wants to be published in Write the World Review, or is there a young writer in your life (relative, friend) who should be published in Write the World Review? Learn how here!
Clare
5/26/23, 6:23 AM
Congratulations Claire - this is a powerful piece - this feeling of a yearning for a home that may not even exist anymore will be something that everyone who lives outside of their original homeland will resonate with. Well done.
Quin Tesa
5/25/23, 9:27 PM
Quin Tesa
5/25/23, 9:27 PM
Quin Tesa
5/25/23, 9:27 PM
Quin Tesa
5/25/23, 9:27 PM
Love the words I mean the way you coin the letters bravo! And also a fellow Nigerian as well good luck
Quin Tesa
5/25/23, 9:27 PM
Love the words I mean the way you coin the letters bravo! And also a fellow Nigerian as well good luck
Akinlose Emmanuel
5/24/23, 11:04 AM
An amazing piece, quite figurative and exciting to read.
Adin Underwood
5/6/23, 12:18 AM
It's staggering just how many topics this poem can apply to. Very eye opening. 10/10
Adin Underwood
5/6/23, 12:14 AM
Although it may seem simple on the surface it is quite charming to see just how much thought and effort was put into understanding how a cat acts and thinks.
Adin Underwood
5/6/23, 12:10 AM
I liked how even though each line was different it always came back to the central theme.
Sarah Parker
4/28/23, 3:01 PM
This was a wonderful piece to read. I can't imagine haven't been told about periods and sex. I was in fifth grade when I took a class. And even then, there were things they left out. This was a really important topic to write about. Great job!!
Sarah Parker
4/28/23, 3:01 PM
This was a wonderful piece to read. I can't imagine haven't been told about periods and sex. I was in fifth grade when I took a class. And even then, there were things they left out. This was a really important topic to write about. Great job!!