We ran around the house

with the worry

of banging our knees.

Saturday morning sunlight poured in.

The light tickled and danced,

on the top of our noses.

The laughs and cheers of my family filled the cracks within our home. Our favorite time to be alone was at night.

We spent hours playing with the door stopper and wondering

where the vibrations led.

My lungs were covered in weeks worth of dust. My cough was crunchy and deep.

Chipped paint and dry memories

filled the now empty halls.

The floorboards screamed and squealed when stepped on.

The house was hurting.

Murky sunlight poured onto the carpet, exposing the tiny creatures living within the stitches.

The stillness of the light was

Disrupted by the sobbing of my mother.

Disrupted by the howling of my sister’s fighting. Disrupted by the pacing of my father.

In the midst of all the chaos, I kneeled down to play with the door stopper

and wondered where the vibrations

led.

Sirina Tiwari

Age 15, Grade 10

Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts