Identity by Felicity Wang (12, Washington)

I am a flower,
Trimmed, pampered, adorned,
With only a glimpse of the world
Through a thin glass window.
I wonder,
I yearn for,
A life that’s less constricted,
To be a wildflower that sees the ocean.
But if I lived under the stars,
Faced the cold harsh wind,
Braved the frigid ocean waves,
Would I wither?

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In a place with no love,
In a place where it takes every single ounce
Of strength,
Just not to fall, 
Just to stand tall,
Would I survive?
But what am I doing here?
It’s the same thing day and night,
No adrenaline no excitement,
No salty sea mist no sandy beach.
Shall I try to spread my wings,
And fly far,
Far away?
Into the unknown,
The unheard,
The unseen,
I’m not sure.
I guess I’ll just stay here,
Perching on the window sill.
Staring outside,
Waiting, wondering,
Hoping, dreaming,
What would happen,
If I fled?

We are a patch of daisies,
Against the steep cliff.
Standing in the chilly wind,
Overlooking the roaring sea.
With all of my kin next to me,
I am in a place of love.
We warm each other under the blanket of snow,
We wake each other up when the spring breeze comes,
We hold each other tight when the summer storm rages,
We wave to the birds that flying south,
We watch the seasons rolling by.
I am living the dream,
As I have my family.

America is a shining hill full of wildflowers,
With Poppies, Zinnias,
Daisies, Thimbleweed,
Chicory, Cornflower,
And so much more.
Combined we are a rainbow of blossoms
With different colored petals,
With different shaped leaves,
With different length roots,
Sometimes we row and brawl.
We burrow our roots deep into the ground, 
We stretch our leaves open and wide,
We bloom our petals and we face the world,
Together we stand tall and almighty,
As one united America.

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