Roll in the Grass and Stare at the Sky by Erin Mullens (16, Maryland)

Being sixteen
Is like a clap of thunder
The gun shot just before
The race begins.
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It’s all excitement, all pressure
The constant grind
To transform from a piece of coal
Into a diamond.

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When you’re sixteen
You’ll follow hurricanes
In hopes of catching a rainbow
But only end up wet.

When you’re sixteen, you’ll want
To lie down in the grass
Because the sky is so beautiful
And you're afraid it won’t last.

You’ll wander in the woods
Instead of building a fire
Because the cold can be soothing
And you’re tired of the artificial light.

When you see the squirrels
Collecting their acorns,
The wolves out hunting,
You’ll feel ashamed

Because you’re in the boughs
Of a tree, plucking leaves
And trying to forget how it feels
To stand on the ground.

You know you should
Be flying by now
Should be touching the stars
Everyone tells you to shoot for.

But buried deep, hidden
Under years of instructions
The untamed spirit squirms
Reveling in the magic of gravity.

Don’t forget those small voices
Yearning to be heard
The truth tellers, the ones
That guided you for sixteen years.

Listen to them when they say
To roll in the grass and stare at the sky
Give yourself over to the wind
Let it blow you where it wills.

The age of sixteen is
A mystical experience
A beautiful moment
So enjoy it.