Weekly Poetry Prompts: #484 by Robert Brewer For today’s prompt, take the phrase “On (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and write your poem. Possible titles include: “On Point,” “On Target,” “On and Off,” and “On the Last Day of School.” “On Laughter Lines” my mother has these laughter lines. they spill from the corners of her eyes and crinkle ever so slightly so that when she smiles it looks almost as though she’s

Dear Amy, This semester, people used the word “refreshing” to describe you in ten conversations. What did they mean, exactly? Why does it matter so much that you counted? “Now that is a most interesting question: whatever became of me?” – Truman Capote, Other Voices, Other Rooms Conversation One Is “refreshing” The cloak of cool air that follows a hot shower? The smell of grass and wet concrete after rain? Your favorite song, or A soft pillow? The lotion on your hands, or The

“What if the change in needs and desires has nothing to do with age per se? Suppose it merely has to do with perspective—your personal sense of how finite your time in this world is.” — Atul Gawande, Being Mortal This post is about my unexpected leave of absence from college, my ongoing battle with an eating disorder, and all the ways I feel like I’ve changed after clinging to the clichés that got me through. “Almost nothing important that ever happens to you happens because

…we all had a few words to say. Grant Zhao says, “Happy Birthday, Elaine!!!” “Amy asked us to describe you in a few words, and I guess the best thing I could come up with is cherished. Senior year has been very different without your company around, and often times I find myself wishing you were still here to crack jokes, gossip, and get late night food with. Nevertheless, you’re still always there for me when I need to rant or ask for advice, and I’m so so grateful for that.

I’m sitting on a bench in Tompkins Square Park, reading a book next to Sandra and enjoying a rare errand-free afternoon in the heart of East Village. Across from us, speakers are playing 70s throwback songs–Boogie Shoes, Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting, Beethoven mashups. Dancing along to the tunes are a woman in hot pink shoes, light pink shorts, and a polka-dotted fuchsia shirt and a man in Elvis bellbottoms and a Star Wars Stormtrooper helmet. Passersby pause to soak in the