Author Archives: theatala

A haiku is a short, Japanese poem made up of three non-rhyming lines, with five, seven, and five syllables in each line, respectively. Haikus often focus on nature or vivid experiences. Small steps shape each path Even mountains begin slow  With one brave first step In “Momentum,” Sophia Alan uses vivid imagery and an encouragingContinue reading “Momentum”

A poem for two voices is read aloud by two speakers, who recite each column separately. Lines in the middle are read in unison. Ainsley O’Donovan is a graduating senior. “Rainy Day” won first place in the Poem for Two Voices category of Pembroke Pines Charter High School’s 2025-26 Literary Fair.

Stacey Fung is a graduating senior at Pembroke Pines Charter and is looking forward to attending UF in the fall. She likes to create art with contrast and experiment with colors. Bright Lights is a digital artwork depicting a late night in front of the computer and its blinding light in the dark, though theContinue reading “Bright Lights”

As Louise Glück’s poetry collection The Wild Iris concludes, “The White Lilies” embodies an intimate and reflective denouement as the novel’s final piece. The triangulation of speakers in the book explores the relationship between humans, plants, and a deity. Glück’s decision to end her collection with the wisest of speakers, perennial lilies that can undergoContinue reading ““The White Lilies”: Optimism Beyond the Depressive Human Psyche”

Sarah Phelps-Hill is an AP art student finishing her sophomore year. Her most recent works have focused on her connection with her twin sister, Margot, and how that connection helps shape their identities. Cloud Gazing was created using colored pencil on paper.

I tapped nostalgia on the shoulders, And it called to me.I wasn’t resistant to its grasp.I’ve never been strong in this way,Always compliant to its quiet plea.Nostalgia has always unsettled me.How is it that I wish for the future Thinking only about how I long to return?They told me once to never grow up, YetContinue reading “Echoes of the Past”

He leaves and the air is clearBack to my cave for the next yearI watch strangers live my life, a gleaming dreamOf myself if I could only get out of bedPretty girl skinny girl funny girl nice girl And while they stand in the mirror, mini skirt and lashesI am cleaning up the ashes ofContinue reading “On Solitary Confinement”

Ekphrastic poems are inspired by artwork. Brooke Glatz’s piece “Hope” is inspired by Andy Warhol’s 1981 artwork Superman. A child crawls into his fluffed bed,Flashlight and comic book in hand,Reading until daylight.An adult wakes up exhausted,Goes to his job in the city and is hardly able to stand.Eventually, arrives at the skyscraper, yet dislikes itsContinue reading “Hope”

I lie in the musty closet on the highest shelf. The sliding wooden doors are always closed, but there are cracks allowing thin beams of light to escape through. I stare out the cracks, at the light brown carpet with stains scattered all over. I know where they all came from. The faded grey stainContinue reading “Berry”

Ekphrastic poems are inspired by artwork. Anayia Casas’s piece “Neon Blade” is inspired by Andy Warhol’s 1983 artwork Speed Skater. Vibrant hues of electric blues and flaming reds race across the ice.A hum of whispered light chases the shadow of a reverberating silhouette.Blades bite and hiss as they glide, quick, from edge to burning color.Frosty,Continue reading “Neon Blade”