Seeds of Growth

They say I need a little more grace to navigate life's complex maze. 

They say I need to find my strength, to conquer fears of any length. 

They say I need a little more faith, to discover joy in every moment. 

They say I need a little more love to lift my spirit, like a dove. 

They say I need a little more wings to rise above life's challenging things. 

They say these things to help me grow, to learn, to shine, to truly know.

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit. Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together. You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give.

Thoughtful Artist is a 15-year-old poet from India, who has been pouring her heart into writing since the age of 11. Her poetry feels like a quiet conversation with the soul, capturing love, dreams, and the bittersweet moments that shape us. With an honesty that's both tender and powerful, her words seem like secrets only the universe knows. Along with writing, she has a deep love for music and psychology, influences that often weave their way into her work. Whether exploring the pull of nature or the beauty of self-discovery, her poems paint vivid, emotional pictures. Her words offer a soft embrace, reminding readers that even in life’s messiest moments, there’s always something beautiful waiting to be written.

Broken Dichotomy

In heavy clouds where shadows softly fade, 

I’m both the whisper and the scream inside. 

In empty spaces where my hopes have strayed, 

Cyclamens bloom, hiding tears that I’ve cried. 

In empty spaces where my hopes have strayed,

I’m both too nice and cutting like the rain.

Cyclamens bloom, hiding tears that I’ve cried, 

A walking dichotomy, lost in the pain. 

I’m both too nice and cutting like the rain, 

A Disastrously Unaware Chemist in grey. 

A walking dichotomy, lost in the pain, 

Wondering if I’m just wasting away. 

A Disastrously Unaware Chemist in grey, 

Second-guessing every choice that I make. 

Wondering if I’m just wasting away, 

If I’m worthless, or if it’s all just a mistake. 

Second-guessing every choice that I make, 

Yet in the rain, I find strength to embrace— 

If I’m worthless, or if it’s all just a mistake, 

I will rise through the shadows; I’ll find my place.

Thoughtful Artist is a 15-year-old poet from India, who has been pouring her heart into writing since the age of 11. Her poetry feels like a quiet conversation with the soul, capturing love, dreams, and the bittersweet moments that shape us. With an honesty that's both tender and powerful, her words seem like secrets only the universe knows. Along with writing, she has a deep love for music and psychology, influences that often weave their way into her work. Whether exploring the pull of nature or the beauty of self-discovery, her poems paint vivid, emotional pictures. Her words offer a soft embrace, reminding readers that even in life’s messiest moments, there’s always something beautiful waiting to be written.

Thought the Hug Would Go on Forever

Years since we saw each other.

We had been close like lovers

without the touch.

W. Bush was president.

We still believed nothing

could be worse. Neither of us

owned an iPod.

We kept our bad habits 

like favorite songs. 

Now this: I, on the sales floor

hiding behind my books, & 

Thou, sharing truth from a panel

in another room—we embraced

like survivors of calamity & loss.

I wished it could stay that way

a moment more; if it did, 

we wouldn’t part until chains

rattled on the ballroom doors.

Ace Boggess is author of six books of poetry, most recently Escape Envy. His writing has appeared in Indiana Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, Notre Dame Review, Hanging Loose, and other journals. An ex-con, he lives in Charleston, West Virginia, where he writes, watches Criterion films, and tries to stay out of trouble. His forthcoming books include poetry collections, My Pandemic / Gratitude List from Mōtus Audāx Press and Tell Us How to Live from Fernwood Press, and his first short-story collection, Always One Mistake, from Running Wild Press.