Time for Change by Varian Johnson

Author:Varian Johnson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2017-10-19T04:00:00+00:00

The tiny tap dancers in my stomach

push the butterflies to my throat

and I’m afraid

all the seeds in me

won’t bloom

They need so much water!

And care!

And light!

I do what I can

I make sacrifices when necessary

But also:

I’m not the only gardener

When I think of my dreams

I remind myself

that it’s okay to need some help

pushing my way up

until I reach the sun

building my cocoon

until I can fly free

I shivered in the chilly October breeze. Next to me, Teagan pulled her beanie down lower. Red told us to meet here for poetry today, by the big heart mural the community painted on Liberty’s brick wall this summer. Bria, Alejandro, and Isaiah were nearby, kicking around acorns under the ancient oak tree that stood at the corner of the building.

“So …” I said to Teagan. “Did you win any giant sea creatures yesterday to keep Colonel Cephalopod company?”

I was expecting Teagan to at least giggle at that, but all she did was shake her head.

“But the carnival was fun?” I asked.

“It was okay,” she said. “It would have been a lot more fun if you were there.”

“I know. I would have loved to meet your friends at school. Next time, okay?” I squeezed her hand.

“Yeah,” Teagan said. She squeezed my hand back, but for a split second, I felt that weirdness in our usual be-with-you-ness. Maybe I was still just feeling uncomfortable about those lines she wanted me to change. Since we didn’t have much more time before Voices, I decided to just go along with them, but I still didn’t like what they said.

Or maybe I was just cold. Where the heck was Red?

As if on cue, Red burst out of Liberty’s front doors. “Land of the Free Verse! Let’s get the power flowin’!”

“Dude,” Alejandro said, coming over to the mural. “What’s up with the al fresco rehearsal? It’s not exactly summer anymore.”

Red nodded as we all gathered around him. “Noted, bro. But with only a few more meetings before the big day, we should get serious about prepping however we can. We gotta get used to performing in all sorts of settings, you know? If you can perform out here, with the cold and the cars driving by, and the squirrels squabbling over acorns, you’re golden for any stage, right?”

“I guess, man,” Alejandro said, “but you owe me a hot chocolate or something.”

“Deal,” Red said. “And let’s go all out for performances and feedback today. No holding back, all right?”

We all nodded.

“Okay. The sidewalk is our stage and the mural is our backdrop. Gabby—you’re up!” Red pointed to me. “Everyone else, take a seat in the audience, aka on the bumper of Aunt Tina’s car.”

I grabbed my notebook and hopped in front of the mural. I couldn’t wait to share the new lines I’d added last night! I thought my “Dream Big” poem was just about ready for the slam.

Goose bumps prickled my arms as everyone got settled. I glanced at my notebook one more time, then took a deep breath and began.

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