1. Arunima Agarwal, 13, Pune, Maharashtra
The night is young
The night is young on sixth street
Its veil brings with it a deathly silence;
Stars in the sky, bright like the stars in your eyes
The moon red, like the blood on the pavement.
A shape-shifting figure makes its way through the night
From the dense canopy of leaves, where birds once sang;
Skin pale, like the man that now lies still on the ground
Fangs sharp, like the two marks on his neck
“A body found on sixth street”, they say
Early the next morn;
But these creatures of the dark rule the
night and by dawn, they’re long gone.
2. Christden Stephen, 12, Bengaluru, Karnataka
Birds in the air
Wings, wings, wings
What a thing!
The birds soar high
With wings they fly.
Why not me?
At night, I dream, dream, dream,
To have wings like the birds,
To feel free to fly,
To achieve what I want,
like the birds in the air.
3. Shriya Acharya, 15, Virajpet, Karnataka
Quarantined dreams
Caged inside, my heart runs wild
Aching for a glimpse outside
The clear fresh air, slow breeze
Sweet birdsongs, swaying of trees
Yellow Sun, its warmth on my skin
Scent of flowers, the joy it
brought within
Evening strolls on streets,
orange skies
Quiet nights ignited by fireflies
Each day at home passes by
With a bated breath to fly.
Hello poets!
On January 22, Open Sesame asked its young readers to send in their poetry. Soon, we were flooded with entries from across the country. Many poems were good, but we can only publish a few because of space constraints. Don’t let that discourage you. Get creative and keep writing, and stand a chance to be featured in an upcoming edition!
Send your poems to: opensesame@deccanherald.co.in (Open only to those below 16.)