Thank you to all who submitted for the writing and art contest. After looking through and reading all the fantastic submissions on the theme of “footprints/footsteps,” we are happy to announce that this edition's winner is Footsteps by Sami Arthur-Merow and Memories Marked In Snow by Geri Kayingo! Also included is the painting "Footsteps through the snow" by Katie Currie.
Footsteps by Sami Arthur-Merow
Imagine this:
You grew up thinking that your footprint is only on the welcome mat just outside your front door. Every day you return home to your footprint, and everything is the same. One day, everything changes. You return home and call for your dog. “Bella,” you scream. Your parent looks at you and says, “darling, we put her down.” You feel your footprint change; it is not as secure as it was once. You feel like you’re losing your home: the place you were always welcome. You feel like you are losing your footprint. Skip ahead to senior year: so far, nothing has changed, and your footprint is still there on the mat. It is safe and secure. You go out with your friends over summer break to Rehoboth, and you return home on a Friday only to ask your parents where your sister is. They respond: “Becca and her boyfriend eloped!” and you feel your footprint slip away yet again. You’re a freshman at college. Your roommate hogs the bathroom, and you have a job working at the local Mom and Pop Shop. There are not many opportunities to come home, but finally, you do. Your mom makes your favorite food, and you all sit down for dinner only to have your parents tell you that they are getting divorced. Instead of you crying, you think: what about my footprint? You finally realize that your footprints are not singular and in only one place; they follow where you have walked, and they multiply with every step you take. You realize that your footprints have grown with you and will continue to grow as you grow. Your footprints tell the story of you, and your story is one to read. What story do your footprints tell?
Memories Marked In Snow By Geri Kayingo
My bright red converse in the snow
crunching step by soggy step
Your blue sneakers
racing to meet mine
I learned to share the sidewalk
to let our bodies become one
entity, the swing of our hips
synchronized
The tracks could trace our
relationship, only stumbled when you swept me off my feet or
onto your back, our heartbeats keeping pace
But the snow turned mushy, yellow and sour
Soon I was dodging ice,
struggling to keep my feet from disappearing under the snow
Our gait became clumsy,
you were either so far ahead or so far behind
I couldn’t see you
Eventually, the cherry blossoms bloomed,
with my beat up red converse
crunching step by soggy step.
"Footsteps Through the Snow" by Katie Currie
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