Similarities

Melanie Schmidt ‘26

This piece depicts the similarities from my early childhood to now. These similarities are shown in the mixed media. The playful color scheme also alludes to my sense of creativity.

Ceilings

It’s like I’m just a seven-year-old again,

tucked into a queen sized bed that seems giant

to someone only a little over four feet tall.

I miss the feeling of being enveloped in my quilted comforter,

like the way my mother misses my height.

She turns on the bedside lamp before turning off the ceiling light

so that I’m not left in the dark.

Looking at the fan, now, gently sweeping air,

I remember thinking the ceilings were so high,

I couldn’t reach the fan even if I jumped from my bed.

Mother walks over and sits on the edge of the bed,

kissing my forehead and cracking her knuckles at the side of my head

to protect me from the evil eye while I sleep.

She whispers a mantra every night,

telling me to sleep well and have good dreams.

It’s almost like a lullaby, her voice breathy and light,

like she’s just speaking a melody, not even singing.

I can hear the steady sound of a heartbeat in my ear,

lying on my side, ear to the pillow.

The room is hazy as mom turns off the lamp,

and I start to nod off as she tells me “Good night, I love you.”

Her words fade out, echoing through the dark room.

And, I can feel her getting up,

hear her walking across carpeting,

smell her faded perfume

as the fan mixes her presence with everything else,

leaving behind only the scent of my first room.

Priya Gowda ‘25

I wrote this piece about nostalgia and the feeling of wishing you were a kid again, when life was simple and you didn't have to worry about so much.