Petals
Danica Gallant ‘25
For this film, I wanted to show some sort of growth in the character, but without the use of dialogue or narration. The concept of this film focuses on the idea of being perceived by oneself as well as society. It revolves around the ideas of insecurities, unrealistic standards, and how that impacts self-perception.
The Chooser
The Chooser reaches His hand
over me.
His bone a divine branch
twisting and twisting
the vines that grow through my veins.
He asks of me
everything.
To control the wind in the trees,
and decompose those he kills with a glance.
I grasp the world,
but he does not look at me.
The Chooser electrifies the ground I step on
and holds my tongue with nonchalance.
He does not look at me.
I consume the poison flowers
because he asks me to.
The Chooser is a burning totem.
He sets fire to my soul when I catch his reaching arm.
If he would only look at me.
All of the earthquakes of the world would cluster beneath my feet,
the oceans would cease their waves and lie still,
every volcano would become dormant and freeze.
I will never please him.
The Chooser reaches over me,
twisting together my sorry veins,
and he takes His pick.
She is a small white flower,
enveloped in a crown of foliage.
She does not beg to be seen,
but he chooses her.
I am a soldier,
a servant to the inner workings of His mind.
It is only I that can predict his movement,
his commands,
if he would only look at me.
I long to be his sacrifice,
and I will die searching for his gaze.
Carly Cantor ‘27
I wrote this piece in a writing camp this summer. It took me a while to even come up with the idea, but it sort of stems from my personal experiences with relationships. I really liked the dynamic of comparing somebody you put on a pedestal to a god and to being their loyal servant.