By Samantha G.

Around a campfire
The world has stopped.
We breathe in air filled with barbecues and s’mores, and
Exhale melodies that roll off tongues as easily as a heartbeat.
Our heads tip back to stars that are
Just barely obscured by clouds swaying easily across the sky.
With popped water balloons below
And laughter flitting above,
Noise and chaos melts away to nothing but crickets chirping and voices singing.

Fluorescent lights pale in comparison to the stars;
Scented candles can’t come close to the sweetness of summer air.
We are fireflies—
Together, we form a beautiful river of lights flowing around each other.
A tightly knotted circle, swaying to the hum of the guitar.

There is no need to think about tomorrow,
The next hour,
Or even the next minute.
The moment is too big, too wonderful,
To be shoved aside by anything else.
Suspended in time– we’re a pendulum at the top of its swing,
A dancer at the peak of their leap,
A comet at the height of its arc across the night sky.
We are singing around this campfire forever,
Yet only for a split second.

About the Author

Samantha is a rising sophomore who has been writing since fifth grade! She also loves to do theater, play guitar, and sing.