2000s

when did we decide to grow up,

us children of a new era,

scratching vinyl records into music

without a wired noose,

coiled around our ears to drown out a world

we stopped being a part of?

we dipped our fingers in color,

chalk dust silhouettes sprawled across our palms

in bubblegum pink and pale yellow,

cuticles of crimson crayon stains,

paint smearing the lines of our coarse hands,

hardened by asphalt as we fell from mountain bikes

and stenciled by the bark of old oak trees,

which like us knew of a world without

tap, click, swipe,

but you’re it! catch the ball,

climb over the fence,

pluck the dandelions,

watch the kite waltz in the wind,

let the stones ripple in the water

until they reach the horizon,

squeeze the dough, ouch!

i fell.

when did we start counting followers

instead of constellations,

watching screens of white nothingness

instead of molten gold sunsets

that streak the sky in colors so bright

that our fingers no longer know?

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Krithika Shrinivas is a sophomore at Emory University studying Anthropology and English. An avid poet, Krithika has received 2 Silver Keys for her poetry from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Competition and attended the prestigious Iowa Young Writers Studio to study the theme of identity. Her debut poetry collection, “Honeycomb: Dip into Words” is available on Amazon. When she isn’t writing, you can find her drinking coffee, going for long walks, and playing with her dog.