Stone Soup

Where young artists paint the world with words

The international magazine of stories, poems, and art by young writers and artists. Published continuously since 1973.

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A Window in the Evening

I press my face
against the glass,
blowing circles of air
onto its cool surface.
I step back,
looking at the filmy,
blurred image that faintly appears
on the other side
of the window.
I draw my name in the vapor.
My finger squeaks on the glass
as I drag it through
what used to be my breath.
I wipe it all away.
The window is slippery.

Through the night,
I cast a shadow on my front lawn,
illuminated by the room’s light.
I see every sharp detail
of my body,
blurred by my breath.

Julia Marcus
Julia Marcus, 13
Culver City, CA