By Sydney Cox
thunder in an eyebrow. it is uncertain in its arch. the thorn of an eyelash and a diluted thought of the self. it has pricked itself. drawn blood. no wonder the party dissolved, the brash wood broke. decayed. it was meant to happen, it was writ. always thought if the chase was fruitful, if the fervor vehement, fate could be sweet like a fruit in the sun, but instead, it mushed and oozed a color not seen before in such a fruit and left it puzzled. seeds fell like the cane of the old and clattered like the knee of the young, and the world took pause. not long enough to realize, but enough that a flower wondered why the caterpillar hesitated in its bite. out of the forest—nothing good can happen when a canopy blocks the sun and whispers the secrets of the twigs between its branches. flashing light in a smile startles a connection, illuminating something unwanted. if you have ever wondered why the tree whistles, it is the plight of a mother who does not want to accept what has become of her son. the gossamer of her ego, the gossiper of her tongue. embedded in her womanhood. eyes locked tight. the denial of sealed flesh and bark.
Sydney Cox is a vibrant, passionate creative with a particular love for cross stitching, a sensible boot, and her pink DS Lite. A junior Theatre Performance Major and Writing minor from Columbia, MD, Sydney began writing in fourth grade with her winning submission of “A Deaf Cinderella Story.” They entered this same contest again, The Young Author’s Contest, their senior year and won once more with a piece out of the pandemic, “A Backpack Full of Boulders.” At Wilde Lake HS, Sydney was the Arts Editor of the newspaper and Co-President of The Quill and Scroll Honors Society. The club proudly produced a literary magazine, so when they saw submissions were being held for The Wagner Beacon, they were ecstatic! Nowadays, she finds herself learning tremendously in classes, experimenting with style, and attempting to poetically indulge in the world around her, pouring their thoughts into a red rebound “About: Blanks” book.