Forest Girl

A child with dark silk hair and bright amber eyes,
full, lush lips and porcelain skin,
young as a fresh doe,
conceived in a forest,
grew up with the forest,
she knows the heart and secret of every tree,
they whisper to her stories and tales of their long, long lives,
they tell her about the boy,
the wild child that eternally lives among them,
they tell her to keep away from him,
they hide her, hide her from his hunger,
they show her what berries to eat and where to shelter when it rains,
they raise her heart and mind to grow wise,
until one moonless night,
the boy finds her,
he finds her and he watches,
his coal black eyes looking,
watching her stare back,
they say nothing,
only minutes roll by without a word being said,
only their hearts are in conversation,
one beat after another,
he vanishes,
the trees,
the birds,
the earth holds its breath,
everything stills,
and the girl wanders towards a stream,
sits,
and thinks about the boy’s eyes,
days pass by,
the trees whisper to her no more,
only one,
a young pine shudders to itself rather than her,
“Keep away, keep away”,
the girl,
fearless, straightens her back,
holds her head up high,
and turns facing the boy,
the boy with a hunger so great,
it could melt her bones,
it could rip her flesh into pieces,
but she takes a step,
and another,
and another,
and takes the boy’s hand,
and smiles,
leading him to the shuddering pine,
and places his hand on her weak branch,
his fingertips touch the bark,
and he turns his head towards the girl,
and the tree stops shuddering,
and the trees begin to whisper again,
and the boy,
the boy with the great hunger, simply smiles.

Diana Sirb is currently a student aid at NEIU. Her inspiration motivates her to write pieces that change the way people feel in reading a person’s writing. Her dream is to publish a book, but not just any book. Sirb’s dream is to publish a book that enables the reader to feel like they were a part of the story. As for her Artistic History: she has collaborated with After School Matters Improv for four years and plans to continue to write short stories, poetry, and create art (drawings, paintings, and photography).

From poetry to prose, to sculptures and photography, SEEDS hopes to provide a medium through which the members of the university community and beyond can showcase their talents in the visual and literary arts. We are the avenue to diversity at NEIU in artistry; it is embraced and encouraged.

Full pdf versions of recent Seeds journals can be found at https://seedslitjournal.wordpress.com/.

For information about submission guidelines and deadlines, membership, officer positions and/or available editor positions, please email us at- [email protected].