By Rose Politi
FIRST PLACE in October 2025 Competition
The day unfolded in radiant light, the sun gilding the rooftops while a cool breeze slipped across flushed faces. I sat on a low wall along the pedestrian street, resting as my gaze wandered to a group of girls who laughed, danced, and sang. Opposite me, a grey wall adorned with graffiti—red hearts and colorful flowers—had been transformed into a painted frame, a stage for their moments.
The girls posed before it with that unstudied grace only youth possesses. Passersby slowed their steps; some smiled, charmed, while others watched in silent disapproval. But who can draw boundaries around the joy of the young? I wondered.
Two olive-skinned boys, teenagers observed them from across the street. They tried to approach, speaking a mix of French and broken English. The taller one, with dark hair, bright eyes and a tattoo on his arm, proudly showed it to Emi—the girl with long blond hair and green eyes. She cast him a cutting glance and tossed her hair so sharply it nearly brushed his face. Yet he did not retreat; he kept calling her name, as though he had been waiting for her all along.
The sun was sinking, and shadows stretched across the wall of hearts. The girls strolled up and down the walkway, the boys moving in the opposite direction. Then, as if by secret accord, Emi stepped forward a few paces, and he, with a steady stride, passed close by her. For an instant, their shadows merged inside the painted frame. Two figures leaned toward one another, as though their lips were meeting.
And for a single breath, imagination became real.
The End
Judge’s comments – “Chosen for its ability to seize upon the many framings and layerings of a moment, from the play of light to the peculiar sounds of voices comingling in the air. I love the piece’s ‘secret accord’ as – to me – this speaks to the heart of what it means to witness and not merely to see.”
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