Little Inklings 2024

I am from the careless tourist boats chopping by on Saturday mornings, and the familiar seagulls pirouetting through the sky I amfromthe shards ofmemory left in sea glass on the sandy island and the airplanes mustering up a final roar to reach the finish line I am from the crisp Miami bay water wafting through the air on a starry Sunday night and the back and forth waves tauntingly returning to embrace the columns, but only leaving them, with a salty memory like they’re saying “you can’t have me” I am from the seagul ls ’ constant struggle to sit atop the staff of power superiorly, smug in knowing that they have their own secret society I am from the parrots cawing their blissful anthem, the egrets stick up their noses, past their egotistical beaks are the Florida coconuts bobbing by like their own synchronized swimming number I am from the comforting sight of that joke-cracking lesson- teaching dad grilling under the drooping sea grapes for a weeknight escape and the kind- eyed woman smoothing the white table cloth over to perfection I am from a boombox with a playlist so good, even the iguanas surrendering their prehistoric heads to the beat I am from the ray of light of a dog coming to greet me incredulously staring and the party boats blasting the same bad bunny songs of which anyone could tell I am from the leaping dolphins reaching to touch the clouds with their fins, and surging back to the depths, giving fleeting flip of their tails just to tease me, before camouflaging back into thewatery blanket called the sea I amfromthe army ofminnows, obliviously crooning their ode to the sea, and the devious fishing rod, only it knowing what their fate may be I am from the bittersweet sounds above, coming at me in waves, and hitting my ears like honey, the sounds of my home make me my very own symphony I am from the golden haired hound worriedly gazing on, I have learned to appreciate where I’m from, because with a flash of lightning, it could all be gone FINAL DESTINATION By: Phaedra Haralambides ’28 40