My Saving Grace
By Kamara Fraser
‘My Saving Grace’ is about my dream of becoming a doctor as a high schooler during the Covid-19 pandemic.
I once found pleasure in a place most children dread The home to checkups and surgeries And emergency room visits Where I would observe my heroes helping and healing Using Walmart stethoscopes and toys from Target I used to diagnose my best friend and stuffed animals A game I enjoyed Playing the part of the hero On career day, my white coat was buttoned I wandered the school halls with my tools in hand Proud of my make-believe profession Then the world changed The pandemic spread quickly With it, loneliness became all too familiar a feeling Locked-down, locked-in, and lock-ing people out Together, my family watched the news Could we be next? The fear splintered me like a puzzle Death rates rose, my sanity declined Agonizing news lingered and my helplessness grew But always, the end of shift applause would piece me back together Essential workers up at the brink of dawn Dressed in hazmat suits and superhero capes Making sacrifices that nobody can see Scrubs on, saving lives and gifting breath I dream of becoming a hero Of protecting a life with my bare hands I will bring color to a world in black and white for I am the light in the dark Remember me
Girls Write Now On the Other Side of Everything: The 2023 Anthology
Do you know what it’s like to communicate with your family across a salty ocean’s divide? Do you want the sun and moon to enter your home with stories written in embers? Do you seek voices that will punctuate the darkness? Welcome to the other side of everything. It’s the other side of silence, the other side of childhood, the other side of hate, the other side of indifference, it’s the other side of sides, where the binary breaks down. It’s a new paradigm, a destination, a different perspective, a mindset, a state of openness, the space between the endless folds in your forehead, hopes for tomorrow, and reflections on the past. This anthology of diverse voices is an everything bagel of literary genres and love songs, secrets whispered in the dark of night, conversations held with ancestors under the sea.
Kamara fraser
Kamara Fraser is a 10th grade student from New York City. When she’s not doing her homework, she enjoys baking, reading mystery novels and submitting personal essays for writing contests. She is interested in going to college to pursue a career in medicine.
