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      August 3, 2019Dear GodLydia Phelps

      Dear God, Thank you for haircuts and chicken and friends that stop by without texting you first
      For 4 a.m. trips to 7-Eleven, the drive-in movies and decorative mugs on a rainy day
      For cinnamon buns, laptop cases and knowing your best friend’s Subway order by heart
      Dear God, Thank you for patterned flip flops, kind strangers and makeup brushes
      For Nick Jonas songs, 2 a.m. on a summer night, and homework by the fridge light
      For red cars driving down London Avenue, watching to see which raindrop will win first, and fireflies at night
      Dear God, Thank you for Christmas lights, thrifting stores and hand-me-downs
      For retweets and expensive sweets.
      For astrology, royal blue nails and Nancy Drew books
      Dear God, Thank you for messy buns, oversized sweatshirts and open curtains
      Thank you for piggybacks and podcasts
      For quiet afternoons driving through an unknown town, glass Coke bottles and lockscreens
      For Buzzfeed quizzes, peach tea and rollercoasters
      Dear God, Thank you for small jewelry shops, quiet, empty offices, and downtown
      For souvenir shops, dirty Converse and Sharpie tattoos
      For tanlines, church bells and High Street on a summer evening
      For the freshly mowed lawn, cherry popsicles, and Maroon 5
      Dear God, Thank you for classic red dresses, bakeries and store mannequins
      For lemon water, April showers and soul sisters
      Thank you for stars in the dark, sunflowers and road trips
      And for sharing music taste, summer sales and overalls
      Dear God, Thank you for empty churches, mirrors and dancing in the rain
      For succulents, Polaroids and reading by flashlight
      For denim shorts, scones and Pinterest
      For long showers, pomegranate scents and computer backgrounds
      Dear God, Thank you for bubblegum and brick walls
      Thank you for sunny Fridays, wooden benches and old playgrounds
      Thank you for people changing people, everything happening for a reason, thank you for life being lived.
      Amen.

      from 2019 RYPA

      Lydia Phelps (age 12)

      Why do you like to write poetry?

      “The reason I like to write, not just poetry but anything fictional in general, is because it’s an escape from reality. You can use nothing but imagination and creativity for hours on end and the possibilities are absolutely endless. And at the end, you have a product you’re proud of, and that’s a feeling nothing else can replace. That is why I love to write.”