Fall Writing Frenzy Contest 2023
FALL IS FINALLY HERE!
Bring out the cozy, oversized sweaters, boots & fuzzy socks.
Does anyone else absolutely thrive in Fall?
Per usual, we kick off this season with Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez’s #FallWritingFrenzy Contest! I always look forward to this one. The rules are: write a fall-themed story, inspired by one of the selected fall photos on her website in 200 words or less for kids.
My story this year, BEAUTIFULLY-CHAOTIC, is extremely special to me. As a Neurodiverse author, and first grade teacher, the feeling of sensory-overload is easily accessible to me. Often, the sounds, colors, fast-paced, bright light of the world is just too much, and you need a moment to reset. This stands true for me, and surelt for others, with or without a disability.
In my 1st grade classroom, I have a bin of noise-cancelling headphones that we call “Quiet Headphones.” When a child needs a minute, or can’t concentrate on their work, they are free to grab and use them. This completely changes the environment for them in the classroom. It’s like a cozy, safe blanket that us as adults need just as much as our kiddos! My story is a tribute to them in this moment of needing to reset.
I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do!
Don’t forget to say “Hey!” below, or on twitter @heyaliciamae :) Also, drop your links in the comment section if you are a Fall Writing Frenzy 2023 participant, I’d love to read!
Thanks for reading!
Alicia
BEAUTIFULLY-CHAOTIC
By: Alicia Meyers
WC: 143
The world is overwhelmingly beautiful,
But also quite chaotic.
My senses scream at the loud and the bright and the busy and the…
And the, and the, and the.
Each piling on top of the other,
like blocks stacked too tall.
Blocks that come crashing to the ground,
as they have before.
But, before they fall,
I choose to center.
I press pause.
The sound of mute saves me from the crash.
A quiet, centering moment,
from the loudness of the world.
Now, I can build back up.
Block by block.
This time, stronger.
This time, taller.
This time, calmer.
My senses steady at the sound of the birds,
The shades of yellow surrounding me,
The crispness of the cool, fall air.
The and the, and the, and the.
I’m ready to return.
Ready to take on
the big,
bright,
loud,
beautifully-chaotic world.