“Water Droplets,” by Amelia Van Driesche, 18, of BurlingtonYoung Writers Project is a creative, online community of teen writers and visual artists that started in Burlington in 2006. Each week, VTDigger publishes the writing and art of young Vermonters who post their work on youngwritersproject.org, a free, interactive website for youth, ages 13-19. To find out more, please go to youngwritersproject.org or contact Executive Director Susan Reid at [email protected]; (802) 324-9538. If there is no sunshine without rain, there is no progress without strife. The worst of times can be the best of times to nurture the seeds of hope inside ourselves — for when the cement foundation cracks, just a little, it allows for new roots to spread and buds to sprout up through. This week’s featured poet, Maelyn Slavik of Burlington, weeds out the invasive species in her heart to make room for the blossoming of love.Droplets forever aliveMaelyn Slavik, 14, BurlingtonI’d like to gardenmy own heart,to pull the weeds of sadnessand hatefrom the foundationI sprout from,to plant seeds of hopeand inspirationinto the soft ground of my love,that I’ll water with the relationshipspoured into my palmsby other hands with their dreamscrusted beneath their nails.To nestle in bulbsblushing pink with pride,with the windburn of laughterand the scorch of smiles shining,letting them burrow into the glands,sinking in their rootsand letting them intertwinewith my soul,eventually sprouting,blossoming next to the waterfallsthat keep me alive,their plump,fulfilled petalsglistening with dew and mist,the droplets once given to methat will never be completely absorbed,no matter how dusty the floor gets –because my heartwill forever be alive.Read the story on VTDigger here: Young Writers Project: ‘Droplets forever alive’.