The Wildflowerliteraryandartsmagazine
Letter from the Editor
We, as humans, spend our entire lives in the pursuit of happiness. The desperation for success most often leads us to take happiness in any form digestible enough. People will trade dreams for stability when artists stop creating, and writers stop writing, and when musicians stop playing. Not because passion disappears, but because the world convinces them that selfexpression is less important than productivity. We are taught to measure our lives by how much of ourselves we are willing to give away in exchange for success. Somewhere within that cycle, you must take the time to stop and savor what has always been handed to you.
The theme of the 2026 edition of The Wildflower, "Soliloquy," explores the relationship between the human mind and the art of self-expression through the three major parts of the brain: the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the brainstem. Each section reflects not only biology but also the emotional reality of being human It is important to remember that the small moments we often forget are the ones that work to make us fully realized human beings.
Self-expression is not meaningless or childish but necessary. Art is evidence of humanity. It is the way people process grief, love, nostalgia, and hope. Self-expression exists in faded photographs, hard-totranslate poetry, fashion, rhythm, and memory. It exists in every attempt to make inner emotion visible to the outside world. Without it, people become disconnected from themselves and their culture. We begin to live mechanically, repeating routines so often that we forget there was once a version of ourselves that felt alive in simple things; this is where movement is lost, and we stand still in time Creation without worrying whether it would be useful or profitable is the rawest form of originality. The Wildflower is more than a magazine. It
is a collection of thoughts, emotions, and perspectives from a generation trying to understand itself while living in a world that rarely slows down long enough to listen. These pages are not asking you to abandon responsibility or reject ambition. They are asking you to remember that your mind was never meant only for survival. It was meant to imagine, to create, to connect, to feel wonder, and to leave pieces of yourself behind through art and expression
As you turn these pages, allow yourself to slow down. Reflect on the person you were before the world told you who to become. Revisit the parts of yourself you buried beneath routine and expectation. And maybe, somewhere within this issue, you will remember that happiness is not found in overworking yourself into numbness but in allowing yourself the freedom to exist fully.
Sincerely,
Ava Jade Fritz Editor-in-Chief
Wildflower 2025-2026 Staff
Editor-in-Chief
Ava Jade Fritz ‘26
Prose Editor
Emily Malone ‘26
Business Manager
Nevaeh Tobe ‘26
Talyn Robinson ‘29
Kayla Slauson ‘29
Yamari Ortiz ‘29
Poetry Editor
Malachi Meijas ‘26
Chief of Public Relations
Giselle Navarro ‘26
Submission Managers
Preston Myers ‘26 & Isabel Moerbe ‘26
Staff
Yulin Ye ‘26
Tania Garcia ‘26
Esmeralda Maldonado ‘26
Faculty Advisor
Laura Betik
Printer
Centex Printing, Temple, TX
Art Editor
Jane Wood ‘28
Fundraising
Leslie Gomez ‘27
Heidi Korsmo ‘29
Junius Thompson ‘26
Bryana Woods ‘26
The Wildflower isTempleHighSchool’sliteraryandartsmagazine,apublicationrootedintraditionyetdrivenby thecreativespiritoftoday’sstudents Firstestablishedinthe1970sandrevivedin2022afteralonghiatus,the Wildflowerhasquicklygrownintoadynamicplatformforstudentvoicesandartisticexpression
Nowinitsfourthyearsinceitsrevival,the Wildflower continuestoflourishthroughthepassionandcreativityofits contributorsandthededicationofitseditorialstaff,whocarefullyreviewandcuratehundredsofsubmissionsfrom ourschool’svibrantcommunityofmorethan2,200students
Morethanjustamagazine,the Wildflower isalivingshowcaseofimaginationandtalent Withinthesepages,you’ll findaninspiringcollectionofpoetry,prose,photography,andvisualartthatcapturesthediverseexperiences, perspectives,andemotionsofTempleHighSchool’sstudentbody.
New Year Growing Pains, Trinity Hunt ‘27
Art
Dinner Time, Jas’lene Vela ‘27
Fiction
The Goodbye I Never Gave, Samantha Pena ‘29
Poetry
Survivor’s Skin, Drishti Satodiya ‘26
Art
Their Himnal, Konner Fraser ‘26
Poetry
Free From Darkness, Tel Aviv Robinson ‘26
Art
5 Days From 15, Janiyah Green ‘29
Nonfiction
The Way Back Home, Myrapaz San Juan ‘27
Our American Dream, Giselle Navarro ‘26
Her Hands, Alfonso Lena Ordaz ‘26
Art Cerebellum
Abot Kamay, Carene Myeisha Uy ‘28
Art
Why is Validation so Addicting?, Na’Avaryah Leverette ‘29
Eulogy, Kolby Ticknor ‘27
Short Film - Drama
Dimensional Encounter, Aryana Ybarra ‘27
Art
Sunflower Child, Heidi Korsmo ‘29
Poetry
The Lucky Bride, Drishti Satodiya ‘29
Art
Brainstem
The Knight’s Midnight Confession, Riley Lockney ‘29
Poetry
Solitude, Mariah Proctor ‘26
Art
The Waiting Area, Giselle Navarro ‘26
Art
Ambition in the Blur, Kevin Jie ‘27
Leaves, Shayla Wright ‘29
A Boy Who Knows, Lauren Green ‘27
Raven, Janiyah Green ‘29
Under Construction, Drishti Satodiya ‘26
Art
featured artists
Yulin Ye, Class of 2026
Layout artwork
Alfonso Lena Ordaz, Class of 2026
Winner of the Hispanic Heritage Month Writing Contest
Mariah Proctor, Class of 2026
Winner of the Wildflower Winter Bloom for visual art
Janiyah Green, Class of 2029
Winner of the Wildflower Winter Bloom for writing
Honors
REALM Award
National Council of Teachers of English
Superior 2023
Superior, 2024
Superior, 2025
Critiques
National Student Press Association
First Class with Two Marks of Distinction, 2024
First Class with Three Marks of Distinction, 2025
The Section 1
Thecerebrumisthelargestandtopmostpartofthe brain,responsibleforfunctionssuchasconscious thought,memory,emotion,speech,andvoluntary movement.Itservesasthebrain'sprimarycontrol center,interpretingsensoryinformationand facilitatingreasoning,decision-making,and creativity.Thecathexisoftheartofthissectionwas brewedinthispartofthebrain.
They cooked together often. He chopped the vegetables,preciseandquiet.Whileshestirredthe pot,tastingandadjustingasshewent.Slowly,they foundaroutinewhilelearningeachother’s movements Until no words were ever needed and theirbodiesnaturallyflowedaroundeach other.
This is what they believed intimacy was. To know your partner inside and out, everything about them becoming second nature Digesting everything they say and do, then acting accordinglyinasmoothmanner.
When they sat, she noticed how he often watchedthetable,notthedishestheymadebutthe space between the two of them Like he was calculating how much of it could be shared He liked to study what sustained her, what flavors tastedrightonhertongue,whattexturesmade her pause and retch. She liked how he paid attention to her and how thorough he was with detail
Nothing he did for her seemed incidental, all planned for and meant dearly. When he remembered all her preferences, she dared to call itdevotion.
The meals grew heavier with time, not richer butdenser.Likeeachservingcarrieditsown weightwithmoremeaningthanabiteshouldhold. Sheateslower,andhewatchedcloser.Neither commentedonthechange.
He loathed waste, she came to realize. Bones were simmered and scraps remade into something new He said it was respectful to use everything offered since it was once taken. She smiled, though she couldn’t recall when she started offering so much. Or the last time she’d taken.
Evenings where she pushed her plate away began to be more frequent. He didn’t falter; he justadjusted theseasoningandportionedsmaller. "Love,"hereasoned,“requireseffort.”But Sometimes,effortlookedalotlikeinsistence.
Over time, the table felt too cramped for two voices to prevail. She spoke less to listen more, desperate to conserve something unnamed. He feltcloserthanever,hishandsinherplate,her habits carried on his shoulders, and her phrases spokenthroughhismouth.Anechoofher,once bigappetite.
She doesn’t eat anymore. Leaving her spot at the table empty more often than not. But the kitchen still holds her warmth despite her absence. He still sets the table, believing if the routinekeepsgoing,itwillnevertrulystop.
by Jas'lene Vela ‘27 by Jas'lene Vela ‘27 by
The Goodbye The Goodbye The Goodbye I Never Gave I
Never Gave I Never Gave
Inevergottotellyougoodbye. Onedayyouwerehere breathing,laughing, leavingyourwarmth oneverythingyoutouched
asimpleday
Ididn’tknowitwasthelast.
Nowarning, nofinallook,
Ihopeyouheardthemanyway. Ihopeyoufeltthelove Ididn’tknowhowtospeakfast enough.
Andthoughyouleft withoutlettingmesayit, I’llsayitnow soft,late,andtrembling: Goodbye
Thankyouforbeinghere foraslongasyouwere. I’llkeepyouwithme foraslongasIam.
Dristhi Satodiya ‘29
GlassSculpture
“It's not fame, but recognition I chase”
Digital Drawing
t’s currently December 8th; on December 13th, I will be fifteen, and although I am so young, I find myself experiencing what one could describe as an identity crisis Five days from fifteen, and the world around me feels different like something is shifting quietly, steadily, softly, before I'm even able to notice. I can’t name it exactly, but I feel it when I look in the mirror before school. I'm still me; there’s just a taller shadow behind my shoulders, a little older-looking, a little wiser,waitingformetogrowtofillintoit
SometimeswhenI'mbrushingmyteethortyingmyshoes,I catch myself taking a pause. Not because there’s anything wrong with me, but because I've suddenly become more aware Like I'm noticing myself from the outside transforming from a girl who is both close to being grown, hinting at the coming of responsibility, and also very young, living carelessly in a way peoplereminisceonwhentheyaretrulyold.
People discuss turning into a woman like it’s a switch you flip But girlhood exists oddly in the body Some mornings I wakeupandfeelyoungerthanIam,likeI’mslippingbackinto old versions of myself. Other days I feel older than everyone expects, like I’m growing past the space I’ve been given No one warns you that girlhood stretches and shrinks you at the sametime
It's not just one single birthday, one moment, or one lesson that suddenly changes everything It's slower, more complex, coming from the deep roots growing in the dark before we are evenabletobloom
If I'm honest, that isn’t a lesson I learned from books or teachers; I learned it from the women I come from I learned it while sitting crisscross applesauce on the floor near my mother’s feet, pretending not to listen as she and my family seemed to be immersed in a rhythmic way of speech that felt olderthanallofus
Their stories weren’t sugarcoated; the way the world was handed to me was never in a way easier to digest than the reality. They spoke about love, about loss, about walking into spaces where you are both minimized and overlooked at the same time They talked about maintaining your presence in a world determined to silence you Hearing them made the world feel so much bigger and smaller at the same time. Bigger because I realized how much there was to navigate and smaller because I knew I wasn’t alone They carried themselves with a strength you could feel even when they appeared to be resting Iwishedtobethatway
Sometimes I think about how Black girlhood means carryingthingslongbeforeweevenknowtheirnames.Notjust expectations, but the quiet reminders that cling to my skin The silencing,thewaystheworlddecideswhatweshouldbebefore we’ve had the chance to speak for ourselves These weights are passed down like generational heirlooms, weaving through a long lineage of women who survived by holding it all with gracethatwasneverfullyseenorcongratulated
Way Back Home
The
Myrapaz San Juan ‘27
Photography
Most days it feels too heavy for my age, an issue too ancient for my hands, but I carry itanywaybecauseeveryBlackwomanbefore me has, too And still, it shapes us, teaching us to take up space, to laugh loudly, to love ourselves deeply, to walk into rooms already knowing our worth even when no one else does. I’m beginning to understand that being a Black girl isn’t just being It’s a responsibility and resilience You soon realize even as just a girl the lineage that graced you, societywillpunishyoufor.
I don't quite grasp it now; I didn't then, and it’s very likely I won't ever But I know this: I am not the first girl to stand on the edge of womanhood feeling both ready and unsure. There is a lineage behind me, one strong enough that it’s been the foundation for countless outstanding women in the same position I am in today through generations There are women who made room for me before I even existed, women who taught me that my skin isn’t something I need to apologize for and that speaking up isn’t something I have to have authority to do When I think of the women before me, it feelslesslikeIamwalkingaloneandmoreso likeIamsteppingintoapaththatwasalready carved
I used to think growing older meant forcing myself to become someone else, but the closer I get to fifteen, the more I realize I'm becoming more of who I already am and more of who they were There are moments I'm ready and moments I'm not. Occasionally I feel myself opening slowly, like a bloom just testing the sun not fragile in the way some may imagine but sturdy, rooted in a history I'm only now beginning to understand. Other days I feel closed again, likeI'mtryingtofigureoutaworldthatkeeps rewriting the rules But even then, especially then, I hear my mom's voice reminding me that womanhood isn’t a finish line, but a becoming.
I often think about how none of this happened out of nowhere The way I exist is because someone before me survived something. They worke going, a cycle tha supported women thr mother, my grandmoth and the ones I never go had their own versions being fifteen feel less l a line of women who when being fifteen felt theworld it'stoobiga
I like to think the reason I allow myself to be loud, or quiet, or complicated is because they didn’t stop me. They lived in a world that handed them close to nothing and expected everything, and yet still they managed to become the greatest thing: women.
I imagine myself in front of my cake in five days, fifteen candles flickering like small echoes of the versions of every woman who came before me. For a second the room will go quiet, and I’ll feel everyone in the air my mother, my grandmother, the girls who grew into women long before I was imagined and who felt this same feeling years before; it's almost overwhelming. The light from the candles warms my face, and I don’t wish for anything impossible I just breathe in steadily and blow The flames disappear all at once, and thinking about it makes me laughalittlebecauseit’ssuchasmallthing, and still it feels like something big Not a transformation, not a switch flipped, just another small step in a journey of a lot of small steps. One additional breath in a long line of breaths that brought me here and will continue to produce Black girls who, like me, will strive for success, just as those beforeushavedone
Now I realize this birthday isn’t an identity crisis but a slow awakening of who I am, who I come from, and who I am becoming Five days from fifteen, and I am learning to trust the world and all its changes and to loudly claim the parts of me Iusedtoquiet Fivedaysfromfifteen,andI still see that same shadow behind me, still getting older, still waiting I've grown to find comfort in knowing she’s me when I'm past this age and everything turns out okay I'm not fully bloomed, but I am deeply rooted, ever-growing, and I'm beginning to understand the honor that is the inheritance of being a Black girl and the even deeper honorofbecomingaBlackwoman
When I imagine the days ahead, I’ve learned not to expect suddenness. I picture
I Remember All the Little Things
Irememberthewaywe usedtolaughtogether, Aboutthelittlesecretsthat wewouldsharewitheach other.
Irememberthewayyou usedtoholdmyhand Aswesprintedacrossthe countrysideunderthe goldensunset, Tryingtochasethe horizon.
Irememberhowyoureyes litupwithjoyeverytime yousawme, Andthewayyouusedto saymyname.
Irememberyourkindface andthosetwinklingeyesof yours, Andhowyoualwaysused tostandbyme.
Youalwaysusedtostand byme, Nomatterwhatwasgoing onbetweenus. Ibelievedthatwewere inseparable.
Butnow,timeandfate havetornusapart. IthoughtIhadlostyou forever;thatallwasleftof youwerememories. AndIwasright:fora while,atleast, UntilIsawyoustanding bythelaureltreeonefine Sunday,thewindplaying withyoursleekblondhair.
Andthosesun-kissed ambereyesofyours, laughingwithjoylikethey alwaysusedto. Iwantedtoapproachyou.
SeeyourreactionifItold youwhoIwas,andrecall thememorablemoments thatwehadtogether. ButIwasafraid. Afraidthatmaybeyouhad changed.
Whatifyouthoughtthat ourfriendshipdidn’t matteranymore? Whatifyousimplydidn’t care? Iletmyfearsconvinceme thatyouwerenotthe personIhadusedtoknow. So,Ileftyoustanding alonebythatlaureltree, withoutsayingaword
by Anvintha Dileep ‘29
OurAmericanDream
By Giselle Navarro ‘26
MixedMedia
HerHands HerHands
By Alfonso Lena Ordaz ‘26
The Cerebellum
Section 2
Thecerebellumisabaseball-sizedstructureatthe backofthehead;itsmainfunctionistocoordinate voluntarymovements,maintainbalance,and regulateposturetoensuresmooth,accuratemotor activity.Itactsasaprocessingcenterthatdetects differencesbetweenintendedandactualmovements.
Thefamiliarityinmusclememoryyoufindinthe posteriorormomentscapturedinthepiecesofthis sectionwillbedrawnfromthecerebelluminyour brain.
Why is Validation So Addicting?
fteraclubmeeting,myfriends andIsatoutsidetheschoolwaitingforour rides.Idecidedtotellajoketoliftthe mood.Myheartsankwhennoone immediatelylaughed;Istartedtocoilaway, feelingunsureanduneasy.Then,achuckle brokethesilence,andthewholegroup startedlaughing Awaveofrelief immediatelywashedoverme,andIfelt groundedagain,butthatmademewonder, whydiditfeelsogood?
Validationissomethingweseekevery day Atworksomeonemayaskthebossto double-checkifareportisoktosubmit At schoolstudentsmightasktheirfriendsif theythinktheiroutfitiscute Eventhoughit ishardtoadmit,weallcravevalidation sometimes,sowhatisit?Accordingtothe CambridgeDictionary,validationis"The feelingthatotherpeopleapproveofand acceptyou,orsomethingthatgivesyouthis feeling.”
Evernoticehowwhenyourteacheror someoneclosetellsyou,“Goodjob!”it givesyoualittlerushofsatisfaction?The reasonisbecausevalidationiswiredinour brainsinmultipleways.Firstly,whenever you’revalidated,whetheritbefeelingsor somethingelse,yourbrainreleases dopamine(the“feelgood”chemical)inthe rewardcenter Whenyougetatasteof dopamine,youtendtochasewhatgivesitto you Likewheneveryougetafewlikeson socialmedia,youstarttopostmore Thisis whypeoplegetsoeasilyaddictedtodrugs andsmoking;it’sbecauseitgivesthema rushofdopamine Thisiswhyvalidationis addictive ourbrainsstartchasingit withoutusevenrealizing (MonikaJus 2025)
Moreover,validationalsoplaysapartin engagingtheprefrontalcortex The prefrontalcortexhasaroleinthebrain’s socialfeedbackandself-awareness.When validationengagestheprefrontalcortex,it causesustofeelasenseofbelonging,which feelsrewarding.Thinkingbacktothat momentwithmyfriends,IrealizeIwasn’t justtryingto“liftthemood" Iwastrying tofeellikeIbelonged.
Anothermajorpartoftheneuroscienceof validationisoxytocin Oxytocinisknown asthe“bondinghormone";itappears duringchildbirthandsocialbehaviors Oxytocinisthereasonyouandyourmom bondatfirstsight;it’sbecauseitwasatits peak Whenyoufeelvalidated,oxytocin spikes.Whenoxytocinisreleased,it decreasesanxietyandstresslevels,causing ustofeelrelaxed.Oxytocinalsohasapart intrustsonaturallywhenyouarevalidated by thesamepersonmultipletimes youtend totrustthemmore.(HarvardHealth)
Nowthispresentsthequestion:“Is seekingvalidationbad?”.Theansweris somewhat Validationisn’tharmfulwhenit isusedtostrengthenbonds,connections,or justconfidenceboosts,butitcanbecome harmfulwhenyoustart dependingonit
Weusuallythinkofaddictionsasthings likesmokingordrinking;however, beingaddictedtoexternalvalidationcan alsobeharmfultoyourmental health–especiallywithteens
Inschool,teensareconstantlyup againstcomparison,self-doubt,andlow confidence,andchasingvalidationmakesit worse.AccordingtoManhattanWellness. Validationcanlowerourself-esteemmore thanyouthink.Asitstates, “Ifwe’reconstantlyseekingvalidation fromothers,wecanstarttobelievethat Ourworthinessiscontingentonwhatothers thinkofus.Lowself-esteemcanleadto unhealthylevelsofself-consciousnessand self-doubt.”Furthermore,thislowselfesteemcanpushusintothemoldofpeoplepleasers
Peoplepleasersarepeoplewhogoout oftheirwaytomakesureotherslike them Forexample,thiscanbeastudent whoconstantlygivesanswerswiththe hopesthattheirpeerswilllikethem Ifthis typeofbehaviorcontinues,itcanputa strainonourmentalhealthbecauseofthe sacrificeswemaketopleaseothers (ManhattanWellness2022)
Conversely,thereisanothertypeof validationthatishealthier,internal validation Whileexternalvalidation comesfromoutsidesourceslikepeople, Internalvalidationcomesfromyourself NewtonNeuropsychologyGroupsays, “Internalvalidationisastatewherewe embraceourfeelingswithoutjudgment It'sapowerfulstrategythatenablesusto navigateemotionsbetter Bynot internalizingshame,wecreateasafer spacewithinourselves,fosteringmore self-acceptance.”
Somewayswecanimplementinternal validationisbyself-affirmationsin themirrordaily.Someexamplesare“Iam worthyofloveandrespectjustasIam,"“I acceptmyselfunconditionally,"and“I believeinmyselfandmyabilityto succeedinmygoals”(Newton NeuropsychologyGroup) Anotherwayto alsointernallyvalidateyourselfisby celebratingyourownachievements Even thoughitmayseemsmall,celebrating somethingsmallyoudocangoalongway Itcanaffirmyourprogressandboostyour self-esteem
Validationwhendiscussed,canbecome aslipperyslope Ononehand,validation canbeseenassomethingpositiveand helpful Ontheotherhand,itisseenas harmfulandaddictive Lookingatthe neurosciencebehinditshowsushow addictivevalidationcanbebecauseof dopaminebutalsohowitcanhelpusin formingbondsusingoxytocin. Understandingtheneurosciencebehind validationcanbereallyimportantbecause itcanhelpususevalidationin healthierwaysthatcanimproveourselves.
That’sallIhopethishelpedyourbrain bloom!
By Na’Avaryah Leverette
‘29
How to Clutch a Project (in 4 Days)
by Trinity Hunt ‘27
Brainstem Brainstem Brainstem
The Section 3
Thebrainstemisthestalk-likelowerpartofthebrain thatconnectsthecerebrumtothespinalcord,acting asthemaincontrolcenterforessential,automatic survivalfunctions.Itregulatescritical,unconscious processeslikebreathing,heartrate,bloodpressure, andsleepcycles.Yourroutineandtraditioncanbe foundinthissectionwhenhumanhabitisturned intotangibleartforyoutoconsume.
A
by Riley ockney 9
Mariah Proctor ‘26
DigitalPainting
tnight,whenthewatchmensleep andthetorchesburnlowalongtheramparts, Isitbeneathmyarmor andthinkofheragain Mary. Princessinmyeyes, thoughtheworldnevercrownedher withthegentlenessshedeserved. Nocourteverpraisedtheshadeofherskin, thatwarm,softbrownthatglowslikedusk. Nobardeverwroteepics aboutherdarkeyes almostblack orthesilkofherblackhair thatfallslikemoonlitink Sheneverfittheirtalebookdrawings ofpaleprincesseswithflaxencurls, buttome sheistheonlykindofbeauty thatevermattered Andyetshewasnevertreated asaprincessshouldbe Toomanyhandstookadvantageofhertrust, toomanyvoicesshapedherheart withcarelessedges Shelearnedtodefendherself longbeforeIevercarriedasword SometimesIwonder ifsheevenbelievesshedeservesgentleness butgods, Iwanttogiveitanyway. Irememberthedayshehurtme thecutwasquiet, sharpasabladeslidingbetweenarmorplates. IsworeIwouldn’tfallsohardagain, yetIstayed Istayedbecausemyheart wasalreadykneltbeforeher, armordroppedatherfeet, shieldabandoned
Giselle Navarro ‘26
ifeislikeahazy glasspane,notoneof obstructingmurkiness noroneofcrystalline L
Myheartholdsa thousanddreams,but throughtheglassIonly seeahandful.Everyone enterstheworldwith countlessambitions lookingthroughtheglass withnumerousobjectives
yetthetruthis,wewill neverreachthemall. Butit’snotatragedy it’s agift.Amindthatchases everythingcatches nothing.Anambition’s valueliesnotinattaining everythingbutinbeing willingtounderstandwhat compelsusmost.
Iftheglasswereclear, therewouldbenowonder,
andiftheglasswere opaque,therewouldbeno hope Theworthofyour aspirations like perseverancedespitethe haze isnotmeasuredby whatyouholdonto,but bywhatyou’rewillingto letgo.Noneofushave everything,butweall haveenough.Knowing thisiswhereintentionis born amotivetoreach beyondtheblur,not demandingtohaveitall, butdaringtoactanyway.
ThesearethewordsI wishIcouldtellmy youngerself.
PeoplechangejustliketheEarth changesseasons
Theirleaves,oncelively,grow deadwithoutreason
Butit’sapinnacle,aprincipleof ourlife
Thatitissofragile, andit’snotourstodecide
Swayandwither,looseleaf I’mnotgonnacatchyou
Daybyday,throughthenight
Brightmoonlightandcartoons
ButIcanhearyouundermyfeet
Crunchingbeneathmyshoe
SonowIrecallthatfall
WhenIwasn’twithoutyou
Shayla Wright ‘29
Raven Raven
How to Submit to The Wildflower
Temple High School students, grades nine through twelve, are invited to submit their literary and artistic work to the Wildflower through the submission manager below. Students may submit as many pieces as they wish, though each submission should be entered separately. Submissionsareacceptedyear-round.
To ensure fairness and objectivity, all submissions are reviewed anonymously, with student names removed prior to the critique and selection process. Throughout the year, the Wildflower will also host various themed competitions in writing and art, offering students additionalopportunitiestoberecognizedandpublished
Authors and artists retain the copyright to their work but grant the Wildflower permission to publish submissions in the magazine and use them for promotional purposes, as determined bytheeditorialstaff.
Questionsaboutthe Wildflower maybedirectedtoTHS.Wildflower@tisd.org.
Colophon
The Wildflower was constructed using Canva on a PC. The masthead font utilized on the cover and chapter titles is Above the Beyond Script in size 57. Interior headings are in Cinzel Decorative, sizes 55 and 40 The font used for art and literature is also Safira March in various sizes ranging from 45 to 65. Body text is Times New Roman set at sizes 12 or 14. Bylines and inset titles are in Playfair Display in various sizes. Drop caps are in Aniyah, size 30. Pagination is in Muli size. 14. The pieces in the Wildflower, 2026, were chosen by the Wildflower editorial staff and selection committees The Wildflower magazine was produced by Temple High School's Wildflower Magazine Club. The Wildflower is published each spring for Temple High School's 2,200 students and 170 staff members. The Wildflower is a member of the following organizations: the National Scholastic Press Association and the NationalCouncilofTeachersofEnglish.
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