Sound Bites, Issue 3: Florence Zhang

ABOUT OUR COLUMN:

Sound Bites is a poetry column intended to be read, heard, and tasted. It is finger food, messy and hands-on, compacting all the sweetest bits of a writer into a few small moments. The column will accept student writing submissions in the form of poetry or short prose for every issue from any and all majors, ages, and backgrounds.

Submissions can be emailed directly to Poetry Editor Geneva Webber at gwebberinsider@gmail.com. Parameters for submissions are as follows:

• Please attach a Word (.docx) document of your piece(s) with a maximum of 750 words
• Include a short but personal bio about yourself with a maximum of 200 words
• Specify your preferred name and pronouns
• If you submit multiple pieces, give them a group title of your choosing (i.e. “Three Poems by Lindsey Kutz”
• Be prepared for follow-up questions 🙂

ABOUT OUR AUTHOR:

Florence Zhang (she/her)

This issue, our author is Florence Zhang, a Political Science and Creative and Professional Writing double major. They are a sophomore at UPG. They have also worked on The Pitt-Greensburg Insider.

Florence writes about her own experiences, as well as those of the imaginary, and wishes to bring a sense of imagery and creativity to those who read her work. She hopes that the readers can immerse themselves in her work to create an engaging experience.

Two Poems from Florence Zhang: “I wait for a steady darkness,” and “Ode to Joy”

I wait for a steady darkness,

peeping through the back window to the house.

It’s quiet

And the moon is unwavering.

Dimly lit by the pale moonlight,

I see them.

They walk to the balcony,

staring down the same moon as I am,

not knowing it would be the last time

they get to enjoy that view.

I watch

as they inch towards their bed,

the temptation of sleep hitting them.

It’s calm.

I’m here

to disturb the calmness that’s settled into the night.

Click

I’m in.

Ode to Joy

I recall

the first time

I touched black and white.

I never knew monochrome

could sound so good.

And you may wonder,

what causes

color to be melodic?

The answer is simple:

Little felt hammers on strings.

It’s fascinating

how ten fingers on an ivory carpet

can create a symphony.