To a 14-Year-Old: A Not-Yet Valentine

You are not Juliet.
Or Romeo.
So, go sledding.

Go on a day when it’s brisk enough
to have a constant runny nose
and rosy cheeks.

Go on a day when the snow that fell the night before
left the hills sparkling white.
Go on a day when that fresh snow
has a slick coating of ice underneath it.

The hill you climb won’t be too slick to walk,
but it’ll be slick enough to gain a lot of speed
on the way down.

Bring friends.
How many can you fit
on that saucer that you once
could not even stretch your arms across?
You are all toddlers again,
laughing and screaming, “AGAIN! AGAIN!”
as you race up the hill dragging
that beat-up saucer behind you.

You are not Juliet.
Or Romeo.
But you’ll run next to each other
in your snow pants and moon boots.
One of you will fall,
one of you will reach out a hand,
and you will be together,
laughing and climbing that hill
breathless.

And this is how it can start.

Try It

This poem is in honor of Valentine’s Day and The Teacher Diaries: Romeo and Juliet‘s fourth birthday. This week write a Valentine to someone as if they either are or aren’t yet—Romeo or Juliet.

Photo by Mari Creative Commons, via Flickr. Post by Callie Feyen.

Browse writing prompts

I have been a fan of Callie Feyen’s writing for quite some time but I finished this book in almost one sitting. If you have ever been in 8th grade, fallen in love, had a best friend, or loved reading, you will love this book. As the mother of an 8th grader, my other genuine hope is that my son will one day have a teacher as gifted as Callie.

—Celena Roldan

BUY THE TEACHER DIARIES NOW

• Author
• Recent Posts

Callie Feyen

Callie Feyen likes Converse tennis shoes and colorful high heels, reading the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins, and the Twilight series. Her favorite outfit has always been a well-worn pair of jeans and a white T-shirt, but she wants hoop skirts with loads of tulle to come back into style. Her favorite line from literature comes from Sharon Creech’s Absolutely Normal Chaos: “I don’t know who I am yet. I’m still waiting to find out.” Feyen has served as the At-Risk Literacy Specialist in the Ypsilanti Public Schools and is the author of Twirl: my life with stories, writing & clothes and The Teacher Diaries: Romeo and Juliet.

Latest posts by Callie Feyen (see all)

• Poetry Prompt: Courage to Follow - July 24, 2023
• Poetry Prompt: Being a Pilgrim and a Martha Stewart Homemaker - July 10, 2023
• Poetry Prompt: Monarch Butterfly’s Wildflower - June 19, 2023