She laughs, as electricity courses through her veins,
The quiet intensity of North Carolina
dances in the flickering glow,
revealing vast mountains
yet fleeting as shadows.
The Blue Ridge wraps around her,
a whisper and a roar,
as she darts from hill to hill,
lightning-bound,
free in a way she never was—
not in metropolises,
nor in the muted corners of her home.
Here, in the open expanse,
beneath a thundering sky,
beauty lies in what lightning can erase.
The thunder calls her name,
The mountains stretch to hold her,
And she becomes the storm.
—
Amani Shroff is a high school student from California with a deep passion for poetry. She enjoys using writing to inspire thought and connection. Her work has been featured in The Telling Room, Weight Journal, and several other esteemed publications. She is a member of the San Mateo County Youth Commission as well as liaison to the San Mateo County Commission on the Status of Women. She is also the founder of A Million Butterflies, a platform for women artisans.
