ONLINE YOUTH LITERARY MAGAZINE

Youth literary magazine

The Elysian Muse

Youth literary magazine

The Elysian Muse

Youth literary magazine

The Elysian Muse

Photography by Silja Pietilä, 18, Finland

Photography by Safia Henniche, 16, Boston

Photography by Safia Henniche, 16, Boston

Dear Readers and Contributors,

 

I would like to take the opportunity to personally thank you all for the continuous love and support, especially through the pandemic. In just under 6 months, we’ve come so far; the magazine has been featured on Publish YOUth Writing and Poets & Writers, and the editorial team reached a whooping milestone of 100+ Advice Articles written! As we continue grow our global outreach, we’ve published over 280 creators from 25 U.S. States, 25 countries, and 6 continents across the world! 

 

It’s been a pleasure growing this community over the past three years, so I know I speak for the entire editorial board when I say we hold this magazine and our contributors close to our hearts. It takes a tremendous amount of research and effort to manage the magazine, which is why we're so thankful for all of your support. We encourage you to share our publications and Advice Articles to help our other young creators who may be interested in pursuing their craft.

 

Cheers,

Lori Khadse

Founder, Nonfiction Editor in Chief

The Elysian Muse Youth Literary Magazine

Dear Readers and Contributors,

 

I would like to take the opportunity to personally thank you all for the continuous love and support, especially through the pandemic. In just under 6 months, we’ve come so far; the magazine has been featured on Publish YOUth Writing and Poets & Writers, and the editorial team reached a whooping milestone of 100+ Advice Articles written! As we continue grow our global outreach, we’ve published over 280 creators from 25 U.S. States, 25 countries, and 6 continents across the world! 

 

It’s been a pleasure growing this community over the past three years, so I know I speak for the entire editorial board when I say we hold this magazine and our contributors close to our hearts. It takes a tremendous amount of research and effort to manage the magazine, which is why we're so thankful for all of your support. We encourage you to share our publications and Advice Articles to help our other young creators who may be interested in pursuing their craft.

 

Cheers,

Lori Khadse

Founder, Nonfiction Editor in Chief

The Elysian Muse Youth Literary Magazine

Photography by Safia Henniche, 16, Boston

Editors' Choice Works

 

Try Trying

Written by Makenzie Rae

 

 

Society, you tell me, to try trying.


But what if I’m tired of trying?
You tell me that trying will set me back on my feet.
That eventually, all the confusion in life will retreat.
But to me, really,
It’s the painful truth of trial and error, always longing for more,
The faint sound of your tears falling, smothered behind a closed door,
The familiar taunting tiles of your bathroom floor,
Where you watched your blood slip from your slit wrists,
When the memories flood back, of the dead you’ve missed.
Where you felt that nervous, cold sweat trickle down your neck,
your tongue dry with the tempting taste of death,
Your breath coming short, coming closer to death,
As you eye the knife without an ounce of regret.
After all,
Who would even care?
Who would ever dare love the idiotic, the ugly, the loner, the wrecked,
the wayward, the crooked, or the imperfect
After all,
When you’d cried for help, they had all ignored it.
When they saw your tears, they had called you weak.
When they saw your scars, they looked at you funny.
I truly am just a mistake.
And like all mistakes, I must be erased.
And brush away any traces I may leave behind.
I’m so sorry, society,
For wasting your time.

 

 

 

Makenzie Rae is a 16-year-old writer from Washington D.C. She hopes to one day become a New York Times bestselling author.