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

 

Wishing I Could Stay

Written by Min-Jun

 

The grass wraps around my fingers,
begging me not to leave.
But now I must go,
though it’s hard to believe.


A month’s worth of joy
replaced by a day’s worth of tears,
Even if I come again,
that won’t be ‘till years.


The flowers in my lovely field,
Wave to me in farewell.
As for my ladybugs and butterflies
In the relieving shadows they dwell.


I go, and cry to my friend,
even after we die,
we’ll be friends to the end.
But I never said goodbye.


She looks at me with a blank stare,
chirps, then flies away.
I start to head home, all alone,
wishing I could stay.

 

 

 

 

 

Analysis:

Written by Min-Jun

 

        The narrator is leaving a precious dream behind, readying herself for the cold, hard reality that awaits, beyond the comforts of her imagination. She is entering the reality she seems to be dreading so much, and at the same time, leaving behind a land so comforting. It is only a matter of time before reality catches up to the narrator... In the end, it always does.


        When one dreams, time does not exist. He or she is not aware of the hours dragging by while they are in slumber. For all they know, months or days could have passed. In addition, when the narrator suggests that returning to her dream may take years, there are two possible ways she could mean this: One, after waking up, the amount of time until that night could possibly mean the ‘years’ that are referred, of course exaggerated and used as a symbol. Two, having the same, beautiful, perfect dream again could literally take months, or even years, in this case.


        The narrator has created her own ‘land of dreams’. From the blushing blue sky to the chocolatey, warm mud. Everything in it is hers, she created it with her own imagination, this wonderland. Leaving it all behind would be more than difficult, especially if it is likely that the narrator may not return any time soon.


        Of course, leaving something so amazing behind is painful, and yet saying goodbye would be even harder, which was why the narrator never bothered to do so when she stated that she never said goodbye.


        There is a reason the narrator specifically talks to the bird. Seeing birds in a dream represents hope and joy. When the bird flies away, it symbolizes the leaving of the hope and joy, and how the dream is parting from the narrator. Finally, the narrator makes her way, back into reality.

 

 

 

 

 

Min-Jun is a 17-year-old literary connoisseur from South Korea. She has taught creative and technical writing as a peer mentor in her school’s writing club and won multiple schools awards for her poetry. Her latest work is “Wishing I Could Stay”.