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Mirror, Window

By Anya Volkmann, Age 13 | Winter 2025-26 Inspire(d)

You love waking up early, ready to go,
     But I would rather sleep in and move kind of slow.

You talk super loud, your words fill the space,
     I keep my thoughts quiet, at a softer pace.

You’re always prepared, your locker and backpack are perfectly neat,
     Mine is full of papers crumpled at my feet.

You race to the front, never scared to be seen,
     I linger in the back, caught somewhere between.

But we both laugh hard til our stomachs ache,
    And share all the secrets we never could fake.

When the world feels too heavy and we start to cry,

You pull me in close, and neither asks why.

Our tears mix with laughter, both tangled and true,

Because no one gets me quite like you do.

We both dream big, and even though our 

paths might twist,
     We both want a world that feels like this.

We’re different like night and day in the same sky,

But side by side, we see eye to eye.

Anya Volkmann


Anya Volkmann is in 8th grade and is a writer, athlete, and adventurer at heart. Whether she’s running track, competing in cross country, playing soccer, or shooting hoops on the basketball court, she brings energy and determination to everything she does.


    We created Future Focused, a new Inspire(d) column written by pre-teens and teens, to help give the next generation an opportunity to share their voices. Partnering with Dana Hogan, the Extended Learning Program teacher at Decorah Middle School, we offered prompts around the question, “What do we have in common?” Students submitted some really great work, and four were chosen for this Inspire(d). You can read all the Future Focused pieces published so far at iloveinspired.com/category/future-focused. Here’s to Listening to the Next Generation! – Aryn

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