The Scream, a painting by Edvard Munch
The Sunset
By Priya Johri
I hunched over the bridge to peer at the magnificent sunset
Though so simple, it was so calming
Or was calming…
As the sun dipped to leave only but its forehead peering out
It started.
The beautiful, curved spectrum of the sky started to separate into colorful, wavy, uneven levels
My eyesight started to become fuzzy and bugged out
My heart began to accelerate rapidly as I feared the worst
I felt the bridge thump and creek under my shaking feet
I was not alone.
I turned cautiously to face the sound:
Two dark silhouettes of death stared intensely at me while whispering suspiciously
Though their words lay muffled to the ringing in my ears, I knew they were speaking of me
At that moment, I knew
It was over for me.
Gathering up my courage, I turned around again and what happened was horrifying:
One of my future kidnappers was pointing at me while the other nodded
My heart started to thump in my head and as my chest heavily sunk deeper into my body
I felt my hands grasp my cheeks as I felt the bridge thump for my kidnappers were approaching
I ran as fast as I could.
I let out a piercing scream as they ran faster to get me
I spewed out curses and insults to delay them.
They started to spew back old tricks like “Are you okay?” and “Do you need help?”
I ran faster and after five minutes, I reached the end of the bridge and lost my kidnappers.
I narrowly avoided death.
Biography
Hi, my name is Priya Johri. After the last bell of the day, I have a wide agenda ahead of me as a freshman in high school. Alongside studying for tests and doing homework, I reunite with my joy in building puzzles and drafting poems in the comfort of my home. On campus, you can find me spending time among my people in HOSA, NJHS, and the Pre-Medical Society.
What motivated you to write this piece?
I was motivated to write this piece by my intrigue regarding the art pieces of Edvard Munch. The piece that held onto my intrigue the longest was “The Scream.” The colorful swirling lines that fill the background, the screaming grey subject that fills the foreground, and the mysterious men behind the subject created a story in my mind that had to be heard.
Why did you choose to submit this category(s) of artwork/writing out of the many available category options?
I always seek to recognize the true beauty of art in every one of its strokes. Every stroke contains a piece of this painting that was laid upon our eyes to feast at its beauty, which is adjacent to the importance of words in the final poem. Through ekphrastic poetry, I can construct my interpretation of the final piece and the importance of every little stroke.
What is your ideal writing environment?
My ideal writing environment is any quiet room for it allows me to make sense of my thoughts to compose the perfect poem.
Expressions 