by Avery, 13 
The Seven Hills School, Cincinnati, Ohio

 

You are the runner,
Swift footed,
And enduring,
Sprinting down the winding path,
Paved with shinning stones,
You kick them in front of you as you make your way down the weary road,
Sinning joyfully,
You bring fair tidings,
Of long summers,
And of the new leaf,
Of happy days under the swaying willow,
And the coolness of the fern,
You boast a life that all the forest envies,
You speak bitterly of winter,
And his hard ways,
And blackened heart,
For you have made your love to the spring,
I lay beside you in the deepening night,
And listen to tales,
Of far away places,
And of years long past,
I lay beside you,
And listen. 

 

 

Written in Response to “My Skeleton” by Jane Hirshfield