Blue Hill Bay

With too much on my mind,
I drop on a solid black boulder
near the water’s edge.
I scan the quiet bay
and draw a breath of rich,
salty air.
Slowly, as if trying not to disturb
the silence,
I choose a stone, then toss it
into the calm water.
I pitch stone after stone,
a splash for every thought.
Some I skip harder,
for the miserable thoughts;
others softer,
for the pleasant ones.
My arms aching,
for a moment I watch
the ripples touch my toes.
Then, standing to stretch,
I glance back at the sea
one more time,
grateful
for its silence.
Reality will come too swiftly:
I know.
Tomorrow I will endure
the future
moment by moment
stone
by stone.

Niall Janney, age 13
Edgecomb, Maine
Center for Teaching and Learning
Teacher: Nancie Atwell