Roots

We push, and suck out all
Forgiving moisture, ready
For lasting purity to settle
Between our tangled, gnarled, parched
Fingers
Cracking open the earth for
Room to spread our snares, over night
We sweep under you,
Finding what we crave
Unafraid to
Appear to
Appear from
Inside hard, slick seeds
We dream of thawing skies,
And soft ground still sweet with
Winter’s rain
Tunnel through, illuminating from
Within
We wait for tender evenings,
To stretch our arms forward,
And feel the rhythm of
Earth’s breath.

Elsinore Smidth-Carabetta, age 14
Mill Valley, California
Marin Young Poet’s Society
Teacher: Devika Brandt
(2004 ROW Teacher of the Year)