To Mission Viejo

I was born there.
A water child my
mom had once said.
I emerged from the Pacific,
salt thick on my new skin,
my irises two giant sea
anemones of cerulean.
When the tailwinds
took me east, I dragged
my feet in the coffee
colored sand, my eyes
blurry with the flicking
of debris.
In that moment, I
swallowed the ocean.
       It drained from my tip-toes.

       Everyone forgets sometime.
Today I practice yoga.
My calves tuck like
anchors beneath my thighs,
my arms stretch like waves,
and I am reminded of
my youth. My breath has
the strength of tide.
As I come out a child's pose,
I hear the deep bellow of
the Pacific: "Namaste!"

---

Kendall Pakula, age 17
2008 Finalist
Roswell, Georgia
Roswell High School
Teacher: Joel McElvaney