Summers

There was a lake
where you wandered lonely
each day of your childhood, hands
buried deep in sandy tide pools

A dock spread far out into the glassy water
where your feet combed harmless seaweed,
where your eyes spilled over everything, ignoring
nothing. There was once

a boat where each night, you'd
call across the lake and into the sky
strangled with stars
but only your own voice would answer.

---

Patty Schlutt, age 13
2008 Finalist
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Crossroads Middle School
Teachers: Crystal Horton, Rodney Torreson