The Cherry Tree

By Jade Rickman

There is a cherry tree by the creek,

Where my friend and I played hide and seek.

We splashed around and played all day,

Until our parents came to carry us away.

In winter we skated on frozen water,

And fall was when we looked for otters.

In spring we watched the cherry tree bloom,

And we wished that summer would come soon.

As time went on and we grew older,

Our relationship grew into something much bolder.

We sat under the tree our feelings undiscovered,

Yet somehow we became lovers.

There is a cherry tree by the creek,

Where my daughter and I play hide and seek.

We splash around and play all day,

Until her father comes to carry us away.

Hurricane

Illustration by Emnet Abraham

By Mikayla Kennett

 

It makes its way through a broken town

The wind it carries makes a soft, haunting sound

No hope remaining, for they have drowned 

Cracked roads to buildings yet to fall down

The sea glistens with its many lights  

The birds on ships ready to take flight 

As they'll soon arrive to this broken town

no other life to be seen around 

Poles and wires lay out and about

The waters before it surely brought doubt

As the ocean restrains from its next bout 

The town lays broken, inside and out

Before the storm, the town was alive 

And in its streets many people thrived  

The warning too late and the town on its bay

The waves that had cast their town away 

Panic arose from this catastrophe 

No one ready to be carried at sea

The town now empty and on its own

The souls that linger seem all alone 

Few survived but the town is now gone 

They watch their home at the break of dawn 

On a boat in the distance, they sing soft songs 

Away they go for a journey so long