This World

2015 3rd & 4th Grade Poetry Winner

I run past the tree stumps
I look at the black sky
I cough
I do not have a cold, although it is freezing
The ground has no vegetation
The noises are not nature like
The earth is trembling with fear
And so am I

As I sit down on a tree stump
I remember my grandmother
I remember her dream for this world
When the trees were still there
The colors of the sky too
When it was warm
When the grass was still there
The noises of animals too
The earth didn’t tremble
And I did not
When I told her it was not possible

Now I remember my grandmother
I remember her dream
I know it is possible
I can make a difference
And I feel determination chill my bones