She will fall.
She is young and bright-eyed with sharp elbows, tiny fingers
on the rough bark, her slender ankles dangling.
She is thirsting for the prize ripening
at the tree’s fingertip, glossy
and fragrant and sweet;
Sunlight breathing on her arm, she extends her
quivering fingers unsteadily toward the apple
and I can see her hair stirring lightly
and her foot lowering a little
as she leans forward—
It stops there. The painter has done his part and
the moment is captured in a light-filled
yet sinister landscape, of sunlight
and impulsiveness and fruit
and regret;
I wish I could warn the girl of her slipping foot
and imperfect balance, and tell her
she should stop and think
about the things she
already has—
But I can’t. The sun keeps shining. The leaves keep stirring. She keeps on reaching.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Young Poet Award, The Hamilton Association for the Advancement of Literature, Science and Art (HAALSA)
Second Prize in Age 16 Poetry, The Power of the Pen Writing Contest 2019, Hamilton Public Library and The Hamilton Spectator
