Ode to Sixteen Summers
By Amehja Williams, 17, Pennsylvania
summer seems not long ago
yet now the blizzards come and go
with sleet and slush and silver snow
the trees swish-sway, to and fro.
ice crystals sprout across the window
where wild weeds once yearned to grow
as if all the dandelion seeds i used to blow
found this polar pane for home.
as i sit upon this shiv’ring sill
colder yet, and colder still
freezes that old summer thrill
of picnic days and time to kill.
peering down this glacial hill
of time spent and more to fill
i see within an icebound rill
summer succumb to the chill.
so although there may yet be
many sublime summers still to see
none shall ever compare to thee
or ever make me feel as free
(for only once is one sixteen).
I wrote this piece staring out a window during a blizzard. I couldn’t believe how extreme the weather had changed in what seemed like a short period of time, which reminded me how soon I’ll be graduating high school and leaving parts of my childhood behind. I felt very present in the moment and wanted to cherish what little of my childhood I had left, especially since parts of it have been stolen from me. Regardless of what I missed out on, this poem honors the experiences I did have and appreciates those ahead of me.
