Beyond the Dark Woods Green
by N.B. - Age 12
Beyond the dark woods green,
A dancing sunbeam can be seen,
Carried gently by a breeze,
As cornstalks gold its warmth receive.
Carried far into the sky,
Back up to its burning eye,
Decked in gold by the morning breeze,
Falling softly to the trees.
Beyond the lone sea blue,
A single drop of moonlit dew,
On meadows wide is lit in glory,
Weaving out a misty story.
A moonbow carried far back in time,
Is incessant in its pounding rhyme,
Which sings of the Earth’s history,
A song sweetly burdened with mystery.
Far beyond the sunset red,
The dying sun is sent to bed,
To resurrect and shine once more,
To turn your barren field into a fiery floor,
Caressed by the gentle breeze,
Soothed by the rustle of the trees,
A traveler and adventurer of the sky,
A sphere of light glowing up high.
Far beyond the sweet starlight,
Far beyond the veil of night,
A shallow stream of light resists,
A mysterious earthly force persists,
It is gently carried in the wind’s song,
Persisting in the willows strong,
Streaming away from droughts cured,
Unable to be dashed or obscured,
Living and healing without a flaw,
Driving back both axe and saw,
Resisting darkness until the end of time,
Before journeying back up to where stars shine,
It melts with the icebergs tired,
Burning rages within a fire,
Resting in rivers sleeps,
Nature into dried land seeps.
Beyond the dark woods green,
A dancing sunbeam can be seen,
Carried far away over journeys vast,
Arriving at your windowsill at last.
Tween Poetry Award - This is a remarkable poem that seemingly echoes the epic, English Romanticism of William Blake. You may remember, that poem with its famous line, "Tyger, Tyger burning bright..." In that poem, Blake is wondering what creator created such a fearful and beautiful creature as tiger, but in the same breath, takes us on a journey into the stars. In N.B.'s poem, a ray of light seems personified, traveling across the world and the galaxy with its cosmic power to both be a gentle light for some locales, and a devastating one for others. The scope of this poem is breathtaking.
Comments: Judges said, "gorgeous and epic" and "beautiful, creative."
Photo: Zetong Li on Pexels.com