Regrounded
by Luna Silvana Abadía (Age 17)
Today I touched the cool earth for the first time in months
The pine needles radiated warmth, but below lay
dark, wet mud
Putting both hands down I held on for dear life
My back grasping the tree
Bark poking into my skin
Real things in life are not soft and spotless.
I remind myself
This discomfort is compassion.
With each step into the forest I forget mission and simply let
that something else—heart—lead.
It leads me towards the humming bee, up to the interlaced treetops,
submerging me once again
in the careful dance of spring light and shadow.
And just like that,
the haze of past livings drifts up
I’m peeling back layers, peering through
crumpled leaves to see what I missed, longed
and needed all along.
Teen Poetry Award: This poem evokes those moments when we finally stop the world and absorb the environment into our being. By rooting us into the ground, she connects us to the life and liveliness of that real, but forgotten, sense of nature and wonder.
Comments: Judges liked the "creative word choice" and said, "Is it the passage of time and human or animal history? It's intriguing and feels like a riddle poem. I like the experimental nature of that one."
Photo by Johannes Plenio on Pexels.com