Poetry: “Regrounded” by Luna Silvana Abadía

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."

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