Stowe Middle School

Riders of the darkness
Ghosts of the night,
The shattering of glass,
Escalading into more pieces every touch
Clattering to the ground,
Warning had occurred.

The growling of horses,
Whispers into the cold, midnight times
Evil comes on its own horse,
With the whit of a scholar,
Gloves of a knight,
Standing side by his companion,
Ready for a fight

The moon is nowhere to be seen,
But the fight is still on,
War and rage come before it,
Before Evil wins at its hand
It grasps the god of the underground,
Cruel as a beast,
Doesn’t think before he acts,
And swipes the first mans head with a knife.

Triumph fills the brutal wind,
And the blood that the warrior contained,
It was more than a battle,
More than any gain
It was inhumane,
Animal like,

Destiny to the glowering stars,
The glare of the crisp autumn leaves.
The crunches of the gravel below
Nothing could be saved from Evil,
Nothing could be saved at all.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps between the crinkled branches. The hills overflowed with green grass swaying with serenity. A small girl with tear-stained cheeks sprawled on her back in the quiet shade the dying willow provided with its dark emerald leaves.

April laid there more often then not. The soft grass perfectly cushioned her tired back and left tiny smears on her flowy shirt. In the shade of the dilapidated tree, she was more than safe. She was alone.

From all those times when there was no way to spill out all the wrongness, she could escape. From the times she opened her mouth wide and screamed silently so that no one would scare, she could be gone. From every difference, worry, frustration in her life, she could break free.

The tree and the hills and the grass couldn’t heal her issues. Even if they could, April herself would not be healed. But for then, it was enough for her to lay and feel the green.

Ten equals happiness. Ten diverse but surprisingly similar people know how lucky they are to have this opportunity that turned into a lot more than they expected.