The cherry tree

By Ava Rohrbaugh, 15, Charlotte, VT

I didn't feel 
anything about the
tree
until I lost it, 
til the bark cracked
like glow sticks at dusk
and the cherry blossoms
smeared over the axe
like stickers on my cheek.
The dew still holding to the leaves
glowed like wounded lightning bugs
on the heavy metal blade
and the lifting of the axe
like the bat I once raised to 
swing at the piñata hanging
from a branch
and it falls again 
and again
and again
like the steady
rhythm of my pogo stick
on the concrete
and again 
and again
til the tree lies on the ground
and moss supports its head
like a newborn baby
and flowers bloom around the stump 
like a funeral
and blossoms still unfold 
on the farthest branches
like nothing has happened
and forever is over.
I say goodbye to you
cherry tree again
and again 
and again.
 [Art opposite page: By Katherine Moran, 15, Bristol, VT – Silver Maple Winner – Moonlight on Snow, watercolor]