Peering across the horizon,

 I watch a flock of geese soaring winds

into the beginning of a sunset: black silhouettes

lying against the blazing pink skies.

I listen to the timbre of their calls

floating back over the vastness of the land,

Echoing within my soul;

a gentle call, responsive melody

rises and falls like the land around me.

I lean back against a sturdy maple,

admire the tune of nature’s innocent choir

created for me this evening.

I listen closely; each note bursts with emotion,

Each call fills my heart and soul.

Each voice has its own addition,

each measure, a story to tell.

I peer across still waters

dormant in front of me,

only rippling as a response to gentle winds.

Sedated body reflects the brightened horizon

in the west, and floods my eyes

with the colors of the dying day.

A subtle sense of hope reaches out

from the sky ahead and descends upon me

through the last few rays that are visible to the eye.

Brandii Mitchell is a tenth-grade student at Central High School in St. Joseph, Mo