Young Writers Project is a creative online community of teen writers, photographers, and artists, based in Vermont since 2006. Each week, VTDigger features the writing and art of young Vermonters who publish their work on youngwritersproject.org, a free, interactive website for youth 12-18 years old. To find out more, visit youngwritersproject.org, or contact Executive Director Susan Reid at sreid@youngwritersproject.org; 802-324-9538.
Granted, Merriam-Webster just proudly announced the addition of “pumpkin spice” to their dictionary this September — but when you live in New England, autumn will always be about the foliage. This week’s featured poet, Astrid Longstreth of Jericho, allows the fiery colors and spirit of the season to reignite her inspiration.
The coming of autumn
Astrid Longstreth, 12, Jericho
I woke up one morning
to crisp air and leaves
the colors of sunset,
shades of red, yellow, and orange
standing out against summer’s last breath,
hues of green blending with autumn’s sparks,
soon to grow into a blazing inferno,
a flame —
one of Nature’s many works of art,
not permanent
but temporary,
though sure to come back once more.
And there is just something in the air,
a sensation of renewal,
a new beginning,
that lets me know
that things may change,
but like the slow metamorphosis of the seasons,
change can and will bring new opportunities —
opportunities to show the world your strengths
and to find where you fit
in,
in this changing beauty that is our Earth.
