“The Clearing in the Trees” by Anahita Atashi
October 16, 2024
The clearing in the trees, the smell of pine.
The warm breeze, a rabbit in the trees.
The lonely folding chair.
To learn to climb a tree.
To fall and get back up.
How to ride a bike.
Get on. Crash. Try again.
The pile of rocks.
The fallen log.
The bird’s nest.
To learn how to be quiet.
Watch nature pass.
Hear nature pass.
To find sticks.
To dig up worms.
A deer passes, quiet.
To play hide and seek.
To win. To lose.
A book on a chair.
A clear blue sky.
The bright sun.
Time passes.
The starry night sky.
The owl
The shadows, quiet.
A second folding chair.
To learn how to sit with a friend, but not need to talk.
To laugh, finding shapes in the clouds.
To have fun, finally winning in hide and seek.
To be loud, jumping over the fallen log.
To be confident, riding the bike.
To be proud, reaching the top of the tree.
This poem was written by Anahita Atashi, as a 9th grader at Roosevelt High School with WITS writer-in-residence Jay Thompson. Performed at the Seattle Arts & Lectures Literary Arts event with Malcolm Gladwell at Benaroya Hall on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.