KidSpirit

The Playground in Winter

The Nature of TruthPoetry

Dear Maria,

I wish we could go back to the times when we were young,
You didn’t know what war was, really –
I knew but didn’t care.

Sadness was a far-off thing;
Life was joyous, a constant song
And the beauty of winter wasn’t lost, because we were alone.
There was no desperate cry for peace,
Nor sobs to end it all,
For dancing in the snow was fun, and nothing more:
Just something to do before the dawn.

Things were simpler, then, I suppose
But complicated in their own right.
The trouble with cats who live by the frozen stream
Is that they are free to think
And thinking gets the world to move
And melts the river ice.

Create a rabbit from the snow and burst it in one leap
If you dare, to earn the wrath
Of those who love the rare beast.
Sit upon an osseous throne to raise the roaring cry
Of a tiger that will haunt the dreams of many a child –
Including you and I.
It’s dream from which we can never awake,
A silence we can never break.
Is this the winter song that touched us both
And forged in stone what we loved most?

The river ice has frozen over
Until you come again –
This is a place where winter melts,
And the world’s formed by your hand.

Sincerely,
The Playground in Winter

Swastika Jajoo is 16 and from India. She has embarked on a journey to pursue her degree in English honors from Lady Shriram College in New Delhi. Poetry is her window to the world and writing her passion, addressing the larger issues in life. She is an ardent baker and loves playing with ingredients as much as she loves playing with words. She hopes to make a positive difference in the world and aspires to become a politician as well as a prolific writer.

Like what you're reading?

Check out KidSpirit newsletters, and get more great content in your inbox!

Which newsletters would you like to receive?

Art by Jaden Flach, Brooklyn

Like what you're reading?

Check out KidSpirit newsletters, and get more great content in your inbox!

Which newsletters would you like to receive?

Art by Jaden Flach, Brooklyn