Page 47 - HEF Pen & Ink 2022

Clouds (How I wish the world would be) By Drew Gustovich
Once upon a time, there was a choice that had to be made. Saving ourselves or saving the natural environment and its benefits, who for all this time has kept us alive. We chose both, instead....
Reflecting off silver
Stung her eyes
While a bright but navy sunrise stood over top the sky
A silver locket, silver chain, with a slight rise Gripped onto the back of her head’s hair
Once it could no longer cling; a deep fall, eventu- ally reaching ground...
Not the ground from your toes to your scalp Rather a ground miles below your feet
It left a vague echo, mourning a final goodbye... “Goodbye.” She whispered back, lending a final glance.
The below.
A place people like me cannot go,
Rather admire from above
In the below...
Neon sun rays shine through the leaves of fruit trees; condensed, like rain during nights of thun- der
Everything advancing civilization and tech takes place in the sky, above the clouds
Ground gifted us resources; wrapped with bows, allowing for life....
It’s only fair to not mistreat something who has done nothing but supply
So, we live in the sky
Levitating
Higher than birds; higher than kites
We’ve heard rumors about ground where its own people allowed theirs to ignite,
Up in flames of orange light
But here, a taxi stays in flight to avoid the place people like me cannot go,
Rather admire from above...
We watch sharks with teeth whiter than the snow, covering sections of the below
We watch fungi with powers to heal, grow throughout the sweaty jungles
We watch the ocean dance in synchronicity
Yes, parts of ground come here, above the clouds Only, we take no more than needed
And do not venture to the below in crowds
No suffering lives here
There is not a reason for deception, leaders, mar- keting, currency, or power here...
Here, we share
Here, we are family
Here, we create
Here, we build
There is a lot of room in the sky to watch na- ture’s colors, dance with resources
It is beautiful, above the clouds; even when the rain cries below our feet
It is peaceful, above the clouds
I first arrived here, a small child, with nowhere to live, I was viewed as another mind, more ideas, and memories.
I was seen as a living being. Not a number, not a burden
Now I live in a large hollowed out tree. Beautiful paintings, my favorite Netflix show, and a canopy bed strung with vine curtains; await inside, chattering together while I’m not around
A smell of fresh pine always fills the air, steam- ing off my naturally scented pine floor
The tree has life, I have shelter. Win, win Things are comprisable here
Why destroy a life to build a shelter when one can have both?
Why replace nature with civilization when one can have both?
That is why we live above the clouds
A compromise we have composed
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