Stone Soup

Where young artists paint the world with words

The international magazine of stories, poems, and art by young writers and artists. Published continuously since 1973.

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Dawn

The gray sky wavers
Between day and night.
A distant train whistle blows
Skimming the solidity of the moment.
Quiet again,
The atmosphere is unreal.
No movement,
Other than the occasional rustle
Of wind stirring leaves.
A brave bird calls out,
Unsettled by the silence.
No reply.
The heavens lighten,
Until finally
The sun appears,
Smiling upon the world.
The birds now begin to sing,
A chorus of relief,
All with the same message:
The day has come.

Dawn Sophia Gehrmann
Sophia Gehrmann, 13
Urbana, Illinois