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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Moment of Truth

My last chance,
One more miss
And it’s over,
Cool sweat trickles down my neck.
I risk striking out,
My pride.
My hands tremble
My swing wobbles
My body
Not my own,
I can’t do this.

To everyone else,
A spring day,
Warm and beautiful.
Dandelions cover the field,
The opposite of my emotions.
I worry,
I fear.
The day is too sunny,
I doubt.

I hear the sound,
Loud and clear.
A glimmer of hope sparks inside of me,
A candle in a dark room.

The ball is gone.
It flies with the birds.
The ball touches down
A mile away,
Out of sight.
The candle turns into a torch,
A thousand torches,
The game is mine.
I’m at the top of the world.
“Keep this moment forever.”
A feeling comes to me,
Sweeter than any peach or pie,
Victory.

Moment of Truth Marshall McKenna
Marshall McKenna, 12
Lexington, Massachusetts