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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The Tide of Happiness

I was pulled up,
Only to be sucked back down.
The sea lurched and charged!
My hand reached to clasp my father’s.
Instead I dove
With a new strength,
Fooling the incoming wave.
As I surfaced,
Gasping, laughing,
My father’s hand met my own,
And together we ducked,
The sand churning beneath our feet,
While happiness knocked me over.

the tide of happiness mira bernstein kaufman
Mira Bernstein Kaufman, 11
Woodbridge, Connecticut