Finalist

Berwick

 

I am from the brown water in a lake caged

From the Corps’ walls that greet the sun

I am from the cabin on the water

And the hand-built dock, littered with extensions of friends

I am from the tall cypress that move with the wind

From the hushed conversations the willows have with morning

I am from the fog off the water

And the winds from the south

I am from wax myrtles, hydrangeas and the scent of burnt sulfur.

I am from the mismatched eyes of our faithful Catahoula

And the crisp boat rides, trying to outrun December’s chill

I am from the Basin, watching the sun fall below the wall of man

---

Billy Creed, age 16

Denham Springs, Louisiana

LSU Lab School

Teacher: Connie McDonald