Circles

puddle
on the sidewalk
catching tidbits of the rain.

a drop
alights and disappears,
never to show its face again.

farewell.

it leaves no trace,
has pittered its final patter—

but Wait!
a subtle eulogy,
a circle in the water.

ripples
quiver shyly,
spread in wavering rings,

pass on
the humble story
of the pearl-sized submarine.

tangent
circles kiss,
overlap, merge, and fade;

repeat
for generations
in a downpour-long ballet.

until
no clue but one
of the circle dances remains:

puddle
on the sidewalk
stagnant silence after the rain.

---

Willa Chen, age 16
2008 Finalist
Canton, Michigan
Submitted independently