Fourth Disappointment

She lies there, in her pink pajamas
on her mattress laid out on the
living room floor.
It's been there
ever since I've known her.
Crawling to the kitchen,
she still has a little bit of energy
to squat down and make kim-chee.
My great-grandmother,
named Fourth Disappointment,
who hardly talks or walks,
still smiles when I come
to see her.

---

Kyla Candido, age 12
2009 Finalist
Mill Valley, California
Greenwood School
Teacher: Devika Brandt