By: Isobel Gaedtke

It was a foggy morning
In Champaign
And through the fog
Emerged a glimpse
Of sorrow

Children walked the streets
Unsure of what it was
Sorrow was new
And sad
And scary

Sorrow walked up
To a child
Sorrow poked the child
In the back

The child collapsed and cried
Children swarmed
Tried to get away
But sorrow filled their hearts
Sorrow stabbed their backs

A girl stood on a rainy day
In the dark
She looked sorrow in the face
And said
¨No¨

Sorrow tried harder
But the girl was persistent
¨No¨ she said
Over and over and over
¨You won’t ruin me¨

Sorrow swept away
And disappeared from sight
The city worshiped the girl
But she was modest

One day a small boy asked
¨What is your secret?¨
The girl looked surprised
For she had grown
And was no longer a little girl
She bent down and whispered
In the child’s ear
¨Spirit¨