REMEMBRANCE BY ASHA GRAHAM

Sand painted toes

And salty tongues,

A blood red sunset stains the sky pink,

Yet the days reach no end.

And with a brilliant spark

The sun fuses with the distant horizon.

The spray of the angry waves,

Christens us as we clamber the rocks.

With seaweed hugging our ankles,

And the salted mist possessing our souls.

The torn nets and fading footprints

Calmly remind us of who we used to be.

The crash of the waves rings its own music,

Calling us to become one with its song.

Chilling and familiar,

That’s what the evening brings.

Dry, rotten coconuts scatter the beach,

And the breeze feels strange as it holds us.

Eyes wide open as we taste the view

So in time we are almost happy.

We want nothing,

We have nothing,

Yet the sun is ours;

Still the sea is ours.

And the sand has not forgotten us;

Though we had forgotten ourselves.

BIO: Remembrance earned Antigua Girls High School student Asha Graham third place in the 13 to 17 age category of the 2013 Wadadli Pen Challenge. Her other entry, Revelations Tonight, a short story, won her not only the category but the overall prize. Asha’s been writing since age 10 and is a “wishful thinker” who dreams of being a future bestselling author. Our verdict: her success in this year’s challenge marks her as one to watch…clearly, with talent like this, the bestseller list could very well be in her future if she keeps reading, keeps dreaming, and keeps layering skills unto her remarkable talent. 

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