November Poem Contest

Seven Years
by SNGG & Snow White Glitter Girl
Age 12

Seven years.
Seven long, empty years.
Until now.
Until this month, this week, this day, this hour, this minute, this second.
No longer bongs the sad clock every sixty sixty seconds;
No longer do spiders spin their nests
In empty corners;
No longer does anyone care about
The old linoleum,
Peeling from the floor,
As age peels away soul.
Standing in the doorway,
Looking down,
Kicking away the dirt
That lasted through so many sorrows
But then –
A shrill, high call,
Angel’s music!?
Cherubs choiring?
Chimes ringing?
Not believing,
I stretch my neck,
And strain my eye,
And once more does the shout peal,
Clanging through my ears
Like notes sent
From heaven.
Slow, weak steps.
Dying, rasping breath.
But – alive!
And well, as anyone
Can be
With ribs sticking out
Like glaciers in Alaska.
‘A rider meets horse’: four simple words
Better cherished than anything other I’ve heard.
A scraggly mane
And tail
That will shimmer like Orion’s belt
After I’m done with it.
A patchy rough coat,
Soon to be royal,
After I brush it.
Hooves not clipped,
But otherwise mighty,
Will be black ivory
As long as I’m here.
A wet nose that sniffs
At my empty pocket,
And a voice like an angel,
Pure and true.
We approach,
Cautious, careful,
Cherishing the vision,
And after seven and a half steps,
We meet.
Happy and joyful,
Silent and sombre,
Our hearts racing,
I lead the miracle home.