Editor’s note: In a year rife with opportunities and challenges, Malavika Menon of Grade 9 reminds us about the little things in life that make our struggles worth persevering.

With The Sands of Time
Rosy evening,
Sky so bright;
The clouds thick with swirls of white.
The dewy fields,
Earth wet with rain.
Mud-streaked faces, tangled mane;
My friends and I sprawled on the ground,
Our humming voices, the only sound.
We clutch each other with clammy hands;
Our tales lead off to distant lands,
Where the air is ripe with essence of flowers,
And pixies flit by soaring towers;
Whispering secrets, lilting song.
Mellowing through years, our friendship strong;
I hope these friends best the sands of time,
As it slips through my fingers, crumbing with grime.
Thus comes an end to this lengthy rhyme,
And thoughts of buttercups, brownies, and tinkling chime.

—Malavika Menon, Grade 9