I’m Ella Hassler. I’m fifteen years old and a freshman in Kent City Schools. I felt separated from so many people this past year. It was hard to gain back those connections. It was almost like I had forgotten those memories. Almost. Here is my poem:
We liked neighborhood picnics in our backyard,
cars lined down the street,
pesto hot on everyone's plates,
kids running around playing capture the flag.
Until one two-week shutdown became two months,
then half a year,
and then to where we are now.
Gone are those similes and happy faces,
replaced by the blank looks
caught in time by the blaze of a screen.
Only until people trust in you, dear vaccine,
can the world begin to become alive again.