-Poem by Jon Meadows, Grade 8

All of us were there,
on everyday, every month, and every year,
talking, laughing, playing and relaxing,
at our secret spot by the lake.

In the beginning,
we started to shape our territory, limb by limb.
And a bird's pleasant song drifted through the fresh, spring air,
near our secret spot by the lake.

Summer would come,
and we would retreat into the protective shade of our spot,
observing the silent, glistening water,
in our secret spot by the lake.

Soon yellow, red, brown, and orange colored the ground.
The cool, crisp breeze marked the arrival of our windbreakers, and there our spot stood,
dignified and strong, enduring the bombardment of the parachuting army of leaves;
falling upon our secret spot by the lake.

Then the trees were white, as well as our jackets and hats.
One of us always emerged the victor of our many snowball fights,
and when the hulls of our jackets were breached by the wind, all lay motionless,
all except for the brumal breeze which blew through the bare limbs at our secret spot by the icy lake.

And once again, there we were,
with a gentle breeze blowing, and the spring sun in our eyes,
emerging from our hibernation we called winter break.
This is where we would be for many years to come,
talking, laughing, playing, and relaxing,
at our secret spot by the lake.