- Poem by Min Kyung Lobb, Grade 11

- Essay by Traci Harms

It was a gorgeous morning in June that I was spending at my grandparent's house. All of my little cousins did not understand the concept of a peaceful morning and it seemed like they just kept getting louder and louder. There was no way I was going to be able to take the unbearable noise that kept coming from their large mouths. I needed some time to myself to sit and enjoy the amazing day. I decided to step outside and bask in the sunlight and just get lost in my dreams where nobody would have the chance to bother me.

As I opened the huge patio door, I knew I was entering my throne of solitude. The first step out the door proved to me that this was going to be a place where I could spend my morning in peace. Everything was perfect and it was comparable to a utopia that I could only imagine to find in my dreams. The bright yellow sun was beating down on me like I was the only person it had to please. There was a slight, fresh breeze that combined with the sun to make it the perfect temperature for any person. With each step that I took I got deeper and deeper into the fairyland that I was creating.

As I walked toward the hammock with my bare feet, all I could feel was the cold, wet dew that splattered from the lush green grass to my body. A cute little bunny surrounded by fluff scurried right in front of me just as I was passing the fountain. I reached the hammock and plopped down suddenly, just to get lost in my thoughts. I thought about how sensational it was to be alone and not have to worry about anyone or anything else.

As I was laying there staring at the clear blue sky I could hear the trickle of the fountain and the neighbor's dog whimpering for food. I rolled over on my side to watch all the different critters go on with their part in nature. I saw a small, gray spider spinning his web between two branches of one of the broad oaks holding up my hammock. I could see a colorful butterfly fluttering gracefully around without a care in the world. There was also a busy little bee collecting pollen from a nearby lilac.

The fragrance of the assortment of flowers was so sweet I could almost taste it. My grandma meticulously put each flower in its correct place so she could make her backyard the best in town. I could hear all the birds in the neighborhood chirping in their own little language. I was starting to get lulled to sleep by the peaceful buzz of somebody mowing their lawn in the distance but the smell of my dad starting the grill kept me awake. Just as I took a sip of the tangy lemonade that my grandma had brought out to me moments before, my cousins figured out where I was. They came outside into my grandma's backyard pounding on drums as if they were the drum line in a parade, interrupting my fantasy. The best of my day was coming to a close and it was time for me to face what the world had to throw at me.

It was the best morning I had experienced in months. It was so surreal and there was nothing else that could have made it better. It was if I was in my own fantasyland and everything was just as I would have it. Everything pleased me and I was as happy as a three year old on their birthday.

That was one of the best days of my life and if I ever need to go to a happy place I just put my mind in my grandmother's backyard where I know everything will be just like paradise.