Ella Staats, who has just completed her freshman year at Burlington High School, has had her work published by Young Writers Project many times, including this piece which recently appeared in YWP’s digital magazine, The Voice.
Wherever You Are
By Ella Staats
Grade 9, Burlington High School
Wherever you are,
I hope you're happy.
I hope your life has come together,
that your mind isn't so cluttered,
that you've sorted through
the layers of yourself
and decided which ones are worth keeping.
Wherever you are,
I hope it's peaceful.
I hope you wake each morning
knowing the hours are long
and the day is even longer,
and that the land is kind,
and the world is waiting for you.
Wherever you are,
I hope it's warm.
I hope the sun spills over your shoulders,
and the breeze flutters your hair;
that the earth radiates warmth,
and the sky is the kind of blue
that makes everything okay.
Wherever you are,
I hope it's better.
I hope you've found yourself
and everything else you were searching for,
although I never quite figured out
what that could be
because it seems like you had it all.
Wherever you are,
I still hope you'll come back.
