The soft summer breeze
kisses my cheeks.
The blazing summer sun,
leaves its mark on me.
My skin has turned, from
an orange pale to a creamy brown.
This is my happy place.
Where,
I have to wear a life jacket everywhere.
Where I can lie outside all day long.
I jog over to big red.
Start to climb.
I reach the top
and marvel at the magnificent view.
The boats in the distance rocket past.
Our next-door neighbors are
going down their slide.
My uncle Ross and my dad below me,
yelling at me to jump into the water.
It is a fifteen-foot drop.
My head is queasy,
my legs quake,
my heart pounds.
I take a step, jump.
I feel like I’m flying, as I soar through the air.
Then I hit the water with a big smack.
As I plunge into the murky depths.
The darkness welcomes me.
Then starts to lift me back up.
My life jacket reaches the surface first,
then my head.
I gasp for air.
I open my eyes to my world.
I wish I could stay in this place.
Where the under-sea creatures live peacefully,
Where the water is green,
Where if you dive to deep,
You get seaweed in between your toes.
But like all dreams, I have to wake up.
Riley Ball is going into eighth grade at St. Patrick’s Catholic School in Rolla, Missouri. This year in her English class she was introduced to poetry. Her poem My Happy Place, was based on her experiences at the Lake of the Ozarks where her family has vacationed since her dad was a baby.