Today we are featuring Inklings Book Contest 2016 finalist, Julie Shi! Julie finished 4th grade this year and submitted a poem called “The Tree of Happiness” We loved Julie’s use of details in her poem. Enjoy!
The Tree of Happiness
By Julie Shi
There is a Tree of Happiness,
Happiness it brings.
It can calm down angry dinosaurs,
It can make the lovebirds sing.
There are actually more than one of these trees,
And they all can be anything.
A cookie or a crumb,
Or lots of diamonds rings.
Different objects, different styles,
Humans from different races.
Different cultures, different ways,
From our planet’s many faces.
These trees are found in every hole,
Every crevice, every nook.
In fact, they are everywhere,
If you care to look.
These happy trees are ‘round the world,
Or in a person full of mirth.
From a solid, black stone,
To a baby at its birth.
Every leaf, boulder, stream,
Every bubble, horse, grape.
Every little, little pebble,
To a big, great ape.
These are all trees of happiness,
Whether you recognize it or not.
They all radiate happiness,
Even a simple flower pot.
The leaves on happy trees
Never ever droop,
The birds around these trees are free,
They’re never kept in coops.
The flowers on these special trees
Are very, very colorful.
The sound that these trees radiate
Are never monotonous, never dull.
When you are with these awesome trees,
Nothing ever can go wrong.
There is sunshine, rainbows, excitement,
Lots of laughter, and so on.
These trees bring peace
Wherever they go,
Leaving trails of joy,
But never sorrow.
They correct ancient wrongs,
Make everything right.
They turn on our lights,
Leave us in the bright.
If you’re optimistic and observant,
And you work so very hard,
You will find these trees, step by step,
Foot by foot, yard by yard.
