Nature's Secrets of Irony

Delicate roses blooming amidst a garden of blithely cold snow

Riding on a russet brown thoroughbred stallion, caught in a treacherous blizzard, with not one flake on the trail

The amethyst purple, raging crimson, vibrant orange, and green autumn leaves covering the tall oak trees in the lonely, bare days of January

A warm apple cider stand in October without any beverage to quench your thirst

The pounding roar of closely knit storm clouds; radiant strikes of electrifying lightning; the defeating rhythm of the torrential downpour during the middle of a dry, unbearable drought

The foamy sea of waves, crashing to the lush grass

The pristine and rich colors of a perfectly formed rainbow in the charcoal midnight sky

Aiming for the moon, looking beyond the clouds for your dreams, and reaching for the stars when the sky is falling

Things may never appear as they seem, caught between a reflection between fantasy and reality

Up in the hands of Mother Nature

Spinning around us in hushed voices,

Whispering secrets of irony

Amy Olejniczak, grade 8, Orchard Park Middle School

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Readers 18 and younger are welcome to send their original poetry to Poetry Corner, NeXt, Buffalo News, P.O. Box 100, Buffalo, NY 14240, or e-mail to next@buffnews.com. Please include name, age, grade and school. Poems must be typed and cannot be returned.