My name is Serenity Hicks, and I am a student at Chester High School. I enjoy writing poetry and exploring personal experiences through words, especially stories about change and growth. When I’m not writing, I like spending time with my grandparents, listening to music, and discovering new hobbies. I hope my poems can connect with others and show that even in difficult times, there is hope and strength.

This poem, “Shifting Seasons,” is inspired by the changes in my life over the past year- moving in with my grandparents, leaving my siblings and old friends behind, and starting at a new school. It explores the quiet loneliness that comes with sudden change, as well as the small moments of comfort and hope that help me keep going. I wanted readers to feel both the weight of loss and the subtle strength it takes to adapt to new circumstances. The imagery of shifting weather and seasons mirrors the emotional storms and calm moments in life. Ultimately, the poem is about learning to survive and grow, even when the world feels uncertain.

Shifting Seasons

March mornings feel different here.
The house is quiet,
Without my siblings’ bickering,
Without the laughter that once bounced through my old rooms.

I watch the sunlight shift across Grandma’s kitchen,
Sip my coffee slowly,
And wonder if the walls remember
The life I left behind.

Old friends fade like snow melting in March,
And my old school is only a memory
That aches in the quiet of my mind.

I walk halls that are not mine,
Trying to learn new names,
Searching for laughter
That doesn’t yet belong to me.

Change is a storm I didn’t choose,
Pressing against my chest,
But in the wind, I feel it:
I am learning to bend,
To grow.
To survive
Even when the world shifts
Like clouds chasing the sun.

Grandma’s smile is steady,
A small warmth in this strange new season,
And I realize that even in silence,
Hope returns-
Soft, stubborn, unstoppable.

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