A Girl in a Tree
Artwork by Iryna Tsisaruk, age 15
A girl in a tree sees
Soft clouds and diverse landscapes
Sun holding her closer
Sky’s calling her name
Towers higher then her hope
An unreal world around her
A soft world
A dream world
A girl in a tree feels
Safe because under her is shark infested water
Over her is an escape
Connected to animals who only hurt because of survival
A girl in a tree
Climbs to the top
And never wants to get down
Wants to feel safe
wants an escape
A girl in a tree wants to keep climbing until her last breaths are among the stars
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/marquee-test-akiaisur2rgicbmpehea/PB3WoA6ZSnWakLe3CVhq_Infinity%20for%20bottom%20of%20articles%20and%20poems%20copy.jpg)
Shaël Flessel-Guirand is a 10th grader from Brooklyn, New York. She grew up loving to climb trees because of the freedom and peace that came with each climb. The connection to nature and disconnection from the materialistic world provided her with peace. When she climbed trees she felt powerful.