Mutiny

• Rachel Ryu, Grade 9
• Poetry
• 2012

The spectrum of summer reflected by the Sun. The bright laughter and gleeful shouts. Barefoot, they run round and round, drumming the surface with synthetic yet delicate rhythms. But She is never satisfied with Her creative players. A sudden noiseless break in the sky, followed by its neighbour, the thunder’s groan, evokes a shriek. Then another. And another… The picturesque scene burns under Her rage, morphing into a world of ashes. Her ordeal merciless as the one of a tyrant. A grey eagle circles the now blackened sky. Its fierce eyes give way, tears rolling down, the noble eagle unable to find nourishment for its famished offspring. As the melancholy eagle retreats, Mother Nature emerges. Trees fall helpless under Her feet, suppressed by Her authority. Man-kind is silent, unseen in the blackout. She spectates this theatrical performance, created by Her own supremacy. She grieves for more tragedy, with her tears constant. She signals her players to continue, applauding as they restrain from the spotlight. But one of Her entertainers boldly surfaces from the shadows and into the spotlight. His eyes of the most alienating lights stare directly at Her. Infuriated, yet alarmed, she cries out as to upset this vulgar creature who dares to look at Her with demanding eyes. The corners of his lips twitch at Her outrage, amused by her temperament. His muscles move in a customized motion, forming a smile brighter than any other. She, taken aback by his action, is baffled by the audacity of the human-kind. She sends all her powers to obliterate this lone human. He, indifferent of the drench of his clothes and the groans of thunder; he, understanding Her one and only weakness; he, with the incomparable courage of man-kind, starts to laugh.