The Poetry Well is a monthly column that showcases island poetry. This month includes a poem by former Vashon teen poet laureate Lily Robinthal.

Jamboree

Grey city sidewalks

Fade into raining

Grey-swaddled sky

Then, out of the corner

Of my eye—

Brightness!

A cotton-candy-cloud

Tulle-skirted cherry tree

Exploding with feathery

Satin-thin silk-shred

petals

And below,

Peach-and-sunset tulips

And a flock of daffodils,

Bright as trumpets

A boisterous carousal of

Vibrant life,

Set against a

Prosaic day,

Parading unbidden

Along the street

Confettied by blossoms

Spiraling down

In little bemused

Curlicues.

Lily Robinthal writes that she is 18 years old and has been fascinated by the English language since she learned to speak it. This led to voracious reading, which in turn led to voracious writing of both poetry and prose. She was Vashon’s Youth Poet Laureate from 2013-2015. Her other passion is science and the wonders of the universe, and in her spare time, she enjoys science fiction and board games. She idolizes Dylan Thomas and Carl Sagan.