Stone Soup

Where young artists paint the world with words

The international magazine of stories, poems, and art by young writers and artists. Published continuously since 1973.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Stay updated with our latest stories, poems, and news delivered to your inbox.

MOPING ALONG MUDDY RIVER

On a cold winter morning I have a class
At the Museum of Fine Arts.
The frosty wind awakens me.
I turn to the river and there,
Like a still life created overnight:
Muddy ice, shaped like dirty brushes,
A mallard crossing to the other side,
A plastic bottle floating in the water hole.
As I run up the granite steps
I know what to paint today.

Tatiana Rebecca Shrayer
Tatiana Rebecca Shrayer, 13
Brookline, Massachusetts