.png)
4am British Summer Time
by Bethany Addo-Smith (United Kingdom)
July 2021
Audio: "4am British Summer Time," read by Bethany Addo-Smith
I drink the elderflower air,
poured by the 4am sky,
untouched by eyes.
I try to bottle up my true Summer morning.
The dawn mosquitoes turn to Mozart,
and the sun fills the cracks in the leaves,
like ginger beer,
evoking the fizz of the apple trees.
I sit upon the countertop,
the one beside the open window.
A mulled tangerine breeze,
soaks the distant cathedral chime.
The chaffinch shares the same nectar.
He giggles and wades with the lavender,
chest red and rusted from the Winter,
now revived to an aurora peach.
A stained glass imprint on the kitchen floor,
casted by the shadow of a vase,
forming a gargoyle shape.
Sunlight fills in the gaps.
I cannot believe that Winter will come again.
Contemplating as to whether,
black coffee suits the weather.
But I’m still full of elderflower,
and sparkling ginger beer.
Bethany Addo-Smith, age 17, is a sixth-form student, living in Lincolnshire, UK. Nature is her biggest inspiration, motivating her to study planetary science and prompting new poems for her environmental poetry series. In this piece, her goal was to express how rich a good morning can make us feel.
Are you a young writer who wants to be published in Write the World Review, or is there a young writer in your life (relative, friend) who should be published in Write the World Review? Learn how here!
Celina Johnson
3/15/23, 5:10 PM
I am seeing all of your comments, and BLESS YOU ALL, thank you so much for wishing me well on this journey, your kind words will certainly help me get there! ❤️❤️
Here's my linkedin, just in case:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/celinasjourney
I hope I can do that lol
3/13/23, 3:01 AM
Holy_Grail
3/10/23, 6:30 PM
You write beautifully and with so much passion. Wonderful writing Taieba,
LRD
2/28/23, 3:57 PM
"I am trying to tell you wish I were a boy
but you mis-trans-late the words and hear
wish I were less of a girl." This is my favourite statement from here! A trans-formative piece :)
Denise Cyrus
2/28/23, 5:26 AM
What a wonderful piece of writing! I cannot wait to see how you will change the world for the better with your words! I am proud of you and am even prouder to call you my friend!
John Strebe
2/27/23, 11:43 PM
Fun to read, causing me to want to make one of these creations and the devour the result. Sophia, thanks for sharing your creativity with us
Lilies and Peonies
2/27/23, 7:00 PM
Wow, you have been through so much. What a terrible time to be living through, so many lives broken, lost, or insecure because of the war. I'm praying for you that God would protect you and your family, and that he would keep you until the war ends.
Ray Pauley
2/27/23, 4:58 PM
Sophia is my granddaughter and I am very, very proud of her and her writings. I am sure we will be seeing a lot more of her written words in the future!
Leighton Highley
2/24/23, 7:41 PM
How do I add a poem? <3
Holy_Grail
2/21/23, 6:39 AM
Amazing writing here. I love the force this piece gives. You write so creatively.
Holy_Grail
2/21/23, 6:37 AM
Congratulations on getting published!
Pastel daydream
2/20/23, 10:55 PM
This is IT!