"Humanity’s Playground" by Charlie Rayford (Washington County)

In fields where dreams are sown like seeds, 
We dance on earth that holds our feet, 
Where mountains rise, and rivers flow, 
In each sunrise, our spirits grow. 
With hands that build and hearts that soar, 
We shape the world, we seek for more, 
Through trials faced, and storms endured, 
We find our strength, our hope assured. 
From oceans deep to skies of stars, 
Our playground stretches wide and far, 
Together here, our voices sing, 
Of every soul, and every wing. 
So laugh and learn, fall down, then rise— 
For in each fall, a wisdom lies, 
This world, a place to love and roam,
For all is one, and all is home. 
When time has come, we’ll sail the sea, 
Join this beautiful journey with me.
With calls of the winds, that howl and wail, 
It may be rough, but please don’t bail.

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Charlie Rayford, twelve, is a seventh grader from Vanceboro. About “Humanity’s Playground”, they said, “When I wrote this, I actually put my feelings into it, instead of the silly pieces that I usually make.” Charlie is an artist and a writer. They also like video games. They have a VR. Their favorite animals are pigs.