September 4th, 2020
Feeling the Fall
Leaves fall to the ground
The ground makes a sound
The tree sways, wild in the wind
And the world seems kind
The world shakes with thunder
Gravity strikes back with wonder
People catch a glimpse of the earthquake
And they seem to break
Children stand near the dawn
Singing their own song
I wash up on the shore
Just to explore
Today is a new time
And I will write a rhyme
But the oceans are lacking
Why are we slacking?
Ilana Drake is a rising senior at the High School for Math, Science, and Engineering. Ilana is a Seed in Seeds of Peace, a Rising Voices Fellowship alumna, a mentee in Girls Write Now, and a Bridger in YouthBridge-NY. Ilana served as a Young Leader of Manhattan and her work has been featured in Bright Lite, Highly Indy, The Forward, The Times of Israel, Jewish Women’s Archive, jGirls, Blue Marble Review, Crossed Paths, Fresh Ink for Teens, The Youth Voices Network & Day One “All of Love’s Vibes” zine, Girls Write Now blogs, Girls Write Now Anthologies (2019, 2020), and YouthBridge-NY blogs.
Ilana wrote "Feeling the Fall" because of climate change and her fear that we are not acting fast enough. She was struck by Greta Thunberg's unwavering commitment to fighting climate change, and she recognizes that this issue will be of the utmost importance to her generation.