2021 CLAIRE KEYES UNDERGRADUATE POETRY AWARD RUNNER UP

Isabel Welch

CHANGING SEASONS

A French-style house

 with emerald green window boxes,

 and shutters,

 and a door to match

The sky runs clear

 until the clouds come overhead

The dark’s arrival signals for

The Repose of the flowers

They lie in their beds

and the father retreats to his

No one stirs until the color comes back into our cheeks,

And a bud rises from the ashes

Isabel “Izzy” Welch is in the class of 2022 at Salem State University. She is a political science major. She has a strong passion for her major and environmentalism, as well as a great fondness for reading and writing. In addition to her work in her field of study, she has a radio show on campus at WMWM Salem 91.7 FM called “Checks and (Chemical Im)Balances.”