Behind the Avocado Tree by Olivia Corina Hsin

A cold whimper

Calling from the backyard

As he rested across the muck

In his favorite place behind the avocado tree.

His paws cuddled into the sheet of soot.

I lay with him for a while

Looking at me, his eyes filled with innocence.

Looking at him, mine filled with wonder.

Turn

Tell

Gone.

I seek the place behind the avocado tree.

I lay there without the other pair of eyes.

---

Olivia Corina Hsin is a freshman at the University of Notre Dame this year. She is a first-time writer and enjoys creative writing through poetry. She was born in Southern California but grew up in Taiwan. She is half Salvadoran, half Taiwanese, and enjoys incorporating her background into her writing. A message she wants to share that she learned through her writing is that you do not need to ask for permission to write your own story.