He Lives in the Chimes

 By: Sofia Smith

I first believed 

that golden brisk 

leaves 

erased his pale, 

empty body. 

I felt as though 

he was gone— 

erased from 

the few 

memories I 

had left. 

Yet 

I realized 

his absence 

wasn't true. 

His voice 

was in the wind 

that blew 

through 

the blossoms.

His laugh 

is the music, 

his presence 

in the chimes. 

He still lives. 

He is not gone. 

It may not be 

through sight, 

but in the quiet 

you can hear him 

as 

each leaf 

drops.

Sofia Smith is a creative writer based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. When she submitted this poem she was a high school senior at The MASTERS Program, also earning college credit at Santa Fe Community College. Sofia graduated last year and is now attending the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa studying nursing. In her free time, she writes to explore her thoughts and emotions. Her poetry often reflects on memory, connection, and the natural world.