“As Winter Arrives” (Winter Contest Honorable Mention)
by Nik Shultz
I’ve never loved autumn like I did this year
Turning over the leaves with gentle kicks
Harvesting the fruit of years
While fresh growth keeps going
Even as it grows cold
And I remember things I have forgotten
And search for my heavy coat
And feel my skin grow dry
As the sky grows dark
And the work piles up
And my hope still holds

Nik Shultz is one of the previous editors of The River and a senior Creative Writing BFA student at UMF. They have been published in the Ripple zine, and the UMF Honors Journal, and have a piece which will be in the upcoming Sandy River Review issue. They are also Vice President of the UMF Writers’ Guild.
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