loss and grief
— A poem captures the last night before a friend moves to Ireland, from joyful evening to tearful goodbye as she disappears in the rain.
— A quiet moment between a girl and her aging, sick dog captures the tenderness of caring for a beloved pet nearing the end.
— A young boy searches a war-torn battlefield for his father after his mother's death, crossing a freezing river to finally find him through their matching blue eyes.
— A grieving boy finds his dead mother's spirit in a swan at the pond she loved, after dreams tell him to 'listen to it.'
— In a dreary autumn meadow between two oaks, once-flourishing roses now lie shriveled and colorless, their sharp thorns the only remnant of former vitality.
— A boy's beloved husky Breeze becomes a local hero by saving lives, but dies after being injured in a blizzard while seeking shelter.
— A girl remembers her grandfather through visits to a train station and Olvera Street, then recounts his death and what he taught her about time and memory.
— After a weasel kills her beloved rooster Cocky, a girl struggles with guilt over loving a new chick until her mother helps her understand that loving again doesn't betray the...
— After a power outage during a grief support group, a girl searches for her missing classmate and discovers they share a deeper bond through loss.
— A girl recounts the night her beloved family country home burned down, leaving her with physical and emotional scars that teach her about loss and memory.