By: Russ Wells
Shelton Memorial Christian Church, Ulysses
Camp has been such an important part of my life and it really saddens me to not be able to go my final year as a camper. I really can’t think of one moment specifically that would be my favorite. Church camp for me was an entire experience that almost can’t be put into words.
I wrote this poem for my English Composition class and I’m proud to say it was even put into my town’s newspaper. I wrote it trying my best to illustrate the feeling church camp gave me and hopefully to everyone else.
Eternal Peace
Imagine a place…
A safe haven
Where the sounds of nature don’t put you to sleep
But still make you feel at peace
While still keeping your mind active
Keeping your ears searching for a voice
What you’re searching for
You don’t really know
You didn’t realize you were searching for anything
But you will find it
Each moment of silence is a step closer
To finding your eternal peace
Imagine a place where
Nobody sees the bad
Only the good
A place where you feel solitude
But never feel alone
Surrounded by the ones you love
A place where you get to see old friends
For once a year
At the very same place you met
Where your relationships grew
Where you became family
Imagine a place where
There’s no expectations
No grudges to be held
No one to impress
No one to disappoint
A place where
When you think you’re too old to have innocent fun
Shows you that there is plenty of that to be had
A place that breathes childhood
Back into your life
And it feels as if it never went away
Imagine a place where
It never changes after each passing year
Where it looks the same way as you left it
A place that has the same people coming in each year
Making new friends along the way
A place that is the closest thing to heaven
But is only a few hours away
A place that holds my dearest memories
A place that reunites me with my family
Every single year
The place I look forward to
Return from a yearlong break
Is called Camp Tawakoni
The place where I found my
Eternal peace