Menlo School student shares poem, photo in advance of Voices of Hope concert

Emails Menlo School sophomore Thadeus Weng:

“My poem is part of a performance I’m in this Sunday, March 8, at 4:30 pm called Voices of Hope — a show about Mental Wellness that brings in outside speakers and performers. It takes place in Spieker Center Auditorium at the School.

“For my piece, I’ll be playing classical and contemporary music alongside a slideshow of photos and artwork made by professional artists Robin Stearns and Manuel Sosa, Menlo student Bella Porten, and myself. My poem [below] will be read at the very beginning.

“This year all proceeds from the fundraiser performance will go to the arts education non-profit Agastya, that provides education and arts enrichment to economically disadvantaged children and teachers worldwide.

Buy tickets online.

Winter
Winter is Coming
The deep gray sky rolls over the compound
The wind howls as one
The cold is shunning
The leaves are falling
torn away by the mocking wind
People laugh and walk on them
As they crack and break beneath the crowds
People pass by without looking
I am
yet another leaf for them to stomp on
Mercilessly forgotten
in the ground
Winter
The cold
What have I become
Where have I gone
As the sun is setting,
I watch the hounds surround
I stay helplessly
I am crumbling
My purpose never found
The cold has been punishing
But as the sun warms my face in the morning
I have fallen and merged with the ground
The cold and the wind are drowning
The hounds are nowhere to be found
And winter is losing ground
@Thadeus Weng 2026

Photo by Thadeus Weng (c). 2026