Our Book

We were our own book,

Beautiful cover

Containing a

Poetic friendship inside,

Line by line,

Written with ease.

We were on the same page

For six years,

Then suddenly,

You've closed the book,

Disappeared,

But I didn't get to read

What the last line was

When you declared

The book was done

And you

Moved on.

You flipped the page,

Disappeared,

Now I'm in tears.

Cloudy Silver Lining

 Maybe I see the

Silver lining

In every cloud

Because those

Around me

Told me

The low highs

Weren't enough

From me.

Now,

Should I just

Tell lies?

That I'm fine?

That everything around me

Is fine?

I'll tell you

"I'm fine"

And lie

If it makes you happy

While I'm dying.

Goghing to Blossom

The breeze

Brushes through the trees,

Rustling leaves

Ready to fall

Into winter.

Sunflowers still

Somewhere between dead

And alive,

But for now,

Irises bloom with brilliant beauty

Until they are snipped from their stem.

Snipped from their stem,

They may wilt,

But nothing will steal

Their vibrant color

Or ecstatic beauty.

(June 6, 2022)

Attack (Prey)

These red eyes enclose me.

Screaming

Bursting through

My brain.

Attacks

From all sides--

Numb.

I feel

None of it.

It was there

One second

Now gone

In a split second.

Now

I have this fear

I'm being watched.

Hyenas with daggers.

I'm in danger

Not allowed

To move.

I'd turn the lights out

But I feel it's

One step closer

To my lights being

Put out.

Swap

I'm on a hill,

Hyenas below,

Now I'm the one

Grinning.

Fly

As more predators

Come close,

I lose

Their grip,

Spread my wings,

Flying high above,

Soaring,

Circling my new prey. 

(May 29, 2022)

Never Again?

Back in 2018,

Students screamed

"Enough is enough!"

Here we are,

Repeating the same thing

Enough is enough!

We made strides

Nationwide,

Students demanding change.

Enough is enough!

We made signs

And chants

That maybe our voices

Would be heard

And they were.

Enough is enough!

17 minute marches to remember

The 17 students murdered

In the Parkland massacre.

Enough is enough!

We stood

Hand in hand and

As we cried,

We cried out

For the murders

Of our children

To end.

Enough is enough!

For students

Not be required

To learn

"RUN.

HIDE."

FIGHT."

Enough is enough!

Stop taking the problem

And giving it

To students

To learn.

Take it upon yourself

To make

Radical change.

Real change.

These are

Real students,

Real staff,

Real teachers,

Real guns,

Real blood.

How many times

Need we scream

"Enough is enough!"

Until no school

Ever again

Need worry

About guns.

About safety.

How much

Has changed

Since 2018?

When will

Gun reform

Respond

To these

Murders?

When will

"Never again"

Never need

To be said

Again?

(May 25, 2022)