The banner of the sky
The stars show up
One by One
Filling the sky with light
Each star a thread
That makes up the tapestry
The banner of the sky
As the sun comes up
The stars unravel
And shows that
Day has come
The anger inside me penetrates through my blood
As I force the feelings of my true self into existence
As I tremble with hatred
I close my eyes to center myself
As I realize who I’m facing
This isn’t just some ordinary person
This is my best friend, little sis,
My look-alike and there’s no way
I’ll win
The fight we had was unjust and stupid
But I won’t let go of my dangerous hopes
Not too easily
I force myself to open my eyes
I take a deep breath and
I speak
I yell with all of my strength and my hatred and my rights
Compiled into my voice in a thickness that just won’t
Let up
As I let out my last words I breathe deeply
As I bring myself back into reality
But as I turn back to my best friend
The look on her face just kills me
I suddenly wake up
It was just a dream
As summer comes
And school ends
I become aware
Of turns and bends
As we hug goodbye
And laugh and cry
We hold each other
Like sister and brother
School ends but relationships
Stay
Summer comes
As we laugh and play
The joy of summer
Is now upon us
As we dance in the breeze
Without any fuss
We go to summer camp
And play outside
Playing games that injured
Only our pride
Summer is full of joy and laughter
Careless children
And popsicles after
It’s full of new beginnings and endings
All of us not knowing
What the future brings
The sweet grass
Is a lush green
It stands tall, unafraid
Of what is to become of it
The dew of a Saturday
Morning hangs onto the grass,
Hoping, hoping
The grass grows and shortens
Is and isn’t
Knowing of what could be
As it possesses the secrets
Of the world
A lucky thing is a 4 leaf clover,
Something people would like to find,
Brings them luck,
Sometimes joy,
But that is nothing compared to a best friend,
Rarer than a 4 leaf clover a best friend is always there,
A clover shrivels and dies but a friend never does,
A best friend is the luckiest person in the world because they have you,
But you are even more lucky because you have them too,
And they are still people so they have feelings that can be hurt by anyone,
Even you.
We make mistakes that hurt each other and need time to heal,
But as long as they are your best friend they will forgive you eventually,
And you must be careful because while they will normally forgive you,
They can disappear too,
That is why, if you have a best friend,
You are truly the luckiest person in the world,
And why a best friend is even rarer than a 4 leaf clover,
A lifelong bond, from them to you.
I am from
The dusty libraries
That fill the cities
I am from the
Sweet ocean air
That sweeps my hair
As I walk the streets of dawn
I am from my past
My future
My present
I am from warm blankets
Out of the drier
On a cold Saturday morning
I am from the sweet chimes
Of music that fills the air
As the wind brings it
Home
I am from the life
My parents gave me
I am from the swish
Of the trees in the afternoon
Hours
I am from the work and hope
That my family brought
To the world
I am from the hope of my mother
And the determination of my father
I am from laughter and childhood
That is filled with dolls and blankets
And happiness
I am from the forests filled
With green and blue
And yellow and orange
I am from pancakes
Fresh off the stove
And Fireflies that dance
After sunset
I am from the cold
Sand that seeps through
The cracks between my toes
And the soft breeze that dances
Across my cheeks
I am from the joy and peace
That we worked hard to build
I am from warm snuggles
From my parents on a frigid
Soccer field of freshly mown
Grass in the early morn
I am from the soft push
Of my fathers hand behind the swing
As I laugh and swing through the air
Trailing my hands over the wind that
Gently floats through the air
I am from jokes and silliness
And games and family
Movie nights on the floor
With popcorn spilled on our laps
As we shake with laughter
I am from the soft licks
Of a dog
That takes the salty tears
Off my cheeks
Gentle as ever
I am from time and time again
I am from mistakes and success
I am from love and adrenaline
I am from the strong hand of poetry
The expectations in the air
Linger
An ongoing heat that is pushed around
The movement of students is stiff
The teachers are stern
Students learn
But the expectations rise
Like the temperature in the summer
It chokes me and astounds me
The heat is caught in my throat
And the teachers´ voices bounce
In my head
Building up in clumps
The classes are hard
But the curriculum is harder
I breathe through the fog
And struggle to relax
To work
But the teachers push and push
And the kids shove and shove
All of them pushing me to the ground
I am crushed in the movement
As the words and numbers
Stomp on my chest
I try to breathe
To struggle
To learn
But it comes back
As I try to relax
Closing in on me as I scramble
To trap my thoughts
But I´m trapped
And lost
It was a foggy morning
In Champaign
And through the fog
Emerged a glimpse
Of sorrow
Children walked the streets
Unsure of what it was
Sorrow was new
And sad
And scary
Sorrow walked up
To a child
Sorrow poked the child
In the back
The child collapsed and cried
Children swarmed
Tried to get away
But sorrow filled their hearts
Sorrow stabbed their backs
A girl stood on a rainy day
In the dark
She looked sorrow in the face
And said
¨No¨
Sorrow tried harder
But the girl was persistent
¨No¨ she said
Over and over and over
¨You won’t ruin me¨
Sorrow swept away
And disappeared from sight
The city worshiped the girl
But she was modest
One day a small boy asked
¨What is your secret?¨
The girl looked surprised
For she had grown
And was no longer a little girl
She bent down and whispered
In the child’s ear
¨Spirit¨
Tears fall from the face of a child
She looks to her computer
To find a bad score
On the MAP test
She cries and cries
The pain of the failure seeps into her heart
It takes her soul and leads her to a dark place
She calls
Alone
She calls into the darkness
But her voice jumps back to her
She stares at the shadow in her mind
And lays in the cold darkness
She curls into herself and flees to the cold
She cries and cries
As the shadow takes hold
The drip of her tears lands on her lap
And spreads through her body
Taking everything in its path
Her body is darkness and her mind is shadow
She screams in rage and cries of fear
And all the while
She cannot hear
A sound
Thanking and giving
Dancing and singing
I love the feast,
The warm mashed potatoes,
The bread filled with yeast
And made with all doughs
The smell of pumpkin fills the air
As kids sit in a circle and take turns with dares
We sit at a table filled with warm treats
And a delicious feast
We talk and laugh,
Taking our time
Family together,
Loving each other forever
Memories are sweet and unique
They help us understand all we seek
But memories don’t define us
We should never make a fuss
Chances are earned
Useless memories are burned
But thanksgiving reminds us
Of all that we are grateful for
To remember those who fought in the war
Afraid of doing less and instead doing more
I am grateful for my happiness and I stand for those who have less