Nobody really knew

the girl in the casket.

Including me.

Caroline, was her name?

Or was it Cassidy?

Does it even matter now?

She’s dead.

I remember,

she sat a few seats behind me

in Algebra.

The teacher never called on her,

and she never raised her hand.

The day after she died,

I remember our teacher asking if we wanted to say a few words about her.

We all looked around at each other,

silently...

Why?

Why must I,

a child,

be responsible

for knowing everything

about

shit

I

should

not

know?

I don’t want to hear

about the boy that was shot dead

a mile from my high school.

I don’t want to listen

to the men on TV

explain away my rights.

I don’t want to know

how many innocent people have died

in a war across the ocean.

I just

don’t want

to know....

Can you keep a secret?

I’ve fallen in love.

I’ve fallen in love with the trees outside my bedroom.

They’ve been alive for so long,

and will be alive long after we part.

I’ve fallen in love with the scars on my body.

They aren’t pretty,

but they remind me

of why I must keep fighting.

I’ve fallen in love with the local mall I’ve frequented my whole life.

It is dying.

We must keep it from doin...

“You love me.”

“Yes, yes I do.”

“Why?”

“Why should I not?”

“It’s not beautiful, loving me.”

“That’s okay, I still love you.”

“But why?”

“You make me feel alive again, your perfections and imperfections, they are beautiful.”

“Even my imperfections?”

“Yes, even your imperfections.”

“But how can my imperfections be beautiful, when all I see is the aftermath of a hurricane?”

“I don’t know, they just a...

I grab my sister’s hand

and pull her towards

the cliff edge with me.

She nods slowly in my direction.

Then we jump.

And we are free,

like doves

released at a wedding.

Only we weren’t celebrating

the union of two lovers,

we were escaping

the harsh reality

of our world.

We had been

the caged doves,

looked upon

and laughed at

by our captors.

We were the innocent,

the vulnerable,

the replaceabl...

Worry not, my love,

your scars will heal over,

and new skin will erase

the memories

that haunt you

in your waking hours.

And your voice

will lose the shakiness,

that projects your emotions

into the stratosphere.

And your heart

will calm itself,

and give you a moment of peace,

for the first time in years,

since you were cut down

when you were still green.

Worry not, my love,

that pain isn’t you...

Contrary to

popular belief,

I’ve never been in love.

I’ve never had someone

to be in love with, for one.

And for two?

Nobody has been there

to ever love me.

So I write these romantic poems,

imagining the hands

of my invisible lover

as they caress my cheek

and tell me that

all is right in the world.

And people love these

romantic poems,

and ask me

if I draw from experience.

I never answer,

I neve...

Drowning,

I am drowning.

Drowning in this sea,

this world,

and her unforgiving hand

that which I have been dealt.

I am drowning.

I am drowning.

I am drowning.

Help me,

please.

Force me to reject

the idea that is Death.

Breathe me back to Life,

and keep me afloat

above this ocean

and her wonderful embrace,

that makes me feel alive.

But still,

I am drowning,

and this embrace,

is more like a chokeho...

It is common

to be afraid of the dark,

to be afraid of the unknown.

All humans fear the dark.

But what happens

for those who seek it?

They are the brave,

the reckless,

they care not for

their own selves,

but for

the uncovering of

knowledge,

knowledge we

are afraid of uncovering.

And yet,

they are just as feared

as the dark,

as the unknown,

simply because

they know

the unknown....

And she is still new to this world,

dwarfed by her mother,

her fur like fresh velvet.

What will she see in her short life?

The headlights of a car,

careening towards her?

Down the barrel of a hunting rifle?

And she is so beautiful,

with innocent eyes,

and legs too weak to walk on.

She tries anyway.

And that’s the beauty

of life,

trying,

even if you think

you are going to fail.

Because just lik...