star

Sometimes I wonder if she even remembers me.

Last night, I stood on a stage, my face basked in flashing, colorful lights, and I finally felt like enough.

It took years, didn't it?
Years of hard work, of tears, of overthinking, of doubt.

I.

The blue sky soars with promise
hope
inspiration.
School can barely even count as school
and before I know it
it's over,
an end
and yet a beginning all the same.
And then it's full of
jumping into the pool

We have been left the embers
of a fire
for us to burn.
We have been left to create
future generations
who will never see snow.
We have been left with a circumstance
that is the doing of our ancestors

We each stood at the front of the classroom in turn,
voices stumbling over the words of the poem
we were forced to recite,
hands twisting, feet tapping,
excited to be back at our desks, where we were
alone
unnoticed
safe.