maelynslavik

"Please take care of my human," 

the old cat whispers to the kitten. 

"They are scarred and broken. 

Until my return, 

take care of my human." 

The kitten is listening attentively,

These are my bones-

Perfectly structured, pristine white.

Here, take my skull, that forever grinning phantom reminder,

And keep it in the gold chest that sits by your fireplace.

in the halls, we lean against the bulletin boards

and whisper of the latest news, last night's breaking, articles snagged

in the moments before leaving for school. lots of adults

think we are too young to understand

Catching fireflies

In my palms

Catching snowflakes

On my tongue

Throwing wishes

To the sky

On the wings

Of dandelions

Dreaming

With my head

In the clouds

Begging to stay

They tell me I can trust them with anything.

They tell me not to hide.

They tell me that they won't tell anyone.

But...

They never think about why I can't trust them.

They never think about why I hide.