maelynslavik

You shape us

physically and mentally

emotionally and metaphorically

you make fun of us

for finding the flaws

the sketchy parts

in your systems

saying

teenagers these days

i desire maniacal creation

to let words flow past my skin and from my heart

till my skin breaks and my bones ache with their force

till my mind is a muddled mess of focus and their intensity

Three strings

each woven from a different material

braided

into one.

That's us

we're all different

but we found ways to wind our hearts together

how to connect with each other.

Funny, the stupid things I remember.

I never remember the important stuff,

Like addresses or birthdays

Or parties or hangouts

Or last names.

But I remember my second grade teacher's dogs were Rachel and Quimby

birdsong woke us at five a.m., the washed-out dawn

altogether too bright. wake-up bugle wasn't til eight, time spent

rolling over and over listening to the screen doors slam.

it rained the night of our arrival -

big, whooshing gasps of whitewashed rain & thunder that

shook heavy against the darkening skies. dinner went long.

we only sang louder, deafening echoes beneath the storm as