PhoenixFly

The atmosphere has a sudden, unshakeable stillness-

Unaware of what has been forecasted.

Children push on swings and frolic through fields.

The calm before the storm.

To be a woman,

you have to mask your flaws.

A little girl, upset at the world-

"you're fine," her mother says.

That girl, now eleven,

is picked on by her peers.

"You're fine," her mother says.

Friends come and go.

Some may say like the seasons turn,

but that metaphor's not strong enough for me.

Friendships are like children's toys.

Friends come and go.

A child gets a new toy; gives it a name.

The ocean of my mind swirls-

these waters have been tested.

Sirens sharpen in the distance

as the hurricane names me next.

The wind of panic wraps my neck like a noose-