Battle Cries

One girl’s lanky frame against the dark turf field,

lit up by fluorescent lights 

She saunters toward the building 

holding another girl’s hand

They make two playful shadows 

confident together 

Another girl 

wide eyed and frustrated 

Her bangs, too tired to lift themselves up, 

hang limp against her forehead 

She’s worried about money 

like all of us do 

because college is creeping closer 

and the government might not come through 

A woman in sleek brown pants 

and a sweater the color of whipped cream

She faces us 

like a head of state making a national address

Her shoulders are strong

but her eyes betray her 

Next goes the jaw 

then the lips

until her entire face is tensing, teetering 

fighting against itself

What she says is different but the message is the same: 

they don’t care about us,

they have never cared about us,

they will never care about us. 

If an image is worth a thousand words 

then let these be my battle cries.