Poetry

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

Love 

Is like light 

Is like a rose 

Growing from the darkened depths 

Of a blackened bramble 

Climbing through the soil 

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

I love you.

I know that’s just me

And you

And there are hundreds

Of millions

Of haters

Of hated.

But I love you.

But you’re my best friend.

I love you for phone calls

the air tastes like honey and promise 

sticky with the scent of blooming jasmine 

and freshly cut grass that crunches beneath bare feet 

the sky drips blue 

stretching wider every afternoon 

"Life isn't about finding yourself.

Life is about creating yourself."

Said the big chalkboard on the wall

In that gym lined with red mats

And chairs and chairs and chairs

I'll never forget

I am delicate,

not fragile,

please handle me as such.

I was crafted,

perfected,

but I will crumble under your touch.

I am easy to break

because I am not meant to be broken,

I found myself in the things I love

In the music I listen to

In the books I read

In the posters on my walls 

I found myself 

In my favorite drink

In going to the beach

In writing poetry