Reid@YWP

i sit by the river 

   and 

           wait

i stand by the ocean 

There's a party in the penthouse

where people come and go

admission is free and based on nothing

and if you go once, you'll never truly leave.

It's not hard to get in, but you won't be invited

They won’t teach me how to be a woman— 
But they’ll notice when I’m not. 
Say I should smile more, try harder, 
Be brighter, quieter, 
Less me, more what they forgot. 

lately i miss owls

the mountains grumble and grow, pushing up around pumpkin shards and lost dreams

who i want to be

who i’m becoming

i feel like a dusty yellow pear

it won't be flashy, showy, or

even remotely special to the untrained eye

but those who've suffered the burden of 

knowing me will understand why

my next trick is magical.

from the seventh grader who

My watch did not enjoy my run in the rain.

This morning before the other humans had stirred,

I woke to the ringing of an alarm that was not my own,

and saw the irresistible rain.

Now my watch doesn't tell the date.