Coco

Her name was Maria 

My mom's friend Maria 

La mariposa she says 

Soy la mariposa 

Because she spread her wings 

To the land of kings 

No shots were fired

No alarms blaring

No sirens

But the gun was loaded

and it was lunch

And there were so many people

What makes me stop and wonder is how are we even here? 

How am I even writing this?

What miracle allowed us to come into existence?

Better question, why us?

Why not the sharks, the birds, the insects?

To be young is to feel the grass growing beneath your feet

And wander through the woods aimlessly

To see the little, quiet things unnoticed by all else

And say,

I saw something beautiful today.

I sit in polished classrooms
behind gates and old brick walls,
arriving in quiet cars
that glide past the lines outside.

Dirt road, springtime

Air wet with snow

Evaporating,

Roads soft,

Like new petals.

Girl, brown hair

Pony tail