Fainting Goat

If I have a daughter, I will name her 

Sylvia.

A big name,

A burgeoning hope.

Sylvia.

today i am sixteen,

but in five days i turn seventeen

i lie on the bridge between my childhood,

and the promising future ahead of me.

as i held dearly onto my most beloved stuffed animal,

Salty.

I lick my lips, trying to clean my face. Then I remember, I am not a cat. I lift my hand to my eyes to dry the tears the old fashioned way. They are cold. I am holding hands with myself. 

How did we get here?  
With a man who lies  
and stirs the storm,  
who turns hate into headlines  
and power into a joke.

School’s great. I *love* waking up early  
to sit through hours of stuff I’ll forget.  
Lunch? A gourmet mystery I’ll never solve.  
Tests? Oh, the thrill of failing with style.  

It's out of our control

And so we'll sit and watch

As a despicable man

Takes

And takes

And takes

"Stay strong" 

"Don't give up"

"There's power in silence."