Fainting Goat

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."

I can't shake the feeling

That I'll never be one of them

Girls with lives made of honey and laughter,

Girls with someone who looks at them

Like they're laced with something unknown and magical,