alina

You hope for my demise,
but I refuse to fall.

You push me,
but I refuse to stay down.

You want to see me broken,
but I refuse to give you the satisfaction.

What I wish adults would understand

is that teenagers are just trying to find their place

in this messed up world.

Mom, I'm not trying to be rude to the house guests.

Dad, I can't help my neurodivergence.

What you have for lunch is everything.

Home is where you dream. Where your ideas come to life. A rhythm of thoughts making themselves known, untangled. 

Home. We’re home. I didn’t need to open my eyes. I knew we were home. I knew we were getting close. I had memorized the roads leading from the highway back to the house nestled in the little neighborhood I called home.

I watched news report after news report

broadcasting the devastation of

the Los Angeles wildfires

on national television.

There was a sense of

hopelessness,

like there was nothing