dandelions

O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Does it?

Is our pride in a land of freedom and bravery? 

There, on the shelf in my attic, hugged by the pictures and drawings my sister had created, these two shoes sit surrounded yet alone.

the year,

just days i crossed off on the calender,

time elapsed too fast for my slow pace,

i sprint to catch up, 

yet i am left behind,

crying,

screaming,

is anyone still here with me? 

sometimes,

i close my eyes

and dream of a world

different from ours,

a world

where things feel less broken,

a world

When did skipping meals become a right of passage? 

A secret society of sickness so many seek to squeeze into, 

But really, not squeeze, rather slip.

i still hold you in my heart, 

where it's safe, 

and you have your place, 

but every once and a while, 

i feel you come out,