We have
Some of the highest test scores
Some of the highest placing graduates
Some of the more expensive neighborhoods
And our teams and ensembles
Are nationaly recognized

We also have
At least one trafficking incident in every school
At least one suicide per school per year
Drug deals so rampant every student has seen one by the time they graduate
Fights in the hallway almost every day
And school counselors who can tell you all about what classes you're best suited for
But who can't give halfway decent advice for life

To see a heart as it really is-
A pumping mesh of blood and tissue-
And know that love,
The truest kind,
Is disconnected.

Why is it harder
to write in a mind-set
NOT befuddled by the bad things?

Why does my tongue
struggle to find the words
whenever the violent phrases and curses
are NOT escaping my throat?

Why does my pen
fail to slice open the paper and bleed,
whenever it is NOT under threat
of snapping between my fore-finger and thumb?

Why is it always harder
to say what i want too
without inexplicably
NOT BECOMING YOU.

Evening sky
White and grey
Silver and blue
Textured before my eyes
Describe the heavens
Above me
As I rest on earth

I sway and pass
Between
Parallel lines
And liquid bodies
Entertain my eyes

This experience
Can not contain me
I choose to live
I choose to be

Fields of long grasses
Sway in the
Iridescent light

A canal of greenery
Ushers me safely
Home

Home

A thousand miles away
Candles burn
Quietly
Fluttered by breezes

For some
Time is running out
For me
Time is rushing in

The future
The future
Ever open and waiting

Communities of winged creatures
Gather together in the humidity of the evening
Perhaps a greater consciousness
Directs their dance
Down
Up
Over
Side
Down
Up
Repeat
Repeat

Gather together for the wonderful dance
Stay with the group
Always together
Dense in the middle
Shimmering vibrations
Sharing your aerial choreography

The closer together
The more intricate the flight
Not one on top
Not one leader
Togetherness
In the dance
Of evening

It is a time of day
To rest the body
Absorb the birdsong
Breathe the fragrant air

To compose poetry
To write verse
A poetic time of day

Evening skies
Blue and white
Drift overhead
Blue
And
White

Blue
And
White

I have a headache from dreams clawing to break free.