Sunflowers
The sky wasn’t blushing; it was inky
I hadn’t seen it anywhere except my own fingertips dipped in gold and blood
The clouds perfectly illuminated my face
And my heart, after he left
I wish I didn’t let him ruin me, ruin my mind
For he pushed me into staining my wrist,
And staining my trust
It’s five in the morning
I don’t know why I’m outside, or why I can’t see the moon
I don’t know who I am;
I’ve forgotten myself like the sky forgets the little stars when the sun rises
Though I know, when the sun comes through in the dawn,
The pinks and oranges will haze across the horizon,
And my iron tears will be there, dropping onto the field
And then it happens
The day breaks,
And so do the clouds on both sides
My face reflects the sun and the roses that bloom
And suddenly,
My heart begins to take root in my soul again
Just as it had before him.
He still left muddy tracks over me
But I finally figured out how to clean the mess he left
And softly, gently, obscurely, in the bottom of my stomach
Hope blossoms,
And the sun rises in my body
For the first time in years
Your donation will support the student journalists of McNeil High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.