to witness firsthand
how beauty manipulates
turns day into night
to accept my fate
i must turn the other cheek
and kill with kindness
i’ll never woo them
with the same sneaky tactics
beauty’s lost to me
her heart will turn black
before her scent leaves their back
only then they’ll know
beauty’s lease is short
but sorrow lasts forever
in a broken heart
absenteeism
shuffles in a class bully
to begin my day
meeting turned sour
by news of favorite students
choosing other schools
(but i don’t blame them
after my reception here
and structure-less rules)
lunch: a cruel email
brings sixty minutes on hold
all for eight digits
if i had those numbers
for what i should earn each day
this wouldn’t matter
dean’s accusation
ends my locked-door afternoon
loss, theft, and questions
at home, door swings wide
my baby with arms open
smile bright as birth
we draw skating paths
multicolored chalk, sunsets
stress melts into love
Modeled after “Harlem” by Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream unrealized?
Does it disappear
like the morning mist?
Or wallow in sorrow
like a lover unkissed?
Does it bubble up
like a blister from a burn?
Or fall to ashes
like a loved one in an urn?
Maybe it just weeps
like a lost child.
Or does it run wild?
icy wonderland
perfect for dolls and yoga
warm inside Sunday
wrapped up for movies
stovetop cinnamon popcorn
cuddles all around
this is what love is
the everyday joys measured
with quiet moments
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