My mind will wander to lands my feet will never touch
and I’ll sleep with one eye open waiting for death,
his presence lurking behind every corner I turn
Change will come and go and is, as everyone says,
the only constant.
I wasted too much time here
Regret begs with me, pleads with me;
Why did you wait for death
And forget to live? The slow burn
Of a lingering fire
Fighting with all its will to maintain its flame,
Only finding peace in death.
My grandfather calls for his mother in his sleep
In a foreign land and alone with the night.
Life is always changing, my grandmother says of this
He remains his observant self,
But more so in his sleep
He taught me — Insights he has learned so far —
Life is suffering, And that cannot change
And it must not defeat us or define us.
No matter what it goes by too fast
You call again for your mother,
An ocean away and long gone
You’re so forgetful these days.
In a foreign land that remains a foreign place fifty years later
And still alone.
The slow burn of a lingering fire
Your feet stuck in mud
And eyes looking up to heaven
You call for your mother there,
Fighting with all your will to maintain
Your flame. Will you find your peace?
Grade: 11
Chevy Chase, MD
Washington, DC
My favorite poet is Joy Harjo and my favorite book is Normal People by Sally Rooney.
My dream for my future is to find a profession that makes me happy and ideally continue writing poetry.
I am very inspired by my grandmother as well as both of my parents.