Poetry Festival will be held:

Saturday, April 27, 2024

2017 Winner

An Elegy to Innocence

I remember

the days of freedom when

the only times I knew

were breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The sun was

the only clock we needed.

 

I remember

dangerous journeys down the stairs

intrigued by the glow of a screen

that my parents watched,

and confused by the beeps, not yet knowing

the Morse Code of censorship.

 

I remember

I trusted my friends

because why wouldn’t I?

I was what they were,

and they were what I was.

A kid.

 

Now I try

to remember clear skied summer days,

but they are clouded with time.

A schedule crams my head,

forcing out times

too simple.

 

Now I try

to remember the taste of soap

when I hear those

words.

But my tongue is numb

to the words I never heard.

 

Now I try

To remember all the friends

that are no longer.

Years weigh me down, and I forget

faces, places. The times when I was

A kid.

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Brian Doolan

Gonzaga College High School

Grade: 12