maybe in fifty years,
she thinks,
she will stop feeling his finger-shaped bruises
on her hips and arms.
stop hearing his words—you think you can stop me, little girl?—
in every passing "are you okay?".
stop feeling the wind like a ghost of his acid breath
on the back of her neck
beautiful, beautiful, beautiful little girl.
maybe fifty thousand dove soap bars later
and too many scalding showers
and dusty baby blankets and days spent lying in bed,
looking up at the water stained ceiling,
will be enough to leave the man
on the corner of anderson street and rosa parks avenue
right where she never wanted to find him.
just ask her,
caitlin musgrove is the definition
and prime example of the fact that
the very worst of things happen to the very best of people.
(warning: this is a cancer story.
this is a mother and daughter story.)
fact:
when caitlin grades quizzes, she writes a smiley face
on the top of the paper if you did well, or a
an even bigger smiley face if you didn't.
i didn't know caitlin's mom had cancer until
a couple of months ago
because caitlin's not only strong, but her damnation
might be the fact that she hides everything until she can't anymore.
but maybe that's also because she didn't want to tell me.
and that's understandable.
we're not
The greatest artist in my first grade class
Drew me a picture.
It's unfinished, of course,
(Because great art takes time,
And it was only a thirty minute class.)
The sunset's half violet and half white,
And the grass is green straw that we float above.
There are two girls who aren't holding hands.
(You knew already I didn't like to be touched)
We're both wearing blue and facing the sunset.
(I couldn't help but feel like you were a princess in your dress,
While I was just a lowly servant in her jeans.)
You scribbled a signature,
(You knew cursive already?)
And I took it home.
In sixth grade, we'd both grown up into people someo
things i'll tell her someday by MisfitableGrae, literature
Literature
things i'll tell her someday
her eyes are still closed
when i meet my daughter for the first time.
she's pressed against my stomach
unknowingly touching
2, 4, 6, 8, 10 scars.
she's scradled with spray-tanned wrists that
don't really hide the complete truth.
i think of laughing- how could something so
ugly hold something so beautiful?
but i just clutch her closer and promise
that the same things will not happen to her.
in a world that will treat her wrong,
i swear i will raise her right.
i will form her hand into the shape of a gun,
just so i can show her the peace sign.
i'll teach how to forget to breathe,
but only for things she thinks are worth it-
lik
Cameron Bergeron stands tall, but I'm not sure it's
Because of pride, or just
Because he's already 6"2
With only up to go.
His hair is in a constant state of
Too-long-for-dress-code
And his face is in a constant
I know something you don't.
I know mathematical formulas that will make your head spin.
Just kidding, I don't but I could probably
Convince you I did.
I can ace tests without studying,
Argue the beginning of the universe,
And never turn in homework, but still get A's.
I'm out of the loop, he tells me with a frown.
I want to tell him that he's so lucky to be out of the loop.
Because inside, it's always hatemehateyoulo
cinderella died yesterday by MisfitableGrae, literature
Literature
cinderella died yesterday
"burn your tiaras,
bury your fairy godmother.
it's time for you to grow up now, you're
no peter pan.
forget never never land.
stars are just burning balls of gas that are
slowly running out of time- they can't
hear your wishes.
cast aside your dr. seuss books like you will
later cast aside your bibles.
after all, a fairy tale is a fairytale is a fairytale.
life will teach you that.
grace, you were born into a role
only a very strong girl can play.
see, society will hate you for being
what they don't want to believe.
surrender your throne, your castle is under siege.
stop being fascinated with the sky,
you'll never go there.
Pencil Marks and Eraser Shavings by MisfitableGrae, literature
Literature
Pencil Marks and Eraser Shavings
The first day I met you, I told you
You were the first boy I had ever seen
Who wore make-up.
You told me that I was the first girl you met who didn't.
I laughed and told you that you should
Probably meet more girls.
You smiled and said,
"Nope, I think I've found the perfect one."
Then I had to go act like I hadn't just fallen in love with you a little bit.
Three weeks after, you asked if you would ever
Get to see my real smile.
We had to talk in whispers, because
"More important things are going on than you two."
I asked you what you meant, and you said,
"I haven't seen a smile from you that reach your eyes, yet."
I laugh
i am sorry this took so long
to write. i think i have been too focused on
reality and how the universe is big and Danielle is so small
that i forgot that Danielle thinks the universe
will never be too big.
she grabs my hand and drags me down the hallway:
"c'mon, Grace- skip!
if you think too much, your life will stick like that!"
no one can be that happy all the time,
so i think a lot of the time it's fake
and i think a lot of the time she just wants to stop.
but she doesn't, and she does it on purpose.
because-
Danielle tells me, "your hair looks
heavy metal, today" because she knows i think
people lie when they say things li
Seven year old Adysen Reader
Took her mother's most fancy wine glass
And filled it with apple juice,
All the while telling me that one day,
She'd really be able to taste the stars.
"You know," she tells me, "You could jump from the
Empire State building and survive."
I tell her she's wrong, and that you'll die.
"No, no," she insists, "it's not the jump that kills you- it's the ground-
The sky just hugs you and wishes he didn't have to let go."
Ady's been able to draw since she was four,
But she hasn't been an artist till she was nine, and
Manned up enough to tell me that she really didn't
Believe in dragons, but she hopes we can