There is a Girl of Just Sixteen

There is a girl of just sixteen –

She is no more than you or me –

She has a couple Distant Dreams,

She dreams and dreams and dreams and dreams –

Why does she work so hard? – you wonder –

It’s in her blood and raising, too –

Put School first – don’t make a blunder

Her parents said – that is the Rule.

She works and works and works and works,

Holding back her fireworks –

Put School first – indeed she does –

In front of everything she loves –

Her fingers red – from ceaseless writing –

Her heart is sore – hold back her lightning –

Her lips are torn – from all her biting –

Stress is growing, building, heightening –

She has a map upon her wall

Labeled places she wishes to go –

Wonders if she’ll get there at all –

College may be her only hope –

But how does she get to college?

Good Grades are what she dreams and needs –

School is becoming less about knowledge

And more about a degree.

Until then her pen runs across

Her paper laid down like the loss

Of all hopes and dreams and happy thoughts –

Growing old with age and dirty moss –

This girl is tired, tired, tired –

As she works and works and works –

And she dreams, dreams, dreams –

She dreams so hard it hurts –

But don’t give up – she says –

Never ever give in.

So she prays and prays and prays and prays –

That the Darkness will not win.

Enlightenment

The wind whistles by
into the stormy sky,
past the pale passerby
such as me.

The sky is silver,
I will forgive her,
the sky is gray,
my tears are free.

Pressure building,
rain is singing
sweet songs of tragedy.

The heavens are gray,
bare trees will sway,
sweeping my tears away,
I can see.