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The mountain towers over, unyielding.
I lift my gaze, undaunted.
My destination has been set;
I cannot be deterred from my path.

I climb and climb and climb.
I do not look back,
Knowing my true purpose.

For when I speak,
Words flow.
And when I bleed,
Blood streams.
And when I laugh,
The room brightens.
And when I cry,
The air weighs down.

As I balance on the apex,
I reach out to grasp
A big, bright, brilliant star.

I squeeze it with both hands,
Yet my hands slip from the star.
Unable to retain my grip,
I fall into the gaping abyss.

I fall and fall and fall.
No force from the stars
Can stop me.

I twist and turn,
Air whipping past my rosy cheeks,
Mind wandering in an aimless maze,
Endless despair no doubt.

I cannot escape my fears.
Helplessness, not an emotion, but a fact,
A dark and lonely abyss,

For when I speak,
Silence reigns.
And when I bleed,
It’s the color of my heart.
And when I laugh,
The air chokes.
And when I cry,
The sky bleeds.

For nothing in this world
Could save me.
Beyond hope,
My last regret
Would always be. . .

 

Natalie Lee, Magnet High School

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