Alive

My poem 'Alive' was featured on Voices of Youth!

galaxies swirl like oceans, a spread of
glitter, waves encrusted with diamonds. we are
enmeshed in a sphere of rock hurtling through
the cosmos, unable to escape, astrophe. bits of
debris shuttling about, enough to destroy a civilization
and annihilate what we spent our lives working towards.

we revolve around an orb of heat, one lick enough
to peel away our skin, singe our hair and rid our cells
of their complexion. the waters that keep us afloat
can deprive us of breath within minutes, cascade into
our bodies and remind us that sweets can occasionally
scorch our tongue.

and yet, there is beauty. despite the fire that can burn
houses and rid flesh of soul, it ignites a flickering amber,
bestowing dead eyes with life, melting ice and letting limbs
move. the water, which suffocated noses and entered
bloody channels, can prevent desiccated lips from becoming
more dry, can help a person awaken from fatigue.
our planet, which rotates at speeds we can’t
comprehend, is at a perfect distance from the sun.

we are so lucky to be alive,

surrounded by green, blue, yellow. alive in a place
that lets us keep relationships, that lets us swallow
food, that lets us stare at the sky and tremble at
what it must feel like to have never been born.