He watched sparkling confetti
Dance across the sky
Leap graceful through the night
Fading softly out of sight
Smiled gently at the sparks
That were sure to leave a trace
Sending wishes up to space
His words, the stars embraced
He knew his wishes would be answered
And his family’d be safe
He knew tomorrow would be kind
Giving him some peace of mind
Enough to close his little eyes
And dream beneath the sky
Don’t blink
Don’t even dare
One breath
Pollutes the air
One word
Stains the page
Just a moment
Nothing change
Pen crashes on paper
The pain starts to taper
Deafening screams
Now merely a whisper
Weapon held tight
Should last the night
Words start to dissolve
Yet always in sight
The words this pen is scribing
Are the ammo that I hold
As seconds bleed to minutes
And minutes fade to days
The ammo’s wearing thin
But just enough
To numb this pain
~RJ
11:59
Reflect on today
Every choice that you’ve made
And dominos tipped
In 55 seconds
Today will be dead
And all that was learned
Will be written in red
40 more seconds
No time to waste
Less than a minute ’til today is erased
Say your goodbyes
To the hard work completed
When the clock strikes again
A new day will be greeted
Half the minute diminished
The hands can’t turn back
The goals left unfinished
Will fade out to black
Now 20 seconds
Let’s make it last
Exhale your last prayer
To fix the days past
24 hours
Dissolved to 10 seconds
The end is beginning
No sounds can be made
The death of today is no longer at bay
5…4…3…2…1…
12 a.m.
A new day has begun
~RJ
Imagine a girl
Hell bound in a world of mishap
Lost in translation
Her story etched onto stone walls in a cell she called home
Incoherent scribbles
No words could comprehend
The desire to break free
So she sits
Unsatisfied with the colossal chaos her mind had scratched
But stepping back she could see something odd
What looked like a map carved out from her stories
So she set out
Following every twist and turn
Those scrambled scribbles spelled
‘Til finally reaching something small
A dusty match
Flames sparked in her eyes
As the match struck stone
Finally, more than the scarred stone was seen
A path began to emerge from the withering darkness
The limp body surfaced as each crippled step surpassed the other
Her lungs welcomed the redeeming air
As the sun disciplined her shadow
Looking back in new light
The Rambling Wall
Was perfectly conveyed after all
~RJ
She stared at her reflection
Hoping it would change
For something deep inside her
Said she wasn’t worth a page
In the story he’s been writing
Drafting deep within his brain
For no one ever notices
A girl carved from pain
And no one ever looks up
To her hair so untamed
And the freckles on her face
Invaded when summer came
So she sits there and doubts
That anyone knew her name
How could they remember a name
Stained with shame?
She’s listened to the lies
Society’s to blame
About what really matters
In this messed up game
I’m about to tell you
The trick to this game
That no one really wants
All our faces the same
So you can stare at your reflection
Hoping it will change
Or realize you don’t want to
Spend your life in vain
I suggest we wake up
Rewrite the game
And let society
Fall with the rain
Because our lives are not a joke
We have nothing to shame
And our minds are astonishing
If we break through the chains
Because the story he was writing
Had her name on every page
It said how beautiful she’d be
If only unchained
He wanted to read her
His poem and explain
But he was too shy
To let her inside his brain
~RJ
This girl I once met
Told me her story
She said if she were to die
She’d want someone to know
She told of cages and caves
Lost in them for days
She told of wordless thoughts screaming
And not knowing her name
As her story was painted
I began to realize
Her story picked up
Just as pain stuck her eyes
I stopped her and asked if we could go back
I asked her what she loved
Loved most I this world
She stared at me stunned
Unsure what to say
Until came a smile that brightened my day
She told of a story with her brothers and her
Laughing with joy so genuinely
I laughed along too
As she saw what I’d done
I told her to think of her brothers
When she gets lost in her mind
That they’ll get her out
Out in no time
She smiled and thanked me
Stood up from her seat
As she was leaving
She turned to see me
She told of a girl
So lost in her mind, she wanted to die
Who gave up looking for the exit sign
She told me I saved that girl
Gave her back her life
I told her I did nothing but open her eyes
She walked away with something new on her face
A beautiful smile
The day’s hers to embrace
~RJ
Too young to walk across the road
I’ll hold your hand and take it slow
Please zip my coat, it’s getting cold
I cannot wait until I grow, zip my coat and walk alone
Across the road, we wait for the bus
With not enough space for all of us
I sit with my friend, giggling away
About what we did the other day
At school I sit, at a table of four
Looking out the window, wanting to explore
The teacher says stay, so I must obey
Until 3 o’clock when we’re sent on our way
I cannot wait, until I grow
Grow up tall, with a class of my own
A few years pass, I can zip my coat
Walk across the road like I was told
Without the grip of my mothers hold
Still too young to walk without my class
Whether it’s to art, music, or to math
Single file, down the hall
Brushing up against the wall
I cannot wait until I grow
grow up tall, and walk alone
High school comes, feeling so free
Walking through the halls, not afraid to be me
Difficult classes, wanting to fit in
Learning to drive, seeing how far we have been
But I always come home, still wanting more
Looking out the window
Wanting to explore
I cannot wait, until I grow
Drive alone and see the world
Now freshman year, miles away
Feeling unprepared, not wanting to stay
Scared to meet new people, not sure what to say
Scared I’ll lose my friends, so far away
I’m too young to be out, on my own
Please hold my hand and take me home
I am so lost, miles away
Please hold my hand and show me the way
A couple weeks pass
Those feelings subside
I meet amazing people and there’s no need to cry
My friends from back home, still keep in touch
For they are indeed, and unsurpassable bunch
Thank you for holding my hand, and taking it slow
Teaching me to walk, all on my own
Thank you for preparing me for a life, out in this world
Now I can make it, all on my own
~RJ
It feels as though I am trapped between the lines
The lines of this tired notebook
That each word I fail to say
Become bold marks on this scarred paper
These bold marks are me
I have become the words I fail to say
I have become trapped
Between the lines
~RJ
Imagine this…
A world full of color
A world where vibrant colors dace on the blank canvas
Animating the painting
A world where meaning isn’t learned
It’s found
And secrets are not kept,
They’re protected
Imagine this…
A world of peace
Where people walk amongst each other
With a smile, a passion, a purpose
Where artificial smiles and forced laughs
Are nothing but a myth
Where love survives and thrives day after day
A place where tranquility is not fought for
And happiness is achieved
A place where one can love themselves without judgement
And love others with no heartbreak
Where smiles and laughs are no stranger
Where everyday’s a new paradise
And every second is worth living
Imagine this…
A world full of life
And a life full of color
~RJ
Rebecca's Poetry 