by Elizabeth, Grade 11
my girl is waiting for me
next to the maple tree in school yard
orange mittens for the autumn skies
my girl wakes me in the night
the moon slipping past clouds,
her whisper asking whether I am lonely
my girl says never
hair streaming behind her as she laughs,
as I beg her to stop running away from me
my girl says good night
and turns off the lights
when I tell her I love her
my girl doesn’t move
when I find her not asleep
something else
on the bathroom floor
the dress I gave her covered in beer
my girl is downstairs
talking to the movers
while I cry in her bedroom
talking to myself
and everything else she left behind
my girl’s girl is a rose
laughter the sounds of silver
eyes dark and somber,
she knows the world better than I ever could
my girl has brought me flowers.
hands shaking,
the petals leave a trail of snow
all the way down the hospital hallway
I am waiting for my girl,
but I will never see her again