wilted flowers by Alana Kabaka ’21
picking up the petals of the stupid game
he loves me he loves me not
he told her to keep her voice down
that her words were nothing but a road block
when she would cry
i put her head to my chest
i look her in her eyes
i tell her you are no damsel in distress
that she was born with two legs and doesn’t need
him to carry her to safety
she can walk there herself
thank you very much
she told me when her palms got cold
he would press his against hers
lock their fingers together
she said it made her feel safe
i told her you shouldn’t deem your safety
with his existence
i told her he locked his fingers to make sure
you didn’t run away
because he knew what he did was wrong
she was stronger then she made herself sound
she believed that she could only be happy with him
she must have forgot
she was put on this earth for 16 years
and for 15 of those years
she stood tall and proud without a boyfriend
she must have forgot
there are things in this world bigger than her
that in this fairy tale
she doesn’t need a prince charming
that she can figure the world out on her own
she must have forgot
how strong she stands alone
that her dark brown eyes were beautiful
without being told so
that her skin a national treasure
that she had the most amazing smile
that reached into people at took out theri
pure
joy
she must have forgot how beautiful she is
it made me sad she forgot
she is precious
someone not to be messed with
it made me sad that she questions how amazing she is
she lays there tracing the outline of his body with her finger
it makes me sad she thinks she’s not strong enough
to fight a broken heart
i hope she never forgets
she’s no damsel
that’s a tired thought
that she doesn’t need him to carry her there
that her fairy tale doesn’t need a prince charming
that she stands tall by herself
so we can stop picking up these petals
of a broken relationship
that she
is better
off without