By Persephone

**A poem inspired by all the teenagers I’ve taught.**

 

The sky is blue and clear,

Not a cloud in the sky.

Yet I cannot stop my irrational fears,

Nor stop asking the question, “Why?”

 

A cool breeze stirs a nearby field–

A pasture of strong ripening wheat,

But the sight cannot shield

The obstacles of which I cannot beat.

 

Crossing my path appears a butterfly,

Its wings majestic and red.

I look, but no matter how hard I try,

It does not distract me from my dread.

 

The noon-day sun warms my cool skin

And brightens up the world around me.

Yet beauty is lost to me, for I cannot win–

It is impossible for me to be happy.

 

Never before have I borne witness

To such comforts and colors so sheen.

My thoughts are dark, I must confess.

I’m just too much of a damn drama queen.