By Abby Gill

Once more, I am pried from the serenity of sweet slumber

by a sound which can only be described as a thick, guttural wail.

Only then to I realize this cry is erupting

from my own two lips.

Like a machine, my body pulls itself out of bed,

unaffected by what has become routine.

 

I am greeted at the kitchen door by the warm scent of coffee,

drawing me into its firm, addicting grasp.

Pulling my hood tightly over my head,

I turn and walk straight out the back door.

 

Gradually, my feet carry me to a place all too familiar.

A place where the crisp air feels as sweet as morning dew.

A place where my thoughts can wander the dark depths

of the ocean and never reach the bottom.

A place where I can find peace within the past

and look anxiously to the future.

 

As dawn approaches, I settle into the cool sand, waiting

for daylight to make her debut. The rhythmic flicker

of the lighthouse beacon beckons me to come closer

and admire its hypnotizing beams.

 

It promises to keep me safe even in the deepest of waters.

 

It does not know I am already drowning on dry land.

 

I lean my head back, watching intently

while the stars insist on disappearing once more.

As the darkness surrounding me slowly fades away,

I glimpse the faint glow of a fiery sunrise, peeking above the horizon,

persevering through ominous clouds,

rising anyway.

 

Abby Gill is a sophomore pursuing elementary education. She is from Kreamer, PA.