by Mikayla Maeshiro
Aches linger in my always-not-young-not-old
Body as time tick tick ticks on the blaring
Clock, waiting for every feeling to numb
Down so I can return to the
Earth, a sense of innocence and a
Feeling of satisfaction that can
Grow from the roots of my what-ifs,
Have-tos, and false needs.
Invitations from smiling strangers to
Join their celebrations of girlhood with
Knives behind their backs and
Laughs that frighten even the scariest of
Monsters under my bed, shuddering
Next to my repressed inner child’s teddy bear,
Ordinary acts of kindness look like
Ploys of revenge, I wish I could
Quiet the monster’s weeping sobs.
Right and wrong is blurred in the
Silence of bystanders who constantly
Tell the same stories at family dinners with
Utensils meant to harm an innocent,
Violence covered in sugar
With a side of oleander and honey,
Xanthophyll will do its job,
Yellowing every leaf to signal that another
Zenith will be shoved down my throat in due time.
Mikayla Maeshiro is a creative writing student at Chapman University in Orange, California. She grew up in Kaneohe, Oahu, and has always found joy in fiction writing. She hopes to publish a bestselling novel in the next decade.
Hawaii Pacific Review 