All Nonfiction
- Bullying
- Books
- Academic
- Author Interviews
- Celebrity interviews
- College Articles
- College Essays
- Educator of the Year
- Heroes
- Interviews
- Memoir
- Personal Experience
- Sports
- Travel & Culture
All Opinions
- Bullying
- Current Events / Politics
- Discrimination
- Drugs / Alcohol / Smoking
- Entertainment / Celebrities
- Environment
- Love / Relationships
- Movies / Music / TV
- Pop Culture / Trends
- School / College
- Social Issues / Civics
- Spirituality / Religion
- Sports / Hobbies
All Hot Topics
- Bullying
- Community Service
- Environment
- Health
- Letters to the Editor
- Pride & Prejudice
- What Matters
- Back
Summer Guide
- Program Links
- Program Reviews
- Back
College Guide
- College Links
- College Reviews
- College Essays
- College Articles
- Back
Real
With a golden retriever smile
He sheepishly said hi to fill the gap between us
For the majority of the time, I tried not to breathe too much because you were breathing the same air
And at that time, I plotted ways on how to kill you
As the mockingjay nocturnes play throughout the morning
I hate to think twice about the words that departed your lips that day
I don’t want to wish for something I don’t deserve to begin with
The only memory I have of you was 5 years ago, but you’ve noticed me since forever
We must fear the loss of the things we love most
I didn’t know what real sleep felt like until I knew you were there
And the feeling of fear slowly receded into nothing
labeled yourself as deadweight
At first, I dreaded the hand reaching deep into the glossy fishbowl
Remember how bleached your cheeks were in resignation to an unfortunate fate?
And yet you took each step on this earth with hope until
We basked under the petrichor
Cicadas glinted across the orange sunset meadow
My understanding of your upbringing wouldn’t change the fact that I quickly judged you
The fact that you grew up indifferent to pain
And now we’re here bound by a shared trauma
We were linked at one point, like the double-tied shoelaces you did out of habit
And I refuse to yield to it
So when you asked me if I love you
I said real
Similar Articles
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
This article has 0 comments.
The work was conceived from rewatching the Hunger Games movies "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay." The scene where Katniss Everdeen says "real" to Peeta's question was the spark of inspiration where the poem was built. Writing from the perspective of Katniss was an enjoyable experience that made me feel that I wasn't writing, words pooling endlessly off the blank page. In line with the release of "Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," comes with publishing this piece of writing that has never been published.