pretty words

hide prettier faces

ivory smiles

on a bed of satin

the kind that spurs

poets to action,

sapphire eyes

hide lovelier lies

lips betray

no sorrow.

opalescent effervescence

skislope nose a perfect crescent

stars that tremble at the notion

she could be the perfect quotient

of Aphrodite

spliced in half,

add Athena

just a dash

of maiden archer’s pale moonlight,

and now you’ve got a face

to start a thousand fights

a heart

to chase away the night

a mind

to drive anyone

who doesn’t think the way she does

can’t produce a rose

that was

thorns in another life

can’t see gold amidst the strife

this could drive anyone

me

I am

everyone

and it’s driving

all of us

mad.

Hannah Kurczeski

Age 18, Grade 12

Catasauqua High School

Catasauqua School District