Two books for High School

by Leah L. Cole

Genesis

The Poem I don't want to write
But know I inevitably will
I try to squelch it away
And concentrate on other things
Yet the motions burst from my mind
In words with the explosive
Energy
Of a newly born volcano

I try to avoid my pen's
Quiet expectancy
As it lies atop my sheaf of blank paper
Those milky-white pages are the only sponges
Capable of soaking up my
So desperately needed outpouring
And still I am drawn to them

The Poem that shouldn't be
It may give me away
Baring all my fears and indecisions
To any cold, unfeeling reader
Who may not understand
But to him who I've always given
The total burden of my truth
It will be agonizingly clear
Starkly I desire a non-interpretation

And out it comes
The papers absorb me thirstily
Words, flowing, unabashedly
Erupting burning coals of emotion
The agony of relief is a blessing
And maybe the Poem
I didn't want to write
Though should never have been
Will become the release I
Have been searching for so hard
And maybe he will understand after all.

Exodus

I ache all over with an intense,
Unforgiving cold, denser and
More penetrating than the
Bitterest wind
It's the emptiness I feel
As you look right through me
So soon after we have become
The closest of friends
Or more.
I do not expect so much, nor
Desire more than your trust.
I do not wish to have a hold over you
Yet I cannot bear this cruelty
Which makes me feel so
Blank and empty of everything
But for the naked facts and
Questionable truth
And the faintest smile and
Flicker of recognition
Is something to daydream over
And wonder if you even care
Suddenly you're there beside me again
Flooding relief envelops me
That you are still human
And capable of love
Or... some form of it
And your twisted yearning is so strong
That you look for acceptance everywhere
When I'm right here with so much
I'm willing to give you
But you just won't let me in.

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