Burning Daydreams

Last year my literature teacher told the class to bring in poignant, powerful photos and then to write a poem using persona.

I stand out in the wide open space,

Yet I feel trapped in this life.

Out of fear I wait for him-

I wait as I do every day

in the blazing sun.

I can barely see out of this dark, heavy fabric surrounding my eyes,

I’m burning up inside

and it’s fire on the outside.

My life is a living hell,

going through the same motions every day

I’m surprised I don’t just run away.

I am scared to see him,

This man

who only shouts my name;

This man,

who uses his hands to hurt me 

rather than caress me.

I don’t want to stand and wait

for it all to happen again.

As I wait I fall back

into the nostalgia of being a little girl,

showing my face freely,

dancing and laughing.

Then I go into the depths of my mind and do the forbidden thing-

I dream.

I dream of people seeing me,

my face glowing,

gliding around in a loose yellow gown

and my lips stained pink.

But that is only a dream.

I still sit and wait for him on the hot dirt,

face covered,

eyes haunting.

But still, I dream

of smiling.