Oh To Be a Child Again (March 13, 2020)
sterilize the groceries
before they come in the house
and the air
before anyone breathes it in
and my feelings too, just in case
numbers wobbling on the tv,
indecisive and unsure of themselves
just a flicker, up, up quicker
up, up sicker
“don’t hold your breath”
but the whole thing was
one sudden gasp and then
three years of mouth closed
mask on, more distance
oh to be a child again
in a world not dying, not lying
to grow, uninterrupted
into the flesh and fear
of a seventeen year old
without six feet
bound to the front of my shoes
without six feet of space
between me and myself
Something wrong with this poem?
Replies are closed for this poem.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you are not alone.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988, 24/7. Crisis Text Line — text HELLO to 741741.
The Purple Poet
I am a queer poet with ADHD and autism. If it's LGBTQ+ related, I either already know a lot about it, or am in the process of learning about it. I am particularly interested in queer history, intersectionality, and flagging within the queer community. I actually chose the name "The Purple Poet" as a reference to lavender's symbolism within the LGBTQ+ community! I had the privilege of being president of my high school's gender and sexuality alliance for three years as well as having received a Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish (muchísimas gracias a mis professoras!). Service work through Girl Scouts was a huge part of my life for ten years and was my introduction to having leadership roles. During March of 2021, I decided to write something for my high school's literary & arts magazine, Panorama, with no expectations of being published or of this becoming a regular thing. My piece made the front two pages of the spring edition and a teacher had congratulated me and told me it made her cry. In the following months, I started writing profusely and putting my work on this website to share it with the people close to me. In July of 2021, I decided I wanted to try to reach a bigger audience, so I started posting on social media. A total of 22 of my pieces have been published in Panorama cross seven editions. I'm very proud of myself for that and forever grateful to the people who pushed me to keep submitting my work.
View all poems →▾ This Poem's Voice
Your Poem's Voice
Personal pandemic anxiety grounded in concrete domestic actions and introspection.
Dense, rapid-fire images and emotional ideas compressed across fragmented lines.
Deeply anxious, isolating, and melancholic throughout; bleak worldview dominates.
Frantic, stuttering rhythm; gasps and quick jolts convey psychological urgency.
Approximately 26 lines; mid-length free verse poem.
Rich metaphors (numbers wobbling, six feet as boundary), personification, vivid imagery.
Pure lyric internal monologue; first-person emotional meditation without narrative or persona shift.
Comments (0)
Comments are closed for this poem.