poem

now I lay me down to sleep

by Cassie

we are all so tired

the collective exhaustion of the world
peeks through my windows every single day
wheedling its way into my body
and settling itself in my eyes and mind

we are all so tired

it’s impossible to shake, this indominable fatigue,
because we know there is a better way
we are sure it is possible to live life
without so many unnecessary struggles

we are all so tired

and even though I have faith-
in people, in the world, in the universe,
in my absolute certainty that, one day, things will be better-

there are many days I want to lay myself down
and let the morning glories in the yard overtake me,
so that my body becomes one with the earth
and my mind can finally rest.

elusion

by Cassie

i am not a person who cries

i watch ten hours of tv in two days
read three different series of books
write forty poems
play the same videogame for four weeks straight

i am not a person who cries

but this is a thing i can’t avoid
and the tears come at odd moments
at the sink getting water
walking to the bathroom
picking a sock up off the floor

i am not a person who cries
but nothing else is enough
to escape this

Power

by Cassie

why isn’t greed taboo?
why don’t we shun those who flaunt extravagant wealth
the way we shun convicts and felons?

why isn’t lying taboo?
why don’t we cast out those who tell untruths
the way we cast out the poor, the disabled, the elderly?

why isn’t failure to serve the public a taboo?
why don’t we ruin the lives of crooked cops and politicians
the way we ruin the lives of sex workers and immigrants?

why doesn’t society stand up for itself?
why don’t we the people have enough empathy
to stand up and say “that’s wrong”?

where did we lose ourselves?
where did we send our hopes and futures and dreams
with barely a whisper of dissension?

what do we do now?
what we’ve always done: remember that the power is ours
we merely have to reach out

and take it