To Remind Myself I Haven’t Left Yet

Original works on legacy by Creative Writing students in the graduating class of 2022 & 2023 at The New York City Lab School. The lines from this poem are taken from selections you’ll find inside— The vague memories begin to cloud my head, moments and stories that make you smile while you tell them. You handed me your high school ID— Remember me this way. I was never shy, just out of place. I hadn’t been in love before, but I definitely fell in love. It seems to be nothing more than just a slip of life, so I’m sorry I lost it. The absence is terrifying. I can feel it scraping at my heart. Diving into the darkness I didn’t know where to go— I got stuck in between time. I wind up lost in a maze of my identity, yearning to be comfortable in my own discomfort and give myself to the unknown. Being happy and sad at the same time is just depressing. I guess this is what I wanted, confidence wrapped in bandana tops and strawberry lips, an effort to pull myself away from something I care so much about, to build my ability to satisfy others in balance with keeping my sanity because I can’t waste any more time thinking they will find me. He should’ve been there in the moment. I’m afraid to die, she’d exclaim, having never allowed herself to live.

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