Poem and photos by Faith Jayaram, junior at Spring Street International School
I traveled far to save you,
High on childish naïveté.
I suppose at the time
I believed myself a heroine;
Reality, though, is cruel,
And real life is death
By the dozens,
Starved, poisoned, struck.
I no longer believe in fate,
Or rather I do not believe
In my capacity
To save.
Yet I dream of your birth,
And I dream of your death.
I’m sorry, Skyla.
I’m sorry, Kasatka.
I’m sorry, Tahlequah.
I dreamed of you too,
But I
Was too late.
My stomach aches
When you swallow paint and
Cement, churning like
Chunks of sediment;
My lungs convulse
When you suffocate in
Chemical-rich space,
One part water, two chlorine.
You exhale, and I
Breathe again,
Breathe you in,
Feel you in my chest,
Feel the waves crash
Against my black and white
Skin.
I don’t know whose
Blood runs in my veins,
But our ancestors are
The same.
I promise I will tell the world
Our names.
