and what if this is the end?

by Annie Bryant

caught in a gust of wind
some dead leaf
ambling down a sidewalk
a victim of the shifting seasons
rotting beneath the weight of
being seventeen.

dusty roads,
a broken down car,
rips in my jeans,
tangled hair–
appreciate it
know it won’t last
these golden days
of a final year.

I let the battered screen door
slam behind me to
watch the sun spill into the horizon:
light dripping down the mountains
painting my skin
melting my honey eyes
and what if we decide to stay here?

let our shoelaces curl beneath the ground
embrace the roots of the oak trees
let lichen blossom from our socks
let flower stems crown our hair and
they will never miss us
I will never miss her
because we
will always be
here.

the sun slips behind the sky and
I reach for her hand
time is caught between our palms
her fingers brush my wrist
slip away.

dead leaves crunch beneath her feet
footsteps fading into the autumn chill
the quiet crawls beneath my skin
the wind whispers past my ear

it is telling me to say goodbye.

*

9/21/24

(This piece is part of our yearlong series called Heart Beets that features the work of a group of teen writers, giving us a glimpse into their journey through the school year.)