QUICKSAND

QUICKSAND

free verse Audrey Enghauser // 10

It’s your fault I was born. You see, I wasn’t meant to exist. You buried my parents’ futures; They could have run the world Without me.

It’s your fault we can’t eat every meal, That Mom and Dad’s best isn’t enough. That I’m guilty for every need, Silent about every desire. That I pull my family into poverty Like quicksand.

All it took was a trip into our world, A quick glimpse into the lives of people like me. It might have become clearer How a little push Could erase A top class mistake.

It’s your fault we don’t have a proper home, That my parents will never have the mansion of their dreams. That my memory is tainted with Nights spent in the car. I pull them deeper. It’s your job to help children. Support families, Prevent lifetimes of inadequacy. To offer potential mothers A way out.

How come all she saw was darkness?

It’s your fault that my education is left behind That I can’t go to college Because we have to eat. I could have made our country better, But I am quicksand.

It’s your fault that our bank account is obliterated By everyday expenses That probably seem as small as ocean tides to you. That a wave could determine life or death. My force blinds them.

It’s your fault I wasn’t prevented That this cycle will continue indefinitely With my child And theirs. I pull them under.

It’s your fault that I’ll always start At the back of the race, That I blame myself For being quicksand.

distortion