through these eyes

this picture and poem, both by 9th grader Claudia Rojas of Bell Multicultural High School in Washington, DC are amazing. upon seeing this digital creation of hers i told her she had to write a poem to go with it (she told me she wrote, so it made sense). here it is, in all its fabulousness. thanks Claudia!

“Come back,” she called out
but in my haste to get away
from the taste of her cruel words
I didn’t bother myself on looking back
sure I wish I had swallowed my pride
but I can’t say I miss her
at least not to her face
I love her for sharing flaming truths
but I can’t believe she hasn’t burned down
for I am slowing burning in her absence
she tapped into a new mindset
and I drift off imagining where she is now
as I sit on the backseat of this train
staring at faces unaware of my breaking
I want to burst into a rant
scream out the wrongness of our world
point out to them the reasoning
of my silent suffocation
but all they see is an expressionless
face and a pair of gray eyes
and a shrill goes through my body
an electric spark from my light bulb
lighting up at the realization
that in this closed up space
I am not alone in my thoughts
for I see reflections of my mood
perhaps they have met her too
perhaps they too turned their back to her
in the same way I have done
having shut my ears and prepared to walk away
as she told me she had a mission
and I could be a valuable asset
she said: I see potential in you
you can help me make a difference
you don’t ignore the signs
tell me, she asked,
don’t it all look beautiful?
but hey, you know underneath
an elegant building standing proud
in the morning sun there lies
a crushed man drowned in tears
to wander around, his everything lost he fears
you see that behind a child’s smiling face
there has been pain unheard and uncared for
but you haven’t crushed hitting reality
and hey, don’t you think you it can all be changed?
her pleading eyes are a haunting memory
and the tears she shed in front of me
fill me up with guilt and I hold on
to the handle of my seat for I sense a downfall
why I had refused to aide her
I can’t find a proper explanation
I am the worst fool, a total idiot
while the rest of the world
is blindly roaming, steadily dying inside
here I am standing watch
but I am just one person, just one person
and through these eyes that’s all I see
one person and I am not enough
I can’t do it alone, now I understand her frustration
so I pull out the memory keepsakes she left with me
a note written in black ink reads:
through these eyes I have seen the rising sun
seen the closing stars
seen the awakening you
seen the surviving world
seen you and I hold hands
I am no longer just one person
if you would just join me
through these eyes I have seen I am not alone
seen you neglecting me
seen myself forgiving you
seen you passing along this keepsakes
through these eyes I have seen
there is hope yet.