age 7 / ski lift slick with frost / legs slid out / from under me / reached for father like a lifeline /
gloved fingers closing over nothing / but an open mouth / silenced screams / bruised back
age 8 / the smell of chlorine / feet kicked too fast / near sharp tile concrete /
red splotches in dark blue / goggles wet / not from pool water
age 12 / math test scribbled in burgundy ink / x after x / after x /
mother sits / with her head in defeated hands / wishes i were like her / top of the class
age 14 / recently / parents only seem to remember / how to shout / and blame /
and throw / do they still know / how to love?
age 15 / a total of nine / bruised handprints on my arms / for each time /
screams slipped from my chest / i only wore long sleeve blouses that summer
age 17 / crumpled over the toilet seat / hands shaking / because of two /
undeniable red lines / undeniable little stick
age 19 / muffled yells / don’t come back / suitcase wheels / scraping
chalk-covered sidewalks / bitter swipes at swollen cheeks / i just want to be free
Ashley is a high school sophomore in San Jose, California. Out of all the writing genres, she enjoys poetry and creative writing the most. Her work has been recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing national awards, and she was the Grand Prize Winner of the Saratoga Loves Poetry contest. She is an alum of the Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference, the Kenyon Review Young