I was the one tile turned wrong 

in the forgotten corner 

of my middle school art room.

I’ve held my breath as the seaweed waves engulf me with my brothers, 

whether it be under the freezing waters of Lake Michigan 

or the salt water of the Gulf of Mexico.  

All while my mom worried about rip currents and undertows dragging me out into the deeper depths on the side of the golden sand beaches.

I’ve heard my mother curse as our house flooded for the second time as the storm outside thundered, 

slowly spilling numbing water into the basement. 

I lost sleep 

due to made up monsters of nightmares and shadow, 

While I hide under the warm, pink blankets of my sister’s bed.

Terrified of what lurks in the dark.

My friends 

Their laughs are infectious 

Although I wonder if we will stay together forever

Because I know if you shoot for the moon

You’ll combust

After 73 second

Only to be a trivia question or mentioned in a bad work of poetry

I have all the escape I want

And I have been in want of an escape

A place where the tranquil symphonies only reaches my ears

And where my thoughts turn into a palace of serenity.

A canvas of endless masterpieces.

And where extravagant feasts bring a sweetness to life.

Alas, this is my life in a poem.

A life that is a missing star in the night sky.

A life that is but another drop of water in the ocean.

A life that is a word in a novel.

A life that is part of something bigger, but insignificant all the same.

But I wouldn’t change my life for any other.

I’m glad to be a brick of a skyscraper.

I know I have other minnows swimming alongside me.

And I wouldn’t change that for the world.