Elegy

messy hair messy hands messy smiles
messy memories spilling over now that it is almost your favorite time of year
do you remember?
we wore polyester shorts and swimming suits, wading into the ocean
no matter how cold it was
still wet and salty we rode tricycles
weaving through long shadows on the boardwalk
you liked how the sea ebbing caused sand to bury your little feet
you liked the sensation of passing through light and then dark, warm and then cold
you liked running amongst the gods of earth and scaring them into flight
always too much to do feel learn and no time to waste
I taught you where gods lived and how to find their nests
how to decorate castles with sand and colorful shells
you taught me how sometimes a cloud was not a cloud but a rose
how the sky was not just blue but magical
later after it got chilly you kept teaching me
hope in waiting rooms and over stale bagels
desperation in dripping tubes and through trips to the vending machine
sadness in the form of cold hands closed eyes
in so wrong of a context, still the same toothy smile
do you remember?
we were still smiling because
there was always something you gave us to laugh about
what I remember
is that you were very small and still
giving me everything I needed to get to tomorrow

By Callia Liang

Callia Liang is a junior at Hunter College High School. She enjoys reading poetry and riding her bike.