I Am by Ariana Daya

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I am a pinprick of light

Shining through the black polluted sky,

I am a fish in a dangerous ocean

But I long to be a bird free to fly.

I want to be purple –

beautiful, bright, bold,

But I am sea green

And I fear I will never be more.

I feel the pull of nature

I try to channel it’s flow,

But will my words churn 

like agile rivers?

Will they hold the power 

Of pure fire?

Or should I simply

let them go.

Connections I onced pulled close to my soul,

I let them break away and go

Am I standing still as they move with time?

Leaving my mouth with a taste

Sour like lime.

Do I survey this world of culture,

With blind brisk eyes?

Or do I embrace its different structures

And fill my heart with lies.

I know change is coming,

But I want its power suppressed.

Why must I feel its burn,

Held lower than the rest?

I am what life makes me,

I am what I choose,

I can’t help but think of this game

And how I am meant to lose.

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Ariana Daya lives in Oakland hills with her family. She is entering 7th grade at JMSG middle school. She enjoys writing complex novels and poems.