Here I Am

Horrible writing, but INCREDIBLE feeling behind it. So proud!!!!!! ;-) It's so nice to believe in myself again. THANK YOU, sweetheart! You believed in me when I no longer could. Four to go and I CAN!

Here I Am

By Erin Lee

 

Diamonds in the high school gym

Dance upon our heads - looking back

She wore fishnets and tall black boots

Two tears at the seams

She quit the first day out - not as easy as once believed

His shoes were crisp and matched his coat

Trench, double breasted

He wore his beard so long it curled

But his head was shiny bald

She wondered if we’d guess it first

(As if we couldn’t tell).

 

Smiles built on roads plowed through

Snowstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes

Her hips were wide, but not as her smile

That carried certain mischief

In the pizzas she chewed between classes

And bags she snagged “because”

She spoke up near the end

Watching us out of the corner of her eyes

And our ears opened wider

(What would she say?)

 

She carried the Hollywood sign on her back

West coast girl with a crooked smile

Too bright for a Georgia peach

And liked to sit in their laps

She cried when they told their tales

And wanted to reach for them

Knowing that she couldn’t

(Ethics, 101).

 

Stars in a crowded café

Who’ve seen the clouds above

And mine is the brightest -

Circled in rhinestones and pride

Knowing how far I’ve come

Without his hand to steady me

I’ve found my own two feet

And run toward the stage

To collect the prize

Fire, burning in my eyes.

 

Here I am.