Sixteen by Holly Day

When I was younger, I was an insect
scurrying from one dark place to another
determined to stay out of sight
determined to keep from being crushed.
The world was frightening, and large
and full of too much.

Now, I find myself drawn to flames I know will burn me
into the shadows of boots determined to flatten me
towards all sorts of places I don’t belong. I am no longer
afraid to crawl out of the dark, I will not
spend these last few years all alone.

Holly Day’s poetry has recently appeared in The Cape Rock, New Ohio Review, and Gargoyle. Her newest poetry collections are A Perfect Day for Semaphore (Finishing Line Press),  In This Place, She Is Her Own (Vegetarian Alcoholic Press), A Wall to Protect Your Eyes (Pski’s Porch Publishing), I'm in a Place Where Reason Went Missing (Main Street Rag Publishing Co.), and The Yellow Dot of a Daisy (Alien Buddha Press).