I wish I could be like them.
The girls who are made of
Sunlight and marble
Whose words drip off their lips
Like honey,
Leaving everyone they meet thirsting for more.
Those girls who dance in rainstorms
Not even sparing a second to think about the consequences
Because they know,
They belong in the world.
For once I want to make others’ realities
Feel like dreams
Just by waving hello. I want to be needed
By people
And reassured that no one
Will ever abandon me.
Like the girls crafted
By the hands of artists,
Destined to be admired in museums
From afar.
With all those people
Gazing,
Adoring,
Praising.
Even so,
It seems lonely.
There is a sorrow in their beauty.
People get tired,
Move on.
Being worshipped
Isn’t the same as being loved.
Poised upon that podium,
There is no room for error.
Everything you say,
Do,
Think.
There is never a moment
Where eyes aren’t probing.
Is there even space for others
On a pillar so high?
Or is it just as forlorn
As being a flame snuffed out
By the crowd.
Maybe the girls,
Made of sunlight and marble
Are just as lost
As anybody else.
Neely Harrington is 17 years and from Massachusetts: "I've been in love with writing since elementary school and used to enter my short stories in local competitions. Putting my words to paper has always been the easiest way for me to express myself. Besides that, I enjoy playing soccer and lacrosse and stitching/sewing clothing. I absolutely love the ocean and am constantly referencing it in my poems and my favorite thing in the world is just being around the people I love."
"Venus in the crowd" by Peter Rivera is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse
