I Can Fortunately Recall
Artwork by Dimitriy Uvchenko
I can fortunately recall
That the sun shone relentlessly on my uncovered face
Flowers amongst the grass like soft and elegant lace
Sun sifting through the leaves
A shadow cast by wise old trees
Leaves like translucent paper
Bearing the sweet fruit of memory
I can fortunately recall
Not a care crossing my mind
Barely blinking when my new shoes were lined
With thick caked layers of mud
The chorus of cars honking their horns that was never quite done
Narrating my feet on pavement as I run
I can fortunately recall
A smile glued on my face
The sun still streaming through the windows
Feeding the sunflower seeds on the pane
Hearing stories of a horse and his beautiful velvet mane
I can fortunately recall
When waves of doubt did not wash over me
Leaving me soaked in thick and pure dread
When the tide was tame and calm
Leaving me separated from the waves by a single golden thread
I can fortunately recall
Feeling weightless when I let wind blind me
When the gusts did not taste so sour atop my tongue
An unpleasantly bitter breeze
When it whispered in my ears a kind melody
I can fortunately recall
My vague distant beginnings that seem worlds away
No clandestine thoughts or dues to pay
No callus people or snide remarks
Just each day a fresh restart
A hero’s journey
I can fortunately recall
Each day free from anxiety or stress
Each day when I never needed to be the best
Never an elegy to be read
Never an urge to just stay in bed
Always simple prose
I can fortunately recall
Years old views
Of people I have yet to see again
Pure and raw dopamine running through my veins
As sun bled through my closed eyelids
Colored blotches painted my black vision
I can fortunately recall
Not one question to be answered with my final decision
I can remember the sugar sweet mood coating my brain
A hope for the future keeping me sane
Sun on my skin
Life without pitfall
Lucy is 13 years old and lives in New York City. She loves to read books for her book club and write poetry. She also loves listening to her favorite albums on vinyl with her family.