Falling off the Road by Clara O'Bannon (17, New York)*

Sour sunlight filters through dingy panels
Stinging Cosette’s milk filled skin
My skin is fine on the front, but behind the curtain’s web,
Reveals crawling whales, repeat of tales, my tear soaked pillow
November was a hard month​

So now we’re on the road, road to nowhere, everywhere, anywhere
Away
Away from home, icy glaze on Cleveburn, crippled, concrete caves
The caves I biked with my blonde neighbor
Pumping petals, pumping hearts, our pupils wide, we are blind, so we kiss
Kiss the dirty ramp. It’s hard to stay on the path
So my blonde neighbor fell. Fell through my fingers
Purposely drifting, fell down the eggshell tunnel

I’m still on the road, feet beat pedals callous, for I rely on the road
Found Cosette on the road, loosened limits on the road, it conducts my fate
It’s where I’ll dig the blonde girl’s grave, independence is my shovel
Because a burned redwood can still stand, but blonde girl is fallen dead

And you bury the dead
A rolling hill rolls by outside this never rolling window
Cosette loves California
But I’ll always pity blonde girl’s love for cigarettes and paranoia