For Hope by May Lafer-Kirtner (14, Oregon)

There are days 
I have wondered if I am truly a poet,
If I will ever belong. 
There are days when I know
That I should hear the people telling me to take my time 
And to love deeply and
To hurt incredibly
Because the ending will be all the more worth it.

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There are days
When I can’t listen to those voices,
Because the only voice I can hear
Is my own
Begging
To not feel this way anymore,
To feel normal. 
But there are the nights 
That will always outweigh the days,
Even if they do not outnumber them.
The nights when I stay on a call 
With this incredible hope
And then stay up even an extra hour after,
Then write the words I know
I will need later. 
The nights
When I dance with my best friends,
Laughing and loving,
And holding on for dear life. 
Find the moments that outweigh the days,
And hold them as close as you can 
They will keep glowing,
They will bring a shining hope.