the waterfront

I wake up and I am 17

It doesn’t smell as mystical outside

It still smells good

My dad knocks on my door

Now closed all the time

For privacy

It gives me the comfort of not bothering my parents

And them not bothering me

I deal with the monsters under my bed alone now

My dad asks once again if I would like to go on a walk

I tell him no as I am going to hang out with friends

I can’t tell them no

I’ll find another time to catch up with him

Right?

I go downstairs to leave and there’s no dog, he died last fall.

I drive away by myself

Maybe I’ll drive through the loopy-loop if i can remember where it is.

“cul de sac”

[poem by andrea nyamedi ‘27] sometimes life feels like you’re stuck in a jar struggling, pushing, but never getting far or sometimes life fancies you stay in a trap doomed to an end without freedom fight with no avail ‘til hope gives up on you too and just as you have decided to wait, life notices you’ve taken the bait the lid closes. and the cycle continues.