Cycle Paper #6: A Night’s Sky

The Night’s sky is the color of

Deep black velvet,

A smooth stone on the bottom of a well,

Strokes of ink on freshly printed paper,

A shadow on a summer’s day,

My dad’s old leather jacket,

Stripes on a Zebra,

Tread marks on the road,

Keys on a piano,

The fur of a black cat,

The muscle of bull charging a matador,

Depths of ocean blue,

The grains of black sand shifting on a Kona shore

The gloss on a raven’s wing.

The Night’s sky tastes like

The bittersweet chocolate at the bottom of the jar,

A sip of coffee next to the fireplace,

An ice cream sundae,

Decadent chocolate cake,

An ice cold lemonade on a muggy day,

The dreams of lonely souls.

The Night’s sky sounds like

A baby’s cry for help,

A piercing scream,

A contented purr of a cat fast asleep,

The soft lullaby of a mother,

A creak of footsteps on an old wooden floor,

The murmur of a dream catcher rustling in the breeze,

An echo of a closed door,

A car making its way home,

Hushed whispers of children.

But most of all,

A Night’s sky is a reminder of a new day.

Stress

In a time where stars shine,

Where the moon is at its brightest,

Where the birds are silent,

A powerful force drives a young girl.

Stressed over school, she studies.

She is silent. But inside, she screams.

Every concern, worry, and problem

Is magnified. How can she possibly go on?

She wishes all this pressure, all this stress

Can, in some way, be relieved.

She feels no physical pain, yet

The pain is enough to keep her awake.

Her beautiful, jet black hair,

Slowly turns to gray.

Her perfect complexion,

Slowly wrinkles in fear.

The hazel brown eyes,

Slowly begins to shut.

But, she still presses on.

I promised myself I would never be her.

I saw the endless nights she endured,

I saw what it did to her.

Always on edge,
Always wearing only one accessory,

Her frown.

I felt her pain. I urged her to sleep.

But she couldn’t. And I couldn't understand why.

I was naïve. I never felt that stress till high school.

Where every grade mattered, every test counted.

There were no pauses for those who fell behind.

A school filled with rabbits, never stopped for the tortoises.

Slow and steady was not winning the race.

I struggled to keep up, yet I did.

The tortoise took no breaks, keep pressing forward.

I finally felt that force. That undeniable feeling

That compelled me to push through.

B's were unacceptable. A's were expected.

I hated that feeling. But, I still needed their approval.

I did whatever it took.

I stayed up with the owls,

Skipped meals, ignored friends.

But, it seems, no matter what I do,

They will never be satisfied.

Just the life of a Punahou student.