Nine(teen)

13-year-old me thought she had the world behind her
And thought she knew what she held dear
She never anticipated the storm to come

14-year-old me walked in the door with big expectations
Bright smiles, unguarded eyes
For the first day of the rest of her life

15-year-old me was a dreamer
And just like all other 15-year-olds,
She fell for all of the illusions

16-year-old me thought she had all the answers
And thought she knew what would last forever
Only to find that she would miscount the stars

17-year-old me had her illusions shattered
And watched the dark skies many nights,
Starless—lightless; a little bit hopeless

18-year-old me asked a lot of big questions
And set her dreams on fire with the challenge
For the world to watch them burn bright

19-year-old me knows how little she truly knows
Staying up all night, wide awake and dreaming
About the revelations of tomorrow

Third Street Promenade

An empty parking lot in broad daylight

The restlessness of the cityscape, picture perfect

I cast my eyes upon the summer sun

The backdrop of endless traffic is merely whitenoise

Deafening is the knowledge that you are miles away

Guitar strings and twinkling laughter

Locked in a place untouched by the world

The forever soundtrack of our lives

And the inevitable chorus always happens

Right around this familiar summertime

All I've ever known and what I've never found

is the one thing I've been searching for since day one

We seek fleeting solace in strangers with brilliant grins

And the brightest of youthful laughter

But I have still never found what I'm looking for

Midnight coffee and starlit talks define these memories

Alongside the melodic accompaniment of your voice

This is our song across the heartrending distance

And the single question mark of a guitar string

Leaves me ever so breathless—as always

Do you notice? Your melancholy extends across miles

And finds me upon the careless summer air

I cannot help it but feel your loneliness

Yet I've never been one to mind a walk alone

Listening to the city streets as if my own heartbeat

The call of your heart is music; gravity

And I will always be your accidental answer

Uncomplicated as summer should ever be

I am your rhyme—reason—verse—chorus—

All rolled into one unbreakable last refrain  

These avenues tell the story

Of a girl and a boy and a timeless echolalia  

A song on repeat; a forever summer

So I will walk these streets and listen

To the lullaby of a city overflowing with wishes