Branches Book

BRANCHES

and I’m holding seeds instead of a pistol my skin is flushed, not gray like my bones are coated with roses not cement I’m never the only one begging for certainty

never on my knees on my own two feet and never weak. hercules in my fingertips.

Author’s Statement: Dani Leshgold

I think that adolescence gets a bad rep. I want other teenagers to be able to connect to my poetry and know that they are not alone. I also want adults to really understand what it’s like to be a teenager in 2017. Whether we can help it or not, we feel things intensely and completely. I’ve always felt that it’s important for that to be validated. I hate it when the feelings of teenagers are brushed off as “dramatic” or “emotional”. I want it to be known that what we feel is valid. Poetry is something near and dear to my heart. I started writing poetry when I was thirteen, and I love poetry for exactly what it is. Whenever I tell people that I write poetry, they will often tell me to convert my poetry into song lyrics or a story, but I love poetry , so I just leave it at that. Enjoy J .

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