A Year Ago

In love with a boy so much that it scared her,

she cried a few times a week and brought him home to save him.

She was waiting on a miracle,

on that free ride to college.

She knew she could win deep down inside,

but always worried about it anyway. 

She was memorizing things every day,

both for her classes and for the school play.

She was excited about Arizona,

a trip only a month away.

In the midst of bloodwork,

hospital bracelets every few weeks.

Struggled to keep the student council afloat,

and put on a dance that only her friends came to.

She didn't know that better things were coming for her and so she threw herself into every moment and worked herself harder than she ever should have because that is what she thought she needed to do.

Oh, what a year does to a person.

-Emma Lancaster