i jumped off the ledge eleven minutes to daybreak
before the kitchen smelled like scones and scars
and the cherry-dipped sun bathed in fading moonlight
no whispers no shouting no voices in my head
when the world slept i felt the most alive

i feel weightless off my feet with heart in throat
pink frosted lips blistered in the breeze
and adrenaline coursing in the stillness of letting go
it was the only thing that made me feel happy
the only time my wings came out

of pyrite luster they carried the stars on my back
bruised fragile time and grasped breath indisposed
danced as aroma of apple blossom currents
branded incandescent watercolor on my soul
a feeling of uncertainty glaring through serenity

i was always meant to fly above this earth
my purpose felt in each caramel-dipped flutter
the sweetness trickling down like honey to my pinky toe
drawing out candid breaths in the silence
and renewed life buried under sweaty palms

still sometimes a forever moment only lasts a millisecond
the sun rises and so do the people
the rooster crowed and i fell on barren ground
cuts on my hands and dirt in my hair
i walked into the house and sat down for breakfast

[Hannah Zhang is a 16 year-old aspiring writer from Tucson, Arizona. She enjoys reading all kinds of novels, leaning towards adventure and fantasy. Inspired by the beauty of nature, she frequently incorporates it into her stories and poems. She has been writing since a young age and sees it as an outlet to express herself. She hopes that her writing can inspire readers to appreciate the beauty of life and the world we live in. Hannah’s work has been recognized at the Scholastic Arts and Writing Competition and published in Girls Right The World, The Weight Journal, TeenWritersProject Quarterly Lit Zine magazine, Cathartic Literary Magazine, Journal of Undiscovered Poet (forthcoming), and Idle Ink (forthcoming).]