You write of apple picking, carborundum wheels
Swishing scythes and landscapes full of trees
A different place, a different time
But familiarity I find in images like these

Among the downy flakes
We feel your little horse's shake
As the woods fill up with snow

Your wife stares out the window
Standing by the sink
We wonder what she really thinks
The day you move into your country home

A stranger makes an offer for your trees
To sell for profit in the Christmas city
Three cents each is far too low, we agree
So they may stay and he can go

What unexpected face was that
She's sure she saw one winter night?
Alighting from the pony trap
She seeks him out by lantern light

Conversations written down
Stories from your time you tell
Glimpses, snapshots, daily life
Atmosphere conveyed so well

I hope that you buy that frilly dress you see at the store. I hope you wave to the boy that you think is attractive. I hope you laugh at any and every joke that you think is funny. Don’t be afraid to have a voice. Don’t be afraid to smile at yourself in the mirror. Just because you love yourself doesn’t make you “smug” no matter how many times they tell you otherwise. Wear red lipstick no many times people tell you that you look like a clown. If it makes you feel good, so be it. Read a book instead of your timeline. Take a walk instead of pacing your room waiting for him to message you. If he messages you, it will be there when you get back. Stop procrastinating, an hour of homework a day is better than a month of non-stop homework at the end of the school year. Listen to your favorite band no matter how “gay” your friends say it is. Make good friends. If the people in your life don’t make you happy, don’t allow them inside of it. If the people in your life are sad, try your best to make them happy. Keep in mind that no one can save you but yourself but someday you’re going to need a shoulder to rest on for balance. Ask for help. You are a speck upon this earth, but you can make a change. This world is big and not everyone is going to treat you nicely. That’s okay. Everything will be okay.

You can never conquer me
I won't be bought or sold
I can take away your looks
I can make you old

I can be the enemy
I can sit and bide
Always an enigma
Sometimes on your side

Ever am I constant
Slowly passing by
When you just forget me
That's when I can fly

You can mark my passing
With an anxious frown
You can measure
You can treasure
But never slow me down

A constant disappearing
Like footprints in the sand
You can try to cheat me
But you'll never beat me
I hold the winning hand

Filled to the brim
with anxiety,
you took me gently
by the waist and tipped me over
It poured sweetly from my eyes
And rested on the skin over my cheekbones
You wiped it all away
With the tip of your finger
And the patience of your nature
I built a home
inside the bend of your elbow
You rocked me to sleep
I overflow here without you
As I stare vacantly through the window
Of my second story apartment
Begging the stars to kiss my forehead
The same way you always did