I love the way you throw your hand out the window when you drive;
Careless and free,
feeling the rush of wind pass through the space between your fingers,
the earth’s breath kissing your knuckles.

I love the way you go barefoot when we walk through the woods.
People passing by throw strange glances your way,
and you tell them they’d understand,
if only they took their shoes off too.
They do not know the softness of pine needles under bare toes.
They have no connection with the ground under their feet,
it does not speak to them how it does to you.

I love the way you sing with your eyes closed,
focused on the sound of the drums, the sound of that ancient heartbeat.
The language sliding off your tongue a victorious cry
that we are still here, and we haven’t forgotten.
They may have tried to pry it from our lips,
but songs fly up from your lungs, like sparks from a fire
that is still burning strong.

I love the way you laugh, throwing your head back,
letting loose your joy into the air,
pollinating the space nearby with your hard-earned light.
The world may be a dark place,
but you cast that brilliance wherever you can,
and it gets a little brighter.

-Emma Cooper

This is what I am
And what I was
For as long as I could remember
I was trash under your feet
Only trash that could be thrown away
Whenever you felt like it.
I was treated like trash
So I thought I was trash
I thought I was only good enough to be used
And abused
And cut
And bruised
I thought I deserved it because of you
I was trash
But trash doesn't always stay trash
It gets found
Treated like it isn't trash.
Pampered because it was never trash.
I am trash
No I was trash
But now I am not
Because trash doesn't stay trash forever
Sometimes it gets recycled.