be anything, do anything-but also no <3

by Sofia Barbour

she said I could be anything,

so, I became one with the dirt and moss in the forests

she called for me to return, knives in her voice

my body covered in leaves and reeking of petrichor

I was instructed to be free so long as I was being safe,

and then cast out of the room

when my actions were revealed

body and lungs torn apart by hands and liquor and smoke

our brains were cultivated by chaos

literature and rebellion

and yet our kings are angered

at the uprisings against their violent injustice,

acting like they didn’t create us

they were told they could love who they wanted

and then when they revealed their hearts to their blood,

were cast out, cut off

womb water traded for covenantal blood as a last resolve

(for blood is thicker than water but she was shortened to enhance conformity)

Sofia Barbour is a first-year student at Cedar Crest, intending to major in world history with a minor in art history and business, to hopefully pursue a career as a museum curator somewhere in the world—she hasn't decided yet. Her writing is usually inspired either by what's going on in the world or in her head, which creates a variety of genres in her portfolio, but poetry is her favorite.