Faced to Face
Sierra Santosuosso
She was beautiful,
Youthful and bright.
Just like I was.
We grew up together,
Yet
We grew apart.
Like a photograph
Frozen in time,
We hold on
To the memories
Of who we once were.
I close my eyes
And escape
To rose-tinted visions.
And we meet again.
The wear on her skin
Has flaked away
To reveal the vibrance
I remember well.
She laughs in flowers.
Cries in rain.
Smiles in sunshine.
Whispers in wind.
She embraces me,
As she always has.
But suddenly,
The vision fades.
Weakened,
We collapse
into each other.
We’re choking
On smoke,
Sweating.
We gaze into
Each other’s eyes
As if it were
The last time.
The blackness
Comes creeping in,
Yet I see a light
Deep in her eyes.
It is me.
I am young,
Youthful,
Playful,
Bright.
She remembers,
And holds on
To the memories.
Just like I do.
We lose ourselves
Living in the past,
Paying no mind
To our present dismay.
Is it best to live
A beautiful life
Blind and ignorant,
Feeding on the past?
Or like dawn
Do we rise
And embrace
A new day?
Sierra Santosuosso is a 26-year-old student in the MS in Biology program at Boise State University. She has felt deeply connected to nature from a very young age, and her poem is inspired by the mental and emotional challenges of growing up with the Earth and being confronted with uncomfortable realities.