Student Publishing Program ::

Sijia Z.

A Moment to Hold

I hold it between my fingers,
as thin as air,
the surface smooth in my hands,
faded in color,
vibrant in meaning.
In a perfect rectangle I see
the blue sky,
my red sweatshirt, yours grey.

This moment, where your arms are around me,
is encased in a metal frame
as if unbreakable against all odds,
able to surpass all obstacles.

On our youthful faces,
I see genuine smiles.
In you, I see loyalty, honesty, kindness
and a friend never to be lost.

Yet this is not the story.
It is simply a snapshot in time.
Beneath the surface,
hidden from the world
are the tears shed moments before.

Four years since then,
we have aged with 3,016 miles between us.
Today, I see on your page
these words:
“I thought our days would last forever,
‘cause in my mind we had so much time.”
I know they are not meant for me,
yet I still question if you recall the days when
our childish minds
echoed their meaning.

I wonder if you are still the same,
and I wonder if you ever think of me.
Pondering these questions,
I can’t help but to think of our time together.
It is now that I realize how much I have forgotten.

But if this is all I have,
I am content to use this picture
as a reminder that some moments are
able to be captured,
able to escape the race against time
to become a memory I can hold in my hands.

[TABLE OF CONTENTS, LHS CLASS OF 2012 EDITION]