Student Publishing Program ::

Courtney G.

His Permanent Absence

I listened to the words
But I did not hear the fatality
I noticed their swollen eyes
But I did not see the reality

I laughed a painful hollow laugh
The sound echoed only through my ears
I assured myself that they were wrong
I knew that he must be here

I was convinced that this sad story
Was merely a mistake
I knew his feet still had to be
Pressed against the solid ground
That was crumbling beneath me

Within a few moments
Everything had changed
I wish that I did not have to see
Familial lives deranged

As a gliding wing would hit a concrete wall
Or a dancing ribbon would become aflame
The graceful rhythmic flow of
Our days would be forever disarranged
By his permanent absence

[TABLE OF CONTENTS, LHS CLASS OF 2012 EDITION]