“
My name is Comet Caldwell,” I said, wincing slightly at the way my voice echoed around the room. “I’m seventeen and...this is my poem.
“Before you
Real life was a blurred Monet,
Dripping Tuesday’s pale blue
Into Wednesday’s dull gray;
All color muted to a lesser hue.
It was hot chocolate gone tepid,
And a winter with no snow.
Sea air somehow turned fetid,
Favorite shoes you outgrow.
Before you,
Real life was without magic,
No acts of heroism in sight.
Just girl, not savior, not telepathic,
No fight of dark against light.
There were no wizards or warlocks,
Angels and demons didn’t exist.
Its only charm was in its boardwalks,
Where sand and sea always kissed.
Before you,
I preferred the dreams I could buy;
A plethora of worlds to explore.
Lose myself in the beauty of a lie,
Have friends who never keep score.
Where there’s truth in true romance,
And uncool shy girls become heroes.
Where days are filled with thrilling happenstance,
And people have answers nobody here does.
Before you,
I judged without truly knowing,
Let people slip through my hands.
Saw someone flashy and outgoing,
And determined they’d never understand.
You made me see everyone’s layers,
All their secrets and fears.
Proving we’re all merely players,
Who smile through our tears.
Before you,
I believed real, true, glorious living
Was in adventure, was in the extraordinary.
But I’ve learned that time is not so forgiving,
And the real beauty of life is in the fragile ordinary
”
”