smile, rosemary

seven

her

eyes flickering
from the teacher
and the project
she raves about,
i close them.

sleep and i
have not met;
not since a week.

and my body is
the victim of my pain;
my heart screams for this
to s t o p.

if i could stop hurting,
i would; but the only way
to do that would be to die.

and i want to see
what life has in store for me.

so,
sorry, my poor heart;
for all the venom that
circulates in the blood you pump.

i still want to live.

-

him

"rosemary?" i say,
as she drifts off in class.
the circles under her eyes portray
extreme fatigue and lost sleep.

she opens her eyes
and they are filled with tears,
she looks away from me.

"rose," i say. "you alright?"

"truth, or lie?"

"truth, please."

"no."

i move my chair
closer to her, and put
my arm around her. she
lays her head on my shoulder.

"how can i help?"
i keep my eyes on the
teacher, but my attention
on the girl in my arms.

"you can't," she sighs.
"is that a challenge?"
"no, south."
"challenge accepted,"
i squeeze her shoulder.

i, south lee, vow
to help this girl
taste happiness
once again.

"you free tonight?" i ask.
"not for you."
"i'm picking you up
at exactly 6. we're going out."
"i said i was busy."
"no, you didn't."

she huffs, snuggles her
head on my shoulder.
"don't be late, camera boy."