The day begins before the dawn.

Warm coffee in my cold hands

Does little to ignite my fire.

The flame that yesterday was

A wall of heat is not only a spark

Of what it once was.

What can make me warm again?

The world passes by in a blur of noise; there’s my family, asking me

Once again why I can’t be the

Happy girl my sisters are; the teachers act like robots,

Speaking in monotone about things I have no interest in;

My friends bubbling with a joy I can

Never seem to find.

Finally, I find my chance to live as the world slows

Down to my pace; noise is muffled, the people around me no

Longer exist, words no longer pierce my armor.

My pencil flies across the paper like a bird,

Or maybe today it is a flying saucer,

Maybe tomorrow a superhero.

I create my own reality; I become the hero

Of my own story, a better version coming to lie at my command.

For once, I am in charge; I have unlimited power to create worlds,

Dictate the rules and control what happens

All with a simple piece of wood and graphite.

This power is mine, and I will keep it.

No matter what.