Colleen Knowles, a senior at Proctor High School, says she has always loved to write, but got really interested in it when she was a freshman. “I usually get inspired randomly by little things people say in conversation,” she says. “I have probably four notebooks full of discarded or half-written poems and short stories lying about my house.”
A Love Plea
Let’s steal away to far-off places,
unknown ground, unfamiliar faces.
It would be nice to get away and see the sun in
untouched lands.
It’s not so hard to disappear,
pretend that we were never here,
forget the people, places, things,
and walk until we find the end.
Then, you might just hold my hand
and look to where the colors blend.
You grab a boat, I’ll steal a paddle,
and though our empty pockets rattle,
we’ll need no currency but love where love lies ‘twixt the sea and shore.
Toss a penny, flip it double,
whisper to it faith or trouble,
cutting doubt in half and leaving choice to shoes and undarned socks.
If, at last, we’re wanting more
we’ll sail to every farthest dock.
Then, the night; if luck is gentle,
we’ll find places we were meant to
and stop our silly sailing ‘round and ‘round the salty vice.
Set our feet in sand or jungle,
leave old memories in a bundle,
walk away and never turn around to wave a last goodbye.
Take my hand and trust me twice
or leave me here alone to die.