TAKING IT WITH THEM
The girls are taking it with them
The secret shame, the reasons why
The scattered scars of late-night carving
The feeling fat starved unpopular neglected
Unprotected sex with unworthy boys
One took the bun and the oven too
They’ve left it all behind
School, grades, finals, college apps
Took off debt-free; no degree, no debris
No suitcases or makeup bags
No books or beanie babies collected at the mall
perhaps on weekends when they still hung with girlfriends
The farm is minus one pair of helping hands
And the family room, one less Bills fan
The market, one less cashier
The camp, one less counselor
Their school stripped their lockers of all reminders
and called in counselors because
Two girls left our town forever this month
No notes, no clues, no cries for help, no cues
Each in her own way on a different day, in a different way
Finally having their say: This is my life and I’ll do what I want
And that they did – one with drugs, one with a rope out back
They’re gone and they took it all with them
© 2010 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
Sharp Little Pencil 
william wallace
such present troubled time brings growing need
of spiritual development / not of heaven’s beyond
the clouds / of angles harps /songs of the slaved
through centuries drowned / burning at the stake
It but time that hearts unite not tearing love apart
once preached wise socrates of knowing thyself
whence came christ with parables divine / then
blessed muhammad / gifting an oasis of wealth
now but time of (Prem Rawat) the king of kings
thats fact / the master of masters/ top of his art
a ocean of love springing eternal from his heart
Gods word blessed once more clothed in flesh
on PC search (words of peace) videos finding
of prem rawat speak // bringing enlightenment
removal of doubt / peace on earth established
where heaven being found /but an breath away.
Sharp Little Pencil
Answering my free verse with such a beautifully crafted poem. I’m honored, my dear. I do believe heaven is but a breath away, and no matter what spiritual path we follow, the gift of the Creator, that gift of life itself, being taken by those who have yet to experience real life is all the more tragic.
I have not experienced Prem Rawat, although I have read the Q’uran and know of the Prophet’s teachings. I’m what you call a well-rounded follower of Jesus, a pastor’s wife who practices TM and is open to so many paths…
Thank you, Wm Wallace and Old Grizz. Two blogs to check out! Peace, Amy
Old Grizz
a time of life that is difficult for all of us to understand…
Why…why…why???
A lot of QUESTIONS…a lot of responses….
but never do we find an answer
Sharp Little Pencil
True, and combined with rural life, where there is nothing to do but obsess on one’s hormones… it was an awful month. Poor kids, they didn’t have a chance.
Lisa
it’s a shame really that life turns out this way for so many young girls. i always hope that somehow people will wake up and help be a solution to the problem.
Sharp Little Pencil
It starts with mothers modeling self-esteem for the benefit of their children, espec. their girl children. That’s a problem in both cities and rural areas; even the middle class is not immune. Children coming first; respecting each other within the household, so that self-respect is derived from that exercise. Girls are exposed to too much TV and Web; the “America’s Next Top Model” is a starving, undereducated young woman, every time. We need to start demanding healthy women in movies, on TV, on the covers of magazines. Lindsay Lohan is hardly a role model…
uponthewingsofnight
This poem is more pertinent than ever, considering the rash of suicides by teens from many parts of the country. If I would’ve given in to the temptations of the sirens of suicide when I was in middle school, I would have never known you and never have met Miriam, the true love of my life. Unfortunately, I still hear the siren’s call but I’ve grown to the point where I can successfully resist that call.
Sharp Little Pencil
This is one of the most heartfelt comments I’ve ever received. I’m honored you shared your story with me. I’ve heard those “sirens” (apt description, that) as well… but I’m so glad you didn’t listen. It sounds as though you were not so completely isolated, you sort of talked yourself in off the ledge. I’m proud to know you, and I hope you are seeking help if that’s what it takes to get to whatever triggers those calls. Writing this was painful because it was pretty much true, when I was in a small town.
Thank you for writing – I’ll check out your blog. In the meantime, keep listening to your better angels and to Miriam! Peace, Amy
uponthewingsofnight
The reason I heard the siren’s call often was a complete lack of self-esteem. I’ve grown in that regard over the years but it is a daily struggle to ignore the siren’s call. I plan on keeping Miriam in my life forever. Brett