by Jade Lise [2/9/17]

Red is the only color I see.

In roses,

Adorned in hearts,

And in her lip gloss.

People are laughing,

Hugging one another,

Kissing their lovers.

On this joyous day, I see red.

Mother tells me to pack some clothes,

I hide a photo of the lady in red in my shoe.

An eagle glares at me from outside,

Silently proclaiming me red-

undant.

I glance at her cardigan,

Draped over her shoulders like a late night snow.

As she boards a car separate from I,

Her dress is red.

Je t’aime mademoiselle.

I am shoved off the train

Thrown to the terra firma by a vulture

Whose arm band is red.

My vermilion damsel is nowhere to be seen.

Left, right

Right, left.

What do these lead to?

I look to the left,

There is a flash of red.

We are forced to march,

The sky,

My wounds,

And the snow,

They are all red.

The gunshots create a song,

Is this what art is now?

More of us fall

Painting the ground a sharp crimson.

Red is prominent here,

In their blood,

In his uniform,

I see flames,

They have taken her.

Who was it?

Who was the one I was longing for?

I no longer know her face.

I no longer know anyone’s face.

Suddenly I am a corpse,

Collapsing to the ground

An infection taking over my system.

I hope to be taken to the infirmary.

My eyes are stale oysters,

I cannot breathe

Why can I not breathe?

There is red in my throat.

I cannot scream

It’s too late

I am not dead yet,

It is not my time!

Please.

S’il vous plait.

Bitte!

They cannot hear me.

I should have fled to France

With my ruby rose.

I see the flames in front of me

They are red.

Would they have reminded me of her?

I see clouds encircling the setting sun,

A storm is coming.

Or are those ashes,

Buoyant in the flames surrounding me?

There is no difference.

By Jade Lise [1/31/17]

Green is what drives the world

That is all we know.

We drill the earth and take its oil

Down to the ground, eroding the soil.

We burn last season’s fashion line

As if it wasn’t worth a dime.

The garb we burn turns to ashes,

Releasing more greenhouse gases.

The temperature rises,

A new record is set,

Once again “the hottest year yet.”

The seasons come and go.

It no longer snows.

The ice caps melt,

Sea levels rise.

I am too late

to apprise and advise.

Look, there’s a monsoon,

A tsunami,

A flood,

Look, a tycoon.

Above all,

We have what’s important:

Another installment.

One last endorsement.

By Jade Lise [9/29]

Under your spell,

Millions quell to you,

From that moment I knew,

Your incantations will sweep the nation,

Along with your charm and your damnation,

Your charisma strikes me,

Your magic books entice me,

Teach me your secrets,

I’d like to know,

How your empire continues to grow,

Knight me your apprentice,

Becoming a menace,

Prepare for my entrance;

based off of this

By Jade Lise [9/21]

The green grass turns red,

With this claim he solemnly said,

“Nine ducks have been put to bed,

Forever and ever until the end;”

Little boy watched,

As this sasquatch

Mowed the lawn and slaughtered his ducks;

Trimming the lawn,

As he was mowing,

He saw the ducks,

And just kept going;

Fowl parts all over the lawn,

All those ducks are now gone,

What a shame,

This murderous game,

At least it wasn’t a fawn;

Told to stop,

He continued to chop,

So he smiled and mowed along;

The ducks are now dead,

Their blood did he spread,

by Jade Lise [10/25]

I remove my mask to put on a new

What would they do if they found out the truth?

Nothing but lies is what I once said,

This was my new day to day trend

Disguises of mine filled a closet that never ends,

All of my masks looked like my friends,

Sick of pretending,

I begun experimenting,

I want to make a difference,

I’ll make myself better,

Maybe I’ll try on a sweater

Woven with my old ignorance,

Embracing my past,

Finally at last,

I can be who I want to be,

The best version of me you will ever see,

As the future nears,

I’ll give others my cheers,

Not ever will I regress,