Hope

The moment before I wake is like the last second before sunrise.
The sky is empty
The stars are still brushing their teeth
The moon is waking up
The sun has gone to bed

So, for a second, just a second
I forget all about Crushes, Bullies, Rumors, Basketball Conditioning, Math Tests,
I forget all of it   I am blank  I have no purpose therefore no limits to what I can be

It’s when my dreams slow down and grind to a halt
The chugging nightmarish train is derailed for now
I am empty

I could be the next Malcolm X or the next Rumi
For that one moment I have the greatest power on the face of the Universe
The ability to do what I please
Without Influence so for those .0989 seconds
I am weightless, effortless, expectationful, smarter, a child, an adult
The next generation.
And a hope.

by Kamden Hilliard
8th grade, Punahou School