Creative Writing

Poem: Against The Current

You say women and children first But you don’t give a damn About us the minute we are out Treading water, Gasping for air. You make us wade  Through the waves While you ignore The graves you create With your thoughtless policies And your foul ideologies. You deflate our vests And ignore our protests;  You…
<a href="https://highschool.latimes.com/author/annechen76/" target="_self">Anne Chen</a>

Anne Chen

July 27, 2022

You say women and children first

But you don’t give a damn

About us the minute we are out

Treading water,

Gasping for air.

You make us wade 

Through the waves

While you ignore

The graves you create

With your thoughtless policies

And your foul ideologies.

You deflate our vests

And ignore our protests; 

You leave us with nothing

But an oar

To roe our boat 

Through an ugly storm,

And we wonder if we’ll

Wash ashore. 

You say women and children first

But you treat us 

Like second class citizens.

You leave us 

In the storm you stirred up;

You leave us

As the water fills our lungs

And the tide engulfs our

Power and pride,

All while you stand tall 

As self-named heroes;

All while you bask in your glory

With no care for the mother,

Nor the child you say you fight for.

And so while you watch

From your high seat on deck,  

Those limp bodies and faint voices below

Are fighting relentlessly

Against the current.

Poem: To My Target Panic

Poem: To My Target Panic

I remember the first time I met you, the first Sunday of September. Before we met, archery was predictable; my routine was reliable. The weight of my quiver, the resistance of my string, the curve of my limbs, and Sunday morning practice, it was always the same. But...