Archives

Expectations

The opening of her mouth signals more

And more words. She throws me in the fire to succeed, and 

Yet I burn. The possibility of work floods my senses.

I know I must be great, but how can I with her lurking

Around my mind every waking moment. Homework.

Programs. All things I enjoy,

When she doesn’t expect something from me. 

To look out for her, to clean up after her

When I come back from my evening endeavors. 

I am a rule follower, I do no wrong. 

No harm among the world, and yet

Her words send signals

Of her perfect daughter to be. 

Asking her when she is going to succeed.

She closes her mouth with the taste of honesty,

She knows that I could never

Live up to her expectations, of who she wants me to be.

 

 
My Mother’s Love

My mother’s love extends wisdom,

Beyond my ear

My mother’s love is no one else’s. 

 

It is beautiful and merciful, like the sun. 

When ready to shine, her love scatters my mind.

 

My mother’s love acquires armor. 

Delicate and cautious, when met face to face

With the wind.

 

It is impacted by screams. 

Honest and true, I move through and through

 

My mother’s love fears no fools. 

A fool like me, fears nothing

But her. 

 

It is true, her words float around me.

Yet, her cloud may pull me back down. 

 

My mother’s love. 

It is my mother’s, no one else’s.

My mother’s love.

 

 

 Magic in the Woods

A trip to the woods,

Won’t hurt anyone. 

She goes because everyone else goes.

They go to party

To have fun

To release

To get away from the parents that haunt them.

She follows suit among the crowd

The trees watch from a distance

Waiting for her to get lost

Waiting for her to follow that path. 

And then she is gone. 

Lost in the tracks, a branch helps her find the way

Not to her friends, but to where they all have been. 

Flying in the air, the girl is lost in a hole

She ends up in a place unlike home. 

A place where everyone is free to be themselves

Or whoever they want to be. 

Where you can dress up, or watch skits for hours. 

This is a place where time doesn’t exist. 

Where hate and kindness are not balanced,

But one conquers the other. 

The girl lost in a trance, stays in the place 

Till time collects her. 

Which is hard since time doesn’t exist in a

Place full of magic, that hides under a hole

Where everyone stumbles for free.  

But yet, they always end up paying a price to leave. 

 

Prayer about the Moon

As the sun and moon say their goodnights,

A little girl in the distance prays.

 

Her words battle against the night sky

For her God only knows why, 

She prays in the darkest time.

 

She couldn’t help but ask for guidance from up above

She couldn’t help but ask for God to watch over her family

She couldn’t help but ask for her to see another day. 

 

Now, the moon is watching

Waiting for the right of way,

To bless this little girl’s day. 

 

She prays for love, in the darkest moments

She prays for faith, in her weakest moments

She prays for hope. Hope that she can see the sun, 

Until she crosses over to meet the moon. 

 

The moon hears her, in every which way

He dreams of her prayers to be answered,

That her God will bless her until her dying days. 

 

The girl couldn’t help but pray for the moon

She, looked at the moon for every possible question

Hoping that he could grant her blessings. 

 

She finished her prayer, so that the moon could teach her a lesson. 

With an Amen hanging in the air, the girl hoped

For the moon to never disappear.

---

Jazmyne Moseley is in eleventh grade and goes to Franklin Towne Charter High School. She likes to write poetry and short stories for fun. She also likes to read and build lego sets. Her favorite color is blue, and she enjoys living in quietness. She lives in Philadelphia, PA with her dog, Bailey, and her mom.