I was given a miniature clay dove
to be my guardian the day
living with bipolar disorder
became my reality.
I placed her on my bedroom windowsill
as a reminder that there can still be peace
despite my struggles that ebbed and flowed
like waves crashing on a shoreline.
She rested in the same spot for a decade
though every morning I’d check on her
because I longed for her to take flight.
(I would dust her off with a tiny scrap
of a black and white dish towel.)
She became more than my guardian
in fact, she manifested my hopes and dreams—
I too wanted to soar.
Her motionless presence filled up
my bedroom though this fine morning
she was no longer there.
It was as if she came to life,
and snuck out my cracked window
without a sound during
that hot summer evening,
and took flight under the bright stars.
At first I was heartbroken at this loss.
Yet I became conscious of my inner strength,
and that what is constant is change.
When she took flight I realized
my hopes and my dreams
have soared too alongside her,
and as of today have come true.
-Sophia Falco
Sophia Falco is the author of her debut poetry chapbook: The Immortal Sunflower which was a winner of The Raw Art Review chapbook contest. The tallest sunflower she grew was 16 feet tall! Sophia studies intensive literature with a creative writing concentration for poetry at UCSC, and will graduate as an undergraduate senior June 2020. https://www.instagram.com/poetsophiafalco1/
Such a heartfelt poem!
Thank You