there was a time / when you had to bite your tongue / to stop yourself / from blurting out your love for me / my friends still ask about you / but i no longer know what to say / i do not know how to tell them / that i struggle to recall the sound of your voice / there was a time / when you thought / i was the best thing / to ever happen to you / that night / i lay in a bed that was not mine / and cried as you slept beside me / you were so close / and i’d come so far / but it was as if you’d forgotten who i was / lying there next to you / i had never felt more alone / there was a time / when we spoke / in song lyrics / and slow poetry / and words flowed between us / like honey / i never thought / i would have to beg you to stay / i never thought / you would not know / if you wanted me still / i never thought / that either of us / would stop wearing this love / like a badge of honor / there was a time / when i was your only constant / in a sea of uncertainty / we clung to each other like lovers / and for the first time / i knew how it felt / to be needed / that january / i learned / that you always forget / to close the door behind you / as you leave / i must have shut a thousand doors / as i trailed after you / in that giant empty house / hoping you would turn around / and remember / that i was still there / you will forgive me / i hope / for being unable / to close this door / there was a time / when i was sure / we would never reach it.
Sonya Drake is a teen writer and IB student living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. A founding member of her school's Slam Poetry Club, Sonya writes about her experiences with love, friendship and heartbreak as a young queer woman in the South. In her spare time, Sonya enjoys listening to indie music, playing the drums, and reading coffee-table books.