the journey -- poetry by Divya Vetticaden

when they came for us

it was under the blindfold of darkness

the heat was suffocating

condensation of escaped breath

the only cooling we were afforded

screams of febrile wind

leaked through

the cracked window

scalding our skin

my nose shriveled at the scent of despair,

forgotten promises tickling my toes

we searched blindly,

grasping wildly at the thick air until

our balmy palms found eachother.

when they came for us,

that’s how we stayed,

swaying in unison with the winding road,

sweating, breathing,

joined together.

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Divya Vetticaden is a rising senior at Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego. When she’s not writing poetry she enjoys reading, taekwondo, violin, and volunteering with little kids. Her poetry has been previously recognized by the Scholastic Arts and Writing Competition.