A(g)h, Love
It’s hard to say whether
I have failed at love
or it has failed with me
love kicks me aside
I torture it with bad poetry
it denies me water
food
life
I force out of it
some warmth
some light
and wonder when it will take me back
but love owns me
plays with me
I am not its puppet
but its puppy
craving affection
longing for an approval
for a yes
I receive one thousand
“maybe”s
Rock Out.
I am about to give you an order to rock
the hell
out.
I want you to rock out like your car was the only one on the highway, and your favorite song just came on
Rock out like you could take the electricity that exploded through your body when you had your first kiss and power the world with it
Rock out like pomegranates will be in season forever
Rock out like you could turn back time and make sure every person on the Titanic got on a lifeboat
Rock out like every little boy right now started to laugh
Rock out like presidents could run for a third term and Obama just stepped up with a smile
Rock out like every book in every library is on fire and the only way to put them out is by doing the twist
Rock out like in your head is a cure for cancer
Rock out like you have five minutes to live and the best rock song is four minutes and fifty-nine seconds long
Rock out like every second you dance is a second added to your life
Rock out you just escaped an evil boarding school to join a Persian jazz band, like you are being paid to jump and shout with a saxophone
Rock out like someone painted a rainbow on the Westboro Baptist Church
Rock out like every gun in the world suddenly jammed
Rock out like the person who never knows when enough’s enough suddenly lost all of their hair
Rock out like every transgender teen about to cut their wrist is being held back by your tapping feet
Rock out like its pouring outside and you’ve got a girl to run through the rain with you
Like every place you place your feet will grow forget-me-nots
Like a piano is your dance floor
Like the next apple you eat will be perfect
Rock out here
Rock out now.
About the author: Natalina Frederick is a sixteen year old learner from Mill Valley, California, and this is her first publication. She has written a poem every day for over three years, and has no plans of stopping any time soon. Natalina hopes to be a professional poet, calligrapher, or Icelandic sheepherder. If you want to contact her, she can normally be found barefoot by a creek with a book.
