Change

A sestina is a non-rhyming poem consisting of six six-line stanzas and a final three-line stanza. The last word of each stanza is used in the first line of the subsequent stanza in a predetermined order.

Aching bones stretching high.
Old faces blur with new.
The moon alters faces.
Green leaves fall,
as red to the ground.
Yet here I am, paralyzed.

Everyone is celebrating, while I stand paralyzed.
Their emotions are high,
While I sink to the ground.
From here on out, all experiences will be new,
and I’m scared they’ll make me fall,
I won’t be able to save face.

In the wake of new faces,
will I still be paralyzed?
In the fall,
will I finally be able to keep my head held high?
In the places that’ll be new,
will I be able to keep myself off the ground?

I must learn to keep myself grounded.
I must learn the names of novel faces
I must learn to set new
goals and not let myself be paralyzed.
I must learn to soar high
and try not to fall.

When summer springs into fall,
and I tread on new ground,
and I feel high
pressure amongst the novel faces,
will I keep myself from being paralyzed
around all the new?

Will the new
accept me even when I fall?
If I am paralyzed
on the ground
will their faces
Laugh at me from up high?

I hope to feel a high rush of excitement from all the new.
I hope that the faces I see will stop me from falling.
I hope that the ground won’t meet me paralyzed.

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