Before I Died

180 seconds

Rain.
I’ve always loved rain;
distorting the colors of traffic lights and impatient cars that exceed the limits.
“Yesterday” is drowned out by the
erratic melody of drip drops on the glass,
a broken metronome.

144 seconds

Smiling at me in the rear-view,
Gramps sends an amenity to the back seat.
His hand grabs mine and squeezes.
He had taught me how to drive the standard.

131 seconds

Eyes close.
Breaths.
Heart Beats.
The engine revs and we pull forward.
Life goes on…

100 seconds

Harvey sits beside my grandfather,
the radio now silenced.
Tire treads trek through the gale of inevitable,
fleeing the thing we all are living for.
Death.

60 seconds

A tear,
a thunderstorm of emotions station themselves
close to shore.
I’m not afraid.

25 seconds

Close to home.
The grocery list of ‘to dos’ is never ending.
I haven’t finished chapter 7,
and I never will.

11 seconds

My friends,
what will they do?
My mom, my sister…
My father,
what will he think?
He’ll blame it on himself,
no doubt.

5 seconds

I’ve loved them all.
It kills me that I can’t control
what’s coming

2 seconds

I wish-

About Jaynie Parmenter 454 Articles

Jaynie Parmenter is a junior at Clayton A. Bouton High School, in Voorheesville, NY. She is involved in musical and dramatic performances around her community and enjoys composing music.