school
Pick me up, please.
Mom, come pick me up from school.
It’s raining and I want a cup of tea.
And I’ve got things to say to you,
I hope you'll listen, there's so much to talk about,
Come pick me up from school.
...
My English teacher is pregnant again,
She told us in class today.
I wonder if her baby knows,
She delivered the news unsmiling.
(When our pastor said babies bring joy, was he lying?)
...
Can unwanted children tell?
When they’re born unwanted, I mean.
Does it bring that bit of extra pain,
To know that their parents wouldn't pick them up from school?
(Even if the day hung gray, heavy and sparking and cruel?)
...
I have some more things to say to you,
Did you know something happened in ‘72?
19 or 17 or 18, I don’t know,
But something important took place, would you like to hear?
(So many interesting things occur every year).
...
I learned about it in history class,
My teacher preached to the board scuffed with marker sins.
My classmates murmured together, voices raised like a choir.
Did you know that he’s getting a divorce?
(Is the ending of a love story for better or worse?)
...
I wonder if divorce is for the unloved,
Or else, the ones who loved too deeply to heal.
Would it hurt a person that much more,
If the love wasn’t even worth fighting for?
(And would you fight for me?)
...
Here’s another thing: I crave depression.
I welcome my sadness like a friend,
It comes and goes like ocean tides, like the cold cycle of the moon.
I yearn for the soft things it'll say,
(I think it loves me, in a way).
...
Did you know—hey, hey listen—do you know my science teacher?
He wanted to win a Nobel, it was his dream as a kid.
I wonder if dreams would hurt that much more deeply,
If someone else didn't support them too?
(You promised you would, can you pick me up from school?)
...
Are you listening? Sorry, I'm chatty today.
I'll be better later, I swear. Just, so much happened at school.
And so much happens in my head sometimes too.
I'm all wet, I had to walk in the rain, but that's okay,
(You’ll pick me up from school another day).
About the Creator
Amelia
19-year-old writer who hopes to write stories for a living someday-- failing that, I'd like to become a mermaid.
Instagram: @nighterwriter24
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
The Body Remembers
The body remembers what the mind tries to outrun. It remembers every storm, every rupture, every season of survival you forced yourself through. It remembers the nights you held yourself together with nothing but breath and grit. It remembers the mornings you rose anyway, even when rising felt like lifting a collapsed building off your own chest. The body keeps its own archive, written in muscle, breath, pulse, and instinct. Long after the mind rewrites the story, the body still carries the original draft.
By Elisa Wontorcik5 days ago in Poets
Where's the Glory?
In breaking news, rehabilitated Republican Senator Johnnie Johnson (Pronouns: HE, HIM, HIS) called a press conference from the Men’s room of the New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport, Concourse B, across from the Ignatius Reilly’s Lucky Dog stand. The Senator had just returned from a sexual reorientation rehabilitation program in Memphis, TN after being publically disgraced at a Buckee’s Truckstop restroom soliciting sex from an undercover cop three months ago. He is a founding member of the Reformed Christians for Christ, a conservative, pro-family and ex-gay advocacy group. In the spirit of being reborn, Senator Johnson invited reporters to marvel at his plans for a major remodeling of airport bathrooms.
By Cathy Schieffelin6 days ago in Humor
Comments (22)
So. I read this the first time and I loved the writing and the words and the story and I was just trying to wrap my head around it, not absorbing it all. And then I read it again and it made me cry. So good freaking job lmao.
this was beautiful!
wonderful work
Wonderfully written and so moving!
"I crave depression." Perfection.
thanks for sharing with us this beautiful peace
Wonderfully written & heartbreaking!!
Sad and powerful with a message that you angled to the world with grand expertise. A poignant top story!
This was so sad, but it flowed so pleasantly. Great Work. Congrats!
Oh, so much written into this, and a perfect look outward from the mind of a child. A very, very worth Top Story!
'I crave depression. I welcome sadness like a friend'. Somehow this line is the one I understand most. Not now, but there was a time. Amazing but sad. Well done.
This is utterly heart wrenching but so well written and captivating. ‘I welcome my sadness like a friend, It comes and goes like ocean tides, like the cold cycle of the moon. I yearn for the soft things it'll say, (I think it loves me, in a way).’ That was such an incredible stanza. I adored this poem
Oh bloody hell, that was such a cliff edge to fall off!
I'm on the edge of tears with this one (so much deja vu here). Wonderful work... Top Story, indeed!
The daily thoughts of a child. Wow you nailed this, with such emotion. The opening line and last line tie in so beautifully Congratulations
This wrenched something deep from inside of me. Children are too sacred to be handled so carelessly.
This made me cry so much 😭😭😭😭 It reminded me of my childhood trauma and of how even as a kid, I didn't wanna exist. This poem was just too relatable.
Oh my, so much to unpack here. Truly a wonderful piece of poetry, heartbreaking as it is. I loved it, thanks for sharing
My mother once made the rest of my family leave me behind in the biggest mall in Sioux Falls, SD, the largest city in our state, for 2.5 hours as they went to a concert. I keep on wondering, why didn't I just leave?
Oh boy there is so much in this. Its a heavy and woefully wondrous beast. Human connection to this should be off the scale. To be not collected from school... because... because... and because. And all that has been noticed inside these reasons. Ooof, it stings and so many have been there or felt that fear/neglect/worry. I love how the undercurrent is in brackets It adds a maudlin lyricism. The depression stanza is acutely aware. Then that last verse of talking to themselves. Heartbreaking. Truly. Yeah.. this is good work. Struggling for negatives. 1st stanza left me a little unconnected but the rest reeled me right in. The angst pumping from this is both subtle and palpable.
Interesting and sad... I don't know much about this subject, but this was really well written. Good job 👍🍁.
Feedback would be appreciated on this one... tear into it and I'll return the favor.