The Dark Is The Wanted Poem by Maya Hanson

Piercing eyes
sunk in black shadows,
a reflection
gleams in a pool of
what looks like freedom

and I take one step
into the only
clear
left in the world

The dark is the wanted,
light means life and
laughter and
music that will
only hurt my ears.

Splashing through
streets at night,
dodging the scream of
city lights,
running until I
don’t recognize myself

Stars are a
distant memory,
a whisper of a dream
only washed over me under
city lights

I run through twilight,
through daybreak,
running from the sun

but the orange fingers
stretch,
reach for my ankles,
pull at my hair,
trip my weakened legs,
leave me blinded
as the dark slips away
and I close my eyes
to wait out the hours

The dark is the wanted,
light means pain and
voices and
gunshots and
you.