Best years of our lives

That's what they say

The thought of it

Replicating the light

Flapping of wings, on

The Halcyon bird

What a beautiful bird

With a euphonious call

Like the laughter

Between children

The given freedom

The ability to go

Anywhere you want

Do anything you want

It's breathtakingly

Unconfined

But that bird is not here

Replacing the sway

Of it's delicate wings

Are those of an angel

But it’s not as it seems

It’s not who you think

It's the boy

Who sat next to you

In bio

Until he got shot

By an AR-15

During a shooting

In the place that he

came to learn.

The beautiful call

Of the halcyon bird

Is replaced by the harsh

Words floating

Through our heads

“I am not good enough”

I am nothing like the halcyon bird

Its beauty and grace

Far too good

For me

Yet the worst of all

The fluttering freedom

Of the halcyon bird

Has been replaced

By the cage

Of standards

Of being this and

Doing that

Of getting straight A’s

Passing finals

Having hours of homework

After an already

Excruciatingly long day

Extending the cage

Into our homes

But the true problem

is that the bird

The beautiful halcyon bird

isn’t simply not here

The bird is dead

And these are the

Worst years of our lives