Paint

Image: Unsplash

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Paint

All is not fair in love and war

when lives are lost

and hearts ache on never-ending amounts of pain

we don’t smile

its not human we all grieve the pain

that realness is humane

to feel ill when others inject the pain its natural

normal is what most like to hear and say

to hide and cover tears we all know it makes the rain come faster

but to end when we finally see flowers

when seasons pass and soldiers are killed

we wake up to see it was painful and all real

that there were no soldiers in sight and no enemy to find

just flowers spread around bodies which is fair right

that part

flowers after chaos

the joy after sorrow

but it doesn’t always come to end

Most show the white flag before they know what awaits them

Too scared to fall

While at one point yet we all stumbled

forgetting that the naive state of what we loved was war

when others make sure it comes to an end

because that’s how we make it far

take out the love and let bodies drop

its traumatic I know

to see all you know and the rest let go

the ones forgotten and that we’ve pushed to forget

we stumble still in the uncertainty of what we believe
is just the haven’t seen yet

but we all do learn to walk

and some still stumble because their power comes from the few words they talk

Forgetting our protector doesn’t call of nights of power nor the color of roses to run deep

he knows it not fair and allows us to weep

so maybe it is despite the uneasy nature of it

that all may be fair in love in war

if the rain and tears are all lost despite the love

if when we give all to some, it's still never enough

because we fail to see the worth it things

the white roses that didn’t and never need to be washed clean

but if they are

And the paint spills on yours or another battlefield

I beg you to remember that the dripping red is what makes us humane

that war doesn’t need to be our answer to pain

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Nia Castile

I'm a rising junior in high school and a student-athlete who’s always looking for ways to grow—whether that’s through sports, school, or creative outlets. Writing is one of my favorite ways to make sense of the world, and I often turn to my Christian faith for inspiration and perspective. When I’m not writing, you’ll probably find me painting at my easel, getting lost in color and creativity. I've made the honor roll every semester throughout my freshman year and was proud to be awarded my school’s Lady Chapel Award.

Nia Castile