Discharge Playground Slide

Authored by: Julia Chen

Congratulations,

you’re going home.

Socks meeting plastic,

you bid farewell

to the muddled morass where

you clawed yourself free,

only the lights and ceiling bearing witness

to unending loss in every step –

your favorite shoes,

the wires under your skin,

the way you laughed,

as you tore yourself free, limb by limb,

leaving behind only scratches on the walls,

whispers in the hallway,

and scribbled verdicts on paper.

Congratulations, again,

as you gaze upon the exit,

glinting in a childish light,

plastic you once scoffed at

as you outgrew its thrill,

now an embrace of nostalgic normalcy,

from a time before you knew

how deep you could sink.