By Ja'el Bryant
WInner, 2021 VSU Art + Poetry Contest
The broken boy
Met the open-minded, optimistic, helpless romantic
She would stare into his eyes and see strength and passion
She was lost
She didn't see the bruises that were thrown
Or the lies that he tried to cover
All she saw was him
She was lost in the abyss of this life
He took advantage of this
He saw the waves of desire in her eyes
And at first, he was was floating
Riding this wave, which would soon drown her
But something was out to get him
Something that's been chasing him since he was a child
The fear of happiness
The horror of not being accepted of his true self to others
It’s automatic.
So he stopped the boat
Running
Leaving her with the only memories she had left
And the tears that would soon come after
About the Author
Ja'el Bryant, VIrginia State University
Ja'el Bryant is a rising sophomore at Virginia State University, majoring in Mass Communications with a minor in English. Originally from San Francisco, California, Ja'el also throws women's shot put and discus for the VSU Track and Field team. She aspires to be a filmmaker as well as a screen writer that can vividly express her thoughts and stories onto a screen that people can enjoy.