poem written by a ghost -- poetry by Sophia Wong

i am a ghost.

at school, i take my tests, 

raise my hand,

hope my crush will look at me. 

i sit on lunch tables, watch humans  

be sad.

i go to the park often. today, i see my friends 

but they walk right past 

me and i’m am

alone and i ugly cry until 

my tears are a river

meant for

drowning.

i once saw something 

extraordinary; a boy 

falling from the sky

his skull kissing the summer pavement—

fists to skin, bone to flesh;

i guess he was tired

of being a ghost.

they like to say

this is a good ghost

this is a smart ghost 

this is a proactive ghost

this is an

asian ghost

and we do not need 

to spend 

anymore time or resources 

on this ghost.

i’ll scream and hurt and be hurt,

i don’t care anymore. i’ll go 

to school and take the stupid tests,

tell my parents i’m gay

walk off a building, 

fall from the sky,

be extraordinary.

---

Sophia Wong is a high school sophomore in Los Angeles, California. She is a multi-disciplinary artist and always enjoys expressing herself, wheather through photography, poetry, or film. She has been recognized on a national and international level by Scholastic Arts and Writing, YoungArts, and Women's Founder's Network. In her free time, she enjoys going on long runs, obsessively learning about astronomy, and listening to the newest gay pop.