A Coward Standing

By Alexandra Greenberg

Sloping figure with wrinkled skin

Who gave you the choice not to see?

Head craning in, 

With an arm propped up

And draped over the other shoulder.

You careless creature.

How do you ignore the pain lying beneath your skin?

With legs short and sinking into the ground

And flesh torn through an existence of suffering,

How do you stand so casual, confident,

With your full chest

To the world facing before you?

Your other hand—

It stays beside you limp and lifeless

Refusing to intervene.

You monster. So comfortable,

Standing here, not daring to see

Your life is ceasing to be.

Those scrapes on your torso,

the clefts in your feet…

They are hurting you and yet,

You stand still, 

Eyes shut, mouth closed, hands poised uselessly,

Choosing to ignore the situation.

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Biography

My name is Alexandra Greenberg and I am a high school sophomore. Outside school, I enjoy writing, and practicing the flute and aikido. At school I participate in the school’s math competition club, pre-medical track, and HOSA club.

What is your main source of inspiration?

My main source of inspiration is the disillusionment I sense in observing others and myself participating in societal affairs.

What motivated you to write this piece?

What first caught my eye was the rough texture of the body reminiscent of scars, then its open stance and legs sinking into the ground. To me, the posture conveyed a feeling of chosen vulnerability as the figure looks onward and away from its exposed side, accepting of its mangled appearance; thus, I followed the narrative that the subject had allowed great injustice to be brought upon its body.