‘I’m Alive’ by Juno Nicholas
A mother and father watch on
As their precious daughter succumbs to illness
The doctors all try to find the cause
But they can’t figure out what’s wrong
So the mother and father wish upon a star
“Do whatever you must to keep our daughter well”
Day by day nothing changes
The daughter only grows weaker
The mother worries her prayers weren’t answered
And the father weeps
Their daughter dies or so she says
The parents mourn for many years
They dare not utter her name
She disappears from all the pictures adorning the walls
Nearly forgotten
Until one day a man comes to their door
He looks familiar almost familial
He smiles wide and proclaims
“Mother father-
I’m alive”
Juno Nicholas (he/him) is a trans senior in high school and an award-winning playwright and writer.
