The Sun

By Madelyn Graves

The flickering lampshade beams against the dark.

Eyes sealed shut

The soft glow burns against my lids

As if it were the sun itself.

But the radiance fades

Dissolving into the vortex of night.

For bulbs go out

And sunlight sinks.

Until the only thing left to keep me warm is the dark

Swaddling my body in a blanket of black

Soft to the touch.

They never told me the sun would go away.

For they said it would stay, its rays to rain upon me

The rays of gold caressing my face.

Though I suppose it does seem

It found a way

Of disappearing.

And leaving me vulnerable in the dark of the night.

I suppose, it just turned its back.

Or did I turn mine?

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Madelyn Graves is sixteen years old, living in a happy family of four in Louisiana. She has attended a Catholic school for twelve years, and her Christian faith has always been very important to her. She is always looking for new ways to spread God’s Word. Along with writing, Madelyn loves to bake and hang out with her friends from school. Family and friends are a very important aspect in her personal life, and she enjoys spending her free time in their company. She hopes to one day be a published author and an English teacher at her old Catholic middle school, where she continues to do what she loves and spread God’s message.