Hey girls! Here’s an original poem from GL reader Sloane S. Tell us what ya think of this fab creative piece in the comments.

Every Step I Take

From the rickety ladder
That connects us, I saw
A message written in mildew
 
It said the steps were coming down,
It said you had already knew
 
Don’t leave me here, half suspended
In mid-air, while the step I just left is
Consumed by the raging fire
 
With my raw and bleeding hands
Holding on to whatever life I may have
Left, and the rough-hewn rope
That burns my sweating hands
 
Every step I take, the fire gets hotter,
I get heavier,
The flames grow higher,
 
And the ash that contaminates my
Lungs and eyes, turns my soul into
A million pieces of dust that read
My denial and my greed
 
Every step I take wants to break,
Wants to crumble into the last nothingness
Of time
 
I see this inscription on these rock walls…
Every step I take
 
Every step I take, my body threatens to dilapidate
 
I force my mind to think
Of when the lark sung high,
And the shadows of leaves
Could explode into ten thousand little
Effervescent lightening bugs
 
When death didn’t stalk my sleep…
Every step I take
 
I’m almost to the top
When a certain memory comes to mind
 
Before I can push it away,
It floats and shimmers just
Out of my reach and in front of my face
It rapidly begins to replay
 
I’m drawing figure eights in the
Gleaming pure white sand, when you
Come up beside me in the soft glow of night
and promise never to leave my side
 
But here I am, in all my little visible
Glory, the reaper waiting for me to let go
 
Don’t forget the girl you left,
Not caring if she became a phoenix
It’s only fair, for I’ll never forget you
 
I see your face in the firelight… Every step I take

Want to showcase your work? Whether you like to dabble in creative writing, swoosh some strokes on a canvas or snap pics, send us your poems, short stories and artwork to youwroteit@girlslife.com, OR just click “Submit Your Own” below.
 
Plus! Love to sing, dance, act or play an instrument? Shoot over a video of your star-worthy performances! It could be featured right here!

check these out!

• A GL girl's original poem: "Happiness is always in style"
• "We are tired of being tired"
• This GL girl's folklore-inspired poem is *so* dreamy
• How I wrote and published three books before age sixteen

you might like these

• "Why I hardly ever wear makeup"
• Why we shouldn't dismiss the South as "backwards"
• How I rediscovered my faith during COVID-19
• I’ve been single for 21 years but I still love Valentine's Day