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Narrative Visual perspective English Content\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Listener Lyric Unit is a unit focused on taking a more personal approach to essays. In this Unit, we were challenged to try to portray a unique experience someone has had and illustrate the emotions, thoughts, and perspectives of said individual. Our project was to create a lyrical essay and an accompanying image. This is my Lyrical essay.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You sit at graduation\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n People laugh\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \n You cry shadow tears<\/strong><\/p>\n Hidden tears<\/strong><\/p>\n Your tears\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \n Inside your glass frame\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n is a roaring typhoon;<\/strong><\/p>\n On the outside, a steel plastered face of strength<\/strong><\/p>\n As your feet<\/strong><\/p>\n move you to take your place,\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n you remember<\/strong><\/p>\n \n Your mother\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n who you loved dearest,<\/strong><\/p>\n Her affection,<\/strong><\/p>\n Her support,<\/strong><\/p>\n Her Eyes,<\/strong><\/p>\n Her Hair,<\/strong><\/p>\n Her Breath,<\/strong><\/p>\n Her Smell\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \n Your heart begins to bleed hard crimson.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n It all happened so fast and yet so unbearably slow:<\/strong><\/p>\n A diagnosis.<\/strong><\/p>\n You did not understand.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n You wouldn\u2019t understand.<\/strong><\/p>\n How could you?<\/strong><\/p>\n You were so young, too young.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n What does ALS mean to a child?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n It meant your mommy needed help from time to time,<\/strong><\/p>\n It means your mommy struggled to move a muscle,\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n It meant your mommy couldn’t speak,\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n It meant your mommy could barely breathe,<\/strong><\/p>\n It meant your mother was in constant pain.<\/strong><\/p>\n It meant your mommy wanted to die.<\/strong><\/p>\n Mommy was suffering.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n Those three small and terrible letters mean everything to a child.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n As you march and grow strong she withers and grows weak<\/strong><\/p>\n You remember the pain the long nights of massaging her back to try to take away the pain<\/strong><\/p>\n You remember the quiet whispers of her wanting to die but refusing for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n You remember the fear in her eyes.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n She did not want to get a tracheostomy\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n It terrified her.<\/strong><\/p>\n An open hole in her throat.<\/strong><\/p>\n A permanent gaping wound.<\/strong><\/p>\n She did it, she tried to cheat death and but some more time.<\/strong><\/p>\n She did it for you.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \n You stop remembering<\/strong><\/p>\n Twisting pain wrenching in your gut as you desperately fight to keep composure and stand with your peers. The long-awaited ceremonies begin. Chairs all full. Parents look on with glee. Their children finishing a chapter of their life. But they do not finish alone<\/strong><\/p>\n \n You see an empty chair.<\/strong><\/p>\n You are alone.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \n You want to cry, scream, fight you want to do anything to bring her back.<\/strong><\/p>\n But you can’t.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \n So you remember.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n You close your eyes.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n You remember yesterday.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n People think it’s easy to die<\/strong><\/p>\n They think it fast like pressing a button or taking out the trash<\/strong><\/p>\n They are wrong.<\/strong><\/p>\n They are so very wrong.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \n You sit holding her hand for hours as she tries to die.<\/strong><\/p>\n As she struggles to die.<\/strong><\/p>\n Time is frozen. The clock stands still. The world becomes grey.<\/strong><\/p>\n You don’t know how to feel.<\/strong><\/p>\n You don’t know what to do.<\/strong><\/p>\n You don’t know what comes next.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n So you cry,<\/strong><\/p>\n You cry a million shadow tears\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n But not any real tears.<\/strong><\/p>\n You must be strong.<\/strong><\/p>\n Impossibly strong for her.<\/strong><\/p>\n Time moves slow, creeping into the night. Night crawling slowly today.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Her pulse grows weak.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n All she wanted was to be able to see you graduate.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n She tries to say she’s sorry.<\/strong><\/p>\n She is sorry she will not see you graduate<\/strong><\/p>\n She is sorry that she will not be with you<\/strong><\/p>\n She is sorry that this happened to you<\/strong><\/p>\n \n The Typhon inside you erupts into a volcano.<\/strong><\/p>\n Shadow Tears transform into Silver Tears<\/strong><\/p>\n The tears rain down from you face<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n You beg her to not be sorry\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n You struggle to speak<\/strong><\/p>\n You don’t have the words to tell her what you want to say.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n So you tell her everything.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n You said so much<\/strong><\/p>\n \n All you can remember saying is how much you love her.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n She manages to make a smile.<\/strong><\/p>\n She tries to say how much she loves you, But she doesn’t.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n You are shattered into a million pieces<\/strong><\/p>\n But you are not broken\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n You remember her teachings\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Pattern and structure<\/strong><\/p>\n You let yourself cry and scream\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The world moves on with or without you<\/strong><\/p>\n You stop and start picking up the pieces<\/strong><\/p>\n Living in the past condemns your future<\/strong><\/p>\n You march to your room<\/strong><\/p>\n It’s hard to put on the clothes<\/strong><\/p>\n You can barely breath<\/strong><\/p>\n Everything feels so heavy<\/strong><\/p>\n You crumble beneath the leviathan<\/strong><\/p>\n The clock is moving fast, too fast<\/strong><\/p>\n You want to stay home but you must graduate.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Finish the job, follow the path, use the structure<\/strong><\/p>\n For Mommy.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n Eyes open<\/strong><\/p>\n The stage is yours and you are proud,<\/strong><\/p>\n You are not alone.<\/strong><\/p>\n She is with you.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Inside of you.<\/strong><\/p>\n She loves you and you made it.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n Graduation ends.<\/strong><\/p>\n People swarm to ask if your ok.<\/strong><\/p>\n You say yes,<\/strong><\/p>\n That is not a lie.<\/strong><\/p>\n You are ok because there’s nothing else to be.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n You are almost glad.<\/strong><\/p>\n You can never tell anyone but you are glad she is at peace.<\/strong><\/p>\n She was in so much pain. The pain you would never wish on anyone.<\/strong><\/p>\n Now she is at peace all of the pain is gone.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n You do not stop your life.<\/strong><\/p>\n She would not want you too<\/strong><\/p>\n You don’t talk about her death<\/strong><\/p>\n Not because you are afraid.<\/strong><\/p>\n