- Poem by Amanda Walgrove, Grade 11

I've outgrown my own skin
Look how old I've become
I have my values sorted for this
Future I'm beginning to see
Life truly is survival of the fittest
And I seem to still be running
On this thin conveyer belt
That only knows how to go faster

But the smell of Holiday is almost gone
Sledding in the snow doesn't tickle my senses
Jumping in the leaves isn't the best part of autumn
Picking ripe apples isn't a wild adventure
The evening still doesn't end with the sun's descent
But instead of catching fireflies I'm studying more
And getting lost in my own imagination
Of fictional creatures is just juvenile, right?

I've realized that in my world
The simple things are still there
But I just can't see them anymore
Because this conveyer belt won't stop
My heart just beats faster
As my legs keep running at their own will
And my feet disappear once more
Under the pressure and the speed

Editor's note: I like this poem. Of course I do. I like everything that we put up on this blog! In fact, the poet, Amanda Walgrove, has been featured on WORD before. The only problem is that I'm really stuck for a picture. I've read and re-read Blindfolded about 20 times (no foolin') and I just can't come up with any image to post with it. I'm clueless! I started out by thinking I should put up a picture of a girl who is older than she wants to be. But how in tarnation are you supposed to find that on the internerd?? At any rate, if you can think of a good picture that should go with this poem, email us at word@weeklyreader.com. Put "Picture for Amanda's poem" in the subject line. We'll hear you out. Coolio yo.